WENLOCK HEALTH & SAFETY LTD WISHES ALL OUR CUSTOMERS
A VERY HAPPY AND SAFE FESTIVE PERIOD
COMPANY NEWS
TRAINING
When booking courses, all necessary criteria and restrictions will be personally communicated both directly at the time of booking and again through joining instructions ahead of all planned courses. It is vital that these are understood and relevant information clearly passed to candidates.
And do please be sure to inform us ahead of the course date of any candidate who may require assistance in any way, especially with reading or writing; we need advance notice to be able to provide this help.
Please contact Vicki at Wenlock Health & Safety Ltd (WHS) on 01952 885885 or enquiries@wenlockhs.co.uk
or vicki@wenlockhs.co.uk to book places. In addition to those below, please enquire about our other courses available; the full range is also detailed on our website: https://wenlockhealthandsafety.co.uk/
CITB COURSES
It must be noted that CITB attendance rules are very strict; they must be understood and are reiterated here:
- CITB specifies that candidates must be available to attend each session within the course; failure to do so may require a repeat course.
- Attendance is absolutely vital once booked; because of CITB rules, we may be forced to cancel a course on that morning if some candidates fail to take part, to the detriment of all candidates.
- Basic refreshments will be available; however, no lunch is provided and candidates are to make their own provision (bring their own or there are shops nearby and a small café on site).
Candidates must arrive by 8.15*am for registration; all courses start at 8.30am and finish at around 4.30pm.
* Please reiterate to all candidates the absolute need to make their way up to the WHS offices and log their vehicle registration numbers immediately upon arrival in the car park to avoid being charged for parking.
CITB SITE SAFETY COURSES
- Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS)
Duration: 5 days; 1 day per week
Dates:
8, 15, 22, 29 January & 5 February 2024 (Mondays)
26 February, 4, 11, 18 & 25 March 2024 (Mondays)
18, 25 April, 2, 9 &16 May 2024 (Thursdays)
Cost: £495 + VAT per person
- Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) Refresher
Duration: 2 days
Dates:
13 & 14 December 2023 (Wednesday & Thursday)
19 & 20 February 2024 (Monday & Tuesday)
8 & 9 April 2024 (Monday & Tuesday)
Cost: £285 + VAT per person
(10% discount when booking 2 or more people on the same course)
- Site Supervisors Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS)
Duration: 2 days
Dates:
10 & 11 January 2024 (Wednesday & Thursday)
6 & 7 March 2024 (Wednesday & Thursday)
20 & 21 May 2024 (Monday & Tuesday)
Cost: £250 + VAT per person
(10% discount when booking 2 or more people on the same course)
- Site Supervisors Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) Refresher
Duration: 1 day
Dates:
23 January 2024 (Tuesday)
15 April 2024 (Monday)
17 June 2024 (Monday)
Cost: £170 + VAT
(10% discount when booking 2 or more people on the same course)
- CITB 1-Day Health & Safety Awareness
Duration: 1 day
Dates:
19 December 2023 (Tuesday)
31 January 2024 (Wednesday)
29 February 2024 (Thursday)
4 April 2024 (Thursday)
Cost: £145 + VAT per person
(10% discount when booking 2 or more people on all courses)
- CITB Asbestos Awareness
Duration: Half-day
Date: 9 February 20124 (Friday)
Cost: £60 + VAT per person
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:
18 December 2023 (Monday)
24 January 2024 (Wednesday)
28 February 2024 (Wednesday)
20 March 2023 (Wednesday)
Cost: £85 + VAT per person
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID
1-day FAA Award in First Aid for Mental Health (Level 2 RQF)
Dates: 1 March 2024 (Friday)
Cost: £85 + VAT per person
IOSH MANAGING SAFELY
3-day IOSH Managing Safely course
Dates: 21, 22 & 23 February 2023 (Wednesday – Friday)
Cost: £395 + VAT per person
HSE NEWS
THE BUILDING SAFETY ACT 2022
As highlighted in the previous newsletter, the new Building Safety Act 2022 came into force in April 2023 with a 6-month transition period; the deadline for implementation on all new and existing construction projects was 1 October 2023.
The Building Safety Act does cover all construction work, no matter what nature or duration; refer to the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM) for the very broad definition of ‘construction’.
However, as the Act is intended to strengthen the provision already in place under CDM, particularly in relation to safe design, for high-rise residential or higher-risk buildings (high-rise residential buildings, plus high-rise hospitals and care homes), the majority of those involved with small projects won’t notice any difference. As long as you are following the existing requirements of CDM by implementing safe and competent planning, design and construction, and establishing the health & safety file from the outset, there will be very little necessary adjustment.
It has to be remembered that the Act came about because of the many lessons learnt from the appalling Grenfell Tower disaster of 2017; therefore, the majority of changes relate only to the high-rise residential or higher-risk buildings.
The Act introduces a new enforcement body, the Building Safety Regulator, to work alongside the HSE and new strict steps to be followed, from the Client’s initial commissioning of design to the occupation and eventual demolition of the high-rise or higher-risk building, aiming to ensure safety in design and construction to produce safe buildings and occupancy. All required steps are legally enforceable.
In addition, there is much greater emphasis on proven competency for all parties on all projects – again, with particular reference to designers – so it is now even more important to gain appropriate qualifications, undertake a good deal of relevant CPD, be willing to bring in additional expertise, act as part of the project team and ensure total co-ordination and co-operation, to ensure safety in design as well as safety in construction, maintenance, refurbishments, modification and extension, and eventual occupancy.
The requirements of the Building Safety Act 2022 are too complex to discuss in this newsletter. A WHS Information Sheet to explain the Act in detail is appended to this newsletter and includes links to appropriate www.gov.uk guidance, advice, registrations, etc.
Any of our customers (clients, developers, landlords, managing agents, designers and contractors) who deal with such high-rise residential or higher-risk buildings now or in the future will need to study the requirements carefully and contact WHS if in any doubt at all. Remember, all requirements are legally enforceable.
ACCIDENT STATISTICS
On 22 November 2023, the HSE published its annual reports on the finalised fatality, accident and ill-health figures for 2022/23, and it makes for grim reading:
- 135 workers killed in work-related accidents (48 in construction, including 3 members of the public)
- 561,000 working people sustained an injury
- 60,645 injuries to employees reported under RIDDOR
- 1.8 million working people suffering from a work-related illness, of which:
875,000 workers suffering work-related stress, depression or anxiety
473,000 workers suffering from work-related musculoskeletal disorders
- 2,268 mesothelioma deaths due to past asbestos exposures (2021)
- 35.2 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury
- £20.7 billion estimated cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions (2021 to 2022)
Full details can be found on:
https://rb.gy/paaptx
https://rb.gy/6jl7hb
As reported in the August newsletter, fatalities and serious accidents are on the rise again; fatalities in construction up by a full 50% over the previous year! We cannot be complacent.
Comparisons with other European countries (yes, we are still part of the continent of Europe!!) make interesting reading: https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/european/index.htm
Of the 30 countries where collecting data is possible, we still have one of the lowest fatality rates in Europe; we are in 6th place.
However, we are almost half way down the tables for workplace accidents and ill-health, which is shocking. We cannot and must not be complacent!
OCCUPATIONAL DEAFNESS
Although incidents of occupational deafness have dropped significantly over recent years, the number of new cases is rising again and it is still a major issue, particularly in construction, factories and any workplace using plant and/or machinery: https://rb.gy/spxtnd
The HSE is urging employers to try the simple ‘shout test’. To quote the HSE’s noise specialist Chris Steel: “If you are shouting at work and can’t be heard from 2 metres away, the chances are there’s a noise issue. Try it out for yourself and see if you can be heard.” For more detail of this and what’s required to alleviate noise, go to: https://rb.gy/f4zfw7 and https://rb.gy/dup3hl
INDUSTRY NEWS
ASBESTOS
Yet again, asbestos is in the news. Following closely on the heels of the sudden realisation in governmental circles that many of our schools and public buildings are unsafe because they contain RRAC concrete (or maybe because of it) there is an elevated concern about these buildings being also unsafe because of asbestos. The HSE is now targeting schools and public buildings but, as you should all know, asbestos can be in any buildings built before the year 2000.
The https://workright.campaign.gov.uk/ has been running the Asbestos & You – Work Right to keep Britain safe campaign for a long while, so it’s a relevant time to remind ALL our customers that asbestos is everyone’s concern, both at work and at home. The website includes valuable advice and guidance, and a short quiz to test your knowledge of the subject. 8 simple questions that everyone should get right; if you get any wrong, you need to contact WHS urgently and attend training / refresher training!!
MANUAL HANDLING
Another Work Right campaign which is worth re-emphasising here in light of the HSE’s targeting of manual handling on site is Moving and Handling Really Matters: https://bitly.ws/33oXv
Again, the website contains valuable material to ensure an understanding of the issues and help to formulate solutions.
Refer also details of the HSE’s campaign and its simplified manual handling online assessment tools:
https://rb.gy/qky5tb
https://rb.gy/3id9uv
THE IMPORTANCE OF EMERGENCY PLANNING
This brief video clearly shows the vital importance of hooking on every time workers erect, access or work from scaffolding. It’s an extreme circumstance but, without hooking on, these workers would have all fallen to their deaths: Moment scaffolding collapses leaves terrified workers dangling 500ft in the air (msn.com)
The article stresses that the workers were rescued very quickly by a crane.
And many of you would have seen recently the footage of a worker being rescued from a burning high-rise block in Reading, again by crane: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-67509978
Both cases illustrate the vital importance of (and hence, the legal requirement to formulate and manage) a sound emergency plan for all construction sites. Both of the cases above involve the construction of high-rise buildings, but have you thought how workers would escape from scaffolding on any building if fire breaks out beneath them? And that scenario is only the tip of a very big iceberg. Have you planned for escape from lofts, voids, excavations and other rather less high-risk confined spaces? And what about escaping from faulty MEWPs in their raised position? Some of the situations may not appear particularly challenging to effect a rescue – but what about when medical emergencies are thrown into the mix? Seconds costs lives so emergency plans must be formulated before the work begins and must be known by everyone so that they can swing into action immediately.
GENERAL NEWS
EMERGENCY CONTACT
In addition to the item above about emergency planning, it is worth reiterating a couple of points about emergency contact in view of the fact that we all have mobile phones with us when out and about, whether at work or for personal trips:
- Make sure you top up the battery before leaving your home or workplace
- Make sure there is network coverage (still not 100% across the country!) or make sure someone knows where you are and what time you should return
- Use 112 to summon emergency assistance. This number is operable right across Europe (i.e. not just the EU) and makes contact with emergency services even without network coverage; it also enables emergency services to triangulate and locate you
- Install and use the what3words mobile app; this is now commonly used by the emergency services and enables them to pinpoint your exact location. It’s also very useful for pinpointing where people and premises are!
ACCOMMODATING DISABILITIES IN THE WORKPLACE
It is a fundamental principle of UK law that all employers have a duty to provide a safe and healthy working environment for all workers, whether at head office or on site. But it’s worth reminding employers that this also includes provision for those with disabilities.
ALL employees must be provided with:
- A safe workplace
- A healthy working environment
- Appropriate and adequate welfare facilities
There are various regulations which cover health & safety in the workplace and the legal requirements to accommodate employees with disabilities. However, good summaries (mainly applicable to static premises) are available through the HSE’s website:
https://bitly.ws/33oZp
The HSE is also reminding employers that inclusivity is a collective responsibility, from which we all benefit:
https://rb.gy/m0xcrn
Again, the Work Right website draws attention to this in its Work Right for Everyone campaign:
https://rb.gy/jee1px
AND FINALLY
Dusts
As we have highlighted many, many times, the HSE has been targeting dusts and the use of protection measures, particularly LEVs, massively as part of their Dust Kills campaign. They continue to make spot checks across all sections of industry, and nobody is exempt. For example:
- Sole trader, Chris Buckley, was fined £1,354 plus costs of £3,578 after an HSE inspection found a total failure to control wood dusts: https://rb.gy/reypay
Mr Buckley is a sole trader – nobody is exempt!!
- WS Barrett & Son Ltd was fined £10,000 plus £3,625 costs after an HSE inspection found the company had failed to protect its workers from exposure to powder coating dusts and welding fume; the LEV in place was totally inefficient as it had not been thoroughly examined and tested (as required by law) despite the company having been previously served with an improvement notice.
- Pineland Furniture Ltd was fined £16,000 plus £3008 costs after two HSE inspections over a two-year period found that the company had failed to carry out statutory inspections on its extraction systems and had carried out no face-fit testing on mask wearers.
- The Joinery Yard Ltd was fined £25,000 plus costs of £2,681 after the HSE found that the company had failed to establish adequate controls to protect employees from wood dusts.
Work at height
A reminder that, across UK industry, the number of workers dying from falls from height continues to increase, accounting for 40 fatalities in 2022/23 (an increase of 38% on the previous year) and 30% of all workplace fatalities. So, as usual, here a few examples of totally avoidable accidents and the consequences.
- Wanzl Ltd was fined £320,000 plus £4,016 costs after two workers fell 3 metres when a metal cage they were dismantling collapsed beneath them; one of the men was severely injured. Although tower scaffolds had been erected, they collapsed. The work had not been properly assessed, planned and managed; the use of towers was inappropriate and the workers had not been trained in tower erection.
- Zarafa Height Solutions Ltd was fined £120,000 plus costs of £3,978 and Giraffe Access Co. Ltd fined £120,000 plus £3,996 after two workers fell over 27 metres (!) from a defective cradle during construction of a residential block. The support beams for the cradle had been fitted with incorrect sized end stops with the result that it rolled off the end of the beams and crashed to the ground.
Zarafa had failed to ensure the support beams were safe when they left the factory; Giraffe, who had installed the beams, had failed to carry out the legally required safety checks pre-commissioning.
Fire risk
- Amro Construction Ltd was fined £20,000 plus £1,587 costs and its director, David Taylor, personally fined £3,000 plus £1,935 costs after an HSE inspection at a timber-frame housing development found (amongst other issues) no assessment or control measures against fire risk, including an open flame gas stove amongst large volumes of combustible materials. (Taylor made matters much worse by deliberately obstructing the HSE inspector during his investigation!)
Plant & vehicle safety
- Earlcoate Construction & Plant Hire Ltd was fined £50,000 plus £9,223 costs after a 16-year-old work experience boy was seriously injured when he became trapped under a tractor. The company had failed to provide training, instruction and supervision with the result that the tractor the boy was driving overturned when he attempted to drive it down an incline; in addition, he had not been wearing his seatbelt.
N.B. This case is a pertinent reminder that any employee (paid or unpaid) under the age of 18 is classed as a ‘young person’ and strict rules apply to what he/she can do. All employers are under a legal obligation to take account of the young person’s inexperience, physical capabilities and possibly a lack of maturity and understanding by avoiding hazardous tasks, work without proper supervision and long hours. Full details can be found in your Health & Safety Manual and WHS has also provided a template with which to risk assess, as legally required, a young person’s capabilities and appropriate tasks.
- Sunrise Poultry Farms was fined £233,000 plus costs of £8,841 after a 19-year-old employee died when he was crushed between an HGV and a wall. There had been no controls in place to segregate pedestrians from moving vehicles, a fundamental principle for all yards or areas when vehicles (or plant) manoeuvre in the vicinity of those on foot.
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