Tel 01204 772977 or 07792 400 503
Comply at Work Upcoming courses
P2-3
Compensation Claims are Still Coming
P4-5
Safety at Halloween
P6-7
A Shared Approach to Emergency Training
P8-9
Are Safety Glasses Dangerous?
P10-11
Q&A - Is It Legal to Allow Dogs in the Office?
P12-13
In the spotlight
P14
October 2016
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. Thursday 27 October IOSH Leading Safely one day course £180.00 +VAT pp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGr2D-gZnGA Hurry! Registration for this course is by 20th Oct Monday 14 November pm Asbestos Awareness and Manual Handling Awareness Monday 21 November Emergency First Aid at Work £85.00 + VAT pp Friday 2 December CDM Awareness half day course £149.00 + VAT Friday 16 December Emergency First Aid at Work £85.00 + VAT pp CIEH level 2 Award in Health and Safety Date TBC Places are limited on all these courses. Please contact us on 01204 772977 now to register your interest. e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk
Safety Snippets | P3
Sn Saf ip ety pe ts Tip 1. In the event of an accident - even if it’s relatively minor - record evidence of what happened and when. This includes completing an accident investigation form. * Tip 2. Photographic and CCTV evidence is extremely valuable. Making this available to the investigator could really help them. Tip 3. Finally, if you receive a claim letter, don’t respond to it. Instead, contact your insurer immediately and put it into their hands.
P4 | Safety Snippets
Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503
Comply at Work
Compensation claims are still coming Despite the government’s efforts to reduce the number of speculative compensation claims, it appears that the claim farmers have other ideas. What’s happening and how can you protect your business?
Keep trying
What is the industry doing?
Around three years’ ago, the government made changes to the law that affects the way in which the cost of court action is recovered by claimants.
Previously, many insurers made a payment to make the claim go away. However, they’re now using the services of investigators to identify whether the claim has merit.
In summary, these changes capped the fees solicitors could charge for their time. It also removed the incentive for speculative claims to be made as the solicitor would not be paid if they lost the case.
Note. It’s not just the large cases that investigators are getting involved in. They’re even being asked to look at ones where the potential pay-out is £10,000 or less (a very small amount in this industry).
Fewer, genuine cases
How can you help?
The theory behind the government’s plans was that if incentives were reduced and cases made tougher to win, then only genuine claims would be made.
Many of the lower-level claims are being handled by junior solicitors and admin staff. The good news is that mistakes are often made. Paperwork is poorly drafted, facts may be inconsistent - including the nature of the injury, etc. Fortunately, this is giving the investigators an angle to attack the validity of the claim. This is where businesses can assist.
However, rather than giving up and going away, the claim farmers are still around. There is still a steady stream of ads on television - especially during the daytime - targeting those who may be tempted to make a claim. Statements along the lines of “We’re on your side” or “We will get you what you deserve” appear all too often. Plus, the call centres are very active. Those who have had an accident (or even those who haven’t!) are still likely to receive calls encouraging a claim.
Although it may seem onerous, investing a small amount of time directly after the incident can save a great deal later on. Plus, it can help you to record facts that may help you to prove that you’re not liable. If you would like a FREE template for an accident investigation form, just get in touch and we can email one over.
Source: Indicator
e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk
Safety Snippets | P5
Ho Sa m fe e ty P6 | Safety Snippets
Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503
Comply at Work
Safety at Halloween Children always enjoy Halloween but it can be a worrying time for parents. The Suzy Lamplugh Trust thinks Halloween should be a treat for everyone, so we have produced the following safety tips to help make sure your kids have fun in safety! Dressing Up Safely Costumes should not be too long or restrict your child’s freedom to move – you don’t want any unplanned bumps in the night! Some masks can obstruct a child’s vision, a potential danger, especially when they are crossing roads. Consider using face paints instead. If your children are going to be out on the streets, make sure they are wearing visible clothing. Perhaps you could put reflective tape on their costumes. Some costumes – coupled with the excitement of Halloween – can encourage aggressive behaviour. Even fake knives, swords and other costume accessories can hurt or scare people.
As it is likely to be dark outside, make sure they have torches and only walk down well-lit streets. If your child has a mobile phone make sure they take it with them and check in at regular intervals to let you know all is well. Agree in advance a time when they will be back home and make sure one of them has a watch. Make sure they know not to enter anyone’s house and not to accept lifts in people’s cars. Talk through the idea of trick or treat, and make sure your children don’t do anything to upset or annoy the people they visit. Safe Treats
Make sure your children understand this and that any potentially dangerous items are made of cardboard or other flexible materials.
Ask your children not to eat any sweets or other treats that they have been given until they get home. Giving them a meal or snack before they go might help them resist temptation!
Having Fun in Safety
Carefully check all the things they have been given. Sweets and food that are still in their original wrappers are safest
Children like to go trick-or-treating at Halloween. They should always go out in groups and younger children should be accompanied by an adult. Older children should agree with parents or guardians in advance exactly where they are going and if possible which houses they intend to visit. Source: SuzySource: Lamplugh Indicator Trust
e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk
Safety Snippets | P7
Ho Sa m fe e ty
Tip 1. If you believe that you may have a faulty machine, check the model number against the LFB’s list of affected appliances here: http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/totalrecalls/what-you-can-do-to-stay-safe.asp Rather than follow flawed advice from the manufacturer, prevent use of the appliance until it’s been checked and repaired. Tip 2. In any case, dryers are associated with fire risk if not properly maintained. Instruct users to check and clean the filter after every cycle. Also ensure that the machine has a correctly installed vent as per the operating manual.
P8 | Safety Snippets
Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503
Comply at Work
A shared approach to emergency training… In November 2015 Whirlpool contacted buyers of its Creda, Hotpoint and Indesit branded tumble dryers to say that there was a problem with their machines which could cause a fire. Why is the story still rumbling on nearly a year later? Deadly risk
Nail in the coffin
Whirlpool contacted buyers to warn that many of the tumble dryers sold under the three sub brands had a fault in their design which meant that fluff from the dryer could come into contact with the heating element. The design fault traced back to April 2004 affected millions of appliances. These would mainly be found in homes, but could also be found in businesses and accommodation provided by landlords.
At the end of August 2016 the London Fire Brigade (LFB) joined in the argument, issuing its own public statement urging Whirlpool to change its advice. The LFB’s intervention came following a fire in an 18-storey high rise. The blaze, which investigators believe was caused by a faulty Indesit tumble dryer, took 120 firefighters to bring under control. The dryer was due to receive corrective action by the manufacturer but the job was still on Whirlpool’s todo list, along with many others.
Planned approach Customers with the identified machines were told that they could either have a repair or a discount towards a new appliance. But reports from consumer group Which? have shown that many of those who have registered for a repair are waiting months in a potentially fatal queue. Whilst doing so they are expected to follow the Whirlpool advice not to leave the dryer unattended during operation. In February 2016 Which? reported that 750 fires have been associated with Creda, Hotpoint and Indesit tumble dryers and recommended that those with the machines do not use them until they obtain the promised modification. Furthermore, all the experts (except those working at Whirlpool) seem to agree. In May 2016 the Chartered Trading Standards Institute warned that the company’s refusal to issue a recall was putting lives at risk.
Not good enough The LFB has listed the following concerns about Whirlpool’s safety notice: o the advice to remain with an appliance for the duration of a drying cycle is impractical o if there was a fire, the presence of occupants does not remove the risk. They might be hurt, or killed whilst trying to leave the premises, put the fire out or rescue others o fire may break out some time after the dryer has been used because the ignition of accumulated fluff could cause a smouldering fire. By then the owner might have gone to bed.
Source: Indicator
e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk
Safety Snippets | P9
Sn Saf ip ety pe ts
Tip 1. Don’t forget that personal protective equipment should only be used as a last resort. You must always try to address the hazard by other means first. Tip 2. Only implement a blanket policy on wearing glasses if there’s a real risk of staff suffering an eye injury, e.g. not just because they might get dust in their eyes. If you do, be prepared to enforce it.
P10 | Safety Snippets
Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503
Comply at Work
Are safety glasses dangerous? It’s been suggested that wearing safety glasses all day can affect the health of the eyes. Is there anything in this and should you be asking staff to wear them for prolonged periods? Safety culture.
Ignored.
A few years ago it was very rare for companies to implement mandatory rules on wearing safety glasses. However, these are now commonplace in the construction, manufacturing and chemical etc. sectors. But it’s been suggested that this policy could be doing more harm than good on a number of levels.
These issues cause problems with compliance. Evidence suggests that many workers don’t wear them at all and frequently only put them on when they could get into trouble for not doing so. This means that companies have policies and procedures in place which aren’t effective and this could be held against them in the event of an accident.
Health concerns. Rumours suggest that wearing safety glasses for prolonged periods can cause damage to the eyes. Apparently, the problems are caused by looking through the curved plastic lens. But is there anything in this? We found nothing to confirm that the glasses can cause problems - a number of studies state that there’s nothing to worry about.
To summarise: Wearing safety glasses does not cause damage to the eyes. Only implement a blanket policy on wearing them if there’s a real risk of staff suffering an eye injury which cannot be reduced by other means.
Strong opinion against. The second argument against safety glasses is stronger. It’s claimed that they don’t reduce risks significantly and in many instances they could actually put the wearer at risk. An example of this is when staff wear them in the rain they are unable to see clearly and become distracted. Plus the dust etc. is being controlled by the rain anyway.
Source: Indicator
e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk
Safety Snippets | P11
Sn Saf ip ety pe ts P12 | Safety Snippets
Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503
Comply at Work
Q&A - is it legal to allow dogs in the office? Q. One of our staff wants to bring their dog to work with them. Are there any legal reasons why they can’t do so? A. There’s certainly no law against it, although the normal rules apply as far as protecting all staff and visitors from harm. The main risks are the potential for allergies, fleas, dog bites and the tripping hazard presented by animal. Tip. If you have these covered, write your arrangements into your risk assessment and your obligations under health and safety law will have been fulfilled.
Source: Indicator
e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk
Safety Snippets | P13
Comply at Work
in the spotlight Congratulations to the following Clients who have been successful with the following accreditations: Coll Civil Engineering Ltd who have passed the Safe Contractor Accreditation again this year.
Welcome to our new Clients: Leverhulme Community Primary School, Bolton Monaghan Property Services Ltd, Swinton P & A Medical Ltd, Blackrod KVA Power Installations Ltd, Lostock, Bolton KKM Developments Ltd, Leyland Clovemead Ltd, Warrington Hydratron Ltd, Altrincham
This month, we have also delivered an additional course: Slinger / Signaller Training.
We have also had our usual 100% pass rates on our Emergency First Aid and Face Fit Train the Trainer course.
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