COMPANY NEWS
TRAINING – COURSES AVAILABLE
We list below, as usual, the programmed courses we have on offer over the next few months. Please don’t forget though, that Wenlock Health & Safety Ltd (WHS) can also provide a multitude of other courses to suit your needs. For example:
- H&S Management
- H&S Awareness
- Risk Assessment
- Manual Handling
- Asbestos Awareness
- COSHH Awareness
- Work at Height Awareness
- Abrasive Wheels
- Lone Working
- Fire Warden / Extinguisher
This is not an exhaustive list so do feel free to contact Vicki Brown at the WHS office on 01952 885885, or via email on enquiries@wenlockhs.co.uk or vicki@wenlockhs.co.uk , to discuss your particular needs
TRAINING – NEW ONLINE COURSES AVAILABLE FROM 8th APRIL!
WHS will now be providing a suite of online courses to help with quick turnaround and as a temporary solution for your staff training. We would always recommend face-to-face training to get the most out of the content for your workforce, but we can offer the following courses for £25 per course and all take only 30-40 minutes to complete online.
Accident Investigation Interactive
Asbestos Awareness Interactive
Display Screen Equipment Interactive
Environmental Awareness Interactive
Fire Safety Interactive
Home Working H&S Interactive
Legionella Awareness
Manual Handling Interactive
Office Safety Interactive
Personal Protective Equipment
Working at Height Interactive
An Introduction to LOLER
COSHH Interactive
Driver Safety Interactive
Equality and Diversity
Hand-arm Vibration (HAVS)
Ladder Safety
Lone Working Interactive
Menopause Awareness
Permits to Work
Stress in the Workplace
You’ll be asked to create an account, which is easy to do, and you can do this as an individual or as a training manager who can then allocate courses to staff via their email address. You do need to be sat in front of the course as there are interactive modules and test questions throughout, with an exam at the end of every course, so we’d recommend a tablet or laptop/computer to complete them. Certificates can then be found in your user area ready to save and send.
From Monday, you can check out our website for the online shop at www.wenlockhealthandsafety.co.uk
TRAINING – OTHER COURSES
FIRST AID
1-day Emergency First-Aid at Work course dates are listed below; specific requirements and controls will be advised within the joining instructions.
Dates:
17 April (Wednesday) now fully booked but a wait list is operated
29 April 2024 (Monday) fully booked but a wait list is operated
22 May 2024 (Wednesday)
24 June 2024 (Monday)
22 July 2024 (Monday)
21 August 2024 (Wednesday)
25 September 2024 (Wednesday)
Cost: £85 + VAT per person
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID
1-day FAA Award in First Aid for Mental Health (Level 2 RQF)
Dates: 3 July 2024 (Wednesday)
Cost: £85 + VAT per person
IOSH MANAGING SAFELY
3-day IOSH Managing Safely course
Dates: 13, 14 & 15 May 2024 (Monday – Wednesday)
Cost: £395 + VAT per person
HSE NEWS
ASBESTOS MANAGEMENT
We have discussed the issue of asbestos and asbestos management year in, year out, but it’s worth mentioning yet again because:
(a) WHS STILL encounters contractors who either take risks or blatantly ignore the law with ACMs (asbestos-containing materials)
(b) The HSE has launched a fresh campaign to both highlight legal duties and to heavily enforce the law
There is a huge amount of information available from the HSE (www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos) which clearly explains the responsibilities placed on all duty holders, from premises managers or owners to contractors; also within the WHS health & safety pack you receive annually. So there’s absolutely NO EXCUSE for ignorance or wilful non-compliance of the law which has, after all, been around since the beginning of the 21st century!
You can follow these useful links to some of the HSE information:
- steps to the duty to manage asbestos in buildings (a short video)
- prepare for a duty to manage asbestos inspection and what to expect from an HSE visit (a short video)
- asbestos management plan template (WHS can provide a full asbestos system to include a template)
- asbestos register template
(WHS can provide a full asbestos system to include these and other useful templates, and full guidance) - examples of how asbestos risks can be managed
- where asbestos can hide
- industrial ‘where asbestos hides’ A3 poster (a useful poster for additional information and display)
Penalties are harsh because the risks are great. So, if you are in any doubt at all about any aspect of asbestos-related duties, contact WHS immediately on 01952-885885.
NOISE MANAGEMENT
HSE research has found that around 20% of all workers in the UK are at risk of developing noise-induced deafness, tinnitus or other conditions due to exposure to noise levels of more than 85 dBA, the legal limit for addressing the issue. Whilst it can be difficult to monitor noise levels at work, the HSE is urging employers to at least adopt the ‘shout test’ which, although primitive, can be far easier to implement and understand than other methods. Take a look at the HSE’s article about this basic test on its website link: noise at work article
And, of course, all such issues are covered in full in the health & safety packs issued annually to WHS subscribers.
HEALTH SURVEILLANCE
The HSE is reminding employers that health surveillance for all workers at risk of exposure to dusts, mists or fluids is legally required, even if control measures have been implemented unless those controls reduce the risks to zero or what the HSE would consider negligible. Information about what’s required and how to establish a sound health surveillance system can be found on the HSE’s website:
- occupational health and health surveillance schemes
- HSE G402 (occupational asthma)
- HSE G403 (occupational dermatitis)
Of course, exposure to dusts, mists and fluids aren’t the only issues that warrant (by law) health surveillance – other harm issues such as manual handling, noise and vibration are also subject to mandatory health surveillance unless the risks can be eliminated or reduced to a negligible level.
You only have to look at the prosecutions highlighted in our newsletters over recent years to see that the HSE will certainly enforce the law with regard to both risk reduction and health surveillance. And beware too that all these issues, if monitoring and risk reduction cannot be proven, run the very real risk of claims from employees and these can prove to be extremely costly.
Again, all such issues are covered in full in the health & safety packs issued annually to to WHS subscribers.
INDUSTRY NEWS
CONSTRUCTION AT YOUR PREMISES
All businesses who own or lease their premises have certain legal duties under both the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015 and the new Building Safety Act 2022 when commissioning any type of construction work* related to the premises. These duties include appointing both a suitably competent principal designer and principal contractor for any work where more than one contractor is or may be involved. So how can this be done when businesses may not be familiar with construction at all?
* the term ‘construction’ is wide-ranging and encompasses all work related to the structure, fabric, fixtures and fittings of any building; refer to the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations Reg:2
WHS are fully qualified to verify whether a proposed contractor is or isn’t competent for the role of principal contractor so please do contact the WHS office on 01952-885885 well before you actually make the appointment (it’s obviously way too late once work starts!). And the same goes for the appointment of any contractor, whether that contractor is to be nominated as principal contractor or not – do contact WHS before making any appointments or you may fall foul of the law if things go wrong.
And very shortly, the Association for Project Safety (APS) will be launching a Principal Designer Building Regulations (PDBR) Register to enable premises owners or managers to easily choose a Principal Designer who has adequately demonstrated their competence for the role under the new building safety legislation (the Building Safety Act 2022). WHS will let you know the weblink when the PDBR becomes live.
AND FINALLY
Work at height
Firstly, we are sad to report to death on 27 March 2024 of 40-year-old Gogglebox personality, George Gilbert, as a result of a fall from height. George was on a warehouse roof when he fell 80 feet, apparently through a skylight, to the concrete floor below. A man has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter; no further details are available while the police carry on with their investigations:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tv/26994024/george-gilbey-colleague-arrest-death-warehouse/
Falls from height can happen to anyone unless the proper, and legally required, controls are established. It’s so sad to see that so many people still take risks with their own lives and the lives of others. Health & safety laws are there for very good reasons – and, unless they are followed, falls from height can happen to anyone.
Equipment safety
- FJ Church & Sons Ltd was fined £200,000 plus £5,125 costs after an employee’s arm was severed in a sampling machine. The victim had passed her hand through an unguarded rotary valve to remove a blockage; the valve closed, trapping and severing the arm. The Company had failed to prevent access to the dangerous parts of the machine by fixed guarding or interlocking guards.
- Edwards Engineering (Perth) Ltd was fined £10,000 after an employee lost two fingers in a rotary fan on a grain dryer; the victim had inadvertently placed his hand into the blades of the machine. No guarding or risk assessment had been in place.
- Sartex Quilts & Textiles Ltd was fined £251,250 plus costs of £6,862 after two employees were seriously injured, both resulting in amputations, in two separate incidents.
The first incident involved an employee instructed to clean the measuring wheel on a cutting machine. He had climbed onto the conveyor belt which had not been properly isolated; the machine’s clamp came down, trapping his left hand and causing the circular saw to move and cut off three of his fingers before a fellow employee pressed the emergency stop button.
The second incident involved an employee attempting to place a casing onto the back of a quilting machine whilst it was still operating; his gloves became entangled, dragging his hand in, causing crush and laceration injuries which resulted in the tips of two fingers being amputated.
Yet again, the Company had failed to guard dangerous parts of machinery or provide adequate isolation and locking-off procedures. How many times do we hear of this type of needless incident happening, when will employers learn?
WHS is working for you; help us to help you.
Our aim is to keep people safe and to keep your company working.
To contact WHS, ring: 01952-885885