IOSH Magazine - December 2019

Conference report

Virtual reality

Port operations

Insights from the inaugural future leaders event

Introducing smell and heat into technology for safety training

Forth Ports deploys soft-skills approach to consultation

Safety, health and wellbeing in the world of work

December 2019

ioshmagazine.com

WARNING SIGNALS Is rail safety progress starting to slow after two decades of improvement?

00-Front Cover_December 2019_IOSH Cov1

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Less haste more safety

The consequences of rushing health and safety training can be fatal. So Managing Safely takes exactly the right amount of time to get participants up to speed. That’s why our three day health and safety course is the most popular for line managers, in any sector, worldwide.

Managing Safely Tried. Tested. Trusted. www.iosh.com/managingsafely

Comment Conference report

Virtual reality

Port operations

Insights from the inaugural future leaders event

Introducing smell and heat into technology for safety training

Forth Ports deploys soft-skills approach to consultation

Safety, health and wellbeing in the world of work

December 2019

ioshmagazine.com

WARNING SIGNALS Is rail safety progress starting to slow after two decades of improvement?

Official magazine of

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is the world’s leading professional body for people responsible for safety and health in the workplace.

Published by Redactive Publishing Ltd Level 5, 78 Chamber Street, London E1 8BL +44 (0) 20 7880 6200

W

e’re reaching the end of another momentous year for IOSH. We’re also on the threshold of our 75th anniversary. Both are chances to celebrate our profession and learn and grow together.

Acting editor Nick Warburton +44 (0) 20 7324 2725 nick.warburton@redactive.co.uk Deputy Editor Kellie Mundell Senior Designer Joe McAllister Advertising Display sales +44 (0) 20 7880 7613 ioshdisplay@redactive.co.uk Recruitment sales +44 (0) 20 7880 7662 ioshjobs@redactive.co.uk Advertisement production Rachel Young +44 (0) 20 7880 6209 rachel.young@redactive.co.uk Publishing director Aaron Nicholls Redactive aims to provide authoritative and accurate information at all times. Its publications are, however,

Cover image: Getty Images

for guidance only and are not an official information source. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the publisher and editor.

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ISSN 2396-7447

© IOSH 2019

IOSH Magazine is printed by ISO 14001 certified printers and despatched in oxo-degradable polywrap. Printed by Warners Midlands plc, The Maltings, Manor Lane, Bourne, PE10 9PH

New Years and anniversaries are traditional times to celebrate achievements, learn from mistakes, check where we are now, look to where we want to be and decide how to get there. For occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals who value continuous development, they’re just one of many waypoints on a journey of reflection and improvement.

Halfway through our five-year WORK 2022 strategy, IOSH is delivering projects and programmes to enhance OSH. Many of these are opportunities for you to up your game as well.

Why not use the turn of the year to take stock of where you are, where you’re going, why, and how you’ll get there? What will you decide to do in 2020 to extend your professional journey and become more adept and more fulfilled? Are you ready for new challenges?

Our new Competency Framework has already been described as a “game-changer” by leading OSH professionals, and by now you will have had a chance to access more detail about its 69 competencies across 12 areas divided into three categories: Technical, Core and Behavioural.

You will be able to use these to show you what strengths you have, where there are needs and gaps in knowledge and experience for you to fill, and areas you might not have considered that can provide solutions to enhance you and your workplaces.

What’s the purpose of all this? Consider IOSH’s vision of ‘a safer, healthier world of work’. That’s a common cause we can all support, and every day our members act to achieve this.

IOSH is taking our vision to the world and aligning with others who share these goals.

Through our strategy, we collaborate to influence through businesses, governments and non-governmental agencies worldwide.

Recently, I was in Helsinki, Finland, as keynote speaker at the Vision Zero Summit.

We looked ahead to a world where we invest more purposefully in prevention, using our knowledge and relationships to achieve changes in attitudes and behaviours.

This is a vision where everyone, wherever they are, goes home without harm every day.

It aligns with what we aim for as well, and IOSH wholeheartedly supports Vision Zero.

Through IOSH’s Global Working programme and developing partnerships, we are taking forward ways to realise our vision.

We have an exciting programme of events planned for 2020 to take IOSH and excellence in OSH to the world.

We’re fortunate to have the most global presidential team ever, from the UK, Europe, Hong Kong, West Africa and the US, and members and volunteers representing us in many other places, enabling us all to share OSH good practice worldwide.

In Nigeria, for example, we have entered a partnership with the Lagos State Government to train people in OSH. I am delighted that our first West Africa conference will take place in Lagos on 22 January 2020 to launch work in West Africa. This will be followed by a series of events in other regions.

Let’s work together to make 2020 a year for renewed professional growth.

Andrew Sharman IOSH president

DECEMBER 2019 1

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Contents December 2019 In focus

p5 pXX

News 4

£600,000 fine for lack XXX of HAVS surveillance XXX Social housing provider Places for People Homes failed to maintain and replace tools which increased vibration levels, ultimately causing permanent damage

pXX

Corporate manslaughter charge over 2015 mill blast 5

XXX

XXXIOSH’s flagship campaign launched Since

Property co hit with £600,000 HAVS fine Essex building firm’s ‘systematic failures’ led to dumper crush

XXX

p13 pXX No Time to Lose turns five

Construction managers need more support to raise health bar

6

University of Edinburgh fined over lab health risks

XXX Rail safety XXX

10

How the industry is improving leadership skills to learn lessons from the past

Sainsbury’s Jamie Laing on the importance of arming the next generation of OSH professionals with the right skillset to influence business in the future

IOSH News 12 New research reveals seafarers’ mental wellbeing risks

Delivery van reversed over traffic marshal’s head and body Groundworks contractor prosecuted over cable strike

8

pXX p20

Future leaders conference

7

NZ school in court over scaffold fall

in 2014, more than 365 organisations from XXX 40 countries have pledged their support

p28

4

HSE prosecution rate down by a quarter, latest stats reveal

10 Grenfell Inquiry: round-up of phase one conclusions

14

Cases of work-related stress at an 18-year high 13 No Time to Lose marks its fifth anniversary Update your knowledge and skills with IOSH CPD courses 14 IOSH launches Corporate Governance masterclass Case study: how Virgin Atlantic is managing safely

12

Hindi translations of Working Safely and Managing Safely courses launched 15 The future of OSH is in safe hands Home delivery and retail workers at risk, says conference IOSH contributes farm safety expertise to BBC’s The Archers New UK government must uphold OSH standards

2 DECEMBER 2019

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20

COVER STORY

Features

Regulars

20 Staying on track

7

The UK’s rail network is one of the safest in the world, but is the industry becoming complacent?

16 Events 18 Reviews

26 Discover the new competency framework

Organising for Safety; A Practical Guide to the Safety Profession

IOSH sets out its new framework, which reflects the competencies that OSH professionals will need to succeed in the modern workplace

51 Lexicon

U is for underlying cause

52 Off duty

Simon Enderby, Up and Under group managing director and adventure racer

28 Standing out in the crowd The inaugural future leaders conference included presentations on how to wield boardroom influence

32 Feeling the heat?

A look into the impact of introducing sensory elements to immersive technology safety training

Column

Angela Gray

53 Recruitment

38

38 The switch to electric

Electric and hybrid plant trial results on a central London construction site reveal reduced workrelated injuries

44 A higher water mark

Six years after the launch of Forth Ports’ Safety F1rst strategy, the operator is deploying a soft-skills approach

32

44

52

DECEMBER 2019 3

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News

For the latest IOSH news and views, visit

ioshmagazine.co.uk

Managers on construction projects can only take ownership of health risks if they are supported by knowledgeable OSH professionals and a range of occupational health experts.

That is one of the headline findings from Raising the bar for occupational health management in construction, a research paper presented by the publishing arm of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).

The research, carried out by Loughborough University, with input from the Thames Tideway Tunnel project in London, noted that construction safety management has increasingly become incorporated into project management and that OSH professionals have landed an advisory role, supporting construction managers who have overall responsibility for delivery.

However, the researchers found that this structural arrangement hasn’t been applied consistently across industry when it comes to the management of health risks.

They also reported that OSH professionals don’t always have

The research findings drew on input from the Thames Tideway Tunnel project

the expertise to provide the support needed.

The three-year research project, which was funded by IOSH, put forward a number of reasons for this discrepancy.

These included OSH professionals not having adequate knowledge to provide

support and the reluctance of managers and OSH professionals to become involved in issues, which they see as ‘personal’.

One of the key sources of expertise needed to support managers and OSH professionals – occupational hygienists – are a

Bosley mill blast: owner charged with corporate manslaughter A company and its management will be prosecuted over the deaths of four people in an explosion at a wood mill.

Derek Moore, Dorothy Bailey, Jason Shingler and William Barks were employees at Wood Flour Mills in Bosley, Cheshire when they died in July 2015 after the blast at the mill, which makes wood chip products.

Owner Wood Treatment has been charged with corporate manslaughter.

The explosion resulted in a 1,000°C inferno that burned for days before the bodies of the victims were recovered from the wreckage of the mill buildings. The mill dominated the village of Bosley, with many locals working at the plant.

Director George Boden, 64, was charged with four counts of manslaughter by gross

The 1,000°C inferno burned for days

negligence and one charge under s 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act. Phillip Smith, 58, was also charged under s 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act as was Peter Shingler, 56.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed the charges in a statement.

“Cheshire Police has been authorised by the CPS to charge Wood Treatment with corporate manslaughter, and George Boden, one of its directors, with gross negligence manslaughter,” it said.

“The company, Mr Boden, and two others who were managers for the company, have also been charged with health and safety offences.

“These decisions were made following a careful review of all of the evidence presented to us by Cheshire Police as a result of their lengthy and complex joint investigation with the Health and Safety Executive.”

The defendants were due to appear before Stockport Magistrates’ Court on 2 December 2019.

Images: PA images and Tideway

Construction managers need support to raise health bar

relatively recent addition to UK construction, the paper reported.

However, increasing the availability of these experts beyond major projects like Thames Tideway Tunnel remains a challenge due to the national shortfall in the number of hygienists available. The researchers said that the scarcity in occupational hygienists meant it was even more important that construction managers and OSH professionals had a stronger understanding of health risks.

The findings, which will be explored in greater detail in a forthcoming IOSH Magazine feature, included proposals for a range of interventions, which would create a more consistent approach to occupational health management and health surveillance, and improve the commitment to better training and improved portability of occupational health data.

Professor Alistair Gibb, who headed up the research at Loughborough University, said: “Major projects like Thames Tideway Tunnel are critical to raising the standards of health management, but also good practices will need to be universally adopted in smallto-medium-sized enterprises if improvements throughout the construction sector are to be sustained in the future.”

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News

In Short New lone worker safety charter The Suzy Lamplugh Trust is calling on employers to sign up to its new charter to help keep lone working employees safer.

An estimated 374,000 adults of working age in employment experience violence at work annually, including threats and physical assault. The charity’s charter calls on organisations to commit to eight steps to make changes. bit.ly/2CUDh2m

Welding fumes update The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has updated its enforcement guidance after new evidence found that exposure to even mild steel welding fume can cause lung cancer and possibly kidney cancer. The regulator announced earlier this year that it is reclassifying welding fumes, including those produced from mild steel, as a human carcinogen. The HSE’s updated guidance reminds stakeholders that their risk assessments should reflect the change in the expected control measures. bit.ly/2QJeXbZ

Image: istock

EU film winner A Swiss documentary which raises awareness of rehabilitation has won the Healthy Workplaces Film Award, supported by IOSH. Bird Island features a young man, Antonin, who suffers with fatigue due to a long-term illness. The film follows him as he takes up work in a bird sanctuary, through diary-like reporting with documentarystyle footage of his interactions with colleagues and the recovering birds. bit.ly/33YvQ62

Property co fined £600,000 for lack of HAVS surveillance The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a property management organisation after five employees developed hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS).

HSE investigators found that between 2009 and 2014 five employees of Places for People Homes used vibrating powered tools to carry out grounds maintenance tasks at sites in Milton Keynes, Rotherham and Hull.

Aylesbury Crown Court was told the firm, which owns or manages nearly 200,000 properties across the UK, failed to assess or manage the risks associated with vibrating tools. It also failed to provide suitable training or health surveillance for its maintenance workers and failed to maintain and replace tools which increased vibration levels.

Places for People Homes, which had a turnover of £827m in 2018/19, pleaded guilty to breaching s 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The company was fined £600,000 and ordered to pay £13,995 costs.

“Companies must manage the risks associated with vibrating tools,” said HSE inspector Andrew McGill. “Hand-arm vibration can be a significant health risk wherever powered hand tools are used for significant lengths of time.

“HAVS is preventable, but once the damage is done it is permanent. Damage from HAVS can include the inability to do fine work and cold can trigger painful finger blanching attacks.

Health surveillance is vital to detect and respond to early signs of damage.”

Essex building firm’s ‘systematic failures’ led to dumper crush A family building firm has been fined £225,000 after a 32-yearold worker was crushed to death when a dumper truck overturned.

David Green died in October 2016 when the vehicle he was driving overturned at Rose Builders’ Summer Park development in Essex.

He was pulled from underneath the truck after it fell from the top of a 3.3 m-high mound of soil at a building site in Lawford.

Despite initially being employed by Rose Builders as a ground worker, he soon began operating tipper trucks without the required training.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation also found that Green was not wearing a seatbelt. The spoil heap being worked on was 3.3 m to 3.6 m high, and post incident it was found to have different gradients, with some edges steeper than others.

Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court was told the company had

not carried out effective risk assessments into how dumper truck operators safely navigated the large mounds of soil.

Other workers interviewed by the HSE said they used their personal judgement of how to tip safely, including how close they got to the edge and whether to wear seatbelts.

Investigators found tipping should have taken place at ground level, which would have eliminated the risk.

Rose Builders was ordered to pay a £225,000 fine plus £11,822 costs.

David Green was not wearing a seatbelt

Judge John Woollard said the fine was to punish the company for its ‘systematic failures’ to put in place safeguards which could have prevented the accident.

In a 2018 inquest into Green’s death, Essex senior coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray published a report raising concerns over the incident.

“In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken,” she said.

“There did not appear to be a safe system of work in operation on the site, there seemed to be a widespread practice of employees not wearing the seatbelts provided with the vehicles and there seemed to be an inadequate system of checking whether or not employees were wearing seatbelts in the course of their work.”

Following the incident, the victim’s family launched a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of not wearing hard hats and seatbelts when operating machinery on building sites.

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News

Uni in court after research workers exposed to allergens The University of Edinburgh has been fined over its lack of health surveillance. carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessments of the exposure to LAA, particularly when it was known that the research workers were already sensitised to the allergens. It failed to ensure suitable health surveillance was carried out at regular intervals and that sufficient information, instruction, supervision and training was provided to the research workers.

A new skills guide to help workplace safety and health officers in Singapore enhance their generic and technical competencies has been unveiled by industry collaborators. The guide provides officers with information on the existing and emerging skills that are required, particularly in technology, and also includes a list of training programmes to upgrade skills.

The framework covers 53 existing and emerging technical skills and another 18 generic competencies.

Emerging skills include cloud computing application, data synthesis, and technology infrastructure management and integration. bit.ly/2s1Lsb3

Significant decrease in major injuries in Northern Ireland

NZ school board in court after teacher and pupil seriously injured in scaffold fall A school board of trustees has been ordered to pay NZ$100,000 (£49,338) after a teacher and student were knocked unconscious and left with brain damage after a mobile scaffold being used to set up lights in the school’s auditorium toppled over.

Mobile scaffolding was erected in Forest View High School’s auditorium to assist with setting up lighting for plays and assemblies.

In June 2018 a teacher and student fell from the 3.9 m-high working platform of the scaffold after it tipped over as it was being moved.

Both were knocked unconscious and suffered serious lacerations, fractures and brain injuries.

The New Zealand health and

Singapore skills guide

safety regulator WorkSafe said the school had not developed a safe system of work around the use of the mobile scaffold.

“There were no policies or procedures in place around working from heights, or for student involvement in the use of the scaffold,” said chief inspector of investigations, Hayden Mander.

“With no safe systems in place students and staff were exposed to a very real risk of injury and this incident could have had catastrophic consequences.”

At Tokoroa District Court, the judge imposed a health and safety project order under s 155 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 in place of a fine. Reparation of

NZ$100,000 was also ordered.

The order requires the trustees to prepare and present a safety presentation at the National Conference of the School Trustees Association in 2020, with a focus on the need to develop and implement a suitable risk management system for use in the classroom and extra-curricular activities.

The board said it has since invested significantly in the redevelopment of the school’s risk management systems and the training and supervision of work at height.

To read the full story: bit.ly/2O3t4qt

Latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI) reveal that serious injuries were down by 28% to 325 last year compared to 453 in the previous 12 months. However, fatal injuries during 2018/19 increased to 12 compared to 11 in 2017/18. Of the 12 fatal injuries, seven occurred in agriculture, three in construction, one in manufacturing and one in the local authority sector. bit.ly/37pCxjV

Building co fined £65k Significant gaps in generic risk assessments have led to a carpenter sustaining nerve and tissue damage to his lower back.

Luton Magistrates’ Court was told that on 2 May 2017, an MP Building employee climbed up scaffolding to remove a nail from a brace holding trusses, one of which started to fall causing the employee to fall with it. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigators found that the risk assessments were generic – raised fall protection decking did not cover the whole area and left significant gaps. bit.ly/35kH8lA

Image: iStock

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector accused the university of failing to grasp the importance of risk-based health surveillance after two researchers were exposed to rodents, despite being allergic.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told how the researchers had both begun work at the University of Edinburgh in 2003 and had declared that they were already allergic to rodents at the time. Over the years they continued to work with rats and were exposed to various levels of laboratory animal allergens (LAA), a respiratory sensitiser and a substance hazardous to health.

HSE inspector Susan Donnelly said: “This was a case of the university completely failing to grasp the importance of risk-based health surveillance.”

An HSE investigation found that the university failed to

The University of Edinburgh pleaded guilty to breaching s 2 and s 33 (1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work Act and was fined £10,000.

“If the university had implemented a system of risk-based health surveillance, it would have ensured that an occupational health management system was in place which would monitor worker’s fitness for work,” added Donnelly. “Such systems can prevent an employee’s health condition becoming severe and life altering.”

In Short

6 DECEMBER 2019

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Column

Angela Gray CMIOSH OSH content developer, IOSH As colleagues were preparing for the future leaders event (p 28) I was reminded of Lao-Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher, who said, “A leader is best when people barely know he exists… when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will all say: ‘We did it ourselves’.”

The 3.5-tonne vehicle was reversed off the Stena ferry

Delivery van reversed over traffic marshal’s head and body Ferry operator Stena Line has been fined £400,000 after a worker was struck by a 3.5-tonne delivery van being reversed out of a docked vessel.

George Ball was working as a pontoon traffic marshal at the company’s port terminal in Birkenhead, Wirral on 17 September 2017 when a port service operative reversed the van off the Stena Lagan vessel onto the pontoon area nearby.

The vehicle collided with Ball, knocking him to the ground, and continued to reverse over his head and body. He sustained multiple injuries, including numerous fractures to his skull and ribs and loss of sight in one eye. He has been left with double vision in the other eye and experiences ongoing mental health problems.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation revealed there

was no consideration of physical segregation of pedestrian operatives from moving vehicles when vessels were being unloaded.

Stena Line had failed to adequately assess the risks to pedestrians from moving vehicles and consequently put in place effective control measures leading to a safe system of work.

Stena Line pleaded guilty to breaching s 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act for failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of an employee. As well as the fine, it was ordered to pay £6,576 in costs.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Rohan Lye said: “Had Stena Line employed suitable control measures, the life-changing physical and emotional injuries which continue to impact Mr Ball and his family would have been avoided.”

Groundworks contractor prosecuted over cable strike G&R Groundworks has been fined after an operative struck an underground electricity cable resulting in multiple serious burns.

On 15 October 2018, workers were using an electric ground breaker to dig fence post holes for a car park perimeter fence at a site in Ramsgate, Kent. While operating the breaker, one of the workers struck an 11kv electricity cable, causing a large flash and engulfing him in flames.

About half of the victim’s body surface area was burnt.

A Health and Safety Executive investigation found that G&R

Groundworks failed to source and refer to the underground services plans prior to breaking the ground to determine the location of any cables within the planned working area.

It also failed to provide its operatives with cable identification equipment to further locate any cables within that area.

Folkestone Magistrates’ Court fined the firm £32,400 plus £2,657 costs.

To read the full story: bit.ly/2QEwIsH

Is this the art of true safety leadership? To create a climate of ownership and personal accountability across all tiers of an organisation?

As a safety professional, either employed in an organisation or in an external support capacity, this is what we should be striving for. Our goal should be to drive good occupational safety and health (OSH) practice, ownership and behaviours so deep into the psyche of an organisation that they are, literally, doing it themselves.

This should be our mindset. We should be constantly looking for ways to integrate good OSH principles and practices within operational activities, so that they become the norm and not an add-on.

Through building rapport and great relationships, by coaching and influencing, we should be building capability and competence in others. This then Our goal should be to drive good OSH so deep creates the confidence for them to make decisions, find solutions, into the psyche of an see the gaps and develop new organisation that they and innovative ways to improve are, literally, doing it first performance and then behaviours … without calling for themselves the ‘professional’ at every bump in the road. We are creating ‘safety leaders’ across and within our organisation.

But who are ‘safety leaders’? There appears to be no unequivocal or unambiguous definition of safety leadership. Is it found in the OSH professional? The wider leadership teams? Or is it in the workers themselves?

In any workplace you can find people who are safety advocates. This is where we should concentrate our efforts as these people will carry, support and reinforce our message and vision. They will prove to be ‘leaders’ in their own right, and within their own sphere of influence.

As the OSH culture matures, our own activities, style and focus will need to evolve in sync with these changes.

Initially, it’s about focussing on the basics, ensuring legal compliance and driving performance, and acting very much in a policing role. But once the operation is ‘doing it for themselves’, what do we bring to the table?

The workplace continues to transform at a rapid pace. The structure, skills, diversity and mobility of the workforce is ever-changing and, as we continue to make huge steps in technological and digital advancement, where does that leave the safety leader?

People have qualities that cannot be automated: creativity, curiosity and imagination; intuition and emotion; and ethical beliefs and behaviours. This is the space where our future challenges lie.

Safety leaders need to be imaginative, developing innovative and creative new ways of working. We need to remain curious and quick to spot and capitalise on emerging trends. We should intuitively know which solutions will improve business effectiveness and productivity. Critical to this will be the ability to ensure that we are able to balance the ethical, moral, social and cost challenges of the role.

A true safety leader will be a visible inspiration to others, acting with integrity and demonstrating the real value that a great OSH culture can bring to a safe, healthy, innovative and highly productive organisation.

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News

HSE prosecution rate down by a quarter, latest stats reveal The UK Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) reduced ability to bring successful prosecutions last year coincided with a rise in the number of fatalities, which was up three on 2017/18.

The HSE’s reduced effectiveness in prosecuting cases also coincided with a rise in the number of fatalities, which reached 147 compared to 144 in 2017/18 and 135 in 2016/17; and a new all-time high in cases of work-related stress, anxiety and depression, which increased from 595,000 in 2017/18 to reach 602,000, a prevalence of 1,800 cases per 100,000.

Elsewhere, the statistics showed a mixed picture, with self-reported levels of both musculoskeletal disorders (498,000 versus 469,000) and overall workplace-related injuries (581,000 versus 555,000) both slightly higher than in 2017/18. On the other hand, reported cases of work-related ill-health fell slightly, standing at 497,000 in 2018/19 from 541,000 last year.

The regulator itself admitted that it needs to do “further work” to understand the reasons for the 23% fall-off in successful prosecutions, but offered three explanations: a larger than normal number of inspectors in training; HSE inspectors’ time being consumed by “dealing with challenges raised by defence solicitors”, and a greater number of Newton hearings, where a defendant enters a ‘guilty’ plea but a hearing in front of a judge is still required.

But there are also slightly

Total fines for health and safety offences prosecuted by HSE and, in Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Services (COPFS) 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Total fines (£m)

The HSE’s effectiveness in bringing prosecutions to a successful conclusion saw a noticeable downturn in 2018/19, as the total number of cases that resulted in a verdict – whether conviction or acquittal – dropped 23% from 509 in 2017/18 to just 393. That is one of a range of insights in the regulator’s annual statistical release, published on 30 October.

2014/15

393

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

2018/19

Total number of cases prosecuted by the HSE (or referred to COPFS for prosecution in Scotland) in 2018/19

New and longstanding cases of work-related ill health by type, 2018/19

Fatal injuries to workers

Other type of illness

19%

Musculoskeletal disorders

37%

Stress, depression or anxiety

44%

fewer cases coming through the pipeline, with the number of enforcement notices standing at 8,777 in 2018/19 compared with 8,975 in 2017/8. That represents 4% fewer prohibition notices than in 2017/18, and 1% fewer improvement notices. The decline is sharper compared with the five-year average of 9,066 notices (from 2014/15 to 2018/19).

The total fines levied by the courts following HSE or, in Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Services (COPFS) prosecutions was £54.5m in 2018/19, noticeably lower than the £71.6m in

135

144

147

2016/17

2017/18

2018/19

2017/18. However, the HSE points out that the average fine per case was £150,000, close to the preceding year’s £148,000, suggesting that the drop in the total fines is not due to any change in the judiciary’s application of the Sentencing Guideline, but arithmetically linked to the decrease in cases completed.

As in previous years, the figures showed that selfemployed workers had almost twice the fatality rate of those in employment. While the overall frequency per 100,000 workers was 0.45 (up from 0.44 recorded in 2017/18 and 0.42 in

2016/17), the rate for selfemployed workers was 0.79 per 100,000, compared with 0.39 for those in employment. The industry with the highest fatality rate was agriculture, forestry and fisheries, at 9.21 per 100,000, while the waste management and water supply sector had a rate of 3.21.

The statistical compilation draws heavily on returns under the Labour Force Survey (LFS), under which 37,000 households complete detailed returns to the Office of National Statistics each quarter. The LFS returns show that the trend in self-reported cases of stress, anxiety and depression is clearly upward, with the prevalence of 1,800 cases per 100,000 workers, significantly higher than the five-year average of 1,380.

Work-related mental ill health accounted for 44% of all work-related ill health cases, and 54% of working days lost to ill health, the HSE reports, although the latter figure is lower than the 57% calculated in 2017/18. Prevalence peaked for white collar ‘professionals’, at 2,150 per 100,000 workers, while ‘managers, directors and senior officials’ – who presumably have more autonomy – saw a belowaverage rate of 1,260 cases.

The LFS returns for selfreported work-related injuries reached 581,000 in 2018/19, up from 555,000 in 2017/18. These contrast with the actual RIDDOR figures for 2018/19, which are static: 69,208 in 2018/19 and 71,062 in 2017/18. On the other hand, self-reported workrelated ill health cases fell, standing at 497,000 in 2018/19 compared to 541,000 in 2017/18.

Overall, the combination of self-reported injuries, and mental and physical health problems produced a lower estimate of the number of working days lost, standing at 28.2 million in 2018/19 compared to 30.7 million a year earlier.

Within this total, working days lost to stress, depression and anxiety fell from 15.4 million last year to 12.8 million in 2018/19. The HSE gives no explanation for the figures – but it suggests that individuals feel less inclined, or less able, to take time off work to recover.

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News analysis

The report notes that there were serious deficiencies in the London Fire Brigade’s command and control in its response to the Grenfell Tower fire, which resulted in 72 deaths

Grenfell Inquiry: round-up of phase one conclusions The first report by the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire has highlighted ‘serious shortcomings’ in the London fire service’s preparedness for, and response to, the fire.

Inquiry chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick has made detailed recommendations for better training for fire services and new duties on high-rise building owners in his report into the fire that broke out in the 24-storey local authority-owned block of flats in west London in the early hours of 14 June 2017 and consumed the block, resulting in 72 deaths.

The report marks the end of the inquiry’s

first phase, which investigated the cause of the fire, its spread, and the response of the London Fire Brigade (LFB) and the other emergency services. It took evidence from survivors, members of the emergency services and experts in fire safety.

It confirms that the main reason a small domestic fire caused by a faulty fridgefreezer spread to the building’s exterior and

then over the whole block was the addition during a 2016 renovation of aluminium composite rainscreen panels to the four faces of the building. These panels had polyethylene cores, exposed in places, which fuelled the fire and ignited other fires on the facade via burning drips. The relocation of the apartment windows to the outside of the window reveals that, flush with the cladding, and without installing a non-combustible layer, this compromised the building’s fire compartmentation system, which was designed to keep a conflagration from spreading.

LFB’s failures The report criticises the LFB’s preparation and planning for a fire such as that at Grenfell Tower as ‘gravely inadequate’.

Retired judge Moore-Bick praised the courage and devotion to duty of the firefighters who attended the blaze, but it said the first incident commanders “were

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News analysis

faced with a situation for which they had not been properly prepared”. They had no training in the hazards posed by combustible cladding or in how to recognise the need for an evacuation. They failed to abandon the ‘stay-put’ policy – in which residents were advised to stay in their flats rather than escape – for an hour after it was clear that all fire compartmentation in the block had failed.

“There were serious deficiencies in command and control,” says the report.

“Although additional resources arrived swiftly, some senior officers failed to give sufficient practical support or inform themselves quickly enough of conditions and operations within the building.”

There was no contingency plan for the evacuation of Grenfell Tower in the LFB’s operational risk database for buildings, and what information there was on the tower was either wrong or out of date, because it did not account for the refurbishment. The

report recommends new legal duties on owners and managers of high-rise residential buildings to inform their local fire and rescue services about the design and construction of external walls and about any material changes made to them, to provide fire services with up-to-date building plans, to draw up and test evacuation plans, and to test monthly any lift systems designed for use by firefighters and report test results to the fire service. They should also be obliged to issue all residents of their buildings with easy-to-understand fire safety instructions.

The report also recommends all highrise residences be fitted with alarm systems that allow the emergency services to issue an evacuation warning to all or part of the building. Building owners should conduct three-monthly inspections of fire doors to check their self-closing mechanisms are in good order – some at Grenfell had failed, compromising fire compartmentation.

Moore-Bick dedicates a chapter of the report to the 2009 Lakanal House fire in south London, in which six people died in a 14-storey block of local authority flats. The coroner’s recommendations after that fire led to an internal review by the LFB of its protocols for handling 999 emergency calls, and the situations in which it was appropriate for call handlers to advise residents to stay put or leave their flats.

“Despite changes in policy, similar shortcomings were displayed by the control room when responding to callers from Grenfell Tower,” says the report.

Communication and coordination of the fire and police services was inadequate, says Moore-Bick. “That in turn led to a lack of shared understanding of the nature and effect of the fire.”

“LFB needs resourcing to urgently address issues with command and control, training, equipment and communications,” said IOSH’s head of policy and regulatory engagement, Richard Jones, adding that “these lessons should be considered by all fire and rescue services across the country”.

The London Fire Brigade needs resourcing to urgently address issues with command and control, training, equipment and communications report is expected in 24 months’ time.

Police investigations into the organisations responsible for the building’s management and refurbishment are ongoing. In December 2018, the government announced a set of new requirements to improve safety in residential high-rises, in response to a separate inquiry led by former Health and Safety Executive chair Dame Judith Hackitt into building regulations.

Hackitt’s recommendations included higher penalties for fire safety breaches, and obliging new high-rise residential projects to pass through a series of ‘gateways’ – points at which the regulators will approve fire safety arrangements.

Hackitt was recently appointed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to oversee the creation of a new building safety regulator, which was another of her report’s recommendations.

Jones welcomed this development and the Moore-Bick inquiry’s report, but expressed concern about the delays in removing combustible cladding from around 430 blocks in the UK. “IOSH believes that progress has been far too slow,” he said, “and must be accelerated, properly resourced and afforded the priority it merits to prevent further deaths.”

Inadequate fire resistance Turning to the conditions that allowed the fire to spread in the first place, the report finds that the external walls, once fitted with the rainscreen cladding, failed to comply with requirement B4(1) of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010, that they should “adequately resist the spread of fire over the walls”.

“On the contrary,” said Moore-Bick, “they actively promoted it.” The second phase of the report will try to determine who was responsible for this failure. It will also investigate whether the testing and certification regimes for materials used on high-rise buildings are adequate, and whether sprinkler systems should be fitted to high-rise residential stock. The hearings for phase two will open in January, and a second

Sir Martin Moore-Bick

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IOSH News New research reveals seafarers’ mental wellbeing risks Long working hours, isolation and extended periods of time away from home could be putting people who work at sea at risk of developing mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, new IOSH-funded research shows.

The study, conducted by Cardiff University’s Seafarers International Research Centre, explored the extent of mental health risks on vessels, the causes of mental ill-health and what can be done to improve mental wellbeing among seafarers.

More than 1,500 seafarers worldwide completed a questionnaire on their experiences, while interviews were conducted with a small group of seafarers, employers, maritime charities and other stakeholders.

A lack of access to the internet, long periods of time away from friends and family, as well poor accommodation and food were among the leading causes for concern among those working at sea.

As part of the study, a range of employers also completed a questionnaire, which included questions around provisions for mental health. More than half (55%) of employers asked stated they had not introduced any policies or practices to address mental health for a decade, while seafarers themselves indicated recreational and interactive activities were the best ways

of combating depression.

“It is all too easy for seafarers working out on the deep ocean to be invisible to those ashore,” says Professor Helen Sampson, Director of Cardiff University’s Seafarers International Research Centre. “Their remoteness allows for abuse to go undetected. Sometimes seafarers are subjected to bullying and harassment by superiors and colleagues on board. However, many employers also mistreat seafarers by failing to provide decent and humane living conditions which promote good mental wellbeing.

“This research reveals that seafarers working on cargo ships experience very little happiness on board and suffer the consequences of social isolation, stressful working conditions, fatigue, and monotonous institutional environments. It is time such issues were properly addressed.”

The researchers urge cargo shipping companies to provide greater support for workers, including the provision of on-board amenities such as internet access, improved accommodation and recreational activities.

The researchers recommend employers take steps to address the major difference between happiness levels of seafarers onboard and at home, and that they should

take notice of the evidence indicating that recent-onset psychological disorders are increasing among serving seafarers.

In addition, organisations are urged to provide self-help guidance on improving mental resilience, provide contracts that balance work and leave time, introduce and enforce anti-bullying and harassment policies, train officers on creating a positive on-board atmosphere and set up confidential counselling services.

“Lone workers or those working in small crews in remote areas often work without close interaction with other employees or family members. They face a unique set of challenges and are particularly vulnerable when it comes to their mental health,” adds Duncan Spencer, Head of Advice and Practice at IOSH. “Organisations employing remote workers need to shift their approach to follow similar standards that are being implemented in other industries.”

The research report can be viewed at www.iosh.com/seafarerswellbeing

The annual number of workrelated stress cases in Great Britain is at an 18-year high, figures for 2018/19 released by the Health and Safety Executive indicate (see p 8).

The statistics show that stress continues to be a significant cause of workplace ill-health in Great Britain, with 602,000 workers suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety and 12.8 million working days lost as a result in 2018/19.

As well as the human and quality-of-life impacts, work-related stress represents a substantial cost to employers, employees and the UK economy.

During International Stress

Awareness Week (4–8 Nov), worldwide initiatives highlighted some of the leading causes of stress and signposted sources of advice and support to manage it.

Factors such as workload,

lack of support, violence, threats or bullying and changes at work are believed to be the main causes of work-related stress, depression or anxiety.

All employers have a legal duty to protect employees from work-related stress by assessing the risk and taking action to remove or tackle it.

IOSH advocates a holistic, proactive approach to managing health and rehabilitation issues at work and argues everyone in the workplace should work together to tackle the causes of work-related injury and ill-health. Where workers may need time off due to stress-related illness, effective rehabilitation policies should be

included as part of a wider strategy on employee health, safety and wellbeing.

“It’s disappointing and concerning to see such high numbers of work-related stress, depression and anxiety cases.

Employers should review their prevention and training strategies and ensure they’re providing sufficient support for their workers, particularly in these uncertain economic times,” said Richard Jones, Head of Policy and Regulatory Engagement at IOSH. IOSH publishes a range of free guidance providing useful information about how workplaces can manage stress and rehabilitation: bit.ly/2WDnSMW

Images: iStock

Cases of work-related stress at an 18-year high

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IOSH News

No Time to Lose marks its fifth anniversary November has been an important month for IOSH’s No Time to Lose campaign to help prevent occupational cancer which claims around 742,000 lives a year worldwide.

On 3 November, the campaign marked its fifth anniversary by sharing a new pocket-card to help workers protect themselves from dangerous diesel engine exhaust emissions (DEEEs).

This handy card advises people working with or around diesel-powered equipment or vehicles to turn off engines if not needed, use tailpipe exhaust extraction systems, use workplace air extraction, wear a mask and get trained.

DEEEs can cause lung cancer, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Worldwide at least 38,000 people a year die from excess diesel vehicle nitrogen oxide emissions. You can access a digital version of the card free at: bit.ly/35brHvD. IOSH has commissioned new research at King’s College London to explore the impact of diesel emissions and black carbon on the health of professional drivers. The DEMiSt project’s preliminary findings revealed that the lives of professional drivers working in congested cities such as London are being put at risk due to exposure to black carbon levels that are on average a third higher than would be experienced at a busy roadside. The full report and other resources will be published at the start of 2020.

Since the No Time to Lose campaign was launched in 2014, it has raised awareness of DEEEs, solar radiation and skin cancers, respirable crystalline silica dust and the most lethal workplace carcinogen, asbestos.

Around 118,000 digital resources have been

downloaded from the website, 23,000 campaign packs have been distributed to businesses and occupational safety and health professionals, and campaign messages published by the media have reached an audience of over 83 million.

More than 365 organisations from 40 countries are supporting the campaign by raising awareness of occupational cancer, 130 leading businesses have signed up to the pledge to manage carcinogens in the workplace, and No Time to Lose ambassadors have presented the campaign at more than 250 events worldwide to around 18,000 delegates.

Throughout the summer and early autumn of 2019, partner OSH organisations in Australia, Canada and Malaysia have launched No Time to Lose across their networks, and more global roll-outs are planned for 2020. Also in November, IOSH Head of Strategic Engagement Alan Stevens presented No Time to Lose in Düsseldorf to an audience of around 100 people at the International Social Security Association’s ‘Vision Zero – Innovation in Prevention’ conference.

NTTL Ambassador Philip Baker presented the campaign to plumbing students at Boston College in Lincolnshire, and IOSH Campaigns Communications Co-ordinator Jasmeen Daji represented IOSH at the EU-OSHA ‘Healthy Workplaces Manage Dangerous Substances’ campaign summit in Bilbao, Spain. No Time to Lose and the ‘Healthy Workplaces’ campaign are closely aligned.

In Amsterdam, IOSH PR Manager Simon Butt-Bethlendy presented on the No Time to Lose campaign’s asbestos phase at the European Asbestos Forum conference, and

the following week, in Nottingham, UK, the campaign was exhibited at the BOHS Faculty of Asbestos Assessment and Management annual conference.

One more significant date in November was 24 November. On that day in 1999 the Asbestos (Prohibitions) (Amendment) Regulations came into effect. This banned the use of any form of asbestos in the UK. However, 20 years on from that ban, asbestos still lurks in hundreds of thousands of buildings constructed before the ban and Britain has the world’s highest rates of mesothelioma affecting people exposed to asbestos in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

It demonstrates the continuing importance of OSH professionals getting involved in our campaign.

To learn more, visit www.notimetolose.org.uk.

Update your knowledge and skills with IOSH CPD courses IOSH’s continuing professional development (CPD) courses provide important insights into new areas of health and safety and can help OSH professionals refresh their existing knowledge on a particular topic.

Attending an IOSH CPD course provides valuable content for a member’s CPD record, but non-members are also welcome to book on to courses and take this opportunity to develop their knowledge, skills and experience.

Each course takes one to two days and IOSH members can benefit from a special discounted rate. A wide range of courses is running next year. For a full list of CPD courses and information about how to book your place, visit: bit.ly/36nPx95

IOSH member survey

In October IOSH ran a member survey, which included questions to inform our membership grades review as part of a wider consultation which will run into next year.

The response rate was high, with 20 per cent of our members (2,000 more than the last survey, in 2016) responding to the survey. Many thanks to those who took

part – we look forward to sharing the findings from the survey in the coming months.

IOSH sponsors AfriSAFE Awards

IOSH sponsored the AfriSAFE Awards in November, celebrating excellence in health, safety and wellbeing initiatives across Africa. Lagos, Nigeria, is the location of the award ceremony and IOSH’s first conference in west Africa, on 22 January 2020.

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IOSH News

Case study: how Virgin Atlantic is managing safely

IOSH launches Corporate Governance masterclass IOSH has launched a Corporate Governance masterclass to provide business leaders with essential insights into how effective governance can improve OSH performance.

Businesses of all sizes are facing increased scrutiny from investors, regulators, workers and customers over how they look after their people – and there is growing recognition that good safety and health is essential to building a successful and sustainable future.

Developing key elements of exemplary governance in safety and health is particularly timely, as organisations embark on embedding the international standard on occupational safety and health management systems, ISO 45001, into their business.

Corporate Governance responds to this demand by exploring ways in which occupational safety and health can be effectively integrated into an organisation’s existing corporate governance arrangements.

The masterclass aims to equip board members and senior decision-makers with the knowledge and skills to examine safety and health effectively in their organisation

and understand how to evaluate strategic strengths and weaknesses in corporate governance of OSH. “With so many eyes on them, businesses must ensure that they prioritise the safety and health of their people. It isn’t just a matter of complying with regulation, either. Future-fit businesses go beyond legal compliance, and reap the rewards from higher productivity, profitability and customer and worker loyalty,” says Jonathan Nobbs, Head of Product at IOSH. “Key to effective safety and health management is leadership from the top.

Good governance of a business’s safety and health management system is an important dimension of business success. Our new masterclass is designed to demonstrate to senior decision-makers and business leaders their roles and responsibilities in relation to this, to equip them with the knowledge to embed safety and health right at the heart of their business.”

The new masterclass is the second addition to IOSH’s suite of training for senior leaders, adding to the existing Leading Safely course.

For more information visit bit.ly/2NuU299

Hindi translations of Working Safely and Managing Safely courses launched IOSH launched its Working Safely and Managing Safely courses in Hindi during OSH India in Mumbai on 28–29 November.

Working Safely is designed to train employees to ensure that their actions contribute to

safety and health in the workplace and that they clearly understand their individual responsibilities.

Managing Safely has long been established as a flexible and effective safety and health awareness course for managers

IOSH visited Virgin Atlantic’s headquarters in Crawley, England in October to learn more about how the organisation is improving its workers’ awareness of safety and health through in-house delivery of IOSH’s Managing Safely course.

Managing Safely is the market-leading health and safety course for line managers, designed to integrate safety and health within an organisation by improving safety awareness and enhancing its reputation across its supply chain.

“Managing Safely has been fantastic for further embedding safety and health in Virgin,” said Matt Wells CMIOSH, Advisor – Health, Safety and Environment at Virgin Atlantic. “The course has raised awareness, provided workers with a broad understanding of why safety and health is important and has helped to drive up standards across the organisation.”

Rachel Luff, course delegate and Workshop Supervisor at Virgin Atlantic, said: “Managing Safely improved my understanding of safety and health. It opens your eyes and helps you to look at things a bit differently. The course encourages you to think about how you can manage the task safely every time you approach a job, how you can improve processes, and the importance of making sure yourself and colleagues are operating safely at all times.”

across a broad range of sectors, helping to improve productivity in an organisation.

There is a vital need for greater safety and health awareness and management in India. According to a study by the Indian Institute of Technology around 48,000 people die at work in India every year, and there is particular concern for those working in the construction industry who spend significant amounts of time working at

height and in hazardous environments.

OSH India is South Asia’s largest occupational safety and health event and brings together international exhibitors, consultants, business experts and key government officials on an industry platform. The show facilitates exchanges of global best practice and seeks solutions to challenges in workplace safety and health.

Read more: bit.ly/34CAHtw

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IOSH News

The future of OSH is in safe hands At IOSH’s first Future Leaders Conference, which took place on 5 November in Birmingham, nearly 120 delegates met to network, share expertise and discuss the future of occupational safety and health (see p 28 for conference report).

The Future Leaders Conference was designed for members of the Future Leaders Community, which IOSH recently launched to support early-career professionals and help them form new connections in the profession.

“The Future Leaders Conference is important because there is nothing else like it out there,” said a delegate. “For someone like me, who is new to working in safety and health, having an event made with me in mind that allows me to meet and network with my peers is really valuable.”

Chaired by Jamie Laing, Group Safety Business Partner at Sainsbury’s and a member of the Future Leaders Community Steering Group, the Conference saw a range of speakers from across industry.

The keynote speaker, Neil Lennox, Head of Safety and Insurance at Sainsbury’s, provided an illuminating insight

Two new IOSH fellows

Two IOSH members – Steven Low and John Rothery – became Chartered Fellows during the October round of interviews.

In the same month, 41 members attained CMIOSH status. www.iosh.com/newchartered

Photo: Hollis Photography

Competency framework

IOSH has announced the 69 competencies that the modern OSH professional needs to demonstrate.

IOSH’s new competency framework was informed by a combination of focus groups, interviews, research, analysis and benchmarking against a wide range of national and international standards and practices.

Read more about the 69 competencies here: bit.ly/34OfRHO

into how businesses are placing increased focus on the safety, health and wellbeing of their workers to meet their sustainable business objectives.

“OSH professionals are increasingly required to be able to speak the language of the business and the boardroom,” he said. “While technical skills are vital, we must all be able to work with colleagues across the business and communicate how workplaces that have strong safety and health cultures reap long-term benefits.”

Other sessions explored the value of mentoring and how OSH professionals are wellplaced to embrace future technologies and work alongside robots to enhance safety, health and wellbeing in the workplace.

A panel discussion on the future of occupational safety and health was chaired by IOSH President-Elect Jimmy Quinn and featured Neil Lennox, Duncan Spencer (Head of Advice and Practice, IOSH), Shona Paterson (Director, Shirley Parsons) and Sarah James (Assistant Health and Safety Advisor, Carney Consultancy).

The closing address was given by Bev Messinger, IOSH’s Chief Executive, who reflected on the mentors and teachers who inspired her throughout her career. She celebrated those in the room as the next generation of OSH professionals, who will help to inspire a positive shift in public perception and carry the torch in the coming years.

Read more: bit.ly/2qIG2ke

IOSH contributes farm safety expertise to BBC’s The Archers IOSH expertise on safety and health on farms helped to inform a recent storyline as part of BBC Radio 4’s popular drama The Archers.

Alan Plom, Chair of IOSH’s Rural Industries Group, was approached by the BBC earlier this year to provide expert advice for an October plotline involving farming hazards and procedures required following an accident on a farm. The Archers regularly seeks expert input on storylines to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of its subject matter.

Alan said: “As a long-time listener of The Archers, this was a fantastic opportunity to help raise awareness about good practice on farms and share IOSH expertise with the wider public through this channel. Ensuring agricultural workers are aware of the potential risks and hazards, and how to keep themselves safe and healthy in the workplace, is essential.”

The Archers has aired since 1951 and is the world’s longest-running drama with over 19,000 episodes.

Home delivery and retail workers at risk, says conference A conference last month organised by IOSH’s Logistics and Retail Group explored occupational risks to home delivery and retail workers and ways employers can create safer and healthier working environments.

Organisations such as SoloProtect, Slip Safety Services, PsychaLogica and Briggs presented on innovations in behavioural safety and how they are working to support lone workers, prevent slips, trips and falls and more.

“Occupational health issues can particularly affect remote and lone workers, such as home delivery and warehouse workers, many of whom spend significant periods of the working day on their own,” said Andrew Mawson, Chair of IOSH’s Logistics and Retail Group.

“It is vital we develop solutions to protect vulnerable workers and ensure colleagues are not put at risk in the workplace.”

New UK government must uphold OSH standards, says IOSH We know good health and safety is good for business, and effective regulation helps ensure many millions of lives and livelihoods are protected every day.

By contrast, poor health and safety and weak regulations cause massive, unsustainable costs to individuals, employers and society.

IOSH believes it is vital the UK continues to apply our successful riskbased health and safety system. This has been deemed fit for purpose by independent reviews and is respected and imitated across the world.

IOSH will continue to promote agreed international standards and defend them against any erosion of health and safety protections.

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Events For IOSH group and branch events visit www.iosh.com January 2020 19-21 Intersec

Dubai World Trade Centre Registration required Trade fair for security, safety and fire protection professionals. Intersec 2019 attracted a record-breaking 34,800 visitors from 135 countries to meet more than 1,200 exhibitors. The 2020 event will feature seven product groups, specialised pavilions for drones and live demonstrations. bit.ly/2O76Hj1

February 5

Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) – Extracting the Best Practices 2020

Hilton East Midlands Airport, Derby BOHS/ILEVE member rate: £150 exc VAT; non-member rate: £210 exc VAT British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) and Institute of Local Exhaust Ventilation (ILEVE) are holding their 5th joint event for those with an active involvement in the local exhaust ventilation (LEV) industry. Speakers include Adrian Parris (Sellafield) who will discuss welding fume control selector tools, and Chris Steel (Health and Safety Executive) who will present on noise control for LEV systems. bit.ly/33kFiQW

located with the Fire Safety Event, the Facilities Event and the Security Event. bit.ly/2XbYttZ

28 March 10-11 Health and Wellbeing at Work

NEC Birmingham From £45 The conference returns for its 14th year, profiling national developments, service innovations, best practice and the latest research. Presentations will consider the state of positive psychology coaching and its value to organisations, and autistic women in the workplace as part of the neurodiversity programme. The legal programme will consider GDPR from an employment law perspective, whistleblowing and public interest, and staff surveillance. bit.ly/2MgmcVS

Radisson Blu Hotel, London Stansted Booking required Networking event that specialises in arranging one-to-one business meetings between safety and health professionals and product suppliers to build on their database of contacts and expertise. Seminars include a case study on the impact of building design on employee wellness, and building personal and organisational resilience. bit.ly/34qhHOW

IET Austin Court, Birmingham Early-bird rate: £495 exc VAT Hosted by the Health and Safety Executive, this conference will look at how decarbonisation can really happen in the UK, and the importance of the future of the gas system to achieve this. Keynote speakers from industry, government, research and standards-making will share knowledge, insight and current thinking, and overcome the health and safety challenge of innovating and regulating this growing area of new technology. bit.ly/36xhsTX

RoSPA Fleet & Road Safety Event 2020

Leicester Conferences, Leicester Early-bird member: £125 exc VAT; Early-bird non-member: £145 exc VAT The RoSPA Road Safety Event will return in 2020 to cover a range of fleet and road safety topics, plus case studies and practical advice from road safety experts. bit.ly/2OZmS43

Occupational Safety and Health Forum

12-13 Future of Gas III: part of the safety excellence in energy series

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27

May 19-21 Safety & Health Expo

ExCel London Free Educational seminars to be announced soon will take place alongside an exhibition of hundreds of safety product suppliers. ubm.io/33fu6oF

April 1

South Wales Safety Groups Alliance Annual Conference and Exhibition

Cardiff Football Stadium Delegate fee £60 exc VAT The programme is under development and will focus on improving safety, health and wellbeing. bit.ly/32k7Dpc

June 9

28-30 The Health and Safety Event 2020

NEC, Birmingham Free Featuring a range of seminars, practical workshops and an exhibition hall, this three-day event attracts more than 16,000 workplace professionals with its CPD-accredited conference programme and workshops. It is co-

IOSH National Safety and Health Conference

Solihull, Birmingham Now in its 45th year, this public sector event is led by four IOSH networking groups: education, environmental and waste management, health and social care, and public services. Further details to be announced soon. bit.ly/32kaQF2

20-23 Occupational Hygiene 2020

Bristol, UK Early-bird member: £530 exc VAT; Early-bird non-member: £730 exc VAT The conference will bring together researchers, practitioners and regulators from around the world to discuss the latest issues affecting those working in occupational hygiene, and the prevention of occupational ill-health and disease. bit.ly/2qoGZhL

RoSPA Scotland Conference 2020

Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh Early-bird member: £125 exc VAT; Early-bird non-member: £145 exc VAT This conference for the health and safety community in Scotland offers an opportunity to discuss key issues facing professionals, as well as a range of updates, case studies and interactive sessions. bit.ly/2X1Nt2c

October 4-7

XXII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work 2020

Toronto, Canada Early-bird professional pass: CA$850 The congress opens its doors every three years and it’s Canada’s turn to host the international gathering of global prevention leaders. The event will focus on preventing ill health and injury in the connected age, and presentations will look at innovations in addressing long-standing safety and health challenges; implications of the changing world of work for OSH practitioners; and advancing a culture of prevention. bit.ly/34V7VV6

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IOSH CPD courses Improve your skills Enhance the profession Better Behavioural Safety – How to Apply Behavioural Choose the right Science to Improve Performance available online course for you Board Masterclass for OSH Professionals CDM – Understanding the Regulations Change Management Coaching for Safety NEW Engaging to Prevent NEW Everyday Safety for the Front Line NEW Fire Safety Risk Assessment Principles and Practice From Accidents to Zero NEW Human Factors in Incident Investigation NEW Legionella Management Management Skills for the OSH Professional Modern CoSHH Management Modern Day Slavery NEW Noise Measurement and Management Best Practice Workshop Resilience and Wellbeing for the Modern Leader NEW Re-thinking Risk – Systems Thinking for the OSH Practitioner NEW Risk Assessments – Avoiding the Pitfalls NEW

Book now www.iosh.coM/cpdcourses

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Reviews Organising for Safety: how structure creates culture Andrew Hopkins (shop.wolterskluwer.com.au) AUS$95 approx to UK (including p&p) Andrew Hopkins, whose name is synonymous with process safety, has written extensively about the causes of major accidents in the oil, gas and mining sectors, as well as aviation and transport.

His erudite analyses of Deepwater Horizon, Texas City and Longford, among others, underline his outstanding contributions to safety at work that resonate globally.

More recently, Hopkins has adjusted the spotlight to consider more deeply the effect of leadership on safety (such as his excellent coauthored book Risky Rewards: how company bonuses affect safety: bit.ly/2JviV3r). In Organising for Safety, he argues that the culture of a business is determined largely by its organisational structure.

Therefore, to improve culture, we must first deconstruct and then reconstruct the organisation so that the culture we desire can develop.

In exploring the notions of culture as cause, culture as description, and culture as a virus, the author provides useful perspectives. The heartsand-minds approach, and safety concepts such Safety Differently and Safety-II, are examined in detail. So too are the traditional tenets of safety culture, including behaviour-based safety and felt leadership (leadership that is easily observable; makes a positive impression on those who see it; demonstrates personal commitment; pervades the

A Practical Guide to the Safety Profession: the relentless pursuit Jason A Maldonado (crcpress.com) £38.39 hardback, £11.90 e-book The idiom to never judge a book by its cover means not to prejudge the worth or value of something by its outward appearance alone.

If you were looking for a way to illustrate this, A Practical Guide to the Safety Profession would provide an excellent example.

There is nothing particularly noteworthy about the cover. There is no reason to expect anything other than guidance on how to conduct oneself as a professional safety practitioner. Can I therefore be excused for expecting content on how to carry out an audit, a risk assessment or an inspection, or perhaps a focus on the softer skills – communication, leadership or negotiation?

The author, Jason A Maldonado, spent more than 15 years in health and safety. Initially serving in the United States Air Force as an explosive safety technician, his career also included roles in civil construction, chemical weapons, electrical distribution and food manufacturing.

The summary notes his book “will help reshape the way we talk about safety, prompt action, and engage workers from all levels of an organisation.”

But it was not what I was expecting. It is based neither on theory nor practice but is a personal

Here are all the books we’ve reviewed to date ioshmagazine.com/type/reviews

organisation; and affects and involves all levels of employees and contractors).

Hopkins delivers deft discourse to explain how organisational structure shapes culture.

As the summary notes, the book shows “how decentralised organisational structures allow profit and production to take precedence over safety while centralised risk control is conducive to a culture of operational excellence”.

Laden with illuminating case studies, including Columbia, Oroville Dam, Texas City, Samarco and Enbridge – and exploring the works of Sidney Dekker, Erik Hollnagel, Edgar Schein and Dominic Cooper, among others – Hopkins provides a persuasive argument that robust organisational structure will reduce risk.

Organising for Safety could end here, having made its point, but Hopkins pushes forward to share ideas for action, introducing the notion of highreliability organisations, offering examples of how to structure for safety, underlining the necessity of direct communication between company boards and the senior safety leader, and even going as far as discussing approaches to company bonuses and the remuneration of safety specialists.

We’ve often heard that ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’. But what makes culture hungry?

The answer, Hopkins explains, is structure.

At 135 pages, you’ll find a pragmatic, wellgrounded and action-focused book that is highly recommended for senior leaders and OSH practitioners alike.

ANDREW SHARMAN CFIOSH

account of the author’s time in the profession.

Maldonado has written short stories and anecdotes about the people he has met and the challenges he has faced when tasked with ‘implementing health and safety’. We are told on the back cover: “Jason proves safety can be funny without endangering lives.”

The chapters consist of ‘moment in time’ events, written in the style of a memoir. I found that, with this informal structure, there is not much attention given to the background of the characters that Maldonado encounters and, in that respect, I struggled to make a connection.

The author is American, so it is natural that references are made to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is an agency of the United States Department of Labor and the American equivalent of the UK’s Health and Safety Executive. But these do not distract from the message.

I suspect the events Maldonado describes relate to the mid to late 1990s, and some of the responses to his methods do provide humour. Moreover, the book shows how far safety management and culture have matured over the past 20 years.

But despite the author’s guile at developing an innovative way to present content for the health and safety profession, I doubt readers will learn anything new.

SIMON TOSELAND CMIOSH

18 DECEMBER 2019

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Rail safety

Staying on track The UK’s rail network is one of the safest in the world – yet there are worrying indications that this record is under threat

Words: LUCIE PONTING

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I

t is 20 years since the Ladbroke Grove train crash killed 31 people, and more than 30 years since a collision at Clapham Junction resulted in the loss of 35 lives. These two incidents – as well as those at Southall in 1997, and at Hatfield and Potters Bar in 2000 and 2002 – left an indelible mark on the UK rail sector’s collective psyche and its approach to safety. The subsequent investigations led to changes in the industry’s structure, regulation, processes, management and culture.

Sir Anthony Hidden, who chaired the inquiry into the Clapham disaster, made it clear that “the concept of safety must be at the forefront of all thinking at all times”. But, with ever greater commercial and performance pressures, and the prospect of further upheaval promised by the Williams Rail Review into the industry’s structure and delivery of services, is this

mantra sufficiently embedded across the sector? Has the industry truly learned from the lessons of the past and, if it has, is it applying and adapting them to new and evolving challenges?

Without doubt, there have been sustained improvements in rail safety over the past two decades.

As chief inspector of railways Ian Prosser confirmed in the Office of Rail and Road’s (ORR) latest annual safety report, “the UK railway remains one of the safest in the world”. But he also acknowledged some worrying signs that “although risk remains at historically low levels, the rate of improvement has slowed”.

Passenger fatalities on the mainline railway rose from six to 13 last year. There was also a rise in the number of the most serious SPADs (signals passed at danger), and two rail workers died. A further two track workers were killed at Margam near Port Talbot in

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July this year. Introducing the ORR’s report, Prosser noted that “despite continued overall improvement in workforce safety levels”, the persistent high number of near-misses involving track workers “demonstrates the need to keep working towards the goal of zero [industry-caused] fatalities every year”.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), set up as a result of Lord Cullen’s report into the Ladbroke Grove crash, has also raised red flags, warning that some of the lessons from Clapham Junction “are fading from the railway industry’s collective memory”. Its recent investigations into incidents at Waterloo and Cardiff East highlighted several parallels with Clapham, including unacceptable and dangerous working practices, lack of documentation, sub-standard testing, failure to communicate effectively both up and down the lines of management, and issues with fatigue.

There remain circumstances when human lookouts wave flags to signal to people to move clear of the line preventative and mitigating controls therefore remain vulnerable to variation in human performance”. In particular, Network Rail’s efforts to secure improved workforce safety had been “hindered by inefficiencies in its planning system”, the slow adoption of technologies, and “the cultural acceptance of arrangements that are far from optimal”.

The ORR concluded that the next stage of improvement would be secured only by: ● more widespread adoption of technology and engineering controls to reduce the potential for human error ● selecting the right staff for critical roles ● maintaining rigorous competency requirements ● enhancing supervision, monitoring and assurance ● promoting better safety culture ● simplifying procedures and paperwork and making roles, responsibilities and accountabilities absolutely clear and ● helping planners to see what access is available in the medium to long term so planning can be more effective.

Timidity over change

The ORR report highlighted infrastructure operator Network Rail’s failure to address “the unacceptably high” number of track workers involved in nearcollisions with trains. The Margam incident reinforced concerns that “Network Rail’s progress has been unsatisfactory”. The criticisms centred not only on technical, procedural and competence failings, but also on cultural and management failures.

Referring to Network Rail’s “imperfect realisation” of its ambitions to improve track work safety enshrined in its ‘Planning and delivering safe work’ (PDSW) initiative, the ORR suggested this had “resulted in timidity about future change”. PDSW included a revised standard 019 (launched in 2017), which introduced a ‘person in charge’ to be accountable for safety on site and involved ‘in planning to identify and control site and task risks’. A year later, Network Rail admitted the standard had been embedded within the routes and railway with varying levels of compliance and its introduction had left many aspects “open to interpretation”. This led to teams taking different approaches across the network and working to the standard in different ways, bringing what Network Rail itself described as “an increased level of risk”.

The ORR also reported how last year’s inspections had revealed non-compliance with Network Rail’s “processes, standards and procedures that make up its framework for risk control – and that too many

Keith Morey, IOSH’s Railway Group committee member

After the fatalities at Margam, Network Rail announced a £70m safety task force to improve track worker safety (see box, below).

Keith Morey, a committee member of IOSH’s Railway Group, says it is critical to deploy the latest technologies: “We should be using them more to protect workers on the track and warn if a train is coming.” Under the current system, there remain circumstances when human lookouts wave flags to

Network Rail’s safety task force In July, after the deaths at Port Talbot, Network Rail launched a task force, backed with £70m, to target track worker safety. The company claimed the task force, led by Martin Frobisher, Network Rail’s group safety, technical and engineering director, would accelerate the organisation’s Near Miss Reduction Programme and pull together various initiatives to improve safety. These include: ● a safer trackside working programme – designing and developing new protection and warning systems using digital technology to warn workers of approaching trains ● planning and delivering a safe work

●

●

●

programme – to improve the planning of trackside work, giving clarity on who is in charge and ensuring good-quality briefings before work starts improvements to Sentinel, a software platform that manages workers’ competencies a fatigue improvement programme – better managing working time, travelling time and the impact of personal lifestyle on alertness and fitness for work procuring for safety – to encourage and reward contractors for positive safety performance

● ●

●

●

a medical standards project – to improve the workforce’s health and fitness a mental wellbeing and resilience project – to reduce stigma associated with mental health, and provide tools and guidance to line managers and employees risk management – introducing more thorough work activity risk assessments and a ‘safety’ hour programme – a dedicated hour a week when all workers take part in a facilitated hour-long conversation about health and safety.

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to be even more effective in monitoring, supervising and reviewing risk control activities”. In addition, Network Rail must centrally assure itself that “its businesses have the capability to take on their new safety responsibilities” and must manage this change “so that there is robust scrutiny of preparedness and maturity before each step is taken”.

David Porter, chair of IOSH’s Railway Group, says: “Devolution puts greater emphasis on route managing directors to make decisions on safety. That’s the way Network Rail wants to run its business, but it needs checks and balances to make sure everyone is skilled enough, and sufficiently supported, to get those decisions right.”

Vice-chair of the Railway Group Des Lowe agrees that the push for devolution presents challenges. “A central government process drives efficiency,” he says.

“With devolution, you start to lose that. From Aberdeen to Penzance, things change. The signals will be the same, but the communication processes, the safety review meetings, the approach to risk assessment, what is deemed as a priority, or resourcing levels could change several times through a journey.”

Commitment v reality

THE UK RAIL INDUSTRY IN NUMBERS

21,000 2,500 4,000 17,000 Miles of track

Stations

Trains

Signals

6,300

600

200,000+

Level crossings

Tunnels

Employees Source: Rail Safety and Standards Board

signal to people to move clear of the line. “This process has its roots in the early 19th century,” Morey adds.

“It’s been modernised but not fundamentally changed.

And it still relies on human behaviours and human visibility to protect people.”

Opening image: Alamy; this page: Getty Images

Passengers first The ORR did recognise that wider pressures on Network Rail staff in the past year may have affected safety management. These include: an extra round of business planning submissions for the periodic review (which sets outputs and funding for Network Rail); sustained attention on train performance; and significant changes in the senior leadership team and the introduction of a wide-ranging review and restructuring of the business.

This restructuring, based on Network Rail’s ‘Putting passengers first’ programme, promises a new model that will “bring track and train closer together, embed a customer service mindset and ensure a better focus on performance”. At the core of this is further regional devolution, which Network Rail claims will make routes more responsive to local needs and enable more localised decision-making.

But this approach is not without risk. The ORR cautions in its report that, as accountability shifts away from the centre, regions and routes “will need

David Porter, chair of IOSH’s Railway Group

The ORR’s recommendations for moving to the “next stage of improvement” focus not only on technical, planning and procedural issues, but also on leadership, competence and culture. These challenges were echoed in the Clapham and Ladbroke Grove investigations.

In the Clapham report, Hidden said “the concern for safety was permitted to co-exist with working practices which… were positively dangerous” and this “unhappy co-existence was never detected by management”. He added that, although the evidence showed the sincerity of the concern for safety, it also showed the reality of the failure to carry this through into action.

The RAIB raised this issue again in its recent investigations into the incidents at Waterloo and Cardiff.

There was no evidence that the staff and organisations involved “lacked a commitment to safety”. But still “the accidents resulted from people taking actions which were inconsistent with the processes in which they had been assessed as competent”.

The question of how commitment to, and concerns for, safety are translated into practice is not unique to rail. But it is something the industry needs to address, particularly through leadership, communication, training and a supportive, inclusive culture.

“There is a lot of emphasis in the sector on the idea of a ‘just culture’ and on relying on people reporting things,” says Porter. “That is great, but there is also evidence that the nature of modern contracting and employment relationships, combined with pressure to put passengers first and get the job done, doesn’t lend itself to that happening very well. If you add this to the response people may get if they raise concerns, this ties into an important cultural issue.”

Commenting on an RAIB investigation into a near-miss involving a track worker in December 2018 between Horley and Gatwick Airport stations, Simon French, chief inspector of rail accidents, noted how staff given defective plans did not challenge them.

“It was considered OK to take a risk to get the job done, and no one felt able to challenge this,” he said.

Top-level initiatives such as ‘Putting passengers first’ clearly have an impact on culture. The ORR has focused on warning Network Rail to ensure it manages

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the practicalities of this approach, but the message itself could also have unintended impacts on safety.

If the focus on passengers leads to further pressure on rail maintenance to complete jobs without disrupting services, this could result in mixed messages to track workers and their managers. It relies on leadership at all levels to deliver the right balance.

Lowe says: “If you need to be delivering trains on the minute, there are challenges involved – as there are for track workers if they are a bit late getting into a possession and have to ensure work is completed within a timeframe. Leaders have to make sure this happens effectively and safely, and get the right teams in place.”

Competence and skills

Porter adds: “Many of the trends and issues facing the sector have been around for a while. And there is the question of whether we have the right set of abilities for people to make these balanced judgements – juggling all the finance, time, cost and safety issues. Perhaps there needs to be a greater emphasis on the competence of managers, because there is a question over the nature of managing safety in certain parts of the business.”

Referring to the near-miss in December 2018, French noted that the RAIB had already recommended that Network Rail “improve the leadership skills of team leaders and supervisors”. He recognised this was being addressed, but added that “railway industry staff at all levels must understand the importance of good leadership: getting people to do the right thing, at the right time, all the time”.

The Rail Safety Standards Board’s (RSSB) strategy ‘Leading health and safety on Britain’s railways’, launched in 2016, outlines 12 key risk areas, including workforce safety, public behaviour, fatigue and train operations. “This was introduced to provide strategic direction for the sector,” says Lowe. “And everyone has worked hard together in these areas, with information sharing and risk groups.”

The strategy covers nine management capabilities, focusing on training and developing managers and the workforce to be better able to manage risks. These include ‘design for health and safety and change management’, exploiting new technologies, and ‘nextgeneration rules and controls’.

“There hasn’t been so much work done on these capabilities by individual dutyholders,” says Lowe.

“So some are very good at training and development

Des Lowe, vice-chair of IOSH’s Railway Group

Progress on rail health The ORR’s annual report for 2018-19 was positive about improvements in the mainline rail industry’s approach to work-related health. It noted: “Good progress is being made where ill health is visible or drives staff absence and costs, such as hand arm vibration syndrome, musculoskeletal disorders and mental health.” The report also welcomed a new code of practice on fatigue management produced by the National Freight Safety Group.

However, ORR chief Ian Prosser also called for more focus on less visible health hazards, such as legionella in water systems, and the long- and shortterm risks of occupational lung disease from exposures to asbestos, silica dust, diesel and welding fumes.

To address the challenges, the ORR wants the industry to collaborate to create better health risk assessment methods. “Risk modelling, and prevention of longlatency disease, should be as mature as equivalent methods for the prevention of low-frequency, high-consequence rail accidents,” said the report.

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Devolution puts greater emphasis on route managing directors to make decisions on safety and others are not so good. There could, perhaps, be a greater focus on those nine capabilities in future. As an industry, we need to take the next step, and perhaps stop doing what we’ve always done.”

Image: Getty Images

Risks of change

In the RAIB’s 2018 review, French highlighted the challenges involved in managing the risk of change, both technological and organisational. Although he welcomed the potential benefits of technological advances and the need for organisations to adapt to new circumstances, he noted how recent investigations “have demonstrated how well intentioned changes can result in unintended unsafe outcomes”.

French cited how an investigation into a track worker near-miss at south Hampstead in March 2018 revealed problems with adapting to the new ‘person in charge’ role in Network Rail’s 019 standard. “It is disappointing that our investigation found that the way in which this concept had been implemented lacked clarity, and the result of this was confusion on site,” he said. “There is clearly a need for the railway industry to think carefully about how to bring about change while controlling the risk to the existing railway.”

This warning is particularly apposite, given the wideranging structural changes that could emerge from the Williams Rail Review, which looked at how best to deliver organisational and commercial frameworks for the future of the railways. Despite its broad scope, its original terms of reference failed to include safety.

In its consultation submission, IOSH sought to address this by recommending that every option should include an assessment of how standards of health and safety will be maintained and improved.

“Our submission is part of our commitment to keep the safety message in people’s eyeline,” says Porter.

“Safety needs to be there in all thinking at the start.

“However the railways are run in the UK, it is critical to look at the safety upsides and downsides. We can’t be prescriptive, but the industry needs to recognise that, when making these big long-term financial and organisational decisions, it mustn’t forget the safety implications. You can’t leave out safety and address it after you’ve made these big decisions.”

This recalls Hidden’s warning in the aftermath of Clapham. He maintained that the concept of safety must be at the forefront to meet both “human and commercial” requirements, adding that the “reasons are all too obvious: there is so great a potential for disaster if attention to that concept is permitted to drift.

Management systems must ensure that there is in being a regime which will preserve the first place of safety in the running of the railway.” ●

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IOSH competencies

I

OSH’s new competency framework covers all the skills, knowledge and behaviours occupational safety and health professionals require in order to manage risk in today’s complex workplace and embed good health, safety and wellbeing across an organisation.

It reflects the findings of an extensive research project to ensure alignment with the needs of employers, as well as national and international standards and policies. Building on feedback from users of Blueprint 1.0, this updated competency framework is greatly enhanced. With 69 competencies, divided into 12 areas across technical, core and behavioural categories, it offers unrivalled guidance for OSH professionals and employers.

Almost half of the 69 competencies (34) are technical, highlighting the importance of OSH professionals understanding legislation, policy, risk management, incident management and the effect of health, safety and welfare on people.

Additional technical competencies have been added to the framework reflecting changes in the modern workplace, such as expertise in sustainability, ethical practice, human capital and community impact.

Seventeen are core competencies, covering the set of skills necessary to support and enable good decision-making. The remaining 18 competencies are behavioural, focussed on building professionalism and enabling career opportunity.

The release of the updated competency framework will be followed in 2020 by the launch of an enhanced suite of practical tools, including Blueprint 2.0, a new CPD scheme, new technical guides and a free Career Hub for members, with access to thousands of learning resources and career planning tools. ●

Technical 34/69 Health and safety law This covers technical competencies such as developing OSH policies that are consistent with business strategies, establishing and delivering effective quality management processes and designing and implementing audits, where necessary. In total there are 8 competencies under ‘health and safety law’.

Risk management This covers technical competencies such as horizon scanning for changes within the sector, controlling risk by developing mitigation strategies and establishing OSH risk reporting systems that align with the structure of an organisation. In total there are 9 competencies under ‘risk management’.

Incident management This covers technical competencies such as applying procedures to deal with incidents of differing severity, preparing reports to meet organisational standards on incidents and being able to identify the full range of documentary evidence that would support a legal defence. In total there are 5 competencies under ‘incident management’.

Culture This covers technical competencies such as employee welfare and understanding the needs of vulnerable workers. While culture is a product of the design and implementation of a safety management system, these competencies provide the means to assist the development of a positive one. In total there are 7 competencies under ‘culture’.

Sustainability

Learn more about the new framework that will help OSH professionals influence and drive change…

This covers technical competencies such as supporting the development and delivery of social sustainability programmes, identifying ethical issues that could compromise safety and health practice and playing a leading role in the financial sustainability of an organisation. In total there are 5 competencies under ‘sustainability’.

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IOSH competencies

Incident management Risk management

Culture

Health and safety law

Sustainability

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Stakeholder management

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Competency framework

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Strategy

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Beh

Leadership and management

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Personal performance

It reflects the findings of an extensive research project to ensure alignment with the needs of employers, as well as national and international standards and policies.

Communication Working with others

Behavioural 18/69 Stakeholder management This covers behavioural competencies such as negotiating solutions and being the ‘trusted advisor’ by demonstrating consistency, discipline and integrity. In total there are 3 competencies under ‘stakeholder management’.

Core 17/69

Personal performance Strategy

This covers behavioural competencies such as self-motivation, problem-solving and developing fresh approaches to innovative and creative ways of working. In total there are 6 competencies under ‘personal performance’.

This covers core competencies such as influencing internal and external stakeholders, building longterm relationships and leading and contributing to an organisation’s strategic direction. In total there are 7 competencies under ‘strategy’.

Communication Planning This covers core competencies such as setting realistic objectives, effectively managing the collection and organisation of data and making decisions on strategic and tactical issues. In total there are 4 competencies under ‘planning’.

Leadership and management

Find out more

This covers core competencies such as creating a positive working environment and demonstrating confidence and resilience to deliver on the health, safety and welfare requirements across a business.

In total there are 6 competencies under ‘leadership and management’.

For full details about the 69 competencies visit iosh.com/ competency framework

This covers behavioural competencies such as actively listening to other views and perspectives, providing constructive feedback and inspiring others to take responsibility for keeping themselves and others safe. In total there are 4 competencies under ‘communication’.

Working with others This covers behavioural competencies such as demonstrating honesty, transparency and ethical behaviour, showing empathy towards others and ensuring coaching and mentoring opportunities are provided to support wider learning. In total there are 5 competencies under ‘working with others’.

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Conference report

Standing out in the crowd How to develop an effective mentoring partnership and the power skills that OSH professionals will require to wield influence in the boardroom and beyond were among the topics covered at the inaugural future leaders conference Words: NICK WARBURTON

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Image: Getty Images

B

usinesses around the world are increasingly seeing the value in investing in safety, health and wellbeing, according to Jamie Laing, group safety business partner at Sainsbury’s. “Good health and safety makes good business sense, offering a competitive advantage and helping businesses prepare for a more sustainable future.”

That was Laing’s rallying cry at the first future leaders conference, held at the Crowne Plaza by Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre on 5 November.

One of the eight peers comprising the first future leaders community steering group, Laing set the scene for the day by highlighting some of the emerging trends that will transform work environments, from changes in workforce demographics to more dynamic employment practices and the take-up of intelligent technologies.

The future leaders community forms part of IOSH’s ‘enhance’ pillar in its Work 2022 strategy. Its steering group, which was formed earlier this year, has worked with IOSH’s professional development team to plan, develop and implement support and services for new and aspiring OSH professionals. Laing underlined the importance of arming the next generation with the right capabilities to help them ‘horizon-scan’ and prepare for the future.

“As OSH professionals, we need to be aware of how the world of work is changing, and how we can work within our organisations to respond in order to create that safer, healthier future and better protect workers around the world,” he said.

somebody who can engage, coach and bring [safety] to life for someone else.”

He emphasised the need to build on the foundation of the technical skills that OSH professionals possess, and urged the 120 delegates to develop and sharpen an additional set of important capabilities that were referred to throughout the day as ‘power skills’. These would enable the next generation of OSH professionals to wield more influence in organisations through engagement and collaboration. On this note, he recommended that delegates consider doing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) to help them become more business-savvy.

“It’s a phenomenal qualification,” he said. “It teaches you all the language that you need to talk in a boardroom about spreadsheets, balance sheets and annual reports… If you get a chance to do an MBA or a management qualification, grab it with both hands.”

Lennox told the conference he got his first exposure to the plc board and non-executives when he moved to national flag-carrier British Airways in the 1990s.

“What it taught me was that their requirement for information and their questioning were different,” he said. “They didn’t question me at all about anything technical. My technical knowledge was expected. What they would challenge me on were the cost-benefits, the implications, the risk and the best decision for them.

I had to change the way I presented significantly, to talk to the non-executives, the board and the CEO.”

Diversity pays

Chartered member Tom Wike also presented his IOSH journey, and said he had benefited from using the IOSH grades as a framework to structure and move his career forward.

The future leaders community steering group member works as health and safety manager (events) at the Football Association, and in his presentation he brought to life the multiple challenges thrown up by overseeing major sporting events at Wembley Stadium in London, and the shift in focus when the ground is converted into an entertainment venue hosting rock concerts during a hiatus in the sporting calendar.

Plotting the course from student to chartered status and beyond to fellowship, he provided delegates with some nuggets of advice to help them navigate their careers.

Wike advised delegates that, should they find it difficult to get financial support from their employer to support further qualifications at the start of their careers, they should consider self-funding as an option. However, he urged them to emphasise that they had supported themselves financially on their CV and talk about it at interviews.

“It shows the dedication that you’ve got to really progressing your skills and knowledge, as well as dedication to the profession,” he said.

Wike also advised them to think about their careers as a pyramid: the bigger the base at the bottom, the higher their careers could climb, he explained.

“If you take one thing away from this presentation, grab every opportunity you can at the start of your career, because you never know where that is going to lead,” he argued.

“Once you’ve got that idea of what you like, you may find you’ve got some weaknesses in other areas that you can develop and expose yourself to, and that’s going to give you a much more rounded approach, CV and experience profile.”

Keynote speaker Neil Lennox, head of group safety and insurance at Sainsbury’s (see our leader interview: bit.ly/32nInhY), took delegates on a journey through his career, peppering it with anecdotes of how the OSH landscape had changed since the mid-1980s and offering advice to the younger generation (see box, p 31), including the future skillset that will be required to influence the wider business as well as some pitfalls to avoid.

The IOSH Retail & Distribution Group member told delegates that one of the major challenges facing the profession was how to attract a pool of younger, more diverse OSH practitioners. He admitted that at Sainsbury’s: “We have a team that is mainly white, middle-aged and male.”

Pointing to his own employer, Lennox said that historically he had sourced recruits internally because he couldn’t find the right candidates outside the supermarket giant. This, he reasoned, was because he could teach internal candidates about safety but not the other skills they would need to acquire, which could be gained only from working on the shop floor.

Asked later in the question-and-answer session what external recruits could do to strengthen their case, should he come looking, he responded: “Probably the biggest thing that I look for is somebody who I feel has got some passion, some enthusiasm and can sell something to me.”

One of Lennox’s first ever roles was as a sales engineer, and being able to ‘sell something’ was an attribute he encouraged delegates to foster. He recalled knocking on scrap metal merchants’ doors around Barnsley and Rotherham, and how the interaction with different people had taught him valuable life skills.

“I guess in my heart I see safety as a sales job,” he said. “What I look for above everything else is

Blueprint for success

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Conference report

For the really ambitious graduates who had chartered status in their sights, Wike told them not to be intimidated by the requirements of the Initial Professional Development (IPD) scheme and urged them to register as soon as they had achieved graduate status, and look through all the skill points.

“You might find straight away there are four or five things in there that you can do on a daily basis,” he said. “You just need to get that evidence together all in one place, send it off, and as a rule it will get accepted as long as you’ve fit the criteria.”

Linking to a later presentation on effective mentoring partnerships, Wike advised delegates to find a good mentor who has been through the IPD process and could offer guidance.

Robots are coming

Bridget Leathley, health and safety consultant and regular IOSH Magazine contributor, sought to dispel the perception among some that the introduction of robots in the workplace should be something to be avoided.

She said it was important to take a positive approach – similar to that of the OSH professional in the events industry who shouldn’t say ‘No’ to using pyrotechnics on the stage – and say, “Yes, we are going to use robots, and this is how we are going to manage them.”

After explaining the five categories on the market, she said that robots were ideal for use in work environments that were hazardous for humans, including confined spaces and work at height. Leathley also provided examples of robotic applications in sectors as diverse as agriculture, manufacturing, retail and transport, and explained how they could provide a supportive role.

Giving cleaning as an example, she said: “Going back to the concern about the loss of jobs, this doesn’t mean that the people who go in and do the cleaning would necessarily be out of work, because now they would be managing the robots. They can stay outside and the robots would do some of the cleaning work for them.”

She also used videos to demonstrate where businesses had designed the workspace to ensure a safe interaction between humans and robots.

“Yes, there will be a lot of change, but from my following of artificial intelligence, the technology is not going to be taking over our jobs. The co-operation and collaboration between people and robots is where the secret of the real success of robots comes from, and understanding what people are good at and what robots are good at.”

Above Delegates got plenty of useful advice on how to move their careers forward

Mentoring partners

Blake May, compliance manager at Transport for Wales, and his mentor Lorenzo Visentin, group head of environment, health and safety at Arriva Group, offered

a useful list of do’s and don’ts in the pursuit and development of a successful mentoring partnership.

“I see it very much more as a human process,” said the 26-year-old May, who chose OSH as a second career after studying chemistry. “It’s not, ‘Go and find a mentor and it will work out’, like buying an iPhone.

It’s more like trying to find a friend.”

Visentin advised mentees to talk to a wide range of different individuals throughout the OSH community, to find the right fit. The prospective mentor didn’t need to be 51 years of age or have 25 years’ experience in safety, he added. Nor did they need to be a chartered member. However, they could be a peer.

“If they have an experience that is better than yours, see if what you want to get out of the partnership is what they are prepared to offer,” he said. “There are no clear-cut rules on whether you are going to click, so build your network.”

May said personality was an important attribute when determining if a would-be-mentor could be a good fit. Personality came in two varieties, he said – do you get on with each other, and what development opportunities stem from their personality?

Jamie Laing, future leaders community steering group It was an honour and a pleasure to chair the inaugural future leaders conference. The energy and buzz around the room were palpable, and it felt we were doing something different and exciting. I met

lots of delegates from all backgrounds. They were at various stages in their OSH career journey, but all shared a desire to change the face of the profession.

We want to bring together future OSH

leaders from across the world. The heart of the future leaders community will be the online discussion forum, where I hope the buzz and energy of the conference will continue.

Members can share their personal experiences, ask questions, seek advice and – most importantly – learn from each other.

Join the conversation at iosh.com/futureleaders

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Conference report

He explained the dynamic underpinning his partnership with Visentin, using the Myers-Briggs personality inventory: “We are both large extroverts, so we get on well. We’re both loud, but looking at the different personality types, I am a feelings person so I tend to make decisions on ‘that feels like the right thing’ whereas Lorenzo is much more of a thinking person. He likes numbers, and does it because it makes sense.”

May, a member of the future leaders community steering group, added that their differing approaches were complementary and critical to the success of their relationship. “What that [relationship] allows me to do is see [situations] objectively as well as the feelings side, to get me more politically savvy around board members.”

Visentin told delegates that in the age of telecoms applications such as Skype, geographical distance should not be a barrier to picking a mentor. He urged them to “go shopping and be fussy”, but also to take a long-term view on development through mentoring partnerships.

“Eventually, you’ll find somebody who is right for you and right for you at that moment in time, because your mentoring needs will evolve as your priorities change,” he said. “[Take] a holistic approach to your consideration of the fit.”

The two presenters also returned to a theme that was raised several times during the morning sessions: how young professionals with limited experience could convince would-be-employers that they should be picked over more experienced OSH professionals.

May said that although he had been turned down for several roles in the past because “[employers] don’t look at level, they look at years”, he had noticed a shift in the past few years where recruitment was influenced by the perception of a candidate’s “ability to become something”.

His mentor concurred, and urged candidates to apply for jobs that required more experience than they had mustered.

“You can tell them at the interview why you’ve got ten years’ experience,” said Visentin. “You crammed it into that first 18 months because you had a great job, with a great mentor, and you picked up more skills than some of the slightly more mature practitioners.”

Photo: Hollis Photography

Personal leadership

May also outlined some of the key attributes that underpinned his drive to succeed. Judith Underhill, executive coach at Underhill & Associates, picked up on this in the afternoon in an interactive personal leadership workshop.

Drawing on the Transport for Wales employee and other examples from earlier sessions, she said: “Personal leadership for me is not that I am necessarily leading a team but that I am personally leading myself every time I come in to work. Every time I present in front of somebody, I am personally taking leadership for who I am, what I do and how I say what I do.”

A panel discussion, chaired by IOSH president-elect James Quinn, explored the issues raised during the workshop further. Drawing on questions generated anonymously through the polling platform Slido, which had been used throughout the conference, Quinn asked the four-person panel – comprising Lennox; Duncan Spencer, IOSH head of advice and practice; Shona Paterson, director at Shirley Parsons; and

Neil Lennox’s top tips for future leaders ● ●

●

Your skills are transferable – don’t be afraid of change.

You don’t necessarily have to change companies to develop – look at what your existing employer can do for you, and how you can get extra skills in your portfolio.

Don’t just focus on technical skills.

They are a requirement, but you have to be able to talk in business language, engage people in the business language and what is going on in the boardroom, and put it in the context of the current business landscape.

●

●

● ● ●

Be prepared to take a risk and fail – make decisions and accept responsibility. If it does go wrong, it’s fine. We all mistakes, but don’t make the same mistake twice.

If you have the opportunity, get involved with things outside safety.

It adds to your breadth and your skills. It also gives you a much more rounded view of what’s going on.

Bring things to life. Peer-to-peer sharing is critical.

Keep it simple – safety is simple.

Don’t be an anorak.

Sarah James, assistant health and safety adviser at Carney Consultancy – to consider how the profession could best respond to a changing world of work.

Referring back to one of the workshop tasks, which had asked delegates to consider the key attributes that underpinned competence and capability, Spencer said: “I’d like you to go away and reflect that perhaps capability is much more important than competence.”

The latter, he argued, was more about looking back at previous experience, looking at the present world and how OSH professionals could solve those problems.

“Capability,” he said, “makes us look into the future, make some kind of predictions of what might be coming, and get the right skills now that we might need in the future. There is a whole change in emphasis.”

Spencer explained that this thinking sat behind IOSH’s new competency framework, which was being launched in November, and where “60% of the competencies are much more about these power skills that we’ve been talking about”.

New resources

IOSH’s chief executive Bev Messinger’s closing address summed up the takeaways from the inaugural conference before outlining a suite of new resources that IOSH was providing to future leaders, including a new platform for mentoring.

“It’s simple, it’s intuitive and it’s going to be available very soon,” she promised delegates.

“You will be able to register as a mentee, mentor or both, and we can connect you with like-minded individuals in this country and across the world where you can have that conversation about [the right] fit and if it’s going to work for you.”

Messinger reminded delegates that IOSH would be recruiting for the next future leaders community steering group in early 2020 and urged young OSH professionals to put themselves forward and help their peers.

She concluded with the new competency framework, which she described as being “a far better blend and balance for a much more rounded OSH professional to take forward in their career.” ● For more information about the future leaders community and how to get involved: www.iosh.com/futureleaders

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Virtual reality

Sensory elements such as smell and heat now feature in immersive technologies for safety training. The author reports on their impact and test-drives one of them Words: BRIDGET LEATHLEY

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Virtual reality

R

esearch organisation Gartner has predicted that, by 2022, 70% of enterprises will be experimenting with immersive technologies, either for consumer or internal use (gartner. com/doc/3891569). Although not mainstream, OSH uses of the technology have reflected this growth, with the 2019 Safety and Health Expo showcasing several virtual reality (VR) applications.

In ‘Alternative realities’ (see IOSH Magazine, January 2019, bit.ly/2PrbBcF), we explained how VR can be used to improve awareness of the precautions needed to avoid exposing people to risks in hazardous environments. VR has the added advantage of allowing people to see safely what could happen if they fail to follow procedures.

Simulated environments have included work at height, confined spaces, petrol stations, a commercial kitchen and Royal Mail postal workers encountering a dog while delivering letters (see ‘Friend or foe?’, IOSH Magazine, July 2019, bit.ly/2qRG3CI).

Key question

Back in 1999, John Wilson, of Nottingham University’s VR applications research team, wrote in Applied Ergonomics that trainees found VR ‘more motivational, attractive and interesting’. However, studies since then have suggested that VR (see box, p 34) using only video and sound, although more immersive than conventional training, can lead to gaming behaviour where people do things they wouldn’t do in the real world.

Dr Glyn Lawson, of the Human Factors Research Group at Nottingham (which grew out of Wilson’s VR applications research team), says: “When people have used fire simulations in VR, they are willing to open doors, even when there is obviously smoke coming from underneath.” The same studies also suggest a solution. “Some participants said it would feel more real if they could feel or smell the fire,” he says.

Dr Tessa Roper has worked with Lawson to investigate the impact of stimulating these senses on the behaviour of people in virtual environments (VE).

“We know that smell triggers memories,” she says, “and it’s possible that adding smell to an experience will make the experience feel more real, promoting more realistic behaviours.”

IOSH commissioned Lawson’s team to run a study to investigate ideas about multisensory (MS) VEs in more detail and publish the results (iosh.com/ multisensoryVE).

A fire evacuation scenario was chosen as the vehicle for the research because other studies (summarised in the report) showed that in real fires and drills, people responded more quickly if they could see or smell smoke, compared with just hearing an alarm.

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Glossary VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT (VE) – uses visual and audio elements to simulate a location (real or imagined) inside a computer. A key feature of a VE is that it is not a linear presentation (like a video) but a virtual world, in which the user has choices about where to move. Stereo sound is often used, to enhance the visual sense of movement around the environment.

uses a head-mounted display (HMD) to deliver a 3-D effect. Alternatively, it can involve users wearing 3-D glasses in a shared ‘cave’ environment, with multiple screens. 2-D views can be considered as VR, but generally are not as immersive. Some VR includes haptic feedback, which simulates pressure or force, usually using electrical stimulation.

VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) – a virtual environment in which the user can interact, for example by using hand gestures or controls. Commonly, VR

MULTISENSORY (MS) – describes a VE that presents information beyond audio-visual content. In this case, the MS VE involved scent and heat.

desk fan blows smoke smell towards the user.

3. The user navigates through a virtual building, following fire safety training which is delivered through the interface. At certain points, the user experiences a virtual fire, and receives feedback on their actions.

4. The virtual environment can be viewed on a laptop display screen but it can also be viewed through a headmounted display.

the virtual fire, but turned to allow heat through as the individual approached it.

To provide the smell of fire, the team consulted olfactory experts. A control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH) assessment identified controls needed, and participants were screened to exclude people with pre-existing odour allergies or intolerances, asthma or respiratory conditions. “We tried out a variety of approved fragrances,” Lawson says. “Our trial participants said the wood smoke scent was the most indicative of a fire.”

To keep the concentration of the scent low yet detectable, a diffuser was positioned next to a fan in front of the user. A second VE to train people in an engine disassembly scenario used a diesel oil smell to indicate a fuel leak.

What was it like?

Lawson invited me to Nottingham to try the fire VE. Rather than using the HMD, the simulation was presented on a laptop. “Although we screen participants for motion sickness, we had quite a few people dropping out because of simulator sickness when we ran the experience in an HMD,” he says.

This is surprising, because the incidence of simulator sickness has decreased as headsets have become lighter and frame rates faster. A Coventry University study published in the British Medical Journal in 2018 suggested that the 360-degree video used in VR was “no more likely to provoke cybersickness symptoms than the other simulation methods” when compared with a traditional video presentation (bit.ly/31T8Jb9).

Lawson has some thoughts about why some users had experienced a higher-than-normal rate of simulator sickness. “We didn’t make a comparison of simulator sickness between the MS and the audio-visual-only group, but anecdotally it seemed like the combination of the heat and the HMD might have led more people to suffer symptoms,” he says.

Illustration: Son of Alan @ Folio

Creating VR safety training is a challenge, but in recent years Safety training set-up the delivery technology has using a multisensory become more accessible, with affordable and portable headenvironment mounted displays (HMDs), and more powerful computing.

Adding smells and heat to create a MS virtual world adds another level of challenge.

Lawson says: “We wanted to create something that would 1. Metal fins shield be affordable for small and the user from the medium-sized companies. It heat from the patio heaters. The fins couldn’t be a permanent, wholeopen incrementally room installation. It had to be as the user gets portable as well.” closer to the virtual The need for affordability fire, to increase the and accessibility discounted level of heat the some options. The ‘Teslasuit’ user experiences. uses electrical nerve and muscle stimulation to simulate 2. A scent diffuser weight, force, heat and even activates and an electric shock. It is not releases the smell of smoke as the available commercially yet, but user approaches its developers are working with the virtual fire. A other businesses to develop use cases for it. However, even were it available (and affordable) it is unlikely to be adopted quickly in health and safety training.

“Something like a Teslasuit might not be practical,” says Roper. “We want to make safety training more engaging and easily available. We considered using heat pads next to the skin – on the arms or on the back of the neck, but these would be intrusive and would need cleaning between users.”

After experimenting with different set-ups, the team settled on the use of three infrared heaters (see diagram, above).“We found that the exact direction of the heat did not affect realism,” says Lawson. “As long as the heaters were positioned symmetrically, people perceived the heat simulation to be just as realistic.” In the presence of a real fire, radiant heat has an impact on the whole body, not just on a single part.

The equipment had metal fins fitted in front to shield the user from the heat when they were a distance from

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Virtual reality

Using a laptop did initially make me more aware of the heat lamps than if I had used an HMD. However, once in the scenario, my focus was entirely on the fire on the screen in front of me and working out how to escape from the building before all the emergency exits were blocked. Although obviously at a much lower intensity than the heat of a real incident, it still made me feel more inclined to avoid the fire. As Lawson and Roper predicted, the exact position of the lamps did not matter – the urge to avoid the heat remained strong.

However, the scent didn’t quite work for me – it was, perhaps, too reminiscent of happy memories around a campfire to cause the same avoidance behaviour.

Lawson says: “We are interested to study the relative contributions of each of the senses to the experience. It varies from person to person, but anecdotally we think that smell may have a greater impact than heat.”

Dr Glyn Lawson, of the Human Factors Research Group at Nottingham University

Study results

Lawson and Roper carried out several usability studies to refine their MS environment, and two experimental studies. Two key questions to answer were: ● Is MS VR more predictive of real behaviours in an emergency than audio-visual-only VR? ● Is VR, with and without MS, more effective as a training tool than conventional PowerPoint-based training?

In the first study, users viewed the VE sitting, using a Vive HMD and hand-held controls. The HMD allowed users to turn their heads to look around their VE, and the controls allowed them to move. A control group experienced just the audio-visual aspects of the training, while the study group had heat and smell triggered as they moved around the VE – getting hotter as they moved closer to a virtual fire, and cooler as they moved away. The heat and scent appeared to have a significant impact on the users’ behaviour.

Roper says: “Behaviours in the MS-VR were more reflective of those we would expect in real life than those in an audio-visual-only experience. For example, people in the MS condition were more likely to try to walk around a fire than through it.”

Lawson adds: “People in the MS condition felt a greater sense of urgency than those who could only see and hear the fire.”

In the second study, an audio-visual-only version of the environment was compared with a MS environment, but this time a further comparison was made with a group trained using typical PowerPoint presentations.

To avoid the problems of simulator sickness in the first study, the second presented the VE on a laptop.

As predicted, levels of engagement, attitudes towards

People in the multisensory condition felt a greater sense of urgency than those who could only see and hear the fire

health and safety training, and willingness to undertake further training, were higher for those who experienced either of the two VE conditions than for those who received the PowerPoint training. However, when tested for their knowledge uptake, the PowerPoint group had higher scores.

This did not surprise Lawson. “The test used factbased questions, and it’s likely that facts presented in PowerPoint map better on to that method of testing. In the short term, it was easier for people to remember a factual answer from the PowerPoint training,” he says.

However, a re-test of knowledge a week later showed that the VE-trained groups retained more of what they had learned than the PowerPoint group. Lawson suggests an explanation: “The experience of the VE increases cognitive engagement. It establishes more comprehensive mental models, which support longerterm retention of information.”

An employer needs to know not just whether people can pass a test, but also whether they will carry out the right behaviours in the workplace as a result of their training. Outside the VE, this is difficult to test.

“Testing behaviours has lots of ethical and practical considerations,” says Lawson. “Would it be ethical to make people think there was a real fire to see how they behave? How would you assess the impact of the training over the effect of other evacuees’ behaviour?”

Costs and barriers

Lawson’s team have shown that a MS VE set-up could be effective at improving engagement in health and safety training, and that it can be provided cost effectively. The study report gives a full breakdown of the expenditure, showing hardware costs of £3,265.

This includes the laptop, the HMD, and the equipment for delivering heat and scent synchronised with the software. If you already have the VR equipment, adding heat and scent adds less than £800 to the costs. Where the costs are more difficult to estimate is in producing the software. “It’s not just about creating the VE,” says Lawson. “You need someone to set the training objectives, and someone who can build the experience around those objectives.”

As well as the cost of producing good-quality VR experiences, other barriers to its use remain. Although generally there is a move towards more inclusive design, the nature of VR excludes people especially prone to motion sickness. “Simulating heat and smells adds to the list of people who might be excluded from the experience,” says Lawson, “in particular those with odour intolerances or asthma.”

Conclusions drawn

The benefits of audio-visual-only and MS-VR go beyond simply teaching facts. In some cases, a learning goal may be related specifically to a sensory experience, say learning to respond to the smell of smoke or an engine leak. In such cases, being able to simulate the smell clearly has a training value.

Understanding likely user behaviours is also useful when designing buildings. For example, MS-VR studies could compare evacuation times for different configurations of stairs, corridors and signage.

This study showed both increased engagement from VR generally, and more real-world behaviours for the MS-VR in particular. Using VR as part of culturechanging and engagement processes has already become popular in some organisations. ●

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Safety, health and wellbeing in the world of work

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Technology innovations

The switch to electric

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Technology innovations

A trial using electric and hybrid plant on a sensitive central London construction site has cut the risk of work-related injuries and brought wider environmental benefits Words: CAROLINE RAYNOR and GARY BARNES

S

ustainability, carbon emissions and greater awareness of impact on the global climate are driving the agenda of the construction sector. Cleaner, greener ways of resourcing, fuelling and managing our sites are becoming the focus during the planning and delivery of works. We have less time than ever to make changes to reduce the effects generated through 200 years of fossil fuel consumption, and the construction industry needs to play its part in this process.

Construction and engineering company Costain is supporting its clients and its supply chain and enabling the uptake of low-carbon technologies, which include electric, hydrogen and hybrid plant, according to the contractor’s group carbon manager Lara Young.

This move is in line with the company’s climate change strategy and ambitious carbon reduction targets, in support of the government’s plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions to almost zero by 2050.

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Technology innovations

Engaging the supply chain Since 2012, Costain has been working with its diverse supply chain to examine how electric and hybrid plant can be adopted, improved and used on major infrastructure projects. A key driver is a determination to bring occupational health and safety benefits; another being to reduce impacts on the environment.

The Costain plant steering group has played a strategically important role. By creating an open forum for plant suppliers and their end users, Costain has been able to follow and guide the successful development of electric plant and equipment. This ensures that the group is positioned to trial and adopt it as soon as suitable sites are identified.

Collaborative working allows the joint venture to influence and engage during the early development of new products. An open forum limits duplication and ensures the right equipment is ordered for the project, thereby maximising the opportunities for learning and development. And the building of lasting relationships creates a high-profile platform for delivering excellence through sustainability.

Companies including Lynch Plant Hire, Flannery Plant Hire, A-Plant, JCB, Wacker Neuson, Speedy, Gap and M O’Brien Plant Hire have sought to bring products to market that can be trialled in live construction environments, thus ensuring a collaborative approach and direct, effective feedback from a prospective tier-one client.

Key to the delivery of many large infrastructure projects is the efficient, sustainable and safe management of materials and bulk excavations.

Identifying the correct pieces of electric and hybrid plant at the earliest stages of any project ensures a sustained

period for conducting trials, adequate time for operator familiarisation and feedback, and time for the team to adapt to the new technology on site.

Benefits and successes

-10dB quieter (LpA 68 dB) at the driving position than a diesel equivalent

Two JCB 1.7-tonne, fully electric, non-umbilical, 360° mini excavators managed localised excavations in over-consolidated London clay. Initial trials indicated that the tracked plant had excellent mobility and a raft of additional in-built safety features. However, the smaller one-two battery cells limited its use throughout the working day, even with the 15 rapid charge points. Feedback prompted the manufacturer to adapt the plant for not two but four battery cells, increasing the use-life to a full shift. More than 400 evaluation hours were generated by trialling activities on site, and the plant operators were interviewed to provide feedback on durability, efficiency, comfort and safety from an end-user perspective.

Use of these two machines at strategic locations provided a wealth of benefits. Manual handling for the site team was vastly reduced, permitting the archaeological specialists to focus on their key roles rather than ‘muck-shifting’ and logistics. All burials were excavated by hand, with plant operating only to remove spoil and clay from around the burials.

Small plant was ideal for this task when fitted with a narrow, bladed bucket. Zero emissions ensured a clean, pollution-free environment in an enclosed area for the whole site team.

When asked about the benefits of increasing electric plant use on sites, air quality consultant Robert Lockwood said: “Not only are the Non Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM) emissions standards that have been adopted on the HS2 enabling works contract more stringent than any other construction project in the country, the use of electric plant goes even further to reduce the adverse occupational health and environmental impacts of the works. NRMM standards for our project are based on the Greater London Authority emissions standards but are more stringent, requiring the use of ‘cleaner’ machines. St James’s Gardens sits within London’s central activities zone, so Euro stage IV compliance is mandated for NRMM equipment, with road-going vehicles being Euro VI.” The small, electric Wacker Neuson DT102 tracked dumpers were a success, and championed by all on site. Provided by Lynch, they were adapted to inhibit the scissor-lift function (unnecessary for our works but posing a potential entrapment and pinch-point risk), with a front-loading shovel arm added, to reduce the need for manual loading. The six electric dumpers and two small electric diggers increased productivity

Opening photo: John Zammit

By putting sustainability at the forefront of construction projects, businesses can achieve savings and improve efficiencies. Key among these are the safety and occupational health benefits.

Costain, as one half of the Costain-Skanska JV, has been working with its supply chain to explore opportunities to reduce risk and eliminate carbon from working processes. The team is now trialling electric and hybrid plant on urban and rural sites.

Recent construction activities on the High Speed 2 rail link’s enabling works contract at Euston in central London provided the opportunity to trial and implement a diverse selection of new-to-market small, nimble electric plant to deliver safety, innovation and value for money (see ‘Safe by design’, IOSH Magazine, August 2019: bit.ly/2JvKw4q). By using these assets strategically, Costain engineered a sustainable approach to support a 200-strong construction and archaeological team working on the largest-ever excavation of a burial ground in the UK. All the work on the St James’s Gardens site was carried out beneath a substantial encapsulation structure, as required under Schedule 20 of the High Speed Rail (London-West-Midlands) Act 2017. The team brought in high-performing electric and hybrid plant as an alternative to conventional equipment, to limit exposure to potentially high emissions and noise. This approach also resulted in a reduction in manual handling, as small, ride-on, 1.1-tonne electric dumpers replaced the traditional archaeologist’s wheelbarrow. Using electric plant became a key way to deliver sustainable management of the 33,000-cubic-metre excavation.

Zero emissions ensured a clean, pollution-free environment in an enclosed area for the whole site team

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Technology innovations

Above The small, ride-on, 1.1-tonne electric dumper replaced the traditional archaeologist’s wheelbarrow

Conclusions

Risks and challenges

Reduced engine noise is a benefit in terms of environmental impacts. However, the fact that this plant is almost entirely silent during operations has introduced a new risk: increased incidences of unexpected proximity to plant.

Accordingly, we placed management of plant and pedestrian interface high on the agenda, to ensure segregation wherever possible. On site we are used to deploying all senses, particularly hearing, to physically register the presence of plant and act accordingly to avoid it. In this instance, completing a visual check, sticking to pedestrian walkways and engaging with banksmen and traffic marshals at all crossing points became paramount. We carried out additional training, including Lynch ‘Thumbs up’ briefings, five times during the lifespan of the works, to mitigate the risk of complacency. Up to 180 operatives participated in

the workshops given across a working day, at different locations around the live work site.

One challenge that had to be incorporated into our site management plan and design brief from the outset was situating suitably placed, and sufficient numbers of, charging points. For future projects working along linear routes (such as highways, utilities and rail), particularly in rural environments, this is something that needs to be designed and planned during pre-start phases, as ‘stranded’ plant is a significant risk, and could incur loss of time and efficiency.

Caroline Raynor is project manager and principal archaeologist at Costain

Gary Barnes is plant and vehicle standards manager at Costain

The industry is changing and there are some robust and user-friendly pieces of electric plant and equipment on the market. Numbers and availability are still limited, although increased demand and willingness to adopt new technologies will change this.

Archaeological works have benefited hugely from the innovative application of electric plant, which has increased predicted work outputs by up to 500%.

The combined effect of electric excavators and small electric dumpers has reduced manual handling hours substantially and, as a result, there were few reported musculoskeletal injuries over a one-year period. This was significant among archaeological contractors, who are prone to these owing to the nature of their work and use of more traditional hand tools.

Electric plant has been key to delivering a LEAN and streamlined approach to a challenging urban site in central London. By eliminating the need for regular refuelling, the impacts of noise, emissions and vehicle movements have been mitigated. Although it has not been possible to field a 100% electric and hybrid fleet, the benefits of selecting the right electric plant for the right job have provided demonstrable safety, health and environmental value throughout the duration of the works. ●

Photo: Caroline Raynor

with outputs exceeding five times the predicted level on some working days (average productivity increase was three times the original anticipated level). These were used in tandem with six electric ‘e-muck trucks’ – smaller, lighter electric wheelbarrows normally deployed in more domestic settings.

The Kramer KL25.5e electric wheel loader was also trialled on site, with the team using both front loader and forks for spoil management and lifting. This device proved to be capable of all the standard activities you would expect of a telehandler of similar size, lifting up to two tonnes. However, the battery life was more rapidly depleted, working with the heavy London clay.

The quieter electric plant ensured we delivered our works without exceeding any of the thresholds stipulated under our section 61 or trigger action plans, making us better neighbours and the site a better place to work. Communication was easier, and our workforce was not exposed to unnecessarily high levels of noise or intermittent spikes in noise caused by multiple pieces of plant operating nearby. The two 1.7-tonne electric excavators deployed on site are 6 dB quieter overall (LWA 87 dB) and 10 dB quieter (LpA 68 dB) at the driving position than a diesel equivalent. This correlates to a significantly reduced risk for both the driver and other operatives in terms of the potential impact on hearing (the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 sets a lower exposure threshold value of LEP,d of 80 dBA).

The larger, 22-tonne hybrid excavator is also generally quieter than diesel-only equivalents, owing to the smaller engine sizes and time operating on electric while slewing. By dedicating the 22-tonne hybrid to the loading of wagons (static operations – electric while slewing), noise was greatly reduced.

The lower plant noise emissions enabled us to reduce the impacts on site operatives as well as our neighbours and key stakeholders, by demonstrating best practicable means in the control of noise and vibration and compliance with s 61 consents.

Project director for the Euston area, Paul Snelson, said of St James’s Gardens: “We have pioneered the use of electric plant at all stages, and the benefits have been threefold: minimising manual handling; reduction in emissions mitigating the need for a complex ventilation system; and the reduced need to refuel vehicles, which is always fraught with the potential for slips, trips and fuel spills. The wider benefits to the workforce and communities in which we work are clear.”

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The official IOSH job board for the best jobs in safety, health and wellbeing in the world of work. z Browse hundreds of safety and health jobs z Free CV upload z Read advice from recruiters and OSH leaders

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Port operations

A higher water mark Six years after the launch of Forth Ports’ Safety F1rst strategy, the operator is deploying a soft-skills approach to take consultation to a new level Words: DEREK MCGLASHAN

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one group-wide system. To accomplish this smoothly, consultation was essential. Some in the SH&E team needed to learn that talking informally enabled everyone to open up and voice concerns. Finally, for the first operational procedure, key people from across the business spent a day together examining the draft version. It built trust and understanding that, although some things needed to change, all parties were trying to achieve the same goal and prioritise safety.

Employee engagement

Driving change

In 2013, Forth launched the first phase of its initiative ‘Safety F1rst: 1 Team, 1 Goal’. This introduced a new approach to logging incidents, observations and inspections in an upgraded software package. It standardised safety communications and developed a plan to bring under a single system the three separate safety management systems for the Scottish ports, the Port of Tilbury and the London Container Terminal.

But to be successful in safety, health and environment (SH&E), you need to be capable of driving change. Although many at Forth were comfortable with the procedures they had, the company decided to update the safety management system documents into

Above Forth Ports planned to bring safety management systems for the Scottish ports, the Port of Tilbury (above) and the London Container Terminal under a single system

Trust and transparency

Throughout this period, Forth has been conscious of a need to build trust and improve transparency.

For example, at the ‘stand down for safety’ briefing, the company announced it planned to move from traditional hard hats to those that met industrial and climbing helmet standards. The announcement was communicated to all employees that the organisation was looking at head protection, and why. An update followed, explaining the enhanced protection and the news that the company had identified a shortlist of brands that provided improved protection, good

Types of UK port Ports vary from harbour authorities with statutory responsibilities for navigation in larger waterways to those that handle single commodities (perhaps containers) and those that handle numerous commodities. Some have lifeline ferry services, others host the world’s largest oil tankers, container vessels or cruise ships. Some may be a single berth. Ports can be locked, and vessels enter through a set of locks with a relatively static water level in-dock, or they may be tidal with no need to navigate a lock. In this case, however, the vessel will move constantly up and down with the tide while berthed against the quay.

There are also different ownership models in the UK. Despite the statutory duties that many ports have, most are self-financing. The larger ports tend to be privately owned, often by pension funds or global port companies. Many are selfowned trust ports. These are overseen by trustees and any surplus is returned to the business. Local authorities control some ports and there are a smaller number of other ownership models, including those run by the Ministry of Defence.

Opening photo and this page: Port of Tilbury London Ltd

A

s manual handling has given way to mechanisation at the UK’s ports, so the number of accidents has fallen. But the introduction of more mobile equipment, such as cranes and forklift trucks, has brought different risks. No matter what the ports are used for (see ‘Types of UK port’ box below) – and 95% of the UK’s trade passes through them – collaboration and sharing of good practice are critical to safety management.

The industry recognised this in 1972 when its Accident Prevention Officers Group first met. The group evolved into Port Skills and Safety (PSS), set up to monitor the industry’s safety performance and produce tailored guidance with industry players, trade unions and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Although the HSE has not classed ports as ‘high-risk’, the PSS adopted the regulator’s approach to managing risk when it produced its own sector plan (see ‘PSS sector plan’ box, p 48).

Just as PSS’s industry-wide statistics show a fall in injury rates, the rate for one of its member operators, Forth Ports, has dropped 63% over the past 10 years, though there continues to be too many people injured.

Forth’s geographic range stretches from the massive Port of Tilbury on the Thames Estuary to a cluster of ports on Scotland’s east coast.

To improve safety, Forth has invested in new vessels, plant and equipment to the highest standards, often requiring manufacturers to upgrade and develop their offering. The equipment involved ranges from heavy plant to the systems used to manage shipping on the water – a bit like air traffic control in slow motion.

The group health, safety and environment manager set up 45-60 minute sessions with frontline employees to explain basic safety information (recent incident data and the plan for the next few years). Small group sessions held with supervisors built on these. In 2018, seminars and workshops were used to seek inputs that led to the development of lifesaving rules, which will be introduced in 2020.

In 2019, the second phase of the initiative kicked off with a different approach to engagement, using a ‘stand down for safety’. The company hired a video production company, script prompts were written and the group health, safety and environment manager and chief operating officer recorded pieces to camera around the business. The main purpose was to launch phase 2 of Safety F1rst: ‘Let’s Make Injury Unacceptable in our Business’. The wording was informed by the engagement in 2018, which had shown an acceptance from the frontline team that ‘accidents happen’ and ‘people will always get injured’. That did not fit the approach or beliefs of the management team, or indeed the board of directors, and had come as a bit of a shock.

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Port operations

PSS sector plan Members of Port Skills and Safety (PSS) are invited to sign up to the group’s sector plan, launched in July 2019 and developed as a ‘whole person’ approach. The plan recognises that mental and physical health are as important as safety if the industry is to ensure the wellbeing of its workers.

In pulling the plan together, PSS recognised that it is the way that people and organisations work and how they value health and safety, as well as the internal culture, that drives what is considered genuinely important. Improving that culture requires everyone to be a ‘safety leader’ and to hold everyone else to the highest standards.

The plan has ten key targets (five each for the members and PSS). They relate to health, mental health, H&S culture, safety and skills (bit.ly/2JvBTqE).

In addition, PSS has produced a report on its progress: Port Industry Health and Safety Achievements.

Changing landscape: 95% of UK trade passes through ports; use of more mobile equipment, such as forklift trucks, has brought different risks; SH&E professionals need to dispense with clipboards and engage in meaningful conversations

adjustability and overall comfort. The company then trialled two helmets across the business, evaluated the feedback, and decided on the final product. The new hard hats were being issued at the time of writing.

This approach builds trust: Forth told everyone what it was going to do, updated them on the process, and delivered on it. This is one example of ‘saying what you mean and meaning what you say’: avoid overpromising, and set and manage expectations.

The feedback from ‘stand down for safety’ was clear: that the workforce wanted to directly input safety observations into the safety software, and wanted briefings refreshed so they were more impactful.

Forth then set up two cross-functional teams to respond to these requests. The IT team and SH&E team worked on the software into which all employees can submit observations from kiosks, most of which are being installed in welfare areas. The SH&E and learning and development teams took findings from focus groups, both from those who delivered the briefings and from those who received them. Recommendations on how to improve briefings are now with the chief operating officer.

Learning and developing

It is dangerous to think that anyone has all the answers. An advantage of PSS is that different ports share their safety information freely, whether through

alerts, learning points, innovations or experiences.

Indeed, the chief executives of the UK Major Ports Group have agreed to share safety information openly and transparently. This positive approach drives improvement and learning from others. Learning in meetings and through electronic sharing is encouraged; Forth visits other ports (as well as the PSS events) to learn about different approaches, for example. Learning can also come from outside the industry. These visits have grown networks and stimulated new ideas, both for Forth and the organisations it has visited or hosted.

Skills

To influence a workforce with such longevity, it is no longer effective to scare people into compliance

It is relatively easy to be a safety or environment professional who focuses solely on compliance, although it is, perhaps, not the most effective way to court popularity. As long as you have the technical knowledge to highlight what is wrong, the role can be fulfilled.

However, this binary approach may do little to achieve buy-in, which usually requires a more nuanced approach.

Forth’s target is to be industry-leading at the end of the five-year plan that accompanies the second phase of Safety F1rst. Given the nature of the work, environment, history and length of service of many employees, to have impact there is a need to influence

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Port operations

or something unintended or unforeseen changed on that day); or someone made a mistake, violated a rule or procedure, or had a momentary lapse in concentration.

Forth has found that there are three explanations for most of its incidents, of which one or more may be valid: incorrect decision-making, lack of awareness of hazards, or inattention. It seems the volume of information our brains process could be relevant.

Most people reading this are probably focusing 20% on the article and the rest are thinking about the context of previous experiences: how this fits with your preconceptions, and therefore deciding whether you like what you are reading and whether it is useful.

Add these facets together, and it becomes clear that working to resolve unintended mistakes is a challenge. It can also be a challenge to accept that the mistakes many people make may be unintentional, either because they have become conditioned to make them by their surroundings, or because they have not consciously processed the hazard or situation, leading to a decision that may have made sense to the individual at the time but does not with the benefit of hindsight.

Photos: Port of Tilbury London Ltd and Forth Ports Ltd

Clipboard to coaching

people; and not by talking at, or lecturing, them.

Many employees have worked their entire career at Forth Ports: 25, 40, even 50 years’ service are not uncommon. To influence a workforce with such longevity, it is no longer effective to scare people into compliance. There is a long corporate memory, and there are many with long personal memories.

The human brain takes in vast quantities of information at any one time, but consciously processes only a fraction of it. This explains why people can have different recollections of the same experience, whether spotting hazards in the workplace, writing a risk assessment or providing a witness statement.

Traditionally, the SH&E professional would reflect on a situation and (with the benefit of hindsight) opine on what went wrong and why. That often falls into one of two causes: someone made a mistake and needs retraining, or the system let this person down and it is therefore the ‘fault’ of the company or a manager (often the position taken by a regulator or claimant).

Ultimately, if someone has been hurt, something has gone wrong. The reasons may vary: it could be that technology failed (not as common as many suggest); the system was wrong or was not followed (perhaps because it was written from an office or theoretical perspective,

Derek McGlashan is the group health, safety and environment manager for Forth Ports

This is where coaching can help. Instead of the customary finger-wagging and clipboard-wielding, SH&E professionals, supervisors and managers should engage in thorough conversations about risks, hazards, aspirations and motivations. The elements that the brain selects to consciously process can evolve based on experience. Part of this process is holding genuine and meaningful conversations, making the workplace safer.

If those with a relatively mature safety culture want to improve further so that everyone goes home safe, there needs to be a focus on the softer skills – in the SH&E team initially, but mirrored in the supervisory and management grades.

The value here is the ability of SH&E professionals to empathise, understand, and build relationships and trust. Once there, the scope to influence, guide and help is improved. This is where the impact comes – but only if the business does, and wants to, comply.

IOSH has refreshed its competency framework (bit.ly/2BVn8ZU) to include more emphasis on soft skills to sit alongside technical understanding.

These soft skills can include the ability to listen, to communicate clearly and concisely, to work collaboratively to reach a common goal, and, critically, to display leadership. If you break the rules you advocate, you are not displaying leadership: say what you mean and mean what you say.

This is where PSS, with its whole-person approach, and Forth are now recognising that, to continue the Safety F1rst journey, they need greater engagement and genuine safety conversations. To deliver that effectively, a coaching approach is required. ‘Stand down for safety’ is a success because it is now delivering what was promised, based on listening.

These soft skills are therefore critical, and the company will develop them as part of any future SH&E recruitment process.

Most can quote the rule book. But the important skills are the ability to listen and a willingness to accompany everyone along the journey, so that they feel empowered and want to comply, make suggestions and feel part of the team with one goal – ‘to make injury unacceptable in our business’. ●

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Lexicon is for

Recap our A to Z of core safety and health terms ioshmagazine.com/type/lexicon

underlying cause Words: BRIDGET LEATHLEY

I

Image: iStock

n C is for Causality (see IOSH Magazine, April 2016: bit.ly/33gcwR2) we questioned the nature of causality. When Fred trips on building materials across the path while making a phone call, did the obstacle cause the trip or was Fred’s inattention the cause? We concluded that “for convenience” we consider “multiple causes, usually categorised as immediate, underlying and root causes”.

This distinction between three types of causes appears in many occupational health and safety courses, including those run by IOSH. Definitions are given in HSG245, Investigating Accidents and Incidents, published by the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) (bit.ly/2FBzuar). Although the immediate cause is “the most obvious reason why an adverse event happens, e.g. the guard is missing” and the root cause is the “initiating event or failing from which all other causes or failings spring”, the underlying cause sits somewhere between. It is “the less obvious ‘system’ or ‘organisational’ reason for an adverse event happening”.

The HSE gives examples of underlying causes, from the failure to make machinery checks (which are quite close to the immediate event) to production pressures (which are much closer to a root cause).

A common approach to incident investigation is the ‘five whys’: ● Why did Alan lose his toe? Because his foot was stuck in moving machinery. ● Why was his foot in moving machinery? Because he climbed on top of it, slipped and no one could turn the machine off. ● Why was the machinery moving? ● Why did the check need him to climb on top of the machinery? ● Why was there no emergency stop button?

The root cause is the most fundamental cause that can be resolved by management

The immediate cause – the movement of a blade across Alan’s foot – is obvious. The underlying causes are more complex. It is not a simple chain of cause and effect: that his foot was in moving machinery opens up the possibility of asking yet more whys. Except for simple incidents, five whys won’t reach a root cause.

HSG245 states: “It is only by carrying out investigations which identify root causes that organisations can learn from their past failures and prevent future failures.” The difficulty here is how to determine at what point a root cause has been identified.

David Ramsay has specialised in accident investigation using root cause analysis for more than 30 years. As a result, he is clear about determining the root cause and, by implication, defining the underlying causes.

“The root cause is the most fundamental cause that can be resolved by management,” he says.

“One could go on and on, for example blaming the parents of someone who made an error in design.

Clearly this is nonsense. The investigator has to decide when there is no value in going further.

Management can’t change the weather, but management can assess the likelihood of flood and prepare appropriate defences.”

Ramsay’s comments suggest that identifying a causal factor as an underlying or root cause depends on the skill of the investigating team, whether local or head office driven. At a more superficial level, a hole in the ground causing a fall could be attributed to the underlying causes of a poor inspection and maintenance regime.

Good root cause analysis should question the specification of the floor and if it is appropriate to the activities being completed there, for example, what is causing the holes?

Duncan Spencer, head of advice and practice at IOSH, suggests: “It is important not to stop asking why until you are sure that you are truly examining systems design, local culture or specification of environment and equipment.”

Confusion about the difference between an underlying and root cause is perpetuated by the HSE guidance using the terms interchangeably in HSG245 and mistakenly labelling some aspects of the examples provided. Spencer says: “The correct use of these words is important if we are to create truly preventative working practices.”

IOSH courses acknowledge these three terms, but in practice it is important that OSH professionals get into the habit of asking why until they go beyond mere failures in operational practice and the application of systems, adds Spencer.

In Safety Myth 101, Carsten Busch seems to agree. In discussing the application of terms such as immediate, underlying and root cause, he writes: “The causes and their labels are nothing real.” He explains that the only useful distinction is between “direct causes (the causes directly leading to an accident) and all other causes (that came before those), which one might call underlying causes”. ●

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Simon Enderby Managing director, Up and Under Group

W

We did 30-plus hours trekking or running through the desert, I had blisters and I lost skin from most of my toes

hen I explain what adventure racing is, I always says it’s a bit like a triathlon in the mountains. Typically it involves biking, running and canoeing around a course. But, unlike a triathlon, you choose your own route, navigating via a series of checkpoints under specified time constraints.

And there are other sub-activities, such as climbing, caving, gorge scrambling and coasteering – in which participants cross the intertidal zone of a rocky coastline on foot or by swimming.

I’ve always enjoyed outdoor activities. In the early days I was a scout, and then I was a keen climber. One day I saw an adventure race in north Wales, and I thought I’d have a try myself. I already did mountain biking, paddling and running, so I entered an event as a solo competitor and I came in the top ten. I thought, with a bit of training, I could perhaps do something in the sport. That was 15 years ago, and I haven’t really done any climbing since, as adventure racing took over.

I started by doing smaller races – sprint events, which might last five hours on a Sunday afternoon – and gradually I got in with the crowd. As you can imagine, there aren’t hundreds and thousands of people doing it, so it’s quite a close-knit community. After a while we got a team together. When it comes to the bigger races, you enter as a team of four usually.

I’ve taken part in events all over the UK: Scotland, Snowdonia, the Lake District and the Peaks. I took part in my first full ‘expedition’ team event – lasting five days – in the Lake District.

I’ve also competed in the Pyrenees, and in 2008 my team won a place in the Abu Dhabi Challenge.

As a team, we don’t train as such. An expedition race lasts between four and ten days, and with families and work commitments we don’t have the time to train for days at a time, so it’s more about keeping active. I might go with my family to the Lakes for a weekend and combine some running with a family adventure. But it’s always been important to maintain a balance between enjoyment and achievement. If I’m going to take a week off work and be away from my family for an expedition event, I’ve got to enjoy it.

One of the best things about adventure racing is the variety. I wouldn’t want to run for 90-odd hours, for example. But with adventure racing, I can be mountain biking and looking forward to sitting in a

Tech IOSH

canoe, then sitting in a canoe or whitewater rafting, and looking forward to walking. I also navigate, which is a mental challenge: problem-solving when deciding which direction to go, and taking account of changing weather, adds an extra discipline.

It’s not a relaxing sport. At the beginning of an event, everyone tends to focus on the racing element, but after a few hours it becomes about the adventure.

You need to have mental toughness, and strategy is important – we even have to strategise for sleep, because you may get blocks of only two hours over several days. There will be low points. But there will also be highs, such as reaching the top of a mountain and watching the sun rise at 5am with a bird of prey flying overhead. It’s amazing what your body can deal with. At an event in Scotland recently, I had my lowest point: one night I didn’t want to eat or even speak; I was tired, I felt unwell, and I had to summon all my energy just to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Then a couple of hours later the sun came up, and slowly I began to feel better. It’s such a buzz when you finish: knowing that you did 500 km on a few hours’ sleep.

We’re well prepared for emergencies on expedition events. Various items of equipment are mandatory, such as a first-aid kit and life jackets. Personal mobile phones aren’t allowed because they could be used for navigation. However, each team takes a phone sealed in a tamper-proof bag that they can open if they need to summon help. When you complete a race, the organisers check the bag’s seal is intact. Each team carries a tracker so friends and family can see where you are, but also the organisers can track your progress in case you stop for a long time or venture far off-course. The tracker usually has an SOS button for raising the alarm.

My most memorable experience was probably the Abu Dhabi Challenge. We were a fairly novice team, so having the opportunity to take part was brilliant.

I did suffer: we did 30-plus hours trekking or running through the desert, I had blisters, and I lost skin from most of my toes. But it was amazing – not least the 82 km paddle into the Arabian Gulf.

The mental toughness you develop through adventure racing, and the need to look rationally at challenging situations, are things I bring to work; I’m better at adapting plans when things change, whether it’s something financial or risk management. Similarly, my day job helps me when I’m racing: before I climb a mountain I’ll check the weather and assess the risks. Adventure racing is a team sport at expedition level, and you have to get everyone to the line fit. It’s the same at work: you need to get a good team together.

These days there are lots of businesses offering outdoor events. But for a ‘real’ adventure racing experience, you are best off starting with a shorter, ‘true’ adventure race or an orienteering or fellrunning club, and going from there. ●

Top image: Cedric Lauzier

Off duty

Read about other safety professionals’ pastimes ioshmagazine.com/type/duty

52 DECEMBER 2019

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Recruitment

To advertise your vacancy, contact iosh-recruitment@redactive.co.uk

Ask a recruiter In an interview, how do I answer the question, what are your weaknesses?

This is a very common question and is designed to assess your ability to self-critique as well provide the interviewer with an understanding of how you overcome and compensate for weaknesses. My top tips for preparing for and answering this question are: Remember you are human. None of us is perfect. We all have weaknesses as well as strengths. What matters is that we know our weaknesses and seek support from others who can complement our skills and knowledge.

Weaknesses aren’t negative if you can give examples of how you overcame them to get the result you need.

Leverage your weaknesses to demonstrate leadership. Knowing your own weaknesses will also help

you build strong interpersonal skills, a critical attribute to develop for all future leaders out there. Being self-aware helps you adjust your style and approach in different situations – something to consider when thinking about the examples you will use in interview situations.

Demonstrate how well you collaborate to get the right mix of skills. Maybe a co-worker loves presenting to groups, but is not so good at putting the materials together – which is your forte. Singularly, your weaknesses stand in the way of doing a good job, but together you rule.

Be authentic. Don’t be afraid to admit that sometimes a weakness has let you down – but show

resilience and your reflective abilities in how you work on areas for development – whether that be self-teaching to strengthen knowledge, working with a mentor to develop skills or collaborating and delegating to get things done.

Personal weaknesses can be daunting to discuss in this situation as our go-to attitude in an interview is to be positive and therefore talk about positives – remember that the interviewer isn’t trying to catch you out or look for problems. This question is simply a good way to get to know someone as a person and understand how they work to their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses.

Phillip Muston is a principal consultant at Shirley Parsons, specialising in the build environment sector.

T: 01296 611310 E: phillip.muston@shirleyparsons.com

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The primary focus of this job is to provide support to the UK Environmental, Health and Safety programmes, iniƟaƟves and systems in place across PĮzer UK Ltd, Research & Development and Commercial business operaƟons.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the provision of a high standard of (primarily) technical EHS advice and assistance, invesƟgaƟng incidents, managing monitoring programmes and project managing a diverse range of EHS projects. The EHS Advisor is also responsible for supporƟng the Emergency Preparedness and Business Resilience programmes within PĮzer, reporƟng into the EHS Director. Occasional travel to global sites may be required. Flexible working is available to this post holder.

To apply go to: www.PĮzercareers.com (Job Ref: 4770515 Env, Health and Safety Advisor) Closing Date: 11/12/2019

Breakthroughs that change paƟents’ lives

DECEMBER 2019 53

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Recruitment

To advertise your vacancy, contact iosh-recruitment@redactive.co.uk

EHS Manager Location: Davidstow, Cornwall Salary: Highly Competitive Salary & benefits package to attract the best (relocation available) This is an exciting opportunity for an EHS Manager to join at our flagship site in Davidstow, Cornwall. The business (formerly Dairy Crest) is a subsidiary of Saputo Inc., one of the top 10 Dairy Processors in the world, and leading Cheese Manufacturer.

The Saputo Dairy UK portfolio delivers annual revenue in excess of £450M Net Sales Value (NSV) with contribution from well-known brands such as Cathedral City, Davidstow, Clover, Country Life, Vitalite, Utterly Butterly and Willow in addition to retailer own brands.

As EHS Manager you will be a key member of the site Senior Leadership Team, implementing group Health, Safety & Environment strategies, at site level, ensuring legal compliance with regulatory bodies and company standards are achieved and maintained.

The Candidate: • We’re looking for a highly experienced EHS professional, who has successfully led and inspired teams in large complex process industries / manufacturing environments, • Your background will ideally be Engineering, Safety or Environment - Degree or Equivalent, you will be NEBOSH Diploma qualified and have full IOSH Membership to ensure continued professional development • You will be able to demonstrate extensive experience of up to date tools and techniques required to deliver behavioural and cultural change. Working in a consistent calm, controlled, positive and effective manner, under own initiative, in a changing environment.

• Your natural style with be one of coaching and motivating teams and consistently delivering results.

• You will have excellent presentation skills and have experience of managing external relationships with enforcement agencies e.g. HSE, Fire and EA etc.

Key responsibilities include: • Reporting to the Group EHS Manager, as Site EHS Manager, the role works collaboratively with the site leadership team, members of group health & safety and environment teams as well as external agencies, to meet all legal requirements.

• Key deliverables will include delivering HSE performance through continuous improvement and assurance of effective management systems, strategic initiatives, cultural development and leadership • As part of your role as EHS Manager, you develop site programmes to drive KPI improvements, through annual plans / projects and effective reporting tools • Responsible for leading any serious accident or incident investigation, representing the site with the enforcement authorities where appropriate, you will manage site audits and enforcement authority visits, to ensure successful compliance and close out of corrective actions.

• You will promote and facilitate the active exchange of new technologies, systems, tools and training packages and where they can be applied for the benefit of the site In addition, your role will be to maintain a high level of personal competence through internal and external sources.

All direct and third-party applications will be passed to Silven to be put through our process.

To apply for this exclusive opportunity, please send a copy of your CV to our retained consultant max.cable@silven.co.uk quoting ref MC6164 or call Max on 01485 520000 for a confidential discussion.

54 DECEMBER 2019

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Recruitment

To advertise your vacancy, contact iosh-recruitment@redactive.co.uk

Inspiring you to learn, grow and love what you do!

Join us!

For us, attracting and retaining great talent is all about balance. Balancing working hard with playing hard.

Balancing high expectations with great rewards.

Sound like the type of business you’d like to be part of?

www.shirleyparsons.com 01296 611 300 | @ShirleyParsons

We’re hiring Recruiters and Consultants for our ever-growing HSEQ talent business! To find out more about our current vacancies in Aylesbury and Reading contact Rosie: workforus@shirleyparsons.com 01296 611 320 DECEMBER 2019 55

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Recruitment

To advertise your vacancy, contact iosh-recruitment@redactive.co.uk

Aisling

Joe

Sophia

Philip

Laura

Lee

James Chris

The HSE Recruitment team would like to say thank you to all of the clients and candidates we have had the pleasure of working with throughout 2019.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

CONTACT US: 0121 454 5000 info@hserecruitment.co.uk 56 DECEMBER 2019

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Recruitment

To advertise your vacancy, contact iosh-recruitment@redactive.co.uk

Expert Insight

Principal Designers - how do we tackle the skills gap?

We are facing a huge skills shortage in the role of Principal Designer (PD, CDM15) with many holding experience over little to no design qualifications. Reviewing the consultation documents for Building a Safer Future it is refreshing to see a drive to increase knowledge across the construction sector.

There is a real challenge in finding principal designers that hold sufficient qualifications in design and technical knowledge. This fundamental knowledge in engineering and design principles provides a firm foundation to be able to interrogate designs. Principals of ALRAP (As Low as is Reasonably Practicable), Newton’s Law and case studies like Piper Alpha and the Silver Bridge disaster give a depth NEBOSH does not touch and can leapfrog experience, assisting in a mindset change from hazard management to risk management.

The PD role is a professional role with its own career path and an integral part of the design team. We must seek out the emerging talent with degrees and masters in design qualifications, enticing them into the industry. We need to establish a career framework to pass on our skills and knowledge under and refrain from unrealistic 10, 20, 30 years of experience before being deemed “competent”.

My fear is, if we continue the current trend of holding a NEBOSH certificate and 20 years experience, we will have no principal designers to fill the roles in the future. Much less to carry out the critical role of ensuring fire safety has been duly considered in a HRRB (High Rise Residential Building).

TO READ JAMES’ EXPERT INSIGHT IN FULL PLEASE VISIT OUR MEDIA HUB:

WWW.SHIRLEYPARSONS.COM/MEDIA-HUB

James Hymers Associate H&S Consultant Pick Everard www.pickeverard.co.uk

PERMANENT

JOB OF THE MONTH

CONTRACT

H&S Manager

HSQE Director

CDM Consultant

Home Counties / home based £45,000 - £48,000

Midlands / South East £Exec level package

South London £320 per day

A leading logistics company is seeking a field/ home based H&S Manager to manage their twelve sites across the South, Midlands and South Wales. You’ll be a strong influencer with a solid warehousing/logistics/distribution background. NEBOSH Diploma (or equivalent) is essential.

We’ve been retained by a leading FM company to appoint their HSQE Director. This is a strategic level role that will lead and influence HSQE throughout the organisation. You’ll need excellent stakeholder management skills plus proven leadership experience along with CMIOSH status.

A housing association is seeking a H&S/CDM Consultant to join their team on a 5 month contract. You’ll cover the Built Environment sector, overseeing maintenance and refurb projects. The NEBOSH Certificate is essential, plus a relevant CDM qualification and previous social housing experience.

To apply, please quote MR 14390

To apply, please quote LT 14269

To apply, please quote SD 14371

Visit www.shirleyparsons.com for our latest vacancies GLOBAL LEADERS IN HSEQ RECRUITMENT 01296 611 300 | @ShirleyParsons

IOSH Dec2019 Recr.indd 57

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