Archive for the ‘Manufacturing’ Category
13/03/2012
Dichloromethane Restriction
A new ban on some supply and use of paint strippers containing the hazardous substance ‘dichloromethane’ (DCM, and also known as methylene chloride) is coming into force. For the purposes of this ban, the term ‘paint stripper’ is taken to mean DCM (or mixtures containing it) intended for stripping paint, varnish or lacquer. [...]
19/12/2011
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – THE FACTS [3....]
Why is HSE interested in COPD There is increasing research evidence that COPD can be caused or made worse by dusts, fumes and irritating gases at work. Work related COPD is a priority because of the human costs in terms of suffering, its effects on the quality of life and the financial costs due to [...]
03/11/2011
FREE!!! Health & Safety Diagnostics Tool
Wow! What a great free tool from the HSE, designed to measure your health & safety culture. Its simple, easy to use and gives some great (if not painful) feedback with an action plan – check it out here: http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/lwit/step1.htm
28/10/2011
Protecting new workers
Workers are as likely to have an accident in the first six months at a workplace as during the whole of the rest of their working life. The extra risk arises due to: lack of experience working in a new industry or workplace; lack of familiarity with the job and the work environment; reluctance to [...]
18/10/2011
Safe Maintenance Campaign
The Health and Safety Executive, in partnership with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), the EEF and the TUC, launched the UK’s involvement in the Healthy Workplaces European Campaign on Safe Maintenance in London on 21 June 2010. The Healthy Workplaces Europe-wide Campaign for 2010-2011 aims to promote safe and healthy workplaces by [...]
04/10/2011
Fork lift accident figures revealed
The UK’s road freight industry has seen a 237% increase in lift truck-related injuries to workers in the last decade, giving it the worst fork lift safety record of all sectors of the economy, figures show. Data released by the Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA) as part of National Fork Lift Safety Week reveal that [...]
02/09/2011
New woodworking info sheets
The WWI Sheets are a great source of free help for safeguarding and dust control of woodworking equipment. HSE have updated fiour of the sheets; they are: Safe Collection of Wood Waste: Prevention of fire and explosion – http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wis32.pdf Safe use of manually operated cross-cut sawing machines http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wis36.pdf Horizontal beam and vertical panel saws http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wis3.pdf [...]
22/08/2011
Prosecutions in Great Britain in June 2011
In June 2011, 35 companies or individuals were found guilty and fined as a result of being prosecuted by HSE. Four of these prosecutions, which involved six companies, were related to maintenance work. #1 A worker cleaning a large baling machine was crushed to death when it re-activated. He had received no proper training in [...]
29/06/2011
Harsh lessons to learn – Ken Woodward’s story
In 1990 Ken Woodward was working at a Coca Cola Schweppes factory in Sidcup, acting as a Team Leader on a line handling returnable bottles.. When changing product, the lines have to be cleaned and sterilised. The normal chemical they used was a mixture of Caustic Soda and Sodium Hypochlorite (bleach). They ran out of [...]
27/06/2011
FREE Guarding Video for Vertical Spindle Moulders
One of the most versatile machines in woodworking, but a Vertical Spindle Moulder it can be dangerous if not used correctly, because of the risk of contact with the tool, and ejection of the tool part or workpiece. Click on the link for a great video on controlling the risks – http://www.hse.gov.uk/woodworking/spindlemoulder.htm#?eban=rss-
