Why have this talk? Statistics show that alcohol and drug misuse are increasing in the workplace. This talk is to make all employees aware of their responsibilities and understand that alcohol and drug abuse in the workplace can lead to accidents.
What will this talk cover? The effects of alcohol and drugs on your safety and that of others.
Toolbox Talk: Alcohol and Drugs at Work
Alcohol is a depressant drug which reduces brain function. This means it does not mix well with work. In high risk industries, alcohol increases the risk of fatal accidents.
If you drink, don’t drive. Many drivers who are killed in road accidents are over the legal alcohol in blood limit.
All drugs can affect your ability to work safely because they can slow down your reaction times, affect your co-ordination making you clumsy, affect your decision making and distort your vision. As a result, the chance of having an accident at work is increased when you are under the influence of drugs.
If you become aware that somebody is on drugs in the workplace, inform your line manager. You may feel it has nothing to do with you but you need to prevent others getting hurt because of their actions.
If you get offered drugs, say no, it is far better to work safely. Drugs and work don’t mix. Don’t let it become a problem for you and if is, get some help.
Some signs of colleagues being under the influence of drugs include watery eyes, dilated pupils, running nose, constant sniffing, tight lips, sores, ulcers, trembling, fatigue and irritability. If you see it, report it.
Contact us if you have any questions.
Weʼre raising £5,000 to To help Liam with his rehabilitation and to reach his full potential – fund activity for private physiotherapy sessions. John Evans is walking up the Wrekin every day in July to raise funds. Walker Health and Safety Services sponsored him for day 9 out of 31!
Liam had just turned 5 when he was diagnosed with burkitts leukaemia in December 2016.
During the chemotherapy, while neutropenic with no immune system, Liam contracted enterovirus in his spinal fluid which caused encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), resulting in a severe acquired brain injury.
Liam is now 9 years old and has been in remission from the leukaemia for 4 years. Unfortunately due to the brain injury Liam is wheelchair dependant, non verbal, tube fed and trying to relearn the skills he once had.
As the human brain isn’t fully developed until 25 years of age, the hope is that with the correct therapy input other parts of Liam’s brain will be able to learn to do the activities that the injured parts of the brain used to do.
Liam has come on so much in so many ways since he first suffered from the brain injury but there is still such a long way to go. Therapy on the NHS is very limited, therefore to help Liam with his rehabilitation and to reach his full potential we also need to fund private physiotherapy sessions.
Contact us if you would like to donate or follow this link, mention your business name to sponsor one of John’s walking days. Crowdfunding to To help Liam with his rehabilitation and to reach his full potential – fund activity such as private physiotherapy sessions. on JustGiving
Thank you.
Part of our legal duties as an employer is to communicate our health and safety policy, while the legal duties for employees is to abide by the policy to ensure the health and safety of everyone.
The organisation’s policy on health and safety, why it is important and how employees can have an input into the ongoing development of the policy.
Toolbox Talk: Health and Safety Policy
Contact us for further information.
Accidents can happen on any day. The day they are most likely to happen is the day health and safety have been forgotten. Health and safety can’t have days off!
By starting each day with a quick 5-10 minute toolbox talk, it serves as a reminder about the importance of health and safety at work. It gets peoples minds focused on the hazards and risks they are about to face. It reminds them of what they need to do to stay safe. It starts the day with a positive health and safety attitude.
Informal toolbox talks can often be missed or carried out too infrequently. The benefit of a daily toolbox is that it becomes part of a routine. Part of the working day.
Carried out daily, toolbox talks become part of a habit. A habit that will help the team develop a positive health and safety attitude. A habit that creates a safer work environment.
What business doesn’t want a positive health and safety culture? It keeps your workers safe, keeps your business out of trouble, and can save you money. That’s a triple win! So why do some businesses have poor health and safety records? Because growing a positive health and safety culture takes time and effort, and everyone’s involvement.
Your health and safety culture is the values, attitudes, competency and behaviours of everyone in the business. Regular toolbox talks can form part of the health and safety management system to grow your health and safety culture in a positive way.
In some instances, dangers arising from hazardous activities can only be controlled using personal protective equipment, known as PPE.
The importance of PPE and how to use it correctly to ensure effective protection.
Personal Protective Equipment Toolbox Talk
The legislation requires any employer who identifies it as necessary to supply PPE and ensure that it is used at work wherever the risk to health and safety cannot be controlled in other ways.
PPE is equipment or clothing designed to protect the user from known hazards in the workplace. The most commonly worn items of PPE are safety footwear, gloves, safety glasses or goggles and hi-vis clothing. You might also use helmets, ear protection (for noise), respirators and safety harnesses.
PPE is designed to only protect the user.
All PPE must be worn in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and be in good condition to be fully effective.
Anyone using PPE needs to be aware of why it is needed, when it is to be used, repaired, or replaced. They should also be aware of the limitations of the PPE they use, for example safety gloves can come with different cut levels. A different cut level may be required depending on the risk involved of the task.
Contact us if you have any questions.
Tip-overs: #1 killer of forklift truck operators
Forklift tip-over was the focus of the UK’s inaugural Forklift Safety Day. And with good reason.
According to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (OSHA), tipping accidents are biggest single cause of fatalities (42%) among forklift operators.
Taking these in order… prevention starts with a risk assessment specific to your site, loads, equipment, etc. and creating safe systems of work to eliminate hazards or minimise the risk associated with them.
Many of these can be addressed by removing, re-modelling or reversing routes that require trucks to travel down slopes (especially while laden), eliminating uneven surfaces and keeping ground conditions in good order (so no potholes or debris). It’s also worth talking to your forklift provider to discuss ways to make trucks inherently safer with speed limiters, load sensors, etc.
While we’re on the subject of training, it doesn’t end with operators. The HSE demands that if you supervise materials handling operations you must have the necessary training and knowledge to recognise what good (and bad) practice looks like. The good news is that Managing Forklift Operations courses are now available online to minimise time off site. Contact us if you require further information.
Driving with the mast raised is the single biggest cause of truck-tip events. State-of-the-art software that prevents tipping by seamlessly adjusting the truck’s speed as it enters a turn, taking into account the steer angle and load. The result is reduced risk of tip-overs, less load shedding and improved productivity as the manoeuvre is completed at optimum speed.
Wearing a seatbelt at all times is the simplest and most effective way of avoiding serious injury in a tipping incident. And it’s the law. The HSE makes clear it will “Prosecute site operators who do not take adequate measures to enforce the wearing of seat belts”. The challenge lies in getting operators to comply.
Even where management is vigilant and issues constant reminders, it’s not uncommon for operators to avoid wearing a seat belt (even where there is an interlock), tricking the machine by fastening the seat belt permanently behind them. So what’s to be done?
Some trucks have introduced a “no cheat” seat belt on electric counterbalance trucks. This switchable function allows the employer – at his or her discretion – to select an option that ensures wearing of a seat belt is mandatory.
To enable the truck to drive the forklift, four steps must be followed:
The truck can then be driven normally. If, however, if the sequence has not been completed or if the operator has tried to circumnavigate it, the machine will not function.
Sometimes, the simple stuff can have the greatest impact.
Contact us if you require further information.
