Neal's Notes for November 2005
HSE PUBLISHES NEW GUIDANCE ON THE HAND ARM VIBRATION
The HSE has published a comprehensive guide on Hand-arm vibration (HAV). The guide, "Hand-arm vibration: Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005" gives advice of what needs to be done to reduce and control the risks of HAV under the Control of Vibration Work Act 2005.
The launch of the guide coincides with the first in a series of 15 noise and vibration road shows, which started in Glasgow on 27 September. The new guide is aimed at employers, health and safety advisors, specialists and occupational health professionals.
Exposure to HAV occurs in many industries, particularly where the use of power tools is extensive, like in the construction, mining and manufacturing industries. The book includes practical guidance on a number of issues like: how to do risk assessments, estimating vibration exposure and arranging health surveillance to name a few. There are additional chapters providing technical and medical guidance for vibration technicians and medical and nursing staff.
Hand-arm vibration: Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (L140) (ISBN 0 7176 6125 3) replaces "Hand-arm Vibration (HSG 88). The guide costs £13.95 and is available from HSE Books and bookshops generally. HSE is running a series road shows around the UK, jointly with EEF, the manufacturers' association, on the new vibration regulations throughout the year.
PARTNERSHIP WITH LARGE ORGANISATIONS THE WAY FORWARD
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACoRS) jointly launched the Large Organisation Project Pilot (LOPP) today. The project will focus on developing closer partnerships to improve health and safety. Acting Chief Executive of HSE, Justin McCracken, speaking at the launch said, "This pilot is about customer-focused and coordinated activities, aimed at finding the most effective approaches to partnership working with the aim of securing improvements in health and safety."
LOPP has three main objectives: to present a more coherent customer-focused face to large organisations, including managing a consistent and coordinated approach to inspection of multi-site organisations; to secure improvements in health and safety outcomes in the organisations and to use their influence more widely, for example, as exemplars of good practice or with the supply chain; and at a later stage, to begin preliminary discussions exploring whether the organisations are interested in some kind of formal recognition of good health and safety performance and, if so, how this might be achieved.
This will feed into a separate work stream looking more widely at this issue. Seventeen companies, both LA and HSE enforced, are being invited to join the pilot. Between them, the selected companies employ around 1 million people. Already on board are Asda, Astrazeneca, BAE Systems, Greggs, and Tesco .LOPP will enable both HSE and the local authorities to engage more effectively with the momentum of large organisations in the private sector, to help achieve better health and safety outcomes. The people best placed to make workplaces safer from harm are the staff and managers who work in them. LOPP aims to establish a truly reciprocal relationship between the regulators and the regulated.
Steve Edwards, Director of Operational Standards for Trading Law and Technical for Tesco has offered his support for LOPP, "We naturally take health and safety very seriously and see this as a good opportunity to explore how we can work with the HSE and local authorities on a collaborative basis to find ways of further improving standards in our industry."
MOBILE PLANT WARNING TO CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued a warning to the construction industry about possible dangers with two items of mobile plant commonly used by construction companies viz mobile elevating working platforms (MEWPs) and telehandlers.
Geoff Cox, Head of Operations Yorkshire and North East today said, "There are common features to a number of fatal accidents and it's those we want to bring to the attention of the construction industry. If you use these types of plant, you need to know what the risks may be and how to check whether you might have a problem yourselves"
HSE is paying attention to two specific risks. The first is when working from a MEWP there is a danger of the operator being trapped against an overhead or adjacent object that prevents the controls from being released. The second is when working on sites where a telehandler needs to be reversed, or where there is poor pedestrian segregation, there is a risk, due to the driver's limited visibility, of people walking around the site being struck.
Geoff Cox continued, "It should be relatively simple to assess whether you might have a problem. Solving the problem may involve both management controls and physical measures. The management control issues relate to selecting the most appropriate equipment for the task and site, ensuring operators are properly trained and are familiar with the site and the equipment, and setting and enforcing site rules. Physical measures may also be appropriate, but HSE's advice is that users should always contact the supplier or manufacturer concerned before considering taking any physical measures themselves"
HSE is working with manufacturers and suppliers so that they can deal with some of these issues at source. For new plant, this includes changing the design to reduce or eliminate the hazard, or providing means to control the risk. Suppliers and manufacturers have also been encouraged by HSE to provide information to users of existing machines about risk assessment and any additional measures they could take. HSE is also involved in joint working and visibility research with UK-based manufacturers and suppliers of telehandlers to improve the international design standards to which they are built.
Tackling Occupational Ill-Health Key to Improving Competitiveness across Europe
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath addressed a conference of key members from European businesses, trade unions and the European Commission emphasizing the challenge that Europe is facing in tackling occupational ill-health. Lord Hunt said: "Good health and safety should be one of the springboards to European economic competitiveness. A safe and healthy workforce means productive time is not lost dealing with the consequences of failure. There is wide acceptance that the EU now has a detailed and comprehensive body of worker protection legislation. It is paramount to produce regulations that are easily understood, enforceable and most importantly which actively help prevent accidents happening and people being made ill by their work. The best way to secure compliance is through risk assessment, particularly focusing on the most vulnerable risks, educating employees and providing them with advice. This needs to be backed up by tough enforcement measures for those employers who fail to look after the health and safety of their workers."
HSE Calls for Volunteer Construction Companies to Test Occupational Health Model
With the aim of reducing ill health in construction the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is calling for small and medium enterprises to take part in a pilot project. The construction industry is one of the largest in the UK, employing up to 2 million people. Collectively costing up to £180m a year, it is estimated that 96,000 workers whose current or most recent job was in construction suffered from ill-health caused or made worse by their work. Based on these figures the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has developed an Occupational Health Management Model (OHMM) providing advice to construction companies on how to manage issues such as manual handling, hand arm vibration, noise induced hearing loss and dermatitis. The model is currently being piloted with companies who have signed up to test the model, which is in the form of a flow chart. But more are needed to effectively evaluate the models content, structure and to provide feedback. Those testing the model will be able to look at their current health management processes and decide what, if any, changes need to be implemented. All pilotees will be provided with a detailed paper explaining the OHMM in detail, a CD containing a draft of the OHMM, contact details for ongoing HSE support and a confidential baseline questionnaire.
Any company wanting more information before signing up to test the model, which is available on line, at http://www.bomelconsult.com/HSE/OHMM.htm or by email to angela.starkey@hse.gsi.gov.uk can contact Sue Parkyn or Kate Goodwin-Foster on 01582 444200.
NEW GUIDES TO IMPROVE LADDER SAFETY
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published new free guides to help raise awareness of the risks associated with ladder use and to give advice on how to use ladders safely. The guides are aimed at all users of ladders and their employers and have been published as part of HSE's campaign to reduce falls from height.
Last year 13 people died from falls while working on a ladder, and more than 1200 people suffered major injuries. HSE's guidance builds on the Work at Height Regulations 2005, which came into force on 6 April, and comprises:
- Safe use of ladders and stepladders ? an employers' guide
- A toolbox talk on leaning ladder and stepladder safety, for employers giving refresher training to ladder users
- Top tips for ladder and stepladder safety, a pocket card for workers, giving key messages on ladder use
These are available on the HSE website at: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg402.pdf www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg403.pdf and www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg405.pdf
Commenting on the new guides, Dr Elizabeth Gibby, Director of the Injuries Reduction Programme at HSE, said: "Falls from ladders cause death and major injury - nearly a third of major injuries from falls from height each year are caused by falls from ladders. Falls from ladders also result in considerable trauma for the people injured, their colleagues, family and friends, and considerable costs for employers. These falls are preventable if people plan work properly, assess the risks and choose the right work equipment when working at height. The new guide, toolbox talk and pocket card will help managers and workers to sensibly manage the risks associated with ladder use. Ladders should only be used for low risk, short duration work. If a ladder is the right equipment to use, it should be in good condition, prevented from slipping and used by competent people. There should always be a handhold available."
Barrie Weatherall, Chairman of the Ladder Systems Manufacturers Association (LaSMA), said: "This guidance is fully supported by the ladder equipment manufacturers' trade associations - LaSMA, the British Association of Ladder Safety Equipment Manufacturers (BALSEM), the British Ladder Manufacturers Association (BLMA) and the Ladder Stabilisers Manufacturers Association. These associations and others were involved in the development of this guidance.LaSMA applauds the huge amount of work and effort that HSE has invested introducing the new Work at Heights Regulations and guidance. HSE has done a great job in ensuring that these new rules are workable by encouraging the manufacturers of access equipment and industrial users to talk to each other."
Terry Hunter, Chairman of BALSEM, said: "BALSEM congratulates HSE for its sensible approach to reducing the number of deaths and serious accidents caused by the inappropriate use of ladders."
The guide, toolbox talk and pocket card are also available as hard copy documents (numbers INDG 402, 403 and 405) from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2WA. Tel: 01787 881165
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