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Common Work at Height Myths
Wednesday 12th June 2019
Employers and those in control of work at height must first assess the risks. Before working at height you must follow these simple steps:avoid work at height where it is reasonably practicable to do sowhere work at height cannot be easily avoided, prevent falls using either an existing place of work that is already safe or the right type of equipmentminimise the distance and consequences of a fall, by using the right type of equipment where the risk cannot be eliminated You should:do as much work as possible from the groundensure workers can get safely to and from where they work at heightensure equipment is suitable, stable and strong enough for the job, maintained and checked regularlynot overload or overreach when working…
Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs)
Tuesday 4th June 2019
The most significant MEWP dangers arise from operation and use of the machine rather than from their movement as a site vehicle. The law says that these hazards must be properly controlled. However, a safe workplace for all vehicle operations needs be established by separating pedestrians and vehicles and providing hazard-free traffic routes. Key issues are:MEWP hazardsControlling the riskTraining and competenceInspection, maintenance and examination Operators have died when trapped in the MEWP basket or when the machine has overturned. Great care must be taken to select the most appropriate MEWP and ensure that use of the machine is properly planned and managed. Operator instruction and training are very important requirements. MEWP Hazards Most fatal and serious injuries involving MEWPs arise from: Entrapment: operator trapped between part…
Involving your workforce in Health & Safety
Tuesday 28th May 2019
Consultation on health and safety is simply a two-way process between you and your workforce where you: talk to each other about issues;listen to their concerns and raise your concerns;seek and share views and information;discuss issues in good time; andconsider what employees say before you make decisions. Get started: Prepare Accident rates are lower where the workforce genuinely feel they have a say in health and safety matters than in workplaces where the workforce does not get involved. Workforce involvement in health and safety management relates to a more positive health and safety climate. In poor health and safety climates, accident rates are highest among workplaces where the workforce does not feel that they can have a say. Stronger workforce involvement means better control of…
Preventing unauthorised access onto scaffolding and other work platforms
Friday 24th May 2019
Scaffolding on all construction sites, but especially in residential areas, can seem like an inviting playground for children - who do not have the ability to perceive danger in the same way as adults. Clients and contractors must ensure that unauthorised access onto scaffolding is prevented, not just outside working hours, but also at times when workers are present but out of sight. These principles are long-established and set out in HSG151 (see references). This bulletin is being issued to remind contractors, and those in control of construction work involving scaffolding and access ladders, of the need to assess the site and ensure suitable and sufficient measures are in place to prevent members of the public, and especially children from…
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Thursday 23rd May 2019
Safety Bulletin 75 Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) What is CPR? It's a life saving medical procedure which is given to someone who is in cardiac arrest. It helps to pump blood around the person's body when their heart can't. To carry out CPR a person presses up and down on the casualty's chest (chest compressions) and gives them a series of rescue breaths to help save their life when they are in cardiac arrest. What is a cardiac arrest? A cardiac arrest is caused by an electrical problem in the heart. This electrical problem causes the heart to stop pumping blood around the body and to the brain. It causes the person to fall unconscious and stop breathing. Without CPR the person will die within minutes. CPR should…