Health and safety news

HSE – You are responsible for your health and safety.

Judith Hackitt, Chair of the HSE, stressed at the recent National Safety Symposium in Warrington that :

"We in the HSE are not responsible for managing health and safety in your workplace – you are."
"Those who create the risk are best placed to manage it. They also have a moral as well as a legal duty to manage the risks that they create."

Health and safety in the 21st century

The HSE will launch its new strategy in December 2008 - Workplace health and safety in Great Britain and HSE's role within it. The aim of this strategy is to optimise the performance of the overall health and safety system. The main focus is the prevention of death, injury and ill health to those at work and those affected by work activity.

A critical area is the importance of leadership.  Health and safety leadership must come from the top.  Directors must take health and safety directives seriously.

Key activities will include:

• providing advice and guidance on what the law requires.
• taking appropriate enforcement action where there have been breaches of the law.
• alerting dutyholders to new and emerging risks as they are identified.

Download our Directors Guide to Health and Safety.

 

HSE and Managing Asbestos

According to the HSE, asbestos is the hidden killer and is the greatest cause of work related deaths in the UK.  The HSE are running a national campaign starting October 2008 to target tradesmen at risk from asbestos exposure.

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 bans the supply and use of all forms of asbestos.  The ban applies to the new use of asbestos. Where asbestos already exists and is in good condition, it may remain in place, its condition monitored and managed to ensure it is not disturbed.

There is also a duty to manage asbestos (Regulation 4).  This covers all non-domestic premises including all industrial, commercial or public buildings such as factories, warehouses, offices, shops, hospitals and schools.

The duty to manage is about protecting maintenance workers and others from the risk of exposure to asbestos fibres. It is not about removing all asbestos. Asbestos is only dangerous when disturbed; it is not hazardous if it is safely managed and contained. The critical issue is to assess the risk and either remove it or control it.

The HSE are committed to reducing the levels of exposure to asbestos fibres through a combination of:

• Controls contained within its asbestos licensing regime.
• Enforcement of asbestos related legislation.
• Raising awareness of the duty to manage.

Go to Asbestos Survey

 

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most common occupational illness in Great Britain, affecting 1.0 million people a year (HSE). Low back pain, joint injuries and repetitive strain injuries are all musculoskeletal disorders.

The HSE regards back problems as the most common form of ill health disorders at work - prevention and management are vital factors. In 2003/04 an estimated 4.9 million working days (full day equivalent) were lost due to MSDs mainly affecting the back that were caused or made worse by work.

Employers have a duty under health and safety legislation to effectively control all risks to health in the workplace. High risk factors for back pain include manual handling (including lifting, bending, twisting), poor posture (such as sitting at a poorly designed workstation), regular body shaking (e.g. driving heavy vehicles, using equipment which vibrates etc.) and also accidents, such as trips and falls.

In order to minimise these risks employers should:

• Carry out a risk assessment to examine what could cause harm to people and assess whether the risk has been controlled.
• Eliminate or reduce the risks that can cause back pain.
• Organise tasks and the workplace to take account of the risks.
• Review the situation with the workforce to ensure that the risks have been removed or minimised.

Download our Good Handling Techniques.
Download our How to set up a Workstation.

 

Slips, Trips and Falls

According to the HSE, nearly 11 000 workers suffered serious injury as a result of a slip or trip last year.

In order to deal with slips and trips in the workplace management needs to implement the following:

• An effective management system.

• Carry out regular risk assessments.

• Compliance with the relevant laws and regulations.

Falls from height are the single biggest cause of workplace deaths and one of the main causes of major injury.  The use of ladders poses a major risk as more than a quarter of falls happen from ladders.

Employers and management must comply with The Work at Height Regulations 2005. These Regulations apply to all work at height where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury. 

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