The Health and Safety Information for Employees Regulations 1989, requires employers to either display the HSE-approved law poster or to provide each of their workers with the equivalent leaflet. 

 

If an employer chooses to use the Health and Safety Law poster to communicate with their employees, they should consider two things; the location of the poster or leaflet and the quantity that they display. 

 

HSE- approved law posters must be displayed in a prominent location in all business sites; in an area that can be easily accessed by employees; this could be in places like break rooms, kitchens, reception areas and communal spaces, ensuring they are clearly visible. 

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has reported in the 12 months to 31 March 2021, 142 workers in GB lost their lives at work, compared to the record low of 111 in 2019/2020. 

 

This increase is seen against a background of furloughed workers, Covid 19 affecting work generally and an accompanied 10% reduction in weekly hours worked (ONS figures). Last year’s low has been linked to the slow economic activity during the first wave of the pandemic in March 2020. Also, this year’s figure has risen above the 5-year average of 136 workplace fatalities, suggesting that safety standards have fallen. In addition, Covid 19 deaths have not been included in figures. 

 

The construction, agriculture and manufacturing sectors have all recorded an increase in fatalities in the 12 months to March 2021, construction 39 deaths, agriculture 34 and manufacturing 20. Comparisons with earlier years however is difficult due the effects of the pandemic. 

 

The reason for this increase is unclear, it may be due to the introduction of Covid 19 measures, or it could be due to the pressures of the pandemic overwhelming workplace safety matters. 

According to a report by New London Architecture, there are 525 new planned high-rise buildings with 20+ floors, for London alone. 

This will increase the problem Health and Safety professionals face and how to consistently operate safe workings at height. 

 

So, what is working at height? 

According to the HSE, working at height is defined as; work in any place where, if precautions were not taken, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. 

You are working at height if you: 

• work above ground/floor level 

• could fall from an edge, through an opening or fragile surface or 

• could fall from ground level into an opening in a floor or a hole in the ground 

Asbestos is a mineral that was mined for and used heavily in the construction/manufacturing industry following World War II, largely used in insulation, and building materials. This was due to its properties such as being a good thermal insulator, a good electrical insulator, minimal chemical reactions as well as being relatively fireproof. All these attributed made asbestos one of the best building materials. The only downside to Asbestos which was not widely known at the time was that once these Asbestos containing material are broken, the fibres they release are deadly once breathed in. 

When Asbestos containing materials or ACMs are broken or start to break-down they release exceedingly small fibres into the air, some looks like string others look like needles. 

In the first instance, it is a legal requirement that employees are competent to undertake required tasks in a safe way. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act (HSWA) 1974 states that employers need to provide whatever information, instruction, training and supervision is necessary to ensure, "so far as is reasonably practicable", the safety of their employees and others affected by their activities. 

 

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR) 1999, outlines where safety training is most important, e.g. when people start work, on exposure to new or increased risks and update skills and knowledge where needed. The MHSWR require employees to consider the capabilities, training, knowledge and experience of workers and ensure that the demands of their work do not exceed their ability to carry out their role without risk to themselves and others. 

Who are the duty Holders under the CDM 2015 regulations? 

1. Clients are organisations or individuals for whom a commercial construction project is carried out and have control of the decisions relating to the build. They must; 

a. Appoint a Principal Designer and Principal Contractor in writing or accept their duties themselves and assess their competence; 

b. ensure an F10 notification is submitted to the HSE, if the project is over 500 person days or over 30 days with more than 20 persons on site at any one time; 

c. Ensure suitable welfare facilities are in place from day 1 of construction 

d. provide Pre-Construction Information (PCI) to every designer and contractor appointed 

e. before the construction phase begins, a Construction Phase Plan (CPP) is in place 

f. a Health and Safety File for the project is prepared when construction is complete 

Leeds Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 28 April 2016, Mr Smith, aged 36, was working at Stone Gappe Hall, Lothersdale, Keighley, owned by Richard McAlpine, a director of the McAlpine team of companies. Mr Smith was attaching straps to a water tank while preparing to pass it to a decrease flooring of a water tower at the property, in order to paint the floor. 

 

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) observed that Mr Smith fell through an opening that did not have fixed aspect protection. As a result, he sustained serious injuries including: a tibial shaft fracture, a distal fibular fracture, a fracture to the left patella, orbital and nasal fractures, lacerations to the face, a concessional head injury, damage to his ribs and he was hospitalised for 9 days.  

 

On July 23rd 2018 Brighton Magistrates Court heard how an employee of SolarUK Limited fell approximately four meters through a unprotected skylight, sustaining multiple long term injuries to his wrist; whilst carrying out insulation work in Ninfield. The court heard as he stood to move he stepped onto the unprotected rooflight. An investigation by the HSE found that, although the company were aware of the risks from fragile surfaces and unprotected edges, they failed to plan or properly supervise the work, failing to ensure that access to hazardous areas were prevented; thus showing that all the workers were at risk of falls throughout the job. 

 

SolarUK Limited, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of The Working at Height Regulations 2005 and were fined £40,000 and ordered to pay an additional £2,170 to cover costs and a victim surcharge. 

This month we are celebrating a very special milestone as we are turning 5 years old, and we wanted to mark this occasion with a blogpost dedicated to how we have grown from a small idea to the thriving local business we are today. 

 

The thing with starting your own business is that you literally don’t know what you don’t know. It’s easy to head off, all gung-ho, into the entrepreneurial world but sticking at it through good times and the tough times takes strength and determination about your business’s potential success. Its hours of hard work! 

From a one-man band to a team of dedicated consultants, Auxil Ltd has come leaps and bounds from where we began. But we couldn’t have got to where we are today without you, our customers. 

CHAS was created to achieve; simple Health & Safety contractor assessments, by standardising requirements, to allow companies to avoid undergoing Health & Safety assessments for every job. 

CHAS undergoes an annual audit to achieve and maintain the HSE’s SSIP Standard. 

 

The most basic CHAS Accreditation is completed with a main Health & Safety assessment, complete with four additional SELF-CERTIFIED question sets.Health & Safety – Assessment; The assessment is carried out by one of their qualified assessors, so you can be assured that any assessment is being carried out by an assessor with the appropriate knowledge base.