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Presentation from February 2023 HSE

New company Powerpoint (bhsea.org.uk)

Here are three simple steps you can use anytime and anywhere to give yourself a boost and build your compassion for others.

By tuning in to your feelings, looking for what’s good and sharing kindness you can nurture yourself and help make things better day by day.

Please give it a try and, if you find it helpful, share it with others too.

Follow these useful links for further information.

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Presentations from the Health and Work Conference 2022

PowerPoint Presentation (bhsea.org.uk)

Prioritising your legal requirements for employee health is one of the best investments you will make. Not only will this ensure that accidents and injuries are kept to a minimum, but you will also avoid large fines as a result of non-compliance.

After these statistics, the HSE will be hot on the tales of any business who tries to evade their legal responsibilities. So what can you do now to reduce work related accidents and injuries?

1. Employee a health and safety officer – This may work for some larger businesses but not always for SMEs
2. Ensure that you have regular risk assessment and monitoring for all parts of your business
3. Invest in third party compliance services who can help you to implement and control all your health, safety and occupational hygiene needs.

We’re not saying that all businesses don’t take employee health and well being seriously. We know they do! Working closely with our customers, we able to help implement health and safety controls and measures that adhere to HSE legal frameworks.

Along with protecting your workforce from work related accidents and ill health, you also protect your business. The upfront cost of ensuring you achieve your legal requirements is outweighed by the cost of fines, sick days, and the cost of recruiting new employees if someone leaves due to stress or long-term ill health. So if your business needs a once over, we can definitely help.

Contact us if you have any queries.

Safe use of ladders and stepladders

Ladders and stepladders are not banned under health and safety law. EN131 standard for portable steps and ladders.

The law calls for a sensible, proportionate approach to managing risk, and ladders can be a sensible and practical option for low-risk, short-duration tasks, although they should not automatically be your first choice.

There are simple, sensible precautions you should take to stay safe when using portable leaning ladders and stepladders in the workplace.

Make sure that you use the right type of ladder and that you know how to use it safely.

As a guide, if your task would require staying up a leaning ladder or stepladder for more than 30 minutes at a time, it is recommended you use alternative equipment.

You should only use ladders in situations where they can be used safely, eg where the ladder will be level and stable, and can be secured (where it is reasonably practicable to do so).

Know how to use a ladder safely

To use a ladder, you must be competent or, if you are being trained, you should be working under the supervision of a competent person.

Competence can be demonstrated through a combination of training, practical and theoretical knowledge, and experience.

Training should be appropriate for the task, and this includes knowing:

• how to assess the risks of using a ladder for a particular task
• when it is right to use a ladder (and when it is not)
• which type of ladder to use and how to use it
• how to carry out a pre-use check

The check should include:

• the stiles – make sure they are not bent or damaged, as the ladder could buckle or collapse
• the feet – if they are missing, worn or damaged the ladder could slip. Also check the ladder feet when moving from soft/dirty ground (eg dug soil, loose sand/stone, a dirty workshop) to a smooth, solid surface (eg paving slabs), to make sure the actual feet and not the dirt (eg soil, chippings or embedded stones) are making contact with the ground
• the rungs – if they are bent, worn, missing or loose, the ladder could fail
• any locking mechanism – does the mechanism work properly? Are components or fixings bent, worn or damaged? If so, the ladder could collapse. Ensure any locking bars are fully engaged
• the stepladder platform – if it is split or buckled, the ladder could become unstable or collapse
• the steps or treads on stepladders – if they are contaminated, they could be slippery; if the fixings are loose on the steps, they could collapse

If you spot any of the above defects, do not use the ladder and tell the person in charge of the work.

Where ladders should be used

As a guide, only use a ladder:

• on firm ground
• on level ground – refer to the manufacturer’s pictograms on the side of the ladder.
• on clean, solid surfaces (paving slabs, floors etc). These need to be clean (no oil, moss or leaf litter) and free of loose material (sand, packaging materials etc) so the feet can grip. Shiny floor surfaces can be slippery even without contamination.
• where it will not be struck by vehicles (protect the area using suitable barriers or cones)
• where it will not be pushed over by other hazards such as doors or windows, i.e. secure the doors (not fire exits) and windows where possible
• where the general public are prevented from using it, walking underneath it or being at risk because they are too near (use barriers, cones or, as a last resort, a person standing guard at the base)
• where it has been secured

For further information, consider sharing this brief guide with employees.

LA455-Safe-Use-of-Ladders-and-Stepladders-A-brief-guide.pdf (ladderassociation.org.uk)

Contact us if you have any questions.