BUSINESS HELPDESK HELP DESK
SPOTLIGHT ON SAFETY
Ian Hatherly, Director at Opus Safety, the BMF service provider for H&S, outlines focus areas for 2024, and looks addresses few health and safety myths that could be costing you money.
WE ARE ALL aware that 2024 will bring its own industry challenges. Clearly businesses still need to focus on safety but it is also prudent to ensure that the measures they take are proportionate and risk based. The team at Opus Safety have worked with merchants, and their suppliers, for over 15 years and take pride in having a commercially sensible approach to health and safety.
Some key areas around merchant safety will always be at the forefront and these include: ¡ Branch traffic safety - minimising the interactions between lift trucks, delivery vehicles, etc. and pedestrians. ¡ Working at height - in particular around drivers accessing vehicle beds. Has the business considered providing the means to reduce the need to access the back of a vehicle? An example could be poles to unhook snagged load security straps? ¡ Load security - the second half of 2023 has seen an increased focus on merchant load security. Has the business spoken to its drivers to ensure they understand the importance of correctly securing the load, in particular between drops? ¡ Wood dust - merchants that have timber cutting equipment remain under increased scrutiny from regulators to ensure they are protecting workers health from the harmful impacts of wood dust. As such the focus will be on extraction systems, suitable maintenance and where appropriate the use of respiratory protective equipment. At regional meetings with BMF members we have “busted” a few health and safety myths that, if reviewed, may save a company some money.
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The first is around portable appliance testing and the fact businesses are often told this should be completed every 12 months. This is incorrect and any approach to electrical safety should be risk based (the only caveat being some insurers insist on annual checks - so please check). The law requires a business to ensure that electrical items are suitably maintained, and this may include an element of PA testing. In fact, the HSE guide lists some suggested frequencies: ¡ Office information technology that is rarely moved, e.g. desktop computers, photocopiers, etc. - PA testing frequency up to 5 years (or not at all if double insulated). ¡ Earthed (Class I) equipment, e.g. electric kettles, some floor cleaners - every 1-2 years. ¡ Cables, leads and plugs connected to Class I equipment, extension leads and battery charging equipment - every 1-5 years depending on the equipment it is connected to.
The second myth is the belief that annual racking inspections (often done by external businesses) were a legal requirement. The law requires a business to ensure that their racking is suitably maintained and one method of doing this may be via an external racking inspection. However, there are other solutions available. For example, a business may: ¡ Train someone, in-house, to inspect racking. ¡ Train all their yard and warehouse employees to spot the basics and ensure, culturally, that racking damage is reported. ¡ For a multi-sited merchant, the business may have an external inspection for older racking but for a branch with new racking it may be done internally.
Most businesses will use a combination of control measures which are determined via suitable and sufficient risk assessments. Opus always offers a free phone health check for BMF members to discuss their current H&S
approach and ensure they adopt best practice in high-risk areas. To book your free call and learn more about BMF Safety Partnership, email Ian Hatherly at ian@opus-
safety.co.uk or call him on 07889 727453.
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net January 2024
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