Neal's Notes For November 2009

Free pandemic simulation tool provides for “first aid” planning and training

Worth Protecting's Plandemic is a pandemic simulation and planning tool, enabling businesses to see the impact of a pandemic on their business and is free to the first. 100to apply through via www.worthprotecting.co.uk

Pandemics impact on business because:

Up to 35% of staff will be off work at any one time
This will be replicated at Customers and Suppliers
Loss of staff will be a key issue for most employers
A pandemic will run for about 15 weeks: not something to be worked through in the short term

Plandemic software asks a business to enter work- pattern details about their staff and then by utilising sickness expectations and random infection selection, takes the business through a 15 week cycle and challenges the business about readiness for staff absence and commercial events.

Plandemic can be accessed either by a team of people or by an individual and within a couple of hours will give a business an insight into what could happen in the event of a pandemic.

Random infection selection enables the simulation to run many times with a different set of outcomes. This provides a variety of events to test how prepared a business is.

Plandemic is available free to the first 100 businesses to request the download

Employee safety assessment tool

A new tool to help organisations establish the safety training needs of their staff has been launched by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. Fitting into an organisation's overarching health and safety management system, this Employee Safety Profiler can assist managers to identify and prioritise development and training needs among existing and prospective employees. The psychometric assessment helps managers by indicating an individual's aptitude for jobs in which safety procedures have to be followed rigorously as well as his or her attitude to working with others and under supervision. In the current economic climate, there is a danger that some firms could see good health and safety management as an “optional extra”.

However, managing health and safety, including training staff, is a legal requirement, as well as being good for business. RoSPA hopes its Employee Safety Profiler will assist human resources and health and safety managers as they conduct safety training and development needs analyses, both prior to and during employment. Developed by SHL in conjunction with RoSPA, the Employee Safety Profiler is based on SHL's Dependability and Safety Instrument. The assessments consist of 18 questions and are conducted online. John Lester, RoSPA's workplace safety general manager, said: "A good job-person fit is important no matter what line of business you are in, and this is clearly true for safety-critical roles in which procedures must be followed rigorously. It would be far too simplistic to say that any one factor causes accidents or ill health, but part of effective health and safety management is ensuring staff, and this includes managers, have the right knowledge, skills and attitudes for the job. “We hope our Employee Safety Profiler will help organisations prevent accidents and avoid the sizeable related costs, both human and financial, by proactively focusing attention on where interventions, which could include training, the provision of information or supervision, might be appropriate. “The RoSPA Employee Safety Profiler is not designed to be used in isolation or to divert attention from other elements of a good risk management system, but rather to be used in concert with other recruitment and employee development tools, and we hope it will help organisations move away from a 'one size fits all' approach to safety training and development.” Call 0121 248 2233 or email training@rospa.com

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 ( www.stanssafetyposters.co.uk ). 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 www.stanssafetyposters.co.uk 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

Cirrus launches the Sound Sign, a unique noise activated warning sign

Cirrus Research plc, the UK company which specialises in the design and development of noise measurement equipment for health and safety applications, has unveiled its new Sound Sign Noise Activated Warning Sign.

The Sound Sign is a highly visible noise activated warning sign that has been designed for use in environments where there is a need to clearly warn or indicate when a noise level is exceeded.

The unit can be used to help manage and control noise levels in many different locations and applications and by using the Remote Display Units and the Data Logging options, the Sound Sign can help you to provide effective signage and information.

If there is a need to ensure that the warnings can be seen over a large area, Remote Display Units can be quickly and simply connected to a Master Unit and these will mirror the action and information of the controlling Sound Sign.

The Sound Sign was previewed at the recent Safety & Health Expo. The unique design and simple operation met with widespread approval and interest from many visitors

Working time regulations consultancy package

Firms are being offered a helping hand to meet the demands of working time rules with a new service from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. RoSPA's Working Time Regulations Review has been developed to aid businesses keen to ensure they are protecting their staff and meeting legal requirements.All employers have a duty under the Working Time Regulations to manage the amount of hours their staff work.

However, complications can arise when there is uncertainty about which department should implement and monitor the responsibilities - they may fall under the remit of both human resources and health and safety.RoSPA's review offers an alternative to confusion with a visit from one of the safety charity's consultants to evaluate the extent of an organisation's compliance with the regulations and offer business-enhancing advice. It is also available as a desktop review.

The service can include the creation of an appropriate working time policy, the inclusion of working time issues within procedures and help with planning, setting, and monitoring standards. Vince Murphy, RoSPA workplace safety service delivery manager, said: “Excessive working is counter-productive as well as illegal, and having a system in place to properly manage employees' hours can help reduce time lost through work-related ill health.

“Indeed, compliance with safety and health regulations should never be done begrudgingly, but instead with the confidence that proper investment in the well-being of your employees pays dividends for the bottom line."Drawing on RoSPA's knowledgeable, qualified and competent team is a good way of making sure the job gets done properly.”

The consultant's report provides firms with a step-by-step approach to an effective and lasting programme for the management of working time issues. In addition, the service identifies key procedures which can help to lower the risk of work-related ill health which can stem from excessive working at all levels within organisations.

See www.rospa.com for more information.

New first aid at work regs

The new first aid at work regulations apply to all businesses from 1 October, so it's imperative to understand the new guidelines now and how you comply.

Last year 6 million days were lost due to workplace injury and 229 workers were killed at work, according to The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). When the Health and Safety Executive carried out research into how companies implement the current regulations, they found that awareness was good but there was little understanding of what constituted an appropriate level of first aid cover. Considerations often missed include appropriate cover for those working shifts or doing overtime and at workplaces with different levels of risk on a single site. To make it easy for companies to comply, St John Ambulance has developed specific online tools and advice, including the First aid needs review and a quick guide to find the right courses. We urge businesses to prepare for the new changes in effect on the 1 October 2009. You could save yourself from a costly fine and help improve your workplace injury record

Men in greater danger than women

Male workers have been warned to take a leaf out of their female colleagues' books this week, as research reveals that men are far more likely to be involved in a fork lift truck accident than their female counterparts.

Even when the difference between the total numbers of men and women working in the vicinity of fork lifts is taken into account, men are still five times more likely to be hospitalised or killed in a fork lift truck accident, according to the UK's foremost authority the Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA).

Significantly, the statistics do not just apply to those working on and around the vehicles – the disturbing ratio applies equally to pedestrians.

Announcing the figures, FLTA Chief Executive David Ellison says: “Men need to learn from their female co-workers that fork lift trucks can be deadly, and should be always treated with great caution.

Fight flu with fresh air

Did you know that naturally occurring hydroxyl radicals in the open air kill pathogens such as bacteria and viruses? So, your mum was right - fresh air really is good for you! This 'Open Air Factor' was originally discovered during biological warfare research after World War 2. About this time of year we shut the windows and spend more time indoors, which is partly the reason for an increase in problems such as cold and flu. So, to fight the spread of air borne infection, INOV8 Science ( www.inov8science.com ) has developed a technology, the AD (Air Disinfection) unitthgatwhich replicates the Open Air Factor, indoors.

The technology is able to reduce the spread of airborne infections ranging from MRSA and C.Difficile to the H1N1 virus that causes Swine Flu. Based on a concept that was originally developed at Porton Down (UK Government Research Facility), and termed the Open Air Factor, the INOV8 AD (Air Disinfection) units are able to treat indoor air spaces in offices, factories, surgeries, hospitals, hotels, shopping centres and indeed any space in which people meet (and exchange germs).

The company's chief technology officer, Dr Ian Widger says, "Employers are bracing themselves for a second wave of Swine Flu. The Cabinet Office has indicated that up to 50% of the workforce may require time off at some stage over the entire period of the pandemic… If businesses experience this level of disruption, the financial implications would be extremely serious." According to the NHS Swine Flu Q&A web site: 'The history of previous flu pandemics suggests that the current viral strain will spread more widely in the autumn or winter, causing more illness and death. It is also possible that the virus will mutate into a stronger strain.' However Dr Widger says, “The AD units will provide significant protection against almost all known strains.”

Commenting on the timeliness of INOV8 Science's technology, Dr Widger says, "We have recently completed both laboratory and field trials that have demonstrated incredibly high levels of airborne pathogen kill, so it is very encouraging that the effectiveness of the AD system has been proven in time to give people confidence in the technology. As a result, they will be able to protect themselves, staff, visitors, patients and customers from airborne infections."

INOV8 Science says it is ramping up production of the AD units in advance of the second Swine Flu wave which will enable organisations to take action now, in order to limit the effects of the disease.

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