The Personal Protective Equipment at Work (Protected Characteristics) Bill, a Bill to require employers to ensure that personal protective equipment (PPE) provided at work to people with certain protected characteristics within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010 is suitable for the wearer and for connected purposes, has been tabled in Parliament.

The Bill will put the onus on employers to ensure PPE provided to people with certain protected characteristics is suitable for their needs.

Introducing the Bill, Labour MP Emma Hardy (Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle) said that current PPE regulations do not make any specific mention of women. She told the Commons: “This omission is one which continues to have significant real-world consequences. The world is finally waking up to the fact that women are not just smaller men.”

Hardy noted that “reference to the Equalities Act can be found in guidance surrounding the regulations, but it’s not statutory. Well-fitting PPE should not be seen as best practice, it should be the minimum standard”.

While most distributors stock women’s PPE, she added: “The issue can sometimes lie with employers, despite it being readily available on the market.”

Ill-fitting PPE has been found to cause a range of health and safety issues which included increased slip, trips and falls, increased risk of entanglement, limited range of motion, decreased dexterity from gloves and impaired vision from safety glasses.

“Worryingly, 42% of women reported experiences of relating to ill-fitting PPE which has impacted their careers and long-term health problems,” Hardy added.

The Bill has received widespread industry support and is expected to progress to the second reading on 7 June 2024.

I have a personal interest in this topic. Feel free to read my article on PPE.

Contact us if you wish to find out more.

The only UK-based charity for the work at height sector has announced that it is launching the first ever No Falls Week, to take place from 13–17 May 2024.

The No Falls Foundation said this will be a key part of its campaign to raise awareness about the importance of safe working at height, to prevent falls and to ensure that everyone working at height comes down safely.

It is estimated that over one million businesses, and 10 million workers, carry out work involving some form of working at height every year. No Falls Week will provide the opportunity for organisations across all sectors to place a focus on work in this particular sector, which sees so many incidents.

Falls from height are consistently the leading cause of workplace fatalities in the UK, with 40 people losing their lives at work due to a fall from height in 2022/23. Latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that falls from height were responsible for a third of all workplace deaths last year, up from a quarter the year before.

There are an even greater number of nonfatal injuries resulting from a fall from height, with over 5000 people in Great Britain having been reported injured at work in 2022/23.

The No Falls Foundation believes that there is substantial under-reporting of nonfatal falls from height for all workers, particularly the self-employed, who were found to report just 12% of workplace incidents.

According to the Labour Force Survey, HSE estimates the number of workplace falls from height over the last 10 years may be as many as 425,000.

To get involved, employers can sign up on the No Falls Week website, where they can find toolkits and resources from members of the Access Industry Forum (AIF) to help plan activities during the No Falls Week. This may include hosting toolbox talks, workshops or safety demonstrations, distributing informational materials and engaging in social media campaigns.

Contact us if you wish to find out more.

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.