Safety Blog

Working at height guidelines

2011-12-21T10:12:49+00:00

Assuring Work Related Accidental Falls remain at Nil Always

The most hazardous place to work is from a high place that is several meters above the ground. The peril is very real given the different reactions of people who work there when faced with these elevated working situations. Furthermore, the variations in personal vision can also affect the stability of any worker carrying out their job from certain heights. It may be impossible to completely control human nature but it is very possible to control the frequency and severity of the misfortunes that result from falls. Organizations that are keen on having a record of zero tolerance for falls, can achieve it consistently each and every year by employing a few simple strategies.

Frequent inspection of all safety equipment – over time protection and safety gear gets old and worn out from constant use. This is particularly so for holds, harnesses and other equipment that are used hold the workers’ weight in elevated working conditions. Schedules should be set for regular inspection of the holding devices before and after use. Worker feedback should also be sought in case of any difficulties arising with the proper use and storage of these special equipments.
Risk assessment audits – the health and safety committees of companies where workers are required to work from heights must be extra vigilant. They must conduct planned and random audits of their work premises so that they can identify potential danger zones and correct them in good time. They must also follow up all actions from previous audits to ensure their successful completion.
Accident reporting – although accidents should be avoided at all costs, a mechanism should be put in place to immediately report any accidents as soon as they occur. Statistics should be kept for all major and minor accidents that have happened during the past. Investigation reports must be filed and referred to as often as required. These statistics form a good basis for the company to be able to tell whether they are reducing their accidents or not and also the reasons behind each accident.
Corrective and preventive actions – after any audit is conducted at the work place, auditors normally designate certain corrective and preventive actions to take so as to avoid future occurrences of hazardous incidences. These actions should never be ignored because lack of timely action can create the conditions for an avoidable accident that can prove fatal. The negative consequences of such an accident are felt by the victims’ family and also the company well into the long run.

There are many other actions that serious companies can take so as to keep their accident history at zero always. This forms a good basis for any company wanting to start taking their worker safety very seriously.

This post contributed by:

Sachin Mishra

Height Safety Manager

Email: info@correctsafety.com.au

Phone: AU FREECALL 1800 655 755

Website: http://www.correctsafety.com.au/

Sam is a health and height safety manager working within the construction industry. He goes the extra mile over and above legislative requirements to ensure that the workers who work in high places feel comfortable, safe and happy as they carry out their daily tasks

KeeAnchor stars in BBC hit show Luther

2011-08-08T14:03:17+00:00

Kee Anchor spotted in Hit BBC psychological crime drama

It's nice to see that even in big budget shows such as Luther that fall protection is taken into consideration, here are some overhead stills taken from the show at the climatic finish to one of the episodes which clearly shows a Weightanka in place, presumably to install the guardrailing that the riot police are leaning against.

I am sure im not the only one who is eagerly awaiting the next series, at the very least to admire the BBC's attention to detail in Fall protection and health and safety!

This post contributed by:

Paul Magee

Simplified Safety / General Manager

Email: info@simplifiedsafety.co.uk

Phone: 0844 335 8460

Website: http://www.simplifiedsafety.co.uk

Private sector Health and Safety jobs to increase

2011-07-20T13:10:30+00:00

Due to planned cuts to the Governments health and safety watchdog, it is predicted that there will be a significant increase by private sector companies employing in-house health and safety technicians. Similarly there are likely to be more national positions for health and safety related jobs as companies further outsource these responsibilities to skilled contractors. Although there are industry wide concerns, particularly regarding the state of construction, due to the foreseen reduction in work place inspections by the Health and Safety Executive. It has been claimed this will serve to boost numbers of available health and safety jobs.

There is a lot of value to having businesses that encourage and actively follow safe working practises, both in the economic sense and the more humane sense. Serious accidents within the work place or bereavements resulting from such avoidable accidents are responsible for a considerable number of lost hours of productivity according to leading researchers.

The Bureau of Labour Statistics has predicted a 14% increase in the demand for health and safety technicians, totalling a figure over 12,000 within the United Kingdom, set to happen by 2018. Authoritative sources have said that bodies within the industry will be asked to make sure that their members self regulate, whilst HSE inspectors would concentrate on particularly high risk sites and scenarios. This all comes as HSE is set to see a 35% cut in their budget and that employers will no longer be facing compulsory health and safety inspections.

Many unions are pointing out that the work place is becoming ever increasingly dangerous due to these actions. The construction industry has seen a notable 15% increase in fatalities during the past year, which comes as UCATT announced 21 separate memorial services due to work place deaths in the month of April alone. In response, acting general secretary George Guy of UCATT is quoted as saying The Conservative-led governments financial attacks on the HSE will make workplaces more dangerous and will lead to increased deaths and injuries of workers in future.

This article was written by freelance journalist Gemma Simms on behalf of Acre Resources. Acre Resources are an ethical and socially responsible health and safety recruitment company based in the UK. They provide a range of national and international health and safety jobs.

Kwik Kits Launched

2011-04-26T20:44:56+00:00

Our new Kwik Kit range allows for a quick and easy erection of a safety barrier to suit most requirements, they are available in either Yellow powder coated or Alumuinium.

Each kit comes with everything you need to construct it and you can use any type of fixing, be it topfixed, sidefixed or coredrilled.
So if you need a qiuck barrier solution for machinery, work areas or a potential fall hazard, this may be the solution you are looking for.

This post contributed by:

Paul Magee

Simplified Safety / General Manager

Email: info@simplifiedsafety.co.uk

Phone: 0844 335 8460

Website: http://www.simplifiedsafety.co.uk

Chemical Spill in Hungary Reminds us of the Importance of Hazard Containment

2010-10-14T08:17:49+00:00

Why does it always have to be a disaster to remind us of why certain safety measures are important. Perhaps your company doesnt deal with an entire reservoir of chemical waste, but many companies need to control some sort of flammable or caustic substance. Here are a few questions to ask yourself about your companies chemical procedures.

Do you have all the operating instructions and information for the hazardous material you are storing?
Do you store your hazardous materials in a suitable Dangerous or hazardous goods storage cabinet space?
Are you prepared for a chemical spill? How would you contain it? Do you have the proper materials on hand to contain the spill? What would be the action plan?
Even small spillages can be hazardous and are easily overlooked, have you taken reasonable care by providing a reservoir to contain these in the form of a spill pallet or secondary contaiment sump?
Are any potential hazards adequately marked with appropriate signage?

Safety Trainer

Email: jrowley@keesafety.com

Website: http://keesafety.com/uk/

Jeff Rowley is a Product trainer and specialist working for Kee Safety

Safety innovations

2010-07-02T11:51:55+00:00

An amazing demonstration showing the faith an inventor has in his creation, i can tell you now, i wouldnt want to be the one testing this!

This post contributed by:

Paul Magee

Simplified Safety / General Manager

Email: info@simplifiedsafety.co.uk

Phone: 0844 335 8460

Website: http://www.simplifiedsafety.co.uk