COMPANY NEWS
TRAINING
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/
FIRST AID
1-day Emergency First-Aid at Work course dates are listed below; Covid-specific controls will still apply for this particular course for the moment and they will be advised within the joining instructions. Demand is always high, so book places as soon as possible to avoid disappointment:
Dates:
- 19 October 2022 (Wednesday)
- 21 November 2022 (Monday)
- 19 December 2022 (Monday)
- 23 January 2023 (Monday)
- 15 February 2023 (Wednesday)
Cost: £85 + VAT per person
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID
1-day Mental Health First-Aid course; aimed at managers and supervisors, this course provides learners with the knowledge to recognise a range of mental health conditions, how to start a supportive conversation, and when and how to signpost a person to seek appropriate professional help. Demand is always high, so book places as soon as possible to avoid disappointment:
Dates:
11 October 2022 (Tuesday))
Cost: £85 + VAT per person
HSE NEWS
FATALITY STATISTICS 2021/22
The HSE has now released the fatality statistics for last year, 2021/22:
- 123 workers killed within British industry
- A reduction of 15% on the 2020/21 figure
- 24% being aged 60+
- 24% from work at height
- 19% from being struck by moving vehicles
- Shockingly, 80 members of the public were also killed in 2021/22 as a result of a work-related accidents
Clearly, although the figures are heading in the right direction (maybe partly due to the HSE’s increased presence in the workplace because of the large number of Covid inspections undertaken?), there is still plenty of room for improvement, particularly within the realms of public safety.
Also published is the figure for deaths from mesothelioma for 2021/22. There were 2,544 confirmed deaths, although this figure must be assumed to be conservative as contributory asbestos-related factors often go undetected. Do note also that the figure also refers solely to mesothelioma; figures for asbestosis and other types of asbestos-related lung disease are not published.
The current annual figure is in line with the average over the last 8 years of 2,523. This shows that, although deaths from mesothelioma were drastically reduced with the ban on asbestos products in 2000, the fact that countless tons of these materials still exist within structures built pre-2000 means that they are still killing people through uncontrolled disturbance for refurbishment, alteration and/or demolition. It is just as vital as ever that asbestos surveys are carried out before any work is even proposed and, if found, appropriate controls are strictly enforced during (and possibly post) disturbance.
The full HSE statistics report can be found on: https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/pdf/fatalinjuries.pdf
GENERAL NEWS
TEMPERATURE AT WORK
Since the previous newsletter, the UK has experienced periods of extreme temperatures. So the question arose yet again…what is the legal maximum temperature at work?
The answer is, as always, that no specific maximum (or minimum) temperature is defined in law because, when you think about it, it would be impossible to do so. Some types of work (e.g. working with blast furnaces or where the wearing of heavy cover-all PPE is necessary) can, by their nature, be in unavoidably high temperatures whilst others (e.g. working in cold stores or outside during the winter) can be in unavoidably low temperatures. However, what the law does say is that temperatures within workplaces in general should be ‘comfortable’ and, where this is impossible to achieve as is often the case, other appropriate precautions must be taken to safeguard the wellbeing of employees.
So be prepared; we’ve had the summer and now winter is just around the corner. If your type of work is likely to be subjected to extremes of temperature, this should be covered in your risk assessments and appropriate controls established that can be rolled out quickly when our British topsy-turvy weather dictates.
Further information can be found on the HSE website: https://bit.ly/3e3sAAc
REPLACEMENT OF CE MARKINGS – IMPORTANT
The CE product conformity standard, to which we’ve all become accustomed, is a European standard which, now that we have left the EU, is being replaced by a UK equivalent. Manufacturers previously using the CE mark are currently in the process of changing to the new UKCA mark; many have achieved this already.
All businesses must be aware that, whilst it is still legal to purchase products with the CE mark, manufacturers and sellers have until 11 pm on 31 December 2022 to change over to the UKCA mark. When purchasing any items after the end of this year, please make sure you look for the new UKCA mark.
SAFE USE OF COMPRESSED AIR
The safe use of compressed air is an issue which very often is not taken seriously, sometimes with horrifying consequences; there are many examples on You Tube of pranks that went horribly wrong, some resulting in death. Under NO circumstances can anyone be allowed to work with compressed air unless they have been fully trained and ARE TRUSTWORTHY! Misuse must result in instant disciplinary measures.
There is a wealth of information out there about how to safely use compressed air equipment and how to conduct the vital checks on the components, including the HSE’s guidance HSG39:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg39.pdf
HIGHER SENTENCES FOR SERIOUS DRIVING OFFENCES
The maximum sentences for certain serious driving offences have been increased and a new offence also created to close some loopholes.
Maximum sentences have increased from 14 years to life imprisonment for:
- Causing death by dangerous driving
- Causing death by careless driving under the influence of drink or drugs
The obligatory disqualification period for both offences also rises, from 2 to a minimum of 5 years (rather meaningless if the offender is given a long custodial sentence!)
Also, a new offence of causing serious injury by dangerous driving carries a maximum sentence of 2 years, an unlimited fine and obligatory disqualification.
PERSONAL SECURITY – HOLLY GUARD
In 2014, Holly Gazzard was stabbed to death by a former boyfriend; she had been the subject of an abusive relationship, which then became stalking with tragic consequences. Her boyfriend was sentenced to 24 years in prison.
Since then, Holly’s father has worked tirelessly to promote the safety of women and help those who find themselves in danger in some way. He has set up the Holly Guard app which is freely available to everyone and is aimed at instantly and easily alerting a trusted person or persons (next of kin, friends, work colleagues, etc) in real time when someone feels themselves to be in danger. With the shake of a hand, the app sends alerts and opens the live camera; the nominated person/s can then react quickly as they think appropriate – ring back to check, go to help, alert emergency services. The app can trace the whereabouts of the mobile’s owner and, thus, summon help immediately.
Although this app was primarily set up to safeguard vulnerable women, it can be equally useful for anyone who might find themselves in a potentially threatening situation whilst at work. How many of us find ourselves working on our own, maybe in the dark, and possibly out of normal work hours?
The app is fully endorsed by the BBC’s Crime Watch and, although there are many similar apps available, this is the simplest and most instantly reactive we’ve come across. Encourage your employees to download the app – for their safety in both their personal lives and at work. Go to the app store and search for Holly Guard.
N.B. There is also an enhanced version which can be purchased; this enables the user to log journeys, the alarm to be raised if a projected journey changes without the user’s notification, and instant access to emergency services.
LONE WORKING
Whilst on the subject of lone working, an all-to-common occurrence within many industries (cleaners, shop attendants, security guards, wardens, etc), the HSE has a publication specifically addressing the issues and giving sound advice about how to manage the risks in a practical way. INDG73 can be freely downloaded from the HSE website: https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg73.pdf
And a reminder that ALL types of work must be covered by risk assessment – especially issues like lone working which require very specific controls, information transmittal and monitoring.
AND FINALLY
We can’t just do as we please!
- A Telford firm, Purity Properties Ltd, was fined £24,000 after cutting down 3 trees at a nursing home which were subject to a TPO; the company’s director, Steven Jagdeep Singh was fined £9,600 and ordered to pay costs of almost £12,000. The prosecution was brought by Telford and Wrekin Council.
We have been highlighting the need to care for the environment and this case is yet another example demonstrating that nobody is beyond the law. TPOs are issued for valid reasons and anybody thinking they can just ride roughshod over environmental restrictions is, quite rightly, risking prosecution.
Work at height
- Hills Waste Solutions Ltd was fined a total of almost £205,000 after a contractor fell 7 metres to his death whilst carrying out maintenance on a screening and separating plant. The company had failed to consider the risks or to devise safe methods of work.
- Staircraft Group Ltd was fined a total of over £206,000 after a worker was seriously injured falling 3.5 metres from unsecured stillage on a fork-lift truck; he had been trying to clean windows!
- Two construction business partners of Orchard Construction, Martin Hayes and Timothy Hayes, were fined totals of over £9,500 and almost £10,500 respectively after a sub-contractor was seriously injured falling from inadequately secured scaffolding during roof work on a residential refurbishment. The scaffold had not been inspected every 7 days (minimum, as required by law) and defects had neither been picked up nor addressed.
- Taylor Grange (Retail) Ltd, trading as Floors Today, was fined a total of almost £307,000 after a self-employed contractor died falling 4 metres through a fragile asbestos roof panel at the company’s showroom. Access to the roof has been via a ladder, meaning that workers then had to traverse the full width of the roof to carry out repair work; no safety precautions at all had been established.
- Lamisell Ltd was fined a total of over £87,000 after a worker fell down a stairwell during a barn conversion, fracturing two vertebrae. He had been trying to access the first floor from external scaffolding and, when he stepped in insulation that was covering a stairwell, it gave way. There had been no planning, risk assessment nor supervision…how many times do we have to read this?
COSHH
- Brick Restoration Ltd was fined almost £53,000 and it’s two directors, Stewart Bailey and John McCole, both ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid community work and pay costs of almost £3,000 each, after a worker died by inhaling dichloromethane vapour from paint stripper. The victim had been working in, what became, a confined space with poor ventilation. Not only should the risks have been properly assessed and adequate controls established, in a situation such as this (involving work in a confined space), a less-hazardous product should have been used to reduce risks to the lowest possible level.
Electrical work
Again, we rarely saw this type of incident as electrical work is so strictly governed these days; however, they appear to be on the increase. Another case of complacency in a very competitive market? As this next case demonstrates, complacency can kill…
- B&M Retail Ltd was fined a massive £1 million after an electrical contractor suffered serious burns to 15% of his body whilst repairing an electrical fault, resulting in a prolonged coma and life-changing scarring to his body and face. A metal spanner being used by the electrician came into contact with a live busbar causing an explosion; the work had commenced without proper planning, meaning that the power circuit had not been isolated. Obviously the electrical contractor, Daker Ltd, had also failed to ensure that safe systems had been established so was also fined a nominal £100.
- Mining company, Cleveland Potash Ltd, was fined a total of almost £3.8 million after two electricians sustained serious burns by making contact with live electrical systems in two separate incidents. The first incident involved unknowingly placing a vacuum cleaner nozzle into a live electrical chamber; the second involved contact with a live conductor during electrical testing. No planning or risk assessment had been undertaken in either case, showing total complacency on the part of the company.
Don’t obstruct the HSE!
Really not a good idea!
- Baldev Singh Basra who was in control of a construction site in Scotland, was fined £1,500 for refusing entry to two HSE inspectors. Unsafe working practices had been reported to the HSE (and observed by the two inspectors when they arrived) but Singh Basra refused to open the gates to allow inspection – not a good idea!
- Plumber, Luke Rodgers, was fined a total of over £2,000 for, not only for being un-registered whilst working on a gas boiler, but also for failing to answer the HSE inspector’s questions under caution which inhibited the HSE’s ability to properly investigate Rodger’s claims that he had been working with other, registered gas engineers.
Equipment safety
- Dyson Technology Ltd was fined £1.2 million after a worker sustained serious head and chest injuries whilst moving a 1.5 tonne CNC milling machine. The task had not been assessed, nor had proper instruction and information been given to the two employees involved; the equipment used was inappropriate and training in its use had not been given. The victim only narrowly avoided being totally crushed.
- Kent Auto Developments Ltd was fined a total of over £18,000 after a worker became entangled in a lathe and received serious injuries. The worker had been polishing Mini brake drums rotating on a manual metalworking lathe, a practice condoned by the company, when he was drawn into the machine.
14 people were killed and 50,000 (yes, 50,000!) injuries reported in similar incidents during 2020/21 alone. There have been strict legal requirements in place for almost 25 years to ensure that NO moving machine parts run the risk of entanglement. No matter what the reason, there is just NO excuse for either unguarded moving machinery or work practices that contradict legal compliance.
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