Secretary: Andrew Chappell C.Eng., MIET., Dip.E.E., CMIOSH, MCMI

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1 Birmingham Health, Safety & Environment Association 721 Hagley Road West Registered Charity No.: Quinton, Birmingham B32 1DJ Website: Fax: Tel. No ( ) only Secretary: Andrew Chappell C.Eng., MIET., Dip.E.E., CMIOSH, MCMI Newsletter October 2006 We wish to extend a warm welcome to the following member, who has recently joined BHSEA: - Rodney Weston, Head of Health and Safety, De Montfort University Leicester Wolverhampton SHAD Over 320 delegates attended a very successful SHAD at Wolverhampton Racecourse on 11th October 2006, and The Mayor of Wolverhampton, Councillor John Davies, accompanied by The Mayoress, Mrs. Noreen Davies, opened the afternoon session. The Mayor showed an admirable aptitude for coping with heights, as he toured the various scenarios set up to show important features of site safety, health and welfare. Delegates observing mechanical handling of concrete kerbs L to R; Richard Lockwood, PI HSE, The Mayor of Wolverhampton and the Lady Mayoress 1

2 October Meeting Notes The meeting was chaired this month by Construction Section Chairman, Gerry Mulholland, Crown House Technologies, who welcomed the speaker and members to the meeting, in particular Bob Vale, of Combined Services Management, specialists in Ventilation Services & Project Management Services, who was attending for the first time. The Secretary, Andy Chappell, read out apologies from BHSEA President Morris Cooke, George Allcock, Warwick Adams, Bob Cole, Bill Parker, Tony Hall, John Jones and Richard Byrne. BHSEA Chairman Mark Hoare, then reminded members of the facilities on our Website, including a brand-new feature, an alphabetical subject search, to speed up access to target topics. He added that the most recently added items were in red text at the top of the home page and comment that there was a link to the next meeting about preparing evidence for court cases. Construction Meeting Practical solutions to preventing falls Phil Emery, Occupational Safety and Health Instructor, Speedy Hire Ltd. Gerry Mulholland then introduced the afternoon s speaker by commenting that, although the construction fatalities were showing a very welcome reduction over the last twelve months, there was still a lot more work to do because even one death was too many! The introduction of the new CDM Regulations in 2007 was an indication of this and BHSEA was doing its share by holding an event with the HSE on the 16 th May Phil Emery echoed the welcome news of this reduction, added that it was a very sad fact that 50% of fatalities and serious injuries occurred as a result of falls from less than two metres! He had more reason than most to remember this because one of his close friends died in this way. He was a lone worker who slipped from a ladder only one metre from the bottom, hit his head on the concrete floor as he fell, and became one of 67 fatalities that year! Quite apart from the personal tragedy for family and friends, it is reckoned that falls from height casts the economy 400 million each year! So it is important that we all recognise the fact that the Work at Height Regulations apply to everyone, in all work situations, they are not just for the Construction Industry. The Regulations tried to get this across by applying a simple system of risk assessment to all work at height by : - Avoiding work at height Preventing falls AND Minimising the effect of falls 2

3 Speedy Hire provide a wide range of tools and lifting aids to achieve this first objective and Phil displayed some photographs to illustrate some of them: - There are two great advantages of hiring such equipment: - It is possible to test equipment before committing to a major expenditure to purchase for the long term. It is possible to obtain purpose-designed equipment equipment for a single job, without the expense of a major purchase. Phil went on to say that the classic way of achieving the second objective is to use system scaffolds or general purpose tube and fitting designs. In this type of application at higher work positions, these solutions are more readily solved. At the lower heights, particularly about two metres or less, workers and employers may be tempted to use steps or ladders inappropriately, leading to the serious accidents quoted earlier! It is in this work area that the HSE is expecting employers to exercise better judgement by virtue of improved risk assessment. Because of this added enforcement interest, the Safety Industry has risen the occasion by 3

4 designing better equipment at more attractive costs, so that employers have more choice and a greater incentive to invest in safer working methods. Phil showed some of the available equipment: - Typical solutions to infrequent, shortcycle and difficult access jobs There was also a market, Phil added, for access platforms over existing machines in occupied buildings where it is often crucial for production runs to be maintained against tight customer deadlines. A good example of custom-built access towers is the Deck- Span variant of a system scaffold tower. This can be pre-assembled away from the work position and then wheeled quickly into place over a heavy piece of equipment where work is required immediately overhead. 4

5 With this apparent wealth of equipment available it important to be systematic in the selection of the correct tool for the job and Phil gave us a simple six-point plan to help us to achieve this: - Assess the Working conditions Identify the Access and Egress Quantify the Distance and consequence of a fall Find out the Duration and Frequency of use Evaluate the Ease of Rescue and evacuation Assess the risk of use, installation an removal of equipment This process should also address the issue of other work processes carrying on alongside the high work, as well as the risk to passers-by and the public. At this point, Phil, and his colleague John, demonstrated several pieces of equipment, namely: - 1. The Sherpascopic A height adjustable Work Platform, very lightweight, transportable on two wheels, fits through standard interior doors. Phil dramatically contrasted a normal stepladder next to this to show the difference in safe working position. It is also capable of working on stairs. 2. The Mini Pop-up podium, with four height settings from 470mm to 1.2m. 3. The Raza Deck, folding platform that is compact enough o fit in an estate car. Three working heights 550mm, 1.0m and 2.0m one-man operation. Phil then went on to describe the third element of the Risk Assessment technique to Minimise the effect of a fall, which is sometimes called Mitigation. Until recently, this control measure has been fulfilled by Soft Bags or Safety Nets in housebuilding work, but now there is a new kid on the block. Phil described the Reynolds Fall Prevention System, which is used in a similar position to the other devices but is, in fact, not a mitigation measure at all! As you can see, it is really a Fall-prevention platform, capable of quick erection inside the ground floor of a new construction. On a 5 Deck Span unit giving access to replace lighting tube

6 multi-storey structure, it assists with the placing of first-floor joists and, at an appropriate stage, can be quickly transferred up to the upper floor to do the same with the installation of the roof trusses. One major benefit of this system is that it does not need trained scaffolders to erect it and a second advantage is that it makes for easier access by inspectors and supervisors. All of these measures satisfy the need for Collective Safety, as opposed to the Personal Safety of one individual who might just forget to use it! They use the Six Key Principles, namely: - Anywhere, Any Person, Any Height Risk Assessment Equipment Selection Correct Use of Equipment Competence and planning Collective responsibility On the question of Personal Protective Equipment, Phil mentioned that, as always, it was the control of last resort in the hierarchy, once all the other measures had been assessed. He added that it was also imperative to address the issue of rescue from a fall position, if the fall arrest equipment had to be used. The Secretary added the comment that most harnesses were only fitted with a dorsal D-ring, so that the victim was left hanging in a position that posed the greatest threat to blood circulation. A better arrangement would be to use a chest D-ring but, even then, rescue should be completed in about 10 minutes to avoid further medical complications. That means the risk assessment must ensure that rescue equipment is suitable, immediately on hand and that staff have received adequate training. This is a specific requirement of Regulation 7. Phil added that Speedy Hire were acutely aware of its role in supporting hirers in terms of providing the right equipment and also seeing that there staff were able to provide a first class advisory service in its selection and use. To that end, last year, Speedy had launched a 400k Safety from the Ground Up Campaign to: - Boost Staff Training Introduce new products Improve Customer help and guidance Deliver PASMA Training to customers on access equipment. Phil ended by mentioning the need for all access equipment to be maintained in a safe condition and that it was essential to use something like the Scafftag monitoring system. This was very compatible with the hiring philosophy, whereby defective items could be Speedily replaced once a fault had been detected. 6

7 Gerry thanked Phil and his colleague John for the presentation and practical demonstration that had added so much to the value of the afternoon. He also reflected that these techniques were of great value outside construction to people like school caretakers who carried multiple short duration jobs on maintenance tasks. In this context he added that the 30 minute threshold, often mentioned when deciding on use of ladders, was not jus the time in each work position, it could be crossed by a succession of two-minute tasks in each position that warranted a safer method than a ladder! In answer to a question about the lack of an intermediate rail on the Raza Deck, Phil said that it did comply with the relevant BSEN 1004 and BS1139. Regarding another query about Maintenance procedures, Phil said that this was computer controlled to check before reissue of any component into service. On site, checks were done every 7 days and, if any faults were detected, the item(s) were returned to the depot. Warwick Adams of Interserve asked if the Electric hoist could operate on upper stories in buildings. Phil replied that there were built-in lifting points for Fork Lift Trucks and that the units could pass through standard lift doors. Another questioner asked about gaining access through 600mm x 600mm ceiling panels and Phil said that there were a number of options. Depending on the circumstances these would be Pop-ups, the Mobi platform, Birdcage Scaffold or trestles with handrails and GRP decking, OR another company s product! Mark Hoare of Birmingham University asked how to protect drivers gaining access to the tops of vehicles and Phil replied that a temporary loading bay could be constructed from trestles and handrails. Ed Friend of E.L. Friend Ltd. asked if the Pop-up could be used on gradients. Phil said that this was not permitted and that they were fitted with a spirit level to prevent it from happening. As there were no further questions, Gerry Mulholland drew the meeting to a close and asked the members to show their appreciation in the traditional manner. 7

8 Towards a Smokefree Birmingham In preparation for the anticipated Workplace Smoking Ban in July 2007, Birmingham City Council launched a campaign on the 2 nd November, to raise awareness in companies throughoput the area. The launch was attended by BHSEA Chairmen, Mark Hoare and Secretary Andy Chappell, supported by a small group of BHSEA Members. We heard some very enthusiastic speakers giving an appreciation of the medical impact and were surprised to find that passive smoking was about 50 times more dangerous than asbestos exposure! The emphasis of this event was that it will happen and that there are definite business advantages to preparing its implemention well in advance instead of being seen to drag your feet. Two websites to hit are: - Smokefree Birmingham - and National Clean Air Award scheme Also: -NHS Stop smoking Helpline: There is a mass of freeliterature and guidance available so get it while there s plenty of time! Date of the next Meeting 2.00 pm on Monday 13 th November 2006 at the Birmingham Medical Institute Accidents under the spotlight in court Nicola Cardenas-Blanco, Martineau Johnson, Solicitors. The prospect of a rigorous cross-examination in Court puts extra pressure on anyone preparing evidence. Nicola will be looking at the implications for any business about to defend a case in either the Criminal or Civil Courts. She will also touch on the sensitive issue of discoverable evidence and how this reaches back into routine office disciplines, even before an accident occurs! Don t forget, Buffet Lunch at 8