Tel 01204 772977 or 07792 400 503
Comply at Work Upcoming courses
P2-3
A Slip on an Icy Path
P4-5
Should You Expect Much New Legislation
P6
Fire Safety
P7
Lone Worker In the spotlight
P8-9 P10-11
January 2017
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. General Health and Safety Awareness Thurs 26 January – one day One day Emergency First Aid – Tues 31 January and Tues 28 February Coming up…. IOSH Leading Safely - TBC Fire Warden Awareness – TBC Manual Handling Awareness – TBC Asbestos Awareness - TBC Mental Resilience - 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 What should you do? Tip 1. Non-slip overshoes cost less than £20 per pair and have been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of slipping. If your staff travel during the winter, consider supplying this equipment. Ask staff to sign and date a receipt which states, “I confirm that I have received non-slip overshoes which are to be worn in icy conditions. If these are lost or damaged I will report it to my line manager.” Tip 2. C said it had rejected the idea of issuing Yaktrax following a trial, but there wasn’t any evidence to prove it. If you try them and have a good reason not to issue them, put this in writing.
P4 | Safety Snippets
Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503
Comply at Work
A slip on an icy path During cold weather, there’s always a risk of icy conditions underfoot and slips, and falls. You have no control over ice that’s not on your premises but is there anything you need to do to protect employees who make site visits? What does the latest case law say? Kennedy v Cordia One of the most significant cases in this area of the law is this case. It concerned a home care worker who slipped on a path in December 2010. Tracey Kennedy (K) had been making an essential visit to an elderly lady’s home during a prolonged period of sub-zero temperatures. K was wearing flat shoes with some ridging on the soles but they were no match for the heavily iced footpath. She fell, fracturing her wrist. The case was initially heard at the Court in August 2013 where the Court found in her favour and against her employer, Cordia (Services) LLP (C). C fought back and on appeal was found to be not liable. However, in a final twist, the case was referred to the Supreme Court which concluded that C was liable after all. What were the findings? The Court examined the company’s approach to risk assessment. It found that risk assessments produced in the years preceding the accident had identified the potential for slipping on icy surfaces. Plus, as there had been similar accidents, ice could be viewed as an obvious hazard affecting C’s home carers in winter.
On their feet The Court also reviewed the provision of footwear. Staff were advised to wear appropriate footwear but no specification was given, i.e. that it should be sturdy and have a good grip. Staff training also included a warning about access hazards but, again, specific advice was weak. The company could have provided non-slip shoe add-ons such as Yaktrax - by that time their use had become established within some large organisations. The fact that it had not done so was found to be a breach of the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations. The Court decided that C had not only breached the regulations, but was also negligent in common law. Instead of trying to pass responsibility on to employees it should have examined the options for reducing the risk and implemented suitable measures. You may find the link below useful: http://www.hse.gov.uk/logistics/slips-trips-badweather.htm?ebul=hsegen&cr=8/12-jan-17
Note. The fact that the hazard was naturally occurring did not absolve C from acting - just as employers are responsible for protecting employees from extremely hot or wet weather when they’re at work.
Source: Indicator
e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk
Safety Snippets | P5
Sn Saf ip ety pe ts
Should you expect much new legislation? What’s on the cards? If you’re planning for 2017, it’s worth making sure that there are no significant legal hurdles that could come into play. So can you expect reams of new legislation later this year? Good news. Fortunately, it appears that the HSE doesn’t have much up in the pipeline regarding new legislation. Plus, it doesn’t appear to be planning any major updates either. The only things to look out for are updated guidance materials. Source: Indicator
P6 | Safety Snippets
Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503
Comply at Work
FIRE SAFETY Do you need to make the purchase? It’s become apparent that some sales companies are playing the safety card. Should you believe their pitch and cough up the cash? Many businesses are being told that they must make significant improvements or install the latest technology so that they’re compliant with current health and safety and fire safety legislation. For example, a charity that provides sheltered housing to elderly residents was told that all the fire door furniture fittings at its premises were illegal - door closers were the wrong type, letterboxes didn’t provide an adequate smoke barrier and the intumescent strips around the doors were insufficient. Of course, the company that picked up the faults was able to supply new fittings which met all the latest standards. The work was quoted at just under a staggering £60,000. Fortunately, the premises manager was concerned and called in a fire risk assessor for a second opinion. He confirmed that although some of the points the sales person had raised were valid, the furniture wasn’t actually illegal and didn’t need to be replaced immediately.
Tip 1. Always try to obtain an independent view on what you need to have in place. For example, if you have a company that sells fire extinguishers carrying out your fire risk assessment, you may possibly to be told you’ll need plenty of extinguishers. Someone who isn’t looking to profit from the extinguisher sales is more likely to suggest you go for the minimum number. Tip 2. If you find that some upgrading is necessary, it’s worth obtaining at least two quotes. If your company requires any advice or guidance of any fire-related issue, please do not hesitate to call us for an informal chat. We can also provide fire risk assessment using our team of highly competent and experienced assessors and deliver Fire Safety Awareness training and Fire Marshal training for your staff.
Some architects are also getting carried away. One specified that an extremely expensive wireless detection system should be installed, with a full sprinkler system and more. Again, the client was told that these were must-haves. However, government guidance contradicted the architect’s specifications in this case.
Source: Indicator
e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk
Safety Snippets | P7
Sn Saf ip ety pe ts
Tip 1. The majority of companies who supply these services offer a free trial. This will help you choose a product that suits your circumstances. Tip 2. Staff may be concerned that “big brother” is watching them. Unless you believe you need to know where your staff are at all times, consider products which only track during an alert.
P8 | Safety Snippets
Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503
Comply at Work
LONE WORKERS
Which lone worker device? The marketplace for lone worker monitoring technology has become crowded and the devices are becoming an affordable solution. What type of equipment is available and what are the pros and cons? Related documents - The Next Step On lone worker devices[Further Information] http://lite.indicator.co.uk/healthandsafety/dz/ download.php?docid=255303 The risk Lone workers are those who work in situations where there is no one who can be relied on to assist in an emergency. They may be working entirely alone in a remote location, in a less frequented part of an otherwise busy building, or with others but reliant on themselves. Sometimes the lone worker is at risk of violence, e.g. carrying cash or drugs, visiting problem areas or being in a position of authority. Technological solutions Devices can be used to help with the monitoring of lone workers, including their location, activity level and need for assistance. Before you get drawn into the myriad devices available, look at the risks and decide which features would be essential. Consider whether you have a good mobile phone signal in all areas. Also, examine the internal resources you have available for monitoring the information the system will generate and responding to lone worker alarms. Smartphone Many options use a mobile phone app which saves purchasing separate devices. As an example, the lone worker might check in with the app, input basic details and set a finish time. If they then fail to check out, and respond to a reminder, the alarm would be raised via a monitoring system.
We also found products which could overcome a patchy mobile signal. Tip. Prices vary. You’ll pay more if there’s a central monitoring service or if you need coverage for nonmobile friendly areas. The costs go down if you’re purchasing a number of licences. Expect to pay £2 to £10 per user per month. Panic button You might only require a panic device. Some of these will provide a geographical location to the manager receiving the alarm and can operate without a mobile phone signal. There are also panic buttons with more advanced functionality such as being able to speak to an operator. For a solution suitable for a single site, you might choose a radio-based system with individual pager/ panic devices carried by each worker. This could be more practical as it’s potentially easier to raise an alarm via a small robust call button than a smartphone. To summarise: There are smartphone-based apps and separate panic buttons. Expect a monthly cost of £2 to £10 per user. Decide whether you need cover for areas without a mobile signal, central monitoring, “man-down” alerts, etc. When you’ve selected the best option, take a free trial. If you require any assistance with Lone Worker Policies or risk assessments please get in touch. We can also provide specific Lone worker training.
The software is set up in advance with details of who to call and location information. These apps generally include panic buttons and may have a means of raising a discreet alarm; some come with “mandown” software which reacts to a lack of movement. Source: Indicator
e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk
Safety Snippets | P9
Comply at Work
in the spotlight Congratulations to the following clients who have achieved these SSIP accreditations with our assistance this month: JRK Decorators - SMAS Beta Building Services – CHAS SDH Building Services Ltd – CHAS BLS Security Ltd, Croydon - CHAS Octagon Network Solutions Ltd - CHAS We welcome our first retained client of 2017, Ascot Doors Ltd of Bolton and look forward to working with their management and team members over the coming months. Stop press! As some of you already know, we have recently partnered with Graham Stuart of Imperative Solutions, to host some innovative training on personal development skills, mental resilience and also even online IT training. All these trainings are fully funded (Free) from the European Social Fund and will enhance your personal development, leadership and management skills and ultimately improve productivity throughout your business.
Sue Scott, Director – Comply at Work and Graham Stuart of Imperative Solutions at the start of their first workshop.
So, don’t miss out! Let us know if you are interested in these workshops and register your interest now before all places are filled. The first set of workshops have proved very popular! Finally, we are one step nearer to recruiting our new in-house Principal Consultant to assist in servicing our Client base. Watch this space!
We can also congratulate ourselves on our latest glowing testimonial from one of our retained clients: “I was introduced to Comply at Work a couple of years ago, and have to say their service is incredible. Health & Safety is a daunting task even with all the free information there is to hand online, but Comply at Work make it easy. Partwell have worked with Sue Scott and her team on many occasions for many different subjects. Each and every time the work is bang on with perfect results. From sound testing, manual handling courses, manual handling risk assessments, face fit testing to helping us out with COSHH risk assessments I cannot fault Sue’s work. The timescale from enquiry to delivery is amazing. We recently had a visit from the HSE for one of our sister sites. The HSE report needed some urgent attention. I emailed Sue the same day and her response was just brilliant. That afternoon we had a huge amount of information to get us on the right track. The depth of knowledge Sue has is mind blowing, a consummate professional in every way. My colleague and I recently had training at their head office in Bolton, and what could be seen as a dreary topic was made very interesting and meaningful with proper examples. The whole day was involving for everyone on the course. I’d just like to say a massive thanks to Sue and her team, nothing ever seems too much trouble, and I never feel uncomfortable dealing with Sue. Many, many thanks Sue, keep up the good work, Dan Daniel Parkinson Operations Manager Partwell Group Bridge Works, Stanley Street Blackburn, Lancs. BB1 3BW”
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