“LRB Consulting Ltd recently carried out manual handling training at our offices for both Facilities and IT.  Paul interacted well with both groups and made the training a lot more interesting than it possibly could have been.  Paul explains things in a clear and concise manner and is very helpful and approachable.”

Joanna Giles, PKF Cooper Parry

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We’ve been having fun in the office trying to come up with a definitive A – Z of health and safety words and ideas. See if you agree with the words we chose…

A)     Asbestos 

Asbestos is still present in millions of homes and buildings – it can be in any house built before 2000. Asbestos exposure still kills around 5,000 workers each year. Whilst safe work with asbestos has come a long way, we still have a way to go. Read some of our asbestos articles here.

B)      Benefits

The benefits of good workplace health and safety are wide and far reaching. By implementing good policies, companies can avoid hefty fines and maintain a healthy workforce. For employees, a good health and safety culture can improve workplace morale, and allow workers to enjoy good health. There are plenty more benefits of implementing good health and safety policies – but that’s an article in itself!

C)      Construction

The last 40 years have seen a substantial reduction in the number of fatal injuries in the construction industry, but it remains a high risk industry to work in. Falls from height remain the biggest cause of fatalities in construction, followed by being struck by falling or moving objects, being struck by a vehicle, and structural collapses.

D)     DSE (Display Screen Equipment)

Health and safety isn’t all about climbing ladders, construction sites and factories. Every workplace has its own challenges – and an office environment is no different. Computer workstations can be associated with neck, shoulder and back pain, fatigue, and eyestrain.

E)      Extinguishers and Exits

Fire safety is an important aspect of health and safety management for all businesses, but unfortunately all too often it can be overlooked. Most fires are preventable, and those responsible for buildings can avoid them by sensibly managing the risks.

F)      First aid

It is an employer’s responsibility to make sure that employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or take ill whilst at work. Ensuring reasonable first aid provisions (such as appointed persons, trained first-aiders, a first-aid box) are available is an important aspect of these arrangements.  

G)     Gas

If gas appliances aren’t properly installed and maintained, the consequences can be severe. There are risks of fires, explosions, gas leaks, and carbon monoxide poisoning. Regulations are in place so that only Gas Safe registered engineers are legally allowed to carry out work on gas appliances.

H)     Hazard

A hazard is defined as anything that could cause harm to people or property – and a big part of risk management is about accurately identifying potential hazards. However, let’s remember that sensible risk management is not about stopping all activities with associated risks, but rather it’s about taking reasonably practicable steps to protect people from real harm and suffering.

I)        Injury

Thankfully, numbers and rates of injury at work have reduced significantly over the last decade. However, we still have a long way to go with an estimated 629,000 workers suffering a workplace injury in 2013/14. By continuing to strive for excellence in occupational health and safety, we can hope to drive these numbers down.

J)       Judge

The costs of poor health and safety practices can be huge, and they can result in court cases, hefty fines, and even jail sentences. You can read our reports on health and safety prosecutions here. 

K)      Kitchen

Food safety is an important aspect of catering businesses. Good practice has several benefits to companies. It can protect your business’ reputation, ensure you are complying with legislation, and even improve your business overheads by reducing food wastage.

L)       Ladders

Think of health and safety, and you may well think of work at height. ‘Work at height’ is defined as any place where, if precautions were not in place, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. Falls from height are one of the biggest causes of workplace fatalities and major injuries, with common causes including falls from ladders and falls through fragile roofs. You can read some of our case studies on work at height here. 

M)   Manual Handling

Manual handling causes more than a third of workplace injuries. Manual handling covers a variety of activities across a variety of industries, such as lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling and carrying. It’s important to provide adequate advice, training and equipment in order to reduce the occurrence of issues such as musculoskeletal disorders, joint pain and repetitive strain injury.

N)     Noise

Noise in the workplace can have several consequences. Loud noises can damage employees hearing, which can be permanent and disabling. Prolonged noise exposure might also lead to tinnitus. And there may be more immediate issues – in a noisy workplace, communication may be difficult making warnings harder to hear and causing accidents and injury.

O)     Occupational health

When we think of ‘health and safety’, we often think of hazards, risk assessments and accidents – the ‘safety’ side of it. It’s sometimes easy to forget that ‘health’ is part of it too. Some of the main areas of focus for occupational health are asbestos, stress,  

P)      PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)

PPE protects employees against health and safety risks at work. It covers things such as safety helmets, gloves, eye protection, hi-vis clothing, safety footwear etc. It’s important to remember that it’s not just about providing workers with PPE – you’ve got to train and educate them how to use it properly.

Q)     Quarries

Bet you didn’t think we’d come up with something for ‘Q’, did you! Quarrying remains one of the most dangerous industries to work in, with over 3500 reportable injuries since 2000.

R)      Risk Assessment

A ‘risk assessment’ shouldn’t be thought of as something that creates lots of unnecessary paperwork, full of health and safety jargon. Instead, put simply, it’s the process of thinking about what could go wrong and taking appropriate action to try and stop this. There may well be a need to write the assessment down – but the first process should always be thinking. Read more in our ‘Simply Put’ article on risk assessments.

S)      Stress

According to the HSE’s 2013/14 report, 11.3 million working days were lost to work-related stress, with 244,000 new cases reported during the period. The estimated cost to society is around £4 billion each year. Taking steps to better manage work-related stress can yield huge rewards for employers and employees alike. Read more about work-related stress in our article here.

T)      Trips

Slips, trips and falls about for 56% of all major injuries, with an average of 2 million working days a year being lost to such accidents. Guidance on causes and prevention can be found from the HSE here.

U)     Understanding

A good health and safety culture isn’t about having policies and procedures written down – it’s about making sure these policies are understood.

V)     Vehicles

Vehicles at work are a major cause of fatal and major injuries, with over 5000 workplace transport incidents reported each year. It’s estimated that a third of all road traffic accidents involve someone who is at work at the time. You can find out more about workplace transport safety here.   

W)   Workforce

A positive health and safety culture is one that includes your workforce. Encouraging their active involvement in safety policies will lead to better communication and better implementation of your procedures. The HSE have found that accident rates are lower in workplaces where employees genuinely feel like they have a say in health and safety matters.

X)      … okay, we’ll admit this one stumped us a bit. Discarded ideas included ‘X-Factor, Xylophone, Xerox. If you have any ideas, get in touch with us on twitter: @safety_matters.

Y)      Young people

Young people, new to the world of work, may be unfamiliar with workplace risks. It’s important to make sure they are provided with relevant training and information in order to undertake their work safely. In high-risk environments, additional safeguards may be necessary for young workers.   

Z)      Zero

In an ideal world, zero would be the number of accidents and incidents in the workplace. Unfortunately, we don’t live in an ideal world – and therefore health and safety isn’t about creating environments with zero risks. It’s about managing risks, in a reasonable and practicable manner.

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So there we go – that’s our A-Z of Health and Safety! Would you have chosen the same words as us? Let us know on twitter @safety_matters what you think! 

The post Spotlight On – A – Z of Health and Safety appeared first on LRB.

Many businesses have storage and warehouse facilities as an integral and important part of their operation. These may be very busy places at all times (such as in a logistics operation) or they may be quiet for many hours a day, but have periods of intense activity. Warehouses are dangerous places and people do get hurt in them in several ways. Many of the injuries suffered can be avoided by taking health and safety seriously and by taking some simple steps; all derived from simple risk assessments.

What can be done to avoid accidents associated with warehouse operations?

Slips, trips and falls

• Ensuring good standards of housekeeping – keep walkways clean. Clear and unobstructed
• Ensure that spillages are cleaned up immediately that they occur or when they are noticed
• Ensure that banding tapes, packaging materials and polythene, etc are not allowed to collect on the floors
• Ensure that leaky roofs are repaired
• Ensure that all staff are provided with (and wear) appropriate safety footwear
• Ensure that the floors are maintained in good condition and that defects are repaired

Manual Handling

• Arrange work such that the needs for manual handling are reduced (such as by the use of fork lift trucks, (powered)-pallet trucks, dock lifts, etc)
• Ensure that the risks associated with all manual handling operations are assessed and minimised, giving consideration to:
  • the task
  • the load
  • the working environment
  • individual capability, and
  • other factors
• Ensure that there are always a sufficient number of employees to deal safely with the loads that need to be handled
• Arrange suitable training in manual handling for all warehouse staff (including temporary and agency workers)

Work at Height

• Avoid the need to work at height were possible
• Avoid climbing on the top of loads where possible
• Provide suitable, practical protection to areas from which people may fall (such as loading bays, etc)
• Provide suitable means of access for any elevated work area, such as racking locations, etc
• Arrange for all access equipment to be checked regularly by a competent person
• Instruct workers not to use inappropriate or defective access equipment (avoid the use of the forks on a fork lift truck or the use of a pallet on the truck, etc)
• Provide safe working platforms for accessing the back of vehicles (such as tankers or flat bed trucks) if accessed routinely

Vehicles

• Manage the vehicles accessing the site – where possible, provide delivery drivers with relevant health and safety information about your site (times for deliveries, one-way system information, etc) before they arrive
• Display suitable warning signs and notices
• Consider have safety information available in different languages if regularly dealing with drivers from different countries
• Provide clearly designated vehicle and pedestrian routes (where possible)
• Ensure that areas are adequately illuminated
• Provide warehouse staff with high visibility clothing
• Control the reversing of vehicles (consider the use of CCTV systems on your own vehicles)
• Provide workers with suitable and sufficient vehicle movement awareness training, banksman training, etc
• Implement suitable controls for vehicles on site – such as warning signs, site speed limits, mirrors on “blind” corners and bends, etc
• Ensure that all loads are safe before attempting to unload a vehicle
• Ensure that all loads are secure before allowing a vehicle to leave site
• Implement procedure to prevent vehicles from driving off prematurely (such as a key collection system or chocked wheel system)
• Ensure that the use of fork lift trucks is restricted to trained and authorised users
• Restrict access to the warehouse to authorised persons and display suitable notices to this effect

Falling Objects

• Ensure that all loads stored at height (such as on racking) are secure
• Avoid working under other people
• Assess the safety of loads before attempting to unload a vehicle
• Ensure that all racking systems are adequate for the loads that will be stored on them
• Display the safe loading limit of all racking systems
• Carryout regular inspections of the racking and of the goods stored on the racking
• Check the condition of wooden pallets and do not reused damaged pallets Arrange for loose items to be secured (such as by shrink wrapping) before storage

Mechanical Accidents

• Ensure that all plant and equipment provided for use in the warehouse (such as shrink wrapping equipment, conveyor systems, etc) is suitable for the task and is in good condition
• Arrange for all equipment to be checked and inspected regularly by a competent person to ensure that it remains in good condition, to ensure that all guards are in place and that all emergency stops and other safety features and controls work
• Restrict the use of plant and equipment to authorised persons only

Exposure to chemicals

• Ensure that all chemical packaging is in good condition
• Ensure that appropriate PPE is provided
• Ensure that suitable washing facilities and emergency arrangements are in place for washing and for emergency eye wash
• Ensure that safety data sheet are available for all substances used and/or stored on site
• Ensure that all chemical packaging display suitable warning symbols

What types of accidents are associated with warehouse operations?

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Q – What legislation applies to the use of Lifting Equipment and Lifting Operation?

The use of lifting equipment is covered by the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), but as lifting equipment is also works equipment, it is also covered by the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER).

Lifting equipment is used to reduce or avoid the need for manual handling of loads; as such there is also an interaction with the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992.

All work activities are covered by the Health and Safety at Work Etc Act 1974 (HASAWA) and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Amongst the several duties created by HASAWA, it places duties on the employer to provide a safe work place, safe plant and equipment, etc. so far as is reasonably practicable.

The Management Regulations place a duty on the employer to:

• assess the risks arising from their undertakings and (in conjunction with HASAWA)
• to reduce those risks down to as low a level as is reasonably practicable.

This applies to the use of lifting equipment and to the management of lifting operations.

Q – What are the hazards associated with the use of lifting equipment and lifting operations?

The typical risks associated with the use of lifting equipment include:

• Mechanical hazards associated with the lifting equipment itself, such as points of shear and entrapment
• Failures of the equipment (or of the lifting accessories, such as chains, slings, etc.) in use. These are hazards associated with the strength and stability of the lifting equipment and of the lifting accessories used with the lifting equipment
• Falling loads
• Failure to manage and control the lifting operation properly (leading to crush injuries, etc.)
• Failure to manage the use and storage of lifting accessories (leading to deterioration of equipment and to increased tripping hazards); etc

Q – How do we control the risks associated with lifting equipment and lifting operations?

Several control measures need to be considered, including:

Selection of equipment

As with all forms of work equipment, appropriate selection of lifting equipment is an important first step.

When selecting lifting equipment, employers should consider, amongst other things:

• the working conditions that the equipment will be used in;
• the tasks that the equipment will be required to do (such as consideration of the loads to be lifted); and
• relevant existing risks as well as those risks that will be introduced with the new equipment
• whether the lifting equipment, and all associated accessories, has adequate strength for the proposed use
• stability of the equipment for the proposed use. Mobile lifting equipment, such as hydraulic jacks should be stable during use under all foreseeable conditions.

Siting of equipment

Care must be taken with the siting of the lifting equipment.

There must be adequate room around lifting equipment to prevent, inter alia, the risk of crushing people against the building, items of equipment or stored materials, etc.

Consideration should be given to marking the area around the equipment with, for instance, a yellow box to raise employee awareness to potential hazards and to ensure that materials are not stored in this area. Account should also be taken of the nature of the ground and other surfaces on which the equipment might be used.

Determination and identification of the Safe Work Limit (SWL)

The safe working limit of all lifting equipment must be displayed clearly on the equipment itself.

Similarly, all lifting accessories must be marked clearly with their safe loading limits. Operatives must establish the safe loading limit of all components used in any lift (the lifting equipment and the lifting accessories) and must not exceed the limit of the lowest limit (the weakest link).

Safe storage of lifting accessories

Suitable arrangements must be made for the safe and secure storage of all lifting accessories (such as slings, hooks, spreader bars, etc.) when they are not in use. This is necessary to ensure that the accessories are not subject to mechanical damage or damage through exposure to oils and greases, etc. It is also important as a means of controlling other risks, such as slips, trips and falls.

Maintenance

It is a requirement of PUWER that all work equipment is maintained in a safe and effective condition. All lifting equipment and lifting accessories must, therefore, be maintained in good working order, as must any safety devices associated with the equipment.

Planning of lifting operations 

It is a specific requirement under LOLER that lifting operations that use lifting equipment must be properly planned by a competent person.

Planning of lifting operations includes

• consideration of the load to be lifted (weight, centre of gravity, lifting points, etc.)
• visibility
• failure of the equipment
• proximity hazards (from nearby equipment and services or from the structure of the premises)
• the potential for overload, etc.

The guidance that accompanies LOLER makes it clear that for routine lifting operations, the operation need only be planned once, but the plan must be revised regularly to ensure that it remains up to date.

Slinging

If the load to be lifted needs to be slung, then the lifting plan must consider the slinging operation. An adequate number of suitable slings must be available. Slinging operations should only be undertaken by a competent person, who has received suitable and sufficient training.

Training

Employers must provide suitable training to employees and must restrict the use of lifting equipment to trained, authorised employees. As well as training in the use of the equipment, employees must be aware of the hazards associated with the use of the equipment and in the control measures to be used to avoid or control the risks.

Q – What are the test frequencies for statutory inspection and test of lifting equipment and lifting accessories?

Under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), all lifting equipment (and accessories) must be tested and inspected by a competent person at regular intervals. Records must be kept of all inspections and tests, as well as of any remedial works.

The competent person must have appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge of the lifting equipment so that they are able to detect defects or weaknesses. They should also be able to assess the importance of any defects or weaknesses in relation to the continued safety of the lifting equipment.

Lifting equipment that is exposed to conditions which are likely to cause deterioration should be thoroughly examined for any defect at the following intervals:

• after installation and before being put into service for the first time;
• after assembly and before being put into service at a new site or in a new location, to ensure that it has been installed correctly and is safe to operate;
• at least every six months for lifting equipment that lifts persons or lifting accessories;
• at least every 12 months for other lifting equipment;
• in accordance with an examination scheme.

Inspections must be carried out at suitable intervals between thorough examinations. These inspections are to ensure that health and safety conditions are maintained, and that any deterioration can be detected and remedied in good time. Hired lifting equipment must not be used without physical evidence that the last thorough examination required under LOLER has been carried out.

If, during the thorough examination, defects are found, then the competent person is required:

• notify the employer immediately;
• make a report to the employer and to the person from whom the equipment has been hired as soon as practicable;
• send a copy of the report to the relevant enforcing authority where the defect in the equipment presents an imminent risk of serious injury.

An employer who receives a report on defects in equipment is required under LOLER to ensure that the equipment is not used before the defect is rectified.

Contact us now for help

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It is estimated that in the order of one third of all reported workplace accidents arise from some form of manual handling activity. The associated risks include:

• musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), such as back strain
• injuries caused by the load falling onto or trapping part of the handler
• injuries caused by the handler falling.

The exact proportion varies across different industry sectors and is highest in nursing care, where it accounts for about 50% of all reported accidents.

Employers’ Duties

Under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (as amended), a clear hierarchy is established:

1. avoid
2. assess and
3. reduce.

The employer has a duty to avoid the risk of injury to employees arising from manual handling operations, where this is reasonably practicable. Where this is not reasonably practicable, the employer must assess the risks arising from the manual handling operation and reduce this risk down to as low a level as is reasonably practicable.

Consideration must also be given to the:

• information
• instruction and
• training

given to employees and to the provision of appropriate personal protective equipment.

Reducing the risk, Call LRB Consulting on 01509 550023

Avoiding (the need for) manual handling

Consideration should be given to automation or mechanisation of the handling operation. This may involve the use of:

• lift trucks
• cranes
• hoists
• conveyor systems
• powered pallet trucks
• pneumatic transfer systems
• pumped pipe work systems
• gravity feed systems (such as debris chutes) and
• goods lifts, etc.

The effectiveness of automation is greater if it is incorporated into the original design for the process.

Potential solutions include: Caveat: although avoiding manual handling is important, it is of little benefit if the resultant risks (such as from fork lift truck operation) are greater than the original risks from manual handling.

Mechanical assistance

With the use of appropriate mechanical assistance, some manual handling is retained, but that the bodily forces are applied more efficiently, hence reducing the risk of injury. Examples include (but are not limited to):

• simple handling aids, such as grab hooks or suction pads (to reduce the problem of handling a load that is difficult to grasp)
• a simple lever can decrease the amount of bodily force needed (reducing the risk of injury)
• specialist fabric or paper roll lifters (to reduce the amount of handling involved in routine operations such as roll changing in a production environment)
• a hoist can be used to support the weight of a load, leaving the handler free to control its position
• a trolley, pallet truck, sack truck, cylinder trolley, wheel barrow or roller conveyor (to reduce the effort required to move a load horizontally)
• specialist drum hoists, trolleys and dollies (for the handling of barrels, etc)
• pneumatic and rollered tables (to reduce the amount of bodily force needed in the fine positioning of items for machining, etc)
• star-wheeled sack trucks (for use on stairs)
• specialist devices, such as Arjo lifts (in the health care industry)
• Etc.

Any Queries? Contact LRB Consulting today.

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Changing the task and/or premises layout

Improvements in the flow and storage of products and materials as well as the design of the premises can reduce the risks to employees and may also lead to improvements in efficiency and productivity.

With certain heavy loads, the risks associated with the task can be reduced by splitting the load up into smaller, lighter loads (e.g. boxed components may be packed in 10 Kg load rather than 20 Kg loads, etc.).

Where heavy items must be moved in and out of storage, the optimum position for storage of such loads is around waist height. Storage much above or below this height should be reserved for loads that are lighter, more easily handled, or are handled infrequently. Designing the working area such that the distances that materials need to be carried are reduced will improve productivity as well as reducing the risks of injury. Similarly, reducing or eliminating the need to open doors, etc. while carrying loads will make similar improvements.

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Where the task requires poor handling techniques and posture

Where the task requires poor handling techniques or poor posture to be adopted, efforts must be made to reduce the negative effects of these.

The effects of the distance and position of the load from the body, twisting of the trunk and poor posture can be mitigated through changing the task, altering the lay out of the task and effective use of the body.

Tasks that are designed to permit the load to be held closer to the body reduce risks of injury. The approach, grasping and placing of the load should be carefully controlled by:

• designing the lay out so that the handler can get close to the load without twisting
• designing the lay out so that the handler’s feet can get as close as possible to the centre of gravity of the load
• storing objects so they can be picked up and carried without an immediate change of direction or twisting

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Where the task involves greater distances of lifting, lowering and travel

The stresses on the (lower) back during:

• lifting
• lowering
• stooping,

as well as those from having to travel long distances with a load, can be reduced through changes to the task and to the use of the body.

The following measures could be considered:

• giving emphasis to storing, or otherwise providing, loads at waist height (this being the optimum height for lifting)
• providing a suitable platform to assist employees to reach items safely (but must be balanced against the increased risks of trips or stumbles)
• avoiding storing heavy loads such that they require the employee to reach above head height
• fitting, where appropriate, shelves with rollers or with rollered shelves
• providing suitable handling aids (such as levers) for lifting objects off the ground to remove the need for stooping and lifting
• giving consideration to changing the task, such as by replacing carrying with controlled pushing or pulling
• diving loads could to enable lifting half with each hand (allowing the weight to be distributed evenly
• using conveyor or rollered table systems to get the load as close to the handler as possible
• providing suitable resting points (such as tables) where loads must be carried over long distances

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Where the task involves excessive effort, fixed posture and insufficient rest and recovery

Building in variation of the work routine is beneficial in reducing the stresses and strains on backs of those involved in manual handling. Consideration should be given to:

• arranging for the weight to be borne by other means, such as a sling or hoist, when the same posture is maintained for a long period
• conducting handling activities at the pace of the individual (not of a machine)

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• adopting a system that allows for flexible work breaks, to reduce fatigue
• encouraging the handler o take breaks and move around at convenient times (when the task involves heavy static loads)
• introducing job rotation to avoid fatigue, especially if the different operations use different muscle groups.

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Contact LRB Health & Safety Consulting to ensure that your workplace becomes a safe environment for everyone.

We work with business and other organisations across the spectrum – if you need help now call 01509 550023 or email us with any questions.

The post Workplace Accidents appeared first on LRB.

What can be done to avoid accidents associated with warehouse operations?

Slips, trips and falls

• Ensuring good standards of housekeeping – keep walkways clean. Clear and unobstructed

• Ensure that spillages are cleaned up immediately that they occur or when they are noticed
• read more

Manual Handling

• Arrange work such that the needs for manual handling are reduced (such as by the use of fork lift trucks, (powered)-pallet trucks, dock lifts, etc)
• Ensure that the risks associated with all manual handling operations are assessed and minimised, giving consideration to:
  • the task
  • the load
• read more

Work at Height

• Avoid the need to work at height were possible
• Avoid climbing on the top of loads where possible
• read more

Vehicles

• Manage the vehicles accessing the site – where possible, provide delivery drivers with relevant health and safety information about your site (times for deliveries, one-way system information, etc) before they arrive
• Display suitable warning signs and notices
• read more

Falling Objects

• Ensure that all loads stored at height (such as on racking) are secure
• Avoid working under other people
• read more

Mechanical Accidents

• Ensure that all plant and equipment provided for use in the warehouse (such as shrink wrapping equipment, conveyor systems, etc) is suitable for the task and is in good condition
• Arrange for all equipment to be checked and inspected regularly by a competent person to ensure that it remains in good condition, to ensure that all guards are in place and that all emergency stops and other safety features and controls work
• Restrict the use of plant and equipment to authorised persons only

Exposure to chemicals

• Ensure that all chemical packaging is in good condition
• Ensure that appropriate PPE is provided
• read more

The post Warehouse Operations Safety – avoiding accidents appeared first on LRB.