Sunday, September 03, 2006

16 August 2006 - Construction Industry Steering Group Leads with CDM Guidance

16 August 2006 - Construction Industry Steering Group Leads with CDM Guidance

The Health and Safety Commission's Construction Industry Advisory Committee (CONIAC) has set up an industry led steering group in order to create guidance to support the revised Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994 (CDM), due to come into force in April 2007.

The new proposed CDM Regulations revise and consolidate provisions in the existing 1994 - CDM, and The Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 (CHSW) into a single regulatory package.

The steering group is made up from a cross section of the industry and is chaired by the Head of Health, Safety and Environment at Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) ConstructionSkills, Kevin Fear.

The following are represented on the working group:

  • Association for Project Safety
  • Construction Clients Group
  • Construction Confederation
  • ConstructionSkills
  • Department of Trade and Industry
  • Federation of Master Builders
  • Health and Safety Executive, Home Builders Federation
  • Institution for Civil Engineers
  • Institution of Occupational Health and Safety
  • Institution of Structural Engineers
  • National Association of Shopfitters
  • National Specialist Contractors Council
  • Royal Institute of British Architects
  • Strategic Forum for Construction
  • Union of Construction Allied Trades and Technicians.

Kevin Fear commented:

"Our aim is to co-ordinate industry guidance to ensure that clear and helpful advice is given on the application of CDM, explaining to employers and individuals what they have to do, how they work within the project team and setting out the benefits from getting it right. Each member of the steering group is responsible for consulting with and pulling together the initial draft of the guidance for key duty-holders, which come from their sector of industry. This will then be consolidated and finalised by the group which will then pass the guidance to CONIAC for sign off.

"We intend to make the guidance available to industry from January 2007. It will link in with the Approved Code of Practice, also to be published at this time, and the revised CDM Regulations which will come into force on 6 April 2007."

Anyone wishing to contribute should contact the Chair, Kevin Fear kevin.fear@citb.co.uk 01485 577451 or the secretary Stephanie Rafferty Stephanie.rafferty@hse.gsi.gov.uk 020 7717 2163 in the first instance.

Construction Skills is a partnership between CITB-ConstructionSkills, Construction Industry Council (CIC) and CITB (NI) and their website can be found by clicking the following link: ConstructionSkills

Posted by at

16 August 2006 - HSE and BSC Best Practice Exchange Event

16 August 2006 - HSE and BSC Best Practice Exchange Event

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are supporting the British Safety Council (BSC) Health and Safety Best Practice Exchange events, with the first being held in January which achieved a resounding 93% success rate from attendees.

Due to such a positive reception, the Northwest is set to host to the second Best Practice Exchange event on 5 September, which will again be supported by the HSE.

Delegates are able to tailor make their own schedule. Organised discussion groups form the main activity of the day as well as the following:

  • Practical workshops
  • One to one meetings
  • Case study presentations
  • Demonstrations
  • Valuable networking opportunities

This coming event will include:

  • A presentation on Corporate Killing from a legal perspective
  • A presentation on health and wellness culture from event hosts adidas
  • The opportunity to attend taster sessions for the BSC’s new suite of Level 2 Risk Assessment courses
  • A demonstration on the free SafetyNetwork service
  • The opportunity to have some personal wellness checks and health / lifestyle advice themselves

David Ballard, Chief Executive of the British Safety Council commented:

“The British Safety Council’s members have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and we are very pleased to offer a structured and effective means of sharing that knowledge. Moreover, it is hoped that by allowing safety professionals to talk honestly and openly with each other, workplaces industry-wide will become safer places to be”.

The Health and Safety Best Practice Exchange website can be found by clicking the following link: www.safety-exchange.co.uk

Posted by at

15 August 2006 - HSE Warns Companies to Check Work at Height Guidance

15 August 2006 - HSE Warns Companies to Check Work at Height Guidance

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued a warning to companies to make sure their employees are fully informed about using safe working practices whilst working at height.

The warning follows the prosecution of D A Carter Ltd from Burscough who were fined £7,500 and ordered to pay £5,000 costs after an employee died after falling 6 metres from a warehouse roof onto a concrete floor.

D A Carter Limited pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 in that they did not take reasonably practicable, suitable and effective measures to prevent anyone falling from height during work on a fragile roof at Winnington Warehousing Limited in Northwich.

Employee Mr Michael Alty climbed up a ladder to replace translucent lights on a roof made from asbestos cement sheets. The asbestos sheet gave way and he fell approximately 6m to the concrete floor below.

Mr Alty was taken to Leighton Hospital but later transferred to the Royal Staffordshire Infirmary where he later died.

It was found that the company had not completed a risk assessment for the work and had failed to provide suitable and sufficient measures to prevent falls. Access to the roof lights was achieved by walking across the asbestos cement roof.

Sarah Wadham, HSE Construction Inspector commented:

"It is essential that companies carry out a risk assessment before any work at height to minimise the possibility of an incident.

"Falls are preventable when work is planned properly, the risks are accurately assessed, and the correct equipment is used.

This was an unnecessary loss of a young man's life."

Posted by at

Sunday, August 13, 2006

13 August 2006 - HSfB Site News

Site News

13 August 2006

  • The Legislation News pages have been updated where you can read more on the following:
    • The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 (Consequential Modifications and Savings) Order 2006
    • Consultation on the implementation of EU Directive 2003/99/EC - the Zoonoses (Monitoring) Regulations 2006

6 August 2006

5 August 2006

1 August 2006

  • The Legislation News pages have been updated where you can read more on the following:
    • Proposal for Work at Height (Amendment) Regulations
  • The ever growing HAVS levels database created by Mark Sutton has been updated once again, download the updated version below:
Posted by at

July 2006 Site News Archive

July 2006 Site News Archive

30 July 2006

  • The Legislation News pages have been updated where you can read more on the following:
    • Proposals to implement the second list of indicative occupational exposure limit values (European Directive 2006/15/EC)
    • The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (Amendment) (Further and Higher Education) Regulations 2006

16 July 2006

12 July 2006

5 July 2006

2 July 2006

  • The Legislation News pages have been updated where you can read more on the following:
    • The Contaminated Land (England) Regulations 2006
    • The Electromagnetic Compatibility (Amendment) Regulations 2006
Posted by at

June 2006 Site News Archive

June 2006 Site News Archive

26 June 2006

  • A new download has been added to the Practical Exam Revision pages:
  • The Legislation News pages have been updated where you can read more on the following:
    • The Management of Health and Safety at Work (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006
    • The Fire and Rescue Services (2006 Order) (Commencement No.1) Order (Northern Ireland) 2006
    • The Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006

12 June 2006

  • The Legislation News pages have been updated where you can read more on the following:
    • Managing Workplace Transport Risk - A Route Map
Posted by at

13 August 2006 - Images of Disability Website Launched

13 August 2006 - Images of Disability Website Launched

A new website containing guidance about portraying disabled people in communications materials has been launched. The website, Images of Disability (IOD) - www.imagesofdisability.gov.uk, which is supported by the Prime Minister, is a cross-government initiative driven by a dedicated Steering Group. The group comprises representatives from Government, the advertising industry and the Disability Rights Commission (DRC), and meets regularly to give strategic direction and input to the initiative, monitor progress and disseminate good practice.

The website is aimed at providing support and guidance in producing effective and inclusive depictions of disabled people for use by communications professionals.

Anne McGuire, Minister for Disabled People commented:

“There are more than 10 million disabled people in Great Britain, including people with limiting longstanding illnesses2 – nearly one in five of the population. However, it remains extremely rare to see disabled people represented in mainstream media, which is why a website like this is necessary to redress the balance.

I’m sure that anybody involved in developing and delivering communications activities and products will find the website extremely useful in helping to ensure they represent today’s society fairly and accurately.”

Posted by at

13 August 2006 - Research Report Published - Code of Practice Access to Air Travel for Disabled People

13 August 2006 - Research Report Published - Code of Practice Access to Air Travel for Disabled People

The Department for Transport (DfT) has recently published the findings of a research project aimed at assessing how well the UK aviation industry is complying with the recommendations in the Department's voluntary Code of Practice Access to Air Travel for Disabled People.

The Department's voluntary Code of Practice, Access to Air Travel for Disabled People, was published in March 2003. The Code sets out minimum standards that should be met by airlines for aircraft design and service on board and provides tour operators, travel agents, airports, ground handling companies, retailers and other service providers with advice on how to meet their legal obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA).

The main findings of the report carried out on behalf of the DfT Research Laboratory shows that:

  • the industry needs further encouragement to follow those parts of the Code that are already covered by Part 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act;
  • there should be increased training for travel and booking agency and airline staff;
  • procedures to increase pre-booking assistance, and provision of information in alternative formats, need to be promoted further;
  • consistent policies need to be developed on the carriage of disabled people and on seating allocation; airlines and their handling agent staff should have the knowledge to assess suitable seating allocation for particular needs.

Aviation Minister Gillian Merron commented:

"I welcome this research. We want to see improved accessibility to all types of transport and it is important that we monitor the effectiveness of this Code of Practice so that disabled people can be confident of a positive experience when they travel by air.

"We now need to discuss the findings with stakeholders and consider whether further action is required, taking into account the new European rules on the rights of disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility travelling by air."

The report can be found by clicking the following link: Access to Air Travel for Disabled People: 2005 Monitoring study

Posted by at

6 August 2006 - DRC Proposes Change to Definition of Disability

6 August 2006 - DRC Proposes Change to Definition of Disability

The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) is recommending to Government that disability discrimination law moves away from protecting groups of ‘disabled’ people and in favour of protecting anyone who experiences discrimination on the grounds of an impairment they may have.

A consultation by the DRC between December 2005 and March 2006 favoured a change to the present definition within the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), to one which gives protection from discrimination to everyone who has (or has had or is perceived to have) an impairment without requiring the effects of that impairment to be substantial or long-term as defined by the DDA.

The DRC commented:

"We do not underestimate the significance of this proposal, and have identified a number of potential areas of risk where further attention and action may be needed to mitigate those risks.

More specifically we recommend that the law should be changed:

  • to protect all people from less favourable treatment on grounds of or for a reason related to their mental or physical impairment;
  • to provide reasonable adjustments for people with impairments where barriers in society cause them substantial or unreasonable difficulties;
  • to consider the exclusion of a limited number of trivial conditions from being counted as impairments;
  • to consider what steps are needed to ensure that positive discrimination continues to be legal;
  • to provide a definition of disability which will ensure the public sector duty to promote equality works effectively;
  • to introduce explicit wording to reflect EU Directive’s coverage of people regarded as or associated with a disabled person."

The significant impact of the change would be to shift the focus of attention in disability discrimination disputes from the individual's medical condition to the fairness of the treatment that the person receives.

Posted by at

3 August 2006 - HSE Consultation on New Workplace Exposure Limits

3 August 2006 - HSE Consultation on New Workplace Exposure Limits

Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) are concentrations of hazardous substances in the air, approved by the Health and Safety Commission (HSC). Employers have a responsibility to ensure that these limits are not exceeded in order to protect the health of workers.

These WELs have been published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in its publication - EH40/2005 Workplace Exposure Limits. The list of current WELs is also available on the HSE website, http://www.hse.gov.uk

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) recently published a Consultation Document seeking comments on proposals to introduce new and revised Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs). The European Commission adopted the 2nd Directive on Indicative Occupational Exposure Limit Values (IOELVs) (2006/15/EC) in February, which lists 33 substances with exposure limits. Member States must introduce a domestic occupational exposure limit by September 2007.

The consultation document seeks to introduce WELs for 7 substances where one does not currently exist and reduce the limit of the WELs for 13 substances to be introduced on 6 April 2007.

The consultation document can be found by clicking the following link:

Proposals to implement the second list of indicative occupational exposure limit values (European Directive 2006/15/EC)

Comments on the proposals should be sent to:

Steve Mason

Health and Safety Executive

9SW Rose Court

2 Southwark Bridge

London

SE1 9HS

steve.mason@hse.gsi.gov.uk

Closing date for consultation: 27 September 2006.

Posted by at

2 August 2006 - New HSE Research Reports Published

2 August 2006 - New HSE Research Reports Published

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published new research reports. Click the links below to read more.

Posted by at

2 August 2006 - HSE Statement on Barrow Legionella Prosecution

2 August 2006 - HSE Statement on Barrow Legionella Prosecution

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have issued a statement on the Barrow Legionella prosecution. We have highlighted the statement and provided a link to the HSE's website where you can read the full statement.

"HSE would like to express sympathy to people of Barrow, in particular the families of the seven residents who died following the outbreak in the summer of 2002 and the 180 people who suffered from Legionnaires’ disease. Our thoughts are with all those who are still trying to deal with the consequences of this tragic event."

HSE News - HSE Statement on Barrow Legionella prosecution

Posted by at

2 August 2006 - New HSE Guidance for Shiftworkers

2 August 2006 - New HSE Guidance for Shiftworkers

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published new guidance which aims to raise awareness of the health and safety risks of shift work and suggests sensible measures employers, safety representatives and employees can use to reduce the negative impact of shift work.

Often, badly designed working patterns, shifts and long working hours do not allow time for rest and recovery which can result in fatigue, accidents, injuries and ill health. There are over 3.5million people in the UK who work shifts across a variety of sectors, including public services and heavy industry.

The publication - Managing Shift Work: Health and Safety Guidance - explains employers' legal duties and the risks associated with shiftwork. It provides advice on risk assessment, design of shift work schedules and the shift-work environment.

Trevor Shaw, Head of HSE's Human Factors Corporate Topic Group commented:

"It is important not to underestimate the risks of shift work. If shift workers are fatigued, their performance will be affected. As a result they may make more errors, which can lead to accidents and injuries. This guidance offers a wealth of practical help and advice to businesses on how to manage those risks."

Managing shift work: Health and Safety Guidance is a priced publication available from HSE Books at £9.95.

HSE priced and free publications are available by mail order from HSE Books

PO Box 1999

Sudbury

Suffolk

CO10 2WA

Tel: 01787 881165

Fax: 01787 313995

Posted by at

1 August 2006 - HSC's Proposal for Work at Height (Amendment) Regulations

1 August 2006 - HSC's Proposal for Work at Height (Amendment) Regulations

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has launched a 13-week consultation on a proposal to amend the current Work at Height Regulations 2005 (WAHR). The consultation sets out their application to those who work at height providing instruction or leadership to one or more persons engaged in caving or climbing by way of sport, recreation, team building or similar activities in Great Britain.

The proposed amendments apply only to people working in the sector and do not affect sport, leisure climbing or caving.

Sector specific guidance has been produced by the Health and Safety Executive working alongside the adventure activity sector. The guidance and draft regulation amendments are contained in the consultation document - Proposal for Work at Height (Amendment) Regulations (CD204).

The document can be downloaded from within the HSE's website by clicking the following link:

HSC Consultation 204 - Proposal for Work at Height (Amendment) Regulations

Comments should be sent by 31 October 2006 to:

Gloria Birchall
Falls Programme
Health and Safety Executive
Rose Court
2 Southwark Bridge
London SE1 9HS
Tel: 0207 717 6361 Fax: 0207 717 6437
E-mail: wah.adventure-manager@consultations.hse.gov.uk

Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)