2015 march newsletter issuu

Tel 01204 772977 or 07792 400 503

Comply at Work safety snippets & business bytes Upcoming Courses

P3

Legislation to limit civil claims

P4-5

Clients’ Q&A

P6-7

Getting a YES to your BO

P8-9

In the Spotlight

P10

March 2015

P2 | Safety Snippets

Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503

Comply at Work OUR UPCOMING TRAINING COURSES….

Ask us about our special offers: Pick n mix sessions, free seminars and discounts for retained clients.

Friday 10 April 9.30 am – 1 pm ‘The True Cost of Poor Communication’ Tuesday 21 April Qualsafe Level 2 Emergency First Aid one day course Wednesday 22 April CIEH Level 2 Award in Health and Safety – one day course Saturday 25 April am ‘How to deliver effective Toolbox Talks’ and ‘Accident investigation for Managers half day course We also plan to run a half day pick and mix session on Manual Handling awareness and Asbestos Awareness Date TBC All our courses have limited places so please contact us for further details and register your interest as soon as possible. e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk

Safety Snippets | P3

Sn Saf ip ety pe ts In civil cases the courts must now consider whether you have taken a “predominantly responsible approach� to managing risks. If you can prove this, i.e. by having a good paper trail, it will reduce any liability.

If you would like any further assistance with your Health and Safety documentation, please do not hesitate to contact us.

P4 | Safety Snippets

Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503

Comply at Work

Legislation to limit civil claims New legislation has been introduced to reduce an employer’s liability when it’s done the “right thing” to protect others.

What’s the story?

Safe systems of work. If you spend time and resources getting your health and safety arrangements up to the required standards, you might think that this will prevent you from being held liable if an individual were to suffer an injury. However, this doesn’t avoid the risk of a civil claim.

Not so. The government has recognised this problem and in a bid to redress the balance, on 12 February 2015 it brought in the Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Act 2015. This has nothing to do with criminal action or enforcement. The Act applies to civil cases only.

What does this do? The Act doesn’t change the over-arching legal framework, which means that claims can still be brought. However, it does lessen the chance of such a claim being successful. It does this by directing the courts to consider certain factors when deciding liability.

For example? It requires the court to consider whether the defendant “demonstrated a predominantly responsible approach towards protecting the safety or other interests of others”. That’s designed to make the courts take full account of the context of the actions of a business or individual when they’re sued for damages.

How will this work? This process will need to be tested in the courts.

However, our view is that if you: (1) take the time to understand your legal duties, and (2) follow HSE approved codes of practice, guidance material, etc., any potential liability you may face will be significantly reduced. It could even prevent a claim from being successful.

Tip. Keep a good paper trail as this is the best way to prove that you’ve taken a responsible approach to managing risks.

Source: Indicator

e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk

Safety Snippets | P5

Sn Saf ip ety pe ts

Clients’ Q and A Please find sample queries recently received by one of our retained clients:

Q ‘What is the law regarding First Aid Provision for Lone Workers in our building?’

A Firstly, with regards to the provision of first aid, it depends on the level of risk in the premises. Offices are normally low risk therefore you will not need the same level of provision as say a construction site. In a low risk environment, employers may only need to provide a first aid box and appoint a person to ensure it is adequately stocked and to call the emergency services.

This person will not need specific first aid training for this role. With persons who work alone, you need to ensure there is adequate first provision at all times.

In lone worker situations you should consider personal first aid kits and issuing person communicators/mobile phones to the employees. This is detailed in the HSE document ‘First Aid at Work – Your Questions Answered’ and can be found on the link below: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg214. pdf

When deciding the level of first aid you are going to provide, you may want to consider whether the person can control the risk on their own adequately.

Remember that higher risk environments will require a fully trained first aider. The following information is taken from the HSE publication on working alone and will assist you in determining the provision of first aid:

Can one person adequately control the risks of the job?

Employers should take account of normal work and foreseeable emergencies, eg fire, equipment failure, illness and accidents.

Employers should identify situations where people work alone and consider the following: • Does the workplace present a specific risk to the lone worker, for example due to temporary access equipment, such as portable ladders or trestles that one person would have difficulty handling?

• Is there a safe way in and out for one person, eg for a lone person working out of hours where the workplace could be locked up?

• Is there machinery or equipment involved in the work that one person cannot operate safely?

• Are chemicals or hazardous substances being used that may pose a particular risk to the lone worker?

Source: Indicator

P6 | Safety Snippets

Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503

Comply at Work

• Does the work involve lifting objects too large for one person?

• Is there a risk of violence and/or aggression?

• Are there any reasons why the individual might be more vulnerable than others and be particularly at risk if they work alone (for example if they are young, pregnant, disabled or a trainee)?

• If the lone worker’s first language is not English, are suitable arrangements in place to ensure clear communications, especially in an emergency?

What happens if a person becomes ill, has an accident, or there is an emergency?

Your assessment of the risks should identify foreseeable events. Emergency procedures should be established and employees trained in them. Information regarding emergency procedures should be given to lone workers. Your risk assessment may indicate that mobile workers should carry first-aid kits and/or that lone workers need first-aid training.

They should also have access to adequate first-aid facilities.

The HSE Guidance to working Alone can be found here: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ indg73.pdf

Comply at Work can assist with the development of lone worker risk assessments, policy and procedures and personal safety training. Please contact us for advice.

Q. We carry oxy-acetylene gas in our vehicles. What signage should we display?

A. There is no requirement to display warning signs on the back of vehicles for cylinders weighing less than 333kg in total.

Carriage laws. The relevent legislation is the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR). To comply with ADR , carriers of larger loads must display 250mm wide warning placards on vehicles, indicating the category of hazardous goods carried. However, provided the quantity of liquefied petroleum gas cylinders weighs below 333kg, the load is exempt from the marking requirements.

Tip 1. To avoid confusing the emergency services, only display the 250mm placards if you exceed the small load limit.

Tip 2. To comply with the requirements of ADR in relation to the carriage of compressed gases, the vehicle must be open backed or ventilated. Drivers must be trained in emergency response in the event of a leak or accident, cylinders must be secured and a 2kg dry powder extinguisher must be carried.

If you’re carrying cylinders that weigh less than 333kg in total, there’s no requirement to display warning notices on your vehicle.

Drivers must be trained to deal with leaks in cylinders, the vehicle must be open backed or ventilated and have a 2kg powder fire extinguisher on board.

e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk

Safety Snippets | P7

S Sn afe ip ty pe t

Action point 1. Identify your next key communication where you need a ‘yes’ 2. Script your BO: explain why a ‘yes’ will Benefit them, and devise 2-3 Options that both you and they will feel comfortable with 3. Practise your BO, so it flows naturally on the day!

P8 | Safety Snippets

Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503

Comply at Work

Getting to YES with your BO… You have to be good at persuading others to say ‘yes’.

These ‘yeses’ could be big (“please invest £millions in X”). They could be small (“please do Task Y”). But, the better you are at triggering them, the quicker you’ll succeed.

There’s no proven way to get a ‘yes’ 100% of the time. But some techniques significantly increase your chances. One is to use ‘BO’: • B – Benefits – explain why your proposition will help the other person in ways they – not you – perceive to be valuable. This shows them a ‘yes’ is in their interest • O – Options – give them 2-3 choices as to how they can accept, and ask which they’d prefer. This helps turn their thinking from “should I agree?” to “how should I agree?”

So sentences like “you’ve heard our proposition. Would you like to invest £X?” contain no benefit; and also allow ‘no’ as an easy answer. A more compelling script is: (B) “We can help you achieve your objective of doing X this year. So how would you like to proceed? (O) “We could either do the full programme we discussed; or start by doing Phase I, then deciding next steps?”

BO works on anyone – even the boss: “(B) I want to get your report out before close of play. I just need five minutes to run through a few questions. (O) Have you time now, or shall I come back in an hour?”

And, remember the Golden Rule of Persuasion: when they say ‘yes’ to one of your Options, stop talking!

Source: Andy Bounds

e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk

Business Bytes | P9

Comply at Work

spotlight

Here’s a summary of the latest news from Comply at Work…

Training Successes We would like to congratulate all our recent delegates undertaking the Level 2 Qualsafe Emergency First Aid course all passed – well done!

Our Asbestos Awareness and Manual Handling training was again very well attended this month – we plan to run another session soon. If you require this as a contractor for CHAS of Safe – C please let us know as soon as possible to register your interest as places fill quickly.

Our new training sessions: ‘How to deliver effective Toolbox talk’s and ‘Accident Investigation for Managers’ received excellent feedback – we plan to run another course on a Saturday morning 25th April.

Welcome This month, we would like to welcome our new clients we have provided assistance to: CPA Bespoke Joinery Ltd, Bolton Access Lock and Safe Ltd, Monton Bury Shopmobility, Bury Link Polymers Ltd, Ashton- Makerfield Garic Ltd, Bury Paul Brandwood Meats, Bury Hill-Eckersley Accountants, Bolton

New Website We are currently having our website redeveloped.

This will also change the format of our bulletins and newsletters. Our website will be much more focussed and provide additional information for our clients and contacts to access.

The Authority in Access Ladder Log Safety Inspection System Ensure you meet current Working at Height (WAHR 2005) regulations with our adhesive stickers, tags, holders and business packs

Services We Offer • • • •

Site Surveys for Bespoke Access Ladder & PASMA Training Special Application design On Site Ladder Inspections

Visit Ladderstore.com or call our team on 01204 590 232

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COMPLY at WORK HEALTH & SAFETY CONSULTANCY AND TRAINING

adve r tise with us for unde r ÂŁ10 pe r month Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503 e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk For more information call 01925 599760

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