health & safety news l Workplace injuries fall
New figures published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show the ongoing trend for falls in the number of people injured and made unwell at work has continued.
The statistics show that in Britain between April 2010 and March 2011: • 24,726 major injuries were reported, such as amputations, fractures and burns, to employees - a rate of 99 injuries per 100,000 workers - compared with 26,268 in 2009/10;
• 90,653 other injuries serious enough to keep people off work for four or more days were reported - a rate of 363.1 injuries per 100,000 workers - down from 96,427 the previous year;
• An estimated 1.2 million people said they were suffering from an illness caused or made worse by their work, down from 1.3 million in 2009/10.
Of these, 500,000 were new illnesses occurring in-year;
• 171 workers fatally injured - up from 147 the previous year. The new data confirms that Britain continues to have the lowest rate of fatal occupational injuries in Europe as well as one of the lowest levels of work- related ill health.
Judith Hackitt, HSE's Chair, said: "The fall in the number of people being injured by work is of course to be welcomed but we did also see an increase in the number of fatalities during the year. Britain can be proud that it has one of the best health and safety records in Europe but as the increase in the number of fatalities makes clear we can never let up in our commitment to addressing the serious risks which continue to cause death
JDN introduces lowering device
JD Neuhaus, the hoist, winch and crane manufacturer, has introduced an emergency lowering device for its EH range of air operated monorail hoists. With this feature, JDN complies with the leading standards like NORSOK, specifying an emergency device for the safe lowering of loads in the event of a cut in the main power supply. This new device supplements an existing fail-safe disc brake, which is activated in the immediate event of a mains power failure, ensuring that suspended loads are held safely and securely at their above-floor level until mains power is again made available.
JDN monorail hoists with lift capacities from 25 to 60 tonnes can now be equipped with the latest safety development. This comprises an additional separate pressurised air reservoir tank, with a purpose built hand controller incorporating two additional pushbuttons. The controller provides positive two-handed lowering control, while eliminating the potential for unintended load movement. One button switches between normal and emergency lowering operations. The second button activates the integrated safety brake enabling the safe controlled lowering of a deadweight load. The air reservoir, which is protected by a check valve, is topped-up during normal hoist operations, and contains a sufficient air supply to complete a controlled lowering of a suspended load in the event of a loss of mains air pressure.
www.jdn.de
and injury in workplaces. HSE will continue to work with employers, employees and other organisations to maintain and, where necessary improve, health and safety standards. We all have a responsibility to make sure serious workplace risks are sensibly managed."
The construction (173.2 major injuries per 100,000 employees) and agricultural (221.9 major injuries per 100,000 employees) industries continue to report the highest levels of work- related injuries, with disproportionately high numbers of incidents. The toll of injury and ill-health resulted in 26.4 million working days being lost, an average of 15 days per case - 22.1 million to ill-health and 4.4 million to injury.
www.hse.gov.uk
Must-HAV device
UK vibration expert Reatec has received a major industry endorsement for its award-winning HAVmeter system after being listed for the first time in the country’s leading safety catalogue. The innovative HAVmeter system, which records and monitors employee exposure to vibration levels in the workplace, has been featured in the Arco catalogue – the industry bible for sourcing the best safety products and equipment.
By achieving the catalogue listing, HAVmeter technology will now be available to an even wider range of companies across all industries and sectors in the UK, providing them with the best solution for the effective hand arm vibration management for their workforces.
www.reactec.com
New Susie from Salvo
Industrial safety specialist Castell Safety International Ltd has developed a new Susie lock for its Salvo range of drive-away prevention products.
The redesigned Salvo Susie features an ergonomic grip that enables the lock to be fitted to and removed from an articulated trailer’s emergency air line coupling more efficiently, especially in wet and cold conditions. This is in keeping with Castell’s product development strategy, which seeks to enable fast, safe access. The new Susie has also been designed to provide enhanced protection against oil and grease, substances commonly found in the environment in which the lock is used. Paul Marks, who recently joined Castell as new product development director, explained the thinking behind the new Susie: “Salvo is a highly successful system which now protects thousands of loading docks around the world. To build on this success, the new product development team investigated how we could improve the product’s ergonomics and usability. We decided that increasing the product’s ease of use could deliver major advantages to our customers. With its enhanced grip, the new Salvo Susie can be fitted and removed faster than before and the thermoplastic elastomer used provides higher levels of protection for the device." Salvo consists of a mechanical key-holding cylindrical lock, which is attached to the articulated trailer’s emergency air line, and an electro-mechanical lock inside the warehouse, fitted to the loading bay door. This system establishes a procedural link between the trailer and the bay door, forcing the driver to immobilise the trailer prior to the door being opened. If the trailer is not locked in place, loading cannot begin.
www.castell.com
18 ShD December 2011
www.PressOnShD.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68