A residential property management company and a specialist installation contractor have been fined after a resident raised concerns about soffit replacement work carried out on the guttering of three blocks of flats in London.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told that in July 2016, Squaredeal UPVC & Renewables Limited of Rustington, West Sussex (‘Squaredeal) had been contracted by Wildheart Residential Management Limited of Ewell, Epsom, Surrey (‘Wildheart’) to replace the soffits on the blocks in a housing estate at Sutton Grove, in Sutton, London.

The HSE’s investigation found that Wildheart instructed Squaredeal to carry out the work, but failed to check whether the soffits contained asbestos. Squaredeal had the soffits analysed and became aware they contained asbestos but started to remove the soffits without adequate precautions to ensure workers and residents were protected.

Squaredeal UPVC & Renewables Limited was fined £18,500, with costs of £5,607.90 after pleading guilty to offences under Regulations 5, 8(1) and 11(1) of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

Wildheart Residential Management Limited was fined £8,000, and ordered to pay £3,000 in costs after pleading guilty to an offence under Regulation 4(3) of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

HSE Inspector Fu Lee commented after the hearing:

“The work risked not only the workers, but also the residents of the flats being exposed to disturbed asbestos. Exposure to asbestos can lead to a number of diseases, including asbestosis or fibrosis (scarring) of the lungs; lung cancer and mesothelioma. These diseases are irreversible, disabling and in most cases eventually fatal.

“The latest statistics show that asbestos related disease cause approximately 3,000 deaths a year. All asbestos-related diseases typically take many years to develop after exposure.

“This incident could have been avoided if the companies had taken appropriate action to identify the type of asbestos and engage an appropriately qualified contractor to carry out the work safely.”

Asbestos Awareness online

• Venue: Online
• Course code: OLAA
• Course duration: 1 – 2 hours
• Course Audience: All levels of employees who may undertake or plan work that may be carried out in buildings and premises. This will also be beneficial for personnel responsible for the management of buildings and premises.
• Instructor student ratio: N/A

Course Aim

This course is specifically designed to help organisations and individuals meet their legal obligation to train employees whose work could lead to exposure to asbestos containing materials (ACMs). The regulations require that employers must ensure employees have undergone suitable asbestos awareness training so that they are aware of the potential dangers they may face and the procedures they must follow regarding ACMs.

Nearly one in four British construction workers believe they have been exposed to asbestos fibres, according to the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

The survey, published yesterday by IOSH to coincide with the launch of its latest No Time To Lose occupational cancer campaign, revealed nearly a quarter (23%) of building workers believe they have been exposed to the toxic material.

Asbestos risks

The survey also found 59% of workers said they have been informed about the risks of working with asbestos, and this been reinforced regularly with training, although 15% said they have never been informed.

Around a third of construction workers have never checked the asbestos register before starting work on a new site.

And just under one in five (18%) said if they found asbestos they would be unsure or have no idea of what to do.

Asbestos exposure – unacceptable

The president of IOSH, Craig Foyle, said the survey results, published on 9 April, show that not enough is being done to protect construction workers.

“Asbestos is banned in the UK and other countries for a good reason: it is dangers. It is staggering to see how many people die from exposure to asbestos every year,” said Mr Foyle.

“It is unacceptable, therefore, for anyone in any workplace to be exposed to asbestos. Clearly, though, people are being exposed to it. In the decades to come, it is likely that these people and their families will still be suffering unless we all do something about it.

“We are calling on everyone, including employers, do to the right thing; to protect the people who work for them. IOSH has an array of resources designed to assist employers to put measures in place, which protect their workforce.”

Deeply worrying

The chair of the UK’s Industrial Injuries Advisory Council, Dr Lesley Rushton, added:

"What these new survey results confirm is that, while people have heard of asbestos and know what the effects of being exposed to it are, they’re not sure how to check if it’s present and they may now know what to do if they find asbestos.

“Uncertainty and ignorance surrounding how to prevent workers from breathing in the fibres is deeply worrying.”

Asbestos Awareness online

• Venue: Online
• Course code: OLAA
• Course duration: 1 – 2 hours
• Course Audience: All levels of employees who may undertake or plan work that may be carried out in buildings and premises. This will also be beneficial for personnel responsible for the management of buildings and premises.
• Instructor student ratio: N/A

Course Aim

This course is specifically designed to help organisations and individuals meet their legal obligation to train employees whose work could lead to exposure to asbestos containing materials (ACMs). The regulations require that employers must ensure employees have undergone suitable asbestos awareness training so that they are aware of the potential dangers they may face and the procedures they must follow regarding ACMs.

A specialist asbestos company has been fined after failing to detect asbestos at a demolition site.

EAS Asbestos Limited was commissioned to conduct refurbishment and demolition surveys by Mercer Brother Limited, a construction company who were contracted to demolish garages for Hyndburn Homes. EAS Asbestos stated in their surveys that asbestos was only present in the cement roof sheets, that there were no areas that could not be accessed, and that there was no asbestos insulation board present in the garages.

On 1 February 2017, the demolition of the garages went ahead but work was immediately stopped when suspect material was found. Another surveying company was brought in and confirmed the presence of large amounts of asbestos insulation board in the demolition rubble.

The HSE’s investigation found that the survey carried out by EAS Asbestos Limited was incorrect and misleading.

At Greater Manchester Magistrates’ Court, EAS Asbestos Limited of Lower Meadow Lane, Huthwaite, Sutton in Ashfield, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The company was fined £6,700 and ordered to pay costs of £1,000 and a victim surcharge of £170.

Speaking after the case, HSE inspector Jacqueline Western said:

“This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices.

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

Asbestos Awareness online

• Venue: Online
• Course code: OLAA
• Course duration: 1 – 2 hours
• Course Audience: All levels of employees who may undertake or plan work that may be carried out in buildings and premises. This will also be beneficial for personnel responsible for the management of buildings and premises.
• Instructor student ratio: N/A

Course Aim

This course is specifically designed to help organisations and individuals meet their legal obligation to train employees whose work could lead to exposure to asbestos containing materials (ACMs). The regulations require that employers must ensure employees have undergone suitable asbestos awareness training so that they are aware of the potential dangers they may face and the procedures they must follow regarding ACMs.

The 14th Annual Global Asbestos Awareness Week (GAAW) has come as a timely reminder that action must be taken to remove toxic materials from many buildings, including schools.

The GAAW event, which is organised by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organisation (ADAO, aims to prove it is still biggest occupational cancer killer in the world and around 5,000 people die every year from work-related asbestos exposure in the UK alone.

Only last month, asbestos hit the national headlines again in the UK after the influential public accounts parliamentary committee warned asbestos is still a “significant” and “potentially dangerous” problem in many schools in a report on academy trusts.

Lack of information in Government

The committee also reiterated comments it made last year that the Government does not have enough information about the extent of the problem.

“In April 2017, we found that the Department [for Education] did not have a complete picture of the extent of asbestos in school buildings,” the report states.

“The Department’s first property data survey did not assess the extent of asbestos. Only a quarter of schools responded to its second survey, in 2016, which aimed to collect data on this issue.

“The Department’s latest property data survey is currently taking place and will provide more information on the presence and management of asbestos.”

Majority of schools do contain asbestos

Sophie Ward, a policy officer from the National Education Union (NEU), which is part of the Joint Union Asbestos Committee (JUAC) told SHP Online that around 86% of schools in England contain some form of asbestos.

“Blue and brown asbestos were banned in the 1980s, but white asbestos was only banned in 1999, so any school that was built before the year 2000 could contain asbestos,” said Ms Ward.

“The problem is that in many cases the asbestos is decades old and in a deteriorating condition and when asbestos is in a poor condition, it’s more likely to release asbestos fibres.

Risk for children and teachers

“It’s particularly concerning for pupils,” she added. “The condition that is associated with asbestos exposure is called Mesothelioma, and it’s a cancer of the lung and stomach lining. It is wholly associated with asbestos exposure and it’s fatal. It also has a very long latency period of between 10 and 50 years. The younger you are when you are exposed to asbestos, the more at risk you are of developing Mesothelioma in later life.

“If a child is exposed at the age of five, they have five times greater risk than an adult exposed at the age of 30. The epidemiologist Professor Julian Peto has estimated that every year between 200 to 300 adults die because they were exposed to asbestos at school.”

In terms of school staff, Ms Ward said HSE records show the number of teachers dying from Mesothelioma is increasing. In 1980, she said it was average of three a year, but now it’s an average of 18.

Action needed

“The first thing the government needs to do is undertake a full audit of all schools and colleges, ascertaining the location and condition of asbestos, so it has the full picture of the scale of the problem,” said Ms Ward.

“The Government then needs to use that information to start the removal of all asbestos in school, and prioritise which schools have asbestos in the most dangerous conditions.”

She added the JUAC would also like to see the HSE reclassify schools, which are currently rated as low risk and reinstate proactive inspections, looking at asbestos.

Asbestos management in Multi Academy Trusts

New figures released this week from the JUAC in conjunction with the campaigner Lucie Stephens and the MP Rachel Reeves, who chairs the Asbestos in Schools Group, have also revealed the disparity in asbestos management across Multi Academy Trusts (MATs) and reinforce the need for the Government to take urgent action.

The data, gathered via Freedom of Information requests, included 54 reported asbestos exposure incidents in academies, including:

Asbestos identified in the ceiling of the IT suite;

Removal of toilets in the children’s centre disturbed suspected asbestos;

Asbestos found when digging out new car park

And despite the many exposure incidents reported, the JUAC said the HSE had only taken enforcement action in five MATs.

The group also warned that despite it being a legal requirement, some MATs did not have asbestos management plans for their academies, and many were not auditing the plans on a routine basis.

Some MATs were unable to gather information about PFI schools – highlighting the lack of accountability in such arrangements.

Unaware

“These latest findings show that many schools are unaware of the risk or the extent of asbestos in our schools.

“The Government needs to come up with a clear strategy to ensure any potential exposure to asbestos is minimised and that staff and pupils are kept safe. Parents and teachers have been left in the dark for too long about the extent of the problem. Labour committed to a phased removal of asbestos in schools in our 2017 manifesto. How many more teachers and pupils’ lives have to be put in jeopardy before the Government commits to tackling this ticking time bomb?”

No Time To Lose

This year’s GAAW event also joined forces with the No Time to Lose campaign, which is run by the Institution of Occupational and Safety Health (IOSH) to raise awareness of work-related cancers.

“The campaign began in November 2014 and has tackled some of the leading causes of occupational cancer,” said IOSH public relations manager, Simon Butt-Bethlendy.

“IOSH began with particulate matter in diesel exhaust fumes, then tackled solar radiation exposure, and next focused on respirable crystalline silica dust

“No Time to Lose – working together to tackle asbestos -related cancer will be the fourth and largest phase of our campaign. We’re really pleased to be joining forces with Linda and ADAO to draw more attention to Global Asbestos Awareness Week as we prepare for our own asbestos campaign launch.

“IOSH and its supporters have developed practical, useable, engaging and free resources to help managers and workers understand and respond to occupational cancer threats.

“Our new asbestos resources are looking really good and we look forward to making these available to ADAO supporters very soon.”

IOSH’s No Time To Lose campaign will be launched on 9 April.

Asbestos Awareness online

• Venue: Online
• Course code: OLAA
• Course duration: 1 – 2 hours
• Course Audience: All levels of employees who may undertake or plan work that may be carried out in buildings and premises. This will also be beneficial for personnel responsible for the management of buildings and premises.
• Instructor student ratio: N/A

Course Aim

This course is specifically designed to help organisations and individuals meet their legal obligation to train employees whose work could lead to exposure to asbestos containing materials (ACMs). The regulations require that employers must ensure employees have undergone suitable asbestos awareness training so that they are aware of the potential dangers they may face and the procedures they must follow regarding ACMs.

Fire and rescue services (FRS) attended 566,572 incidents in the year ending September 2017 –  a 3% year-on-year increase – according to the latest Home Office statistics.

The numbers also revealed that of all incidents attended by FRS in that time frame, fires accounted for 30% and non-fire incidents for 31% The remaining 39% were triggered by fire false alarms, the most common reason for callouts.

In light of these figures, Bull Products, a manufacturer of life-saving fire protection equipment, has shared four vital steps a business can take to protect itself and building occupants from a fire:

Understand

In every workplace, the owner or employer has a legal responsibility to carry out a fire-risk assessment – this includes identifying and understanding the risks involved.

According to HSE, these five steps should be carried out:

• Identify the hazards
• Decide who might be harmed and how
• Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions
• Record significant findings
• Review the assessment and update where necessary
• Prevent

Although a fire cannot be completely prevented, there are several actions a business can take to minimise the risk of fire breaking out:

• Keep areas free of clutter, like paper, that could easily catch fire or prevent access to exits and emergency equipment
• Ensure electrical appliances are switched off and plugs are removed before leaving the building
• Ensure electrical appliances are safe to use by carrying out regular PAT tests
• Replace frayed power cords and ensure cord protectors are used
• Don’t block exits or fire doors with boxes – ensure these are kept clear at all times
• Store hazardous materials safely and make sure these are clearly marked

Prepare

Initial and refresher fire training will ensure workers are prepared in the event of a fire and know what actions to take so that safety remains a top priority.

Frequent drills and review procedures will allow workers to familiarise themselves with the fire safety equipment on site and feel confident when using the equipment.

Tackle

To protect employees, reliable fire alarms are crucial in alerting people of the danger and saving lives in the event of a fire. It’s important that buildings have fire alarms located in the correct places, and the right type of alarm depending on the building or site.

Additionally, fire extinguishers ensure emergency fire responders are able to swiftly select the type of extinguisher required to tackle a blaze. It’s also important to ensure fire extinguishers are placed in the correct areas such as corridors, stairways, and landings, so they are highly visible to those following an escape route.

Fire Safety Courses

Fire Safety Awareness – online

Course Aim:

To help all levels of employees meet the requirements of the ‘Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order’ by following the published best practice guidance provided.

FM02 Fire Extinguisher

Course Aim:

This course is suitable for people who need to have an awareness of fire procedures but will not be involved in their planning or arrangement. They will understand what to do in the event of a fire and be able to use basic portable fire fighting equipment. The Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order often referred to as ‘The Order’ and other regulations require employers to take certain actions. These include a risk assessment, appointment of competent persons and fire safety arrangements.

FM01 Fire Marshal/Warden

Course Aim:

The course is suitable for people who have or are going to be appointed as a Fire Marshal/Warden It would also be suitable for those who act in a supervisory or management role and need to be aware of their responsibilities in relation to fire safety arrangements. These include a risk assessment, appointment of competent persons, fire safety arrangements and identifying individuals to act as Fire Marshals/Fire Wardens

Over the last two years, 5.5 million working days have been lost due to non-fatal workplace injuries. Even though construction site safety has improved over the years, it clearly remains a critical challenge for the industry.

Bradley Markham, director of Bull Products, a manufacturer of life-saving fire protection equipment, shares the three vital steps that health and safety professionals should take to ensure a safer working environment.

Step one –

Carry out a thorough risk assessment

For every project, it is imperative to identify all the risks involved ahead of the work that is being carried out. Conducting a full risk assessment will ensure all employees involved are aware of any hazards that may pose a risk to workers.

Here are some things to consider during the assessment:

• The layout and size of the workplace.
• The type of work that will be carried out and how long the job will take.
• The number of people and plant on the work site.
• The conditions of work, i.e. are there sloping surfaces, will it rain or flood? Are there any electrical hazards or potential falling materials?
• How easy is it to access equipment from where the work will take place?
• Are the risks clearly marked to ensure injury is avoided?

Step two –

Ensure the right products are located on site

Following the risk assessment, it will become much clearer on exactly which products your site requires to ensure maximum site safety and best practice. From fire extinguishers to alarm systems, through to first aid equipment and spill kits, having the right equipment could mean the difference between life and death.

Fire extinguishers are one of the most important products to have on site. If you’re unsure of which fire extinguisher to have on site, you’re not alone. A recent survey carried out by our team revealed that more than 38% of workers are using the wrong type of fire extinguisher on an electrical fire, while more than 10% would use a foam extinguisher to put out an electrical fire. However, Bull’s mission is to help you ensure your site is compliant.

Remember the extinguishers should be appropriate to the nature of the potential fire:

• Wood, paper and cloth – water extinguisher
• Flammable liquids – dry powder and foam extinguisher
• Electrical – carbon dioxide (C02) extinguisher

The list of safety products your site may require are endless but each one will prove vital when it matters the most.

Step three –

Train your staff to maximise safety

Workers should play a large part in managing health and safety risks. Therefore, training your staff is fundamental so that accidents and injuries are avoided.

As a guide, each employee should be familiar with the following:

• The site evacuation procedure including the nearest exists made clear by signage.
• Risks associated with the employee’s working environment and main duties.
• Location of the fire protection and first aid equipment.
• How to use the specific equipment and how to ensure proper use.
• A point of contact should an emergency occur.
• How to report hazards and what risks to look out for.
• These three simple steps are the foundation to building a safer working environment.

Training at Total Access (UK)

Our goal is to get every single person home safe to their families. We do that by offering excellent training courses that will keep you safe whilst completing your day at work. 

Our courses include;

• Working at height training
• Confined space training
• Management training
• Health and safety training
• Respiratory training
• New road and street works training

Book your place on a course online today!

Article from – shponline

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) has launched the 14th Annual Global Asbestos Awareness Week (GAAW), which runs until April 7.

The week-long event is dedicated to awareness and prevention, with each day featuring educational resources from various organizations in six different languages. The week culminates on April 7 with an online, worldwide candlelight vigil.

Global Asbestos Awareness Week 2018

Building on the issues of strength and collaboration, this year’s Global Asbestos Awareness Week will focus on:

• Banning the mining, manufacturing, and use of asbestos
• Preventing asbestos exposure
• Increasing compliance and enforcement of existing laws and regulations
• Strengthening international partnerships

This year, the event will feature a 30-second animated YouTube video, entitled “Asbestos: The Killer You Can’t See,” that captures the tragic reality about deadly asbestos.

Through hand-drawn animation by Chocolate Moose Media (CMM), the video reveals how a young girl loses her father to asbestos, highlighting the insidious and nearly invisible fibres.

Video: Asbestos Awareness PSA: The Killer You Can't See (Multiple Languages)

Click to see the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC3nK10Ic58

“We are excited to bring our educational messages to an even wider audience by collaborating again with McOnie, an award winning U.K. based public relations firm, who are expanding our ability to distribute our messages globally,” said Linda Reinstein, mesothelioma widow and ADAO co-founder.

“The simple truth is asbestos kills and prevention remains the only cure. Asbestos-caused diseases like mesothelioma can take years, even decades, to kill, but the hidden risk of asbestos fibres only takes a few heartbeats to tell.”

Asbestos statistics

Asbestos is the biggest occupational cancer killer in the world and around 5,000 people die every year from work-related asbestos exposure in the UK alone.

More than 60 countries, including the UK and the rest of the European Union have banned its use and have laws in place to protect workers and others who may be exposed from it.

But asbestos is still used and imported into many countries and there are still thousands of tonnes of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) in many buildings.

The Institution of Occupational and Safety Health (IOSH) will be launching the asbestos phase of its No Time To Lose campaign next week, on April 9.

IOSH are also organising a “thunder clap” on social media to raise awareness of the issue. Take part in the “thunder clap” here.

For more information, visit www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org

Article by – shponline

Asbestos Awareness online

• Venue: Online
• Course code: OLAA
• Course duration: 1 – 2 hours
• Course Audience: All levels of employees who may undertake or plan work that may be carried out in buildings and premises. This will also be beneficial for personnel responsible for the management of buildings and premises.
• Instructor student ratio: N/A

Course Aim
This course is specifically designed to help organisations and individuals meet their legal obligation to train employees whose work could lead to exposure to asbestos containing materials (ACMs). The regulations require that employers must ensure employees have undergone suitable asbestos awareness training so that they are aware of the potential dangers they may face and the procedures they must follow regarding ACMs.
 

Quainton Logistics & Storage Ltd has been fined for putting workers at risk and for allowing conditions on site to fall well below the expected standard.

Liverpool Magistrates’ Court was told how, on 4 May 2016, operatives were smashing asbestos roof sheets with crow bars to remove them from a derelict warehouse in Bootle, Merseyside. In addition to the risk of asbestos exposure, workers were at risk of falling into open service pits as no edge protection or fall restraint equipment was in place. Workers were not provided with PPE and there were no toilet or washing provisions on site.

Broken asbestos sheets

On site, operating a Mobile Elevated Work Platform (MEWP) and fork lift truck, were three operatives all of whom were foreign nationals and only one spoke English.  In another area of the building, a MEWP was parked next to the open pits, only around one metre from the edge. The MEWPS and fork lift truck were in very poor condition, covered in broken asbestos cement sheets.

The HSE’s investigation found that Quainton Logistics & Storage Ltd failed to put measures in place to manage the work or to ensure the health and safety of operatives. The company also failed to implement safe systems of work or correct procedures for removing asbestos material.

Quainton Logistics & Storage Limited, of Turnall Road, Widnes, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Regulations 15(2) and 28(6) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.  The company was fined £14,000 and ordered to pay costs of £ 6,870.44.

HSE inspector Jacqueline Western said after the hearing:

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

Fall Protection

With falls being among the most common cause of serious injury in the work place fall protection is so important. The Total Access (UK) Limited Fall Protection Department offers a nationwide service specialising in the design and installation of high level access solutions to facilitate the safe and efficient working environment of roof maintenance, on scaffolding, abseil cleaning and other high level tasks.
See more about our Fall Protection Services here

MEWP

IPAF Training will teach awareness of different types of MEWP's. The purpose of this course is to enable operators to manoeuvre, drive and position the Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) safely and proficiently. The course can be undertaken on scissor lifts, boom lifts, truck mounted or trailer mounted platforms.
Learn about our IPAF training course & book here

Tesco has been ordered to pay more than £125,000 for health and safety breaches after an employee suffered chemical burns.

Chelmsford Magistrates Court was told that an employee at the Highwoods Tesco Extra store in Colchester had received burns during an incident on 5 May 2016.  The employee was using a corrosive cleaning product to clean an oven when it sprayed back into his face, causing burns to the left eye and eyelid.

At the time, the employee was not wearing any personal protective equipment, such as goggles or gloves.

The Court heard that the employee had difficulties in understanding and following both written and verbal instructions, which the manager was aware of.

An accident report was filed after the incident and was investigated by Colchester Borough Council’s health and safety officer. On visiting, the officer found a partially-used container of the product, which was marked ‘corrosive’.

Safety goggles were available, but were dirty and inadequately stored and health and safety improvement notices were served by the officer and a prosecution was brought.

Tesco pleaded guilty to breaching s 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act and regs 6 and 7 of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations.

It was fined £116,000 and ordered to pay £10,625 costs.

Tina Bourne, portfolio holder for housing and communities, said:

“Whether your business is big or small, if you fail to meet your duties to protect your employees under health and safety legislation, you run the risk of ending up in court.

“Our role is to protect everyone at the workplace by ensuring that regulations are followed and we are now satisfied that the Tesco Extra store in Highwoods has made improvements and are no longer using the chemical and have reviewed their COSHH assessments.

“I am pleased that this prosecution was successful and I hope that the example prevents other incidents from taking place.”

HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES – ONLINE

Course Aim:

Raise the awareness of employers and employees to the hazards associated with the presence and use of chemicals and hazardous substances and the actions that are necessary to control the risks.

Health and safety may not be a favourite topic of conversation in a builders merchant. Once a negative perception of health and safety becomes embedded among your workforce, it is not easy to shake it off.

But amid a climate of changing legislation, ‘new’ sentencing guidelines, and the ongoing uncertainty of Brexit, it is more important than ever that managers and merchant owners find a way to bring their entire staff in line with the latest safety procedures for merchants.

How do you change attitudes towards health and safety in your workplace?

It’s not easy to change attitudes towards health and safety, particularly on sites where there has been a history of cutting corners by avoiding safe working practices. However, for merchant owners and senior managers, the stakes could not be higher.

More and more builders merchants are subject to Environmental Health Officer ‘topic inspections’, tasked by the HSE to reduce accident statistics, and fines are being levied even in cases where an injury or accident has not yet occurred. In 2016 alone, the top twenty health and safety infractions amounted to more than £38.5m in fines. In fact, the average fine has risen by a massive 148 per cent, thanks to the ‘new’ sentencing guidelines taking a tough approach and fining merchants proportional to turnover.

Health and safety wins are rarely quick and easy, but embracing a health and safety culture can help to future-proof an organisation. But before any new action is taken to change attitudes towards builders merchants safety, you can expect to encounter a few challenges.

• An unwillingness to change attitudes: One of the chief challenges for managers can be convincing boots-on-the ground workers to adapt to new working practices, especially if there is a history of ‘this is how things have always been done’.
• Poor understanding of time requirements: Generating a robust safety culture will be time intensive for management.
• No useful action taken: Anyone can pay lip service to health and safety, but unless you try to steer genuine useful practical improvements in working practices then employees will not engage and no effective cultural change will be achieved.

Eight ways to tackle health and safety attitudes right now

There are a few things that every business owner can do right now to encourage a change in the safety culture of your merchant

1. Management lead by example: This could be as simple as consistently wearing high-visibility clothing, safety boots, or stopping mobile phone use while in the yard.
2. Consulting staff:  Managers should consult with employees to learn more about their tasks and any concerns that they may have about new or emerging risks on site.  Listening to staff to understand their job and the pressures they face may help in formulating safety improvements that are practical to implement.
3. Aim for consistency: A consistent approach to health and safety will help to reinforce positive behaviour. Start by securing a clear commitment from management before encouraging all staff to invest in safety in some small way on a daily basis.
4. Staff training: In order for staff to value their training it shouldn’t just be treated as a ‘tick box exercise’. Carrying out periodical refresher sessions can help ensure that bad habits are eliminated and best practice sticks. Focus particularly on higher risk work activities or areas where there is a higher turnover of staff.
5. Commit to fairness: Any health and safety policies need to be sensible and proportionate, and should never be perceived as a cover for cost-cutting, or validating unpopular policies. As HSE chairman Jonathan Rees said: “health and safety is not about long forms, back-covering or stifling initiative. It’s about recognising real risks, tackling them in a balanced way and watching out for each other. It’s about keeping people safe, not stopping their lives”.
6. Follow through: Any missed steps can potentially be catastrophic, and this is a particular concern when it comes to safety equipment. Managers need to make sure that any safety equipment or personal protective equipment is fit for purpose. A recent TUC report found that 29 per cent of women found their safety equipment to be poor fitting and uncomfortable – raising the risk of injury as a result. Management need to be open to change and prepared to enforce change fairly when confronted with an attitude of ‘we’ve always done it this way’ even through disciplinary procedures if need be.
7. Commit to genuine results and progress: All too often the role of ‘H&S Manager’ is allocated to a manager just to tick a box and ease the burden on the Managing Director without providing adequate training, a budget or necessary support for that role. Training managers for the roles they are given empowers them to build their competence, and helps your organisation avoid the price of accidents in terms of injury, fines, and reputational cost. It is also important to learn from accidents, near misses and safety performance indicators to bring about continual improvement.
8. Take a proactive approach: It is no longer viable to simply react to accidents as and when they occur. Taking a proactive approach can actually benefit your business, as you will save time and money in the long term and reinforce your company’s health and safety culture.

Article by SHPonline