Spectrum Industrial – Safety Quickest


Once you get past all the tabloid guff about "Health and Safety gone mad" and actually work in the real world, you start to realize that we all deserve a safer working environment. Most accidents happen through a series of mistakes or things going wrong that lead inevitably to injury or possibly even death. Employers and employees need to comply with all the latest legislation - so


where do you go for advice, materials and devices needed to comply? Spectrum Industrial is one such company, and sitting here looking at the 136


page catalogue of safety products, I am slightly boggled by the variety of stuff that is available, but also aware that I have seen a lot of it all around in our built environment and attached to machinery, scaffolding, ladders and all the other kinds of kit that we need to repair and build that environment. Rather than take a tour of


the whole catalogue, I am going to focus on locking-off procedure devices and scaffolding - in other words energies and heights - two of the most hazardous things to face Health and Safety professionals. Most of us realize that


employers have a responsibility to ensure workers' safety, but under statute, employees also have a responsibility to ensure the "health and safety of himself and of other persons who may be affected by his acts or omissions at work." When it comes to all the different types of energies we may be using, we need to be particularly watchful. The most common of all of these is electricity, but I guess that few of us may take into account the potential energy of a spring or weight, or perhaps the energy in compressed air or gas. In order to keep these


sources of energy safe they should have a regular inspection regime by qualified inspectors. But the problem remains - what if a problem is found and it needs to be highlighted? Spectrum has a few products that help to ensure that safe procedures are followed and that no unsuspecting person can be endangered by ignorance. These products are called Lockout or Tagout devices and are a safe way of isolating machines, energy sources etc until they can be made safe. The few Lockout devices I was sent to look at are quite simple, but are


designed to ensure that once a danger has been identified it is simply Locked out and can't be used until safe. The first of these is a strong red plastic hinged box. It has a hole in one end to


allow an electric cable through and a series of four lockable holes between the two sides. The procedure is this:- Say a machine is identified as unsafe, the safety inspector can literally pull the plug on the machine and enclose the plug in the box and lock it closed with a standard padlock. Now, any operator cannot actually work the machine until the repair is done. In the past, and I am guilty of it myself, a warning post-it note stuck on the machine might have been well-meaning enough, but it is not a foolproof method of ensuring safety.


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Independent Review by Peter Brett


The four padlock holes also allow separate technicians to lock out the machine


in case further examination shows more than one fault. Only when all the safety tests are done and all the safety officers are satisfied can the machine be put back into service. It is a remarkably simple construction and only costs a few quid, but is a pretty foolproof way of ensuring safety. Another device I looked at was a three-phase circuit breakers lockout. This fits


over the circuit breaker switch and a circular disc is tightened over the main body. Again a series of holes allows up to three padlocks to be fitted so that the circuit breaker is effectively isolated from use.


Finally I examined a red


steel hasp. This has up to six padlock holes and, using a scissor action, is attached to a machine to isolate it. These hasps are also available to hold small warning signs that can provide more information for inspectors or users. These three lockout


devices are by no means the limit of what is available - for example, I was particularly taken with the design of the lockouts for inline valves. Turning to the other


hazard, namely height, I was sent a relatively small sample of tags and labels to help deal with scaffolding and ladders. Speaking as someone who is very nervous of ladders and scaffolds unless I am assured of safety, I wasn't aware of just how tight the rules surrounding the use of scaffolding are. Regular, if not daily, inspection, is a necessity should any factor change, for example even wet, windy or cold weather can affect the safety of a scaffolding construction. There is a range of actual


tags that seem to cover most eventualities. The scaffold safety tag is made from a flexible plastic that can be written on using permanent marker. All the information needed can be noted on pre- printed spaces with inspection notes and locations etc etc. This plastic tag is then inserted into another plastic holder. This has a loop that can be cable tied around a scaffolding pole so that it is well-fixed and readily available for inspectors to examine. There were a few other similar tags included. These


ranged from ladder inspection tags to a forklift operator's checklist, a sign warning not to use a scaffold and general equipment inspection tags. In other words, there should be no excuse not to have the exact warning or inspection tag that you need in any particular situation. A closer look at the catalogue revealed that Spectrum can supply a range of


other notices. For example the range of tags and notices regarding warnings and advice for wheelchair users is about as comprehensive as you could get. Spectrum can also make custom signs and will dispatch products from stock on


the same day. There is no minimum order, so get onto www.spectrum- industrial.co.uk and check out the goods. It may improve your health and safety!


Reply No. 210 www.toolbusiness.co.uk


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