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"Managing Safety" Survey

Last year the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched its Simplification Plan, committed to better, smarter regulation. The Plan aims to make legislation easier to understand and apply, therefore securing stronger commitment to comply from business. The aim is to provide clearer and simpler advice and information.

RRC Training commissioned an independent research agency to conduct a survey on “Managing Safety” amongst H&S managers the results of which are illuminating and will have implications for managers, directors, CEOs and anyone with responsibility for health and safety and personnel.

The report is available to download from our website, the link is http://www.rrc.co.uk/ManagingSafetySurvey.aspx

May Podcast now available

Our latest FREE podcast on The Myth Surrounding the NEBOSH Diploma is now available at www.rrc.co.uk/Podcasts.aspx

Some think the NEBOSH exams are unattainable and riddled with unfairness and inconsistencies. The truth is quite different. David Towlson, Director of Training at RRC and Dee Arp, Standards Manager at NEBOSH dispel these and some other myths surrounding the NEBOSH Diploma. Meanwhile, John Caruthers, our resident devil's advocate, tries to gain the diploma using only his wit, charm and ... a credit card ...

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NEBOSH News

NEBOSH International Diploma

The pilot for the International Diploma has now been completed with the qualification going on general release. Based on the NEBOSH National Diploma, this international qualification takes a risk management approach based on best practice and international standards instead of being guided specifically by a UK framework. RRC will be launching our first course from September 2008 (subject to successful accreditation).

NEBOSH National Diploma in Environmental Management

A new syllabus has just been launched for this course which will take effect from the December 2008 examinations. This new syllabus has been updated to reflect changes in both legislative requirements and best practice within environmental management and it also now satsifies the requirements for membership of IEMA. RRC will be launching our new course later this summer.

NEBOSH Certificate in Environmental Management

NEBOSH are still on track to launch the new Certificate in Environmental Management in the Summer. This course will initially only be available as a pilot programme before opening up to a full programme and RRC hope to be in on this first stage (subject to accreditation).

NEBOSH Level 2 Certificate

This short Level 2 course has been developed by NEBOSH to provide a basic introduction to the world of health and safety, as well as acting as an introduction to one of the NEBOSH Level 3 Certificates. RRC are well into the development of this new course and are just awaiting the formal launch by NEBOSH before making this available (subject to accreditation).

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News In Brief

• A traditional pancake race in Ripon did not take place this year as organisers felt there were too many risk assessments to be carried out for insurance purposes. In particular, a cobbled street could cause people to slip. The cost of policing and road closures had also risen, making the event too expensive to hold.

• A fire at Camden Market in London in mid-February caused a double-decker bus to be diverted from its usual route. It hit a railway bridge, ripping its roof open and causing serious head injuries to a passenger. Five other passengers were also hospitalised and treated for shock. The driver had not followed the instructions to stay in the middle of the road when travelling under the bridge. Transport for London opened an inquiry into the incident.

• Two hospitals in Manchester have noticed a reduction in the number of sick days taken by nurses since they began displaying lists of days of sick leave. Individuals are not identified. Instead, sick days are listed by nurse categories.

• Local authority trading standards officers will be checking hospital scales throughout Britain. Many have been found to be inaccurate, placing patients, especially children, at risk, as weighing equipment is used to calculate dosage, e.g. of radiation.

• Following the deaths of two fire-fighters in explosions at a fireworks factory near Lewes in December 2006, the owner of the factory and his son were arrested in February 2008 on suspicion of manslaughter. Festival Fireworks UK is one of the country’s biggest importers and was responsible for the Millennium display on the River Thames.

• A 94-year-old pensioner taken into a residential care home near Barnsley was admitted to hospital a few weeks later with a chest infection, pneumonia, septicaemia, a urinary infection, a bad ear infection and pressure sores and subsequently died. An inquiry by Rotherham Council social services found the residential home to have been negligent in its care and it will now be subject to regular inspections by the Council.

• The HSE has published a web page listing the European CEN 'C' standards for food machinery and the available British Standards at:

  http://www.hse.gov.uk/food/standards.htm

• A woman delivering leaflets in Leeds got her hand trapped in a letterbox, severing a finger. She is now unable to do her job as a baker and is claiming damages from the householder for having a dangerous front door. The householder is contesting the claim.

• A 12-year-old boy died in March 2007 in a tractor accident on his family’s farm in Leicestershire. He had been driving the vehicle. His father was subsequently charged with an offence under the Prevention of Accidents to Children in Agriculture Regulations 1998 and fined £1,000 with £1,500 costs at the end of February 2008.

• It was announced in late February that the Department of Transport is to review the environmental and economic impacts of biofuel production. A parliamentary committee had already called for a moratorium on increasing the use of biofuels. The Transport Minister stated that the Government was not prepared to go beyond existing targets for biofuels until it is satisfied that they can be used sustainably.

• The HSE has made available online a series of model risk assessments based on a variety of different workplaces. They can be viewed and downloaded at:

  http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/casestudies/index.htm

• A Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 flew from Heathrow to Amsterdam at the end of February with three engines running on normal fuel and the other using a blend of 20% biofuel (coconut oil). However, passenger aircraft will not be permitted to fly using biofuels for at least five years, as there are concerns that biofuels could freeze or cause an engine to under-perform.

• A new luxury home at Broadstairs was almost finished at the end of February when a 40-metre crane fell on it, severely damaging the roof and one of the walls. The crane had been lifting a container from the site. No-one was hurt in the incident but costs were estimated at about £40,000. Two larger cranes, weighing 120 and 160 tonnes, were required to lift the vehicle.

• In February 2008, the HSE carried out over 1,000 spot checks on construction industry refurbishment sites across the UK. They found that more than one in three sites visited had standards that put the lives of workers at risk and were operated so far below the acceptable standard that inspectors served 395 enforcement notices and stopped work on 30% of the sites.

• A survey of nearly 40,000 nurses in ten European countries found that almost one in three nurses in Britain suffers frequent violent attacks at work. Only in France were higher rates of violence reported. The study appeared in the Health Service Journal.

• A large fire at the Royal Mint in South Wales in early March led to staff being evacuated and local residents being told to stay indoors to avoid the fumes from chemicals. The blaze was put out within a few hours and the Ministry of Defence began an investigation into the cause.

• An officer on board a Royal Navy vessel died in October 2004 when she was left in a diabetic coma on the floor of her cabin. A colleague who saw her thought she was drunk and closed the door. The incident was reported to the officer of the day but was not taken seriously and investigated. Those involved did not follow the correct procedures. The Navy said in March 2008 that lessons had been learned and procedures tightened.

• A Polish worker died at a recycling site in March when a 15-tonne metal container filled with waste fell on him as it was being loaded on to a lorry. The accident occurred at Blakely’s Waste Management site in Wigan.

• A building near the centre of Belfast collapsed in March as concrete was being poured on to the second floor. At least six construction workers were injured in the accident, two of them seriously. Up to 60 workers were thought to be on the site at the time. The office block was being built for the Law Society of Northern Ireland.

• An official report on the outbreak of foot and mouth disease last summer blames the “shabby and dilapidated” state of the Pirbright animal disease research laboratory and holds the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs largely responsible for the falling standards at the site. The outbreak is estimated to have cost the livestock industry £100 million.

• About 30 Year 10 pupils at a school in Lincolnshire were taken to hospital for check-ups in mid-March after a canister of chemicals leaked during a science lesson experiment. The canister contained sulphur dioxide and the pupils suffered breathing difficulties.

• B&Q has been fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £8,405 for exposing staff and 510,000 customers to the risk of legionnaires’ disease. Contaminated airborne water particles were found in a spa pool on display for two months at its Longwell Green, Bristol store. Two people who had visited the store contracted the disease.

• The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration has published an online advisory guidance document dealing with the prevention of skin problems from working with Portland cement. It is intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthy workplace. The guidance is available at:

  http://www.osha.gov/dsg/guidance/cement-guidance.html

• In March 2008, the Intute Consortium, Intute: Health and Life Sciences, launched an open access online resource called Focus on Biodiversity and Conservation. It contains web links to high quality sources of information on this topic, and is aimed particularly at students in higher and further education.

• In March 2008, the HSE published a report dealing with issues arising from the need to value the health effects of a possible nuclear accident. The document can be viewed and downloaded at:

  http://www.hse.gov.uk/economics/research/humancost.pdf

• The HSE has updated the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996 Safety Case Assessment Manual to include a new chapter with guidance and criteria for small GSMR networks; clarification on assessment methodology for safety cases; and exemptions and updates to several references and hyperlinks. It can be accessed at http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/supply/gasscham/gsmrscham.pdf

• The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 came into force in 2006 to implement the Physical Agents (Noise) Directive (2003/10/EC). From 6th April 2008, the Regulations apply to exposure to noise at work in the music and entertainment sectors.

• The Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments and Revocations) Regulations came into force on 6th April 2008, and mostly concern the manufacture and storage of explosives.

• East Hampshire Council has banned refuse collectors from emptying bins unless the lids are shut. It is concerned that workers might be injured by rubbish falling on them.

• Liverpool Crown Court fined Scottish Power £32,000 in March for failing to make a live cable safe. The cable set a building site worker on fire. He survived but the fault should have been dealt with five months before the incident.

• The HSE has issued new guidance on the maintenance of cooling towers as part of a preventative regime against the risk of Legionella. The guidance, entitled Removal of Pack from Cooling Towers, can be read at or downloaded from http://www.hse.gov.uk/legionnaires/coolingtowers.htm?ebul=hsegen/14-apr-2008&cr=7

• The HSE has set up a new section on its website aimed at helping overseas workers and their employers to understand their roles and responsibilities under British health and safety law. The information is available in a wide range of language translations at:

  http://www.hse.gov.uk/migrantworkers/index.htm?ebul=cons/apr08&cr=07

• A 500 kg bomb from World War 2 was washed up at Felixstowe in April, causing more than 1,200 people to be evacuated from their homes. It was taken two miles out to sea to be blown up and left on the seabed overnight. The next day, Royal Navy divers could not find it - it had been moved by the currents.

• A Cornwall wine producer died in April when a pallet of empty bottles fell on him from the back of a lorry. The lorry had just arrived with the delivery and he was standing behind it helping to guide it. The HSE is investigating the accident.

• The HSE has updated its Display Screen Equipment Frequently Asked Questions page at http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/vdubreaks.htm . There is no change in the legislation, but the guidance has been amplified.

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Safety and Health Expo 2008

Come and see us at Safety and Health Expo at the NEC in Birmingham on 13-15 May 2008. Our Director of Training, Dr David Towlson, and one of our most popular associate tutors, Wendy Claxton, will be on hand to discuss topics of interest with students and provide some face-to-face guidance on queries.

Dr Towlson, the star and writer of the RRC podcast series , will also be handing out FREE cd-roms of some of our most recent podcasts, including those with guest appearances by both NEBOSH and the Health and Safety Executive. There will also be the chance to win one of six Ipods in our prize draw.

We’ll be in Hall 9 on Stand G40. We look forward to seeing you there.

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Assessment

By Dr. David Towlson, BSc, PhD, MIOSH

In case you have second thoughts already about the rather unexciting title, you should note that this article draws heavily on some far more learned sources referenced at the end, to which you are referred. Assessment is a tool to monitor learning and student achievement. To some it is a pariah and to others it is a friend. Sounds romantic and poetic but we do it all the time and in lots of different ways – from the “quick and dirty” to the ultra sophisticated.

Assessment is generally recognised as having at least three uses (I have neglected to mention the half dozen other household uses that could spring to mind):

• Diagnosis (for example to establish entry standard onto a course)

• Feedback (both to students on their progress and also to teachers on the effectiveness of their teaching strategies)

• Standards (for example, to make sure students have achieved a certain standard – some of which may be used for national comparisons, as is the case with GCSEs and other national punishments).

Read more...

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Noticeboard

UK Negotiating on EU Renewable Targets Playing with Greenhouse Gas Numbers London Low Emission Zone Initiated Manual Handling Training Does Not Work Government Targets Water Use HSE Alert to COMAH Operators Public Health and Climate Change UK Not Prepared against Floods Metal Producers Confused by REACH Oil Exploration in Doubt DEFRA Packaging Waste Targets Health and Safety Offences Bill Updated Guidance on Pandemic Influenza HSE Shuts Down North Sea Platform Partial Ban on Dichloromethane Use Air Pollution and PAHs Survey Reveals Ignorance of Asbestos Risk Energy Price Paradox Flood Warnings for Some Carbon Dioxide Causes Air Pollution Deaths Gas Terminal Fire Boosts Oil Price to a Record Construction Eurocodes Update Offshore Installations (Safety Case) Regulations 2005 Only Two EU Countries Meet CO2 Emissions Deadline Safety and Health in Hotels and Catering Diesel Fumes Affect the Brain Radiation Exposure and Heart Disease Risk Cooking the CO2 Emissions Books Cathodic Protection of Offshore Pipelines New Guidance on Shipyard Ergonomics

Shell Fined over COMAH Incident Government Review on Work and Health Thames Barrier Under Stress Draft British Standard on Energy Management Systems Biofuels in the Spotlight Tidal Power Record EU Workplace Accident Statistics Can Global Emissions Reductions be Achieved? Merger of the HSE and HSC Hydrogen Power for Road Vehicles UN Action on Air Pollution by Shipping Melting Ice Caps and Volcanic Eruptions Pesticide Use and Parkinson's Disease Windfall Profits for Power Companies Nuclear Sites Feeding Frenzy Pneumonia Mortality Linked to Exhaust Pollution New Con Doc on CHIP Regulations Amendment New Smokestack Retrofit Material for Emissions Capture UN Climate Change Panel Announces Further Reports Giant Onshore Wind Farm Rejected Palm Oil Protests against Unilever Factsheets on Health and Safety Management Clean Development Mechanism under Stress How Did PFOA Contaminate the World? UK Air Quality Standards Sacrificed EU Physical Agents Directive Problems of Scale in Improving Air Quality Unregulated Risks of Nanotechnology

Read more on all of these stories here...

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RRC Student Achieves NEBOSH Best Candidate Award

Many congratulations to RRC student Paul Moore for being awarded the NEBOSH Best Candidate Award for the NEBOSH Diploma Part 2. Paul is no stranger to such success, having also received the Best Candidate Award for Part 1 of the Diploma.

“Studying via distance learning is a challenge, demanding inspiration and self discipline”, Paul says. “Through studying with RRC, I achieved Distinctions and Best Candidate Awards for both NEBOSH Diploma Part 1 and 2. Central to my strategy was the adoption of a structured programme of study and ensuring I mapped all my learning to the NEBOSH syllabi. However, there is no doubt that the expertise of RRC’s tutors, comprehensive study materials and online resources facilitated my success.”

We would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of our other successful NEBOSH students who have recently received their results.

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Health and Safety of Young People at Work

By Dr. Richard Griffiths, PhD, MSc, MEd, Cert Ed, Grad R.S.C, CMIOSH, MIIRSM, AIEMA, FRSH, FRIPH

Young people are considered especially vulnerable to health and safety risks in the workplace. As a result of this, there are specific health and safety laws in place to protect them against such risks.

Let’s get a few definitions straight to start with. A young person is anyone under eighteen years of age; the term includes children (which is anyone who has not yet reached the minimum school leaving age (MSLA), currently 16 years of age). A young worker is, simply a young person who is in employment. It is now quite common for children in their final two years of compulsory education (years 10 – 11, that is 14-16 years of age) to go on work experience placements. In general, children under 13 are not allowed to work (though there are exceptions). Children aged 13-16 are only allowed to do light work, with minimal risk.

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