Carrying out Thorough Examination and Testing of Lifting and Pressure Equipment during the coronavirus outbreak

The HSE has produced guidance to help industry during this period which can be found here and includes:
• Maintaining thorough examination and testing schemes
• HSE’s enforcement approach during the period of the outbreak
The law for Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) and Pressure Systems Safety Regulations (PSSR) remain in place and businesses must continue to ensure that equipment is safe to use.
If duty holders, having worked with their inspection body, are unable to arrange a periodic inspection within the specified time period, they must take competent advice (e.g. from their inspection body) and apply a robust, risk based approach to decision-making about the continued operation of plant and machinery outside of the statutory regime, ensuring that the decision making process is documented.
Considerations may include:
• Assessing which plant and equipment require statutory inspections and examinations and when these are due.
• Make an assessment to determine if any plant or equipment is essential for safety or operation of the premises – if plant or equipment is not required, it could be taken out of use.
• Liaise with the relevant contractors who carry out statutory inspections and examinations to deter¬mine what level of service they can provide (for hospitals, care homes or infrastructure essential to the running of the country, it would be prudent to draw your contractors attention to this).
• Review with the relevant Competent Person whether lifting equipment can be examined against a written scheme of examination to allow more leeway than the normal six- or 12-month frequency.
• Have the relevant Competent Person review the written scheme of examination for pressure vessels to see if any scheduled examinations can be extended.
• Inform your insurance company of statutory inspections and examinations or maintenance and testing of plant and equipment, which will not be undertaken.
• Carry out pre-use inspections of plant and equipment.
• Carry out visual inspections of portable appliances.

New Young Person’s guidance Released by HSE

The HSE have released new guidance on the Health and Safety of young persons in the workplace. This guidance covers work experience placements and will assist with the process and management of those companies who have work experience students attend their workplace. The guidance also highlights what companies should be doing to ensure the safety of work placement students whilst in their care.

Machine Safety

Machine Safety

There are dozens of deaths and more than 40,000 injuries each year related to the use of machines.

The HSE argues that many of these could easily be prevented with the use of adequate machine guards.

On 30 September 2013, the HSE prosecuted Oldfields Ltd, an East London food manufacturer, for a series of safety failings in relation to its dicing machine.

The HSE found that Oldfields:

  • did not carry out a sufficient Risk Assessment for use of the machine
  • failed to follow their own safety procedures for its use
  • failed to follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions
  • failed to adequately instruct, supervise or train employees
  • failed to prevent access by workers to dangerous moving parts
  • failed to conduct adequate safety checks on the machine, or ensure that its controls were clearly visible.

Oldfields was fined £18,000 and ordered to pay £9,399 costs after pleading guilty to offences under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Comment

The HSE is taking active enforcement measures against employers and employees who actively remove or tamper with machine guards in an attempt to make their work quicker or more efficient.

With increasing automation in modern UK industry, employers must ensure machine guards are in place and used where necessary, or face potential action by the HSE.

In addition, employers should ensure that its risk assessments are suitable and sufficient, and deal specifically with the identifiable risks arising out of the use of a machine. Serious consideration should be given to any machine guards which could minimise the risk of injury.

Importantly, if machine guards are being used, employers must have procedures in place to ensure they are being utilised and adequately maintained.

Fewer Fires 2012/13

Fire and rescue authorities attended noticeably fewer fires in 2012/13, according to recently-released statistics from the government.

Crews were present at the scene of 487,000 blazes or false alarms throughout Great Britain, which was 17 per cent less than the previous year’s tally of 586,000.

In addition, 2012/13’s figure is almost 50 per cent lower than ten years ago.

Within the 487,000, fires accounted for 192,600, a huge 29 per cent reduction from last year’s 273,000. False alarms made up the remaining 294,800, which also marked a six per cent decline.

The number of outdoor blazes dropped by a noticeable 38 per cent on account of more rainfall in spring and summer than the country is typically used to.

There were 350 fire fatalities in Britain in this time frame, in comparison to the 397 from the year before. This figure was also the lowest it’s been in the last 50 years.

 

UK Safety offers New Training

UK Safety are delivering the First Aid at Work ,Emergency Aid one day courses in-house and forklift truck  at very competitive prices.

FAW 3 day covers.

administer first aid to a casualty with:

injuries to bones, muscles and joints, including suspected spinal injuries;

chest injuries;

burns and scalds;

eye injuries;

sudden poisoning;

anaphylactic shock;

recognise the presence of major illness (including heart attack, stroke,

epilepsy, asthma, diabetes) and provide appropriate first aid.

understand the role of the first-aider, including reference to:

the importance of preventing cross infection;

the need for recording incidents and actions;

use of available equipment;

assess the situation and circumstances in order to act safely, promptly and effectively in an emergency;

administer first aid to a casualty who is unconscious (including seizure);

administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation;

administer first aid to a casualty who is choking;

administer first aid to a casualty who is wounded and bleeding;

administer first aid to a casualty who is suffering from shock;

provide appropriate first aid for minor injuries (including small cuts, grazes and bruises, minor burns and scalds, small splinters).

EFAW 1 day.

understand the role of the first-aider, including reference to:

the importance of preventing cross infection;

the need for recording incidents and actions;

use of available equipment;

assess the situation and circumstances in order to act safely, promptly and

effectively in an emergency;

administer first aid to a casualty who is unconscious (including seizure);

administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation;

administer first aid to a casualty who is choking;

administer first aid to a casualty who is wounded and bleeding;

Call for  a free quotation.

 

Health and safety fines to increase drastically under tougher guidelines

Under tougher sentencing guidelines proposed last week, large firms convicted of corporate manslaughter will face fines of up to £20m.

According to the Sentencing Council, which for England and Wales promotes greater consistency in sentencing, whilst maintaining the independence of the judiciary, punishments for organisations and individuals found guilty of health and safety as well as food safety and hygiene offences should also be substantially increased.

The Council produces guidelines on sentencing for the judiciary and aims to increase public understanding of sentencing, and the recommendations contained in its latest draft guidance for judges in England and Wales has now been put out for consultation.

In 2013/14 in the UK, 133 people were killed at work and 70 members of the public fatally injured in accidents connected to work, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

However, to date, there have been only eight convictions for corporate manslaughter in England and Wales since the legislation was introduced in 2007.

The largest fine issued thus far was handed down just a few weeks ago when a company was found guilty of corporate manslaughter and fined £500,000 following the death of an employee.

Given the fact that £500,000 is the biggest fine handed out so far, it is evident that the proposals from the Sentencing Council to substantially increase the fines are set to shake things up and ensure that companies start to take health and safety more seriously.