DSEAR stands for Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, which requires employers to keep workers safe from the risks of fire, explosions and substances corrosive to metals.
DSEAR ensures that people are protected from these risks to their safety in the workplace, and to any members of the public that are in proximity of the working activities.
Both fire and health and safety assessments can be carried out to highlight where DSEAR regulations need to come into place, where the assessments find any issues involving dangerous substances and explosives that aren’t properly managed and controlled.
If a fire assessment was to flag a potential fire or explosion risk due to dangerous substances, DSEAR regulations can then be put in place to control and prevent an incident from taking place.
Fires and explosions create harmful physical effects, such as thermal radiation, oxygen depletion and overpressure effects. Substances that are corrosive to metal may cause damage to structures containing metal, which can reduce structural integrity.
Employers must:
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The importance of LEV inspection & testing Many jobs across different industries involve work processes that create dust and fumes, which when breathed in can cause diseases, such as asthma, lung scarring and cancer.
Employers are required by law to provide safe working environments and protect employee health, as outlined in the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations and HSG258 Guide to LEV
Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems, also known as extraction or fume control, are used by businesses to control dust and fumes. Over time, the performance of LEV systems can decline, due to wear and tear or blockage. This is why regular inspection and testing – every 14 months to comply with COSHH – is necessary to ensure the systems are operating effectively and hazardous substances are kept controlled.
Safety First carries out LEV inspection and testing in the workplace to help companies ensure that they are fully compliant with COSHH regulations.
Our qualified occupational hygienists are experts in local exhaust ventilation systems. They will monitor and analyse system performance data, as well as perform qualitative evaluations on the control of potential contaminants. Measurements from the test results are compared with the original LEV specification and performance criteria outlined in HSG258.
Safety First will produce reports and records that will assist your business in improving control measures, plus serve as evidence of your company’s compliance with COSHH regulations.
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Do you know where your accident book is?
Accident books are a legal requirement.
More specifically, by law, every employer must record accidents to employees and visitors. Two key laws apply to accident reporting/recording at work:
Many people think that the accident book is a health and safety requirement. After all, accidents are a health and safety issue, and regulations that require the reporting of accidents (like RIDDOR) are health and safety regulations too.
So it might surprise you to find out that the law on accident books doesn’t come from a health and safety regulation. The SSCPR makes accident books a legal requirement for businesses employing 10 or more people.
So if you employ less than 10 people, you don’t legally need an accident book under the SSCPR. However, RIDDOR reporting is a legal requirement for businesses of any size, so it makes sense for every workplace to keep an accident book to comply with the law.
If an accident happens, the details of the accident and the injury should be recorded in the accident book.
Schedule 4 of the SSCPR lists the contents that should be entered into an accident book record as:
Accident book records must legally be kept for at least three years. However, it is good practice to keep them for at least 6 years in case of legal action.
The accident book, and any following investigation, can give a complete record of the accident should an insurance claim be made, and should also be seen as an opportunity to improve health and safety and prevent future accidents.
The accident book should be kept by the employer, but there are times when a record may need to be shared with others:
Most of the time, the details recorded in the accident book should be kept confidential and don’t need to be shared or reported to external services like the HSE. Things like minor accidents need to be investigated by the employer but don’t need to be recorded outside the organisation.
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Early August each year sees Cycle to Work Day, a national and international event encouraging staff to take to two wheels, or three for tricyclists, for 24-hours — and hopefully develop this low-carbon habit on many other work and leisure days.
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Hand Arm Vibration (HAV) can pose a serious health risk, and many firms are not doing enough to help prevent it. Once the damage has been caused, it is permanent, yet it can so easily be prevented. Under the Control of Vibrations at Work Regulations 2005, employers must protect workers from health risks caused by vibration. Failure for your business to have good practice in place can lead to long-term sickness or claims for compensation – potentially damaging your business.
The Health and Safety Executive has released some good practice advice in order for businesses to understand what they need to do to help prevent Hand Arm Vibration health risks. There are several different factors to consider, and ideally assessment should come from a professional Occupational Hygiene expert such as Safety First Group, in order to identify the risk factors.
HSE has identified some of the following risks and solutions to consider for Hand Arm Vibration:
Selection of work equipment – Employers should demonstrate a sound procurement policy for power tools and hand-guided machines, ensuring that the tool is suitable for the job.
Limiting daily exposure – Maximum times can be determined using the exposure points system or supplier’s “traffic lights” tool categories, but these should be derived from sound “real use” vibration emission values.
Other risk controls – Control of HAV risk by means other than reducing vibration exposure such as aids to support weight or provision of warm clothing and gloves
Information, instruction and training – Employees at risk from vibration should have received information on the risks from HAV and how to help reduce them, and arrangements for health surveillance and their duty to cooperate.
Health Surveillance – Particularly required where the exposure to arm vibration is likely to be exceeded. Employers as a minimum should use a periodic health screening questionnaire – ideally annually and for new employees. Arrangements for referral of relevant cases to an occupational health provider with HAVS expertise for diagnosis and ongoing monitoring should be made.
If your business is unsure of whether you have the sufficient protocols or monitoring in place to protect from the risk of HAV, then contact us. We work with technicians who are highly-qualified and experienced in assessing your workplace for HAV risks and proposing measures for eliminating or minimising these risks.
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