COMPANY NEWS
TRAINING – ONLINE COURSES
WHS is now provides an extensive suite of fully certificated online courses, priced at a very reasonable £25 + VAT per course, to help with staff training when time is short. All that candidates need is access to a computer or laptop. Courses currently on offer:
- Accident Investigation
- An Introduction to LOLER
- Asbestos Awareness
- COSHH Interactive
- Display Screen Equipment
- Driver Safety
- Environmental Awareness
- Equality & Diversity
- Fire Safety
- Hand Arm Vibration (HAVs)
- Home Working Health & Safety
- Ladder Safety
- Legionella Awareness
- Lone Working
- Manual Handling
- Menopause Awareness
- Office Safety
- Permit to Work
- Personal Protective Equipment
- Stress in the Workplace
- Working at Height
We would always recommend face-to-face training to help your workforce get the most out of the course content, but these online courses offer a temporary solution when time is short or turnover is high; all courses take only 30-40 minutes to complete and can, of course, be completed at home as well as at work.
Full details and booking facilities for all courses on this e-learning platform can be found on our website:
www.wenlockhealthandsafety.co.uk
TRAINING – SHORT COURSES
In addition to the programmed courses we have on offer over the next few months, as listed in the next section, don’t forget that Wenlock Health & Safety Ltd (WHS) can also provide a multitude of other short courses to suit your needs, such as (but not limited to):
- H&S Management
- H&S Awareness
- Safety for Site Management
- Risk Assessment
- CDM
- 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 – CITB COURSES
Please contact Vicki as above to book places on all the planned courses below. 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.
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 COURSE DETAILS
- CITB Asbestos Awareness
Duration: Half-day
Date: 5 July 2024 (Friday)
Cost: £60 + VAT per person
- Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS)
Duration:
5 days; 1 day per week
Dates:
6, 13, 20, 27 June & 4 July 2024 (Thursdays)
24, 31 July, 7, 14 & 21 August 2024 (Wednesdays)
5, 12, 19, 26 September & 3 October 2024 (Thursdays)
Cost: £495 + VAT per person
- Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) Refresher
Duration: 2 days
Dates:
3 & 4 June 2024 (Monday & Tuesday)
19 & 20 August 2024 (Monday & Tuesday)
16 & 17 October 2024 (Wednesday & Thursday)
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:
1 & 2 July 2024 (Monday & Tuesday)
2 & 3 September 2024 (Monday & Tuesday)
25 & 26 November 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:
17 June 2024 (Monday)
12 August 2024 (Monday)
7 October 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:
10 June 2024 (Monday)
1 August 2024 (Thursday)
1 October 2024 (Tuesday)
Cost: £145 + VAT per person
(10% discount when booking 2 or more people on all courses)
TRAINING – OTHER COURSES
CDM 2015
Duration: Half-day
Date: 6 August 2024 (Tuesday)
Cost: £60 + 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
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:
24 June 2024 (Monday)
22 July 2024 (Monday)
21 August 2024 (Wednesday)
25 September 2024 (Wednesday)
28 October 2024 (Monday)
27 November 2024 (Wednesday)
18 December 2024 (Wednesday)
Cost: £85 + VAT per person
HSE NEWS
THE HSE IS NEAR YOU!
In line with one of the HSE’s current target issues, WHS has evidence that inspectors are spot-checking both contractors and workshops, including a real presence locally here, in relation to occupational health.
We have highlighted this issue many times over the years – it is a legal requirement under both the HSWA and various specific regulations to safeguard employees from occupational diseases, including (but by no means limited to):
- Musculoskeletal harm (manual handling)
- Respiratory diseases and harm from inhalation of dusts and fume
- Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVs), carpal tunnel and other vibration-related harm
- Deafness and tinnitus
- Sensitisation, cancers and other skin and bodily harm
As we all know (or should know!), both asbestos and lead are so harmful that they both warrant their own very specific regulations and control mechanisms. However, it has become apparent that, because the risks of other occupational diseases and symptoms are seemingly all around us in our normal working lives, they are not considered to be so important but more a fact of life. This attitude is wrong, as is reflected in the explicit legal requirements for health surveillance when such issues are present within the working environment.
If you need more information about what is required from all businesses (not just in construction), go to the HSE website and explore the pages related to each harm issue: https://www.hse.gov.uk/health-surveillance/
Or contact WHS for guidance.
Don’t get caught out! The HSE is out there and they will enforce (or prosecute) non-compliance.
LEGIONELLA
Have you checked your water system recently?
Legionella (or Legionnaires’ disease) is a potentially fatal form of lung infection which is normally contracted by inhaling small droplets of water suspended in the air containing the bacteria. We have discussed legionella a lot over the years because it is such a high-risk issue warranting its own HSE Approved Code of Practice, L8: https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l8.htm
Refer also to the wealth of other HSE guidance on www.hse.gov.uk , such as:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg458.htm
https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg274.htm
But employers, building managers, landlords, etc still seem largely oblivious to both the risks and required controls measures to prevent legionella. If you are an employer, or someone in control of premises, such as a landlord or building manager, you must understand the health risks associated with legionella and take the right precautions to reduce the risks of exposure to legionella:
- Hot water storage cylinders (calorifiers) should store water at 60°C or higher
- Hot water should be distributed at 50°C or higher (thermostatic mixer valves need to be fitted as close as possible to outlets, where a scald risk is identified)
- Cold water should be stored and distributed below 20°C
(The bacteria begin to die in temperatures above 50°C and cannot survive above 60°C.)
However, there can also be risks of legionella developing in vacant premises where systems sit unused at ambient temperatures – which, of course during summer months, could be quite high. Therefore, if you are a developer with housing stock yet to be sold, you may also need to take appropriate precautions to prevent the build up of bacteria and this issue should most definitely be included in your risk assessment processes.
Contact WHS for assistance and/or guidance.
INDUSTRY NEWS
CONSTRUCTION PHASE PLANS (etc)
A pertinent reminder to all principal contractors and contractors – the legally required site-specific construction phase health and safety plans and risk assessments are meant to be dynamic, not written and then left on a shelf for the duration of the project!
The purpose of all such documentation is to assess and control the risks throughout the project – and that means taking into account all aspects of the continually changing environment within which that project is progressing. Unless the project is extremely small and quick, there is no way that circumstances do not change throughout the duration – design changes, weather conditions, co-ordination of contractors, materials shortages, and even external issues such as adjacent projects or road works, all have an impact of how the project is run and developing safety issues that have to be addressed. So, the construction phase plans and risk assessments must address health & safety issues as they stand at that point, not how they were at the start of a project.
It is legally incumbent on all principal contractors to continually review and update construction phase plans and all contractors (whatever their role) to continually review and update their risk assessments where changes are required.
And an additional note here – it is also a duty for all those managing the project in any way (from client/project managers to principal designers) to make sure this is being done. Never assume – make this a standard point to be discussed at the project/site meetings, and ask for proof that it’s being done.
50 YEARS OF THE HSWA ACT 1974
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Health & Safety at Work (etc) Act 1974 and the industry would do well to look back at the reasons for its necessity and implementation.
In 1972, construction workers made history by striking for better conditions; site conditions were shocking, no attention was being made to health & safety, pay was pitifully low and the industry had been rocked by a series of political scandals. Many of you will have heard of the jailing of Ricki Tomlinson (who has since become a renowned actor) and 23 of his fellow workers because they stood up for their rights – convictions that were only overturned in 2021. Such prosecutions were only, however, the tip of a very large iceberg – in 1972 alone, 190 construction workers died as a result of accidents at work.
We have come a long way since then as a direct result of the implantation of the HSWA, the establishment of the HSE and multiple additional laws and regulations, all of which have the sole purpose of protecting site workers from harm. For the year 2023 – 24, 45 construction workers were killed. Which sounds like good news – but it’s a sobering thought that during 2021-22, 30 were killed. So that’s a 50% increase in 2 years.
In this anniversary year, let’s just remind ourselves of just how bad things can get if we let our guard down and how workers like Ricki Tomlinson had the courage to fight for the rights of all construction workers, then and now.
FALLS FROM HEIGHT
No Falls Week took place 13-17 May with events taking place across the country to highlight the perennial issue of falls from height which account for half of all fatalities in construction (51% during 2022-23).
The usual causes are well known – the laws governing work at height being ignored or corners cut to reduce costs and expedite the work – as are the legal requirements being ignored. But there are other issues which the HSE, the Ladder Association, PASMA and the No Falls Foundation are seeking to address, for instance:
- The increased risk of accidents when telescopic ladders are purchased from Amazon or eBay (etc) rather than from dedicated retailers such as Screwfix or Toolstation; 68% of respondents to a recent survey admitted that cost was a high priority (shockingly 29% said it was their only priority!!). Refer to:
https://ladderassociation.org.uk/ - The extreme dangers of buying or using so-called ‘DIY-towers’ which are readily available online but often do not comply with legislation. Again, cost is no doubt a factor here – with potentially lethal consequences (not to mention the possibility of prosecution if the HSE find out!). Refer to:
https://pasma.co.uk/scaffold-towers/the-dangers-of-diy-towers/
You can find valuable in-depth guidance of these and many more issues related to safe work at height from:
- https://nofallsfoundation.org/
- https://ladderassociation.org.uk/
- https://pasma.co.uk/
- https://www.ipaf.org/en
- and, of course, https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/index.htm
FALLS FROM HEIGHT – THE FACTS
And here’s are the shocking facts about what it means in reality to fall from a height:
- Falling 4 metres is the equivalent of being hit by a car travelling at 20 mph
- Falling 10 metres is the equivalent of being hit by a car travelling at 30 mph
- Falling 16 metres is the equivalent of being hit by a car travelling at 40 mph
Who would knowingly risk stepping out in front of a car travelling at 20, 30 or 40 mph? So why do so many employers and employees (in all industries – not just construction) still risk falling from such considerable heights? The section at the end of all our newsletters inevitably includes work at height prosecutions – the vast majority of these sadly having resulted from fatalities.
50 years of the HSWA but still so many workers are killed falling from height.
MASK WEARERS MUST BE CLEAN SHAVEN!!
Why? Because any stubble or significant beard growth will compromise the seal that is necessary around all respiratory protection to prevent ingress of dusts and fumes.
So why do WHS advisors so often find that males taking the face-fit test – which is legally required specifically to ensure the tight seal necessary – either turn up unshaven or admit to letting their beards grow after having taken the test??!!
Come on guys – why do you think these things are made law? Precisely to keep YOU safe, so stop trying to get around it! The HSE comes down hard on people not wearing masks when they’re needed AND on anyone wearing a mask but is unshaven – BE WARNED!!!
FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS
If you are involved in any way with the installation, design or specification of passive fire protection equipment (PFP), it would be wise to become a member of the ASFP (Association for Specialist Fire Protection) to ensure that you are kept abreast of industry requirements, best practice and changes, and have access to the right training that would be applicable to your needs.
Installation, design and specification of PFP systems is not just a specialist field; principal contractors and principal designers also need to be aware of their legal duties with regard to ensuring that suitable systems are purchased and commissioned, properly competent contractors are engaged to carry out the work and, of course, managing that work on site. There is a membership category available to suit all specific needs.
As fire protection is now the main focus of building safety and is being actively targeted by both the HSE and, where applicable, the Building Safety Regulatory Authority, it makes absolute sense to ensure that you have access to the best and most reliable resources available. For full information visit:
https://asfp.org.uk/
DRIVING FOR WORK – FREE ASSISTANCE
Driving for Better Business is a free to access government-backed National Highways programme, delivered in partnership with RoadSafe. Its purpose is to help organisations reduce work related road risk, thus protecting staff who drive or ride for work and others with whom they share the road.
Its mission is to improve safety and reduce risk for all those who drive or ride for work, by promoting good management practice and demonstrating the significant business benefits that follow. For full information visit:
https://www.drivingforbetterbusiness.com/
By registering, you’ll be able to (free of charge):
- Access a driving for work policy template and checklist to ensure you’ve got everything covered
- Create a driving for work policy document that meets legal and compliance standards
- Get email alerts for any changes in guidance or legislation that could affect your policy
- Receive an annual reminder to review your policy, with any changes that may be required
And:
- Access driver awareness resources and tool-box talks
- Benchmark your fleet performance
- Carry out a gap analysis on your fleet
- Access podcasts and other valuable resources.
WHS does provide a template for a company driving policy within all health & safety packs – but why not access this government-backed, material to ensure all aspects of driver safety are covered? It’s FREE!!
AND FINALLY
Work at height
- Expert Tooling and Automation Ltd was fines £50,000 plus £1,986 costs and its contractor, Optilight Electrical Services Ltd fined £7,000 plus £1.986 costs, after an electrician fell from a scissor lift, fracturing his skull, breaking several bones, puncturing his lung and leaving him in an induced coma.
Whilst the Optilight employee was repairing a light fitting from a scissor lift at a height of almost 12 metres, an Expert Tooling and Automation employee began to operate a nearby overhead crane which then hit the scissor lift; the MEWP toppled and the electrician was thrown from the cage during the fall, hitting his head on the factory floor.
There had been no communication between management of the two companies and neither had risk assessed nor established safe systems of work (which would have necessitated a permit to work system in this case)
- Hightech Roofing N/W Ltd was fined £20,000 plus £5,858 costs after an employee fell 4.8 metres through a roof-light and suffered serious fracture injuries. The company had failed to properly plan, supervise or carry out the work in a safe manner, and the risks of working on fragile roofs had not been considered.
Underground services
- MHS Homes was fined £528,000 plus £4,122 costs after an employee, who was repairing a fence post, struck an underground cable and sustained burns to his face. In repairing the post, the victim had been using a jackhammer to break concrete without any information about underground services, nor any detection equipment to locate services on site. It was subsequently found that, not only were electric cables present, but also a gas pipe; the worker was luckily not to have been killed.
Overhead services
- New Earth Solutions (West) Ltd was fined £200,000 plus costs of £12,467 after an employee came into contact with a live electrical cable and suffered burns to his face and body; he also sustained fractures and a dislocated kneecap as he fell from the scissor lift he had been working from. The victim had been moving live heavy-duty electrical cables using a crowbar!!!
The task had not been part of the victim’s normal job so he had not received any training, nor had any risk assessment been undertaken to ensure a safe system of work – which would obviously include isolating the power supply to that area plus ensuring the right tools and working method for such a hazardous task.
This is a warning to all businesses – do NOT ask your own staff to carry out work which, because of the risks involved, require a properly qualified contractor. It is NOT clever to save costs by asking your own employees to carry out ANY work which you are not familiar with or require specialist knowledge and controls; it will end up costing the company a significant amount of money (as here) in fines and possibly cost an employee his or her life.
- Plants Galore Horticulture Ltd was fined £3,000 plus £4,000 costs after a lorry driver sustained third degree burns whilst making a delivery to the site. After tipping his load of hardcore, the grab arm on the lorry struck an 11 kv cable; he was unaware that the cable was high-voltage electricity so he exited the cab, resulting in the burns as soon as his feet touched the ground.
The company had failed to provide any information or instructions about the locations of overhead powerlines or necessary precautions. Neither had they erected any type of barriers to keep people, machinery and vehicles well away from the powerlines; there should have been a minimum 3 metre exclusion zone.
Thankfully, this is a rare occurrence these days, but it serves as a strong reminder that the rules about overhead (and underground) services apply to all businesses; services must be diverted where possible to remove the risk altogether or, where this is not possible, strict controls must be established.
Materials handling
- Double-glazing contractor, My Best Group Ltd, was prosecuted in May following the death of an employee. The company has since gone into liquidation but, had this not been the case, would have been fined £120,000. However, director Ayman Noor was given two suspended jail terms of 20 weeks and 14 weeks, and ordered to pay costs of £9,294.
The employee suffered a cardiac arrest when a number of toughened glass panels fell on him whilst he was trying to remove one from a stack leaning against a wall. No racking or restrain system was in place as the risks involved with this type of materials handling had not even been considered.
The risks included public access to the area where the panels were stored. It has happened in the past that members of the public have been killed in similar circumstances; ALL site areas (including storage areas, skips, etc) MUST be protected against public access.
Equipment safety
- Loadhog Ltd was fined £100,000 plus £3,140 costs after an agency worker suffered severe hand injuries whilst using an unguarded table saw. The victim’s fingers came into contact with the rotating saw blade, partially severing three fingers. The company had failed to provide suitable guarding to the moving parts of the very hazardous machinery.
- Rix Shipping (Scotland) Ltd was fined £16,000 plus a victim surcharge of £1,200 after an employee severed part of a finger whilst operating a table saw. The victim had been using a push-stick to guide materials but his gloved left hand came into contact with the blade, drawing it in and almost completely severing a finger (which had to be amputated later)
- Motorsport engineering firm, Hispec Motorsport Ltd, was fined £6,500 plus costs of £2,000 after an HSE inspection found multiple health & safety breaches, regarding particularly the maintenance and guarding of hazardous machinery.
- Honeyrose Products Ltd was fined £32,000 plus £12,583 costs after an inspector found that the company was failing to prevent whole-body access (!!!) to the rotating blades of a ribbon mixer.
- Howden Enterprises Ltd was fined £73,333 plus costs of £7,523 after an employee lost a leg when it became entangled in the moving parts of unguarded machinery.
The victim had been cleaning the machine with two colleagues and, as he climbed onto it, the machine had been turned on, trapping his leg which later had to be amputated. The company had failed to risk assess the cleaning operation and no robust isolation or safe operating procedures had been established.
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