Information and Education
It is the intention to highlight any Health &
Safety and Environment issues together with information of interest in these
reports. Many of you will be kept informed by in-company reports or on
the internet, so apologies for repeating what is already available.
Members of IOSH will have seen in their recent
magazine some of the prosecutions brought by the HSE. It may surprise you
that some of the cases tried this year are three or four years old.
During this time companies have gone bankrupt, ceased trading but they are
still the responsible persons and are being brought to court.
Why does this happen – because of the paperwork and
legalities.
Should there by on-the-spot fines level by the HSE
along with the prohibition notices?
Fines not paid, work practices not put right – shut
the site! Hurt those responsible immediately, not in four years’
time! Deaths and major injuries should result in sites being shut and any
prosecutions taking place immediately.
Clients and operatives should expect safe places to
work and have the knowledge that any breaches will be dealt with promptly.
The Crane Register
Since 2000 eight construction workers have been
killed in tower crane accidents which has put pressure on the HSE to
recommend a compulsory national tower crane register. Contractors will be
required to relate information about each tower crane they are using to the HSE
within 14 days of it being erected on site. The scheme is due to be
rolled out in April after a consultation period review. The proposals
cover conventional tower cranes on building sites and will now be put to
ministers for approval.
The Proposals will –
· Require
employers who use ‘conventional’ tower cranes to send the HSE information about
the crane.
· Require
notification within 14 days of thorough examination of the crane.
· Require
cranes already erected when the regulations come into force to be registered
within 28 days.
Allow notification via the HSE website.
Details required by the HSE include –
- Site address where crane is in
use
- Name and address of the crane
owners
- Date of the crane’s examination
- Details of employer for whom
the examination was carried out
- Whether any defects posing risk
of injury were detected.
The HSE is only proposing to register conventional
tower cranes but feedback from customers is that it should be extended to
self-erecting and mobile cranes but not hiabs and similar smaller cranes.
The HSE has decided not to extend coverage of its forthcoming
crane register to include self-erecting and mobile cranes.
The HSE is proposing to invest £450,000 over the
next 10 years with a suggested charge of £20 per crane for each registration,
this fee paid by the contractors. It is estimated that investment would
rise to £3.2m over the decade if the register was extended to other
cranes. The £20 charge for each crane erected on site is controversial as
nearly all tower cranes already hold a certificate of thorough examination
which is renewed every 12 months. However, all the cranes involved
in the fatal accidents since 2000 had a certificate.
The HSE say around 1800 conventional tower cranes
are operating in Britain . It is thought the move to register cranes
would save the HSE time and cost as identifying ownership of a crane is a key
element in an investigation. An open register of cranes and other plant
would allow stakeholders to see when equipment on site has undergone
inspection.
Industry Fails to Learn Egan Lessons
A damning review of the UK construction industry
has insisted contractors must become more efficient in order to survive the
recession and take advantage of opportunities in the global economy.
Construction Excellence found that the industry
could only claim to have met one of six measurable Egan targets.
Reasonable progress was made on safety and productivity but fell well short in
attempts to reduce overall cost and time. In this world of competition
the industry must get more efficient and take advantage of opportunities.
With the downturn in public spending the Government can afford less on
construction compared with more efficient industries. UK firms risk
losing out to foreign contractors unless they become more efficient and
contractors must take responsibility for making improvements rather than
leaving it to the client.
Constructing Excellence’s Eight Recommendations –
1. Understand the build
environment. Clients and suppliers need a better understanding of how
relatively small upfront costs of design and construction can lead to much
higher costs for end users.
2. Focus more on
the environment. A future should be created where young people
who want a better world can fulfil their aims by joining the industry to
deliver a low carbon economy.
3. Find a cohesive
voice for the industry. Industry and professional associations must
collaborate to represent the industry effectively to both Government and stakeholders.
4. Adopt new
business models that promote change. Moves need to be made to move
away from models that encourage short-term thinking and find ways to provide
long-term creation.
5. Develop a new
generation of leaders. Leaders are needed who can help the public
understand the industry’s contribution to a successful society and attract the
best recruits to the construction industry.
6. Integrate
education and training. It is necessary to promote a wider strategic
understanding of built environment and how all disciplines are related in order
to deliver solutions.
7. Procure for
value. Customers need to professionalise their procurement to achieve
the best value rather than focusing on the lowest price.
8. Suppliers to
take the lead. In the current economic downturn suppliers need to
show how they can create additional value.
Vision for New Nuclear Energy
Contractors will urge energy companies to engage
them early regarding plans for nuclear new build following the draft policy
statement for the energy sector which has been described as a ‘defining moment’
in the Government’s multi-million nuclear programme.
The Department of Energy and Climate change
unveiled draft policy statements outlining a clear direction towards a nuclear
programme on 10 potential nuclear build sites identified earlier this
year. The Dungeness site was rejected on environmental grounds.
Now that the planning reform is in place the
industry is going to have an idea of what they are going to build and
when. There is now a chance for real innovation but the energy sector is
going to need to engage early to achieve what it wants.
40 contracts have already been let for preparatory
works with Hinkley Point in Somerset leading the race to be the first site on
which a nuclear plant will be built for more than 20 years. Formal
consultation at Hinkley Point has begun and it is hoped to submit planning application
in the summer. Preparations are also well advanced for reactors on land
in Sizewell, Suffolk. Land at Oldbury-upon-Severn in Gloucestershire and
Wylfa on Anglesey have also been named as suitable sites for development.
Although Dungeness was omitted from the
Government’s list of potential new nuclear sites there is an opportunity to
appeal against the decision.
Setting the Vetting of Netting
Industry standards for testing safety nets for UV
degradation and the repairing knotless nets following damage has been published
by the trade association for the fall arrest and safety-net rigging industry.
A collective protection system, safety nets can
reduce injury on site by absorbing the weight of a falling person but the nets
must be subject to stringent inspection and routine maintenance.
The first standard addresses the testing of safety
nets for UV degradation. Nets are manufactured from polypropylene which
is a material adversely affected by ultraviolet light so must be tested within
a 12-month period prior to use in order to ensure they meet the minimum
strength requirement specified by the manufacturer.
The standard covers all aspects of testing
including calibration of testing machine, the specification and speed of the
test, the permissible breaking strength and how to record the results.
Testers must be deemed competent and hold an association’s safety-net tester’s
certificate.
A second standard covers the repairing of knotless
nets which can be repaired for further use following damage by cutting,
abrasion or hot materials but key criteria must be met.
Safety netting is there to protect workers in the
event of a fall from height so it is essential that these nets, doing such an
important job, are subject to exacting requirements.
For more information on standards visit
www.faset.org.uk.
Safety Strategy
A better safety strategy will pay good dividends on
site, the objective of an effective health and safety strategy is to protect
staff from the day to day risks associated with working on a building
site. However, the added benefit of strong health and safety procedures,
are a smart, efficient and productive working environment.
Putting health and safety measures in place can
reduce the number of accidents and equipment faults on site which will, in
turn, reduce delays and improve efficiency. There are several simple steps that
contractors can take to ensure optimum working conditions. Firstly, the use of
off-site manufacturing, wherever possible, moves many tasks to a highly
controlled factory environment and simplifies on site activities, which lead to
less accidents and a safer workforce. Any on site accident which involves an injury
to staff not only affects those immediately involved but can lower morale
within the team and, in turn, lower levels of productivity.
Fully briefed staff
Secondly, it is vital to make sure that staff are
fully briefed on the correct use of equipment, as the ineffective use of
machinery can lead to costly and time consuming repairs and in extreme cases,
injury to the operator. For example, if a hand-operated, electric powered
fork lift is considered to be the most effective way of lifting M&E modules
into place, then instructions on its use should be relayed on site in the form
of mock-up exercises to reduce risks and increase efficiency.
Routine inspection of machinery should also take
place every week, or preferably every day, to ensure that tools are correctly
maintained. These techniques reduce downtime through accidents and increase
site productivity. Equally as important is the training of your workforce,
ensuring that all staff are fully briefed on health and safety procedures. One
way of ensuring that everybody is fully briefed on health and safety issues is
by making sure that all on site staff hold a Construction Skills Certification
Scheme (CSCS) card and attend a thorough induction.
Safety meetings
The health and safety team should also run regular
safety meetings, employee consultations, weekly ‘toolbox talks’ with site-based
staff and briefing on risk assessments and issues.