Category Archives: Construction Health and Safety

Suitable and Sufficient Risk Assessments: 5 Top Tips

1. Start by identifying the hazards – the things that could go wrong – and work out how they could go wrong. Think about how someone could be injured, for example if their hand could be crushed by a moving machine part. Record your findings.
2. Establish the likelihood and potential severity of an identified hazard occurring. The more likely an injury could occur, and the more serious it could be, the more measures you will need to put in place to mitigate the risk.
3. Identify and implement suitable control measures, aiming to remove the risk or at least reduce it. For dangerous machinery parts, for example, you would normally need to provide fixed guarding to prevent access, as well as training for staff on how to use the guarding correctly.
4. Regularly review your risk assessments to verify they are still current, and also in the event of any workplace changes. Only develop method statements and safe systems of work once your risk assessment procedure is complete, and that you are sure you have identified all of the applicable hazards and know how you will control them.
5. Make sure staff undertaking the risk assessments are knowledgeable about the work process involved, and that employees are consulted on their views. They may be able to tell you of any shortcuts that can be achieved that could ultimately be dangerous, for example the potential for staff to defeat interlocked guards on a machine.

Getting the risk assessment process right is not difficult, and it can make all the difference in preventing an accident from occurring. Check today that each of your assessments meet the grade.

Contact us should you require assistance.

With summer 2018 well under way, and having already brought heatwave weather conditions, now is a good time for employers to consider how to deal with dangers such as sunburn, skin cancer, dehydration and heat stress, in order to ensure safe and healthy working conditions for their outdoor workers.

Outdoor working — pros and cons

For many workers, being free from the confines of an office and working outdoors, particularly in warm weather, is a welcome perk of certain jobs in the construction, leisure, entertainment, agriculture, sports and horticulture industries. However, the warm summer months pose certain risks to outdoor workers, which need to be adequately managed, just like any other health and safety risk.

Exposure to sunlight should not be viewed as unhealthy per se — it is well known that people need some sunshine to make enough vitamin D to build and maintain strong bones. However, sunlight contains ultraviolet radiation and too much sunlight can result in sunburn. Damage from sunburn can also have serious long-term effects, and frequent exposure to ultraviolet radiation for long periods of time increases the risk of developing skin cancer. Statistically, outdoor workers have higher risks of skin cancer than other workers due to longer periods of exposure and they are considered a high risk group in this regard.

Therefore, it is necessary to achieve a balance between sufficient sunlight and overexposure. It is not possible to give a one size fits all recommendation regarding the “safe” level of sunshine exposure as each individual will be different. Furthermore, skin cancer and sunburn are not the only risks to consider — there is also dehydration and heat stress, for example, both of which can be fatal. The key is to have in place a comprehensive outdoor working policy, able to cater for each individual outdoor worker and the range of potential risks.

Dehydration and heat stress

Sunburn and skin cancers are not the only risks associated with outdoor work. Two other issues to consider are dehydration and heat stress. Symptoms of dehydration in outdoor workers might include indicators such as fatigue, poor concentration, fainting or headaches. In the worst-case scenario however, dehydration and heat stress can kill, as reported in the July 2013 case of three soldiers who died following a training exercise in the Brecon Beacons on an extremely hot day. The role of personal protective equipment is a particular factor to consider in relation to heat stress. On a hot day, someone wearing protective clothing and performing heavy work in hot and humid conditions could be at increased risk of heat stress. Ultimately, if the body is gaining more heat than it can lose, the deep body temperature will continue to rise. Eventually it reaches a point when the body’s control mechanism itself starts to fail.

The HSE says that when carrying out a heat stress risk assessment, the major factors to consider are:

• the work rate, since the harder someone works, the greater the body heat generated
• the working climate, including air temperature, humidity, air movement and heat sources
• worker clothing and respiratory protective equipment which may impair the efficiency of sweating and other means of temperature regulation
• the worker’s age, build and medical factors, which may affect an individual’s tolerance.Weather statistics show growing trends towards warmer winters, changing rainfall patterns and hotter summers in the UK, and balmy summer days will doubtless always be enjoyed by outdoor workers as a pleasant change from the chill and rains of winter. With effective health and safety planning, outdoor workers are sure to enjoy a pleasant, but also, healthy and safe summer outdoor working environment.
• The HSE warns that dehydration can seriously affect an employee’s ability to function safely when under thermal stress. However, the effects of dehydration can be minimised in heat stress situations by encouraging employees to frequently drink cool water to compensate for losses due to sweating. Water points and rest areas, the safety watchdog says, should be sited in the shade.

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Tips to Ensure Ladders are Used Safely

1. Do a risk assessment for the specific job involving work at height. Look at the different work elements involved in the task, the duration of the activity and how easy the area is to access. Check that a ladder is the best piece of equipment for the job – if the task is likely to take longer than 30 minutes and is not low risk, then it is best to consider using a mobile elevating work platform or scaffold tower, for example.
2. Ensure that workers are trained in the use of ladders. Make sure they position them correctly, on flat ground and have them tied or footed as necessary. Check that ladders extend above the work area being accessed, to ensure that workers have something to hold onto as they reach the top.
3. Look after your ladders to avoid them getting damaged. Don’t keep them outside in the rain, and hang them up to stop them being knocked over. Throw them away if they are broken and cannot be repaired.
4. Make sure that, where feasible, worker’s hands are freed up to remain in contact with the ladder by using tool belts or similar.
5. Inspect your ladders regularly, and always before each use. Check that they are not warped or bent, that the rungs and platform are straight, and that the locking mechanism works properly. Report any defects immediately, and take the ladder out of use until it is repaired.

Take the time today to make sure that your work practices involving ladders are safe, and that they are properly planned and supervised.

Contact us if you require advice.

Tips to Protect Workers that are Working In or Near Excavations

1. Undertake a thorough risk assessment to determine how anyone could be hurt when working with excavations. Consider how and when a collapse could occur, or how someone could fall in, for example. Think about the underground cables (such as electricity) that could be in the area.
2. Support the sides of the excavation properly, and install barriers and covers when work finishes for the day or halts so that no one can fall in. Ensure good levels of lighting around the excavation, especially at night and in the winter months.
3. Develop and implement a safe system of work for workers to follow, which includes ensuring the excavation is properly boarded, and that it is dug to the correct depth. Ensure workers know the location of any underground cables before starting work.
4. Train workers on the dangers of working in or near excavations.
5. Supervise all work activities and ensure that you have a means of providing an emergency evacuation if someone should become injured in an excavation.

Contact us if you require further information.