Having worked in health and safety since 2004, I understand the vital role that PPE plays in keeping us safe. However, as someone who is 5 feet tall, I have encountered challenges with ill-fitting equipment and clothing that can impact both safety and productivity.

Changes are being made to accommodate people of all shapes and sizes so that they are safe and can be seen in the workplace.

Katy Robinson is a PPE campaigner, she spoke to SHP Magazine about raising awareness for inclusive PPE, click here to read her article.

I was asked to write an article for them too. My article can be read here.

If you want to find out more or need help in finding PPE that fits, please contact me.

Health and Safety Consultants | Telford, Shropshire, West Midlands (walkersafety.co.uk)

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• External walls usually refer to the outside walls of a building. They will generally need little maintenance but should be inspected at least annually for signs of deterioration or water damage.
• For all roofing or chimney maintenance work, it is essential to ensure that adequate safety arrangements are in place for working at height.
• Gutters should be inspected and cleared at least twice a year, sometimes more frequently if a roof is overhung by trees.
• Ensuring that a floor is well maintained will not only preserve the appearance of a building but will also contribute to safety by making slips and trips less likely.
• Windows should be regularly maintained and cleaned so they can be opened easily for ventilation and allow in sufficient light.
• There is no statutory obligation to keep an external or outside wall in a good state of repair. However, if it is in a dangerous state and falls and injures someone, the owner or occupier may be liable.
• To maintain their grounds and outside areas, an organisation may employ their own staff or engage specialist contractors.
• It is imperative that in-house facilities maintenance staff and maintenance contractors observe good health and safety practice at all times.
• Suitable information and training must be provided to employees with maintenance responsibilities.

How to Maintain Ceilings

• Wash down and repaint surfaces that have been painted.
• Repair ceilings where lining paper or plaster is used, by re-plastering or recovering.
• Refer to manufacturers’ instructions when redecorating: decorating may change the characteristics of a material, eg for any specifically treated fire-resistant surfaces.
• Investigate any observations of damp stains, blistering of paint or lining paper, black mould growth, or cracking to prevent possible ceiling collapse.
• Apply a sterilisation solution according to the manufacturer’s instructions followed by repainting, preferably with an anti-fungicidal paint, to deal with black mould or damp stains. A longer-term solution would be to improve the heating or ventilation.
• Repair any hair cracks by lining the ceiling with a stout lining and then painting it.
• Seek specialist advice for any larger problems such as large cracks.

How to Maintain Grounds

• Weigh up the pros and cons of using in-house staff or contractors to maintain the grounds.
• Consider the attractiveness of plants and trees against maintenance costs.
• Be aware that shrubs and flower beds are a trap for litter and easy targets for vandalism.
• Position trees so they do not damage the foundations of buildings, do not provide cover for intruders and do not block the view of any security cameras.
• Keep records of every tree giving details of location, type, age and condition.
• Maintain footpaths and tarmac areas to a high standard to limit the potential for accidents and improve access.
• Implement ways of reducing the amount of litter generated on the premises.
• Check perimeter fences are adequate to keep out litter, pests and intruders.

How to Maintain Floors

• Check how each flooring material is best maintained. An incorrect cleaning program can change the slip properties of a floor, which can become dangerous.
• Treat any outbreaks of wood-boring insects with disinfestation liquid for a small localised problem. Where the outbreak is more extensive seek the advice of a specialist.
• Use jointless epoxy resin screeds or hard tiles to re-level well-worn and uneven areas of flooring.
• Remove areas of rubber burn on thermoplastic tiled finishes caused by shoes and trolley tyres by wiping with white spirit.
• Replace any thermoplastic tiles which are cracked.
• Brush linseed oil onto the floor to “feed” the timber or preservative staining to help prevent excessive shrinkage in boarded or wood-blocked flooring.
• Seek specialist advice for any larger problems such as cracking in suspended concrete floors or infection by dry rot on suspended timber floors.

Contact us if you have any queries.

Due to their lack of maturity, experience and hazard awareness, young people may perceive risk differently to more practiced employees. There is also a raft of various regulatory instruments in place to limit young people’s exposure to specific physical, chemical and biological risks as they are at increased danger of harm from these. This article looks at the factors employers need to consider to instil safe behaviour among a young workforce.

A young person is defined in legislation as any person under the age of 18 who is not a child, ie someone who has not yet reached the minimum school leaving age of 16.
In terms of the health and safety of young workers, there are two primary considerations for employers when it comes to reviewing their risk assessment.

1. How young people behave compared to more experienced workers.
2. Preventing young person’s exposure to specific risks as they may be more vulnerable to harm.

Lack of training and experience

Before a young person starts work, the employer’s risk assessment must take into account a young person’s lack of experience, training and awareness of risk as well as their immaturity.

Risk assessments need not be overly burdensome or bureaucratic, eg in an office or shop environment, the organisation’s generic risk assessment is likely to be sufficient and the control measures in place are likely to be familiar to young persons. However, in higher-risk environments, consideration needs to be given to how young people may be influenced or pressured into unsafe work practices by older colleagues or peers, how they may be curious and act unpredictably despite any instructions or training they may have been given to the contrary or how they may also deliberately violate rules and procedures, eg in feeling pressure to get a task done, they take shortcuts.

Appropriate control measures in these cases include:

• clear, simple information and instructions for each work task, the hazards present and control measures required
• risk assessments including assessment or work-related stressors
• remove imposed work/production targets for young people until they are able to reach the required standards
• close supervision and/or job shadowing with a more experienced staff member
• remove the need to work shifts, where possible, and limit unsociable hours.

Specific risks

In higher-risk environments, such as in assembly, industrial or construction sites, along with considerations of a young person’s lack of maturity and experience, specific risk factors also need to be reviewed and additional arrangements are likely to be required.

Exposure to physical hazards

Young persons have a physical immaturity and an increased risk of musculoskeletal damage as bones and supporting muscles are not fully developed until a person is approximately age 25. This means high levels or prolonged periods of exposure to vibration — particularly low-frequency whole-body vibration — should be avoided.

Young people may be less skilled in handling and moving techniques or in pacing their work tasks to match their capacity. Other jobs that require repetitive or forceful movements, particularly when in association with awkward posture and/or insufficient recovery time, should be given careful consideration. Manual handling of tools and equipment to assist with difficult handling tasks, introduction of task rotation and provision of sufficient rest breaks may be necessary.

Young people should not be permitted to use high-risk lifting machinery such as cranes, lifting accessories and construction site hoists, unless they have had the appropriate level of competence and training. As part of their training, they may use such equipment, providing they are adequately supervised. Adequate supervision should also be provided after training if a young person is considered not sufficiently mature.

The duty to carry out periodic, thorough examinations or inspections of lifting equipment or the planning and supervision of lifting operations, should not be placed on a young person but discharged by a competent adult employee.

Young persons should also not be permitted to use high-risk work equipment (such as abrasive wheels, circular saws, power presses and band saws), apart from during training which is adequately supervised.

The dose limit of ionising radiation should be set at a lower level than that for other employees — doses must not exceed 6mSv in any calendar year.

Exposure to chemical hazards

Many chemical agents can have adverse health effects on young people, although they are typically not considered to be at any greater risk than other employees and control measures currently in place to prevent employee exposure are likely to be sufficient for young people also. Safety data sheets will provide full details on specific agents.

However, a lack of perception of danger may prevent young people from recognising “invisible” or long-term health effects that may take many years to develop. For this reason, specific prohibitions are in place around agents such as lead and asbestos.

Young persons may not be involved with specific lead smelting and refining processes or in lead battery manufacturing process. Exposure to lead alkyls is particularly hazardous and its absorption into the body can produce a rapid toxic effect. Employers should ensure that adequate and proper safeguards are in force to protect the health of any young person employed on storage-tank cleaning work, which could potentially expose them to lead alkyls.

Younger people, if routinely exposed to asbestos fibres over time, are at greater risk of developing asbestos-related disease than older workers. This is due to the time it takes for the body to develop symptoms after exposure to asbestos. Similar concerns exist for exposure to silica dust in the construction industry leading to silicosis and other related lung diseases. Employers need to give information about the impact of these risks and the serious potential consequences of exposure to young people in their employment.

Exposure to biological hazards

The Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens recommends that young people do not handle animals infected with biological agents assigned to hazard group 4, ie those that cause severe human disease, pose a serious risk to employees, are likely to spread to the community and that have no effective prophylaxis or treatment available.

Duties of young persons

In turn, employers should inform young persons of their legal responsibilities towards the employer. This means following any safety arrangements implemented for their protection, including attending training sessions and complying with control measures, not acting in a manner that adversely affects their own health and safety and/or the health and safety of anyone else and to report any perceived or real shortcomings in protection levels to their employer.

In conclusion, a key component in managing the health and safety of young persons is the ongoing communication of safety messages and the guidance of mentors/supervisors to reinforce the true level of risk among young people and improving their perceptions of risk through training.

If you have any queries, please contact us.

8 March 2023 marks International Women’s Day. It’s a day that celebrates ‘the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women’ whilst also calling for equality – where men and women are treated the same. No one government, country, charity or group is responsible for it.

We hope you found this of interest. Here are some useful links

IWD: About International Women’s Day (internationalwomensday.com)

International Women’s Day 2024: UK Statement to the OSCE – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

International Women’s Day | World Vision UK

What is tinnitus?

Tinnitus UK (formerly British Tinnitus Association) describes tinnitus as “the sensation of hearing a sound when there is no external source for that sound”. The symptoms may be felt as ringing, buzzing, hissing, clicking, whistling, whooshing sounds, etc and may be constant or intermittent, varying in volume from person to person. Tinnitus is thought to affect around 13% of adults in the UK.

According to Tinnitus UK, the noise may be in one or both ears, or it may feel like it is in the head. It may be low, medium or high pitched and can be heard as a single noise or as multiple components.

Occasionally people have tinnitus that can seem like a familiar tune or song, known as musical tinnitus or musical hallucination. Others have tinnitus which has a beat in time with their heartbeat — known as pulsatile tinnitus.

The symptoms are usually caused by an underlying condition with strong links to hearing loss in general.

The Tinnitus Awareness Week is an annual campaign dedicated to raising awareness and educating people about the causes, impact and management of tinnitus. This year’s event will be held from Monday 5 to Sunday 11 February.

Is tinnitus caused by exposure to noise?

Research conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has indicated that the prevalence of tinnitus in workers exposed to noise at work is significantly greater than in workers not exposed to noise.

Therefore, jobs at particular risk of tinnitus are those characterised by loud or prolonged noise. For example, carpenters, construction and manufacturing workers, airport staff, musicians, call centre personnel and street workers could be among those at risk, as are people who work with chain saws, guns or other loud equipment as well as those who are exposed to loud music at work.

However, causes can also be completely unrelated to noise at work and linked to non-work-related hearing loss as well as ear infections or various illnesses such as diabetes, thyroid disorders, multiple sclerosis, anxiety, depression and Ménière’s disease.

According to the NHS, tinnitus can also be caused as a side effect of some chemotherapy medicines, antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and aspirin.

What can employers do?

In the context of tinnitus, if noise in the workplace regularly reaches 80 to 85 decibels, to protect their staff, the employers could take steps such as:

• trying to reduce the noise of machinery and considering noise levels when buying new equipment
• providing protection from noise, such as ear plugs or guards
• reorganising shift patterns to reduce the time workers are exposed to loud noise
• educating staff about the dangers of noise and insisting that they use ear guards
• setting up a programme of health surveillance
• offering regular hearing tests to staff.

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 apply to all industry sectors in Britain and aim to ensure that workers’ hearing is protected from excessive noise, which could cause them to lose their hearing and/or to suffer from tinnitus. See the Noise topic for information and guidance.

The HSE warns that many thousands of people are exposed to loud noise at work that may be a risk to their hearing.

In addition, ototoxic chemicals — substances which can harm hearing, even in the absence of noise levels — also carry risks which can be under-acknowledged, but are associated with often life-changing effects related to hearing loss. See our feature The life-changing risks of ototoxic chemicals.

Living and working with tinnitus

In a survey, 42% of tinnitus sufferers believed that their condition had an adverse effect on their work, and loss of concentration, lack of sleep and anxiety associated with the condition can all make working more difficult. However, tinnitus can also impact on working in other ways including, for example, difficulties:

• hearing conversations in the office and in meetings
• socialising or chatting with colleagues
• in hearing telephone conversations.

Employers also need to understand their responsibilities to staff with tinnitus or hearing loss under the Equality Act 2010 and will need to be prepared to make reasonable adjustments to support staff with hearing difficulties.

It is recommended by Fit for Work advisors that people who have hearing loss or tinnitus inform their managers of their condition and discuss changes that could help, such as moving to a different workstation, changing meeting venues or reducing stress.

Also helpful is an online resource called Take on Tinnitus. It has been designed primarily for people who have just begun to experience tinnitus. However, it is also a valuable resource for those who have experienced the condition longer term.

Treatments for tinnitus

Some cases of tinnitus, such as those caused by the build-up of ear wax or because of an ear infection, can be treated by a doctor. In other cases, there is no cure, and treatment is focused on developing coping mechanisms in order to live with the condition. Various therapies may be helpful including the following.

• Sound therapy: Tinnitus often sounds louder at quiet times, such as when trying to sleep. Sound therapy focuses on creating alternative sounds as a distraction, thus masking the tinnitus, either through a sound generator fitted in or behind the ear or by playing music or the radio. Many people will go to sleep listening to the radio or music to distract them from the tinnitus sounds.
• Tinnitus counselling: Talking to a counsellor at an NHS tinnitus clinic in a hospital can give comfort and reassurance in dealing with tinnitus and other issues that may be contributing to the problem.
• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT): CBT can help people manage their tinnitus by reviewing and changing the way they think and behave. Often led by clinical psychologists or psychotherapists, CBT therapists can teach coping techniques for dealing with the unwanted noise and the negative emotions that come from it.
• Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT): This attempts to address an individual’s heightened awareness of tinnitus sounds based on the theory that it is the part of the brain responsible for emotions (the limbic system) that exaggerates the importance and meaning of these noises. Through counselling and sound therapy, TRT aims to reduce a person’s awareness of tinnitus through a process of habituation.

A wide range of treatments and a number of specific medications, including antidepressants, amitriptyline and melatonin for example, have been reviewed by Tinnitus UK and evaluated using an extremely helpful traffic light system, based on their safety and efficacy.

Tinnitus UK runs a chat service via its website.

In addition, there is a network of tinnitus support groups around the country, listed via Tinnitus UK’s website, where people can develop and learn about new coping skills and gain inspiration and encouragement from others.

Research to resolve a medical enigma

Tinnitus UK runs a large research grants programme to support tinnitus research. It recently partnered with scientists and academics from the Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre and the Universities of Nottingham and Newcastle to conduct innovative research, using imaging data from thousands of brain scans held in the UK Biobank, a major national and global health resource. It is thought that chronic tinnitus may be associated with changes in the structure of the brain, and that reversing these changes might prove effective in the treatment of the condition.

It is estimated that tinnitus affects over seven million people in the UK at present, and many people elsewhere around the world, potentially causing stress, sleep difficulty, anxiety and compromising hearing.

As research efforts continue, it is hoped that soon a cure for this enigmatic and distressing medical problem will be found.

If you have any queries, please contact us.