COASTGUARDS ISSUE SUMMER SAFETY WARNING AS NUMBER OF COASTAL INCIDENTS AND DEATHS INCREASED LAST YEAR
Posted Wednesday, June 7, 2006 by Ahmed Khan
With the start of the summer season, Coastguards recently launched their Sea Smart campaign by issuing a warning to parents and children to take extra care when at the coast by making sure they follow the safety advice to avoid accidents or getting into difficulty.
The advice is being issued following an increase of nearly 18% in the number of seaside incidents last year, resulting in a total of 2,514 cases where people needed rescue or assistance.
The number of lives lost also increased from 364 to 376, having gone up by 19% over the last two years. Tragically, at least 20 children died in accidents on the coast during 2005 including drownings either from having been swept out to sea from rocks or the beach by freak waves or caught in strong currents or being cut off by the tide. Other incidents ending in tragedy involved jumping off high rocks, cliffs and piers and being buried by collapsing sand when digging on the beach.
As Coastguards enter their busiest time of year, they are highlighting the potential dangers. 92% of parents are unaware that drowning is the third most common cause of accidental death amongst young people in the UK and most children who drown can swim but are no match for strong currents, tidal rips and large waves.
Chief Coastguard, Peter Dymond says: "Many incidents involving children happen on fun days out, often participating in apparently harmless activities that they have done many times before. However, the sea can be treacherous and powerful and can change within minutes. The main advice is to be vigilant and follow safety warnings. If you see someone in difficulty, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard. Do not attempt to rescue them yourself. You would not only be putting the life of the person you are trying to rescue in danger but also your own."
It is vital that children and parents look out for warning signs and flags on the beach. Red flags are used as a warning that the water is unsafe, and red and yellow flags indicate the areas where it is safe to swim. When swimming following these three Sea Smart tips:
1. Always swim close to the beach in line with the shore rather than out to sea.
2. Check the beach when you arrive and beware of rocks and breakwaters.
3. Avoid rip tides and strong under surface currents which can carry you out to sea - calmer waters between areas of surf usually means dangerous rip currents.
To prevent a family day out turning into a tragedy, the MCA Sea Smart campaign advises parents to follow this simple four-point Sea Smart code when at the beach:
SPOT THE DANGERS
ALWAYS GO WITH A FRIEND
FIND AND READ THE SAFETY SIGNS
EMERGENCY? STICK YOUR HAND UP AND SHOUT, TELL A LIFEGUARD OR DIAL 999 FOR COASTGUARD
HELICOPTER SAFETY - GIVE AWAY FOR HORSE RIDERS
Posted Wednesday, June 7, 2006 by Ahmed Khan
The Ministry of Defence and British Horse Society are giving away 400 sets of high visibility clothing to horse riders as part of a joint campaign to encourage riders to be seen by low flying helicopters. Horses can be spooked by low flying helicopters, particularly if unaccustomed to the noise.
Under Secretary of State for Defence, Tom Watson, handed the high visibility riding sets to British Horse Society Chief Executive, Graham Cory, today at RAF Benson. Mr Watson said: "British military helicopters are providing vital support in the rebuilding of Iraq and Afghanistan. They provide a Search and Rescue capability in the UK and have helped in humanitarian aid missions, including the Pakistan earthquake. Low flying is an essential part of these operations and we must train our helicopter crews and support personnel for such missions.
"We recognise that there is the potential for our training in the UK to cause disturbance to members of the public, particularly the riding community. We have reduced our training requirements to the minimum necessary to produce fully-trained forces but we are committed to taking forward safety issues wherever possible."
An MOD trial in 2005, conducted using helicopter crews from RAF Benson, found that the largest single factor that offered an improvement to rider safety would be the increased use of high visibility clothing.
Accepting the high visibility sets, Graham Cory of the British Horse Society said: "The key message to come out of the review - that a horse and rider who can be seen in good time can be avoided in good time - was graphically demonstrated in the video taken from a fast, low flying Puma helicopter. Properly attired riders and horses were visible in plenty of time for the pilots to take appropriate evasive action; those which were not so attired were invisible until the very last moment."
Mr Watson added: "We hope that this initiative will encourage other riders to use high-visibility equipment: not only is it effective in improving rider safety from the air, but it can also increase rider safety on the roads."
SUNDERLAND'S CONSTRUCTION APPRENTICE'S REACH NEW HEIGHTS
Posted Wednesday, June 7, 2006 by Ahmed Khan
Trainee bricklayers, joiners, decorators, plumbers and electricians at City of Sunderland College's Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) today when they received expert advice from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on how to reach new heights safely and prevent their careers taking a tumble because of a fall resulting from unsafe working practises.
The height awareness initiative is part of a campaign launched by the HSE to encourage all workers who need to work at height to plan and prepare each job properly and consider the safest way to carry it out.
The apprentices were given demonstrations of alternatives to using ladders when they need to work at height, including new rapid build scaffolding, and HSE Inspector Dave Shallow talked to them about the importance of working at height in a safe way. Dr Shallow said:
"Since 2001/02, more than 200 people in Sunderland have been injured at work as a result of a fall, and in the last four years there have been three fatalities on North East on construction sites as a result of falls. By stressing the need to adopt safe working practices to these apprentices at a very early stage in their career, we hope influence the way they work in the future."
City of Sunderland College's, Head of Construction Gary Cumiskey said: "This is an excellent opportunity for our apprentices to hear first hand about the dangers of working at height from the experts. Hopefully they will have learnt something today which will stay with them for the rest of their careers and they will think twice before taking risks, not only when working at height but when carrying out other duties in the work place."
QUARTERLY STATEMENT OF NUCLEAR INCIDENTS AT NUCLEAR INSTALLATIONS
Posted Wednesday, June 7, 2006 by Ahmed Khan
A statement on incidents at nuclear installations in Britain that meet Ministerial reporting criteria is reported to the Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry and Scotland every quarter and published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
For the period 1 January 2006 to 31 March 2006 there were no incidents at any of the nuclear licensed installations that met the reporting criteria.
Single copies of ‘Statement of Nuclear Incidents at Nuclear Installations: First Quarter 2006’ are available free from Nuclear Safety Directorate 4a, HSE, Building 4 NG1, Redgrave Court, Merton Road, Bootle L20 7HS, Tel: 0151 951 3484.
MOBILE PHONE CULTURE PUTTING TRADESMEN’S LIVES AT RISK - TOMMY WALSH BACKS NEW CAMPAIGN!
Posted Wednesday, June 7, 2006 by Ahmed Khan
Everyday actions like reaching for a mobile phone, or a cup of tea, could be risking the safety of trades people working at height, with falls from below head height injuring thousands every year at work.
TV DIY expert Tommy Walsh has today joined forces with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to launch Height Aware, a campaign raising awareness of the dangers faced by people who operate at relatively low heights.
A survey of 150 trade people, who were questioned on behalf of the HSE at a recent building exhibition, reveals that one in three admit to putting their safety at risk by answering their mobile phones while working below head height. The same proportion of people routinely overreach to avoid moving their ladders during low-level work, and one in seven of those surveyed even admit to reaching dangerously to pick up a cup of tea on the job.
TOMMY COMMENTS!
"Reaching down from a ladder to answer a phone is asking for trouble. My advice would be to stop putting yourself in danger for the sake of a phone call.
"Even if you’re not that high off the ground, a simple fall could see you ending up in plaster or worse. It is impossible to underestimate the importance of this issue, and it makes absolute sense to take your safety seriously."
The survey also indicates that trades people routinely underestimate the risks associated with working below head height, believing it to be less dangerous than lifting heavy objects.
According to official HSE statistics, falling is the biggest cause of workplace fatalities. Last year, over 3,700 major injuries were recorded from falls at workplaces across the UK, with six in ten of those injuries coming as a result of working at below head height. Over the same period, 53 people died falling from a height at work, with seven of those working below head height.
HSE COMMENTS
"The dangers involved in working at such low levels may seem less obvious to employees or small business owners – which is why raising awareness of them is all the more important.
"Falls are preventable when work is planned properly, the risks are accurately assessed, and the correct equipment is used. Accidents cost businesses money, but for a smaller operator, it can cost you much more than that – it could cost you your business. Worst of all for the individual – it could cost them their life." Geoffrey Podger, Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Executive.
Nearly half of those questioned in the recent survey of trades people claimed to have nearly slipped or fallen in the past three months, highlighting the scale of the dangers facing people working at height.
For further information and to read about the business benefits of being height aware, go to http://www.hse.gov.uk/falls or contact HSE's Infoline on 0845 345 0055.