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

  • CITB Asbestos Awareness

Duration: Half-day
Date: 9 February 2024 (Friday)

Cost: £60 + VAT per person

  • Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS)

Duration: 5 days; 1 day per week
Dates:

    • 26 February, 4, 11, 18 & 25 March 2024 (Mondays)
    • 18, 25 April, 2, 9 &16 May 2024 (Thursdays)
    • 6, 13, 20, 27 June & 4 July 2024 (Thursdays)

Cost: £495 + VAT per person

  • Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) Refresher

Duration: 2 days
Dates:

    • 19 & 20 February 2024 (Monday & Tuesday)
    • 8 & 9 April 2024 (Monday & Tuesday)
    • 3 & 4 June 2024 (Monday & Tuesday)

Cost: £285 + VAT per person
(10% discount when booking 2 or more people on all courses)

  • Site Supervisors Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS)

Duration: 2 days
Dates:

    • 6 & 7 March 2024 (Wednesday & Thursday)
    • 20 & 21 May 2024 (Monday & Tuesday)
      1 & 2 July 2024 (Monday & Tuesday)

Cost: £250 + VAT per person
(10% discount when booking 2 or more people on all courses)

  • Site Supervisors Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) Refresher

Duration: 1 day
Dates:

    • 15 April 2024 (Monday)
    • 17 June 2024 (Monday)
    • 12 August 2024 (Monday)

Cost: £170 + VAT
(10% discount when booking 2 or more people on all courses)

  • CITB 1-Day Health & Safety Awareness

Duration: 1 day
Dates:

    • 29 February 2024 (Thursday)
    • 4 April 2024 (Thursday)
    • 10 June 2024 (Monday)

Cost: £145 + VAT per person
(10% discount when booking 2 or more people on all courses)

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:

    • 28 February 2024 (Wednesday)
    • 20 March 2024 (Wednesday)
    • 29 April 2024 (Monday)
    • 22 May 2024 (Wednesday)
    • 24 June 2024 (Monday)
    • 22 July 2024 (Monday)

      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: 13, 14 & 15 May 2024 (Monday – Wednesday)
Cost: £395 + VAT per person

WHS IMPORTANT REMINDERS

We would remind all readers of the following issues, all of which relate to our observations on site and all of which would result in enforcement should the HSE spot them too:

Nail guns:
These are extremely dangerous pieces of equipment and can be lethal if not handled correctly. It is absolutely essential that all users are properly trained and trustworthy, and that they wear the correct classification of high-impact goggles; contact the 3M Helpline or similar for specialist guidance.

It is also essential that all usage of nail-guns is risk assessed for the prevailing circumstances, both the task/s and the environment. Do NOT use generic risk assessments only; they MUST be made site / task specific.

PUWER and scaffolding inspections:
These MUST be taken seriously; they are a legal requirement and anyone failing to accurately record the findings may be subject to prosecution. Employers must make sure all persons carrying out these inspections are properly trained and know exactly what’s expected of them; they MUST take ownership of their actions.

Winter working:
We all know it can be cold out there on site but there can be no bending of PPE rules! ALL PPE must be worn in the manner intended; no adaption, and NO inserts into hard hats unless specifically designed for that purpose. So NO hoodies under hard hats, NO balaclavas under hard hats, NOTHING under the hard hat unless specifically designed – and there are things on the market that do help such as thermal liners.

HSE NEWS

SAFETY ALERT

The HSE has issued a Safety Alert related to the safety of lorry loaders with powered ‘tilting’ (or ‘swing-up’ or ‘rotating’) stabilisers, after 3 fatalities have been reported since 2019. The issue arises from the stabiliser retraction tilt (a) often being from levers at the crane base rather than by remote control, and (b) working on different lorries in different modes, which often causes risk to the operator of being crushed against bodywork.

The HSE advises lorry owners with these stabiliser tilt facilities to seek improvements from manufacturers:

  • Disable base controls by removing fixed levers and only use remote controls
  • Install interlocks to prevent legs being retracted unless vertical
  • Install software modifications to prevent stabilisers retracting unless the legs are already in vertical stowage positions
  • Retain all records of discussions with manufacturers

And, in addition:

  • Include risk of crushing and control measures in risk assessments
  • Display residual risk warnings clearly visible to operators in and near the crush zone; obtain new or replacement decals from manufacturers
  • Safely store and label any fixed levels that have been removed; indicate the location of storage on the fixed control panel in case of emergency use only
  • Train all operators; ensure trained and authorised users only; consult HSE guidance for further details of safe operation: https://rb.gy/xz9q27

THE BUILDING SAFETY ACT 2022

The HSE is currently holding a series of webinars concerning what’s expected from all parties to comply with the new Building Safety Act 2022.

The main points stressed to date, and everyone must take note here, include:

  • Competence; all parties but especially designers – proof of applicable competence must be available, including CPD, relevant knowledge, experience and the appointment of more knowledgeable parties if applicable (e.g. specialist designers, fire and rescue services, geotechnical engineers, etc).
  • Planning; all parties – as WHS have said many times, a quick start does not usually make for a quick finish! A hasty start (for whatever reason) means that forward planning is lacking and, very often, design, procurement, necessary permissions and control points, etc are organised on the hoof, leading to mismanagement, wasted time, inefficiencies and the compromising of health & safety, both during the construction process and for future occupants (none of which endears the project team to the client!). The Act stresses that this must stop, and they have introduced the strict staged controls* overseen by the Building Safety Regulator to prevent this being possible for high-rise residential or higher-risk buildings (HRBs); the HSE will also be looking at this issue on all sites, regardless of their nature.

* No construction will be permitted on HRBs, including high-rise residential, until the Building Safety Regulator is presented with full design covering, in their words, ‘start to stop’, i.e. ALL design must be finalised before the project is first presented to the Regulator, or it will simply be refused. The Regulator has emphasised that efficient design and pre-planning results in an efficient and safe project.

Changes to submitted applications can now be done online through the portal, but there are strict deadlines, so preparedness is the absolute key to an efficient project.

  • Materials safety – there is renewed emphasis on the testing and certification of all building materials and products (not before time!), from bricks to concrete, cladding to insulation, etc, etc., and including those used in maintenance, repair and alterations. All parties are responsible here to some degree, e.g. clients for commissioning appropriate pre-construction surveys, designers for insisting of proof of safety and performance for proposed materials and products, and contractors at all levels for ensuring proof is supplied and that further competent testing is commissioned to prove safety through construction (e.g. concrete strength, soils constituents and compaction, etc).
  • Fire – an updated emphasis on fire safety within buildings. The Building Safety Act is augmented by the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 which emphasises the inclusion of materials and components safety throughout all facets of the structure/s, and the mandatory design and (later, for occupants) organisation of safe escape routes.

Practically all these aspects were already covered in CDM in some form or another, but people seem to have taken their eyes off the ball, resulting in safety, efficiency and quality suffering over the years. The Building Safety Act promotes a return to controlled design and construction, and common sense.

There is a wealth of guidance on gov.uk and the HSE’s website covering all aspects of the Act, the Building Safety Regulator and the building control operational standards. And it would be useful, particularly for any parties involved in the building, maintenance or modification of high-rise or HRBs, to subscribe (f.o.c.) to the Building Safety Regulator bulletins via: https://rb.gy/gtcbgu

Footnote:

It is important to note that, over and above the legal requirement to report accidents (etc) to the HSE under RIDDOR, the Building Safety Act requires that certain accidents and incidents are reported directly to the Building Safety Regulator – and this includes any potential for accident or serious incident caused by faulty design, even if that issue has been corrected. Full details are now in the Health & Safety Manual and relevant WHS Information Sheets: IS23 for the Building Safety Act and IS21 for RIDDOR. These amended documents will filter through to you at subscription renewal; however, should you require earlier notification, please contact the WHS office and we will gladly issue them to you.

DUSTS

This perennial issue won’t go away – so we repeat, yet again, all contractors and other businesses who produce dusts must by law either suppress or extract those dusts. This has been law for at least 20 years, yet still the HSE picks up the issue time and time again on site and in workshops and, in the case of the HSE, frequently still places enforcement on the offenders. For example, recent HSE cases:

Right: Dry sweeping at a refurbishment site in NW London; no suppression in place. Dry sweeping pushes settled dusts back up into the air, and those dusts can then easily be inhaled by anyone nearby.

Left: A table saw at a commercial refurbishment site with the correct M-class extraction system attached but, as can be seen from the photo, it was either not being used or the temporary repair to the hose was totally ineffective.

Both these cases resulted in HSE enforcement.

It makes little difference whether this happens outside – the law says all dusts must be suppressed or extracted in all circumstances for very good reason.

Regular inhalation of construction dusts can cause, amongst other health problems, lung cancer, silicosis, chronic pulmonary disease and asthma. And it is not enough to rely on RPE alone; the law is quite clear that all dusts (and fumes and hazardous vapours, for that matter) must be eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level at source.

All suppression and extraction systems (on site and in workshops) must, again by law, be kept in good working order, checked (and records kept) for damage at very frequent intervals, withdrawn from use when defective and, in the case of extraction systems, subject to thorough examination by competent parties at least every 14 months.

RPE (respiratory protective equipment – face masks) can be used certainly as an additional precaution – but do remember that the use of RPE requires, again by law, face-fit testing and the user to be clean-shaven.

The HSE is not alone in finding these situations on site – WHS frequently finds the same scenarios on sites and in workshops. Please, when we highlight such (illegal) situations, do take notice of our advisors’ recommendations – we are here to help prevent both health issues and HSE enforcement. But, better still, for heaven’s sake make sure you abide by the law and establish proper dust control systems!!

METALWORK

In line with the HSE’s ongoing campaign against respiratory harm, it continues to target metalworking and the use of metalworking fluids in machining processes.

For those of you involved with such processes, the HSE’s online quiz is extremely useful to test your knowledge of issues and controls: https://rb.gy/nyyotd
(both logging on and the results are completely anonymous)

And there is a very useful webinar available too which traces an HSE investigation, required control measures and a summary of required fluid quality checks: https://rb.gy/mt5dh3

VIBRATION

The HSE has also updated some of the website content related to vibration, including advice to employers, what’s required by the law, how to effectively use the HSE Vibration Calculator, an updated table for vibration risk assessment purposes and a new page on measurement and monitoring.

Vibration (along with noise) is an issue that’s difficult to avoid in many industries, in particular construction, so it’s very important that all necessary legal requirements and controls are known by everyone involved and followed – for the sake of employees more than voiding enforcement! Go to www.hse.gov.uk or contract WHS on 01952-885885 for further information and guidance.

ASBESTOS

Following on from the HSE’s ‘Asbestos and You’ campaign, it has recently updated advice and guidance on its website, including the duty to manage, asbestos management plan and register templates, examples across many industries (including videos) and advice to workers. Again, do take a look at the wealth of information available on www.hse.gov.uk

There are also updated posters available from:
https://rb.gy/twycex (for industrial premises)
https://rb.gy/a17jox (for residential premises)

And make sure you follow it! If in any doubt at all about anything related to asbestos, do contact WHS as priority. WHS is still finding many sites with no pre-planning for necessary asbestos surveys, with the result that the issue is then ignored – such scenarios will likely result in prosecution if asbestos has then been disturbed.

INDUSTRY NEWS

SCAFFOLDING COLLAPSE

There have been a series of scaffolding collapses over recent weeks which, from what we can see and has been reported, may well be due to the high winds we’ve experienced recently and will still, by all accounts, continue to experience in the future. It has been extremely lucky that nobody has been killed.
An example here:
https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/24015876.swanley-shopping-centre-scaffolding-collapses-storm-gerrit/

There are several things that can be done to avoid such potentially deadly incidents:

  • Avoid the use of sheeting when high winds are expected. The risk assessment must include the issue of likely weather conditions* such as high winds and appropriate alternative controls established (e.g. additional buffer zones to prevent materials and tools falling on the public etc)
  • Re-visit risk assessments* as circumstances change; scaffolding is often in place for long periods so it is entirely unacceptable to risk assess once and consider it done for the whole period.
  • Inspections are paramount; the legal requirement is daily visual checks and recorded competent checks at least every seven days or when the integrity of the structure may have been compromised (e.g. after high winds). So why do contractors think it’s OK to go away for the Christmas break (which is inevitably more than 7 days) without making arrangements for those inspections** to continue, particularly when it’s likely that weather events will happen?

* There is a legal obligation for continual risk assessment; they must be revisited with all types of changing circumstances, whether that be changes to work or circumstances beyond their control (including all types of weather event – apart from high winds, the potential for flooding when dealing with excavations, pipework and sewers)

** Additionally, to maintain site security, regular inspections must continue over unattended periods. It is wholly the responsibility of the Principal Contractor that site security and public protection is adequate and maintained – so why do contractors so often fail to inspect over the lengthy holiday periods? Safety responsibilities don’t stop just because we’re all enjoying a break!

ELECTRIC & DIGITAL SUSTAINABILITY

Market leader, Schneider Electric, are offering a monthly series of webinars (CPD accredited) discussing key sustainability topics, including keeping HV switchgear in good order and much more. Register online:
https://rb.gy/13mw99

AND FINALLY

Equipment safety
Applies to everyone!!!

  • Garden landscaper, Fernando Araujo, was given a 6-months suspended prison sentence, ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid community work and pay £3467 costs after a worker was killed by an unguarded angle grinder. The victim had been cutting sleepers with the equipment which, not only had its guard intentionally removed, but had also been fitted with a circular saw blade larger than the original grinder disc. The angle grinder therefore became a highly dangerous tool, the risk being compounded by the inexperience of the user.

The sleeper had not been secured and was just resting on a skip (as in the photo) with the result that the tool kicked back under power into the victim’s groin, causing fatal lacerations.

Work at height

  • Principal contractor, Inco Contracts Ltd, were fined £600,000 plus £58,448 costs and electrical contractor, Prestige Security Installations Ltd, fined £30,000 plus £15,000 costs after a 36 year old father died when he fell from the roof of an office block.

Two workers were installing a lightning protection system to the front of the block during a conversion; the victim had been lowering access equipment to his colleague using a rope attached to a frame, when the frame became detached and it and the victim fell to the ground. Both companies had failed to ensure the work was properly planned, managed and monitored, and safer working methods for work at height should have been established.

Previously, the victim’s employer, PTSG Electrical Services Ltd, had been fined £1120,000 plus costs of £5448 for similar breaches relating to work at height.

  • Roofing contractor, Mitie Tilley Roofing Ltd, was fined £575,000 plus £84,940 costs and £306,000 plus £27,410 costs after two workers were seriously injured in two separate incidents.

In the first incident, an employee of RM Scaffolding (working for Mitie Tilley Roofing) fell over 6 metres through a skylight whilst walking on a factory roof and broke his femur.

In this case, Paul Robinson, a partner in RM Scaffolding was also ordered to undertake 120 hours unpaid community work and pay £20,428 costs for similar breaches.

In the second incident, which happened only 5 months later, an employee of Mitie Tilley Roofing fell 7 metres through a factory roof whilst replacing a skylight and fractured his pelvis, left wrist and eye socket.

One such incident is a gross mistake – two in quick succession is totally inexcusable.

  • Profascias Ltd was fined £6,000 plus £2,000 costs and its director, John Nolan, ordered to undertake 180 hours unpaid community work and pay £1,000 costs after an employee fell 3 metres from a ladder and suffered serious injuries. The company had been hired to replace gutters and soffits at a primary school but no working platform had been provided; the victim had been expected to work solely from the ladder.

Asbestos

  • Contractor, Sean Faulkner, was ordered to undertake 150 hours of unpaid community work, 15 days of rehabilitation and 90 days of monitored alcohol abstinence, and to pay £1,000 costs after removing asbestos from a school when he was not licensed to do so. He had intentionally falsified clearance paperwork, and had apparently carried out similar work months beforehand at a domestic property.

Roadworks

  • Newport City Council was fined £2 million plus £9,780 costs after a worker was killed whilst carrying out road repairs. The victim had been taking blacktop from the back of a tipper wagon when he was struck by a passing farm vehicle. The Council had failed to provide a sufficient safety zone between the road works and the remaining live lane.

This is a serious issue frequently found by WHS; there absolutely must be an adequate buffer zone to protect workers, wide enough for them to carry out their work safely, and, where this is not possible or circumstances make it too dangerous, the road must be temporarily closed – NO excuses.

Welfare

  • CB Homes Ltd were fined £5,000 plus £1,984 costs after the HSE found they had failed to provide adequate welfare facilities on its site.

Another issue all too frequently found by WHS – which is, to be honest, absolutely unbelievable in the 21st century!! It’s been a legal requirement since at least 1996, so again – NO excuses!

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