Category Archives: Health and Safety

What causes slips, trips and falls?

• The most common reason for injuries from falls is poor housekeeping, ie mess. Items lying about will trip someone up if not put away in a safe place.
• Where oils and grease are used, spills will create a slip hazard if not immediately cleaned up.
• General debris from building works can quickly accumulate and form a tripping hazard.
• Trailing cables are another frequent cause of tripping.
• Mud left on equipment surfaces or ladder rungs will represent a slipping hazard for the next person.
• Reduced levels of natural light, for example during winter afternoons, can easily increase the tripping hazards if adequate access lighting is not provided. Tools, equipment, and materials that are visible in full daylight will be harder to spot in reduced lighting.

How to prevent slips, trips and falls

• Clear up waste materials as you create them. Lightweight waste should be bagged or bundled, and all sharp objects removed, eg nails from waste timber.
• Do not leave tools, equipment or unused materials lying about on the floor.
• If you are using substances which could spill, ensure that you have a means of effectively clearing up any spillage.
• As far as possible, cables for work equipment should be secured above head height. If cables must be routed at floor level, try to avoid crossing pedestrian walkways and use fluorescent or warning tape to highlight potential trip hazards at floor level.
• If the workplace is muddy, scrape off mud from footwear before using access equipment or walking anywhere that may be a danger to others.
• Be aware of the increased risks of tripping as the level natural light fades; use additional lighting and ensure that all tools, equipment, and materials are stored in a safe location.

Questions for employees

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.