Work will begin today on the road infrastructure in Telford town centre to aid the £450m redevelopment of Southwater and Telford Shopping Centre.
Work will start with improvements to Malinslee Roundabout which are expected to be completed by February 2014 in time for the opening of the new ASDA store and the Southwater development.
The Highways Agency will also be installing traffic lights on the Forge roundabout and widening the carriageway around the island to three lanes to improve traffic flow to and from the M54 with the aim of reducing queues on to the motorway. The work will be completed before March 2014.
Work to make the Box Road two way will be completed by March 2015 with each section of the road opened to two way traffic when completed.
The PPE Regulations 1992, Regulation 4 states:
‘Every employer shall ensure that suitable personal protective equipment is provided to his employees who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety while at work, except where and to the extent that, such risk has been adequately controlled by other means which are equally or more effective’.
This means in practice that PPE should only be used as a last resort but can be used in conjunction with other control measures. The PPE Regulations 1992 are supplemented by PPE requirements in other regulations such as those relating to asbestos, lead, noise and hazardous chemicals.
The PPE Regulations 1992 also require you make sure that:
By virtue of Section 9 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, no charge can be made to your staff for the provision of PPE which is used only at work, so you need to provide this for them.
Why PPE Fails and What You Must Do
Even though PPE is provided, accidents still happen. This is because:
You should:
It’s very easy to think that once PPE is provided, the job is done – in practice, it’s only just begun. Take action now to prevent PPE accidents in your workplace.
If you need advice, contact us…
The National Hairdressers’ Federation (NHF) has welcomed a recent decision by the European Commission (EC) not to press ahead with proposed changes to health and safety laws affecting salons.
As part of its drive to cut red tape, the EC has announced it will not be taking forward proposals which, the NHF said, could have banned salon staff from wearing high heels, required them to wear elbow-length gloves when washing hair and limited the amount of time they could spend with clients on the salon floor.
According to the NHF, the reforms could have cost salons and barbers in the industry as much as £75 million a year, if enacted to the full, based on calculations by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
While welcoming the news of the shelving of the proposals, a source at the Federation said the hairdressing industry should not assume the proposals are “dead and buried”.
There are plans for the EC to carry out impact assessments in early 2014 on the cost of introducing the laws.
If you require assistance, please contact us
Many jobs now require the prolonged use of display screen equipment and legislation places specific duties on employers regarding its use. Take a look at our thoroughly revised and updated topic to make sure you are aware of what needs to be done.
Display screen equipment (DSE) is covered by the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 (as amended), which promote the safe and effective use of DSE.
All aspects of the equipment and workstation are considered part of work with DSE.
The way in which DSE is used may lead to upper limb disorders, fatigue, stress or eye discomfort.
Excessive force, repetitive activities and poor postures are the three components perceived to be the biggest contributors to ill health associated with DSE work.
Appropriate set up of all features of the workstation can prevent discomfort from work with DSE. Contact us if you require a workstation assessment.
Selection of peripheral items for use with DSE can greatly improve the user’s comfort and effectiveness. Items must be selected for the person or the task to ensure suitability.
Rest breaks and changes of activity are essential in ensuring safe and effective work with DSE.
Checklists can be used to assess DSE work and ensure the workstation is suitable for the user to complete the required tasks.
Contact Walker Health & Safety Services for your health and safety requirements.
Manual handling injuries account for over a third of all accidents reported to the enforcing authorities each year. Under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (as amended) the employer has legal duties to:
This assessment is necessary to ensure that employees do not suffer injuries from manual handling tasks and it is important to note that there is no maximum weight given for manual handling tasks.
Most of the assessments can be done in house and will just require a few minutes’ observation to identify ways to make the activity less hazardous, i.e. less physically demanding.
When making these observations employees should be consulted, as more often than not they are aware of what the problems are and the easiest ways of avoiding them. The overall responsibility for suitable assessments remains with the employer.
A general assessment of risk, as required by Regulation 3(1) of the Management Regulations may indicate the possibility of injury from manual handling operations; in this case a more specific assessment should be carried out. How detailed this further assessment needs to be will depend on the circumstances. In general, the significant findings of the assessment should be recorded and the record kept, readily accessible, as long as it remains relevant.
Assessments need not be recorded if:
When making a more detailed assessment the following categories should be considered:
The TASK
The INDIVIDUAL CAPABILITY
The LOAD
The working ENVIRONMENT
(These can be easily remembered by the acronym TILE)
Twisting
In many cases manual handling operations will involve some twisting, i.e. moving the upper body while keeping the feet static. The combination of twisting and lifting and twisting, stooping and lifting are particularly stressful on the back. Where the handling involves twisting and turning then a detailed assessment should normally be made.
However if the operation is:
As a rough guide:
Carrying
The guideline figures for lifting and lowering apply to carrying operations where the load is:
A more detailed assessment should be made for all carrying operations if the load is carried over a longer distance without resting or the hands are below knuckle height or above elbow height.
Pushing and Pulling
For pushing and pulling operations (whether the load is slid, rolled or supported on wheels) the guideline figures (below) assume the force is applied with the hands, between knuckle and shoulder height. It is also assumed that the distance involved is no more than about 20 m. If these assumptions are not met, a more detailed risk assessment is required.
Men Women
Force required to stop or start the load 20Kg 15Kg
Sustained force to keep the load in motion 10Kg 7Kg
There is no specific limit to the distance over which the load is pushed or pulled as long as there are adequate opportunities for rest or recovery.
Reviewing the assessment
The assessment should be kept up to date. It should be reviewed if new information comes to light or if there has been a change in the manual handling operations.
The assessment may also need to be reviewed if an injury occurs, or an employee becomes more vulnerable to risk due to illness, or the onset of disability or pregnancy.
Training
An employer must also provide training regarding manual handling. This should include manual handling risk factors and how injuries occur, good handling technique, appropriate safe systems of work, use of mechanical aids.
Remember that training by itself cannot overcome:
Overview
