17 January 2006 - Stone Handling Safety Awareness for Brent Businesses

17 January 2006 - Stone Handling Safety Awareness for Brent Businesses:

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the London Borough of Brent Inspectors alongside Occupational Hygienists and Mechanical Engineering specialists will be visiting 19 stone-handling businesses over a 2 day period, commencing on Monday 23 January 2006.

The purpose of the visits is to raise awareness of the dangers associated with stone-handling companies who deal with such materials as heavy mineral rock products processed to make such products as slabs and worktops made of marble or granite.

Inspectors involved in the initiative will be visiting businesses in Brent and concentrating on the following:

* Silica dust control.
* Storage and stone handling.
* Off-loading of deliveries.
* Transportation and pedestrian segregation.

Trevor Allan, Principal Inspector for HSE's North-West London Manufacturing Group, and Karen Barnes, Health and Safety Inspector for the London Borough of Brent, commented:

'The recent fatalities involving stone handling have emphasised the dangers of off-loading and storage, but there are also health risks associated with this work which are often poorly understood.

'This initiative aims to educate these businesses and ensure that the proper controls are in place to minimise health and safety risks associated with this work.'

The HSE have produced an information sheet for the handling of heavy stone blocks which can be accessed by clicking the following:

HSE Information Sheet - Handling heavy building blocks

Article by Alexandra Johnston