Welcome to the RRC Newsletter
Hello again and welcome to the latest edition of the RRC e-newsletter. This edition includes articles on how you can measure your effectiveness as a health and safety practitioner and the advances in technology with regard to improving the learning experience, plus all the usual news and views.
Remember too that we have added another three podcasts to our website since the last edition of the e-newsletter. Later, we’ll take a look at the topics under discussion.
As ever, don’t forget to look at the Student Focus for important course updates if you are currently studying with RRC.
Best regards
David Towlson
Lead Tutor
What’s New on the Web...
Roundtable Events
Many thanks to all those who attended our recent roundtable discussion on issues facing those in the construction sector.
With delegates including Kenneth Dodd (Group Health and Safety Manager, Manchester Airports Group), Stephen McCarthy (Group Safety Manager, Duffy Group), Brian Ormiston, (Head of HSQE, Warings Construction,part of the leading French organisation Bouygue Group), and Davie Faulds (Group Health & Safety Director of P.C. Harrington Contractors), the event proved invaluable for providing insights into opinions, attitudes, concerns and advice from those working on the health and safety coalface.
A full copy of the report is available free to download from the Resource Centre of the RRC website (www.rrc.co.uk).
Following on from our successful construction roundtable event earlier in the year, we also held a similar event on 17th November for the transport and logistics sector. The subjects for discussion included: tiredness, stress, 'better driving' schemes, practicalities and ethics of drugs/alcohol testing, environmental impacts, violence and driver welfare facilities. A report will be available in January 2009.
If you are interested in receiving a copy of the report when it is complete, please e-mail Milena Migunova for further details.
Podcasts
Another three podcasts are now available to download free from the website. The latest episodes cover the following topics:
November 2008 – Health and Safety Expert Witness
David Towlson, Director of Training at RRC Training, is joined by Dr Ivan Vince, a health, safety and environmental consultant, who talks about some of his recent projects. They include suspected chlorine poisoning at a local health club, hazards to the ecosystem from missile testing for the Ministry of Defence, the polluting effects of cremations for The Anglo Hindu Sikh society and explosive investigations for the Buncefield inquiry. He discusses the whys and wherefores of each case and the outcomes.
October 2008: Choosing a Training Provider
Can anyone deliver NEBOSH training and how do you know it's going to be any good? Matt Powell-Howard and Dee Arp from NEBOSH join David Towlson of RRC and discuss what NEBOSH is looking for in training providers wishing to deliver NEBOSH courses.
September 2008: Improving Your Training
This month's podcast is about how to improve your training and enhance student learning. We are joined by (fictitious) Educationalist Judith Morrissey who believes that the path to teaching excellence is self-reflection, talking loudly and a firm hand. Whilst this could work, we explore more liberal approaches...
To download the podcasts, and review previous episodes, simply visit www.rrc.co.uk/Podcasts.aspx.
NEBOSH News
NEBOSH National Certificate in Environmental Management Pilot
The first group of RRC students have recently completed the NEBOSH pilot for the new National Certificate in Environmental Management qualification. RRC were one of only five centres invited by NEBOSH to offer this new pilot and we are delighted that over 150 of our students have now completed the programme.
This pilot gave us the opportunity to trial not only this exciting new NEBOSH qualification but also RRC’s new virtual classroom – the e-Zone. Many thanks to all those students who took part and provided us with valuable feedback.
In the meantime, NEBOSH will be reviewing the new Environmental Certificate over the next few months before making a decision as to whether to roll it out nationwide.
News In Brief
In early August 2008, the Environment Minister announced that further changes are to be proposed to the system of environmental permit exemptions, in order to increase waste recovery and recycling while maintaining high levels of environmental protection. The permit conditions under which waste-handling businesses can operate under exemptions were said to be currently under review by DEFRA, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Environment Agency.
A man repairing a giant food mixer was crushed to death when it started up while he was inside. The accident occurred at Avondale Foods in Lurgan in July 2006. An inquest in August 2008 was told that he had disconnected a safety switch.
The HSE has updated its operational circular which describes the Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations 2004 and explains their key features and the associated licensing scheme. The HSE has been designated as the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority and has contracted TQS Ltd to discharge most of its day-to-day functions under the licensing regulations. The document can be downloaded from:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/foi/internalops/fod/oc/300-399/331-5.htm.A farmer who was charged by a cow at a farm in Dorset in September 2004 was unable to work afterwards and lost his home as a result. He was awarded £60,000 in compensation in August 2008. The cow had been separated from her calf and had become distressed.
National Trust officials at Kingston Lacy in Dorset decided to fell 21 historic beech trees on the estate in August in case they blew over. The trees were 170 years old and there were fears that they could endanger passing motorists. Environmentalists countered that the trees could live for another 200 years and that it was 20 years since the last one had blown down.
Two men delivering a top-of-the-range powerboat to its new owner by sea hit rocks shortly after leaving Falmouth in August and had to be rescued by lifeboats. The powerboat, costing £200,000, sank and had to be abandoned.
During a flight from Budapest to Dublin in late August, a jar of mushroom soup in an overhead locker began to leak. A passenger in the aircraft suffered an allergic reaction and the Ryanair flight had to land in Germany.
A fish and chip restaurant in West London was forced to close at the end of August after only six months, following complaints from neighbours and an investigation by environmental health officers. Its large extractor fans were positioned only feet away from a block of mansion house apartments and chemical smells were making people feel ill.
On 1st September 2008, the HSE published a new checklist on vehicles at work, providing guidance as to what employers should consider when trying to reduce the risk from vehicles in the workplace. The checklist (412KB) may be downloaded and printed for use on site, and is available at:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/forms/transport/wtchk1.pdfThe Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee announced on 3rd September 2008 that unforeseen disasters were having an adverse effect on DEFRA’s budget. Last year’s floods cost DEFRA an extra £60 million, but the Government “…had made no realistic provision for unforeseen events based on historic experience”. As a result, DEFRA had to abandon other projects, thus affecting the delivery of its services. The Committee found that the planned spending of DEFRA over the past two years was more than the funding limits allowed to it by the Treasury.
Two bulls escaped from their trailer in early September and ran amok in Tenby, causing the town to be sealed off. One person was tossed into the air and another was left clinging to the edge of a cliff. The animals had to be shot dead by police.
Marsh samphire growing in the Hayle estuary in Cornwall has been contaminated with high levels of arsenic from tin mining. People have been picking it illegally at mudflats on a bird reserve to sell to restaurants as a garnish for seafood dishes. Eating contaminated marsh samphire could lead to problems with swallowing and excessive saliva and police and health officials have issued warnings.
A vicar at a church in Honiton, Devon, sent letters to the bereaved, requesting removal of ornaments from their relatives’ graves within two weeks. When they failed to respond, he removed the ornaments himself, claiming that they could shatter and injure workers.
Brighton and Hove City Council is providing its refuse collectors with English lessons to reduce accidents. Many of its workers are foreign and get knocked down because they don’t understand warning signs.
A leisure centre in north-west London has banned a swimmer from its pool who wears unusual goggles. The manager considered the pensioner’s goggles a health and safety risk because the glass is not shatterproof and the nosepiece could cause breathing difficulties. The man had worn the goggles in many other pools without being challenged.
A new shopping centre being built in Bath suffered a serious fire in late September, causing neighbouring shops to be evacuated and the city centre to be sealed off during the rush hour. A series of blasts were attributed to gas cylinders exploding and the fire was thought to have started during asphalting of a roof. No one was hurt but seven fire engines were required to put out the blaze.
In a prosecution brought by the HSE in September 2008, East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust admitted breaches of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 in connection with an electric shock injury suffered by an employee while using a steam cleaner at the Conquest Hospital in St Leonards-on-Sea. The Trust had failed to assess all electrical equipment risks and ignored advice from the steam cleaner manufacturer that a residual-current device be installed to mitigate the effects of potential shock. The Trust was fined £8,000 with £8,466.71 in costs.
On 24th September 2008, it was announced that the UK nuclear operator, British Energy, had agreed to sell itself to the French state-owned company EDF for £12.5 billion. The transfer of control of UK energy policy on electricity supply to overseas hands raised concerns about energy security, and is an admission by the UK Government that British Energy does not have the technological know-how or cash to support a modern nuclear fleet on its own. EDF will still face major challenges in terms of the unresolved problem of what to do with nuclear waste.
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work has published its Annual Report 2007: Bringing Safety and Health Closer to European Workers. The report gives an overview of its activities in 2007. It can be downloaded as a PDF document from:
http://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/annual_report/2007fullThe HSE has published an online toolkit to help reduce the risk of work-related violence in licensed or retail premises. The toolkit provides practical advice on how to conduct a risk assessment and take action to prevent or control work-related violence. It contains information on a wide range of possible control measures and good practice that other businesses have found effective. The summary leaflet can be downloaded from:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg423.pdf.The Nuclear Information Service campaign group reported in October that alarm systems at a nuclear weapons maintenance site had been disabled for a period of ten days, meaning that local residents would have been left without warning in the event of an accident. The failure was due to the loss of the electricity supply during flooding. According to the Ministry of Defence, there was no threat to the public.
Surgeons at a hospital in West London operated on the wrong patient in mid-October, removing a gall bladder when they should have been carrying out an investigative gynaecological procedure. According to a senior surgeon at least half a dozen checks should have prevented this happening. An investigation is under way.
A chemistry experiment at a school in Wiltshire went wrong in mid-October, causing two pupils to be taken to hospital after breathing fumes. They had been working with sulphuric acid and copper oxide, which combined to create sulphur dioxide. Three laboratories at the school, containing 90 pupils and staff, had to be evacuated.
A new accident investigation body has been set up in Scotland in an effort to improve workplace safety. In 2006/07, Scottish records show that 31 people were reported to have died in accidents at work. The Specialist Health and Safety Division will examine cases reported to the Procurator Fiscal by the HSE. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said that in 2007/08 it had received 89 reports from the HSE, an increase from 52 in 2006/07. The department will be led by a senior prosecutor and staffed by a team of lawyers; it will begin operating in January 2009.
Health and Safety Motivations
By Alan Bessell
Seeking Motivation
Had a good day, dear?
So how do you answer that question if you’re a safety practitioner? I’m not talking here about the social interaction with colleagues nor about the standard performance measurements, but I am interested in measuring my effectiveness, my accomplishments and achievements; the things which at the end of the day give me the motivation (or not) to go back for more.
Noticeboard
Technology and Learning
By David Towlson
The last quarter-century or so has seen rapid advances in technology. Much of this has found its way into the classroom. We have witnessed the widespread adoption of personal computers (of impressive capability, connectivity and portability) and enormous growth in Internet bandwidth. The latter has enabled such things as remote access to learning materials, the realistic ability to stream rich media (such as recorded and live video feeds), hosting of low-cost remote live web seminars (e.g. Webex), incorporating interaction, assessment and a multitude of other useful features. Virtual learning environments (e.g. WebCT) are now widely used in further education colleges.
Exciting New Partnership to offer Specialist Asbestos Training
RRC are delighted to announce that we are working in partnership with Environmental Management Solutions Group Holdings Ltd to offer a range of asbestos courses, including the following:
| Course | Intended Audience |
| Half-day Asbestos Awareness | Anyone responsible for building maintenance, such as building managers and caretakers. |
| One-Day Asbestos Awareness | Anyone responsible for building works and/or overseeing asbestos remediation contractors, such as facility management. |
| One-Day Duty to Manage Asbestos in Non-Domestic Premises | Anyone responsible for maintaining and repairing all or part of a property, or who has control of a building. |
For further details of the courses, including dates and fees, please contact an Advisor on +44 (0) 20 8944 3100 or e-mail info@rrc.co.uk
Student Focus
This is the section of the e-Newsletter where we focus on any important updates to your course. Please review the following carefully for anything which may impact your studies.
NEBOSH National Diploma
Unit B
Element B2
We have recently updated Element B2 of our NEBOSH National Diploma course notes to reflect changes to the notification of new substances following the revocation of the Notification of New Substances Regulations 1993 and the introduction of the REACH Regulations. The following information will update you with regard to this issue:
The Notification of New Substances Regulations 1993, have been revoked. This is because the regime has been brought within the REACH Regulations (EC 1907/2006).
Though there are exceptions, in general most substances manufactured or imported into the EU in quantities above 1 tonne per year per manufacturer must be registered with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).
The registration process involves submitting a dossier of information on that substance. In essence, the registrant must:
- Gather together any existing available and relevant information on the substance.
- Identify what actual information is required to be submitted.
- Identify any information gaps.
- Generate new information or propose further testing for filling those gaps.
N.B. Proposals for further testing on animals are seen as a last resort. Indeed, Article 13 of REACH requires that human toxicological information shall be generated wherever possible by means other than vertebrate animal testing – alternatives such as in vitro testing, QSAR modelling and “read across” from structurally related compounds should be explored instead.
In certain circumstances the ECHA may direct the registrants to undertake the proposed further testing (including animal testing) on the substance because insufficient data is available to properly and reliably characterise its hazardous nature. The relevant test methods supporting Article 13 of REACH are now held within the Test Methods Regulation (EC 440/2008).
The Test Methods Regulation describes physico-chemical, toxicological and ecotoxicological tests in detail. In terms of toxicological testing, we have a number of methods, including those for:
- Acute toxicity (oral, dermal, inhalation, dermal irritation/corrosion, eye irritation/corrosion).
- Skin sensitisation.
- Repeated dose (28 days) toxicity.
- Sub-chronic repeated dose (90 days) toxicity.
- Chronic toxicity.
- Mutagenicity (bacterial as well as mammalian).
- Carcinogenicity.
- Reproductive toxicity.
These are just a selection of the many test categories. The test protocols can be downloaded from http://ecb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/Element B7
We have recently updated our course notes for Element B7 of the NEBOSH National Diploma to reflect the guidance recently issued by the HSE regarding the application of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 to the music and entertainment industry. This update should be added into your Element B7 course notes after the heading entitled ‘Factors Affecting the Degree of Protection Afforded by Hearing Protectors’.
Control of Noise in the Music and Entertainment Industry
Noise is usually perceived as unwanted sound. However, in the music and entertainment industry the generation of sound (and sometimes very loud special effects) are an essential element of an event. Performers and other workers are as likely to suffer the adverse effects of excessive noise as workers in other industries and so all of the fundamental principles in terms of the law and means of compliance as discussed earlier in this element apply.
The HSE publication ‘Sound Advice’ HSG260 (published in 2008) details how the 2005 regulations apply to music and entertainment. This section summarises the general issues in respect of the music and entertainment industry. HSG260 includes a broad range of case studies.
Planning
The need for good planning at the risk assessment stage is emphasised and where appropriate the following should be considered:
- The nature of the event.
- Site layout.
- The likely noise map.
- Where there may be a risk and who is affected.
- Expected sound levels and durations.
- Selection of loudspeaker types.
- Suitable control measures.
- The need for adequate rehearsal time to identify and control any unforeseen risks before harm is caused.
Planning is especially important when taking a production on tour and should involve a generic assessment before the tour and a review at each venue to ensure the controls are suitable.
Communications
An event often involves several employers as well as the self-employed working temporarily together. The guidance advises that all of the employers should agree at an early stage which employer is to co-ordinate the measures required by the regulations and this should ideally be incorporated into any contractual arrangements.
Control Methods
The usual hierarchy of control applies, namely:
- Eliminate the hazard (e.g. avoid sound system checking while others are working near loudspeakers).
- Control at source (e.g. reduce the volume).
- Reduce the noise in the transmission pathway (e.g. providing physical barriers, such as using a sound booth in recording studios).
- Reduce exposure.
- Provide hearing protectors if the above are not adequate.
In common with more typical industrial noise, a combination of controls may be needed.
Immediate Risks
Some noise hazards may cause immediate harm and so require the provision of hearing protectors as an interim solution. A good example would be explosive noise created by fireworks.
Recovery Periods
It is important to allow a person’s ears to recover following exposure to a significant dose of noise. The time required depends on the noise level and the duration of exposure.
Hearing Protectors
Hearing protectors may be a necessary control measure. It is recognised that wearing hearing protectors does require some acclimatisation (to ensure that people do not give up wearing them). It is important to ensure that suitable protectors are chosen that provide the correct attenuation but also do not distort the sound. For example, compressible earplugs are usually unsuitable for singers and players of brass instruments because they distort the sound. Custom moulded earplugs or earplugs with vents can resolve the issue.
NEBOSH National Diploma in Environmental Management
Element 11
Catchment Management Plans
We have recently revised our NEBOSH National Diploma in Environmental Management course notes to provide more details on Catchment Management Plans. The following additional content should be added into Element 11 in the section entitled “Framework in Which Water is Managed”, under the heading “Catchment Management Plans”.
“The main aim of catchment management planning is to encourage the partnership of key organisations and individuals to work together for the benefit of a whole catchment area. It is a voluntary process and attempts to:
- Record the state of the catchment, including:
- Water quality.
- The status and extent of habitats and species.
- Key land management activities.
- Review the main impacts on the water quality of the river.
- Identify where issues may need to be addressed in different areas of the catchment.
- Identify appropriate long-term objectives for the catchment.
There are a number of catchment management plans throughout the UK, including, for example, the Loch Lomond Catchment Management Plan which was developed in 2001. The plan supports the partnership approach of the Water Framework Directive and aims to involve statutory organisations, local businesses, research institutions and other groups with an interest in the catchment.
The objectives of the plan relate to:
- Water resources.
- Water quality.
- Aquatic habitats and diversity.
- Riparian zone management.
- Cross-cutting issues, such as climate change and cross-party communication.
For further information a copy of the Loch Lomond Catchment Management Plan can be found at:
http://www.sepa.org.uk/
pdf/consultation/closed/2002/catchments/llcmp.pdf
September Supplement
Also, please note that there was a small error in the recent supplement issued to our NEBOSH National Diploma in Environmental Management students in September. In the supplement, we informed you that the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994 were repealed in their entirety. In fact, whilst in all practical respects in relation to England and Wales these regulations were largely repealed (and replaced by the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007), some small sections remain in force.
Our entry on the Environmental Permitting Regulations in the RRC Environmental Law and Case Law Guide is correct, as are your course notes.
Please note that this supplement was only issued to students enrolled on the programme before 5th September 2008. If you enrolled on the programme after this date, the supplement is not relevant to your studies and would therefore not have been sent to you.
NEBOSH National General Certificate
NGC2
Please note that RRC have recently updated information on the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 (CDM) contained in Element 8 of NGC2. The amendment to the material can be found below, and should be substituted in your copy of the Element to ensure that you have the most accurate and up-to-date information on this topic.
Management Controls
Due to the nature of both the risks involved and the practice of using multiple contractors and subcontractors in construction work, the basis of safety lies very much with management control. This is addressed by the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 (CDM), which replace and consolidate earlier regulations. The regulations comprise 5 parts. Parts 1 and 5 deal with the usual legal pre-amble and tidying up issues such as definitions used within the regulations and revocation of previous regulations. The main requirements are in Parts 2 – 4:
- Part 2: General duties applicable to all construction projects
- Part 3: Extra duties only applicable to notifiable construction projects
- Part 4: Practical requirements applicable to all construction sites
These are fairly obvious good management principles. As regards the client, these duties include such things as: appointing competent people, allowing enough time for the project, providing information to the construction team, ensuring the team communicates and cooperates, ensuring the project will be managed properly (from start to finish). These even apply to construction work on domestic premises - domestic clients do not have duties under CDM but those who work for them on the project will have.
Notifiable projects (defined in Part 1) are those that are likely to last more than 30 days or involve more than 500 person days of construction work. As far as the client is concerned, the extra duties include things like: appointing a CDM co-ordinator and principal contractor, ensuring there is a health and safety plan in place. These appointees (and others) then have imposed duties.
This part covers practical things such: site security, safety in excavations, demolition work, use of electricity, traffic routes and vehicles.
The Regulations have an associated Approved Code of Practice, L144.
NEBOSH International General Certificate
NEBOSH Certificate in Fire Safety and Risk Management
NEBOSH have recently introduced a new syllabus for the NEBOSH Certificate in Fire Safety and Risk Management which will take effect for those taking their examinations in March 2009 and beyond. We are currently working on a supplement to update you with any new content and hope to be able to release this within the next few weeks.
In the meantime, you should be aware that NEBOSH have changed the requirements for the practical assessment (Unit FC2). Details of the new ‘Practical Application’ unit follow.
Please note that the new NEBOSH syllabus only takes effect for those sitting their examinations in March 2009 and beyond. If you are completing your assessment in December 2008, these changes will not affect you.
NEBOSH Construction Certificate
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