Statistics show that slips, trips and falls on the same level are a major cause of workplace accidents in the UK - almost 11,000 are reported each year to the Health and Safety Executive, they account for 39% of non-fatal major injuries. It has been estimated that these accidents cost the UK economy as much as £750 million per annum, £300 million of which is directly attributable to UK employers.
Employers use a variety of control measures to reduce the risk of slips, however due to the working conditions there may be cases where a significant slip risk remains. Introducing footwear with slip-resistant properties may be the only effective way they can further reduce the risk.
There are many safety boots and shoes that claim to have slip resistant soles; however are they truly slip resistant and what standards are they tested to?
Footwear marketed as 'slip resistant' may not perform as well as expected, so care has to be taken when choosing footwear from brochure descriptions alone.
Every year, in the workplace, particularly in the construction industry, workers are killed and many others injured as a result of head injuries. If you wear a safety helmet your chances of being seriously hurt are greatly reduced. Wearing one could save your life.
Regulations
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is always the last line of defence. Wherever possible, other measures should first be taken to reduce or control the risk.
HSE regulations require that suitable head protection i.e. safety helmets, must be provided and worn where there is a risk of injury. If you are in control of a site you need to assess the risks of head injury. There may be risks from falling materials or from knocking into low scaffolds or items of plant. If there is risk of injury you must provide your employees with safety helmets and decide when, where, and how they should be worn. Safety helmets must always be worn in designated "hard hat" areas.
Industrial safety helmets should be designed and manufactured to European Standard BS EN 397, and carry the CE mark. They are intended primarily to provide protection to the wearer against falling objects
At Granite we have recently introduced a range of welding helmets and masks from Bolle for protection of the eyes when carrying out welding of all types. We also have Welding Safety glasses suitable for people who are walking through areas where welding is being carried out and for the welders when carrying out tasks when they are not using the masks, these offer protection against flying objects, see Bolle Univis 1011 Welding Safety Glasses on our website.
Risk of Injury
While most welding-related eye injuries are reversible, more than half of injured workers return to work in less than two days and 95 percent in less than seven days, some eye injuries are irreversible and permanent visual impairment occurs. This is especially true with infrared and visible spectrum (bright light) radiation. Both can penetrate through to the retina and can cause permanent retinal damage, including cataracts, diminished visual acuity, and higher sensitivity to light and glare.
Welders are not the only workers at risk. While the welding arc is the principal source of ultraviolet radiation, other workers in the area can sustain eye damage from the radiation as far as 50 feet
This article aims to highlight the safe working practices to be carried out when erecting or dismantling post and wire fences only, not wooden fences.
Post and wire fences tend to be used to enclose large areas where a wooden fence would be too expensive, time consuming or too weak. These fences may have ordinary wire, barbed wire or wire mesh, depending on what the fence is intended to keep in or out.
Materials
Line wire can be made of mild steel, high tensile steel or spring steel, barbed wire and woven mesh is normally mild steel or high tensile steel, welded and hexagonal netting is usually only made of mild steel.
Spring steel is the strongest followed by high tensile steel and the weakest is mild steel. Spring and high tensile steel cannot normally be strained to breaking point manually. Mild steel stretches before it breaks. Any kinks, twists and surface damage will cause a reduction in the strength of all types of steel.
High tensile and spring steel will recoil more dangerously than mild steel when cut, broken or just released.
It makes commonsense to wear protective footwear wherever there is danger and in fact in a workplace it is often mandatory. Damage to your feet can have a major effect on your life and may in fact cripple you.
Common Injuries
There are a number of common injuries that can occur:
Injuries
Common Causes
Crushed or broken feet, amputation of toes or feet
Feet trapped between objects or caught in a crack, falls of heavy objects, moving vehicles (lift trucks, bulldozers, etc.), working with large animals, conveyor belts (feet drawn between belt and roller)
Punctures of the sole of the foot
Loose nails, sharp metal or glass objects
Cuts or severed feet or toes, lacerations
Chain saws, rotary mowers, unguarded machinery
Burns
Molten metal splashes, chemical splashes, contact with fire, flammable or explosive atmospheres
Electric shocks
Static electricity, contact with sources of electricity
Sprained or twisted ankles, fractured or broken bones because of slips, trips or falls
We have all seen workers wearing high visibility clothing, after all that is the purpose of these products, ensuring that people working on building sites, roads, railways, airports forests etc are easily seen for their own safety.
However many people do not know the standards that high visibility clothing must achieve for it to comply with legislation and industry codes of practice.
The most common colours that are used are fluorescent yellow and orange, sometimes you will see people with matching tops and trousers and others with orange trousers and yellow tops and vice versa.
Standards
The main standard in the UK and Europe is EN471:2003, this splits down into Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3. Class 3 is of a higher standard than Class 2 as it has higher areas of material and more reflective bands. Class 1 with 0.14 sqm of fluorescent material and 0.10 sqm of retroreflective material is the lowest level and includes garments like over-trousers and harnesses, Class 2 with 0.5 sqm of florescent material and 0.13 sqm of retroreflective materials includes tabards, sleeveless waistcoats, short sleeved shirts and bib and brace trousers, class 3 with 0.8 sqm
Noise can be a nuisance affecting your concentration and causing you to get annoyed, i.e. noisy neighbours, roadworks or passing vehicles; disrupting your relaxation, reading, watching the television or sleep. However noise, particularly in the work-place, can actually have a severe impact on your health, causing temporary or permanent damage to your hearing. Also, working in high levels of noise can impact general safety, by interfering with communications particularly safety warnings for example fire alarms.
Under the regulations of the HSE Noise Regulations 2005 there is a duty for employers to protect the hearing of their workers.
A risk assessment must be carried out to determine the levels and duration of noise. Action must be taken to reduce the exposure to noise by choosing quieter equipment and machinery, installing noise dampening insulation wherever possible or provide different types of hearing protection.
The noise must be assessed using the following criteria:
• Is the noise intrusive i.e. similar level to a busy street, a vacuum cleaner or a crowded restaurant for most of the working day? • Do your employees have to raise their voices to carry out conversation when approximately 2 metres apart for at least
This is a short guide to the felling of trees in areas where there is a clear space of at least two tree lengths clearance in all directions and therefore there is no need for pulling aids to ensure that the tree does not drop onto other trees nearby.
Preparation
Before commencing this task a risk assessment should be carried out and any operator must be appropriately trained in the use of the chainsaw and how to carry out the basic tasks, for more detailed information on this subject please see the article Using a Rear Handled Chainsaw published on 11th November 2009 on the Granite Workwear web site.
Included in this risk assessment should be the prevailing weather conditions, particularly high winds.
Make sure that all the correct tools are available, these may include a breaking bar, a range of sizes of alloy or plastic wedges, a sledgehammer and a hand winch complete with a handle, strops and a cable. Wherever possible plan to minimise any manual handling by the use of the appropriate tools.
It is also important to remember that felling a tree is
Falls from height are the single biggest cause of workplace deaths and one of the main causes of major injury, this applies across all industries. By nature of the work, arborists often have to climb to high points and unlike the construction industry often it is difficult or impossible to use working platforms or scaffolding.
Therefore the most practical way of ensuring safety is the use of personal fall protection equipment i.e. a fall arrest harness, for example the Komet Miller Dragonfly and Butterfly II harnesses on the Granite Website in the Forestry Tools & Accessories section.
The regulations applicable to this subject are The Work at Height Regulations 2005 (as amended) obtainable from the Health and Safety Executive.
Fall arrest systems are designed to limit the impact force of a fall and ensure that the user cannot hit the ground. The anchor point must be as high as possible above the feet of the user thereby limiting the distance that they can fall.
Of course the anchor point must be strong enough to hold the impact force of the faller, taking into account the distance and the weight of the person. Always check the
Chippers can be extremely dangerous machines if not used correctly, it is absolutely essential that anybody using a chipper has the correct training in how to operate the machine.
Initial checks and operations
Before working with the machine, it must be checked that it has been properly changed over from its transportation mode. Ensure that all guards for belts, pulleys, shafts and any other moving parts are secure and there is no damage.
All new machines supplied after 26 June 2005 should comply with BS EN 13525: 2005, older chippers should have been retro-fitted with an infeed protection device supplied by the manufacturers as agreed with the HSE from 31st October 2000. Generally the operators should be protected from contact with the infeed rollers by a combination of reach-distance guarding and a protection device that stops the rollers when moved. For more detailed information see HSE leaflet AIS38.
Ensure that any lock for the chipping components has been disengaged and that the infeed hopper is clear of any materials. Noise warning signs must be in place.
If the machine is driven by a power take-off shaft (PTO) make sure that the shaft is
All employers have a duty to provide PPE under the requirements of the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992.
The definition of PPE is ‘all equipment (including clothing affording protection against the weather) which is intended to be worn or held by a person at work and which protects them against one or more risks to their health and safety’. This includes safety helmets, gloves, eye protection, high visibility clothing, safety footwear, and safety harnesses.
Other regulations cover hearing and respiratory protection, but these need to be compatible with any other PPE provided, so that they do not have a negative impact on each other.
Under the regulations not only does the employer have to supply these items but also has a duty to ensure that they are used correctly and at all times where there are risks to health and safety.
The employer has to assess the equipment provided to ensure that it is suitable for the task and that it is maintained and stored properly.
It is also their duty to ensure that the users are supplied with instructions for use and that these instructions are
The use of petrol driven chainsaws can be very dangerous if the operator is not trained and practised in its use. We have put together some information on using a chainsaw to help people to understand how one should be handled and some of the regulations that have to be followed.
Firstly there are two types of chainsaw, rear handled and top handled. Top handled chainsaws can only be used when working off the ground i.e. climbing or working on a mobile elevating platform. We will be presenting information on the use of the top handled chainsaw in a later article.
So the use of rear handled chainsaws is for groundwork i.e. felling, clearing of windblow, snedding (removal of small branches from a felled tree) and sectioning of trunks and large branches.
All chainsaw users must be aware of the weather conditions that they are working in and also the dangers of being cut by a saw, hit by falling timber, vibration and noise.
Therefore the first area we will look at is the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that is required. It should be understood that no PPE can actually protect you 100% against cuts and
Hopefully if the operators adhere to the safe working practices outlined in “Tree Climbing the Safe Way” which we published on 29th October 2009, there will be few occasions when there would be need to undertake Aerial Tree Rescue. However we would like to give some information on how this should be carried out.
Immediate Actions
Everyone involved in Aerial Tree Rescue must have had appropriate training, the most important thing to be aware of is that the rescuer’s safety has to be the immediate priority, there is no sense in ending up with two casualties.
When an injured climber needs to be rescued, immediately make sure that any other members of the work team and anybody who might enter the site are all safe and are not in the area where the rescue is taking place.
One of the most important things to ensure is that there are no overhead cables involved, if the correct procedures for planning the climbing have been carried out then they should not be, however mistakes can happen. If cables are involved then the relevant electricity company must be contacted before doing
Hand-arm vibration is vibration transmitted from work processes into workers’ hands and arms. It can be caused by operating hand-held power tools, such as chainsaws, strimmers, and hand-guided equipment, such as powered lawnmowers, or by holding materials being processed by machines. The use of this equipment comes under the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005.
When is it hazardous?
Frequent exposure to hand-arm vibration can cause permanent health effects. This is most likely when contact with a vibrating tool or work process is a regular part of a person’s job, occasional exposure is unlikely to cause ill health.
Health Effects
Hand-arm vibration can cause a range of conditions collectively known as hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), as well as specific diseases such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
Symptoms
Identifying signs and symptoms at an early stage is important as this will allow you to take action to prevent the health effects from becoming serious.
The symptoms include any combination of:
• tingling and numbness in the fingers • not being able to feel things properly • loss
Climbing trees is by nature a hazardous job, but certain common sense precautions can ensure that the risks are kept to a minimum.
Tree climbing work is subject to the Working at Height Regulations 2005 and certain rules have to be observed.
Risks and proper precautions
The first task is to carry out a risk assessment to determine whether climbing is the appropriate method of carrying out the work; it may be that in fact access can be made by using a hydraulic lift commonly known as a “Cherry Picker”; use of one of these also has certain regulations and requires a trained operator.
There are some main points that must be remembered and implemented.
· All the work to be carried out at height must be properly planned, organised and most importantly supervised.
· Equipment to be used must be suitable for the task and inspected before use to ensure that it is in good condition.
· All persons involved must be competent and have had
Granite have recently included a range of Venitex Respiratory Masks on our site, these offer three levels of protection so we would like to ensure that customers understand what the levels mean and what each level protects from, so that you can select the correct one for your use.
The main Standard is EN 149:2001 and all our masks come with the CE mark to show they conform to this.
There are three levels of protection FFP1, FFP2, FFP3.
These protect the wearer against both solid and liquid aerosols. The level of protection given is against non-toxic contaminants in concentrations up to 4 X OEL (Occupational Exposure Limit) or 4 X APF (Assigned Protection Factor)
Ideal use is to protect operators working on hand sanding, cutting and drilling.
These protect the wearer against both solid and liquid aerosols. The level of protection is against low to average toxicity contaminants in concentrations up to 12 X OEL or 10 X APF
Ideal for protection against plaster, cement, sanding and wood dust.
When flame retardant workwear is mentioned the perception of many people is that the only people needing these garments are fire-fighters and motor sport participants. However there are many more workers who have the need for this type of Personal Protective Equipment including.
• Electricians • Foundry Workers • Workers in Petrochemical installations on shore and off shore • Welders • Other emergency services, Police, Ambulance etc
You may be faced with a bewildering array of garment and fabric choices. But before any decisions can be made, you need to know which fabrics and garments are in compliance with your needs. And that means knowing exactly what compliance means, what the performance specifications are, and how they are determined.
In the EU the standards are as below
EN 470 – 1: Protective clothing during welding or similar operations The clothing is intended to protect the user against small splashes of molten metal (EN348), short contact time with flame (EN532), and ultra violet radiation, and to be worn continuously for up to 8 hours at ambient temperature
EN531: Protection against heat and flame The standard specifies the performance requirements for protective clothing for
Thousands of eye injuries occur every year in the UK ranging from minor, which may result in a few days off work, to major, resulting in the loss of an eye. The use of proper eyewear, guards against flying particles, chemicals, burns and with the cost of compensation for the loss of sight in one eye averaging £100,000 and the loss of working days in lesser cases there is an obvious cost if the right equipment is not used.
However it is not just about cost; the welfare of workers should be uppermost in employers’ minds. In the case of individuals who are performing DIY or sports they should be thinking about the impact on their and their family’s lives of damaging their eyes.The Health and Safety Executive make it clear that companies have a legal duty of care to train and protect their employees and visitors against occupational risk. It is their responsibility to ensure that the proper PPE eyewear is used at all times. It used to be that only people actually involved in the use of tools or operating machinery had to wear eye protection, now anybody passing through
As signs of recession approach, how many companies have assessed how fit they are to weather the storm? It is interesting to note that Tie Rack has seen an unusual leap in sales. Could this be put down to employee concerns over job security? Several analysts think that this is the case. The last time that the tie was considered a fashion statement was back in the early seventies, paisley, kipper, pencil etc & etc.
Well, the employee has seen the light but what about the employers?
Harris Interactive Polling and J.D.Power & Associates have both produced data that shows that customers have more trust and confidence in employees that are in a work uniform. They also report that uniformed employees provide products and services that are perceived to be of higher quality.
However, let us not kid ourselves that an embroidered oxford shirt constitutes an extension of a well thought out corporate identity. There is far more to this than at first appears.
Regulations generally recommend that chainsaw users wear protective clothing, also known as Personal Protective Equipment or PPE, while operating chainsaws. There is general agreement worldwide on what clothing is suitable, but local jurisdictions have specific rules and recommendations.
Clothing Types
Helmet
The helmet attempts to protect the user's head against impact with the cutter bar of the chainsaw should a kickback occur. This can only be successful if the chain brake has operated to stop the cutter chain. A chain running at full speed easily cuts the helmet.
The helmet also protects against impacts from small falling objects, such as a dead branch from a tree being felled.
The image shows a helmet which integrates visor and ear defenders into one unit. This is a very popular arrangement with chainsaw users.
In the EU, the helmet must meet the requirements of EN397.
Visor or Goggles
A visor or goggles reduce the chance of chips penetrating the user's
At Granite Workwear we took some time sourcing ear defenders. We wanted products that were high quality and with a good reputation. We decided that Peltor products ticked all the right boxes and that has been backed up by our customers. Peltor Sportac ear defenders are a classic example of that quality.
Active-volume hearing protector from Peltor eliminates harmful noise so fast you don’t even notice it.
The Peltor SportTac is an active-volume hearing protector for shooting applications. With new digital technology, the hearing protector has sound reproduction and a sense of direction that are as close to nature as humanly possible. They have a very fast reaction speed, so you don’t notice when the hearing protector blocks out harmful noise. The new electronics in the Peltor SportTac react instantaneously, protecting the hearing from loud impulse noises. But it does so softly, so that the hunter or marksman rarely even hears the clip as the protection is activated.
The active-volume function adjusts smoothly, ensuring the user very pleasant sound reproduction and less irritation. The digital sound circuit eliminates the sharp
Over half a million people currently work in Agriculture which in the current context includes, farming, arboriculture, horticulture, fish farming and of increasing significance, amenity use of the countryside. Although employment has steadily been declining, the industry has remained a priority for HSE because of its notoriously poor injury record
Agriculture is also an industry with a poor record of occupational health. The SWI (Self-reported Work-related Illness) survey in 2001/02 estimated that 30,000 people (whose current or most recent job in the last eight years was in agriculture) suffered from an illness, which they believed was caused or made worse by their job sectors.
With a prevalence rate of 6,500 per 100,000 people, agriculture has one of the highest prevalence rates of self-reported ill health of all industries.
Musculoskeletal injuries (MSD), exposure to dusts and respiratory sensitisers, zoonoses, noise and vibration (whole body and hand/arm) are the main causes of illness:
80% of those working in the industry suffer some form of musculoskeletal injury;
This will depend on how loud the noise is and how long people are exposed to it. As a simple guide you will probably need to do something about the noise if any of the following apply:
Is the noise intrusive - like a busy street, a vacuum cleaner or a crowded restaurant - for most of the working day?
Do your employees have to raise their voices to carry out a normal conversation when about 2 m apart for at least part of the day?
Do your employees use noisy powered tools or machinery for more than half an hour each day?
Do you work in a noisy industry, eg construction, demolition; woodworking; plastics processing; engineering; textile manufacture; forging, pressing or stamping;
• 51% believe that dressing smartly helps win promotions • 87% wear suits for Interviews
It seems that Richard Branson’s ban on his employees at Virgin from wearing jeans is not unusual. According to a Reed Employment survey of 3200 office workers registered on that database, jeans and comedy ties are banned from the majority of offices, with 47% of workers wearing smart casual business wear to work every day and 40% wearing formal office attire such as suits. What’s more, the majority of people questioned felt that dressing smartly will advance their careers, with 51% believing it will help them win a promotion.
85% feel that in today’s office environment having a dress code is still highly relevant; 87% would always wear a suit to an interview and 62% also believe that wearing a suit is important to create the right impression on the first day at a new job.
Always wear eye protection when grinding, spray painting, drilling, welding, sawing, working in a dusty environment, or handling chemicals. Develop the habit of putting on safety glasses or goggles whenever you work with hand or power tools.
Several types of eye protection devices are available:
Standard eyeglasses and sunglasses provide frontal protection only. If you wear glasses, make sure they have impact resistant lenses. Safety glasses have heavier lenses that can withstand more shock than ordinary lenses.
Plastic goggles protect the eyes against front and side impact. Unvented or chemical splash goggles also offer protection against chemical vapours and liquids.
Always wear goggles when striking hardened metal tools and hardened metal surfaces. This will protect the eyes against flying metal chips.
Face shields protect the face against splashing, dust, and chaff. However, standard designs offer very little protection against impact.
If impact protection is needed, wear safety glasses or goggles under the face shield. Special impact-resistant shields are also available. Always wear a helmet when arc welding!
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