Category Archives: Uncategorized

Ensure Your Workers are Protected when Procedures Change

1. Consult with employees in advance before making any changes to the workplace, including to work methods, equipment and layout. Often staff will know a lot about the potential hazards as they perform the tasks on a frequent basis.
2. Risk assess any changes before putting them into practice. Look at how changing one element could impact on another work procedure – for example, by re-arranging the layout of the workshop without planning how workers will stay segregated from workplace transport, staff could end up having to cross traffic routes and therefore put themselves in danger of being run over.
3. Develop a safe system of work for staff to follow. Write this down so workers can refer to it when needed.
4. Ensure that the required training is provided, for example if new equipment is to be used for the first time.
5. Supervise the new procedure to check that workers understand what they need to do, and that they follow the safe system of work correctly.
6. Review the risk assessment periodically to ensure that you have captured all of the inherent hazards in the new work procedure. Ask workers for feedback – check that your controls are working to mitigate the identified risks.

Always take time to carefully plan your work procedures – never implement changes without assessing the risks first, and working out how to control them effectively.

Contact us should you require guidance.

Today (31 July) marks the 40^th anniversary of when the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA) received royal assent.

Arguably it is one of the best pieces of legislation on the statute books – although we know it is often misunderstood and misinterpreted. It has protected millions of British workers, and driven sharp reductions in incidents of occupational death, serious injury and ill health.

In 1974, fatalities to employees covered by the legislation in place then stood at 651. The latest figure for 2012/13 was down to 148 for employees and self-employed combined. The actual reduction is probably more than this as data for sectors not covered by health and safety law pre 1974 was not collected. In the same time frame (and with the same caveat) non-fatal injuries have dropped by more than 75 percent. There is still room for improvement clearly, but the change in the last 40 years is quite remarkable.

Before the 1974 Act there was a host of different regulations – some industries swamped with prescriptive rules and others with little or no regulation at all. Much of our current reform agenda is aimed at: stripping out unnecessary or duplicated regulation and helping smaller businesses to understand how to take a proportionate approach to managing their risks – but the basic principles remain the same.

Forty years on the Health and Safety at Work Act has demonstrated it can be applied to new responsibilities and new demands, creating the framework for people to come home safe and well from a day’s work in any sector of the economy.

The legacy is a safety record envied around the world.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) states that a competent person must have the correct qualifications, training and experience, access to the relevant tools, equipment and information, manuals and knowledge of the special procedures recommended by the manufacturer of the extinguisher. Fire extinguishers must be serviced by the competent person in accordance with British Standard BS5306-3:2009: Code of Practice for the commissioning and maintenance of portable fire extinguishers, which sets out the procedures.

Ensure Correct Fire Extinguisher Maintenance with these 6 Tips

1. The mass of the extinguisher must be checked against that recorded on the maintenance label when first put into service or last recharged. Labelling must not obscure the BS EN3 markings or manufacturer’s markings.
2. The label must state that maintenance was carried out according to BS5306-3. It must also record the measured mass of the extinguisher at the time of servicing or the difference between the measured mass at the time of service and the mass recorded at commissioning.
3. When your extinguisher is recharged, this must be recorded on the label. The words ‘Non-maintained’ can only be used if the technician does not have the parts available and does not intend to return to your site.
4. Extinguishers manufactured to older British Standards may still be serviced so long as they can be returned to a serviceable condition. Soda, acid, riveted and plastic-bodied extinguishers and those requiring inversion are excluded.
5. The technician should provide a written report which advises the Responsible Person of any extinguishers that have been condemned, not maintained or are missing; of any replacement extinguishers needed to meet the minimum requirements of BS5306; that any replacement or additional extinguishers are provided as soon as possible and that there must be adequate fire fighting equipment available at all times.
6. There is a tolerance period of 1 month either side of the 12 month basic service interval, so there is a saving to be made by not bringing the service forward, which some technicians may recommend.

Avoid putting your workers and others who use your premises at risk. Ensure your fire extinguishers are maintained by a competent person.

• Fire safety legislation requires the establishment of procedures for serious and imminent danger and the provision and maintenance of suitable means of escape.
• Employers must ensure staff are aware of the fire evacuation procedures, including location of fire exits and assembly points. Carry out fire drills and exercises.
• Those who may require additional support and assistance when evacuating should be identified and specific plans developed for them.
• Fire exits and emergency routes must be properly marked with signs and, where necessary, adequate emergency escape lighting.
• It is the duty of the responsible person/duty holder/appropriate person to ensure that there are sufficient numbers of escape routes to enable occupiers to reach a place of reasonable or total safety. Each employee should be aware of the action to take in the event of fire and the recommended evacuation policies.
• Assembly points outside the building should be indicated clearly. These points should have been selected in consultation with the fire authority and routes to them signposted with appropriate notices.
• Systems for providing relevant information to the fire and rescue services should be developed.

Ensure you provide a safe environment for employees.

Have you got an up to date fire risk assessment?

Contact us if you require advice.

Poor health and safety leads to illness and accidents that could prove an huge drain on the company finances. Simple but effective health and safety practices pay for themselves. They also improve the company’s reputation among customers, regulators and employees. Given the considerable increase in penalties under health and safety legislation, the cost of non-compliance is likely to exceed by a long way the cost of compliance.

Having bad health and safety provisions can harm a business. It can reduce productivity, damage products, equipment or premises, there could be considerable fines and legal costs if prosecuted, plus insurance premiums could rise.

Most competitive tendering now requires businesses to disclose any health and safety investigations and convictions.

Many customers won’t deal with businesses that have a bad health and safety record and good employees might not want to work for a company like that.

Having safe and healthy working conditions will make it easier for a business to attract and retain customers, employees and business partners.

If you would like an audit to see if the company complies with health and safety legislation, contact us.