Category Archives: Advice

Don’t fall silent intiative

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An excellent and very important initiative from IOSH: The “Don’t Fall Silent” campaign addresses a critical and persistent issue in workplace safety. The focus on prevention and cultural change is particularly vital, as falls from height remain a leading cause of workplace fatalities, as the HSE’s provisional figures sadly confirm.

Here’s a brief summary of the campaign’s key messages and why each point is so crucial:

  • Planning: This is the foundation of all safe work. IOSH’s emphasis on only working at height when “absolutely necessary” aligns with the risk hierarchy of control. The best way to prevent a fall is to eliminate the need to work at height in the first place.
  • Competence: Proper training is essential, but a key element of this is ensuring workers are not just trained but also competent and confident in applying that training. Supervision is critical to ensuring that knowledge is put into practice correctly.
  • Equipment: The campaign highlights the need for not just having the right equipment but also ensuring it’s properly maintained. A harness or a guardrail system that isn’t inspected and in good condition can be as dangerous as having no equipment at all.
  • Culture: This is arguably the most challenging and most important aspect of the campaign. A positive safety culture is one where safety is seen as a shared value, not just a set of rules. When workers feel “empowered to speak up,” it means the organization values their input and won’t penalize them for raising concerns, which is a major factor in preventing accidents.
  • Collaboration: This point recognizes that safety is a collective effort. It’s not just the employer’s responsibility. It involves contractors, designers, suppliers, and regulatory bodies all working together to share knowledge and create a safer environment for everyone.

The campaign’s title, “Don’t Fall Silent,” is a powerful call to action that resonates with the need to actively and openly address these risks rather than accepting them as an unavoidable part of high-risk work. It’s a proactive approach that is well aligned with modern health and safety management.

Records form part of your arrangements

Communicate wisely – Health and Safety investigations dig deep

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Keep your communications professional and make sure you know where they are stored. Useful tips if you are ever on the sharp end of an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). 

Section 20 of the Health and Safety at Work act 1974 gives the HSE the power to “require any person to produce any books or documents… which are necessary for you to see for the purposes of your investigation”. 

This seems entirely reasonable if there has been an accident or incident worthy of an investigation, and indeed should be welcomed, not least for valuable lessons learnt. But, as an employer or employee, have you ever considered exactly what documents the HSE might be requiring from you, and have you thought how and where they should be stored so that you can comply easily with an inspector’s request? 

Most employers are aware where they store their Health and Safety policy, risk assessments and minutes of meetings such as safety forums or committees. But do you know where your WhatsApp safety chat is stored and uploaded? Could you put your hands on that memo on the intranet that updated the latest safety data sheet? 

More importantly, do you have good knowledge of any communication between your employees on Health and Safety issues which may be informally recorded in texts or emails without any consideration being given to them being read in “hindsight”.

Our basic advice is:  

  • Keep essential Health and Safety documents in one, easily accessed place, whether physically or online 
  • Be aware that your documents and communications may be subject of inspection and keep them current. 
  • Make sure you are actually doing what your documents say you do – if not, change your actions or the documents…  
  • Ensure your workforce are aware that their communications could one day be looked at by an external body and remind them to think before communicating and keep it strictly professional. Don’t forget that can include texts, chats, emails and social media posts. 

 For help and advice on any of your Health and Safety issues contact us. 

Summer safety

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Some key pointers for worker safety during hot spells

Hydration:

Encourage your staff to drink plenty of water throughout the day, especially before, during, and after work.  However sugary or caffeinated drinks should be used sparingly as they may partially dehydrate.

Rest and Shade:

Take or schedule more frequent breaks in cooler or shaded areas – you might consider providing a welfare spot with a gazebo  for shade.  Consider whether workers are able to rotate between tasks where there is greater exposure to heat/sun if frequent breaks are more difficult to incorporate.

Appropriate Clothing:

Provide loose-fitting, light-colored, and breathable clothing. Avoid excessive layers of protective equipment when possible without lessening the protection that may be required for the tasks.

Heat Illness Awareness:

Train workers to recognize the signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke.  Make sure that your staff and in particular first aiders know the emergency procedures.

Workplace Environment:

Ensure there is adequate ventilation in the workplace and use fans or air conditioning when possible.  Monitor your workplace temperatures and adjust the work schedules as needed.

This Napo film below has a light-hearted summary …

If you have unique challenges that you need advice on just contact us to arrange a chat.  By the way the Napo films are the property of Via Storia.

Fear of non-compliance on inspection

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A survey of 2,000 individuals who work in varied roles across a range of UK sectors has found 68% of respondents feel their business/organisation would likely not comply with on-the-spot Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspections. 

This is because they feel the business/organisation they work for doesn’t have the data to prove that its fixed and movable assets are managed and maintained to the required regulatory standards.

The article headline extract above makes a strong case to review your maintenance arrangements and record keeping.  The article is rather skewed towards digital asset management records, but the question stands – is your firm prepared to be inspected and would it be compliant?

If you are in doubt about your legal duties and responsibilities (such as suitability, maintenance, inspection, information and training…) then why not drop us a line.  Happy to provide pragmatic no-nonsense advice on an ad-hoc or retained basis.

Heading for a Fall

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The HSE have published the annual statistics for 2022-23 and there are some stark reminders that people are still suffering injuries or worse in the workplace.

For those of us that work hard to protect people at work one fact really stands out:

“Just three different accident kinds accounted for 60% of the fatal injuries to workers over the last five years. Falls from a height, being struck by moving vehicle and being struck by a moving, including flying/falling, object continue as the three main causes of fatal injury…”

It’s a sobering thought and hopefully one that will get us all looking at the hazards in our workplaces to ensure they are eliminated or properly mitigated.

So, what can you do NOW?

Let everyone in your workplace knows that accidents can and do happen – use the HSE facts to re-enforce your message.

Involve your teams in recognising the hazards  –  use the HSE facts as a prompt for an immediate, practical assessment.

Reconsider if you can eliminate any of the hazards in your workplace.

If you can’t, check your risk assessments are up to date and the safety measures in them are working in practice.

Creating a safe working environment doesn’t just prevent the shock and resulting trauma of an accident for the person concerned it also protects everyone else in your workplace.

It also contributes to a safer work force across the country, which ultimately saves time and money:

“35.2 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury.  £20.7 billion estimated cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions.”

Work equipment markings

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Following BREXIT … the requirements for placing work equipment and machinery on the UK and EU markets, including arrangements for conformity assessment, marking and labelling have changed.

Only safe and compliant products should be placed on the market. Changes made to the UK’s legal product safety framework will allow it to remain operable.

CE marked goods on the GB market

CE marked workplace products will be accepted in GB until 31st December 2022. This includes workplace goods which have been assessed by an EU-recognised notified body.

GOV.UK – Placing manufactured goods on the market in Great Britain.

Placing products for use at work on the GB market: a product safety guide (PDF) .

The new UK mark

The UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) mark is the new UK product mark for workplace products and other goods. From 1 January 2021 UKCA marking began to replace CE marking for goods being placed on the GB market.

From 1 January 2023 you must use the UKCA mark on all workplace goods products.

Directors’ duties ACoP – Singapore

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A senior government minister in Singapore has issued a warning to company directors that they face prosecution for health and safety failures, as the government considers a new Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) on directors’ duties.

IOSH News

A spike in recent worker deaths in Singapore (31 in the first seven months of this year) will lead to government considering the imposition of a code of practice on company directors. Singapore’s working population is approx 3.6m and the death rate per 100,000 would be 0.83 were there to be no more this year.

Compare this with the current reducing trend of work related fatalities in the UK which was 0.41 for the previous year.

Does this mean that the UK health and safety regime and the duties of UK directors is about right?

If you wish to discuss whether or not your company is getting it right, please get in touch for a no-nonsense preagmatic chat.

Coronavirus has not ‘gone away’ …

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Government advice was changed on 1 April 2022:

As we learn to live safely with coronavirus (COVID-19), there are actions we can all take to help reduce the risk of catching COVID-19 and passing it on to others. These actions will also help to reduce the spread of other respiratory infections, such as flu, which can spread easily and may cause serious illness in some people.

COVID-19, along with many other respiratory infections such as influenza (flu), can spread easily and cause serious illness in some people. You may be infected with a respiratory virus such as COVID-19 and not have any symptoms but still pass infection onto others.

The risk of catching or passing on COVID-19 is greatest when someone who is infected is physically close to, or sharing an enclosed and/or poorly ventilated space with, other people. When someone with a respiratory viral infection such as COVID-19 breathes, speaks, coughs or sneezes, they release small particles that contain the virus which causes the infection. These particles can be breathed in or can come into contact with the eyes, nose, or mouth. The particles can also land on surfaces and be passed from person to person via touch.

You will not always know whether someone you come into contact with is at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from respiratory infections, including COVID-19. They could be strangers (for example people you sit next to on public transport) or people you may have regular contact with (for example friends and work colleagues).

There are simple things you can do in your daily life that will help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections and protect those at highest risk. Things you can choose to do are:

  1. Get vaccinated.
  2. Let fresh air in if meeting others indoors.
  3. Practise good hygiene:
    • wash your hands
    • cover your coughs and sneezes
    • clean your surroundings frequently
  4. Wear a face covering or a face mask.

Face coverings and face masks can help reduce the chance of you spreading infection to others, especially in crowded and enclosed spaces, and may protect you from becoming infected by some respiratory viruses.

If you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as COVID-19, and you have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to go to work or carry out normal activities, you are advised to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people.

Don’t leave your team gasping for air…

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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has just released new guidance on providing good ventilation in the workplace.

The Science

Studies have shown that sufficient fresh air is associated with:

  • improved health
  • better concentration
  • higher levels of satisfaction with an environment
  • lower rates of absence from work
  • better quality of sleep
  • reduced exposure to a wide range of air pollutants

The Law

That’s the science but it’s also the law.

Under regulation 6 of the Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations, employers must “ensure that every enclosed workplace is ventilated by a sufficient quantity of fresh or purified air”.

Ventilation is the process of bringing in fresh air from outside and removing indoor air, which may:

  • be stale
  • be hot and humid because of work machinery and processes
  • contain pollutants and other impurities

Improving the air

Now you know that making an improvement is good for everyone the first thing to do is

ASSESS

As part of your legal duty to provide sufficient fresh air, your workplace risk assessment should identify poorly ventilated work areas:

  • look for areas where there is no natural ventilation (open windows, doors, or vents) or mechanical ventilation (fans or ducts bringing air in from outside)
  • identify areas that feel stuffy or smell bad
  • consider using a CO2 monitor to identify poor ventilation

It may help to list areas in your workplace or use floor plans to record how areas are ventilated.

Remember to include changing rooms and areas used for breaks, such as canteens.

Talk with your team

Talking will help you assess the risk and put in effective measures to improve ventilation.

Questions to ask

  • How do we bring fresh air (ventilation) into our workplace?
    • Think about natural ventilation through windows, doors and vents you can open fully or partially
    • If we use mechanical ventilation, is it set correctly and do we maintain it?
  • How can we improve ventilation?
    • Think about areas that feel stuffy or smell bad – open windows, air vents and doors (not fire doors)
    • If we have recirculating systems, do we bring in some fresh air?
    • Are temperatures in the workplace comfortable?

Discussing the outcome of your risk assessment and the measures identified will also help them understand how they can play their part in improving ventilation at work.

It’s Chilly in here!

Don’t forget team members should not be exposed to uncomfortable draughts. For mechanical ventilation systems, it may be necessary to control the direction or speed of airflow.

Workstations should be moved or screened if necessary.

If your space is naturally ventilated, there are simple steps you can take to make sure your workplace has enough fresh air without opening windows wide and making it too cold:

  • partially opening windows and doors can still provide adequate ventilation
  • opening higher-level windows will create fewer draughts
  • using trickle vents rather than opening windows

Regularly air rooms that rely on natural ventilation, by opening windows and doors in between use.

For more information on using CO2 monitors and calculating ventilation levels go to https://www.hse.gov.uk/ventilation/assessing-the-risk-of-poor-ventilation.htm

Covid-19 hasn’t gone away!

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Many people now go about their day-to-day business as if Coronavirus is no longer a problem.

Many of us may be fully vaccinated (and some of us boosted as well) however, as the case rates fall and then rise parts of Europe are needing to re-introduce lockdowns. It is clear though that the continued high case rate in the UK means there is still a significant risk here. You can see this clearly on the chart below.

So please make sure your business doesn’t sucumb to CC (Covid Complacency) by remaining aware of the hazard of infection and transmission. Recognising the risk means we can continue to take sensible and pragmatic precautions as individuals such as good personal hygiene, face covering wear, ventilation and occasional testing.

The current legal requirements for business to comply with are quite limited and available from government. We are happy to advise on appropriate control measures for your particular business to help keep your employees and contractors safe and covid secure in the current climate where the risk remains significant and government takes a very light touch approach.

If you need advice on how to do so, please get in touch with us.