Last week, the HSE released its annual figures for workplace deaths – with an increase of 24 fatalities compared to the previous year.

IOSH voiced its concerns over these statistics, suggesting the figure could be a delayed effect of the recession and‘belt-tightening’.

Members of the UKCG www.ukcg.org.uk, CECA www.ceca.co.uk and the HBF’s www.hbf.co.ukMajor Home Builders Group (MHBG) will all be conducting CSCS card audits during the Autumn to check that all workers on their sites hold CSCS cards appropriate to the jobs they are undertaking.

So if you are working on any of their sites ensure you are carrying your CSCS card at all times.

Businesses are being reminded about new incident reporting arrangements being introduced from today (Monday 12 September).

Only fatal and major injuries and incidents will be able to be reported by phone to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), with all other work-related injuries and incidents reportable under RIDDOR to be reported via one of a suite of seven online forms available on HSE’s website.

Later this month, HSE’s Infoline telephone service which currently provides a basic information service to callers will end. Instead, from 30 September, those seeking information and official guidance will be directed to HSE’s website – a huge knowledge bank where they can access and download resources and use interactive web tools free of charge.

Various improvements have been made to HSE’s website to coincide with the closure of Infoline. There is clearer information on what HSE does and doesn’t do, so people can check that HSE is the right organisation to assist them, and expanded ‘question & answer’ sections for the most frequent health and safety enquiries such as those on RIDDOR reporting and First Aid.

People will still be able to make complaints about health and safety in the workplace. For more information on how to do this visit http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/workplace-complaints.htm

The law requires that principal contractors (PC) must undertake the following actions:

• Project management – plan, manage and monitor the construction phase so that it is carried out safely and without risks to health;
• Contractor engagement – provide information and directions whilst facilitating co-operation and co-ordination between contractors;
• Workforce engagement – make sure the workforce is being inducted, informed, trained and consulted on health and safety;

 Are you doing this?

Email me for a free information sheet at info@spectrumrisk.co.uk

A Cornwall haulage and skip hire boss has been handed a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years, for illegally tipping asbestos waste in an area of “outstanding natural beauty”.

In an Environment Agency (EA) prosecution at Truro Crown Court, the Director of the Company (which has gone into liquidation) – was also ordered to pay £50,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act plus £4,000 costs.

During 2007 and 2008, the Company had illegally dumped waste; including asbestos, at three separate sites including two farms and a residential property in St Ives.

The court was told how about 9,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste were dumped at a farm over a six-month period in 2007 and 2008.

This is STILL happening – ensure you use a reputable licensed contractor and check where they are taking it – even if it means following them in the car!!!!!

IOSH has welcomed a new review aimed at improving the rules surrounding health and safety legislation.

 Professor Ragnar Lofstedt will report to ministers in October with proposals for making health and safety laws simpler and more concise. It comes after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that firms have an “obsession” with heavy-handed and bureaucratic management of minor risks, with many of them adhering to overly strict restrictions imposed by insurance companies.

The HSE uncovered a number of bans with no basis in official regulations, affecting activities such as kite flying, playground games and sports day sack races. This is despite health and safety legislation being designed to target the workplace in an effort to protect workers from risks including unguarded machinery, unsafe work at height and exposure to asbestos.

The Government wants to encourage the public to make a stand against the ongoing “epidemic” of health and safety excuses.

Employment Minister Chris Grayling said: “Middle managers in councils and companies should not try to hide unpopular decisions behind health and safety legislation. People must acknowledge these myths and continue to challenge them.”

Residents were horrified when they spotted the corrugated metal covered in asbestos – a material proven to cause serious illness like lung cancer – abandoned in Newland Road, Hornsey, at the back of Campsbourne Primary School, on Wednesday, August 17.

The fly tippers, branded “irresponsible” by neighbours who feared children would not know to keep away, left a note attached warning passers by of the asbestos.

Lesley Ramm, of nearby Campsfield Road, said: “What type of person would dump lethal asbestos on a housing estate near to a school and crèche?

“How irresponsible – just to save the cost of paying a qualified person to safely remove the asbestos.

“This takes fly tipping to a new low.”

Haringey Council’s waste contractors Veolia removed the dumped waste as soon as it was reported to them, but residents argued that it had remained on site for at least one more day.

A council spokeswoman said: “Fly tipping of any kind is completely unacceptable and this kind of material can pose a danger to passers by. We will not hesitate to take enforcement action against anyone caught dumping in the borough.”

Source: Hornsey Journal

A director of a construction firm has been accused of causing, through gross negligence, the death of a child who was killed when a wall he designed collapsed on her.

Three-year-old Meg Burgess was killed when a wall designed by the director and constructed by his company collapsed on to a public footpath where she was walking with her mother.

Given the Directors direct role in the incident the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has decided that he should be charged with gross-negligence manslaughter.

His company, which has ceased trading, has been charged with an offence under section 3 of the HSWA, but escaped a charge of corporate manslaughter because the CPS did not judge it to be in the public interest to prosecute the firm for such an offence.

Rosemary Ainslie, reviewing lawyer for the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “After considering reports from experts on construction standards and advice from counsel, I have decided that the Director should be charged with gross-negligence manslaughter for his role in designing and constructing the wall that collapsed.”

The Construction Plan of Work 2011/2012 (Part 2)

As well as considering the five generic issues (see previous post), they will also tackle:

• Management of health risks – they will promote awareness and knowledge of health risks in construction to achieve improved management and a corresponding reduction in occupational disease.
• Leadership – they will examine how effective directors & other senior management are at leading health and safety.
•  Contractor Competence – they will raise awareness and promote the key themes in the CDM 2007, in particular competence of organisations and individuals.
• Temporary Works – they will promote awareness and knowledge of the importance of managing temporary works effectively and ensure that adequate management arrangements are in place.
• Worker Involvement – they will encourage effective worker involvement on site, so that workers play an active role in the identification and control of workplace hazards.
• MEWPs – they will promote knowledge of, and assess the overall standard of adherence to industry guidance.
• On-Shore Wind Farms – they will examine the standard of safety management during the construction of on-shore wind farms.
• Solar Capture Equipment – they will ensure that the significant risks arising from the installation of photovoltaic and solar heating technology on small sites are properly controlled.
• Temporary Demountable Structures – they will examine the standard of safety management during the erection and dismantling of temporary demountable structures in the events and entertainments industry.
• Stonemasons and Renovation – they will raise awareness of respiratory disease risks from exposure to respirable crystalline silica.
• Employers Liability and Compulsory Insurance (ELCI) – they will raise the profile of ELCI compliance and enforce the law where necessary.

Enabling Activities 

They will work in partnership with key stakeholders and intermediaries.  Key areas of collaboration include:

• Support to the Working Well Together (WWT) Campaign in raising awareness of health and safety issues within micro and small construction businesses.
• The launch and continued development of an interactive web-based product (Leadership and Worker Involvement Tool) to enable users to lead engage and develop the workforce.
• Use of the supply chain to influence standards – such as focusing on realistic/industry agreed guidance and enforceable standards on: – managing health risks associated with paving, roads and highways – improved standards in ground work – MEWP machine design.
• On-going work to improve the health and safety content for undergraduate courses and improved continued professional development (CPD).
• Continuing to improve the ways in which they can work more closely with other regulators on matters of evident concern.
• Evaluation of the CDM Regulations 2007.

Summary

This plan re-affirms Construction Division’s commitment to improving health and safety in the construction industry.  They recognise that they cannot achieve the improvements alone and look to all those in the construction industry to play their part in bringing about change and improvements in health and safety performance.