Health & Safety
Following safety guidelines can save the lives of many
FOLLOWING two tragic deaths within the waste and recycling industry within one month, both of which appear to be machinery related; the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is reminding all that machinery related accidents is one of the main causes of fatalities within the sector.
Many accidents occur as a result of poorly guarded work equipment or improper use, for example unsafe interventions such as clearing blockages and maintenance or repair activities being undertaken when machinery is running. To prevent and reduce the risk of serious or fatal injury adequate arrangements and systems of work are required.
PREVENTATIVE ACTIONS:
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) require that the equipment provided for use at work is: suitable for the intended use; safe for use; maintained in a safe condition and, in certain circumstances inspected to ensure this remains the case; used only by people who have received adequate information, instruction and training; and accompanied by suitable safety measures, eg protective devices, markings, warnings.
Many accidents happen because people have not chosen the right equipment for the work to be done. Controlling the risk often means planning ahead and ensuring that suitable equipment or machinery is available.
Ensure all fi xed guards are in place (and are replaced after removal) and secured to ensure access to moving parts is not possible when the machine is in operation.
During, cleaning, repair or maintenance activities inadvertent powered movement can be prevented by securely isolating the plant from power sources – usually the electricity supply, but can also involve hydraulic and pneumatic power, and take into account the dissipation of stored energy if applicable.
Security (‘lock off ’) can be provided by padlocks on electrical isolator switches, for instance, and multi-user padlocks can be provided if more than a single maintenance worker is involved.
Permits to work can be utilised for more extensive plant, more complex management systems, and where entry into confi ned spaces may be required.
Ensure operators have received appropriate information and training relating to the safe operation of machinery.
Falls can occur both when gaining access to places of work, and from the place of work itself (which may not have been designed for this purpose). Where access to items of plant for maintenance purposes requires working at height suitable risk assessments and systems of work must be in place.
CONFINED SPACES
A number of people are killed or seriously injured in confi ned spaces each year in the UK. This happens in a wide range of industries, from those involving complex plant to simple storage vessels.
Those killed include not only people working in the confi ned space but those who try to rescue them without proper training and equipment. A confi ned space is defi ned as any space of an enclosed
COMPASS’s Deborah Williams
nature where there is a risk of death or serious injury from hazardous substances or dangerous conditions (eg a reduced oxygen atmosphere).
Some confi ned spaces are fairly easy to identify, eg enclosures with limited openings such as storage tanks, reaction vessel, enclosed drains or sewers.
Others such as open topped chambers; ductwork, enclosed conveyor systems and unventilated or poorly ventilated rooms may be less obvious but equally dangerous.
A suitable and suffi cient assessment of the risks for all work activities must be undertaken for the purpose of deciding what measures are necessary for safety. For work in confi ned spaces this means identifying the hazards present, assessing the risks and determining what precautions to take.
Deborah Williams CMIOSH RMaPS is Principal Safety Consultant at Compass Ltd.
Deborah specialises in assisting private sector organisations within the construction, waste management and extractive industries.
You can contact her on - 01257 482256 or via email:
dwilliams@compass-ms.co.uk 26 SHM July, 2017
www.skiphiremagazine.co.uk
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
