27 February HSE Clampdown on Construction site safety There are several programmes across the UK to support a month-long drive to improve standards in one of Britain’s most dangerous industries: the Construction Industry. Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will visit sites across the county where refurbishment or repair works are taking place. For a four week period from 18 February … Read More
27 February A reasonable approach – COSHH, not cosh The original Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988 (COSHH) came into force in October 1989, it was implemented to protect those who may be exposed to hazardous substances in the workplace: not as some cynics had said “to place an unnecessary burden on the employer ie to cosh them over the head. The … Read More
25 February Simple rules to tackle a small fire Lots of people put out small fires in their homes or at their businesses quite safely. Some people, however, are killed or injured as a result of tackling a fire that is beyond their capabilities. Here are some simple rules to help you decide whether you should tackle a fire: Only tackle a fire when … Read More
25 February LOLER – Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Although lifting equipment is useful for moving heavy and awkward loads and reducing the risks associated with the manual handling of loads, it is not without its risks. These include crushing injuries from the movement of heavy loads, injuries from falling loads and injuries arising from the failure of equipment in use. The use of lifting … Read More
25 February Work at height – do a risk assessment A lot of businesses potentially expose workers to the risk of falls from height. Some do this by the nature of their work (lightning protection systems inspection, window cleaning, etc) while others don’t realise that they are doing it. The picture below is an example of a task that may well involve work at height: … Read More
21 February What to do if you discover asbestos on site What do you do, as a contractor, if you discover asbestos (unexpectedly) on a site that you are working on? The first sensible step is to stop work and warn others of the potential presence of asbestos and then inform the site manager and your supervisor and manager. It is essential that you do not … Read More
21 February Annual training for contractors working with asbestos? The HSE have a “myth busting” panel – a group to consider the validity of some of the statements or myths that circulate the world of health and safety. The panel considered: Non-licensed contractors working with Asbestos need annual refresher courses Their decision was to let common-sense have its rightful place: Employees carrying out non-licensed … Read More
21 February Fire Safety – the things we see (Part 5) Here is this week’s round up of things spotted when doing fire safety visits. I have started with something fairly mundane but, nevertheless, important: wedged fire doors. On many occasions, people tell me that they need to have the door wedged open because ___________ (fill in the blanks with a plausible, if not well thought … Read More
18 February Fire Safety – the things we see (Part 4) From a fire safety point of view, there are many things that we find on site that can make you shudder when you stop and think about it. How about smoke detectors that are really only ceiling decorations because they have been covered for the temporary works (that finished months ago): The principle is fine, … Read More
12 February Unsupervised 16 year worker injured by defective wood-chipper An unsupervised worker (aged 16) was maimed by defective a wood-chipper. The recently reported case of a teenager being seriously injured by an incident in which his foot was mangled by a poorly-maintained wood-chipper raises several issues, namely:- Lack of effective Health and Safety Induction Training. Inadequate supervision. Poor maintenance of equipment. Lack of suitable … Read More