DUSTY MATERIALS A HAZARD IN TEXTILE WORK
Posted Saturday, July 31, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
HSE is warning textile companies of the danger of fire and explosion arising from work with flock or other dusty materials. These dangers manifested in January 2002 in an accident at the premises of Clarkson Textiles Ltd, of Nelson, Lancashire, when employee Pablo Magee, a stenter oven operative, sustained serious injury during an explosion.
The incident resulted in prosecution, and occurred immediately after a partial clean of a stenter oven had been completed, the excess flock dust remaining in the oven was drawn into the air when the oven's extractor fan was switched on and subsequently ignited on the oven's pilot light causing a fireball and explosion. The oven, although partially cleaned on a weekly basis, had not had a full strip down clean since the previous July, and flock dust was present on the stairs, the mezzanine floor and on pipe work above the stenter. Clarksons have now adopted improved cleaning schedules, redesigned the flocking line and worked with suppliers to produce a non-flammable flock.
Clarkson Textiles Ltd pleaded guilty to a charge under S.2(1) of the Health and Safety At Work etc Act 1974 and were fined £9,000 with £11,110 costs, at Burnley, Pendle & Rossendale Magistrates' Court.
Information and guidance for the textile industry is available at www.hse.gov.uk/textiles/index.htm .
"Pablo Magee received serious burns to his arms and neck and has been unable to return to work.
Despite being served an improvement notice in 1999 for housekeeping issues, the company's cleaning regime had become erratic. They failed to keep work surfaces, including ovens, and walls sufficiently clean of viscose and flock dust. As a result of poor housekeeping an avoidable incident has occurred. There are lessons to be learnt here by all those who work with dusty materials." - Liz Evans, HSE inspector.
SEPTEMBER DATE FOR PERMISSIONING REGIMES SEMINAR
Posted Saturday, July 31, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Bill Callaghan, HSC Chair, is to give the keynote speech at the forthcoming HSE/Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) seminar promoting the regulation of health and safety in the explosives, chemical, railway and oil and gas industries through the use of permissioning regimes.
Mr Callaghan will review evidence of the benefits of safety cases and convey the latest HSC thinking on the regulation of hazardous industries. Delegates will also benefit from the experience of other speakers in the safety case/permissioning environment.
The seminar takes place at the Oakwood Centre, Eaglescliffe, Stockton on Tees, on Tuesday 21 September 2004, for details visit IMechE website.
A permissioning regime is one under which the start or continuation of particular work activities are conditional upon a consent, license, letter of conclusion or acceptance of a safety case or safety report by the health and safety regulator. Permissioning regimes are an addition to the general framework of health and safety law.
CONTRACTOR AND RECRUITMENT COMPANY FACE CROWN COURT SENTENCING OVER RAILWORKER'S DEATH
Posted Saturday, July 31, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Balfour Beatty Railway Maintenance Ltd, Thornton Heath, South London, and McGinley's Recruitment Services Ltd have admitted breaching health and safety legislation in the circumstances of the death of railway maintenance worker Michael Mungovan, 22, who was struck by a train at Vauxhall Station during October 2000.
Investigation established both Mr Mungovan and a colleague with him lacked full competence for their respective duties, a matter that could have been established through reasonable enquiry.
Sentencing takes place in September.
NEW HSE DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL
Posted Saturday, July 31, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Jonathan Rees is to succeed the retiring Kate Timms as HSE Deputy Director General. Mr Rees, currently Director, Consumer and Competition Policy in the Department of Trade and Industry, will oversee the HSE Policy Group, his counterpart Deputy Director General is responsible for operations.
LATEST FIRE STATISTICS SHOW RISE IN DEATHS
Posted Saturday, July 31, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Fire Statistics Monitor, UK, Q3 2003 has been published on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister website covering the third quarter of 2003 and the year ending 30th September 2003.
The figures show:
the UK fire and rescue service attended just over 1 million fires and false fire alarms during the year ending 30 September 2003, up 7%;
the total number of fires attended increased by 14% to 603,000, however, 'primary' fires (property, vehicles and/or casualties) fell by 4% to 215,900, but there was a 28% increase (to 375,000) in the number of 'secondary' fires, mainly because of an increase in grassland fires; there were 64,200 fires in the home, down 3% compared with the previous year; the provisional number of fire related deaths in the year ending 30 September 2003 is 624, 30 more than in the previous 12-month period. (396 deaths in accidental dwelling fires); injuries resulting from fires fell by 7% to 15,800;
false alarms increased marginally (<1%), malicious false alarms fell by 11%.
HSC/E ACKNOWLEDGES WORK AND PENSIONS COMMITTEE RECOGNITION OF VALUE
Posted Saturday, July 31, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
The Work and Pensions Committee, which recently in its report on health and safety recognised and noted the value of the work undertaken by the HSC/E, has in turn been acknowledged by Bill Callaghan, HSC Chair who responded: “We are very pleased that the Committee believes the HSE is a high quality organisation and that it recognises that Great Britain has one of the best health and safety records in Europe. We are also pleased that there is strong support for the current legislative framework on health and safety.
Many of the recommendations are complex and will need to be examined in detail. Some, such as those relating to resources and legislation, are for other parts of Government. For those directed to HSC and HSE, we will contribute to the Government’s response in due course.”
HOW UNDERSTANDABLE IS OUR SIGNAGE?
Posted Saturday, July 31, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
The British Standards Institution (BSI) is concerned that a study by the Health & Safety Sign Association (HSSA) concluded that there is a low comprehension level of some health and safety signage such as those indicating means of escape.
BSI joins HSSA in lobbying for better signage use, its Allan Asher, Chairman of the Consumer Policy Committee of BSI, explained: "A worrying number of people don’t understand the meaning of warning signs that are meant to help. The potential consequences of not understanding a fire escape symbol over a normal exit sign could be grave. The research also illustrates other, potentially catastrophic findings, with only one in five consumers understanding the biological hazard warning sign, for example. It costs no more to manufacture or purchase a comprehensible sign than a non-recognisable sign. However it may cost lives if the wrong sign is bought. The HSSA is ensuring that the sign industry produces products that are clear and comprehensively understood."
"The confusion is being caused by not conforming to the British Standard. The new Standards BS 5499 Part 1 2002, Part 5 2002, Part 4 2000 address all the problems that the research has highlighted. It is for architects, building and estates managers and fire and safety enforcement agencies to promote the standard to meet legislation and ensure consumers are not at risk. The confusion is caused specifically when graphical symbols are used without explanatory supplementary text.
Whilst the aim is to have these safety messages understood without text, the research has shown that this should be after a process of education, familiarity and association with the meaning conveyed. In addition to this problem with standardised symbols other graphical symbols are being illustrated in HSE and ODPM guidance that are not standardised, not tested in accordance with ISO 9186 and are even more confusing." - Jim Creak, Chairman of the HSSA.
UK EMPLOYERS KEEP ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE INFORMATION TO THEMSELVES
Posted Saturday, July 31, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
An Environment Agency-commissioned report has revealed that less than 25% of FTSE All Share companies make any quantitative environmental disclosures in their Annual Reports and Accounts, despite new DTI regulation calling for this from January 2005. The report indicates that although 89% of companies discuss some aspect of their interactions with the environment, the majority lack depth, rigour and quantification and few could be described as comprehensive, or adequate, for shareholders to properly assess environmental risks or opportunities.
Within the Annual Reports and Accounts of FTSE All Share companies:
only 10% use Annual Reports and Accounts to report on waste, water and energy/climate change, and even less provide quantitative information; 72% make a reference to environmental policies but less than 50% report on a subject other than their environmental policy, which in itself is not a measure of environmental performance.
“Though we commend companies for reporting to an extent on their environmental performance, data supplied to the Environment Agency, Defra and the EU is not being sufficiently utilised for the benefit of informing shareholders about the environmental risks and opportunities that companies face. The OFR is an opportunity for companies to demonstrate to stakeholders their commitment to becoming more economically and environmentally sustainable.” - Barbara Young, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency.
“There is overall very little consistency in the type or quality of information disclosed, and guidelines with relevant key performance indicators are needed if the OFR objective of producing consistent, comparable and relevant environmental disclosure is to be achieved. Given that data for the new OFRs will have to be collected from 1st January 2005, these guidelines and performance indicators need to be established as quickly as possible so that companies can begin collecting the data they will need.” - Simon Thomas, Chairman, Trucost Plc who conducted the study.
WIDESPREAD IGNORANCE OF CONSTRUCTION ENVIRONMENTAL DUTIES
Posted Saturday, July 31, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Many small construction companies need to familiarise themselves with their environmental obligations according to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). A website has been established for this purpose holding free guidelines for the construction industry at http://www.netregs.gov.uk/
RECENT RESEARCH FOR NETREGS REVEALED THAT ONLY:
13% of small construction businesses had taken any practical measures to limit their environmental impact;
16% of respondents could name any environmental legislation; and
19% had even heard of the Duty of Care Regulations, which control the storage, handling and disposal of waste.
The guidelines are essential reading for anyone working in or with the Scottish construction industry and cover all the major processes involved in both building and civil engineering contracts.
“Failing to comply with environmental legislation can lead to costly enforcement action and businesses also risk missing out on the growing commercial benefits of good green credentials. NetRegs is designed to provide smaller construction firms with clear, authoritative guidance on the regulations affecting them and advice on how to improve their environmental performance.” - Claudette Hudes, NetRegs Team Leader, Scotland.
LOCAL AUTHORITY AND HEAD TEACHER AWAIT CROWN COURT SENTENCING OVER SCHOOL FIRE
Posted Saturday, July 31, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
No better illustration of the dangers of storing flammable material in a stair well is needed than the tale of the outbreak of fire at Moorside High School, Swinton, during July 2002. The fuel, wooden worktops, plastic and cardboard stored in a stair well forming the only means of escape for a class of around 30 children and teachers at first floor level; the ignition, the work of an opportunist arsonist. Fortunately all survived, although many children required treatment at hospital for smoke inhalation.
Investigation revealed failings to competently manage fire safety at school level and at local authority level. Salford City Council pleaded guilty to neglecting to conduct suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, a matter regarded sufficiently seriously by Bolton Magistrates' Court to refer sentencing to Bolton Crown Court. Head teacher Christine Chapman also awaits sentencing.
It was also disclosed that a Council safety audit report prior to the incident took several months to be presented after it had been conducted, a fact described as 'astonishing' by judge Jeff Brailsford.
Posted Saturday, July 31, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
A cross-party Department of Work and Pensions select committee has made a number of recommendations it believes will deliver an improvement in UK workplace health and safety performance.
In all, 35 conclusions and recommendations are made, including a doubling of the number of HSE inspectors in the field, joining a growing consensus of opinion that HSE is under-resourced, evidenced by the reported low level of incident investigation. It is envisaged that expenditure of around £50m over several years would be required to effect the augmentation of inspector numbers.
The work of the Health and Safety Commission and Executive also concluded the need for a more punitive range of penalties for organisations who fail to meet health and safety legislative standards.
COMMITTEE MAIN FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Only limited progress appears to have been made in reaching targets, with no realistic prospect of achieving the 2004 targets.
Inspection, backed by enforcement, will make duty holders comply with their responsibilities under health and safety law.
The number of inspectors in HSE's Field Operations Directorate should be doubled.
It is taking the Government too long to resolve outstanding issues concerning reforms of the law on corporate killing and recommends that by 1 December 2004 a Bill on corporate killing should be published.
An annual workplace health and safety survey to reveal trends on such issues as the proportion of employers conducting risk assessments; providing occupational health support; and training on health and safety issues.
A more proactive approach to enforcement action towards employers who disproportionately rely on temporary agency workers.
There is a 'huge job' to do on workplace health, higher priority to be given to establishing national cover of occupational health services.
Additional powers to allow HSC/E to take actions against local authorities failing to enforce health and safety regulations.
If safety representatives were empowered to enforce health and safety law in the workplace, this would have a powerful effect in improving standards.
At-work road traffic incidents should be required to be reported pursuant to RIDDOR.
For all its major procurement contracts, the Government should only buy from suppliers who have proved to the Government that they comply with UK health and safety legislation and have satisfactory health and safety procedures and practices in place.
FATAL WORKPLACE ACCIDENT IN WILTSHIRE
Posted Saturday, July 31, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
It is reported that Anthony Smith, 54, an employee of Trelleborg Automotive AVS Europe, died as the result of an industrial accident at the company's Trowbridge premises last week. Mr Smith sustained fatal crush injuries while inside a machine enclosure.
FARMERS CAN NOW GET E-HELP WITH RISK ASSESSMENT
Posted Wednesday, July 28, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
The HSE is utilising the internet to improve health and safety on farms throughout the North West of England. Peter Lennon, HSE's principal regional agricultural inspector, explains below how computer software and e-learning can assist farmers in the North West region to continue its improving health and safety performance.
"Many farmers now regularly use computers in operating their businesses, consequently two new means of help have been introduced this month.
The first is HSE's own interactive downloadable software package called 'Self Assessment Pilot', which simplifies the process of risk assessment and is intended to help farmers apply good health and safety practices. This can be downloaded from http://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture .
The second is 'farm safe' an interactive e-learning health and safety training programme developed, trialed and tested by Farmcare, part of the Co-operative group, Britain's leading commercial farmer. HSE, Farmcare and Lantra - the employer-led organisation, licensed by government to represent the interests of over 400,000 businesses and 1.5 million workers in the environmental and land-based industries - have joined forces to make this package available to everyone via the web on http://www.co-opfarmcare.com
We will also continue to raise our online profile. Our emphasis over the coming years will increasingly be on innovative methods of communications and working through others who are sometimes better placed to promote the effective management of health and safety.
We will continue to run our successful programme of Safety and Health Awareness Days specifically targeted at the self-employed and family farms, demonstrating common health and safety risks and solutions.
However, those involved in farming must realise that HSE's efforts alone will not build a safer and healthier industry. It is for everyone in agriculture and the wider food chain to play their part. Through partnership and co-operation we are determined to reduce the number of deaths and injuries in agriculture, particularly amongst the self-employed." - Peter Lennon.
CALL TO CLOSE DOWN YORKSHIRE'S 'SMOKING ROOMS'
Posted Wednesday, July 28, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
At last week's Smoke Free Communities Summit in Leeds speaker Paul Johnstone, Director of Public Health for Yorkshire, and the Humber Hospitals and NHS premises called for NHS trusts and local authorities who have so far not done so to go 'smoke free' in support of voluntary smoking bans in the region to help reduce the ill-effects of second-hand smoke.
There has been movement in this direction - Hull and East Yorkshire Hospital NHS Trust is smoke free and Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Trust will go smoke free in January, and all Strategic Health Authority premises in the region are smoke free.
Recent audit found that many local authority-run offices still have smoking rooms for employees, less than half declared a totally smoke free environment.
In 2002 the UK Chief Medical Officer's annual report stated that second-hand smoke increases the risk of lung cancer by 20-30% and increases the risk of heart disease by 25% in those people who live with a smoker. In Leeds 1,400 people died from smoking related illness in 2001/2.
Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Team have published a step-by-step guide to smoke free campaigns: A Framework for Action. Reducing Exposure to Tobacco Smoke Pollution in Workplaces and Public Places.
"The public health team's consultation document 'Our Region our Health' included a recommendation for the widespread adoption of smoke-free public places and workplaces and for Yorkshire and the Humber to become a smoke-free region.
To achieve that vision, I am urging all local authorities and NHS premises to become totally smoke-free. As the largest employers in the region, public services should be leading by example. How can we ask other organisations to go smoke-free if we do not have our own house in order? The NHS and local authorities have a duty to protect the health and well being of staff and to demonstrate exemplary conduct to other employers." - Paul Johnstone.
TRANSPORT ACCIDENTS ACCOUNT FOR 5 OF 6 WELSH AGRICULTURE WORKPLACE DEATHS
Posted Wednesday, July 28, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
An examination of the circumstances of the workplace deaths in Welsh agriculture during 2003/4 shows that 5 of the 6 deaths occurred during the use or repair of vehicles. Looking at the picture over 10 years it is apparent that the self-employed are for whatever reason in greater danger of meeting with a fatal accident.
Commenting on the information conveyed in Fatal injuries in farming, forestry and horticulture 2003/2004, Dr Roger Nourish, Head of HSE’s Agriculture and Food sector, said: “Last year HSE stated its commitment to reduce needless deaths on Welsh farms by appealing to communities and families to work with us. Clearly there is still much work to be done.
Sensible health and safety is about managing risks, not eliminating all risk, and farmers are the best-placed to do this. Health and safety is a fundamental requirement of sustainable farming and should be regarded as integral to good farm business management.”
Steve Coppell, HSE’s Head of operations in Wales, expressed a measure of HSE determination to work toward a reduction in the tragic toll saying: ”We will continue to work with our stakeholders such as the Welsh Assembly, Government agencies, agricultural colleges, farming unions, Lantra and Farming Connect, who can influence farmers to improve risk control. Accidents are traumatic for all involved – they are also costly in financial terms (the cost to farmers and farm workers of accidents in Wales for 2003/04 was about £20.9 million). We will work to help farmers comply with the law but we will take a hard line with people who flout it.”
DETAILS OF WELSH DEATHS IN THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR 2003/2004
Self-employed forestry worker, 59, found late in the evening with a tree trunk on top of his body and legs. He was working alone in strong gusting winds.
Self-employed farmer, 51, sustained fatal head and chest injuries when he fell from a bucket attached to a telehandler being driven by his son. He was felling a tree, which was supported by a tractor using chains. The tree fell backwards and he fell from the bucket as the telehandler overturned.
Boy, 8, crushed under the wheels of a reversing fork lift truck (FLT) during the school holidays. He was staying at his grandparents’ farm where he was given rides around the farm. It is not known exactly what happened but it is believed the child either fell from the FLT whilst it was reversing or ran towards the reversing vehicle.
Self-employed farmer, 74, crushed against a bucket attached to a tractor when a square bale of straw fell on top of him. He was forking silage into a tractor bucket when the bale fell from the top of the clamp crushing him against the bucket.
Employee, 25, died whilst inflating a tractor tyre. He had removed a tractor wheel and leaned it against the side of a trailer. Having repaired the inner tube, he was re-inflating the tyre, using a compressor, when the inner tube failed, throwing the wheel and him across the yard.
Employee, 57, died when he lost control of his ATV quad bike and collided with railings covering a gap in a wall in the farm’s slurry collection yard. The gap allowed slurry to be pushed into a collection trailer, positioned below. The ATV was fitted with a scraper attachment. The deceased was found trapped between the ATV seat and the railings, the ATV hanging over the open edge.
“Each year there are more transport-related incidents in Great Britain than any other category. These latest tragic statistics for Wales underline the risks. So today I am pleased to launch the Tractor Action video, which uses hard-hitting reconstructions and describes safe working practices for tractor operations. The video demonstrates how simple errors can lead to disaster and describes basic steps that reduce the risk. This video is part of a training package that includes a Safety Training Guide for lecturers and trainers and a Tractor action leaflet for students and trainees.
Welsh farmers are particularly vulnerable – many work in small family enterprises or are self-employed and working alone. We will continue our programme of Safety and Health Awareness Days for this audience, demonstrating common risks and sensible, practical solutions.
Sustainable farming can only be achieved if farmers are alive and well. Therefore I want to appeal directly to farming families – ask your loved ones what work they are doing and how will they ensure they get home in one piece. For further advice and support go to our website or phone our info line”. - Roger Nourish.
HOTEL CHAIN FINED OVER DEFECTIVE TABLE
Posted Wednesday, July 28, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
De Vere Hotels Ltd, proprietors of the Village Hotel in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire, has pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 in the circumstances surrounding an accident there in which employee Dana Parker, 16, lost one finger when a table's legs collapsed.
Ms Parker was using the metal table at the time which, although fitted with castors, was not suitable to be pushed laden with plates.
Investigation by Broxtowe Borough Council officials revealed that she was also working without the benefit of a risk assessment specifically for a young person. Nottingham Magistrates fined De Vere Hotels Ltd £12,000 with £1,800 costs.
MACHINE-ASSISTED KERB LAYING
Posted Wednesday, July 28, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Last week's HSE Kerbs Forum meeting in London was attended by more than 80 stakeholders including kerb manufacturers, contractors and Local Authorities. Delegates reviewed progress on the initiative to encourage industry to depart from the practice of kerb manual handling and use machines. Kerbstones weigh 67kg and are otherwise typically manually handled at least 3 times from arrival on site to their final positioning, exposing operatives to high risk of musculoskeletal injury.
The initiative features transitional timeframes during which the change from manual to machine assisted kerb handling would take place:
for new builds by June 2004 & 'spot’ kerbing phased in by January 2005.
“I am happy to report that we found no problems in achieving either deadline. For new build work the change has already taken place and HSE inspectors will be expecting to see machine assisted kerb laying throughout GB. For ‘spot’ kerbing and maintenance I can report good progress and that we are on target to meet the January 2005 deadline.
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 have now been in force for 12 years and require employers to avoid the need for manual handling where possible, and control the risk of injury where manual handling cannot be avoided. For kerbs and similar products, aids such as vacuum lifters and grabs are widely available and therefore industry should be looking to use them where possible.
Given the statistics, it is right that industry should be tackling this problem now, and HSE will continue to work with our stakeholders to bring about this necessary change. Rather than taking an enforcement-led approach to changing industry practice, HSE is working with the relevant contractors and intermediary bodies to ensure that a gradual change takes place within agreed time limits.” - Richard Boland, HSE Principal Inspector, chair, July Forum meeting.
“JDM Accord is a contractor working with many Local Authorities on term maintenance contracts, primarily in busy city centres. We have found that ‘spot’ kerb maintenance has been a particular challenge because we must ensure that we minimise the disruption to the public. We have worked in partnership with our clients, the Local Authorities, to find a workable solution and also found that adopting mechanical lifting has brought business as well as health and safety benefits.” - Barry Evans, JDM Accord.
“Setting deadlines and agreeing an ‘enforcement line’ with the HSE gave the industry assurances that all stakeholders, particularly clients, would be taking forward changes at the same time. I am pleased to report that the July Kerbs Forum showed that there was considerable enthusiasm for the new way of working. At a time when the Health and Safety Commission is championing the case for sensible health and safety controls that are sensibly applied, it is refreshing to attend a meeting where construction clients are being engaged directly on such a key issue. I hope that we can use this approach and work together on other health and safety issues in the future.” - Andy Sneddon, Construction Confederation.
HAVS TERMS OF PRESCRIPTION CHANGE
Posted Wednesday, July 28, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Following a recent Industrial Injuries Advisory Council-conducted review of Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) there has been an important change to the prescription of Prescribed Disease A11 (PD A11), commonly known as Vibration White Finger (VWF), caused by the prolonged use of hand-held high frequency vibrating or percussive tools.
The Council recommended widening the terms of prescription of the disease to include severe sensorineural symptoms, previously only those with vascular (blanching) symptoms (i.e. VWF) were able to claim Industrial Injury Disablement Benefit. The revised prescription for PD A11 will take account of severe sensorineural symptoms (altered sensation in the fingers such as tingling and numbness), whether or not the vascular symptoms are present.
The Department for Work and Pensions is to implement the changes.
BUSINESS LEADERS' VIEWS CANVASSED ON PREVENTING WORK-RELATED STRESS SICKNESS ABSENCE
Posted Wednesday, July 28, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
The HSC has asked the leaders of the top 350 UK companies to offer their views on how to prevent sickness absence caused by work-related stress. HSC’s Consultation on Management Standards for stress is underway allowing anyone to contribute before 27th August.
The Management Standards are described as a non-legislative yardstick to help organisations meet their existing duty of care and their duty to assess the risks of work-related stress.
The Standards, an introductory video and supporting materials are available on HSE’s website http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/issues.htm
“We’re not about eliminating all stress or pressure in the workplace. Rather we want to help employers recognise and manage the risks sensibly. We believe the Management Standards can help employers tackle work-related stress at source and reduce sickness absence caused by work-related stress. The Standards have been well-received so far but we need to gather more views.” - Bill Callaghan.
IMPLEMENTING A FIRE SAFETY STRATEGY IN HOSPITALS
Posted Wednesday, July 28, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
A conference takes place in Leeds on the 22nd of September 2004 for anyone with an interest in fire safety in hospitals and health care premises.
The one-day conference will:
explain the need for fire care strategies based on avoiding fire, rapid detection and containment, and any progressive horizontal evacuation; explore the benefits of up-to-date fire safety strategies in existing hospitals; examine issues to be dealt with when putting together and implementing a revised strategy; illustrate the benefits of the latest fire safety engineering strategy in creating a more secure environment that meets the needs of patients, staff and other building users & feature case studies of fire safety design, modelling and testing techniques.
The conference is to be held at Leeds United Football Club, for more information contact Caroline McGill @ BRE Events or e-mail: events@bre.co.uk
GENERATORS PUMPED OUT DEADLY EXHAUST GASES
Posted Wednesday, July 28, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Franchise business operator, Kevin Millward, has been prosecuted over an incident in which a client who required his house dried out died following exposure to exhaust gases expelled from two internal combustion engine generators powering dehumidifiers.
Mr Millward denied breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 in the circumstances of the tragic accident but was found guilty and fined £2,500, the client, John Lane, 62, died in his Birmingham home, succumbing to carbon monoxide poisoning.
CARBON MONOXIDE INCIDENT CAUSATION - STUDY
Posted Wednesday, July 28, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
An HSE-funded research report casting light on the causation of CO incidents has been published - RR238 - A review of carbon monoxide incident information for 2002/03. Common causes of incidents in the areas of appliance and system design, installation and maintenance are identified to assist persons with an interest or role in improving customer safety.
The work drew on the analysis of detailed information derived from the full investigation of incidents which had resulted from the use of piped natural gas and LPG - 39 domestic piped natural gas incidents reported, 2 LPG incidents and 1 non-domestic incident, plus 4 LPG incidents based on less full information.
Researchers Advantica recommend the further collection and analysis of information from CO incidents to minimise risk to consumers which should be made available to all interested parties including those involved in the installation and maintenance of gas appliances.
DROPPED CHUNK OF METAL BROKE DEMOLITION WORKER’S NECK
Posted Wednesday, July 28, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
G & M Demolition Ltd of Coppull, Lancashire, have admitted breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 in the circumstances surrounding an accident during April 2003 in which site operative Allan McCall, 21, was struck by a 30kg chunk of metal dropped down a lift shaft of an Edinburgh building undergoing refurbishment. Mr McCall sustained a broken neck and injuries which have left him partially disabled.
His employer was fined £7,500 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, the breach arising from its failure to provide a safe system of work for him and his colleagues as they removed material down the shaft. Communications had been established between top and bottom using radios, but the batteries had gone flat and despite an arrangement being in place to use other radios provided for such an event the operatives resorted to shouting, and this led to the accident. The company's intention had been that work should stop until radio communications were re-established but on this occasion this instruction had not been given.
PESTICIDES SAFETY DIRECTORATE PUBLISHES ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2003/04
Posted Wednesday, July 28, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
The Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD), responsible for the regulation, registration and use of pesticides in agricultural, horticultural, forestry, food storage and home garden chemicals, has published its Annual Report for 2003/04.
Copies may be purchased from The Stationery Office, ref ISBN 0-10-292828-2, price £15.20.
HEALTH AND SAFETY AND DISABILITY
Posted Wednesday, July 28, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
A helpful factsheet has been published by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work entitled Ensuring the health and safety of workers with disabilities which addresses issues of equality in the workplace explaining arrangements to facilitate the employment of people with disabilities.
It covers:
legal requirements including risk assessment; consultation; emergency procedures; equalities training & general advice on providing reasonable accommodation.
HAZARDS OF FIBRE REINFORCED PLASTICS PRODUCTION
Posted Wednesday, July 28, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Fibre Reinforced Plastics are a combination of a fibre and plastic resin that combine to produce rigid strong material such as Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) used to produce a range of products. Guidance has been published for fibre reinforced plastics (FRP) firms to help them further control two hazards - fire/ explosion and styrene exposure:
Fires and explosions result in injury to workers, lost production, and sometimes complete closure of businesses, caused in the main by poor control of flammable materials used or produced in the fabrication of FRP. Plastics Processing sheet No. 15 Reducing the risk of fire or explosion during the manufacture of fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) products summarises what can be done to control fire and explosion hazards in fibre laminating and aims to help businesses carry out risk assessments and decide on control measures.
Poor control of styrene can damage workers' health especially as many companies do not monitor exposure to styrene, with many not reporting styrene-related ill-health cases. Plastics Processing sheet No. 14 Assessing and controlling styrene levels during contact moulding of fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) products summarises the health hazards that can arise from exposure to styrene and gives practical guidance to FRP manufacturers on assessing and controlling styrene levels in the workplace.
The Information sheets are published by HSE, produced in partnership with the Plastics Processors' Health and Safety Liaison Committee (PPHSLC), the industry advisory body representing trade associations, training bodies and Trades' Unions.
HSE CAUTIONS CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ON START OF SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
Posted Wednesday, July 28, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
HSE is urging the building industry to redouble its efforts to exclude children from construction sites, and to store materials and plant safely. The dangers were aptly illustrated by last month's incident involving a small child at a site in Filey, North Yorkshire.
Guidance on what is necessary is available in Protecting the public - your next move, HSG 151, ISBN 0 7176 1148 5, £7.95, from HSE Books.
Injuries to non-employed children (aged 1-15) in the Construction sector, as reported to HSE
Year Fatal Non-fatal Total
1998/99 0 111 111
1999/2000 3 122 125
2001/01 1 81 82
2001/02 1 91 92
2002/03 1 61 62
TOTAL 6 466 472
"The recent serious incident involving a 3-year old boy should serve as a sobering reminder to everyone in the construction industry that construction sites are dangerous places for children. With school holidays about to commence across Great Britain, extra care needs to be taken to ensure that sites are secure and that materials and plant are stored safely." - Philip White, Head of HSE's Construction Sector.
WORKPLACE TRANSPORT PROSECUTION
Posted Sunday, July 25, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Investigation of an accident in which two pallet trucks collided led to the prosecution of Hays Distribution Services Ltd, of Coalville, Leicestershire, the trucks collided as they met passing through a 2-way opening.
Investigating officials of North West Leicestershire District Council discovered that although sensors that operated door curtaining were functioning correctly, drivers were not fully briefed on how the 'right of way' system was to work. Hays have now established this doorway for unidirectional use.
At Hinckley Magistrates' Court the company was deemed to have breached the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 in the circumstances surrounding the accident and was fined £7,000 with £4,760 costs.
HSC ANNUAL REPORT CHRONICLES SUCCESSFUL YEAR
Posted Sunday, July 25, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
The HSC has published The Health and Safety Commission Annual Report and the Health and Safety Commission/Executive Accounts 2003/2004, recording progress made against published plans contained in the HSC Business Plan 2003-04.
The period the report covers has been notable for the publication of HSC's Strategy for workplace health and safety in Great Britain to 2010 and beyond, and for HSC/E progress in the areas of: priority programmes; work in major hazard industries; securing compliance with the law; and mandatory activities.
Bill Callaghan, HSC Chair commented: “HSE had a successful year with a number of targets exceeded. The major task in the coming year is now to deliver the Strategy and the Commission is determined to do that in partnership with others.”
“The evolution of the Strategy involved close working between the Commission and the Board of HSE and consultation with a wide range of stakeholders.
The Strategy asks employers, employees, trade unions and others to play their role in improving health and safety and so promote our vision, which is to see sensible health and safety as a cornerstone of a civilised society.
We are committed to being a good partner because we recognise that this strategy can only be achieved through partnership.” - Bill Callaghan, HSC Chair.
OPTIMA SIGNS UP TO CSCS
Posted Sunday, July 25, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Optima Infrastructure Management, a fully integrated joint venture between Atkins and Accord Jarvis, is the Managing Agent Contractor working on behalf of the Highways Agency and is responsible for maintaining motorways and trunk roads in a large part of central England.
Optima wanted to ensure its site-workers who routinely access the road network and associated construction sites are fully trained and clearly identified by the skills they hold, and have done so by signing up to the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS).
A mobile testing unit was set up at its Tamworth offices where the skills of staff at all levels were assessed as part of the national scheme. Registration means personnel are issued with an identity card (with picture) and the skill or job for which they are qualified, verifying the holder has completed the health and safety awareness testing.
"Health and safety is essential for us to provide the Highways Agency and road users with the safest and most efficient service we can. The CSCS card means that our clients and other workers can be assured of the skills of the Optima staff they are working with, and that the health and safety standards to which they have been tested and compared meet a national benchmark. This is another important development in the trust we have built up with these agencies, where safety is paramount for workers and road users" - Peter Evans, Business Systems Manager at Optima.
"Our key priority is the safety of road users and the workforce so we fully support Optima's continued commitment to health and safety with investment in schemes such as CSCS. The registration is an effective way to ensure sound health and safety knowledge and clear identification, which are essential to safe & efficient road works." -Stephen Edwards, Area Manager of the Highways Agency.
HSC/E REGRETS TRANSFER OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR RAILWAY SAFETY REGULATION TO ORR
Posted Sunday, July 25, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Despite the presentation of what it believes to be robust reasoning, the HSC/E must accept the DfT decision to transfer responsibility for railway safety regulation from HSC/E to the new Office of Rail Regulation (ORR).
HSC Chairman Bill Callaghan commented: "It is our firm belief that safety regulation should be independent of its industry and that any regulator should have teeth to be able to enforce measures where necessary."
“I share the Commission’s disappointment in this outcome. I too am grateful for the work of all my colleagues engaged in railway safety. During its time in HSE, HM Railway Inspectorate’s oversight of the rail industry’s management of health, safety and welfare has seen an overall improvement in safety indicators despite recent serious incidents. Our rail policy advisers have been dedicated to the task of reviewing and revising railway safety legislation and guidance in the light of recommendations made following these incidents, and measures from Europe to modernise the rail regulatory framework. HSE rail staff have set high standards of professionalism and should be proud of what they have achieved within HSE. I echo the commitment to ensure that safety standards are maintained. HSE will work closely with DfT and the ORR to ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities; I know that my rail colleagues are capable of meeting this challenge. For my part, I am committed to ensuring that HSE will manage this change effectively and secure comparable terms and conditions for staff who transfer to ORR.” - Timothy Walker, HSE Director General.
HSE DRAWS LINE UNDER GLENRIDDING BECK TRAGEDY
Posted Sunday, July 25, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
There are to be no further charges brought against any party in relation to the tragic drowning of Max Palmer, 10, on a school outing to Glenridding Beck during May 2002. Max drowned in the cold, fast-flowing Cumbrian beck, Paul Ellis, the teacher leading the trip, pleaded guilty to Manslaughter and an offence under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for which he received a custodial sentence.
HSE urges other education employers to consider whether their health and safety systems might stand up to the level of scrutiny to which the Lancashire County Council has been subjected.
The findings of the investigation will be made public, in the meantime the DfES guidance Health and Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits is available to download from its website.
"After the joint HSE/Police investigation which resulted in the conviction of Paul Ellis, HSE carried out an exhaustive investigation into the role of Fleetwood High School and Lancashire County Council (LCC), to find out what they could have done to prevent this tragedy.
We concluded that no failures by LCC or anybody other than Paul Ellis contributed directly to the death of Max Palmer. We also found that many of LCC's corporate procedures were basically sound, although there were still areas in which improvements could be made.
Our decision not to prosecute has been based solely on the facts of this particular case. We could have come to a different decision if we found that LCC's health and safety systems had serious weaknesses.
We cannot prosecute just because something goes wrong. If there is sufficient evidence and other tests are met, we prosecute those who do not manage health and safety effectively. Where there has been a death, we look particularly carefully at the possibility of prosecution, as we have in this case.
Despite the terrible events in Glenridding Beck, HSE believe that school trips are an effective way of developing children's physical and personal skills. We must learn the lessons, not destroy the opportunities. It would be a further tragedy if children were denied such educational opportunities because teachers are scared of making a mistake. People who act professionally and conscientiously don't need to fear the law." - Janet Wilson HSE's North West Head of Operations.
QUALIFY PROFESSIONALLY WITH ROSPA
Posted Sunday, July 25, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is to present the new National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health Level 4 Diploma course which replaces the existing NEBOSH Diploma 1 and 2 course.
As well as preparing people to be of great assistance to their employers, holders of this qualification will have attained the academic requirements for corporate membership of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). The first RoSPA course begins on September 13, for this and information on other health and safety courses leading to qualifications tel. RoSPA on 0870 777 2224.
“Diploma holders will be able to operate effectively and efficiently at a senior level within their organisation. The diploma allows professionals to develop their occupational health and safety knowledge and expertise in line with current legislation and HSE guidance, which is pro-active and goal-setting rather than rule-following.” - John Phillips, RoSPA Training and Consultancy Manager.
INQUEST OUTCOME OF SECURITY GUARD WHO DIED OF CO POISONING
Posted Sunday, July 25, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
A narrative verdict has been determined by the inquest jury on the death of Mohammed Buder Iqbal, 19, a self-employed part-time security guard who died of carbon monoxide poisoning last August as he worked in a building site showhouse in Hall Green, Birmingham. He had been engaged for the work by Omega 247 Security Ltd. A nearby internal combustion engine-powered generator produced the deadly gases that overcame him.
The verdict read - Mohammed Buder Iqbal was found dead while working as an untrained part-time security guard.
BILL CALLAGHAN CONTINUES AT HSC
Posted Sunday, July 25, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Bill Callaghan has been reappointed as Chair of the Health and Safety Commission for a further three years. Mr Callaghan has served in the post since October 1999 during which time he has overseen the further development of HSC strategy, notably the effective 'Revitalising' campaigns and the publication of the HSC's Strategy for workplace health and safety in Great Britain to 2010 and beyond.
"Bill is an excellent chair of the Commission and has led it through an important period of change. His reappointment will help ensure that Britain continues to lead the world in workplace health and safety." - Andrew Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
MIDLANDS COMPANY'S MACHINE SEVERED EMPLOYEE'S ARM
Posted Sunday, July 25, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Paddock Fabrications Ltd of Bloxwich, Staffs, has been fined £13,000 with £2,040 costs for permitting the use of an inadequately guarded hinge-making machine deemed to put it in breach of S.2.of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
The breach came to light in an HSE investigation of last year's accident in which Sandra Haigh lost her hand and part of her arm when her clothing got caught in it because the guarding was inadequate, a matter identified by risk assessment some months before.
TRACTOR ROPS MAINTENANCE
Posted Sunday, July 25, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Tractors are used in a variety of work activity and are invariably robust items, typically providing decades of service. Tractor safety cabs are an important safety feature of them and recent research shows greater care and preventative maintenance is needed to prolong the life of the cab.
A report entitled Structural deterioration of tractor safety cabs with age RR251 (price £25, ISBN 0 7176 2873 6 available from HSE Books) has been carried out by the Silsoe Research Institute to examine potential problems related to the integrity of tractor safety cabs that have been in service for many years. Rollover incidents can claim lives and, to protect drivers, legislation was introduced in the UK requiring all new tractors sold after 1st September 1970 to be fitted with a rollover protective structure (ROPS) to prevent the operator from being crushed should the tractor overturn. This change, and those introduced by the Agriculture (Tractor Cabs) Regulations 1974, have saved many lives each year (over 50 deaths resulted from rollover incidents during 1966). Nowadays tractor rollover incident deaths generally occur with tractors that do not have a safety cab or roll bar fitted.
RESEARCH FINDINGS
The HSE-commissioned study objective was to determining the Prevalence, structural severity and practical implications of Tractor safety cab/ROPS structural deterioration with age in the UK. A detailed survey of about 400 used tractors manufactured between 1970 & 1990 was conducted at a series of major auctions. 7 tractors were subject to intense examination including partial dismantling, 5 of these were selected for a recognised structural testing procedure to determine if they were still capable of providing the intended degree of rollover protection.
This work demonstrated that: the extent of corrosion varied due to Age, cab type, and use, maintenance and storage history; 4 cab structures passed the test, one failed & 3 of the 5 tested were short of mounting bolts or experienced bolt failure during testing.
CONCLUSIONS OF STUDY
The integrity of tractor safety cabs is weakened by corrosion; this corrosion is accelerated by lack of care, including a lack of preventative maintenance; some safety cabs had been repaired: this is prohibited, i.e. the cabs would lose their 'Approved' status; some cabs had not been correctly re-installed following removal for vehicle maintenance.
HSE ADVICE FOR TRACTOR OWNERS AND OPERATORS
In order to improve safety cab/ROPS longevity and, ultimately, the protection they provide to the driver in the event of a rollover incident, HSE advises tractor owners and operators that they should:
regularly check the cab, and cab bracket mounting bolts. Remember that most Q-cab mounting brackets bolt both to the cab and to the tractor chassis; rectify poor cab sealing and water leaks from doors, windows, roof hatches. Also be aware of the risk of water/moisture ingress that can result from roof drainage and air conditioning systems; keep the cab as clean as possible, especially the interior. Granular fertilisers, slurry or farmyard manure will combine with moisture and cause accelerated corrosion; remove mud and other moisture-retaining debris from external traps and ledges on the cab;
if surface corrosion develops on the cab treat it sooner rather than later and remember it may be hidden by floor mats or cab cladding.
NO EXCUSE FOR EMPLOYERS TO PLEAD IGNORANCE OF GOOD HEALTH AND SAFETY PRACTICE
Posted Sunday, July 25, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
On the 3rd March 2002 Steven Hucks was unloading steel coils at his employer's premises at Tower Warf, Northfleet, Kent, when he was severely injured. Mr Hucks sustained a crushed pelvis and severe bruising when he became trapped between two 18-tonne steel coils being unloaded and the next roll of coils on the terminal floor.
Investigation by the HSE of the accident at Seacon Terminals Ltd resulted in prosecution and at Dartford Magistrates' Court the company was fined £3,500 for breaching r.3(1)(a) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and fined £3,500 for breaching r.5* of the Docks Regulations 1988. The company was also required to meet £1,450 in costs.
"The planning and execution of work of this type is very important. Risk assessments should be used to help identify control measures in order to reduce risk to employees. Risk assessments are there to assess risk to employees and should be acted upon, they are not simply a reference document.
HSE will not tolerate employers exposing their employees to unacceptable risks at work. The HSE has always been available to give advice in relation to health and safety at work and there is simply no excuse for employers to plead ignorance of good health and safety practice." - Maria Strangward, HM Inspector of Safety and Health.
* Regulation 5 of the Docks Regulations 1988 states that, "Dock operations shall be planned and executed in such a manner as to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable that no person will be exposed to danger."
1,600 BUMPS A DAY!
Posted Sunday, July 25, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
It is reported that shuttle bus drivers employed by AirLinks at Gatwick Airport are concerned about the effect of new speed bumps on their route, maintaining that the features are inducing neck and shoulder pain.
One driver estimates that they must negotiate the 75mm high bumps up to 1,600 times on each shift on the British Airports Authority-owned route, something they deem is having a deleterious effect on their health.
FATAL ACCIDENT AT QUARRY
Posted Monday, July 12, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
The man who died last Thursday afternoon at Carnsew Quarry, Mabe, in Cornwall, was Robert Bickley, 41, a plant fitter employed by quarrying company Aram Resources. According to one account Mr Bickley came into contact with a conveyor drive, part of the crushing plant he was working on, sustaining severe head injuries.
The fatal accident rate in quarries is approximately 3 times that of construction, workplace transport accounting for 60% of the fatalities.
RECIPE FOR SAFETY INITIATIVE SENDS FOOD AND DRINK INJURIES DOWNWARDS
Posted Monday, July 12, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
The HSE website page, Food manufacturing - The 'Recipe for Safety' initiative, reports a continuing downward trend in the overall injury rate in the food and drink industries.
Since the Recipe for Safety initiative's inception in the early 1990's there has been a 21.5% reduction in the industry injury rate, with the total number of injuries down by 32% (from 14,435 to 9864).
DIRECTIVE THREAT TO DOMESTIC HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDS
Posted Monday, July 12, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
The HSC in its response to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) consultation on the draft EC Directive on Services in the Internal Market is expressing concern about the likely undermining of domestic health and safety standards that would be brought by the 'Country of origin' approach of the proposed Directive. It says that where people are seriously injured or killed by a temporary service provider, the Country of origin rule would mean huge uncertainties about whether enforcement and prosecution was possible.
You can read HSC's response to DTI's consultation on draft EU Directive on Services in the Internal Market on the HSE website.
The EC is aiming to secure Member States' agreement to the Directive by Spring 2005. It will cover any business activity providing a service to consumers or businesses, with exceptions such as public services. Country of origin rule would cover the likes of gangmasters in agriculture and design, installation, maintenance, or facilities management contractors in most sectors.
"I welcome the Directive's overall aim to promote proportionate, sensible and non-discriminatory regulation across Europe, but health and safety standards risk being seriously undermined by the plan to remove service providers from other Member States, in Britain temporarily, from GB health and safety legislation - the 'country of origin' approach.
The country of origin approach threatens health and safety standards and offends the principles of good regulation. Temporary service providers would be subject to their home State's laws and authorities through new liaison procedures which will cause confusion and make a nonsense of criminal enforcement to deal with risks in services." - HSC Chair Bill Callaghan.
NO GUARD RAILS OR FALL PROTECTION MEANT PROSECUTION FOR ROOFER
Posted Monday, July 12, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
A telephone call from a concerned member of the public informing that 2 workmen were placing themselves in considerable danger of a fatal fall led to a prosecution for Mr John Wyatt, trading as JRC & SJ Wyatt.
Between the 23rd and 25th June 2003 at Units 1-7, Farringdon Industrial Centre, Farringdon, Hants, 2 of Mr Wyatt's employees, Philip Dunsby and Barry Wilkins, were observed carrying out construction work on a roof, 7 metres above the ground, without guard rails or other means of fall protection. The men had been working for 3 days, walking up to 60 metres along the ridge of the roof to reach the work area.
Mr Wyatt, after pleading guilty to breaching r.6(1)(a) of the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996*, was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £859 costs at Alton Magistrates' Court.
"HSE figures show that falls during work at height are the single biggest cause of fatal and serious injury in construction. Nationally 68 people died and nearly 4,000 were seriously injured as a result of falls from height whilst at work in 2001/02. Serious injury can occur from falls of any kind, making it all the more essential for employers to have safe working procedures for working at height.
In this case Mr Wyatt allowed 2 workers to carry out roof replacement work on an industrial building over 7 metres high, with no precautions in place to prevent them from falling from the edges of the roof. Following a report by a member of the public, an HSE Inspector stopped the work before any injury could occur." - Tracey Cartwright, HM Inspector of Safety and Health.
*Regulation 6(1) of the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 states that "suitable and sufficient steps shall be taken to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, any person falling."
CLINIC WAS CARELESS WITH RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPES
Posted Monday, July 12, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
A private research and fertility clinic has been prosecuted for failing to comply with the conditions of its registration and authorisation certificates relating to radio-active material. During April last year Bourn Hall Clinic was inspected by an Environment Agency Radioactive Substances Regulation Officer who found the discrepancies in the records relating to 4 sources of radio-active material containing Carbon-14, 2 of which later turned up in a freezer, the other 2 were never found. The clinic had duties under the Registration Certificate to know at all times the whereabouts of the radioactive sources.
At Cambridge Magistrates' Court Bourn Hall Clinic, Bourn, near Cambridge, pleaded guilty to failing to properly store and record the whereabouts of the material at its premises and was fined a total of £15,000 with £6,082 costs.
The 3 charges were that it failed to: make clear and legible records to show the location of registered radioactive material containing Carbon-14 on its premises and thereby failing to prevent the loss of radioactive material; inform the police and Environment Agency that registered radioactive material containing Carbon-14 had been lost;
comply with an enforcement notice requiring sufficient records to be kept to comply with Conditions 5 and 12 of the Registration Certificate to hold radioactive material.
Bourn Hall was fined £12,000 for the first offence, £3,000 for the second offence with no separate penalty for the third offence.
An Enforcement Notice had previously been served on the clinic in September 2001 for poor record keeping and with regard to the keeping of radioactive material.
"The potential risk it represents can be avoided completely and demonstrably by adherence to simple practical procedures to properly dispose of unused radioactivity and to maintain robust records.
I have formed the view that the measures to control and manage the keeping and use of radioactivity that were in place at Bourn Hall Clinic at the time of the loss of the Carbon-14 radioactivity were deficient in a number of regards." - Alan McGoff, Agency Radioactive Substances Regulation adviser.
PRINCIPAL CONTRACTOR FINED FOR FAILINGS THAT PERMITTED CONTRACTOR'S EMPLOYEE TO FALL TO HIS DEATH
Posted Monday, July 12, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
On 15th June 2000 Indergit Singh sustained fatal injuries in an 11-metre fall from height while working on a building project at the former Woolwich Arsenal site, now the Royal Artillery Museum.
Mr Singh was employed by a contracting organisation appointed by the Principal Contractor, Wates Construction Ltd (Wates), and was up on the roof of an old 2-storey 9-metre tall warehouse on the site which had on each of its 4 pitches a wired glass roof light that extended along the full length of the building. Mr Singh fell through one of these roof lights to the concrete floor below. HSE's investigation revealed that Wates had failed in a number of respects to ensure safety of contractors' men while working on the roof of building 17.
PERMIT TO WORK
As required by legislation on a project of this nature, before any work began a pre-tender plan was prepared for Wates within which contractors' attention was drawn to the fact that the roof was unsafe and that contractors should operate a permit to work scheme covering all who were to access the roof of the building.
HSE investigation established that Mr Singh was not provided with a permit to work, nor was he given a formal site safety induction. No risk assessment or method statement was prepared before work commenced.
It is known that two other contractors conveyed concern to Wates about the level of protection at the roof lights and the lack of edge protection generally on the roof. In response Wates agreed improvements were needed but work was not suspended, and it was while these improvements were being effected that Mr Singh fell to his death.
Wates Construction Ltd of Croydon, South London was fined £150,000 with £14,769 costs at the Central Criminal Court, London, having previously pleaded guilty to breaching S.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, in that it failed to ensure that persons not in their employment were not exposed to risks to their safety.
"This was an entirely avoidable death. Wates was well aware of the risks presented by working on this type of roof, and this is exactly the sort of incident that the construction industry needs to prevent if they are to improve their safety record. Falls from height still account for over half of all fatalities in construction, and the safeguards needed are straightforward and easy to put in place.
All roofing materials should be assumed to be fragile unless it can be demonstrated otherwise. Glass, even wired glass, must be treated as being fragile because it is a brittle material likely to break if a person stands or falls on it. Ideally such material should be securely covered, but if this cannot be achieved, edge protection - such as guardrails and a toeboard - should be provided around the fragile material to prevent access to it. And, just as vital, no-one should be allowed to work on a roof until they have a clear understanding of the risks and that the necessary safeguards are in place." - Richard Boland, HSE inspector.
WASTE MANAGEMENT SECTOR GETS ACCIDENT REDUCTION CHARTER
Posted Monday, July 12, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
A signing ceremony took place yesterday marking the commencement of a major new initiative that should see improvement in the industry's rather poor health and safety performance.
The Environmental Services Association (ESA) initiative, the Accident Reduction Charter, aims to reduce the incidence rate of RIDDOR reportable accidents by 10% every year until 2007 (baseline year 2002) and to eliminate fatalities by the end of that period.
The Charter, endorsed by the HSE, has been incorporated into ESA's Code of Conduct, and is supported by a Health and Safety Action Plan prepared to assist ESA's Members in reducing accident rates. ESA is the UK's sectoral trade association for waste and secondary resource management
"The HSC/E welcome and support this important initiative. It is crucial that sectoral trade associations such as ESA support and encourage the individual companies to improve health and safety performance and spread good practice across the whole sector.
ESA is the natural focus for health and safety good practice across the waste management sector and must continue to play the lead role in ensuring that the industry is a safe place to work." - Judith Hackitt, Health and Safety Commissioner.
"We welcome this initiative and the commitment made by ESA to help the industry improve its performance. There is a lot to be done to reduce the personal and financial cost of accidents and ill health in this sector and ESA's work will do much to improve the health and safety performance." - Paul Harvey, Principal Inspector of the HSE national waste and recycling group.
GOOD ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION
Posted Monday, July 12, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Guidance aimed primarily at small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) -Investigating accidents and incidents - a workbook for employers, unions, safety representatives and safety professionals, HSG245, has been published by the HSE.
No expertise is needed to use the workbook and guidance notes which benefited from consultation with industry, unions and health and safety professional bodies.
The guidance, which takes the user step-by-step through the investigating process and includes worked examples and blank template forms for accident analysis, also explains: the benefits of carrying out investigations; the methods by which accidents should be recorded, investigated and the findings acted upon; and the 4 steps featured in the guidance - the gathering of information; the analysing of information; identifying risk control measures; and the action plan and its implementation.
Copies of Investigating accidents and incidents - a workbook for employers, unions, safety representatives and safety professionals (HSE Ref. HSG245, ISBN 0 7176 2827 2, price £9.50, are available from HSE Books.
"To have one accident is bad enough, but to have a further accident because lessons were not learnt is inexcusable. HSE believes that the best people to make workplaces safer are the staff and managers who work in them. By producing this guidance we aim to provide a tool for them to find out what went wrong, learn lessons and take action to reduce, or hopefully prevent, accidents in the future." - Jonathan Russell, HSE's enforcement policy branch.
CONFINED SPACE DEATH LAUNDRY FINED £325,000
Posted Monday, July 12, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
On March 21st last year employee Paul Clegg, 23, entered the drum of a 14-metre long 'tunnel washer' at his employer's laundry business, as was the apparently accepted practice, to untangle items of the wash. Tragically he never emerged alive. Although it was intended that only trained staff were to enter and only for several minutes and even then only after prior flushing to cool the machine's interior, Mr Clegg had done so without this and other precautions and was overcome in the hot environment. His body was recovered nearly 3 hours later by emergency services who cut a hole to release him, he had died from hyperthermia.
NO SAFE SYSTEM OF WORK
At Bournemouth Crown Court Sunlight Service Group Ltd, of Winton, Bournemouth, pleaded guilty to and was fined £325,000 with £16,600 costs for breaching health and safety legislation in the circumstances surrounding Mr Clegg's death.
Compounding the failures and unknown to his colleagues and his potential rescuers, the machine had an access hatch where he was positioned and had this been opened he may well have survived. Unfortunately only John Brayford, Sunlight Services Group's Engineering Director, was aware of the access hatch which could have been removed in a matter of minutes, even the laundry's chief engineer did not know of its existence. Emergency services enquired if there was a hatch but no one could confirm this, including the engineer on duty.
A risk assessment had been carried out for the equipment but this had not been fully implemented, and a safe system of work to clear blockages was not instructed or followed. Advisory guidelines advocated removing the hatch cover, checking air temperature, staying in contact with the person inside, and limiting the time inside the drum.
CLOSE TO THE EDGE INITIATIVE
Posted Monday, July 12, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
If you are in NW England with an interest or responsibility for workplace health and safety you should be aware of an HSE initiative to assist employers and the self-employed prevent falls from height.
HSE inspectors, when out and about in the North West, will be taking a tough line in respect of unprotected open edges from which people could fall.
"Falls from height cause many serious and devastating accidents. They caused nearly 50 fatal accidents and 4,500 serious major injuries in 2002-03. With simple, sensible precautions all could have been prevented.
In the North West, 1,200 serious injuries were caused by people falling from a height of more than 2 metres.
At all routine visits our inspectors will particularly be looking out for cases where entirely sensible and reasonably practicable precautions are not in place. In these workplaces they will apply the HSC's enforcement policy. In most cases this will be an Improvement Notice, which requires the provision of suitable sensible precautions by a set date. In the most blatant and serious of cases either a Prohibition Notice (requiring an immediate cessation of work) or prosecution could be the outcome.
The legislation requires employers to take suitable and effective measures to prevent people falling more than 2 metres, but inspectors have seen many situations where the employer has not taken sensible precautions. These include open edges to mezzanine storage areas, loading bays, teagle openings* and landings as well as on roofs.
Sometimes employees work close to these open edges only occasionally, sometimes they work there for a large part of the working day, - but in either case suitable preventive measures must be taken." - Tony Trenear, HSE's Preston-based regional Operations Manager.
*A teagle opening is the doorway seen on almost every floor of old mill buildings. They were used to get goods into and out of the building with the aid of an outside hoist. Thus, if there is no protection, a door can be opened onto a 20-, or 40-, or 60-foot drop. Today those on lower floors are often serviced by fork lift trucks and are responsible for quite a number of the more serious accidents.
RETAIL INDUSTRY FATALITY AND INJURY STATISTICS PUBLISHED
Posted Monday, July 12, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Workplace accident statistics for the Great Britain retail sector, which employs around 3.12 million people at over 400,000 premises, have been published for 2002/03(p=provisional).
Key statistics- workplace fatalities and injuries- retail industry provides figures for the retail distribution industry as a whole, as well as the retail sale of food, drink and tobacco; pharmaceuticals, books, footwear, clothing, household goods, DIY equipment and motor vehicles and their parts; goods in department stores, market stalls and goods by mail order.
THE REPORT SHOWS:
The most common kinds of accidents were falls from height, slipping and tripping on the same level, and struck by a moving/falling object;
In 2002/03p employers reported 2,299 major injuries and 10,559 over-3-day injuries to employees in retail premises;
The rate of major injury to employees (which includes some injuries reported to HSE) increased by 9% to 79.6 in 2002/03p from 73.3 in 2001/02, however the rate had fallen during the period 1996/97 to 2000/01;
The rate of over-3-day injury (which includes some injuries reported to HSE) has risen from 334.6 per 100 000 employees in 2001/02 to 357.6 in 2002/03p;
Slipping and tripping injuries account for 45% of major injuries to employees in 2002/03p and almost 23% of over-3-day injuries;
The commonest kind of accident in 2002/03p, representing over 36% of non-fatal injuries to employees, is handling, lifting or carrying;
In 2002/03p there were 1,857 non-fatal injuries to members of the public on retail premises reported to local authorities;
Slipping and tripping injuries accounted for 63% of non-fatal injuries to members of the public on retail premises in 2002/03p.
UNDER PRESSURE CONTRACTOR FINED FOR DERAILMENT INCIDENT
Posted Sunday, July 11, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Jarvis Facilities Ltd, currently experiencing difficult times financially, has been dealt another blow this week by the Courts, this time when it was fined £400,000 with costs of £28,061 for breaching health and safety legislation. The prosecution related to an incident during November 2002 at Aldwarke Junction, near Rotherham, in which a locomotive and two leading wagons of a goods train derailed over a set of points.
At Sheffield Crown Court Jarvis Facilities Ltd of Watton at Stone, Hertford, pleaded guilty to a charge under S.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 in that it did not conduct its undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, that persons not in its employment were not exposed to risks to their health and safety.
Defects found during routine maintenance had led to the decision to plain line* the track followed by clipping and scotching the points. However, the necessary work to clip and scotch the points was not done although the crossing nose was removed. Investigation revealed that this vital information about the condition of the points was not communicated to relevant staff. The locomotive and leading two wagons, the first to run over that track following the maintenance, were derailed at the missing piece of rail at points 4256A.
* Plain line is track which does not have any junctions with any adjacent tracks, i.e. there are no points or crossovers, simply two parallel rails joined by sleepers at a set, constant distance (the track gauge) on which trains are run. 'Plain lining' track means removing the ability for a train to switch lines via points.
"This train derailed because after urgent repair work a section of track had been returned for the passage of trains in an unsafe condition. While we were pleased that no injuries resulted from this incident the circumstances were such that people - whether at work or travelling as passengers - could have been hurt as a result. Our investigation revealed deficiencies with the way work was planned and carried out, failure to select staff to carry out the work who had the necessary competencies, and deficiencies in the communication of vital information to all staff involved, including those in the signal box. It was an incident that could have been prevented by simply following the railway's own rules." - Stephen Bates, HSE Inspector.
MORECAMBE BAY TRAGEDY IMPACTS ON AGRICULTURE'S SAFETY PERFORMANCE STATISTICS
Posted Sunday, July 11, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
The sad rise in fatal workplace accidents in agriculture conveyed by HSE's Fatal injuries in farming, forestry and horticulture 2003/2004, a total of 51, represents an increase from last year's figure of 38 which is attributable to the deaths of 21 migrant workers who drowned while harvesting cockles at Morecambe Bay during February.
Excluding the Morecambe Bay casualties: 30 people were killed; 17 of these were self-employed; 6 employed; 7 were members of the public (inc. 2 children) 6 of the accident victims died when a vehicle overturned; 4 as a result of being struck by a moving vehicle; 7 deaths were caused by a fall from a height; 5 people died when they were struck by falling, flying or moving objects; 3 deaths occurred when the victim was trapped by something collapsing or overturning; 2 people were killed by animals; 2 were asphyxiated due to the lack of oxygen; and the remaining accident occurred when an ATV rider was found trapped between the seat of his ATV and a railing across a gap in the wall.
Deep disappointment is no doubt felt at HSE Agriculture that traditional land-based agricultural, forestry and arboricultural activities continues to cause these numbers of deaths, the self-employed fatality figure strikingly remains three times greater than that of employees, this feature now being the central focus of HSE's attention.
DR ROGER NOURISH, HEAD OF HSE'S AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECTOR COMMENTS AT LENGTH ON THE STATISTICS AND THE WORK OF HIS DEPARTMENT
"Sensible health and safety is about managing risks not eliminating all risk, however minor. The people best placed to make farms safer are farmers themselves. Health and safety is a fundamental requirement of a sustainable farming business and should be regarded as integral to good farm business management. Unwise risk-taking is the underlying problem and those working on their own are especially vulnerable. A fundamental culture change is needed.
The deaths at Morecambe Bay are also sadly, deserving of mention here, looking at the trends without this figure, our analysis shows a continuing downward trend in fatal incident rates in the employed sector, for which agricultural employers are to be congratulated. Regrettably this is not matched by the performance of the self-employed."
DETERMINATION TO MAKE THE INDUSTRY A SAFER PLACE TO WORK
"Once again transport related incidents were the major cause of death in the industry. Other key causes were: falls from height; being struck by falling, flying or moving objects and trapped by something collapsing or overturning.
HSE's efforts alone will not build a safer and healthier industry. It is for everyone in agriculture and the wider food chain to play their part. The ill health caused by work on farms and in forestry is a further cause of misery for those affected and severe financial loss for the whole industry. But it is not included in today's injury statistics.
We have been working alongside our partners to coordinate action to make the industry a safer place to work in. Through partnership and co-operation we are determined to reduce the number of deaths in agriculture, particularly amongst the self-employed. Better communication with this part of the sector is key. We recognise that jointly we need to deliver more specifically tailored, practical advice and guidance to keep farmers alive and well."
INNOVATIVE METHODS OF COMMUNICATIONS
"Today I am pleased to unveil two such examples. Firstly HSE's own interactive downloadable software package, which simplifies the process of risk assessment and is intended to help farmers apply good health and safety practices. Secondly "farm safe" an interactive e-learning health and safety training programme developed, trialled and tested by Farmcare, part of the Co-operative group, Britain's leading commercial farmer. HSE, Farmcare and Lantra have joined forces to make this package available to everyone via the web - which goes live today.
In addition we will continue to run our successful programme of Safety and Health Awareness Days specifically targeted at the self-employed and family farms, demonstrating common health and safety risks and solutions. We will also continue to raise our online profile. Our emphasis over the coming years will increasingly be on innovative methods of communications and working through others who are sometimes better placed to promote the effective management of health and safety.
Finally, returning to the theme of casual and temporary labour employed in the industry, the HSC has affirmed that the hidden economy, including migrant and other vulnerable workers needs greater thought and attention if we are to fulfil our new strategy and vision of making health and safety a cornerstone of a civilised society."
DEVELOP YOUR ORGANISATION'S CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SKILLS
Posted Sunday, July 11, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
A new resource for organisations of any size and any sector wanting to develop their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) skills is now online. The new CSR Academy offers a central source of information for training and development with the aim of integrating CSR into day-to-day business practice.
Stephen Timms, Minister for CSR, said at the launch: "The CSR Academy will enable businesses to embed CSR principles into the education, training and development of staff throughout an organisation. I am confident it will go a long way to help companies put into practice the core principles of corporate social responsibility and make it a reality."
The Academy offers the first ever dedicated CSR Competency Framework, a template designed to help managers integrate CSR within their organisations. It has benefitted from research undertaken among over 400 individuals and organisations already active in CSR.
The 6 core characteristics of the Framework:
understanding society - understanding the role of each player in society - government, business, trade unions, non-governmental organisations and civil society; building capacity - external partnerships and creating strategic networks and alliances; questioning 'business as usual' - openness to new ideas, challenging others to adopt new ways of thinking and questioning 'business as usual' attitudes; stakeholder relations - identifying stakeholders, building relations externally and internally, engaging in consultation and balancing demands; strategic view - taking a strategic view of the business environment; harnessing diversity - respecting diversity and adjusting the approach to different situations.
RAILWAYS CONSULTATION - MARK 1 ROLLING STOCK
Posted Sunday, July 11, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
The HSE is consulting to seek views on a proposed exemption to allow 3 train operating companies (TOCs) - Southern, South Eastern Trains Ltd; South West Trains Ltd and Network Rail - to operate some of their remaining Mark 1 rolling stock during 2005.
The TOCs have applied for an exemption from: the Railway Safety Regulations 1999 because they consider it will not be reasonably practicable to withdraw all the Mark 1 rolling stock by the end of this year; and the prohibition on operating rolling stock with hinged doors without central locking ('slam door' stock), which comes into effect on 1 January 2005.
The Railway Safety Regulations 1999 require the withdrawal of Mark 1 rolling stock because it is less crashworthy than modern trains and there are additional risks to passengers from the windows and lack of central door locking. The withdrawal was recommended by the Hidden Report, following the 1988 Clapham Junction incident in which 35 people died and over 500 were injured.
HSE has independently assessed their application and is proposing, subject to consultation, to issue a limited exemption with conditions.
Responses to the consultation paper should be addressed to: Mark Apostolou, CL1, HSE, 3rd Floor North, Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge, London SE1 9HS (Telephone: 020 7717 6866/e-mail: Mark1.Exemption@hse.gsi.gov.uk ) by 30 August 2004. The exemption application and HSE's consultation paper are available at www.hse.gov.uk/railways/liveissues/mark1stock.htm
HEALTH AND SAFETY CONSULTANT FINED OVER INSUFFICIENT RISK ASSESSMENTS
Posted Sunday, July 11, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
The recent prosecution of a health and safety consultant underlines the need to ensure that competence exists for the workplace activity for which any person is engaged for these services.
Consultant Christopher Hooper was employed to carry out risk assessments for STD Joinery Ltd at its premises in Hook, Hants. Mr Hooper undertook a risk assessment of a woodworking machine on which there was a subsequent incident during February last year in which another employee lost the top of a finger plus severe lacerations to other fingers.
Mr Hooper was fined £3,000 with £750 costs after pleading guilty to breaching S.36(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974*, having carried out insufficient risk assessments for STD between 15th February 2001 and 18th February 2003.
Previously at Alton Magistrates' Court, as a result of this incident, STD Joinery Ltd pleaded guilty to a charge under S.2(1) of the Principal Act at Alton Magistrates' Court for which it was fined £5,000 with £837 costs.
"From a company point of view it as important that if you employ health and safety consultants they are experienced in dealing with your particular industry, and health and safety consultants should ensure that they only undertake work for which that are competent. " (Matthew Lee, HM Inspector of Safety and Health)
*S.36(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 states that: "Where the commission by any person of an offence under any of the relevant statutory provisions is due to the act or default of some other person, that other person shall be guilty of the offence, and a person may be charged with and convicted of the offence by virtue of this subsection whether or not proceedings are taken against the first-mentioned person."
WEST SUTTON STATION DERAILMENT PROSECUTIONS
Posted Sunday, July 11, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
On the 9 October 2001 the 7th coach of an 8-coach Thameslink passenger train derailed both bogies near West Sutton station. There were no reported injuries among the 70 travellers. The train was travelling at 29 mph, and an examination of it did not reveal any faults - the cause of the derailment was not driver error, it was the condition of the track. At that time Railtrack (now Network Rail Infrastructure Limited (NRIL)) was the infrastructure controller and ARL was the infrastructure maintenance controller for the area.
HMRI's immediate investigation at the time resulted in the serving of an Improvement Notice on AMEC Rail Limited (ARL) requiring a number of steps to be taken 'to improve the arrangements to effectively plan, organise, control, monitor and review the maintenance of the permanent way.'
The problems at West Sutton had persisted for some time but had been wrongly diagnosed, effective procedures to identify and remedy such faults ought to have been in place. Since the derailment both Railtrack and AMEC have taken a number of steps towards improving the systems for inspection, repair and maintenance of the track in that area.
NRL and ARL each pleaded guilty to breaching S.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. NRIL, of Euston Square, London was fined £30,000 with costs of £12,500. ARL of Croyden, Surrey, was fined £40,000 with costs of £17,500 for the same breach.
"This was a relatively low speed derailment which happily did not result in any injuries. The investigation revealed that the immediate cause of the derailment was 'gauge spread'*, that is when the track under the train widens and causes the train wheels to drop in between the rails. Gauge spread can occur over time and it is well known in the rail industry that, if it persists uncorrected, it will result in derailment. Both companies had a duty under the law to ensure that the track was inspected, maintained and repaired; all of which would have picked up this fault and prevented the derailment from happening. Network Rail's new arrangements for managing track maintenance should ensure that a similar incident is less likely to occur." - Steve Turner HSE inspector.
*Gauge spread occurred because of corrosion failure of the lock spikes, a known and documented failure mode prior to the derailment.
PREPARING OCCUPATIONAL PHYSICIANS FOR THEIR WORK
Posted Sunday, July 11, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
A report, Competencies of occupational physicians - The customer’s perspective, has been prepared by The University of Glasgow for EEF and the HSE. The study reported upon sets out to: establish the priorities of employer and employee representatives regarding the competencies they require from occupational physicians; find out what reasons account for variations of the priorities in different groups;
determine the views of employers and employees on health and work, and the level of occupational medical support required; with a view to making recommendations on the content of occupational medicine training curricula.
One conclusion reached is that there exists a low level of occupational health support to British industry, and that there is a need for improved access to support, including occupational physicians, particularly for small and medium- sized enterprises.
IT TAKES LESS THAN YOU MIGHT THINK FOR YOUR DRIVING TO BE IMPAIRED BY ALCOHOL
Posted Sunday, July 11, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
The new phase of the THINK! campaign aims to maximise the social stigma around drink driving and increase awareness of the dangers of having a couple of drinks and then driving. The graphic message is aimed primarily at 17 to29-year olds, will run over the summer and be apparent to TV viewers, cinemagoers and radio listeners. Leaflets and posters will reinforce the message that it's impossible to calculate alcohol limits.
During 2002, 560 people were killed in drink-drive related accidents and 2,820 were seriously injured, see the THINK! drink driving factsheet.
"Many people need to rethink how much they drink before they drive and this graphic campaign highlights the dangers of drinking even a small amount of alcohol. Far too many people are killed and seriously injured in road accidents involving drinking and driving every year. If you need to drive then don't drink - it's safer." - David Jamieson, Road Safety Minister.
EXPLOSIVES SECTOR ADVICE
Posted Sunday, July 11, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
A new HSE web page for the explosives sector has been established on the subject of the manufacture, storage, supply and carriage of explosives
EVIDENCE OF LA AND SCHOOL DISREGARD FOR SAFETY IN THE TRANSPORTATION OF CHILDREN
Posted Sunday, July 11, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Police operations in Scotland and Wales appear to indicate that some local authority education departments and bus contractors are not treating passenger safety seriously.
In Scotland an operation conducted last week by the Vehicle Operator Service Agency (VOSA) outside Blair Drummond Safari Park, Stirlingshire, found: 31 of 72 coaches inspected failed to meet basic safety standards; 6 were sufficiently dangerous to be removed from the road immediately by transporters; 1 coach had no MOT; and
drivers exceeding working hour limits.
The exercise resulted in several reports being sent to the local Procurator Fiscal's office, VOSA's David Gibson suggested, tellingly, that schools and local authorities should look at other aspects of the operators other than just cost.
In Wales Operation Coachman tests last week on 62 vehicles that had just dropped off children at Ystrad Mynach schools discovered 9 of them to be defective. Chief Inspector John Pavett of Gwent Police reassured parents that the relevant agencies will not tolerate defective vehicles ferrying schoolchildren.
MANAGEMENT FAILINGS LED TO LOSS OF LIFE AT HOSPITAL
Posted Sunday, July 11, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Catherine Hourie, 39, died several days after she was lowered into a bath of near 70ºC water at Prudhoe Hospital in August 1999. The bath was one of only two at the hospital not fitted with a temperature control valve worth around £700, but despite earlier requests for fitting this was not done because management procedures were defective. The bath had a temperature gauge but this was not working, Ms Hourie was not able to warn the care assistant of her plight because of a disability that severely limited her ability to communicate.
At Newcastle Crown Court Northgate and Prudhoe NHS Trust, who operated Prudhoe Hospital, admitted breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 in the circumstances surrounding Ms Hourie's tragic death for which it was fined £50,000 with £4,570 costs.
CHANGE TO LAW ON DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL WORK IN ENGLAND & WALES
Posted Sunday, July 11, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Much unsatisfactory electrical work in homes is carried out by over-ambitious amateurs. For the first time certain types of work on the permanent installation of domestic electrical work will fall within the scope of the building regulations.
The new building controls announced by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister aim to enhance electrical safety for householders and DIY enthusiasts among whom on average 10 people die annually and about 750 are seriously injured in accidents involving unsafe electrical installations in the home.
Minor jobs, eg replacing sockets and light switches, will not be affected, but adding new circuits in houses will require contact with the local building control department unless a suitably qualified person is involved.
Copies of the changes to the Parts A,C & E Regulations are available on the ODPM website, however Part P details will be available online later this month.
From 1 January 2005 all electrical work in dwellings will need to comply with Part P requirements and be carried out by persons who are competent to do the work.
Small jobs such as replacing a socket-outlet or a light switch on
an existing circuit will not need to be notified to a building control body (although there will be some exceptions for high risk areas such as kitchens and bathrooms); all work that involves adding a new circuit to a dwelling will need to be either notified to building control, who will then inspect the work, or carried out by a competent person who is registered with a Part P Self-Certification Scheme; persons registered with Part P Self-Certification Schemes will be fully qualified electrical contractors with the ability to thoroughly check a circuit for safety. They will be able to issue Building Regulations certificates of compliance; most jobs carried out by DIYers will be small jobs that do not need to be notified to building control, but they should still be checked by a competent electrician.
NHS TRUST GLUTARALDEHYDE PROSECUTION FOLLOWED OCCUPATIONAL ASTHMA DIAGNOSIS
Posted Sunday, July 11, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Katrina Low was employed as a nurse at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and her duties required her to operate a disinfector using glutaraldehyde to wash and disinfect endoscopes. During 1999 Ms Low experienced symptoms recognisable as an allergic response to this substance and her employer stopped her working on the equipment.
At Aberdeen Sheriff Court Grampian University Hospitals NHS Trust admitted breaching health and safety legislation in the circumstances of Ms Low's exposure between April and July 1999, its failures related to inadequate risk assessment, and deficiencies in the provision of suitable information.
It no longer uses glutaraldehyde.
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 require employers to prevent people being exposed to hazardous substances but, where this is not reasonably practicable, to control the exposure. Control measures must be used and maintained properly, safety procedures followed, and employees kept informed, trained and supervised.
KENT FACTORY FIREBALL ENGULFED EMPLOYEES
Posted Friday, July 2, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
On 13th July 2003 at Hoo Industrial Estate, Hoo Marina, Rochester, two employees of Net-Tex Industries Ltd were caught in a fireball of burning vapours.
Both men were severely burned, HSE investigation established that Steven Mitchie and Liam Potton's accident occurred when flammable vapours from an intermediate bulk container (IBC) that Mr Mitchie was working on were ignited.
At Medway Magistrates' Court Meopham based Net-Tex Industries Ltd was fined £18,000 with costs of £4,786 after pleading guilty to breaching S.2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 for breaches of health and safety legislation.
"The company had not taken adequate measures to control flammable atmospheres or to eliminate all potential sources of ignition in a part of the factory where routine blending operations in which highly flammable liquids were being prepared.
In this tragic accident the situation had been exacerbated by the use of a recycled aerosol product containing both highly flammable liquid and quantities of extremely flammable LPG propellant that ignited producing a fireball which engulfed two employees working in the area, resulting in them suffering very serious and extensive burn injuries." - Tony Downward, HM Inspector of Safety and Health.
RAILWAYS PUBLIC MEETING FOR EDINBURGH
Posted Friday, July 2, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
The HSC's Railway Industry Advisory Committee (RIAC) will host its 4th public meeting on Wednesday 7 July at 6.30pm in the Carlton Highland Hotel, North Bridge, Edinburgh. The meeting will be attended by important people in the rail industry and is an opportunity to discuss safety issues with them.
There will be topical presentations - Controlling risks at level crossings and Are the railways safe enough? The event is free and doors will open at 6pm.
DEFEATING NOISE
Posted Friday, July 2, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
HSE has published Noise case studies - examples of case studies contained in HSE's Sound Solutions publication with an industry wide application illustrating practical and sometimes low-cost solutions to noise problems and the availability of reduced noise tools.
WSA CHALLENGE FUND GRANT WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Posted Friday, July 2, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
Trade unions, trade associations, local authorities, primary care trusts, retail hospitality, construction, voluntary and business organisations are represented among the 12 winners* in the Workers' Safety Adviser (WSA) Challenge Fund, a Department for Work and Pensions funded grant scheme designed to increase worker involvement and consultation. Funds of £3m (£1m in 2004/5, £1m in 2005/6 and £1m in 2006/7) are available. Individual projects have been awarded between £33,000 and £100,000 to build partnerships and drive improvements in occupational health and safety. An independent Management Board appointed by the HSE assessed the applications.
WSAs will promote partnership working between workers and employers to identify and manage risks together and provide an expert source of health and safety information, especially in the case of small and medium-sized enterprises who can lack arrangements for involving their workforce in the management of their own and others' health and safety.
"Great Britain loses over 33 million work days through work related ill health each year. This just isn't acceptable. The new strategy for Health and Safety in Great Britain recognises that to bring about further improvements we need to win the hearts and minds of everybody in the workplace - hence the focus on working in partnership with stakeholders.
But how to bring this about? Through today's awards from the WSA Challenge Fund we hope to see 40 influential partners and 28 Worker Safety Advisers reach out to about 35,000 workers to give them ownership in measurable and sustained changes in their organisations' culture and behaviour." - Andrew Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
"We had a tremendous response to the WSA Challenge Fund, in terms of both the quantity and quality of bids. The award winners all have excellent plans for building partnerships and driving improvements in occupational health and safety.
The WSA Challenge Fund demonstrates that we are committed to being a good partner - working with others to improve health and safety. We're very pleased that the winners represent a good cross-section of industries and regions as this gives us an opportunity to develop wide-ranging partnerships. We will work with them to explore the impact and effectiveness of the Workers' Safety Adviser approach." - Bill Callaghan, Chair of HSC.
WORKER CONTACTED POWER CABLE
Posted Friday, July 2, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
A workman has sustained electrical burns while working on the West Coast Main Line permanent way in Manchester. According to one account the man is employed by an electrical subcontractor, their employee was working on the signalling system at height when he was shocked and fell to the ground. His injuries are not reported as life-threatening.
ABSENCE OF GUARD PERMITTED WORKER'S ARM TO BE PULLED INTO EQUIPMENT
Posted Friday, July 2, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
On 27th August last year, Martin Peters, an employee of Lee Filters, part of Panavision Europe Ltd, was working at a film coating machine at his employer's premises on Walworth Industrial Estate, Andover, Hampshire. After observing a coating defect on the film as it was running through the machine he attempted to remedy this by reaching in to a danger zone. He was able to do so because there was no guard in place to prevent access to a trap point between the film and a roller. As a result Mr Peters' arm was dragged into the machine which inflicted crushing injuries and fractures to his right arm and wrist.
After earlier pleading guilty in Andover Magistrates' Court to breaching r.11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, Panavision Europe Ltd was committed to Winchester Crown Court for sentencing where the company was fined £25,000 with costs of £5,622.98.
"The object of prosecutions for health and safety offences is not only to achieve a safe environment for the people who work in that particular company but also to send out a message to the wider business community that employers must properly control risks to the safety of their staff.
This accident was easily preventable. It clearly highlights the risks of working with unguarded machinery and the importance of properly identifying and controlling workplace hazards." - Barbara Morss, HM Inspector of Health and Safety.
REFRACTORY CERAMIC FIBRES - NEW EXPOSURE LIMIT
Posted Friday, July 2, 2004 by Ahmed Khan
The HSC is to set a new occupational exposure limit for refractory ceramic fibres (RCFs) effective from later this year (2004). RCFs are alumino-silicate fibres encountered mainly in the ceramic, steel and metal treatment industries and as a lining for furnaces and kilns. The new limit replaces a generic limit covering all machine-made mineral fibres (MMMFs). Manufacturers and users of these fibres are advised that they should take appropriate steps to ensure that the exposure of their workforce is reduced accordingly.
The European Commission determined that RCFs and Special Purpose Fibres (SPFs) should be classified as Category 2 carcinogens - substances that should be regarded as if they are carcinogenic to humans, and where there is sufficient evidence to provide a strong presumption that exposure to them may result in the development of a cancer. Other MMMFs do not fall under this classification.
THE NEW LIMITS:
Refractory Ceramic Fibres and Special Purpose Fibres * - 1 fibre/millilitre (8-hour TWA)
*defined as man-made vitreous (silicate) fibres with random orientation with alkaline oxide and alkali earth oxide (Na2O+K2O+CaO+MgO+BaO) content less or equal to 18% by weight. The gravimetric limit of 5 mg.m-3, based on the weight of the substance in the air remains unchanged.
Manufacturers and users of RCFs and SPFs, including those who dismantle furnace and kiln insulation, should ensure that workplace exposures are reduced as low as is reasonably practicable, and do not exceed this limit.
Because of this new limit the existing occupational exposure limit for MMMF has also been redefined as follows: MMMF (Machine-made mineral fibre) (except for Refractory Ceramic Fibres and Special Purpose Fibres)* - 2 fibres/millilitre (8-hour TWA).