Monday 12 July 2010

Too Hot! Or Not?

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 lay down particular requirements for most aspects of the working environment

Regulation 7 of these Regulations deals specifically with the temperature in indoor workplaces and states that:

During working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable.

However, the application of the regulation depends on the nature of the workplace i.e. a bakery, a cold store, an office, a warehouse.

The associated ACOP goes on to explain:

'The temperature in workrooms should provide reasonable comfort without the need for special clothing. Where such a temperature is impractical because of hot or cold processes, all reasonable steps should be taken to achieve a temperature which is as close as possible to comfortable. 'Workroom' means a room where people normally work for more than short periods.

The temperature in workrooms should normally be at least 16 degrees Celsius unless much of the work involves severe physical effort in which case the temperature should be at least 13 degrees Celsius. These temperatures may not, however, ensure reasonable comfort, depending on other factors such as air movement and relative humidity.'

Where the temperature in a workroom would otherwise be uncomfortably high, for example because of hot processes or the design of the building, all reasonable steps should be taken to achieve a reasonably comfortable temperature, for example by:

insulating hot plants or pipes;
providing air-cooling plant;
shading windows;
siting workstations away from places subject to radiant heat.
Where a reasonably comfortable temperature cannot be achieved throughout a workroom, local cooling should be provided. In extremely hot weather fans and increased ventilation may be used instead of local cooling.

Where, despite the provision of local cooling, workers are exposed to temperatures which do not give reasonable comfort, suitable protective clothing and rest facilities should be provided. Where practical there should be systems of work (for example, task rotation) to ensure that the length of time for which individual workers are exposed to uncomfortable temperatures is limited.

HSE Pledge

www.hse.gov.uk/strategy/pledge


Sign up to the Pledge
We, the undersigned:

Agree to play our part in reducing the numbers of work-related deaths, injuries and ill-health in Great Britain.
Call on employers to put health and safety at the heart of what they do and to take a common sense approach to health and safety.
Commit to debunking myths around health and safety that trivialise the impact of injuries, ill health and deaths on individuals and their families.
Recognise the importance of health and safety in difficult economic times and the dangers of complacency.
Pledge to work with the Health and Safety Executive and its partners to Be Part of the Solution.

Monday 5 July 2010

On the Up?

Construction activity continues to grow, according to new figures from the Construction Products Association and the Construction Purchasing Managers Index.

The latest Construction Activity Barometer from Ernst and Young and the Construction Products Association shows an overall score for the second quarter’s overall of 77. A figure above 50 represents an improvement in sales compared to a year earlier with below 50 representing a fall.

The score for heavy side manufacturers rose to 79 in the second quarter, the highest level since the second quarter of 2007, while light side manufacturers were also positive with a score of 66.

The majority of construction products manufacturers expect their sales to continue to rise in the third quarter, compared with the same quarter one year earlier.

Noble Francis, economics director, said: “This latest survey illustrates that the situation for the construction products industry is substantially better than it was one year ago but, with major public spending cuts looming, manufacturers fear that sales will fall sharply once again.”

Meanwhile, the Markit / CIPS Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index, which uses a similar scoring system as the Construction Products Association, posted a score of 58.4, broadly in line with the previous month’s 58.5.

But recruitment levels remained flat, as many construction companies expressed concern over the implications of public spending cuts and the VAT rise scheduled for 2011.

David Noble, chief executive officer, said: “Although the UK construction sector maintained a steady pace of growth in June, question marks loom over the sustainability of this recovery in the longer-term.

“Most tellingly, modest rises in order books did little to boost employment levels and confidence over future activity dropped. Meanwhile, curbing inflation continues to be a big issue facing firms and from our experience they are likely to be nervous about offsetting their higher costs by passing them on to clients.

“The sector is also bracing itself for another spell of troubled times following the public spending cuts and forthcoming VAT rises announced by the Government last month.”

Thursday 1 July 2010

Asbestos Information Points

1. All persons who survey asbestos should have taken a training course titled “British Occupational Hygiene Society’s Proficiency Module P402 (building surveys and bulk sampling for asbestos), this however does not deem full competence and it advises working with experience samplers for 6 months after as a minimum.


2. Organisations who are involved in the surveying of asbestos should be accredited by UKAS to ISO/IEC 17020. This will have demonstrated to the accrediting board that they operate impartially, have a robust and effective QMS and employ competent individuals etc.


3. So by having an organisation accredited to the following level duty holders can be sure that surveyors have P402.


4. There are many P402 holders who are sole-traders or work in small businesses which can’t afford to be accredited as above so the HSE introduced a scheme. The Asbetsos Building Inspectors Certificate (ABICS) this now certifies surveyors against ISO 17024.


5. There is no suggestion that UKAS and ABICS are mandatory but competence is. It just means those individuals companies outside of the accreditations will have to prove their competency that much more.

Fall in Worker Deaths (31% over last 5 years average)

The number of people killed at work in Britain fell to a record low of 151 in 2009/2010 – down from 178 the previous year, and 31 per cent lower than the average figure for the last five years.

In what could be seen as a message to the new government and its advisor Lord Young, who is currently carrying out a review of health and safety, HSE chair Judith Hackitt said the reduction means “continuing to strive to drive these numbers down further – not getting complacent about what we’ve collectively achieved, and recognising the new challenges as we emerge from the recession”.

The provisional figures cover the period between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2010 and reveal that agriculture was the most dangerous industry. It recorded a massive 52-per-cent increase in fatalities, with 38 workers losing their lives on farms last year compared with the record low of 25 deaths in 2008/09.

The National Farmers’ Union is to call for an industry coalition to address the situation. Speaking yesterday, NFU president Peter Kendall said: “The NFU notes the latest workplace fatality statistics with considerable sadness, as there is a tragic story that sits behind each one of the numbers. Any fatal accident or serious injury has a devastating impact on the families and businesses involved.

“In the coming months, we will establish an industry coalition with our partners and through a concerted effort will look to spread the health and safety message. We have already started to remind our members to take care but, as harvest gets underway, we will step this up and continue to support the HSE’s efforts to minimise farm deaths.”

The construction industry – traditionally on a par with agriculture as the most dangerous sector – saw a significant fall in the number of deaths on sites last year. A total of 41 fatal injuries was recorded, down from 52 deaths the previous year and way below the average for the last five years of 66.

Alan Ritchie, general secretary of construction union UCATT, said: “The reduction in construction deaths is good news. Yet it must never be forgotten that each death is an individual tragedy.”

Manufacturing improved also, with 24 fatalities in 2009/2010 compared with 33 the previous year. In the services sector, 42 workers died – 20 fewer than in 2008/09, and 30 fewer than the five-year average of 72. Steve Pointer, head of health and safety policy at EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, commented: “"We are encouraged that the number of fatalities in manufacturing fell to an all time low of 24. Many directors, managers, employee representatives and health and safety advisors throughout manufacturing deserve credit for their sustained hard work in difficult economic times.



"These figures are welcome but there is no room for complacency. As the industry continues to recover from recession, good, practical management of risk is even more important.”

While the HSE emphasised the contribution of “good practice, leadership and employee engagement” in the record low figures it was also pragmatic about the reasons for the improved performance, acknowledging that the recession has resulted in lower levels of activity in some sectors and a decrease in the number of new, inexperienced recruits.

The Executive would not explicitly comment on any likely effect the statistics may have on Lord Young’s ongoing review but it agreed that now is not the time to ease off the throttle. A spokesperson told SHP: “Of course this is a welcome reduction in the number of work-related deaths but the evidence on economic cycles shows that while there are fewer fatalities during recessions, as we move into recovery the injury rate will rise. We cannot be complacent – we don’t want to be talking this time next year about an increase in fatalities, so we need to be extra vigilant, not less so, for when the recovery happens.”

Alan Ritchie was more forthright, saying Lord Young’s review could lead to a weakening of safety standards. He added: “Prior to the General Election the Conservatives proposed introducing private safety audits. Once a company had obtained an audit, HSE inspectors would be barred from sites unless an emergency occurred. In construction, an emergency is likely to mean a worker being killed or maimed.
 


“The challenge for everyone concerned about safety is to ensure that the number of deaths in construction continues to be reduced as the industry recovers and activity increases. Rather than looking to reduce safety provisions the Government should be ensuring workers are safe by increasing the number of inspections and enforcement activity.”