• reduced daylight
• cold winter weather spells causing ice and snow to build up on paths

Every year the snow and ice that covers the country receives national media coverage. Local press attention goes to the most personal cases associated with injuries that people suffer as a result of falls. Some of these injuries may result in claims for damages through the courts.

Protect your business – regardless of the size of your site, always ensure that issues affecting access routes are tackled promptly.

Winter Weather: let us correct some misconceptions

By taking steps to clear or grit a pathway to prevent an accident occurring, you are not accepting responsibility for any slips or trips that may occur on your premises. Equally, if you do not clear the ice and snow then you can be held liable for injuries that occur.

You should take all reasonable steps to reduce the risk of an accident occurring, also reducing your chances of being successfully sued for any accident that does occur.

Simple Winter Weather procedures for smaller areas

Clear a pedestrian access route pathway of at least 1 metre wide to allow access for pedestrians, pushchairs and wheelchair users. Snow and ice should be completely removed using suitable equipment (e.g. snow shovels).

Never brush snow and ice or melt it with hot water.

Do grit the pathway after clearing it to prevent ice reforming and to provide additional grip. Take extra care when clearing sloping pathways and steps.

What about bigger areas?

You can use a similar process for clearing bigger areas, such as car parks, playgrounds, etc. It requires greater manpower to clear bigger areas effectively and in a reasonable timescale. In this case, snow clearing machinery (such as snow ploughs, snow blowers, etc.) should be used and then the area should be gritted.

Alternatively, commission the services a professional contractor to do the snow clearing for you.

Contractors must be competent

Getting professional help can allow you to can concentrate on teaching, but any contractor you appoint to clear snow and ice for you must be competent. You can appoint someone to do the work for you, but you cannot give away your responsibilities.

Gritting

The most common method used to make roads and pathways safe is gritting. It is relatively cheap, quick to apply and easy to spread. Rock salt is the most commonly used ‘grit’ and is the substance used on public roads by the highways authority.

Gritting should be carried out when frost, ice or snow is forecast or when walkways are likely to be damp or wet, and the floor temperatures are at (or below) freezing. The best times are early in the evening before the frost settles and early in the morning before people arrive. Salt doesn’t work instantly; it needs sufficient time to dissolve into the moisture on the floor.

Avoid gritting during heavy rain as the salt will be washed away. Compacted snow, which turns to ice, is difficult to treat effectively with grit.

Be aware that ‘dawn frost’ can occur on dry surfaces, when early morning dew forms and freezes on impact with the cold surface. These are difficult to predict.

Simple Steps for Winter Weather

• Develop a policy, based on risk assessment, for dealing with snow and ice
• Make suitable arrangements in advance – appoint a competent contractor now, or provide your staff with the right equipment, materials and training
• Clear snow and ice from roads and pathways at your business
• Clear snow and ice from steep slopes and steps
• Avoid making pathways more dangerous – don’t allow them to refreeze
• Prioritise important and well-used routes over lesser used routes
• Clear a 1 m wide access route on pathways
• Apply grit or salt to keep roads and pathways from freezing
• Check the site to ensure that roads and pathways remain clear where temperatures remain below freezing
• Consider the needs of all employees, customers, and visitors, including disabled and elderly persons
• Ensure that adequate equipment and human resource is available to clear snow and ice

Don’t be taken in by the winter weather myths

Despite newspaper stories, there are no health and safety regulations that prevent people from clearing snow at their premises. Don’t let winter weather adversely affect your business.

The post Winter Weather – Don’t slip up this winter appeared first on LRB.

Truro Crown Court heard how RS was stacking 3m roofing sheets on the flat roof of the property without any edge protection. The safety railing had been removed to allow access to the flat roof so the sheets could be stacked. The court also heard how one of the defendants replaced the safety rail following the incident to cover up the cause of the incident.

The Health and Safety Executive’s investigation, alongside Devon and Cornwall police found that Colin Marshall Scaffolding was not qualified to erect the scaffolding, and there was evidence no personal protective equipment, such as harnesses, was used. The condition of the scaffolding also failed to meet current safety standards. Another worker dies from a fall; another family suffers the loss of a loved one.

Colin Marshall, of St Austell, founder of the business pleaded guilty to Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 and was given a four-month prison sentence suspended for two years. James Marshall (Colin’s son and business partner) was handed an eight-month sentence suspended for two years. They were ordered to pay costs of £25,661.

HSE inspector said,

“Construction is one of the most dangerous industries in Great Britain and businesses have to take the safety of their workers seriously. Colin Marshall and James Marshall are responsible for the death of RS. It was entirely preventable and should not have happened. The risks of working at height are known. Scaffolders must ensure they use the right protective equipment and have sufficient edge protection in place to prevent workers falling.”

All too often we report that another Worker dies from a fall – like this one, most of them are avoidable

The post Worker dies from a fall – another work at height tragedy appeared first on LRB.

Site Manager Jailed for 30 months following a week-long manslaughter trial at Birmingham Crown Court. The judge, Mr. Justice John Saunders, said:

“It seems the defendant had no idea of the responsibilities he had for maintaining the safety of the site. The defendant paid no regard to health and safety requirements whatsoever.”

What finding led to this statement?

An experienced window fitter (U-R), agreed to fit doors and windows on the site over a weekend in January last year. Shortly after arriving on the site he fell three metres through an open skylight on a first floor flat roof. As a result of this fall, he suffered serious head injuries and, despite surgery, died four days later. Police investigating the death found a raft of failings at the site. Ladders were not secured properly, and one was found balancing in a pile of sand. Openings in the ceilings on the first and second floors were not guarded, and workers had no protective clothing. There were no signs warning of hazards and scaffolding was not properly secured on the site.

Prohibition Notice Breached

HSE Inspectors visited the site and issued a prohibition notice on the Site Manager, ordering a halt to any work at height. But on two subsequent visits, they found evidence that work had continued. The second breach of the Prohibition Notice was after U-R has died. When police attended the site in early February, they again found the order had been breached. The Site Manager was arrested and charged with manslaughter by gross negligence.

Deanna Heer, prosecuting, said that even after the fatal fall, [The site Manager] … “refused to accept any responsibility for the safety of workers on his site.”

Mr Justice Saunders also said “It is an aggravating feature that despite a prohibition notice the defendant continued to allow people to work on both the first and second floor. The second offence was after U-R died.”

The post Construction Site Manager Jailed for Manslaughter due to Negligence appeared first on LRB.

Slips, trips and falls are one of the biggest causes of workplace accidents and injuries. In this article, we’re having a look at the statistics surrounding the area.

The Numbers

Recent HSE findings show that:

• 27% of workplace fatalities arise from falls from height
• 37% of reported employee injuries were caused by a slip, trip or fall from height
• 56% of all major injuries were the result of a slip, trip or fall
• 31% of over 7-day injuries resulted from a slip, trip or fall
• On average, 2 million working days are lost to such incidents

In fact, slips trips and falls remain the most common cause of major injury to employees.

The number of slips, trips and falls in the workplace has declined in recent years, but there is still a long way for industries to go to continue to drive figures down.

How can we reduce this?

There are many simple ways to reduce the occurrence of slips trips and falls in the workplace.

The simplest way is to carry out a risk assessment in the workplace. It’s also important to talk to employees and find out areas and aspects that they think need attention.

Some examples of the steps you can take include:

• Stopping floors becoming contaminated, e.g. by using entrance matting, fixing any leaks, general housekeeping, and implementing safe work methods.
• Using the right cleaning methods, i.e. ensuring your method is effective for the surface type, removing spillages promptly.
• Consider the flooring and work environment: ensure floor type and material is appropriate, ensure lighting is adequate, ensure workplace is kept tidy.
• Get the right footwear
• Consider people/organisational factors
• Ensure all accidents and incidents are reported

Why is it important?

It is clear from the above statistics that slips, trips and falls represent a major area in need of improved safety and practices.

By taking steps to reduce the number of slips, trips and falls in the workplace, businesses can enjoy a number of benefits.

Reducing the number of accidents and injuries has a financial benefit for businesses. It can result in fewer absences, lower staff turnover, sick pay reductions, insurance benefits, and improved productivity.

A reduction of accidents also has a positive impact on workforce morale, leading to higher productivity, fewer absences and a reduction in staff turnover rates.

By demonstrating that you are taking the health and safety of your staff seriously, your reputation will improve with clients, customers and staff, bringing about further benefits to the business.

You can also take a look at our previous article on The HSL’s GRIPP Scheme, which looks at slip preventing footwear. 

Follow us on twitter: @safety_matters

The post Spotlight On – Slips Trips and Falls Statistics appeared first on LRB.

Many of the accidents involve falls from below head height. It is estimated that the economic and human cost of such incidents is in the order of £36.7 million per year.

In common with most work activities, there is no specific law dealing with falls from vehicles, although the Health and Safety at Work Etc Act 1974 (HSAW) and two sets of regulations that are most applicable to falls from vehicles:

• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and
• Work at Heights Regulations 2005

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 creates a duty on employers to assess the risks arising from their operations and undertakings and requires them (in conjunction with the requirements of HSAW) to reduce these risks to as low a level as is reasonably practicable. The Work at Heights Regulations 2005 creates some simple, but never-the-less important duties on employers.

In order to comply, the employer must ensure that:

• all work at height is avoided where reasonably practicable to do so
• all work at height is properly planned and organised
• workers involved in work at height are competent
• the risks arising from work at height have been properly assessed
• appropriate work equipment has been selected and is used as appropriate
• equipment is properly inspected, serviced and maintained

Falls from height does not have to mean a fall from a great height (historically considered to be falls from over two metres). The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply to all work at height where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury.

Typical causes of falls from vehicles

Employers should consider their operations and determine where there are risks of falls (from height) from vehicles. These may include:

• accessing and egressing the driver’s cab
• loading and unloading vehicles
• working on tail lifts
• working on trailers or vehicle platforms
• sheeting and unsheeting of loads
• working on top of tankers (dipping operations, etc)

Typical measures to control the risk of falls from vehicles

General issues and general control measures

Several simple steps can be taken to help to reduce the number of workplace accidents involving falls from vehicles and many of these are both cheap and easy to implement. These include:

• restrict access to vehicle areas to authorised persons
• avoid the need to work at height when it is reasonably practicable to do so (by way of example, many tankers are now fitted with bottom loading systems, removing the need for the driver, or other person, to access the top of the tanker)
• provide a safe means of access to, and egress from, work areas (including vehicles)
• avoid the need for working at different heights (consideration may be given to a well constructed loading bay or platform, etc)
• maintain good standards of housekeeping (in the vehicles and in the surrounding areas, such as loading bays, etc)
• make appropriate arrangements for poor weather (poor lighting, rain, snow, ice, high winds, etc)
• ensure that lighting in the general work area is suitable and adequate for the tasks to be done and consider the need for suitable emergency lighting
• ensure that workers wear appropriate footwear for the job
• carry out routine checks (such as visual inspections and tests) on equipment and workplaces
• ensure that vehicles can be moved unexpectedly during loading, unloading, sheeting or unsheeting operations, measures may include:
  • Immobilising vehicles
  • Removing keys from vehicles
  • Requiring drivers to leave the cab of the vehicle during operations
  • Checking the vehicle wheels
  • etc

Controls for walking on vehicles

Many people are injured when they fall as a result of the load shifting underfoot when walking on the load or otherwise on the vehicle. It is therefore recommended that measures to avoid the need to walk on the vehicle or on the load are introduced where it is reasonably practicable to do so. Where it remains necessary, typical measures to control the risk of falling include:

• walking while facing the direction of travel
• keeping feet well apart and free to move
• consideration of the stability and grip of the surface being walked on and consideration of how this may change in different parts of the load or different parts of the vehicle
• avoid reliance on the support offered by ropes, sheets and by the load (these may move, rip or tear)
• consideration should be given to the use of suitable fall arrest or work restraint systems

Controls for access and egress of the cab

Tail lifts can be an invaluable aid to loading and unloading vehicles and can negate the need for fork lift trucks in certain instances and can significantly reduce the risks from manual handling. There are a range of measures that may be used to reduce the risks associated with working on tail lifts. These include:

• ensure that workers are aware of the hazards associated with general access to and egress from the cab and the types of injuries that they sustain and the potential effects of these injuries on the workers (generally drivers)
• Instruct drivers to:
  • use the steps provided
  • use the grab handles to assist access/egress and not the steering wheel
  • when leaving the vehicle, visually check the ground for obstructions
  • when leaving the vehicle, use the steps and grab the handle provided and exit the cab backwards

Controls for working on tail lifts

Tail lifts can be an invaluable aid to loading and unloading vehicles and can negate the need for fork lift trucks in certain instances and can significantly reduce the risks from manual handling. There are a range of measures that may be used to reduce the risks associated with working on tail lifts. These include:

• ensure that workers are aware of the hazards associated with working on and from tail lifts
• ensure that the tail lift is suitable for the vehicle and for the loads to be handled
• ensure that the tail lift is serviced and maintained in accordance with the manufacturers’ recommendations
• ensure that statutory examination is carried out (as required under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998)
• where appropriate, provide edge protection to the tail lift

Controls for working on vehicle platforms and trailers

There are a range of measures that may be used to reduce the risks associated with working on vehicle platforms and trailers. These include:

• avoid the need to work on vehicle platforms and trailers where it is reasonably practicable to do so
• ensure that workers are aware of the hazards associated with working on vehicle platforms and on trailers
• providing suitable hand holds and steps to allow easy access to, and egress from, the platform or trailer
• providing trip guards along the platform or trailer edge
• ensure that the platform or trailer is kept clear of trip hazards, such as rubbish, ropes, chains, packaging materials, dunnage, etc
• ensure that the floor of the platform or trailer is secure and in good condition, without tripping hazards
• ensure that the operator wears appropriate footwear and other personal protective equipment
• ensure that lighting is adequate, including in potentially shaded areas
• prohibiting the practices of jumping down from a vehicle or load or of jumping between vehicles

Controls for sheeting operations

There are a range of measures that may be used to reduce the risks associated with sheeting operations. Some of the methods (which may be used singly or in combination) are outlined below:

• ensure that workers are aware of the hazards associated with sheeting and unsheeting operations, especially in poor weather
• consider whether the load needs to be sheeted (avoid the hazardous operation)
• create a documented safe system of work for sheeting and unsheeting operations and train workers in this system
• arrange for automatic sheeting systems to be fitted to vehicles
• consider safe means of access, such as:
  • use of work platforms
  • use of suitable fixed gantries
• provide and use suitable fall arrest or work restraint systems
• where reasonably practicable, avoid climbing upon the load
• where reasonably practicable, avoid the use of ladders and consider safer and more robust access systems

Special factors

Consideration should be given to loads or conditions that have special factors associated with them that may increase the level of risk. Such factors may include:

• bad weather
• loads that have leaked
• unstable loads or loads that have slipped or moved in transit
• loads or goods known to be slippery (such as oil, silicone based materials, waxes, etc)
• loads involving the transport of live animals (faeces, urine, etc)
• refrigerated transport
• etc

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Summary

In some cases, the amount that needs to be done to control the risks of injury and death from falls from vehicles can be costly, such as:

• building new loading bays or
• replacing tankers with new, bottom loading systems.

However, in most cases the costs are low, as what is often needed is more attention to the tasks undertaken and greater enforcement of the control measures and arrangements that the company believes are already in place.

Training is an important part of the process as this will raise the awareness to dangers in the tasks undertaken and the consequences on the well being of those involved if things go wrong. Regular active monitoring is important to ensure that the workplace environment is right and that the appropriate workplace practices are being adhered to.

Contact us on 01509 550023 if we can assist you in this important area of health and safety

The post Falls from vehicles and trailers, such as during Loading and Unloading Operations appeared first on LRB.

work at height lamp change

This sort of work needs a bit of planning. It is not sufficient to send someone out armed with a ladder to do this work. Maybe a scaffold tower or some form of MEWP? Getting there, but what about controlling vehicle movements in the car park, and so on. The point is, a risk assessment is required for all work at height.

Do we think a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks was carried out for the next two pictures? If so, were the control measures that were identified ever implemented?

What stops these guys from falling and becoming another HSE statistic?

Falls from height remains the most common cause of workplace fatality.

Some of the things that are seen for work at height can be ingenious (but that does not mean safe). The following picture was sent to me and I assume that this was in a domestic working environment, still: life is life.

work at height, domestic

We can help you with all of your risk assessment needs, including work at height.

We can provide you with work at height awareness training.

The post Work at height – do a risk assessment appeared first on LRB.