The Health & Safety Handbook. Health and Safety Management

The Health & Safety Handbook

Health and Safety Management
KEY POINTS
 The need for organizations to have clearly documented health and safety management systems is clearly required under health and safety law.
 Accident prevention is concerned with the development and implementation of a range of ‘safe place’ and ‘safe person’ strategies.
 All organizations should operate a system for monitoring safety in the workplace.
 The development and implementation of safe systems of work is a prerequisite for good standards of health and safety performance.
 Where there is a high degree of foreseeable risk in certain processes and activities, a permit-to-work system should be operated.
 In many cases, employers need to appoint competent persons to oversee high-risk activities and implement certain procedures.
 Organizations should have a formally documented and well-practised emergency procedure.
 Specific provisions for health and safety must be provided in the case of vulnerable groups of employees.
 Procedures for reporting death at work, major injury and dangerous occurrences to the enforcing authority are covered by RIDDOR.
 The organization of feedback on the outcome of accident investigation is an essential part of the health and safety management system.
 All accidents, ill health and incidents represent substantial losses to organizations.
 Employers have a duty to provide information, instruction and training for employees and to consult with employees on health and safety issues.

The Working Environment
KEY POINTS
 The HSWA places a general duty on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, a working environment that is safe, without risks to health and adequate as regards arrangements for welfare.
 The working environment incorporates a range of factors or elements, including the design and structure of workplaces, the prevention or control of environmental stressors and the provision and maintenance of welfare facilities.
 The principal requirements relating to the working environment are incorporated in the WHSWR and accompanying HSC approved code of practice.
 There is an absolute duty on employers to maintain the workplace, equipment, systems and devices in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.
 The requirements of the WHSWR form part of the relevant statutory provisions which must be taken into account when undertaking a workplace risk assessment.
 Safety signs must comply with the requirements of the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996.
 To ensure the maintenance of a safe and healthy working environment, operation of a number of management systems, such as planned preventive maintenance, is essential.

Engineering safety
KEY POINTS
 The law relating to engineering safety is extensive and incorporated in the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) and other regulations, such as the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations.
 Machinery-related hazards are commonly associated with the design features of same.
 The HSE has classified the dangerous parts of machinery.
 Under the PUWER work equipment must be ‘suitable’ and ‘maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair’.
 In certain cases, a work equipment risk assessment may need to be undertaken by an employer.
 Employers must ensure that precautionary measures are taken in respect of dangerous machinery.
 Specific provisions apply in the case of mobile work equipment and power presses.
 Most machinery should feature some form of guard and/or safety device.
 Organizations should lay down and enforce safe working procedures for lift truck operations.
 Under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) lifting equipment must be thoroughly examined and inspected on a regular basis by a competent person.
 Pressure systems must be designed and constructed to ensure integrity of the system.
 Employers must ensure the provision and maintenance of safe traffic operations on site.

Fire Prevention and Protection
KEY POINTS
 For fire to take place, three essential elements are required, namely an ignition source, fuel to burn and an ample supply of air.
 Heat transmission takes place by way of conduction, convection and radiation.
 There is a wide range of ignition sources in the average workplace which need to be identified as part of a fire prevention strategy.
 Fire spread control takes place through starvation, smothering and cooling.
 Fire appliances are classified on the basis of the types of fire they are designed to extinguish.
 Fire instructions must be prominently displayed in all workplaces.
 Flammable substances are specifically classified under the Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2002.
 Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, responsible persons have both general and specific duties with respect to the taking of general fire precautions, the making and giving effect to ‘fire safety arrangements’ and the appointment of competent persons to assist them in undertaking the preventive and protective measures.
 Fire authorities have a wide range of powers under current fire safety legislation.
 Employers must undertake a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, reviewing same on a regular basis.

Electrical Safety
KEY POINTS
 Electricity is a form of energy and, as such, can be dangerous.
 The risk of electric shock is the principal hazard associated with the use of electricity.
 Legal requirements are covered in the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, which impose general duties on a range of ‘duty holders’.
 In considering the requirements of the regulations, attention must be paid to the HSE memorandum of guidance on the regulations and the latest edition of the Institution of Electrical Engineers Wiring Regulations.
 Electrical discharge can be a significant cause of fire in premises.
 The three principles of electrical safety – insulation, isolation and earthing – should always be followed.
 Well-developed safe systems of work, including the use of permit-to-work systems, are essential for ensuring safe working with electrical installations.
 A formal system for the maintenance, examination and testing of portable electrical appliances is essential.
 Specific precautions are necessary to ensure the safe use and charging of electric storage batteries, particularly those used on vehicles.

Health and Safety in Construction Operations
KEY POINTS
 The construction industry has always been one of the more dangerous industries and, as such, has always been extensively regulated from a safety viewpoint.
 The principal hazards to construction workers are the risk of falls from a height and from falling materials.
 Clients and contractors have a range of liabilities under both civil and criminal law.
 All organizations should have procedures for regulating the activities of contractors.
 Construction safety law is concerned with both the safety management of construction work and the prevention of accidents and ill health arising from same.
 All persons must use suitable head protection whenever there is a foreseeable risk of head injury.
 Under the CDM Regulations, clients, designers, planning supervisors, main contractors and other contractors have specific duties.
 The term ‘construction work’ is very broadly defined.
 Most construction projects must be notified to the HSE.
 Certain places of work, such as the working platforms to scaffolds and excavations, must be inspected by a competent person on a regular basis and for specific purposes.
 Safety method statements should be produced for activities where there is a foreseeable risk of injury.
 Specific precautions are required during the stripping and removal of asbestos.
 Demolition is the most dangerous aspect of construction work, resulting in deaths of operators every year.





For more Information:
* Fire Protection Engineering, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, SFPE Handbook, Fire Protection Books *
* Health and Safety Management, Occupational Health and Safety, Fire Safety, Health and Safety Books. *

The Health & Safety Handbook. Health and Safety Management