The purpose of this page is to provide businesses with important Health & Safety Information

It has been reproduced in part by kind permission from the Health and Safety Executive Essentials Guide. For up to date information, we recommend you contact the HSE info line direct on 08701 545500. All calls are confidential. Or visit their website: www.hse.gov.uk

Fire Risk Assessment

The amended Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations now require almost all businesses to carry out a complete fire assessment of their premises. The Fire Brigades are now actively enforcing the regulations through inspections. If the business employs 5 or more it must be fully documented.

There are a number of areas to consider when assessing possible fire risks.

• Identify all possible hazards. i.e. heaters, boilers, use of heat equipment, flammable liquids, smoking etc.
  
  
• Assess who is at risk. i.e. staff.
  
  
• Can improvements be made to minimise the risk. i.e. keep flammables outside in a metal container, ban smoking within the premises, check electrical equipment is tested on a regular basis, install a fire alarm.
  
  
• Make a record. Ensure everyone is made aware of any changes/ improvements to the workplace and ensure they are fully met. Ensure all staff know what and where to go in the event of a fire.
  
  
• Review the above at least annually, as there will always be improvement you can make.
  
  
• Produce a Disaster Plan that will detail what actions will be needed and by whom in order to minimise possible downtime.
  

Manual Handling

Before you start

Think about whether you need to do the job at all, and if there is an easier, safer way.

You must avoid manual handling if a safer way (e.g. mechanical) is practical. Design jobs to fit the work to the person rather than the person to the work. This will take into account human capabilities and limitations and improve efficiency as well as safety.

You must:

• Avoid manual handling where there is a risk of injury.
  
  
• Assess the risk of injury from any hazardous manual handling that can't be avoided.
  
  
• Reduce the risk of injury from hazardous manual handling.

Always consider automation or mechanisation as an alternative, but don't forget that this will introduce new hazards.

Think about:

• Providing mechanical help such as a sack truck or hoist.
  
  
• Making the loads smaller lighter or easier to grasp.
  
  
• Changing the system of work to reduce the effort required.
  
  
• Improving the layout of the workplace to make the work more efficient.
  
  
• As a final measure, think about protective equipment, e.g. for hands
  and feet.

When lifting:

• Stop and think - plan the lift. Do you need help? Is the area free of obstruction?
  
  
• Place the feet - apart, leading leg forward.
  
  
• Get a firm grip - keep your arms inside the boundary formed by the legs.
  
  
• Don't jerk.
  
  
• Move the feet - don't twist the body.
  
  
• Keep close to the load.
  
  
• Put down, then adjust.

Repetitive Handling

Repeated or awkward movements which are too forceful, too fast or carried out for too long can lead to disorders of the arms, hands or neck.

Risks may arise in jobs which involve:

• Gripping, squeezing, or pressing.
  
  
• Awkward hand or arm movements, eg bent wrist.
  
  
• Repeated, continuous movements which are fast and unvaried or tied to the speed of a machine

Safe lifting by machine

Safe lifting needs to be planned. Any equipment you use must have been properly designed, manufactured and tested.

Consider:

• What you are lifting.
  
  
• Its weight.
  
  
• Its centre of gravity.
  
  
• How to attach it to the lifting machinery.
  
  
• Who is in control of the lift.
  
  
• The safe limits of the equipment.
  
  
• Rehearsing lifts if necessary.
  
  
• Awkward, rigid or tense body positions, e.g. unnatural hand positions, outstretched arms, having to lean sideways.

People are not all the same and you should take account of this when ordering tools, designing jobs, and setting work speeds.

Also...

• Use only certified lifting equipment, marked with its safe working load, which is not overdue for examination.
  
  
• Keep the test certificate for all lifting machinery and tackle showing its safe working load, and the annual or six-monthly examination reports.
  
  
• Never use unsuitable equipment, e.g. makeshift, damaged, badly worn chains shortened with knots, kinked or twisted wire ropes, frayed or rotted fibre ropes.
  
  
• Never exceed the safe working load of machines or tackle. Remember that the load in the legs of a sling increases as the angle between the legs increases.
  
  
• Do not lift a load if you doubt its weight or the adequacy of the equipment.
  
  
• Make sure the load is properly attached to the lifting equipment. If necessary, securely bind the load to prevent it slipping or falling off.

Risks

• Reducing the levels of force required, e.g. by maintaining equipment and by using tools with well-designed handles.
  
  
• Reducing repetitive movements, e.g. by varying tasks, rotating jobs, using power-driven tools, reducing machine pace and introducing rest and recovery time.
  
  
• Getting rid of awkward positions by changing the workstation or work.
  
  
• Encourage the reporting of aches and pains - these are warning signs.
  
  
• Before lifting an unbalanced load, find out its centre of gravity. Raise it a few inches off the ground and pause there will be little harm if it drops.
  
  
• Use packing to prevent sharp edges of the load from damaging slings and do not allow tackle to be damaged by being dropped, dragged from under loads or subjected to sudden loads.
  
  
• When using jib cranes, make sure the load radius indicator and or automatic safe load indicator is correctly set, both for the job to be carried out and the set up of the crane.
  
  
• Outriggers should be used where necessary.
  
  
• When using multi-slings make sure the sling angle is taken into account.
  
  
• Have a responsible slinger or banksman and use a recognised signaling system.

Don't forget maintenance

Safe stacking

Materials and objects should be stored and stacked so they are not likely to fall and cause injury.

Do ...

• Stack on a firm, level base. Use a properly constructed rack when needed and secure it to the floor or wall if possible.
  
  
• Use the correct container, pallet or rack for the job. Inspect these regularly for damage and reject defective ones.
  
  
• Ensure stacks are stable, e.g. 'key' stacked packages of a uniform size like a brick wall so that no tier is independent of another; check pipes and drums to prevent, rolling and keep heavy articles near floor level.

Do not...

• Exceed the safe load of racks, shelves or floors.
  
  
• Allow items to stick out from stacks or bins into gangways.
  
  
• Climb racks to reach upper shelves - use a ladder or steps.
  
  
• Lean heavy stacks against walls.
  
  
• De-stack by throwing down from the top or pulling out from the bottom.

Safe transport

You must:

• Lay your workplace out so that pedestrians are safe from vehicles.
  
  
• Train your drivers.

Do...

• Separate vehicles and pedestrians where practical.
  
  
• Mark safe crossings.
  
  
• Control pedestrian access to loading bays and delivery points.
  
  
• Ensure drivers can see clearly, and pedestrians can be seen and be aware of vehicles. Where necessary, consider the use of mirrors, high visibility clothing, audible alarms, and lighting, both of the workplace and on vehicles.
  
  
• Make sure visiting drivers follow your rules.
  
  
• Designate level parking areas and leave vehicles in a safe state - apply the handbrake, switch off the engine and remove the keys. Check the wheels as necessary, e.g. when trailers are parked overnight.
  
  
• Check vehicles daily and have faults rectified promptly.
  
  
• Supervise vehicle movements - particularly when reversing and near blind corners. Always use recognised signals.
  
  
• Load and unload materials safely, e.g. ensure safe access onto vehicles for loading and sheeting. Materials should be safely secured.
  
  
• Avoid tipping on soft ground or in high winds.

Do not...

• Let unauthorised people drive. Keep keys secure when vehicles are not in use.
  
  
• Let passengers ride on the vehicle unless it is designed for this.

Measuring Noise

Noise is measured in decibels - you will usually see it written as dB(A). The noise level (the loudness) is measured on a scale from a silent zero dB(A) to 140 dB(A) in the noisiest situations. In most jobs, the risk depends not just on the noise levels but how long people are exposed to them. The total amount of noise exposure over the whole working day is called the daily personal noise exposure (usually shortened to LEP,d).

If you need to have your noise levels measured you should make sure it is carried out by a competent person who understands and can apply HSE's guidance on noise measurement.

Assess the risk

• Find out what the noise levels are in your workplace.
  
  
• As a guide the diagram overleaf shows some typical noise levels.
  
  
• If you cannot hear clearly what someone is saying when you are 2 m away, the level is likely to be around 85 dB(A) or higher, and if you cannot hear someone clearly when you are about 1 m away, the level is likely to be around 90 dB(A) or higher.

At First Action Level

• Have the risk assessed by a competent person.
  
  
• Tell your workers about the risks and precautions.
  
  
• Make hearing protection freely available to those who want it where levels exceed 85dB(A).
  
  
• Suggest your workers take medical advice if they think their hearing is being affected.

At The Second Action Level

You Must:

• Do all you can to reduce exposure other than providing hearing protection.
  
  
• Mark zones where noise reaches the second or peak action levels with recognised signs to restrict entry. People must not enter these zones unless wearing hearing protection.

Hearing Protection

Ensure that workers wear hearing protection where levels are above 90dB(A). Remember this is not a substitute for noise reduction.

Do not rely too heavily on hearing protectors. In practice they reduce noise exposure less than is often claimed because they:

• Are not fitted / worn correctly.
  
  
• Are not properly maintained.
  
  
• Are uncomfortable or inconvenient to wear.

Plastic foam or mineral fibre / waxed plugs, if properly worn, can be as good as earmuffs. To work, hearing protectors need to be worn all the time that people are in noisy places. If they are left off for even short periods, even the best protectors cannot greatly reduce noise.

Reduce exposure

• Think about reducing the length of exposure by rotating jobs or providing a noise refuge, e.g. at machine control points.
  
  
• Remember - hearing damage is cumulative. Make sure that young people in particular get into the habit of avoiding noise exposure, before their hearing is permanently damaged; their noise exposure outside adds to any hearing loss from noise at work.

Noise reduction

Consider:

• Choosing quiet machines or processes for new work. Makers must reduce noise by good design and construction and also provide noise data with their equipment if levels are likely to reach or exceed the first action level. If you are buying machinery insist on this information.
  
  
• Changing the machine and process for existing plant to produce less noise. Don't forget that other changes you make might affect noise levels.
  
  
• Enclosing noisy machines by providing acoustic enclosures. These have to be specially made of sound insulating materials and correctly installed. If they are not properly designed, noise escaping from holes, feed openings or poorly fitting panels may be higher than the noise was from the untreated machine.
  
  
• Putting noisy machines and processes in separate rooms, or fixing ceiling-high partitions.
  
  
• Fitting silencers to all exhausts and making sure they are kept in place and maintained.
  
  
• Whether the manufacturers' information on noise levels has been checked by actual measurements when the job is in progress.
  
  
• Whether better maintenance or a slower running speed would reduce noise levels.

Disclaimer
These note are provided to give businesses additional information regarding health and safety issues. Mill Hall accepts no responsibility for any accidents or actions, which may arise in the conduct of your business irrespective of the advice given within these notes.