Category Archives: Health and Safety

What to think about when faced with manual handling

• Where possible, use mechanical handling methods instead, eg forklifts or pallet trucks.
• Where possible, establish the weight of the load before lifting.
• Only tackle jobs you can handle. Consider if you should ask for assistance.
• Carry out a trial lift by rocking the load from side to side, and then try lifting it a small amount to get a “feel” for it.
• If moving the load somewhere, make sure you have a clear path with good lighting.
• Wear appropriate PPE such as gloves to protect against cuts and puncture wounds, and appropriate footwear to protect against falling loads.

Good handling technique

• Stand reasonably close to the load, keeping feet hip-width apart, one foot slightly forward pointing in the direction you intend to travel.
• Bend your knees and keep your back straight.
• Get a secure grip on the load.
• Breathe in before lifting as this helps to support the spine.
• Use a good lifting technique, keep your back straight and lift using your legs.
• Keep the load close to your body.
• Do not carry a load that obscures your vision.
• Lift slowly and smoothly.
• Avoid jerky movements.
• Avoid twisting your body when lifting or carrying a load.
• When lifting to a height from the floor, do it in two stages.
• When two or more people lift, one person must take control to co-ordinate the lift.

Questions for employees

Preventing fires

• Switch off all electrical equipment at the mains when not in use.
• Use appropriate sealed containers for any flammable liquids, not open tins or buckets.
• Follow the permit-to-work procedures for hot work.
• Ensure you are a safe distance from any possible source of ignition when handling flammable liquids.
• Use non-combustible stands for gas rings, bitumen boilers, soldering irons, etc.

DO NOT:

• Use heating equipment to hang clothing i.e. electric heaters.
• Allow waste material to build up in your working area, especially combustible material such as paper, wood and textiles.
• Smoke in prohibited areas.
• Overload electrical sockets. Extension leads must be fully extended to avoid overheating.

Actions to take if you discover a fire

• Raise the alarm and ensure that the fire brigade is called.
• Close the doors and windows if possible, to prevent the fire from spreading.
• Evacuate the building or area.

If the fire alarm sounds

• Confirm how employees will be alerted to a fire.
• Make sure everyone is aware of the escape route(s).
• Confirm how employees should evacuate the workplace, eg via the stairs, where to find the designated evacuation point, more commonly known as a “muster point”.

Employees must NOT:

• Block, lock or obstruct any fire doors or escape routes.
• Obstruct access to fire extinguishers.
• Obstruct clearly marked signage for fire exits and escape routes.

REMEMBER: Be aware of the surroundings in your workplace and familiarise yourself with the escape routes and emergency procedures. You won’t have time if a fire breaks out.

Questions for employees

• Sprayed insulation coating on steelwork and concrete
• Floor tiles and flooring materials
• Asbestos cement as structural sheets, pipes and tanks
• Ventilation systems
• Old fire blankets
• Lagging on boilers and pipework
• Insulation boards on interior walls, doors or ceilings
• Some ceiling tiles.

Working with asbestos

• Asbestos dust is fine and invisible to the naked eye.
• Most work with asbestos must be undertaken by a licensed contractor.
• Asbestos waste is hazardous and must be disposed of correctly by an authorised waste carrier.
• Stringent precautions are required for any work with asbestos to avoid risks and contamination.

Immediately after an accident

If a serious accident or fatality has occurred you will need to shut down the site to prevent further injury and so that equipment/substances, etc can be investigated.

Explain the company policy on when this should happen or who makes the decision.

What should you do?

If you are involved in an accident investigation, whether internal or external, you should:

• jot down your memories of where you were and what you were doing at the time of the accident while fresh, to refer to later
• listen carefully to the questions and remain calm
• state honestly what you saw, heard or did in the events leading up to, during and following the accident
• try not to be influenced by what colleagues are saying
• do not be afraid to say when you do not know the answer — guessing will not help anyone and will just delay any investigation
• remember that the reason for the investigation is to learn about what happened to prevent the accident from happening again, it is not to assign blame.

Make sure everyone knows

• Where the first aid kit is kept in the workplace, plus any mobile kits, eyewash stations, defibrillators, etc.
• Who is an appointed first aider and where to find them. If on a construction site they should be easy to identify, eg certain hi-vis jacket or helmet.
• The fact that first aiders may not dispense medication, including paracetamol or ibuprofen.
• Procedures when working in a small group away from the main workplace or when using potentially dangerous tools or machinery, etc.
• Know where to access phones and understand the procedure for calling the emergency services.
• How first aid procedures have changed in view of the pandemic due to COVID.

What to do if someone is ill or injured

• Make sure the area is safe before approaching the injured or ill person.
• Remove any hazard from the vicinity of the casualty, if safe to do so.
• Call for help, eg first aider.
• Send someone to phone for an ambulance if necessary.
• Do not move the casualty unless they are in immediate danger.
• Remain with the casualty and give reassurance.
• Make the casualty as comfortable as possible.
• Do not give drinks or food to the casualty, moisten lips with water only if requested.
• Do not allow the casualty to smoke.