'THE ASBESTOS BUILDING'
Posted Saturday, August 31, 2002 by Ahmed Khan
A poster illustrating possible locations where asbestos can typically be found, in what is termed the 'asbestos building', has been published by the HSE.
It is aimed at owners & occupiers of premises & those who manage or have responsibilities for premises that may contain asbestos & may have a duty to manage it under the impending revised Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations.
The poster will also be useful to maintenance workers & those supervising maintenance operations.
Asbestos building: typical locations for asbestos-containing materials can be purchased from HSE Books, 2002; ISBN 0717623203 & costs £7.50.
HSC AMENDS NOTIFICATION OF NEW SUBSTANCES REGULATIONS TO REDUCE COSTS TO BUSINESS
Posted Thursday, August 29, 2002 by Ahmed Khan
An amendment to the Notification of New Substances Regulations 1993 which will save companies an estimated £1.7million is to come into force on September 17.
Known as NONS 2002, the amendments introduce a reduced test package (RTP) for chemical intermediates with low exposure to workers & the environment. This allows notifiers the possibility of submitting an RTP to HSE for a new chemical that is solely manufactured & consumed in a chemical reaction under strictly controlled conditions.
The change to NONS should reduce the overall costs of notification for intermediates -chemicals that are solely manufactured & consumed in a chemical reaction under strictly controlled conditions. It may also produce savings in terms of animal testing & the time needed to launch new chemicals. The RTP is a minimum data set designed to produce a preliminary risk assessment for any chemical intermediate.
HSE will accept an RTP providing the chemical manufacturer provides a satisfactory technical dossier detailing the information necessary to evaluate the foreseeable risk for man & the environment. Additional tests and studies may be required for intermediates in higher volumes.
Bob Warner of HSE said:
"This is an important change to the Notification of New Substances Regulations because it eases the requirements for some notifiers without jeopardising protection. It should be welcomed by those who have a stake in the innovative capacity of the chemical industry. The change flows from an EU agreement originally proposed by the UK."
BUS PROMOTING SAFER CONSTRUCTION WORK TOURS SCOTLAND
Posted Wednesday, August 28, 2002 by Ahmed Khan
Glasgow helped to launch the northern leg of a national bus tour on Monday 26.8.02. The tour is aimed at cutting accidents & injuries in the construction industry.
The Working Well Together national bus tour got under way in George Square, Glasgow, with construction workers from the many city centre sites getting the chance to visit the bus & obtain vital information on how they & their workmates can keep safe & healthy at work.
Glasgow City Council have assisted the tour by providing a site in George Square in the city centre. Councillor William O'Rourke JP, local authority representative on the Health & Safety Commission's Construction Industry & Advisory Committee (CONIAC) said:
"I understand this is the first time the WWT bus has been accessible to workers from so many sites at once. I am delighted that Glasgow can help in this way to keep its workers safe & healthy".
The construction industry employs around seven per cent of the workforce but accounts for 30 per cent of all reported accidents. In Greater Glasgow there were 8 fatalities during the last year. There were 13 construction fatalities throughout Scotland.
In an effort to reduce these numbers, the construction industry, working with CONIAC, has established the UK's largest construction Health & Safety campaign – Working Well Together.
A key part of the campaign is the specially equipped Working Well Together bus, which visits major construction sites around the country, promoting site health & safety amongst the workforce. Since the bus started touring the country in 1999, more than 18,000 workers have signed up to the campaign.
After Glasgow, the tour is going on to visit Edinburgh and Inverness, before visiting northern England & North Wales. A tour earlier this year covered the Midlands & the South of England reaching over 6,000 workers.
On each tour, site workers will receive information packs containing advice on how to stay healthy & safe at work. They will also be able to test their safety awareness with fun competitions designed to get across a very serious safety message.
Hedley Horsler, Principal Construction Inspector for the Health & Safety Executive, said:
"Working Well Together is a very positive campaign. The bus brings safety & health messages directly to workers & also introduces an element of fun. Visit the bus if you get the chance – if you follow the advice it might save your life".
Scottish dates for the late Summer 2002 Working Well Together bus tour are:
Monday 26th - George Square, Glasgow (8am-4pm)
Tuesday 27th - The New Gorbals, Glasgow (8am-4pm)
Wednesday 28th - Gyle Office development Edinburgh - HGB Construction Scotland (8am-4pm)
Thursday 29th - The Scottish National Gallery, The Mound, Edinburgh (8am-2pm)
Friday 30th - Eastgate Centre, Inverness (8am-2pm)
For further information contact 'The Working Well Together helpline on: 0845 27 27 500.
IRON PIPES & THE PIPELINES SAFETY REGULATIONS (1996) (PSR)
Posted Tuesday, August 27, 2002 by Ahmed Khan
The Health & Safety Commission (HSC) is seeking views from a wide range of organisations & individuals on proposals to amend the Pipelines Safety Regulations (1996) (PSR).
Amendments to PSR would put in place a legal commitment on pipeline operators to replace all gas-carrying iron pipes identified within the iron mains replacement programme within a finite period.
The work of replacing the iron mains with plastic pipes is the responsibility of Transco, the UK's largest gas transporter. The work has been going on since 1977, during which time 61,000 kilometres of iron mains have already been replaced. A further 91,000 kilometres of 'at risk' iron mains still remain to be replaced. 'At risk' is defined as those iron mains laid within 30 metres of public habitation. The first five years of a finite programme for this remaining work has now been agreed between Transco & the HSE.
Kevin Allars, Head of HSE's Hazardous Installations Policy Division, explains: "When the iron mains replacement programme was announced in September 2001, we recognised that in order to give full legal effect we would need to review the existing regulations - this proposal comes as a result of that."
NEW REGULATIONS FOR PACKAGING & CARRIAGE OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL BY RAIL.
Posted Saturday, August 24, 2002 by Ahmed Khan
On the 2nd September 2002 new regulations on the packaging & carriage of radioactive material by rail come into force. The Packaging, Labelling & Carriage of Radioactive Material by Rail Regulations 2002 (RAMRAIL 2002) implement European Commission Directive 2001/6/EC.
Carriage of radioactive materials by rail in Britain is currently governed by the Packaging, Labelling & Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail Regulations 1996 (as amended). RAMRAIL 2002 will replace these regulations.
Requirements for transporting radioactive materials by road are covered by The Radioactive Material (Road Transport) Regulations (RAMRoad) 2002 (S.I. 2002 No.1093), which came into force on 6th June.
The main changes brought about by the new regulations are:
Revised definitions of 'radioactive material' & other technical terms.
A new & expanded set of UN numbers (these provide information on the contents of a consignment) allocated to radioactive material.
Revised requirements for labelling & packaging.
New provisions on indexing radioactive consignments.
RAMRAIL 2002 should be superseded in July 2003, when a restructured set of regulations covering all classes of dangerous goods is due to come into force. These regulations will implement the full requirements of the 2001 & 2003 texts of both RID & ADR & will also allow the approach of directly referencing the texts in the regulations - a move strongly supported by industry.
WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY - FOOD FOR THOUGHT!
Posted Thursday, August 22, 2002 by Ahmed Khan
A top US expert on union responses to behavioural safety has this advice for union health & safety reps.
Health & safety approaches that focus on worker's behaviour condemn workers as the problem, however Unions see workers as the solution.
There is no one better to identify the hazards on a job, or come up with ideas to eliminate or reduce those hazards, than the worker doing that job. If a job is being done "unsafely" a good rule of
thumb is to "ASK WHY FIVE TIMES".
For example:
Laura got something in her eye at work.
BUT WHY?
Because she wasn't wearing her safety glasses.
BUT WHY?
Because they were scratched & she couldn't see out of them.
BUT WHY?
Because her employer bought the cheapest glasses he could find & they scratch easily.
BUT WHY?
Because her employer wanted to save money.
BUT WHY?
Because profits are more important to her employer than worker health & safety.
Asking "WHY" questions allows an inquiry to get to root causes – the source of the problem that will need to change in order to bring about a safer workplace.
Unions can then strategise about what it would take to get an employer to purchase adequate PPE or use engineering controls to eliminate the need for workers to wear PPE, or in some other way make the workplace safer.
An approach that blames workers for their "bad behaviour" thwarts real prevention efforts. It's management behaviour that is putting worker's health & lives at risk, & management behaviour that must change in order to achieve safe & healthy workplaces.
BUSINESSES IN WITHAM BEWARE - HSE INSPECTIONS IMMINENT!
Posted Wednesday, August 21, 2002 by Ahmed Khan
Teams of HSE workplace inspectors will from Wednesday 21st August be making visits to check health & safety standards in workplace premises in Witham, Essex.
The visits come in the wake of an HSC report which sets targets for reducing accidents & ill-health in Britain's workplaces & identifies areas of risk which need priority treatment.
Activities to come under particular scrutiny by inspectors are those involving workplace transport & falls from heights, control of noise, occupational asthma, hand arm vibration, slips, trips & musculoskeletal disorders.
COUNCIL PAYS PRICE FOR INACTION
Posted Tuesday, August 20, 2002 by Ahmed Khan
Manchester City Council failed to respond to a warning from tenant Ann Souter, 57, that the Council domestic property she was to occupy had a glass door that presented an unacceptable risk to her family, especially her grandchildren.
Unfortunately she was to be proved correct in her assessment, because a decade later she sustained serious arm injuries when she fell through it.
Now as a consequence of nerve damage she has a severe disablement of the left arm.
Manchester County Court has adjudicated that the terms of the contract of tenancy obliged the authority to repair defective items - which covered the glass door.
The council had maintained that the glass door was not 'defective', and that they had no duty to act.
Mrs Souter is expected to be compensated for her loss with a sum in excess of six-figures.
SEAFARING WORKFORCE FACES DANGER ON SOME VESSELS!
Posted Tuesday, August 20, 2002 by Ahmed Khan
The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) reports that 14 foreign ships were detained in UK ports during July 2002 after failing port state control safety inspections.
Agency inspections are conducted by the MCA & where a ship is found to be deficient or lacks the required documentation, a range of actions can be instigated, leading to detention in serious cases.
Of the 14 in detention, 9 foreign ships were detained in UK ports during July, 5 remained from previous months.
HSE WARNS CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE
Posted Tuesday, August 20, 2002 by Ahmed Khan
The HSE has warned the construction industry to improve in the key areas of its health, safety & welfare performance, before inspectors call.
The Warning is spelt out in a new work plan construction inspectors will use in the year ahead. It describes the issues inspectors will concentrate on & groups being targeted as those most likely to influence change.
During planned visits inspectors will concentrate on falls from height & transport incidents, which collectively cause most fatal & major injuries & ill-health caused by manual handling; Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS); noise induced hearing loss & allergic dermatitis, all of which are on the increase.
Inspectors will also target their visits, covering interventions with government departments where they act as clients; small & medium enterprises (SMEs), sole traders, the workforce, larger projects & CDM duty holders, as well as manufacturers/suppliers of formwork & false work.
They will also work in partnership with trade bodies to arrange a series of free 'awareness raising' events across the country, which SMEs & sole traders will be able to attend & discuss how to improve health, safety & welfare arrangements in their businesses.
Richard Boland, HSE principal inspector leading the team which drew up the work programme, said:
"The health and safety performance of the construction industry needs radical improvement. We will target those hazards, which make the biggest contribution to the toll of death, injury and ill health. If duty holders, suppliers, site managers, and workers know what we will be looking out for before we come, then there can be no excuses if our inspectors uncover breaches of the law and poor health, safety and welfare standards.
"Our interventions are aimed at encouraging greater commitment to improved health and safety performance from all those in the construction procurement and supply chain; to encourage better communication and co-operation, and to promote the development of a competent workforce at all levels.
SAFETY DAY TO TACKLE LANCASHIRE FARMINGS POOR SAFETY PERFORMANCE.
Posted Saturday, August 17, 2002 by Ahmed Khan
An innovative HSE safety project takes place in September in a bid to reduce the toll of deaths & injury on Lancashire farms. The new approach will take the form of a Safety Awareness Day & is part of a national rolling programme.
Farmers throughout Lancashire who have had little contact with HSE in recent years have been invited to attend the event at Myerscough Agricultural College in Garstang near Preston on Wednesday 11 September. Those who cannot attend on the day will have their farms visited by an inspector to check on health & safety standards; those who do will be removed from the immediate inspection programme & given time to apply the instruction they have received.
DETAINED SHIP MAKES MOCKERY OF SAFETY MANAGEMENT - Says MCA.
Posted Saturday, August 17, 2002 by Ahmed Khan
Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) surveyors say a ship detained in Seaham last week makes a mockery of safety management. The Cambodian registered ship 'Sea Runner' barely paid lip-service to the newly introduced requirements for a safety management system. The 1965 general cargo vessel had been targeted for inspection after having been detained four times previously in Europe in the past year.
The Survey revealed the following:
A Russian crew who could not identify the company responsible for the operation of the ship, identify the designated person ashore responsible for monitoring the safe operation of the ship or produce safety management documentation in their working language.
There were no procedures for ship operations, emergency preparedness or planned maintenance records.
No one on board could recall whether any internal or external audit had been carried out even though International Safety Management Certificates had been issued to the ship in July.
The company's Document of Compliance & the ship's Safety Management Certificate had been issued to the operators Belize Bureau Of Shipping, Istanbul, Turkey Ltd - on behalf of the Kingdom of Cambodia by the Cosmos Bureau Of Shipping in Busan Korea.
A canvas awning had been placed over the upper decks of the wheelhouse to prevent water leaking through corrosion holes in the decks.
Corrosion problems were also evident by temporary repairs on hatch coamings, weathertight doors & decks.
Lifeboat launching drills had not been carried out at required intervals. Lifeboat davits had severe corrosion problems in the davit structure.
Liferafts on board were found incorrectly secured & would not have automatically operated in the event of the vessel sinking.
The vessel did not have large-scale charts of the Seaham area & the charts she did have were not corrected.
Problems were also discovered with her distress flares & navigational equipment.
Annual surveys for Safety Construction, Safety Equipment, Load Line & other Convention certificates had been carried out by the Honduras International Survey & Inspection Bureau in June 2002 but apparently none of these deficiencies had been addressed.
The vessel will not be released until the requirements of the ISM Code have been met & she is safe to continue her voyage.
WE GO TO WORK, NOT TO DIE!
Posted Thursday, August 15, 2002 by Ahmed Khan
A workplace safety enforcement blitz in South Africa has found widespread safety breaches, some so serious the workplaces were immediately shutdown. The Department of Labour’s deputy director general Van Mkosana warned in a statement: "The Department of Labour will not hesitate to close any business where workers lives are systematically and unnecessarily put at risk, such as in these instances." He added: "The Department is also concerned that companies that incur additional costs by providing a safe working environment for staff are facing unfair competition from these unscrupulous operators." In one day the department raided 12 Johannesburg companies, closing down two for serious breaches of safety laws. During raids on the other 10 businesses, 37 safety contraventions were identified and 15 prohibition notices issued, stopping operations. Mkosana said: "I want to emphasise what the Minister has said on a number of occasions, that the Department of Labour believes WORKERS GO TO WORK TO WORK AND NOT TO DIE."
TUC CALLS FOR MAXIMUM WORKPLACE TEMPERATURE
Posted Thursday, August 15, 2002 by Ahmed Khan
As Britain’s workers find themselves in another August heatwave, the TUC is calling for a legal maximum for workplace temperatures. While there is a legal minimum temperature below which no-one should have to work, there is no equivalent if it gets too hot.
Too much heat can cause fatigue, extra strain on the heart & lungs, dizziness, fainting, & heat cramps due to loss of water & salt. Hot, dry air can increase the risk of eye & throat infections & breathing problems such as asthma & rhinitis.
The TUC is calling for a maximum working temperature of 30oC, or 27oC for those doing strenuous work. When the heat hits the maximum, employers should reduce the temperature, with, for example, fans or air conditioning. Workers, whose exposure to heat cannot be reduced, should be provided with adequate breaks & offered job rotation. Hot temperatures cause injuries & illness at work. Employees suffering in sweltering workplaces run the risk of:
· heat stroke & dehydration
· tiredness leading to accidents
· irritability & the threat of violence
· higher stress levels, with enhanced risks of mental & physical illness
TUC General Secretary, John Monks, said:
'It is farcical that we have a legal minimum but no legal maximum for workplace temperatures. Extreme heat can be just as dangerous as extreme cold. While there is no legal maximum working temperature, Britain’s workers are not protected from sweatshop conditions.'
HEALTH & SAFETY - YOUR CONSTRUCTION ANSWERS ARE ON THE WEB!
Posted Wednesday, August 14, 2002 by Ahmed Khan
New easy-to-follow health & safety advice for the construction industry is now available on the Working Well Together (WWT) website.
Guidance from Health & Safety in Construction, aimed at both large & small construction firms has been combined with The Absolutely Essential Health & Safety Toolkit for the Smaller Construction Contractor (2 of the HSE's most popular guidance books on good practice in the construction industry).
The new online resource at: http://wwt.uk.com follows the easy-to-use structure of the pocket sized Toolkit & has useful links to further information & HSE Books thereby making essential health & safety information more accessible to everyone in the industry.
With this added material available at the click of a mouse, the website is an essential source of information for smaller businesses, the self-employed, workers & safety representatives.
NEW GUIDANCE FOR OFFSHORE SAFETY REGULATIONS
Posted Wednesday, August 7, 2002 by Ahmed Khan
3 safety bodies have got together to produce a new leaflet for offshore workers to explain the roles of the different organisations which look after health & safety.
'Regulating health & safety in the UK offshore oil & gas fields – Who does what?' has been published by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) & the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) of the Department for Transport.
The leaflet is aimed at the offshore & marine support workforces & explains the roles of HSE, MCA & MAIB in regulating health & safety in the UK offshore oil & gas fields. It directs readers to the correct contact points for further information & guidance. The leaflet also explains how HSE & MCA work together to improve standards of health & safety offshore.
Copies of Regulating health & safety in the UK offshore oil and gas fields – Who does what?' IND(G)361 are available from:
HSE Books
PO Box 1999
Sudbury
Suffolk
CO10 2WA.
Tel: 01787 881165 Fax: 01787 313995.
UK OBJECTS TO EU HYDRAULIC PRESS STANDARD!
Posted Wednesday, August 7, 2002 by Ahmed Khan
A formal complaint has been lodged with the European Commission against a European Standard which deals with the safety requirements on hydraulic presses being sold in the UK and the rest of Europe, announces the Health & Safety Executive (HSE).
The UK authorities believe the standard will lower existing safety levels in the UK.
Hydraulic presses are dangerous machines, which can cause serious injuries, such as crushing & amputation of limbs. In some instances, injuries can be fatal. A number of serious injuries occur each year at hydraulic presses and it is important that the highest standards of safety are provided and maintained.
BS EN 693:2001 "Machine tools – safety – hydraulic presses" sets out arrangements for safeguarding these machines. One option, allowed by the standard, is for the use of a "two-hand control device". This device will provide protection for the person using it, but not others who can get access to the tools of the press.
Nick Hitchcott of HSE's Engineering & Utilities Sector warned:
"The HSE believes that if two-hand controls are allowed as the sole means of guarding, the number of serious accidents seen will undoubtedly increase. HSE is prepared to take enforcement action against suppliers if hydraulic presses are not adequately guarded."
The UK's opinion is that two-hand controls used as the sole safeguard at the operating position do not satisfy all the relevant essential health & safety requirements of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 1992 (as amended), which governs the design, manufacture and supply of all machinery, including hydraulic presses.
The UK is seeking that EN 693 is amended to ensure that two-hand controls are only selected as the method of guarding presses in conjunction with other safeguards so that all workers are protected, not just those operating the two-hand control.
The formal objection to EN 693 has the support of the UK industry, in particular the Engineering Employers' Federation, the Safety Assessment Federation, the Machine Tool Technologies Association and the Confederation of British Industry.