Welcome to the RRC Newsletter
Welcome to the Summer 2007 International edition of Health and Safety Business. First off, we have an article on wind farms (be serious!), from a health and safety perspective of course, plus an article about driving on work business, something many of us do from time to time at least. Lest I forget, we also announce the winners of our iPod prize draws (no, I’ve never won anything either). So, flick over to see if you’ve won. Finally, don’t forget to check out the important updates to the course materials in Student Focus.
Best regards
David Towlson
Lead Tutor
What’s New on the Web...
RRC Training’s website http://www.rrc.co.uk is the place to go for free updates on everything that’s happening in the field of health and safety.
You can now access the following resources on the site, all of which are completely free of charge at http://www.rrc.co.uk/ResourceCentre.aspx :
- Weekly news updates.
- Monthly podcasts on key issues.
- Reference guides on hot topics.
- Opinion pieces.
- Useful links.
We are taking a short break in our podcasts over the Summer so the next one, on the subject of Office Health and Safety will be available on 1st September. Over the last two months, we have also covered the topics of the new REACH regulations and GHS Chemical Labelling – thrilling subjects we’re sure you’ll agree!
We are adding new resources all the time so make sure you visit the site regularly to ensure you are not missing out.
New Revision Webinars
During the last quarter we trialled revision web seminars (“Webinars”) for those on the NEBOSH Diploma programme and they were well received by the students that attended our trial sessions. Webinars are short sessions that make use of web- conferencing and voice-conferencing technology. The sessions are short, focused, interactive, immediate, visual and entail no travel – so they’re good for the environment too. We plan to do more of these in the Autumn for both NEBOSH Diploma and NEBOSH Certificate students, so look out for them.
New NEBOSH National General Certificate Revision Programme
Even those with the best of intentions can find themselves a month before their exam feeling lost as to where to begin their preparations. Our new structured revision package has been designed to provide you with the perfect 20-day revision plan to keep you on track in this crucial period in the run up to the exams. Not only does it incorporate coverage of the key topics and sample exam questions, but it also looks at the techniques you can use to make sure you are in the best frame of mind to succeed. It will be available for the December 2007 Exams.
Thanks for your Feedback
Many thanks to all of you who recently gave us your feedback regarding our e-newsletter. We received a huge response and while it was all very positive, we also received some useful suggestions to help us improve it further.
So what did you tell us? Well it seems as though our reputation as an international training provider is well deserved, with over a quarter of our readers being based overseas. The vast majority of respondents rate our articles on health and safety topics as being the most useful, followed by our roundup of health and safety news in the Noticeboard.
The majority of the readers who responded describe themselves as health and safety professionals and, of those who are not, 37% describe themselves as studying health and safety for career progression. A massive 96% of you find the e-newsletter easy to navigate around but many of you want to see more illustrations (we hope you notice that we have started implementing this suggestion already in this edition).
What’s also great to hear is that on average, those who responded each forward the newsletter on to two friends or colleagues. We know that finding reliable sources of easy-to-digest information can be difficult (particularly for those who are interested in international news) so if you think that someone you know would enjoy it, please pass it on. Alternatively, get them to sign up for themselves at: http://www.healthandsafetybusiness.com/Register.aspx
Some slightly disappointing news is that almost a third of respondents were not aware that we add topical health and safety news items to our website each week so you don’t need to wait three months for your next update. If you’ve not seen these items, why not take a look now by clicking here .
So now for the bit you’ve all been waiting for – who won the iPods? The winners are:
- Ms Sheila Coupe, Kent (iPod 30GB Video)
- Mr Allan Ferguson, Oxfordshire (iPod Shuffle)
- Mr John Thistlethwaite, Devon (iPod Shuffle)
- Mr Andy Griffiths, West Yorkshire (iPod Shuffle)
- Mr David Slater, Cleveland (iPod Shuffle)
We would like to thank you all again for your feedback but don’t think it has to end there. We are always keen to hear your thoughts and views so keep in touch.
New Exeter Centre Opening September 2007
Our research shows that local businesses and students wanting to develop their careers in health and safety are looking for a high quality, accredited training provider in the South West. So here we come!
We have selected the courses most relevant to local enquiries, training needs and economic development in the region so from September 2007 we’ll be offering a full range of courses, including NEBOSH, IOSH and CIEH programmes.
NEBOSH
National Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety
National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety
National Certificate in Construction Safety and Health
Certificate in Fire Safety and Risk Management
IOSH
CIEH
As our centre will be based just outside the City of Exeter, it will be easy to reach from all points of the compass and costs are substantially lower than one would expect due to our competitive local pricing policy.
For further details or to book a place on one of our courses, call a Customer Adviser on +44 (0) 20 8944 3108.
Congratulations to Dr Roger Bentley
We are sure you would like to join us in passing on our best wishes to one of our expert tutors, Dr Roger Bentley, who has recently been presented with a Distinguished Service Certificate by IOSH’s President, Lisa Fowlie.
Roger has been on the IOSH Council of Management for eight years and has also been a member of the Branch Executive Committee and organiser of the Central Lancashire District meetings. He has also served for six years (the maximum term allowed) as a member of the Technical Committee.
Roger has been tutoring with RRC for many years and will be familiar to many of you. He regularly tutors on our NEBOSH Certificate and Diploma programmes and has played a key role in helping to develop and run our e-learning programmes.
And the Expo winners are…
Many congratulations to the six lucky individuals who visited our stand at the recent Safety and Health Expo in Birmingham and won an iPod Nano. The winners were:
- Mr Steven Ridgley, Kent
- Mr Gary Curtis, London
- Mr Michael Lambert, Surrey
- Mr Chris Martin, London
- Mr Adrian Gallaway, Kent
- Ms Karen Davis, London
The exhibition was even busier than usual this year and the RRC stand was full of visitors taking advantage of the various competitions and giveaways available on the stand. If you didn’t get the opportunity to see us, why not visit our website (www.rrc.co.uk) or give us a ring on +44 (0)20 8944 3100.
Wind Farms Health and Safety
By Dr Richard Griffiths, PhD, MSc, MEd, Cert Ed, Grad R.S.C, CMIOSH, MIIRSM, AIEMA, FRSH, FRIPH
Reducing dependency on fossil fuels is a key element in tackling climate change and there is now a great deal of support from the UK Government for sustainable energy solutions, wind farms being one of them.
Wind farms can have a number of effects on the environment as well as possible health and safety issues. Since the early 1970s the wind energy industry has experienced 14 worker fatalities worldwide, directly or indirectly during wind farm construction or related accidents.
Driving at Work
By Wendy Claxton, CMIOSH, BSc (Hons) Biological Science, DIP2.OSH
According to the Health and Safety Executive it is estimated that up to a third of all road traffic accidents involve somebody who is at work at the time. This may account for over 20 fatalities and 250 serious injuries every week in the UK.
Road accidents can cause a great deal of disruption to a business through lost time, work-related ill health and even death. Clearly employers have a duty to comply with health and safety legislation (e.g. the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999) in addition to road traffic law to ensure that employees drive safely whilst at work, through:
News from RRC Middle East
Bahrain bans work on construction sites from 1200 hrs midday to 1600 under direct sun during summer months, July and August.
A ministerial order number 24/2007 published in the Official Gazette dated 12th July 2007 has banned all construction workers, whose jobs require them to work in open spaces or under the direct sun, from working between midday and 1600 hours.
This order applies for the summer months of July and August. The temperature has reached 45°C lately and is expected to rise to 50°C.
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.
All Students
Congratulations and Good Luck!
NEBOSH National Diploma
National Diploma Assignment Update
NEBOSH National General Certificate
Unit NGC1
Updating Information for Unit NGC1
Unit NGC2
Updating Information for Unit NGC2
NEBOSH Certificate in Fire Safety and Risk Management
Unit NGC1
Updating Information for Unit NGC1
NEBOSH Construction Certificate
News In Brief
On 16th April 2007, around 450 people, including 135 school students, were hospitalised in Guizhou province, south-west China, after a fertiliser plant discharged an unknown but “huge amount” of sulphur dioxide gas. Due to heavy fog, the gas cloud persisted at ground level, where it triggered respiratory reactions in those exposed to it over a wide area.
A two-year-old boy suffered severe burns when he went down a slide at a school in Maryland, USA. The slide had been splashed with an industrial-strength drain cleaner stolen from the school by vandals.
At least 32 workers died and two more were injured in north-east China in April in an accident at the Qinghe Special Steel Corporation in Tieling, Liaoning Province. They were engulfed in molten steel when a steel ladle sheared from a blast furnace. A criminal investigation into the accident has begun.
Gunmen attacked a boat carrying oil workers to an offshore rig in waters off southern Nigeria on 20th April 2007. Security forces drove off the attackers, but six passengers were wounded. More than 150 foreigners have been kidnapped over the past year in the region.
90 workers from the BP Texas City refinery were taken to hospital for observation in April after complaining of fumes causing eye and skin irritation. They had been carrying out work on an oil processing unit which has been shut down since Hurricane Rita two years ago. An inspection of the immediate area found no evidence of a leak and the workers were released from hospital some hours later.
An explosion in April at the Changcheng coal mine near Zhuzhou in Hunan Province, central China, flooded a shaft, trapping miners underground. Three were rescued but two further explosions meant little chance of survival for eight others. The mine had been ordered to close because of safety concerns and was operating illegally. The owner fled after the first explosion and did not report it.
A British tourist has been awarded compensation of £13,500 by a Czech appeals court following an accident in Prague in 2003 when a Christmas tree fell on him, breaking his spine. The city and the agency which organised the Christmas market the tourist was visiting were found liable for the tree falling.
Pemex reported that an accident took place on 2nd May 2007 onboard the Perforadora Mexico Sonora drilling platform in the Gulf state of Campeche. At least three workers were killed and four others suffered serious injuries when a cable snapped. The injured workers were taken to a hospital in Ciudad del Carmen for treatment. Pemex said it was assisting authorities with the investigation into the cause of the accident.
Two elephant handlers died in Thanh Hoa province in northern Vietnam in late May when they were gored by a male elephant with one tusk. The animal had been forced to work without food and had already killed another worker in 1994.
Following a shoring collapse at the Infinity Tower in Dubai Marina in February 2007, Dubai Municipality is seeking stricter enforcement of two piling and shoring works regulations issued last year. Developers claim the clampdown is causing cost overruns and project delays, as they now have to submit plans to a third party consultant. Groundworks contractors have to put additional anchors into building substructures along with thicker piles and more rebar.
A ban on smoking in public places came into force in Finland on 1st June 2007. 96% of Finns are said to support the ban – a higher proportion than in the rest of Europe.
The European Union is to ban the use of mercury in barometers, to prevent toxic metals from entering the food chain. Production of new mercury barometers will be phased out over two years.
Eleven people died and 24 were injured when a lorry and a train collided at a rail crossing in Kerang, southern Australia in June. Flashing lights and warning bells were operating at the crossing, which has no gates. The lorry driver has been charged and if convicted of culpable driving could be sentenced to 20 years in prison.
A fire which broke out in a factory on 11th June 2007 in the Dock Road area of Limerick City, Ireland, resulted in Limerick Fire Service issuing a public health warning after fears that asbestos dust could have been released into the air. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was brought in to assess air quality, but no immediate information was made available publicly.
On 15th June 2007, the Ujung Pangkah gas field, located offshore from Indonesia in East Java, was shut down following a fire that broke out on the rig. All production and well activities were stopped. The field produces approximately 40 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, which is shipped onshore via a 38-kilometre pipeline to the state power utility PT Perusahann Listrik Negara.
In June 2007, the emirate of Abu Dhabi introduced a clause governing the use of hazardous materials in building products for construction contracts, which will form part of Abu Dhabi Law No. 1 of 2007. It imposes strict liability on contractors, who will now be held legally liable for the use of hazardous materials, such as asbestos, in public building projects. Contractors will face fines if they use a product considered hazardous to health or the environment.
Linate airport in Milan was closed for three hours in June to enable volunteers to round up hares. The animals had been invading the runways, confusing the ground radar and endangering aircraft landing and taking off. Two hundred volunteers caught 57 hares and four rabbits, which were transferred to wildlife reserves.
The Panyu Environmental Protection Bureau in Guangdong province, southern China, is using a human sniffer team to track pollution. Eleven people have been trained to sniff out foul gases and other dangerous chemicals in the air. Their contracts are only for three years, however, due to the human sense of smell deteriorating with age.
Fire-fighters called to a blaze in Edinburg, Texas, in late June spent half an hour breathing in marijuana fumes as they fought the fire. 2,000lb (907kg) of marijuana was destroyed in the incident and according to the city’s fire chief, the fire-fighters would have failed a drugs test.
A fire-eater and a hotel director are on trial in Turkey following the death of a six-year-old British girl in an explosion during a show. The accident occurred at the resort of Didim and the two accused face up to 15 years in prison.
Two workers died and another two were injured as they dismantled a stage at a football stadium in Spain following a concert by the Rolling Stones. Three of the workers fell 10 metres (33ft) onto the fourth worker. The victims were said to be three Spaniards and a Dutchman.
There is to be a partial driving ban in Beijing between August 7th and 20th in an attempt to disperse the smog which shrouds the city. A million cars are expected to be temporarily removed from the roads. The city has set a goal for a certain number of “blue-sky” days each year and last year achieved 241 compared to less than 100 ten years ago. In June this year, however, there was poor air quality on 15 days, making it the most polluted June since 2000.
The EU is planning legislation to make cigarettes safer. It may require all cigarettes sold in the EU to be “self-extinguishing” if they are left unattended after being lit. The aim is to reduce the number of deaths caused by fires. Similar legislation has already been introduced in Canada and in the US states of New York and California.
Noticeboard
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