Health and Safety Consultation – Integral Safety Management Ltd.

The 8-step health and safety blueprint to improve productivity and reduce costs

Web Developer — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 09:35:14 +0000

Putting health and safety at the top of your agenda is good business practice

Whatever the size of your organisation, health and safety in the workplace is an important issue. The latest health a safety statistics published by the Health and Safety Executive show that British businesses lost more than 30 million working days in 2017/18 due to work-related illness and injuries. In 2016/17, injuries and ill health caused by working conditions are estimated to have cost £15 billion.

These eight steps serve as a health and safety blueprint that will help your company to avoid the loss of productivity and extra cost burden caused by work-related accidents, injuries and illness.

1. Create a workplace health and safety plan

You’ll need to identify health and safety hazards and put polices and procedures in place to eliminate or reduce risks. The first step is to create an effective H&S plan, and ensure that you involve your employees. This will make sure that they understand you take their health and safety seriously and get them taking their own health and safety equally seriously.

2. Ensure leadership

Appoint someone to lead health and safety in your company. To make it plain how important you consider H&S to be, planning and execution must be sponsored from the top. It should be visible and spoken about, with policies and practices set and performance monitored.

In smaller companies, a documented health and safety system may not be necessary. However, the actions of the business owner or senior managers should set good examples for staff to follow. In larger companies, the need to document policies and procedures is more important (and a legal requirement). Health and safety leaders will need to ensure that these policies and procedures are reviewed regularly.

3. Carry out a health and safety audit and risk assessments

You can’t manage what you don’t measure. In the field of health and safety, this means that you must have an independent workplace health and safety audit. This will help you to determine the H&S hazards and risks in your business and if your existing policies and practices are safe and legal.

Risk assessments will aid you in identifying the level of risk of individual hazards and what actions you may need to take to eliminate or reduce those risks.

4. Ensure Competence

From leadership, through management, and on to individual responsibility for health and safety, a company should ensure competence to undertake responsibilities. This means the people who lead the health and safety effort should have the skills, knowledge and experience necessary to do so.

Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR), a company must appoint at least one competent person to help it comply with its legal requirements toward health and safety. In many cases, this may mean employing an external specialist or consultant.

5. Train employees in health and safety

Just as you would train employees to do their job effectively, employees should be trained in health and safety pertinent to their roles. You may need to produce written policies and procedures, and make them available to your employees. Training may be provided in groups or by individual coaching, and employees will need to be supervised until competency has been assessed and confirmed. Employees should sign off to confirm that they have received health and safety training and understand what is required of them.

Remember that if correct training is not provided, you may be endangering your employees’ lives and your business.

6. Make health and safety an everyday conversation

Put health and safety on the agenda at team meetings, one-to-ones and on your company newsletter, and create KPIs that promote health and safety in the workplace. Seek feedback, and encourage employees to share their views and ideas – you’ll be surprised how employee engagement can create impetus for identifying hazards and doing things more safely.

7. Investigate health and safety incidents

If an incident does occur, irrespective of whether it causes injury, investigate it to find out what happened and why. This will enable you to take the actions needed to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. It may be that a hazard needs risk management revisiting, or an individual or team needs extra health and safety training. Whatever the outcome, a policy of investigating every incident will help to reinforce your commitment to improving workplace health and safety.

8. Keep records

Keep records of all incidents, inspections, risk assessments, workplace health and safety audits, training provided, etc, etc.

Make safety a key business objective

Health and safety should not be an afterthought in any company. If you are not working to keep your employees safe from harm, you are putting them at risk and threatening the success of your business. Your employees are your most valuable resource. A commitment to their health and safety in your workplace will show that you understand this.

Ensure your company is admired for being a conscientious employer who puts the wellbeing of its employees at the top of its agenda. To learn how we can help you achieve all this with a health and safety blueprint, contact Integral Safety Management today.

How to minimise machinery workplace accidents

Web Developer — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 09:35:02 +0000

Tips to keep your workers safe when operating machinery

In this article, you’ll learn about the most common injuries caused by machinery in the workplace, and the responsibilities of employers and employees to minimise risks – as provided for in the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER).

When do the regulations apply?

PUWER applies to all equipment supplied by the employer in the workplace. Crucially, it also applies to equipment that the employer allows the employee to use. Therefore, you will need to ensure that an employee’s own equipment complies with PUWER. For the sake of PUWER, workplaces that are covered by the regulations include all those where the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 applies – including factories, offices, shops, construction sites, hotels, offshore installations, etc.

What types of injuries are caused by machinery?

Common injuries caused by workplace machinery include:

Amputation
Crushing
Electric shock
Hearing loss
Broken limbs
Cuts and abrasions
Burns

Machinery causes such injuries by:

Cutting
Shearing
Puncturing
Tearing
Stretching
Entangling
Burning

Why does machinery cause injuries?

Evidence as to why machinery so often causes injuries is readily available in the HSE news pages. At the time of writing this article, seven of the first 10 press releases detail fines handed out to employers because of injuries or deaths caused by machinery in the workplace – all of which could have been avoided.

Typically, reasons why machinery causes injuries include:

Inadequate or no guarding on machines
Guards not properly fastened or removed for maintenance
Opening in guards that allow operators to put their hands into the machine
Interlocked guards that open while the machine is running
Mechanisms from switches have been removed
Single-light beam safeguards have been switched off
Ineffective power isolation systems

All of the above are mechanical deficiencies, and many of them are perpetrated by the employer or employee. Worryingly, accidents caused by such inadequacies are commonplace. Fortunately, there are strategies an employer can put in place to minimise the risks of accidents in the workplace caused by machinery.

How can employers minimise machinery accidents in the workplace?

The best way to deal with risks of injury in the workplace is to manage the hazard that causes the risks. The key is to first identify all machinery hazards and conduct health and safety risk assessments. You should then seek ways to eliminate the risk (e.g. ensuring guards are fitted, checked and used correctly), and if this isn’t possible, then to minimise the risk. Strategies to minimise risks include:

Ensuring safe working practices are used
Training of employees in machinery use and health and safety issues
Using PPE to help protect against risks
Monitoring employees for adherence to health and safety at work and operational processes

The employer’s responsibility for the use of machinery

As an employer, PUWER places many responsibilities on you for the health and safety of your employees and others when either using machinery or in an area where machinery is being used. You will need to ensure (as far as is practicably possible) that you:

Identify hazards and risks and manage them
Train employees so they can carry out their jobs safely
Ensure work is carried out safely, and supervise employees when and if necessary
Provide adequate personal protective equipment
Ensure accidents are reported and investigated, and procedures are updated to help avoid similar accidents in the future
Have procedures for dealing with emergencies

Training and supervision – a workplace obligation

If you don’t provide adequate training to employees who use machinery and they are injured while operating that machinery, it could cost you thousands in fines and a loss of productivity due to absenteeism (plus a hit to your reputation as a business and employer). For example, in 2017, a Birmingham-based packaging company was fined £100,000 for a lack of guarding on a machine and a lack of training and supervision which led to an accident in which the operator had two fingers partially amputated.

Training on machinery must include:

Explanation of actual and potential hazards associated with the machinery
Safety precautions that must be taken
Health and safety processes and procedures

The employee should be able to show that he or she can:

Check and adjust the machine before operating it
Stop and start the machine
Recognise faults
Correctly use and adjust machine guards
Use all machine controls

In addition, the employer must:

Have an inspection and maintenance regime in place, with work carried out by a competent person
Take reasonable precautions to ensure that the machinery has stopped when maintenance or cleaning is carried out
Ensure that any modifications made are completed by a competent person, and validated to meet set standards

The employee’s responsibility for the use of machinery

The employee also has health and safety responsibilities when using machinery. These responsibilities include:

Their own health and safety
Not harming others because of their actions or omissions
Complying with the employer’s procedures
Identifying and reporting hazards
Using all PPE as needed and stipulated by the employer
Reporting any faults

In summary

Health and safety is a joint responsibility between employer and employee. However, the buck will always stop with the employer. To ensure you comply with current health and safety regulations and that your machine operators are not put at risk unnecessarily, you should:

Carry out an inspection and audit of your workplace
Conduct workplace risk assessments
Provide health and safety training to your employees

Whatever your H&S needs, we can tailor our consultancy services accordingly to help ensure your employees stay safe and the risk of injury when operating machinery is fully minimised.

To learn more and discuss your specific requirements, contact Integral Safety Management today.

How to protect your employees from general workplace hazards

Web Developer — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 09:35:35 +0000

Eliminate unnoticed hazards before they eliminate your business

Wherever people work, there is a danger of accidents. Many of the injuries and fatalities that happen in UK workplaces could be avoided, if only more consideration was given to potential risks in the workplace. Perhaps the real problem is that where work done is ‘run-of-the-mill’, employers, employees, and contractors pay less attention to risk. Consequently, many workplace accidents are caused by general workplace hazards.

In this article, we’ll discuss what these general workplace hazards are, and how you can reduce the risk from them in your workplace.

Slips, trips, and falls hazards

The single biggest cause of injury at work – slips, trips, and falls were responsible for a colossal 609,000 non-fatal injuries at work in 2017. They cost UK employers more than £1 billion every year. Here are five things to do now to immediately reduce the risk of slips, trips, and falls in your workplace:

Keep surfaces dry
Keep walkways and corridors free of obstacles

Ensure that stairs, ramps, walkways, and loading and unloading areas are adequately lit

Make certain that employees wear effective footwear
Control movement – e.g. stop people running, taking shortcuts

Learn more accident prevention tips in our article “10 tips to prevent slips, trips and falls in the workplace”.

Electrocution hazards

There aren’t many workplaces where electrocution is a real hazard. Whether it is the computer on your desk, or the kettle in the staff canteen, your workplace is an environment where an electrical accident may be lurking around the corner. About 30 electrocutions in the workplace result in death each year in the UK. Hundreds more cause burns and permanent injury. How can you prevent the same happening in your workplace?

Comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989
Ensure your electrical equipment is serviced by qualified electricians regularly
Always switch off electrical equipment when cleaning it
Never mix water with electricity – keep work surfaces dry
Tran your employees in the safe use f electrical equipment

‘Caught-in’ hazards

This is a bit of a catch-all phrase. Caught-ins include getting caught in:

Unguarded machinery
Buried in excavations
Caught between machinery

These simple actins will help to protect your employees from caught-ins:

Ensure machinery is equipped with protective guards
Ensure that workers work at a safe distance from moving equipment, and never place themselves between moving structures, machinery, or vehicles
Ensure that all loads are properly secured
Never work in unprotected trenches that are more than five feet deep, and always use a ladder to exit a trench
Insist that workers wear personal protective equipment where necessary

Struck-by hazards

‘Struck-by’ hazards are also a major cause of workplace accidents, especially on construction sites, where there are heightened risks of being struck by:

Heavy equipment, trucks, and cranes
Flying (or falling) objects
Walls that are under construction

Actions you can take to prevent such accidents include:

Ensuring that all vehicles are well maintained and regularly checked
Ensuring that employees are clear of site when lifting or dumping
Ensure that all drivers and operators are qualified for the job they are doing
Inspect tools, cranes, and hoists
Keep materials stored away from edges and openings
Train employees to use tools
Insist that all employees wear prescribed personal protective equipment
Store all tools securely
Never overload machinery, lifting devices, and vehicles
Always ensure that employees ‘buddy-up’ whenever possible

How do you start to protect your employees in the workplace?

A major reason why so many accidents occur in UK workplaces is that employers and employees don’t look at potential hazards in the right way. This isn’t purposeful neglect, but rather because that good working practice becomes habit. When this happens, we take it for granted that new employees, or those who have been promoted understand the hazards that exist.

Good health and safety at work starts with identifying all the hazards and conducting comprehensive H&S risk assessments. Then, develop an effective health and safety policy, getting your employees involved and making sure that resources are allocated to training and coaching of employees in health and safety.

Ensuring your employees are safe in your workplace is a legal obligation. More importantly, it’s a good, ethical thing to do. Injury-free workers are happier and more productive – and that is good news for your bottom line.

Start on the road to better health and safety performance today by contacting Integral and discovering how our comprehensive list of features will remove confusion and get the H&S job done fast and effectively. Get covered and compliant, with minimum time and hassle, and protect your employees from general workplace hazards now.

UK Health & Safety News Roundup – October 2018

Web Developer — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 09:35:50 +0000

Health and safety is a serious issue

As health and safety consultants and experts in our field, it’s essential that we remain up to date with what’s happening in the market. Laws and regulations change. Best practices are continually evolving.

Our monthly Health and Safety News Roundup is our pick of the news items and articles that we’ve read over the past month. We hope you find this month’s selection as informative and thought-provoking as we do.

This month’s news highlights how well the UK industry is doing with health and safety, while also showing how much further we have to travel to what must be the ultimate goal: zero injuries and deaths in the workplace. Striking news includes:

Stories that highlight the need to guard machinery and ensure that your workers heed the health and safety guide for operating and working on machinery with moving parts. Serious breaches led to horrific injuries to workers and fines of £500,000 and £40,000 respectively to Pirelli in Carlisle and Timberline DIY in Jarrow.
Good nuclear health and safety performances at Sellafield were honoured by the RoSPA. Meanwhile, the Atomic Weapons Establishment was prosecuted after it admitted safety breaches which led to a workplace injury.
A bedding company was fined £30,000 for its tired health and safety policy which relied on ‘common sense’.
A garden centre was heavily fined after a member of staff was hurt while using hazardous chemicals to clean up. (They clearly did not read our article “10,300 reasons you must carry out a risk assessment if your employees use chemicals”.)
Good news as the UK’s number of fatalities at work is one of the lowest in the EU. However, with a total 144 workplace deaths caused by accidents, there is still much work to be done to get the number to zero. Once more, the construction and agriculture industries suffered the highest number of fatalities in 2017/18.
Finally, a blog with some great tips to improve the health and wellbeing of office workers. Useful advice to protect muscular and eye injury (and perfect to read in conjunction with our post detailing how to protect against ergonomic hazards in the workplace.)

Plenty to get your health and safety juices flowing, whatever industry you work in. Click on the headlines to reveal the full article.