Neal's Notes For February 2010
Message from Tim Else Event Director Health and Safety Show Sandown Park Surrey February 23 rd and 24 th
The cold weather seems to have put health and safety at the top of the media agenda which, as we know, is a double-edged sword. An example, which perfectly encapsulates the problems that arise when the media talk about health and safety, was the postponement of a large number of Premier League Football matches due to safety concerns for travelling spectators.
On the one side there were numerous sports journalists and ex-players who were lambasting everyone from the clubs, to the local councils, to the government for operating a 'nanny state' because the games were postponed. Their chief gripe was that, due to the wonders of modern stadiums and under-soil heating, that the game itself could be played.
The general tone of the pundits was of a 'rose coloured' desire for yesteryear when people were made of sterner stuff; spirit of the blitz and all that. Fortunately, as the programme I was listening to was on the BBC, they had invited a lawyer from a health and safety specialist company to give a counter argument.
He began by pointing out to the salivating mob that, whilst the stadiums and the pitch might be fine, the clubs had a duty of care to both fans and employees concerning their travel to the grounds. He also pointed out, and this was the winning point, that their 1950s attitude was all very well but in the modern world football fans do not live in the streets surrounding the football club but travel far and wide, at considerable cost, to attend their clubs' games. Similarly, away fans now number in their thousands and with the advice to the general public being to only travel in an emergency, how could a football club pretend that its needs were essential?
I look forward to seeing you at Sandown Park in February as we all continue to strive for health and safety to be discussed, with all the facts available, in both our own workplaces and the wider world in general
First RoSPA member to mark long-standing affiliation with the presentation of a new plaque
Washington company, Tyco Thermal Controls, received the plaque to recognise many consecutive years of membership with the world's leading accident prevention charity.The mahogany-finish plaques are a new item available to RoSPA members wishing to publicly mark their commitment to worker well being. They can be presented at 10 year membership intervals, and although TTC has been a member since 1992, it has chosen to receive a plaque to mark its most recent decade with RoSPA.
Membership of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents brings many benefits, including access to the expertise of an organisation which has been at the forefront of workplace safety for nearly 100 years. But RoSPA membership is a two-way street, with the contribution of firms like Tyco Thermal Controls (TTC) being one of the key drivers allowing the Society to fulfil its mission to save lives and reduce injuries. Tom Mullarkey, who presented TTC's plaque, said: “As a society of members, RoSPA relies on the support of firms which take the wellbeing of workers and members of the public seriously. Our work simply would not be possible without companies like TTC.“More than a decade of consecutive RoSPA membership highlights the value TTC places on the lives and livelihoods of its staff, and also shows that TTC is aware of not only the ethical case for occupational health and safety, but the business case too. We value TTC's loyalty.” Mike Baker, TTC's quality, health and safety manager, said: “Our main aim is to ensure all employees and visitors are provided with a comfortable environment and are able to return home safe and well at the end of the day. “Through the commitment of all staff, and aided by such organisations as RoSPA who provide a wealth of training, advice and information we have managed to achieve this goal, and we are delighted to be associated with RoSPA.” RoSPA membership includes advice and information plus discounts on a diverse range of training opportunities – from general courses such as moving and handling and fire regulation compliance, to industry-specific workforce training, like the power press tool setters refresher course. Discounts also apply to RoSPA products, including safety posters, awards entry and consultancy and conferences. Members are also entitled to use the RoSPA logo.
Gloves and safety go hand in hand
Spontex Workwear Industrial Gloves provides a wide range of industrial gloves to assist people in various industries, such as
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Sharp-edge Steel and Glass handling
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Building and Construction Areas
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Mechanical Assembly Lines
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Heavy Industrial Works
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Wiring Industry
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Car Industry
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Food Processing
Spontex is committed to providing and finding cost effective solutions to all hand protection problems. As much as a task can be carried out and to a satisfactory level with bare hands, it could be performed far more efficiently, safely and easily with the right glove.
For specific or technical advice please call 0151 486 6540 or e-mail sales@spontex-workwear.co.uk
RoSPA AND CABLE & WIRELESS SAFETY SCHEME
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and Cable & Wireless have piloted a new internationally-focused health and safety training scheme.RoSPA's first running of the four-day training, which leads to the NEBOSH Award in Workplace Health and Safety, involved eight delegates from Cable & Wireless. It took place at the global telecommunications firm's Birmingham premises, and was led by Ian Whyte, one of the safety charity's trainers.
The new NEBOSH (National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health) scheme is aimed at companies that operate at a global level or outside the UK, including those which have employees whose first language is not English.
It is designed to provide participants with an overall awareness of health and safety management and of the standards required within workplaces outside the UK. It can be tailored to meet the needs of individual organisations, thereby providing delegates with an overview of legislation in their respective countries.
John Lester, RoSPA's workplace safety general manager, said: “RoSPA has a rich history of offering training for NEBOSH qualifications and we are proud to have been chosen to pilot the new NEBOSH Award in Workplace Health and Safety. The UK has one of the best systems in the world for preventing accidents and ill health at work, and this new scheme will enable firms in other countries to benefit from this expertise in a highly-accessible way.” Garry Bridgewater, northern regional health, safety and environment adviser for Cable & Wireless Worldwide, said: “We all understand the importance of effectively managing health and safety as part of our day-to-day business activities and these responsibilities are not just confined to the UK.”
Mike Humphrey, head of health, safety and environment for Cable&Wireless Worldwide, said: “Organisations such as NEBOSH and RoSPA are internationally recognised as leaders in their field and we're delighted to have been given the opportunity to assist in developing and delivering this new scheme. The scheme is a milestone in the way health and safety is managed outside of the UK and will form the basis of an international standard.”
Mr Bendy and Master Dummy feature in back warning campaign posters
Mind Your Back When Lifting is one of two recent ns to the established range of Safety Point safety posters from Heath Technical Services. Making a vital safety point through the use of gentle humour, this posters point out that Mr Bendy can snap back into shape after being distorted but humans can't. It extols the virtues of a keeping a straight back when lifting large or heavy objects and lifting from the legs.
Don't be a Dummy! Take care of your back! Is the message delivered by this poster in the Safety Point series from Heath Technical Services. It features back-caring advice on maximum loads, handling unfamiliar loads, how to turn with a load, how to lift and using leg strength.
All the posters in the Safety Point range are encapsulated in heavy-duty plastics to withstand wear and tear.
A brochure is freely available from Stan Allen at HEATH TECHNICAL SERVICES, 6
Sandfield Gardens, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 8AR Tel/Fax: 0208 653 4648.
Email
stan@allen1889.freeserve.co.uk
Or visit
www.stanssafetyposters.co.uk
APPLICATIONS SOUGHT FOR £500,000 SAFETY SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME
Applications are invited for the second round of funding available through a £500,000 accident prevention scholarship scheme. The RoSPA/BNFL Scholarship Scheme provides funding for safety-related research that will produce defined, practical and influential outcomes to help save lives and prevent injuries.
Grants of up to £20,000 per project per year are available. The closing date for applications for the 2010 round of funding is April 2. Applications are invited for projects addressing any of the following themes: road safety: to improve standards of driving behaviour (particularly young drivers, older drivers, speeding, fatigue-related accidents, or motorcycle safety); home safety: to reduce home accidents (particularly data collection/analysis, poverty and deprivation, or child safety); work safety: to raise standards of health and safety management (particularly in relation to small firms, accident investigation, director leadership, workforce involvement, or costing accidents); water and leisure safety: to reduce injuries in water and leisure activities (particularly safety in outdoor education); safety education: to enhance risk understanding and awareness (particularly risk awareness in preparation for work); and general safety: to increase public awareness of safety and accident prevention (particularly safety and risk literacy among key decision makers and communicators).
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents established the scholarship scheme after BNFL (British Nuclear Fuels) donated £500,000 to fund research that would have a significant impact on improving safety in the UK and around the world.
Tom Mullarkey, RoSPA chief executive, said: “Accidents remain a huge problem, not just in the UK but also overseas, devastating lives and costing everyone. We are therefore privileged to run a scholarship scheme to fund pioneering research which will translate into lives saved and injuries reduced. We received a wide range of strong applications during the first round of funding and are looking forward to the same diversity and quality this time around.”
In 2009, funding went to three projects researching the scale and impact of child injuries in Nepal (PhD student, University of the West of England), the threat posed by cold water immersion (University of Portsmouth) and the effectiveness of a learner-driver coaching programme (Staffordshire County Council and Keele University).
The RoSPA/BNFL Scholarship Scheme is believed to be one of the biggest accident-prevention scholarships ever funded. It is envisaged that it will run for 10 years, with up to three projects awarded grants annually. The researcher who produces the best work each year will receive a further cash prize as an added incentive for excellence.
For more information, email Roger Bibbings at rbibbings@rospa.com or call him on 0121 248 2095
Responsible for Fire Risk Assessments?
Fire risk assessments are an extension of the recent trend in the health and safety legislation to identify, evaluate and manage risks arising from particular hazards. In simple terms, the fire risk assessment is a tool used to identify hazards and the risks arising from them. The process then involves making judgments as to how the identified risks are managed to reduce the risk(s) to as low a level as reasonably practicable. Exova Warringtonfire has extensive experience in developing risk management strategies for hazard elimination or control which accommodate the operation requirements of business activities whilst still complying with legal obligations. There are different types of fire risk assessment covering different aspects of fire safety. For example, a life safety assessment, as the name implies, focuses primarily on life safety and the suitability of arrangements for early warning of fire and the adequacy and suitability of the means of escape.
Life Safety Assessments. Exova Warringtonfire's assessors, consultants and engineers have extensive experience of undertaking life safety assessments aimed at complying with your legal obligations under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.In addition to the completion of life safety risk assessments suitable to comply with relevant fire safety legislation, we have the expertise to provide more complex quantitative or probabilistic fire risk assessments in response to innovative building designs and specific issues relating to means of escape from fire.
Contact is Neil Woods, Fire Risk Assessment and Training Manager
Telephone: (01925) 655116 Mobile: 07824 834122
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