Arco Professional Safety Services has this week joined TikTok and Instagram

Followers can expect to see expert safety insights, product showcases, in-office challenges, exclusive looks behind the scenes, and much more.

The move into new social media channels is part of Arco’s continuing efforts to engage with customers across a wide range of platforms and reach its customers wherever they are.

The coming weeks will also see the launch of the Arco video podcast, featuring conversations with a varied line-up of guests, who will offer their perspectives on key topics in the world of safety.

Follow Arco Professional Safety Services on the social media channels below:

• TikTok
• Instagram
• Facebook
• X (formerly Twitter)
• YouTube
• LinkedIn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Arco Colleagues Receive Medal Honours for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Three colleagues from Arco Professional Safety Services, Mike Clayton, Bartek Biela and Rob Messenger, are being awarded the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in recognition of their life-saving voluntary work with Midland Cave Rescue Organisation, and the Staffordshire Search & Rescue Team of Lowland Search & Rescue, respectively.

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal is a recognition of exemplary service by members in frontline emergency roles, prison services and the Armed Forces with at least five full years of voluntary service. The three colleagues have utilised their expertise in the safety sector to support emergency services in life-threatening situations in some of the country’s most inhospitable environments, including the longest cave rescue in Welsh history last year.

Within Arco, Mike is an Equipment Department Manager and is responsible for the selection, procurement and delivery of the equipment in Arco’s Professional Safety Services business. Externally, Mike is the Chairman of Midlands Cave Rescue Organisation and the National Equipment Officer for the British Cave Rescue Council.

Mike commented: “I am proud to receive this medal as recognition for all the voluntary work undertaken over the past five years. No one volunteers for cave rescue for reward or honours but to be there to help others in difficulty, however, these acknowledgements are a bonus.”

Bartek, a Training Instructor at Arco Professional Safety Services, teaches a wide range of practical work at height and rescue courses as well as the IOSH accredited Work at Height for Managers and Personal Fall Protection Inspection courses. As an avid member of numerus caving clubs in the past, coupled with his expertise in the safety industry, Bartek understands the importance of rescue provisions for outdoor activities which guided his decision to become a Team Leader at Midlands Cave Rescue Organisation.

Bartek said: “It is a privilege and a great honour to receive the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal. When joining the organisation, I never expected any recognition or rewards as we are only there to help when this is most needed.”

Rob, a Work at Height and Confined Space Instructor at Arco, has been involved in several major incidents, large scale missing person searches and operations to provide lifesaving first aid to injured hikers. As a Team Leader of Lowland Search and Rescue Team, Rob is tasked with operational command and control as well as legal compliance with the regulations set by the Charities Commission.

At Arco, Rob delivers comprehensive work at height safety and rescue courses, confined space courses and first aid training as well as bespoke rescue from height training.

On being nominated for his Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal, Rob explained: “I feel honoured to be recognised amongst the men and women of the emergency services. People don’t volunteer because they have the time, they volunteer because they care.”

David Evison, Managing Director at Arco, said: “We’re incredibly proud that Mike, Bartek and Rob have been recognised for their excellent voluntary work over the last five years. They have each made a difference in their commitment to help keep people safe in inhospitable environments.

“As experts in safety, Arco, as a business, encourages its colleagues to share their knowledge and expertise in the communities we serve, including through volunteer work.”

 

 

Business advice following Health & Safety Executive (HSE) update on woodwork safety

UK’S LEADING SAFETY COMPANY ARCO SHARES EXPERT ADVICE FOLLOWING HEALTH & SAFETY EXECUTIVE (HSE) REVISIONS TO WOODWORKING SAFETY

From April 2022, woodworking businesses across the UK will be visited by HSE inspectors to ensure duty holders know the risks associated with woodworking and to inspect whether effective controls are in place to protect workers’ respiratory health.

To help businesses prepare, Arco, the UK’s leading safety company, is sharing expert advice, ahead of the Health and Safety Executive’s updates, to support employers with people involved in wood working.  

In January 2020, the HSE introduced new and revised workplace exposure limit guidance for 13 substances, including wood dust. Wood dust is a hazardous substance and inhaling the fine particles can develop into respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and occupational asthmas. Settled dust contains the fine particles that are most likely to damage the lungs and hardwood dusts, such as oak, western red cedar and iroko, are carcinogens that can cause sinonasal cancer. 

In addition to the respiratory threat posed by wood dust, it is also a fire or explosion hazard. Unconfined wood dust can ignite and spread flames across a cloud in the air, while wood dust that is contained can build up pressure when ignited and lead to destructive explosions.

The serious health and safety threats demonstrate the essential need for appropriate controls and protective measures for woodworking environments. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) guidelines sets out the legal requirements for organisations to protect their workers’ health from hazardous substances. Due to the health risks, wood dust is covered by COSHH and thus risk aversion controls are a legal requirement.

Kevin Williams, Respiratory Team Manager at Arco Professional Safety Services at Arco said: “The risk from wood dust should be minimised, ideally by using methods that do not generate wood dust or by removing it at source. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be issued as a last line of defence once all other control measures are in place.

“The HSE will expect to see a clear education and understanding of the control measures put in place by employers to protect workers from harm. It is also a legal requirement for all employees to receive appropriate training and supervision for any related equipment to ensure safety standards are implemented accordingly.

“Workers should also be encouraged to be involved in health and safety as they are often the best people to understand the risks and help find solutions.

“Through worker involvement you can act together to reduce accidents and ill health within the workplace, by paying attention to layout, worker movement and keeping workshops and storage areas tidy.”

Learn more about how you can make sure your workplace is safe and compliant by reading Arco’s expert guidance: www.arco.co.uk/expert-advice/respiratory-protection/hazards/wood-dust

 

 

A Change to Pricing

 

Hello

We would like to inform you of a change to pricing.

During 2021 we saw an unprecedented increase in costs which are now being compounded by an unparalleled escalation in energy prices and a cross-industry surge in labour costs.

Whilst we continue to operate in an inflationary environment, we regrettably need to implement an increase to our prices.  Increases will vary by service and product depending upon the specific associated cost pressures.  These prices will come into effect on the 1st April 2022.

We remain committed to providing you with the best possible value.  Please be assured that we do everything we can to avoid price increases and have investigated all possible alternatives to mitigate the impact of these inflationary pressures.

We are dedicated to providing the highest quality product and services, underpinned by the best technical support to help keep you and your teams safe.

If you have any questions, please call us on 0330 390 0822 or email info@arcoservices.co.uk

We would like to thank you for your continued support and understanding. 

Yours sincerely

Jamie Sadler

Commercial Director

Arco Professional Safety Services Launches New Online Awareness-based Training with New System

Arco Professional Safety Services, the UK’s leading safety training company, has launched a new Learning Management System (LMS), offering over 50 e-learning awareness courses with the ability for customers to self-serve their health and safety training requirements. These courses, which can be completed remotely, are designed to provide a basic understanding of the various hazards that may be found in the workplace and are an ideal starting point to further, more in-depth training.

All employers have a legal obligation to ensure their employees are appropriately trained for the job they do. The Arco LMS offers a wider variety of training courses beyond the experiential training and classroom learning available at their training facilities, enabling more opportunity to implement training programmes for their workforce. Starting from just £20, courses available through the LMS platform include asbestos awareness, control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH), emergency first aid at work refresher (EFAW), fire awareness, manual handling and risk assessment. Employers can review the e-learning courses available and select those most appropriate to their needs, efficiently and cost-effectively.

The system allows employers to create, view and manage appropriate training programmes suitable for specific individuals, roles or companies. This training can also be linked to a comprehensive offering including bespoke learning modules, videos, documentation, course booking options for assessing or practical application of knowledge and assessments, which can be set up by the Arco Professional Safety Services training team. View the elearning courses available at https://academy.arcoservices.co.uk/learn or contact us to arrange a bespoke training package.   

Arco’s specialist instructors have a wealth of industry experience and can provide businesses with the most relevant training to help keep workers safe. Offering a wide range of courses, Arco Professional Safety Services cover training for the below disciplines, alongside the LMS system:

• Working at Height
• Confined Spaces
• Respiratory
• Health and Safety

Brian Grunes, Training Manager says: “We have a core purpose to help keep people safe at work and have developed this new Learning Management System to make it easy for business to choose, book and deliver the most appropriate awareness-based training courses for their employees. From Fire Awareness to First Aid and Ladder Safety, our comprehensive e-learning course offering is brought together in one, simple to use, online resource to help businesses maintain a safe working environment for everyone.”

Arco Experts Support Longest Cave Rescue in Welsh History

In November 2021, nearly 300 people united to help rescue a man from the Ogof Ffynnon Ddu cave system near Penwyllt, Powys. The caver had fallen, leaving him trapped underground with severe injuries and at the centre of a rescue mission taking three gruelling days. Arco Professional Safety Service’s Equipment Department Manager, Mike Clayton, and Working at Height Training Department Instructor, Bartek Biela, were part of the rescue team as members of the Midlands Cave Rescue Organisation (MCRO).

MCRO is formed from local cavers and mine explorers who voluntarily assist others who may be lost or injured in the caves and mines of the West Midlands, Shropshire and beyond. Team members can be called day or night and undertake training in all aspects of the technical and medical requirements of underground search and rescue. In the case of the Brecon Beacons rescue, MCRO received a request to assist from the South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team to help bring the injured man through miles of passages to safety. As members of MCRO, Mike and Bartek were part of the response.

The 53-hour rescue demanded physical and mental strength and the right equipment techniques and teamwork. Arco Professional Safety Services sponsors MCRO’s training at its facility in Eccleshall every year, to provide the organisation’s members with realistic, practical training that simulates real-life hazards in a controlled environment. The Eccleshall site, equipped with five classrooms, offers facilities for confined spaces and working from height training. MRCO is reliant on the generosity of donors to operate and, ultimately, work to put skills into practice in a rescue scenario.

All MRCO members must have proven caving experience, whether through work, a club or as a member of the British Caving Association. At Arco Professional Safety Services, Bartek specialises in working at height and bespoke rescue training. These skills were put to immediate use during his first, 10-hour long, underground shift involving assisting with stretcher carrying and elements of rope work.

Bartek explains: “Part of my day-to-day role is teaching others how to safely access and recover casualty in an emergency access situation. Outside of work, my caving hobby started with a passion for exploring environments unlike anything that can be experienced above ground. Having this background and an understanding employer who allows us to go out to volunteer in these kinds of critical missions, means that we have the opportunity to take our work ethos of making the world a safer place to our personal life.”

Mike was tasked with rescue rigging, involving installing ropes and lowering systems to get the stretcher down safely. At Arco Professional Safety Services, Mike looks after the equipment department and advises on working at height and rescue techniques. Mike, comments: “Industrial rope access techniques were born from the sports of caving and climbing. This means a lot of the equipment is the same in industry and rescue, helping me to keep people safer at work and underground.”

Arco Professional Safety Services provide consultancy, training, services and equipment to manage the most complex and high-risk, high-hazard scenarios. Specialising in working at height, confined spaces and respiratory management, expert knowledge and experience mean the team can deliver solutions for situations with the highest risk of serious injury or irreversible damage to health.

For more information about the range of products and services provided by Arco Professional Safety Services, visit www.arcoservices.co.uk.

Photo caption: Image is for representation purposes only (cave rescue training exercise)

EUSR Cards Go Digital

In a positive step towards reducing plastic use and improving ease of accessibility for individuals, the Energy & Utility Skills Register (EUSR) announced that beginning February 2022 virtual cards will be replacing the current physical cards. This will affect a number of our training customers including those completing Mast & Tower Safety (MATS) courses.

When does it come into force?

From February 2022 all new EUSR registrations will have a virtual card as standard. Virtual cards will be extended to all other ‘live’ EUSR registrations later in 2022 so everyone is encouraged to provide a valid work or personal mobile phone number  https://www.eusr.co.uk/mobile-number-data-submission/.

What does it mean for the candidate?

Candidates will be able to access their virtual card via an app on their mobile device or tablet when asked to produce their EUSR card.  

“To access their virtual card, a newly registered individual will be sent a text with a link to download an app on their mobile phone (either Android or Apple). The app will contain their virtual EUSR card, including details of all active registrations.” EUSR website

Can I still use a plastic card?

Yes. Some employers may wish to pay £2 for an additional plastic card from EUSR and you will still be able to use your existing plastic card. 

More information is available from the EUSR Website www.eusr.co.uk

Our range of training courses  https://www.arcoservices.co.uk/training

 

REQUEST FOR INSPECTION FOR ROLLNLOCK

 

PLease click on image for PDF intructions on what to do

 

On Her Majesty’s Safety Service

• Arco Professional Safety Services delivers secret agent to London – safely
• Arco Professional Safety Services behind the dramatic stunt at the London Eye
   

Dressed in tuxedo and bowtie, Steve Dawson from Arco Professional Safety Services was pictured climbing a ladder below one of the pods on the Lastminute.com London Eye yesterday morning, ahead of the film premiere of Britain’s most famous secret agent at the Royal Albert Hall.
 

As experts in safety and working at height, Arco Professional Safety Services provides consultancy, training, services and equipment to manage the most complex and high-risk, high-hazard scenarios, making the team perfectly placed to undertake this stunt at one of London’s most recognisable and iconic landmarks.

Steve Dawson, Work at Height Training Manager at Arco Professional Safety Services, said: “It’s been a real privilege for Arco, as the UK’s leading safety company, to partner with the team at the London Eye to deliver this exciting event, safely.

“Working at height is what we are trained to do and to demonstrate our skill and expertise, working with the lastminute.com London Eye, is testament to the trust that the organisers have put in us.”