Welcome to the RRC Newsletter
Hello again and welcome to the Spring edition of the RRC e-newsletter. This edition includes articles on the importance of resource efficiency in easing the effects of the credit crunch and why now is not the time for employers to cut down on their health and safety training. We also have exciting news on the launch of the new NEBOSH Environmental Certificate later this month.
We hope to see as many of you as we can at the Safety and Health Expo, taking place at the NEC in Birmingham from 12th-14th May. RRC will be on stand P12 in Hall 2 and will be offering free giveaways and special discounts to those who come to visit us on the stand.
As ever, don't forget to look at the Student Focus section for important course updates if you are currently studying with RRC. In particular, in this issue we have some important course updates for our NEBOSH Certificate students along with news of some legislative changes which may be of interest.
Best regards
David Towlson
Lead Tutor
Safety and Health Expo 2009
Come and see us at Safety and Health Expo at the NEC in Birmingham on 12-14 May 2009. Our Director of Training, Dr David Towlson, will be on hand to discuss topics of interest with students and provide some face-to-face guidance on queries.
Dr Towlson will also be handing out FREE copies of our Health and Safety Law STEP Notes to visitors, as well as offering up to 50% discounts on a range of courses, such as 30% off all of our e-learning courses, including the NEW NEBOSH Environmental Certificate.
We'll be in Hall 2 on Stand P12. We look forward to seeing you there.
What's New on the Web...
RRC joins YouTube
Like Gordon Brown, RRC Training have joined the YouTube phenomenon, with our Director of Training, Dr David Towlson, posting some useful revision tips for those who are sitting their exams this Summer.
We can't promise that these tips will guarantee you a pass but they might help to focus your mind on the key points you should bear in mind. To view this FREE video, go to Successfully Passing your Exams - You Tube or http://www.rrc.co.uk/RevisionTips.aspx.
For a more light-hearted, alternative way of looking at it, you might also like to review David's tips for successfully failing your exams at Successfully Failing your Exams - You Tube.
Updated RRC Training Guide
Anyone who has ever been tasked with the responsibility of buying health and safety training for their organisation will know that it can be a minefield to navigate. Achieving cost-effective training that gets results is not as simple as you would think.
Our updated 2009 Guide to Health and Safety Training may be able to help. By looking at the current issues and trends, the legal requirements and the different qualifications and options available, we aim to steer you through the pitfalls of selecting a reliable, respected training provider, and help you to identify what training is best suited to you and/or your staff, and the best ways of obtaining it.
To download your FREE copy of the Guide, go to http://www.rrc.co.uk/TrainingGuide.aspx.
News In Brief
In mid-January 2009, the European Court of Justice declared that UK workers on long-term sick leave are entitled to their annual holiday rights and must be paid for any leave not taken. The decision ended many years of confusion over whether workplace holiday rights are lost or accrued after extended illness. The case was brought by a group of UK Revenue and Customs staff in challenge to a British court decision.
Nearly 200 passengers and crew were stranded on a ferry in late January 2009 when a lorry onboard broke free and fell through the vessel's rear door, preventing it from docking. The ferry, bound for Belfast, had to return to Stranraer. There were no casualties and the lorry's load of non-hazardous ferrous sulphate powder remained intact. An investigation was to be carried out by Stena Line and maritime agencies.
BS EN 999 has been amended with BS EN 999:1998 + Amendment 1: 2008, Safety of machinery. The positioning of protective equipment in respect of approach speeds of parts of the human body. The standard describes how to minimise machinery risk by the correct placing of equipment in relation to the danger zone.
It was reported in early February 2009 that NHS Stoke-on-Trent will be spending £1 million on pedometers for 7,000 of its staff. The purpose is to encourage exercise and cut sickness rates.
In early February 2009, the Government announced that new proposals to give employees the right to request time off work to train would not be extended to agency workers. The move followed lobbying of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), who argued that it was not practical or even logical to extend the right to request time off to train to the temporary workforce.
The world's first trial of renewable heating oil has been taking place in Reepham, Norfolk, in an experiment designed to cut carbon emissions. Used vegetable oil and tallow was mixed with kerosene and fed into boilers in schools and homes. According to the researchers, initial results showed the fuel to be as efficient as fossil fuel while emitting less than half as much carbon dioxide.
The "B of the Bang" sculpture in Manchester cost £1.4 million but must be mothballed due to safety concerns. Some of its 180 spikes could drop off and it would cost £3 million to make it safe.
About 60,000 doses of the meningitis C vaccine, Menjugate, had to be recalled in late February 2009 following fears of contamination. Traces of Staphylococcus aureus, a bug which can cause blood poisoning, had been found in it.
A nine-year-old girl was killed in January 2008 as she walked to school in Plymouth. A gas explosion caused her to be crushed by rubble. An inquest in February 2009 found that the explosion occurred because an underground pipe was not properly supported and cracked.
A new office building in Sheffield includes a helter-skelter for staff to take a short cut from the top of the four-storey building to the ground floor. The journey by slide can be made in seven seconds. The route will also be available for business and conference visitors to the Electric Works block but not for the general public.
On 4th March 2009, the European Court of Justice ruled that the default retirement age of 65 imposed in the UK is not discriminatory, provided it has a legitimate aim linked to employment and social policy objectives. The case had been brought by the organisation Age Concern to test the legal validity of the UK Government position. The matter now returns to the UK High Court, where decisions must be made on whether the Government's aims are indeed legitimate, and whether the means chosen to achieve those aims were appropriate and necessary. The High Court will have to conduct a thorough assessment of the criteria used to justify the existing default retirement age.
A survey by the Health Protection Agency and council enforcement officers found that one in 20 salads and sauces from takeaway kebab outlets in England, Wales and Northern Ireland contained E. coli or Salmonella bugs. The worst affected item was cucumber, but tomatoes, lettuce, onions and cabbage were also found to be infected.
In response to emerging evidence on the toxicology of carbon nanotube materials, the HSE has published online an information sheet dealing specifically with the manufacture and manipulation of carbon nanotubes. The HSE states that the risk management principles detailed are equally applicable to other nanodimensioned, bio-persistent fibres with a similar aspect ratio. The document can be downloaded from:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/web38.pdf?ebul=hsegen/09-mar-2009&cr=9
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration has set up a web page covering the topic of pandemic influenza. It provides a summary on the topic and access to other online resources. The information can be accessed at:
The HSE has made available online a series of short advisory leaflets in the form of PDF documents dealing with the key issues of various aspects of REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), including pre-registration, safety data sheets (which have now been taken over by REACH) and substances of very high concern (SVHCs). The leaflets can be downloaded from:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/reach/bitesize.htm?ebul=hsegen/16-mar-2009&cr=4
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has taken over some responsibilities from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), although the same links appear on both websites. DECC has published a new guide to help businesses prepare for the introduction of the UK Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC). The CRC guide describes who is covered by the scheme and provides guidance on what has to be done to participate. It is in essence a carbon emissions trading scheme aimed at senior levels in large organisations. The 5MB PDF document can be accessed at:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/ENVIRONMENT/climatechange/uk/
business/crc/pdf/crc-userguide-090312.pdfA school party consisting of nine teenagers and two teachers were cut off by the tide while climbing at Hartland Quay, North Devon in late March 2009. The 16-year-olds and their teachers had to be airlifted to safety. Policies on activity outings are to be reviewed at the school.
A lorry driver died on the A14 near Haughley in Suffolk in late March 2009 when his vehicle broke down. The man, in his fifties, was checking a tyre when it exploded, killing him.
Two women died at a park in County Durham in 2006 when an inflatable artwork broke free from its moorings and rose into the air. In March 2009, the creator was fined £10,000 after being found guilty of an offence under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974. Chester-le-Street council, responsible for assessing the work's safety, was fined £20,000 and the company which staged the exhibit £4,000.
The British Standards Institution has published BS 8405:2003 plus Amendment 1:2009, Personal protective equipment against falls from a height. Descender devices. Single-hand operated descender devices for self or assisted rescue. The amended standard specifies performance requirements for descender devices used for protection from falls. It specifically applies to those controllable by one person using one hand only, to be used for self-rescue, rescue assisted by a second person, or where the rescuer and person rescued descend in tandem.
In April 2009, the British Standards Institution announced publication of BS ISO 14050:2009, Environmental Management. Vocabulary. The document is a compilation of the terms and definitions in use in the field of environmental management. It is available in three official ISO languages, English, French and Russian, and is therefore likely to be of use in helping with the translation of environmental management terms as an aid to maintaining consistency.
Research by McAfee has revealed that spam e-mails are responsible for greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 3.1 million cars each year. On a global scale, spam uses 33 billion kilowatt-hours a year. Carbon dioxide emissions from spam in the UK totalled 50,000 tonnes, making the UK the joint fourth largest emitter.
A school caretaker fell 21 ft down a lift shaft in February 2008, breaking his arm, pelvis and elbow. He had been trying to help an engineer repair the lift. The maintenance company responsible for the work at the school in Lincoln admitted two breaches of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 and was fined £1,000 on each count in April 2009. It was also ordered to pay costs of £8,000.
The NASUWT teaching union has voted to lobby for asbestos to be removed from all education sites by 2012. Figures show that at least 178 teachers died from asbestos-related disease between 1980 and 2005.
A programme about learning new skills involved two BBC Essex radio presenters in taking it in turns to change a car wheel. The BBC summoned two first-aid volunteers from St John Ambulance to its car park in Chelmsford to watch the proceedings under 'health and safety' rules.
A supermarket worker was stabbed to death at a branch of Sainsbury's in Aberdeen in mid-April 2009. The incident took place during the night shift when about 30 staff were in the shop, which was closed at the time. A man was later charged.
Three well-known and experienced adventurers taking part in the BBC's "Top Dogs" series of programmes were told that 'health and safety' rules required them to be supervised while lighting a primus stove. They were also given a huge document warning them of hazards before they took part in the programme. Between them the three had sailed round the world, reported from war zones and walked across Antarctica.
Resource Efficiency
By John Binns, BSc(Hons), MSc, AIEMA
Sorry to labour a point, I know you are hearing this everyday on the news but times are hard. The credit crunch, recession, or whatever you might call it, is forcing businesses to make some tough choices about how they operate. What if I was to tell you that I might be able to save your company a significant amount of money and at the same time help reduce its impact on the environment? There has never been a more pressing time to consider being more resource efficient!
Resource efficiency, you might ask, what does that involve? Being resource efficient is all about managing, and hopefully reducing, raw materials, energy and water consumption to reduce costs and environmental impact. I have been interested in this subject for a while now as it offers our profession a chance to make significant direct cost savings. It may sound complicated, but you would be surprised - in most cases it isn't. In fact, companies of all types and sizes can make some significant savings by undertaking what are quite often simple measures.
Noticeboard
Training - Needs Must
By Wendy Claxton BSc (Hons), Dip2.OSH, CMIOSH
Question: What do the following incidents have in common?
(1) Scaffolder plummets six metres to the ground.
(2) Teenager dies on first day at work on a demolition site.
(3) Maintenance Engineer's fingers crushed in the pulley-belt of an electric motor.
Answer: They were all successful prosecutions taken by the Health and Safety Executive (UK). Each case involved a basic lack of safety training.
Although the above cases were all fairly recent we can also look further back to more examples. In the case of the Piper Alpha fire in 1988 it was deemed that serious inadequacies in safety training lead to the deaths of 167 people, making it the world's worst offshore oil disaster. The workers on the platform were not adequately trained in emergency procedures, and management personnel were not trained to compensate for this, or provide good leadership in a crisis situation.
NEBOSH News
RRC Launch the NEW NEBOSH Environmental Certificate
RRC are delighted to announce that we will be one of the first providers to offer the NEW NEBOSH National Certificate in Environmental Management when it is launched later this month. We will be launching our e-learning course on 18th May 2009, with a distance learning version following on 1 June 2009 and a block release version in September 2009.
Plus, enrol during May, and receive a 20% discount on our e-learning course or visit our stand at Safety and Health Expo at the NEC in Birmingham between 12th-14th May and benefit from a 30% discount.
We were one of only three providers invited to take part in a pilot by NEBOSH for this new qualification last summer and we had unprecedented demand for the course, with well over 275 people applying for the pilot course. Unfortunately, at NEBOSH's request, we had to restrict enrolment numbers so now is your chance if you missed out last summer.
For further details on the course and to enrol, visit http://www.rrc.co.uk/nebosh%20environmental%20certificate.aspx.
Workplace Practical Assessments for all NEBOSH Certificate Students
RRC have now organised an exemption for all of our Certificate students, allowing them to complete their Practical Assessments in their workplace, rather than having to attend an examination centre on a set day.
We will be offering this new facility from the September 2009 exams and will be contacting all affected students over the coming weeks to explain how it will affect you.
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 A - Element 5
The HSE have recently produced a new, simplified format for the Health and Safety Law posters and leaflets which employers must provide in every workplace. The new poster and leaflet come under the Health and Safety Information for Employees Regulations 1989 (as amended). As with the old poster and leaflet, the duty is placed on the employer and they're required to provide employees with either the approved poster (on display), or the approved leaflet (individually). The new version of the poster and leaflet was approved for use from 6th April 2009. Employers can still use the old version until 5th April 2014. The new Health and Safety Law poster and leaflet each contain a contact number for the HSE Infoline; from here they will be put in touch with the health and safety enforcing authority for the premises or with the HSE for employment medical advice. You should update your course material and notes to reflect this new information, the relevant section can be found in the 'Tabulation of Statutory Regulations' under the 'Provision of Information and Development of Information Systems' title.
Another entry in this table requires amendment; the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2004 have been revoked and replaced by the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2007. Detail of this new legislation can be found in our online Health and Safety Law Guide, which can be accessed through your e-Zone Library.
We have also recently reviewed the section of your materials concerning 'Influence of Organisational Structures' under the 'Description of Health and Safety Culture and Climate' heading. We have produced a supplement to this section, which updates and clarifies the existing materials. The attachment below should replace the section of your Element 5 materials from the 'Influence of Organisational Structures' heading to 'Indicators of Culture'.
Influence of Organisational Structures
Any student with access to their materials through the e-Zone should note that this amendment has already been included in the online version of our materials.
Unit B - Element 2
You will remember that in our last e-Newsletter we told you about the EU REACH Regulations coming into force. We have now reviewed your materials and updated them to reflect this. You should note that:
- 'REACH is enforced in the UK under the REACH Enforcement Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/2852). These enforcement regulations essentially allocate REACH enforcement duties to, and confer powers on, various enforcement agencies (HSE, EA, SEPA, LA etc). They amend a number of existing regulations (including CHIP, COSHH and Control of Asbestos Regulations) and wholly revoke others.'
For more information on the REACH Enforcement Regulations you can download our free REACH podcast and booklet, both available from the Resource Centre at www.rrc.co.uk.
Unit C - Element 10
We have added a short paragraph to the end of the section on 'Waste' in your Element 10 materials. We have included it below, so you can add it into your materials and notes to update them in relation to new legislation.
- 'Amendment to the Regulations
The Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 came into force on the 6th April 2009. The amended regulations change the threshold at which companies have to register with the Environment Agency from 200kg to 500kg of waste produced at, collected from or removed from premises within a year. The regulations also explicitly identify that occupiers of domestic premises are not subject to the requirements of the regulations. However contractors who remove asbestos waste are, and are classed as the producer of the waste. Similarly the law exempts householders with regards to compliance with the regulations for other hazardous domestic wastes. The Regulations apply when waste is accepted for collection, disposal or recovery from a domestic site at which the waste is produced or to a site at which the waste is taken.'
Any student with access to their materials through the e-Zone should note that this amendment has already been included in the online version of our materials.
Click the following link to find information about future exams:
NEBOSH International Diploma
Unit IA - Element 5
We have recently reviewed the section of your materials concerning 'Influence of Organisational Structures' under the 'Description of Health and Safety Culture and Climate' heading. We have produced a supplement to this section, which updates and clarifies the existing materials. The attachment below should replace the section of your Element 5 materials from the 'Influence of Organisational Structures' heading to 'Indicators of Culture'.
Influence of Organisational Structures
Any student with access to their materials through the e-Zone should note that this amendment has already been included in the online version of our materials.
Click the following link to find information about future exams:
NEBOSH National Diploma in Environmental Management
The law has changed in relation to watercourses polluted by agricultural nitrates. We now have, for England, the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008 and, for Wales, the Nitrate Pollution Prevention (Wales) Regulations 2008. These revoke (but otherwise incorporate and extend) the previous Action Programme for Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (England and Wales) Regulations 1998. The new rules are more complex and are expected to have a higher financial impact on dairy farmers.
We will be updating your course notes shortly with regard to this change and will notify you of any required amends in the August newsletter.
Unit ED1 Element 2
We have recently updated a small section of your Element 2 materials to reflect legislative amendments. The update affects 'Principles of Environmental Toxicity and Ecotoxicity Testing'. You should add the following extract to the end of the current 'Risks from Chemical Substances' section of your materials:
'For many common hazardous chemicals, available data has already been evaluated and a harmonised, European-wide classification officially adopted. Classification and labelling data for these chemicals is published as Annex I to the Dangerous Substances Directive (67/548/EEC), as updated from time to time. This can be reviewed on-line or downloaded from the website of the Consumer Products Safety & Quality website (http://ecb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/). In the UK, this is currently also published, in a more user-friendly, alphabetical format; the Approved Supply List, Information approved for the classification and labelling of substances and preparations dangerous for supply, often abbreviated to just "ASL". The ASL is an approved document, which accompanies CHIP. It is updated from time to time (changes to classifications, new entries, etc.), so make sure that you consult the most recent edition.
These enforcement regulations essentially allocate REACH enforcement duties to, and confer powers on, various enforcement agencies (HSE, EA, SEPA, LA, etc.). They amend a number of existing regulations (including CHIP, COSHH and Control of Asbestos Regulations) and wholly revoke others. Thus, at least some requirements that once found themselves in several pieces of UK legislation have been consolidated (though modified) in to one place; REACH. This is no bad thing.'
Any student with access to their materials through the e-Zone should note that this amendment has already been included in the online version of our materials.
Unit ED1 Element 3
The ISO 9001 series has recently been revised. The new versions contain only minor changes and an update to your materials is unnecessary.
Unit ED1 Element 5
The Environmental Damage (Prevention and Remediation) Regulations 2009 have recently come into force to implement the Environmental Liability Directive. We have updated our materials to include this legislation. As a result, the section of your Element 5 materials entitled 'Environmental Liability Directive' (which can be found under 'Foreseeable Changes in UK Environmental Law') should be replaced by the following attachment. This attachment should be inserted immediately following the 'Environmental Liability Directive' heading, and replace you existing material up to the 'The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007' heading.
Any student with access to their materials through the e-Zone should note that this amendment has already been included in the online version of our materials.
Environmental Liability Directive
Unit ED1 Element 9
The Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005 have recently been amended by the Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2009. The main changes resulting from this amendment can be found in the extract below. You should add the following paragraph to the end of the 'Specific Legal Requirements Applying to Each Category of Waste' section of your Element 9 materials.
- 'Amendment to the Regulations
The Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 came into force on the 6th April 2009. The amended regulations change the threshold at which companies have to register with the Environment Agency from 200kg to 500kg of waste produced at, collected from or removed from premises within a year. The regulations also explicitly identify that occupiers of domestic premises are not subject to the requirements of the regulations. However contractors who remove asbestos waste are, and are classed as the producer of the waste. Similarly the law exempts householders with regards to compliance with the regulations for other hazardous domestic wastes. The Regulations apply when waste is accepted for collection, disposal or recovery from a domestic site at which the waste is produced or to a site at which the waste is taken.'
There has also been another legislative change relating to your Element 9 materials; the legislation concerning batteries and accumulators has been updated. The following paragraph should replace the section entitled 'EuroBAT' at the end of the 'Minimising Waste and Effluents' section in your materials.
- 'Producer Responsibility - Batteries
The Batteries and Accumulators (Placing on the Market) Regulations 2008 partially implement Directive 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators ("The Batteries Directive"). NB Accumulators are rechargeable batteries.
The regulations:
- Prohibit the use of cadmium and mercury above certain limits in batteries (varies for different battery types; some battery applications have exemptions).
- Require specific labelling to facilitate recycling (the crossed out wheeled bin symbol; 'Pb', 'Cd', 'Hg' if contains lead, cadmium or mercury, respectively).
- Require that appliances that use batteries are so designed that the batteries can easily be removed.
The remaining provisions of the Batteries Directive will be implemented in the UK by the Waste Battery Regulations 2009 (still at consultation stage but expected in early 2010). These provisions include:
- Battery producers will have to register with the regulator and join a battery compliance scheme (which will carry out waste battery collection, treatment and recycling obligations).
- Portable battery sellers will have to take back spent portable batteries who may pass these on (free of charge) to a battery compliance scheme.
- Battery users must only dispose of waste batteries at designated collection points (so a ban on the disposal of batteries in the bin for landfill or incineration).'
Any student with access to their materials through the e-Zone should note that this amendment has already been included in the online version of our materials.
Unit ED1 Element 13
The Pesticides (Maximum Residue Levels in Crops, Food and Feeding Stuffs) Regulations 1998 have recently been replaced by the Pesticides (Maximum Residue Levels) (England and Wales) Regulations 2008. You should update the 'Legislation Effecting Use of Pesticides' section in your Element 13 notes to reflect this change.
Click the following link to find information about future exams:
NEBOSH National General Certificate
Workplace Practical Assessments for all NEBOSH Certificate Students
RRC have now organised an exemption for all of our Certificate students, allowing them to complete their Practical Assessments in their workplace, rather than having to attend an examination centre on a set day.
We will be offering this new facility from the September 2009 exams and will be contacting all affected students over the coming weeks to explain how it will affect you.
Unit NGC1
A supplement has been prepared for your NGC1 materials and can be found below. It is intended to update and clarify specific sections of your material and includes legislative updates. You should read it in conjunction with your existing course materials.
Unit NGC2
A supplement has been prepared for your NGC2 materials and can be found below. It is intended to update and clarify specific sections of your material and includes legislative updates. You should read it in conjunction with your existing course materials.
Any student with access to their materials through the e-Zone should note that this amendment has already been included in the online version of our materials.
Click the following link to find information about future exams:
NEBOSH International General Certificate
RRC have now organised an exemption for all of our Certificate students, allowing them to complete their Practical Assessments in their workplace, rather than having to attend an examination centre on a set day.
We will be offering this new facility from the September 2009 exams and will be contacting all affected students over the coming weeks to explain how it will affect you.
Unit IGC1
A supplement has been prepared for your IGC1 materials and can be found below. It is intended to update and clarify specific sections of your material and should be read in conjunction with your existing course material.
Unit IGC2
A supplement has been prepared for your IGC2 materials and can be found below. It is intended to update and clarify specific sections of your material and should be read in conjunction with your existing course material.
Click the following link to find information about future exams:
NEBOSH Certificate in Construction Safety and Health
RRC have now organised an exemption for all of our Certificate students, allowing them to complete their Practical Assessments in their workplace, rather than having to attend an examination centre on a set day.
We will be offering this new facility from the September 2009 exams and will be contacting all affected students over the coming weeks to explain how it will affect you.
Unit NCC1
A supplement has been prepared for your NCC1 materials and can be found below. It is intended to update and clarify specific sections of your material and includes legislative updates. You should read it in conjunction with your existing course materials.
Click the following link to find information about future exams:
NEBOSH Certificate in Fire Safety and Risk Management
Click the following link to find information about future exams:
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