Category Archives: News

Like other PPE, Respirator Protective Equipment (RPE) must be considered the very last option for protecting the respiratory health of workers. All risks and measures must be assessed before opting for RPE.

This option should only be considered after all other reasonably practicable measures to prevent or control exposure to damaging environments (unless temporarily whilst measures are put in place). RPE should only be used for short periods of time or infrequent exposure, such as temporary or emergency works.

If your risk assessment shows the need for RPE, it is important to note the reasons behind this decision on the risk assessment in order to consider options in the future.

RPE at work should be:

1. able to adequately control inhalation exposure to provide the wearer with effective protection
2. suitable for the intended use
3. CE-marked or of an approved type/standard approved by the HSE
4. used by properly trained people who are supervised,  and
5. properly stored, cleaned and checked regularly to ensure it remains effective

Remember to consult either a safety representative appointed through recognised trade unions or employees, either directly or indirectly via an elected representative when implementing such health and safety measures as RPE.

When completing their workplace inspections, the HSE are prioritising two particular categories of hazardous substances: carcinogens and sensitisers.  If you use or create these hazardous substances as part of your work activities then consider the following seven key actions, you will be expected to have taken.

1. Show you have identified all carcinogens and sensitisers
2. Check you have included the materials or substances produced during processing (e.g. dusts as well as those that come in a pack, can or drum).
3. Ensure your risk assessment is up-to-date.  For these substances, the risk assessments are often referred to as COSHH Assessments.
4. Describe what actions you are taking to minimise the risk – eliminate these materials by replacing them with safer alternatives.  Engineer the controls such as ventilation and dust suppression and providing the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)
5. Set out how you ensure these controls work in practice, for example, how you check the ventilation is working properly and that PPE remains effective and is worn when needed.
6. Provide information and training relating to the hazards and health effects, the use of the control measures and any specialist equipment.
7. Provide the appropriate health surveillance that is recommended (e.g. lung function testing for employees using spray isocyanate-based paints).

What is the risk?

Carcinogens are substances or materials such as mineral oils and wood dusts that have the potential to cause cancer.  Uncontrolled exposure can trigger serious harm to health.

Sensitisers (some resins, paints, bonding agents) are substances or materials that can trigger and allergic reaction.  Once people become sensitised, even minute quantities of the substance can set off a serious adverse reaction.  For example, painful rash and inflammation (skin sensitisers) or asthma-like symptoms of difficult breathing (respiratory sensitisers) Either way these effects can be so serious the persons is prevented from working with the material in the short term, but may be unable to work with them again.

A recent prosecution of a rubber sealant manufacturer resulted in the admission of failure to manage skin sensitisation risks and as a result, a £40,000 fine. 

Although only 10% of all driving is done at night, a staggering 40% of collisions occur during the hours of darkness*.

Driving conditions are remarkably different in the night time, vision is reduced and it can be more difficult to see vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. If your workers are driving at times when they would usually be asleep then they are in much greater danger of falling asleep behind the wheel.

With the clocks going back an hour at the end of this month, now is a good time to remind all your employees to take extra care.  This can be achieved by simply sending an email or forwarding this newsletter onto your colleagues, or placing it on your noticeboard. However you do it, be sure to include the following tips:

– Check head and tail lights are in good working order and are clean

– Check the main beam function is working

– Allow slightly longer times to complete your journey and factor in breaks

– Allow extra distance between you and the car in front

*Statistics from ROSPA website.

For some workers pushing and pulling is all part of a days work, but how safely is this type of work activity being carried out?  This month saw C&C involved in an investigation into a tragic crushing injury which resulted in an amputation due to the poor exection of a pushing and pulling operation.

Conducting a thorough risk assessment of any pulling and pushing activity is essential.  Building on the HSE’s Manual Handling Assessment Charts (MAC Tool), the HSE has developed the risk assessment Pulling & Pushing Tool (RAPP) INDG478.  Aimed at helping those responsible for health and safety in workplaces, the tool will help with identifying high-risk pushing and pulling operations and will check the effectiveness of any risk-reduction measures.

There are two types of pushing and pulling operations that can be assessed with it:

• moving loads on wheeled equipment, such as hand trolleys, pump trucks, carts or wheelbarrows (Section A)
• Moving loads without wheels, which might involve actions such as dragging/sliding, churning (pivoting and rolling) and rolling (Section B).

For each type of operation there is a flow chart, an assessment guide and a score sheet.
The flow charts provide an overview of the risk factors and assessment process while the assessment guides provide information to help you determine the level of risk for each factor.

Click here to access a free copy of the RAPP tool.  If you would like advice and support on using it within your workplace, don’t forget your consultant will be happy to help.

Over recent years there have been big improvements in reducing the number and rate of injuries to construction workers. What has been less recognised is that construction is a high risk industry for health issues too.

This summer sees the release of HSE’s new ‘Health in Construction – The Facts’ poster on work-related ill health amongst construction workers in Great Britain. The poster visualises the key information in an info-graphic style, allowing health and safety professionals to easily educate their workforce about the scale and consequences of poor health management in the construction industry.

Make sure you share this information with your workforce. Use it to:

• Convey the importance of good health & safety management
• Demonstrate organisational commitment to improve the current picture
• Encourage employees to take personal responsibility for their own health
• Refresh health & safety notice boards with relevant messages
• Start conversations on how you can improve things together

Employers breaking health and safety law will have to pay enforcement costs at £129 per hour, up from £124 per hour, the rate the scheme launched with in October 2012.

It comes after the HSE’s annual Report 2015/16 was published showing Fee for Intervention is costing more to run that it can recover. Income from the scheme was £14.7m in 2015/16 but the cost was £17.4m, bringing in a deficit of £2.7m.

FFI was brought in under the Health and Safety (Fees) Regulation 2012, placing a duty on the HSE to recover their costs for enforcing health and safety laws from offending companies. Those companies seeking to meet their health and safety duties and being able to demonstrate their commitment will have little concern over this increase, however for those that ignore their duties the cost of doing so and being caught could now be even greater.

C&C Consulting are here to assist you in developing and meeting your duties in health and safety law, and can provide a positive approach to avoiding the costs of FFI. Contact your consultant if you would like to know more.

A school in Brentwood pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations after a worker was injured as he fell from a roof. A 63 year old employee was working on the roof of the bay window when his foot got caught and he fell approximately 2.6 metres to the ground below. He was taken to hospital and suffered injuries including a broken collarbone and chipped vertebrae. To read the full story you can access the link here.

C&C Training our sister company run a Working at Height course including the Safe Use of Steps and Ladders, which includes safe use of equipment and how to identify the root cause of accidents. For details on the course click on working at height. If you need advice on how to minimise working at height accidents, then please contact our Health and Safety consultancy team.

A revised British standard on the safe use of construction hoists to transfer people and materials between different levels on construction sites has been issued by BSI, the British Standards Institution.

BS 7212 has been updated to reflect developments to industry and HSE guidance on the use of hoists since the previous version was issued in 2006. It includes additional and expanded requirements for the maintenance, inspection and thorough examination of hoists, and the training and competence of hoist installers and operators has also been expanded.

It can be purchased by clicking here.

The image of two children crossing the road has been updated and re-drawn and will start appearing on roads over the next year. The designer claims the new-look sign is a radical change from the original, but many drivers will be hard pushed to notice the differences.

Look closely though and you will see several changes including a new, modern bobbed hairstyle for the girl, more defined hands and a more natural join between boy and girl.