News and Information
24th August 2010
Check Your Electrical Appliances
An analysis of portable appliance test reports carried out by Seaward has revealed the importance of regularly testing all electrical equipment.
Its analysis of more than 80,000 PAT tests revealed an average appliance failure rate of 1.4 per cent, which equates to more than 1100 potentially dangerous appliances that would not have been discovered had inspection and testing not been carried out.
The failures were typically recorded in such premises as offices, schools, universities and factories, and involved damaged mains cords, enclosures, or casings, exposed moving parts, and failed earth continuity, or insulation resistance tests. In industrial environments, such as engineering and manufacturing premises, the failure rates were, at an average of 7.4 per cent, much higher than the likes of offices and administrative services, reflecting the damage and mishandling often associated with power tools and other moveable electrical equipment.
Seaward also emphasised another potentially deadly effect of faulty portable electrical appliances: fire. It cited official UK fire statistics, which show that the Fire Service attended 136,000 accidental fires in non-residential dwellings between 2000 and 2005, the main cause of which was faulty appliances and leads, which were responsible for 30 per cent of the total.
During this same period, the Fire Protection Association revealed that there were 346 reported fire losses that were electrical in origin in premises other than dwellings. The total loss from these was £178m, with an average loss per incident of £50,000.
If you would like more information about PAT testing or would like Total Safety to provide this service for you, please contact us.
The full report can be found on the SHP website.
9th August 2010
Changes to rules on retirement could have health and safety implications
According to a report by SHP, the Government’s proposal to allow workers to continue in their job past the age of 65 could cause a health and safety headache for employers.The Government have published a consultation document on phasing out the default retirement age (DRA) as part of a series of steps to enable and encourage people to work for longer.
Employer groups reacted strongly to the announcement, with the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) suggesting the decision to abandon the DRA would leave businesses with “many unresolved problems”. Said deputy director-general, John Cridland: “This will create uncertainty among employers and staff, who do not know where they stand. There will need to be a code of practice to address practical issues; we will need changes in the law to deal more effectively with difficult employment situations.”
Such “difficult situations” would encompass health and safety issues, Mr Cridland suggested. He said: “In certain jobs, especially physically demanding ones, working beyond 65 is not going to be possible for everyone.”
IOSH said any physical and psychological changes caused by ageing can usually be addressed easily. The Institution’s head of research and technical services, Dr Luise Vassie, explained: “Our research shows that reaction time is reduced with age, but attention to detail and accuracy is increased. We found that hearing and sight might be affected in the over 50s, but any problems caused by this can generally be overcome by providing suitable equipment, or making adjustments in the workplace to assist the employee.”
For the full story and a link to the consultation document, Phasing out the default retirement age, click here.
20th July 2010
Survey reveals a lack in First Aid skills
According to the BBC Only one in 13 people feel confident they could carry out first aid on those ill and injured, a survey suggests. The British Red Cross quizzed 2,000 people in the UK about their knowledge and ability to help in a series of emergency situations. The survey revealed that people were particularly weak when it came to CPR – chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth.
In the poll, the British Red Cross asked people about their knowledge of how to deal with a range of scenarios such as if a neighbour was bleeding heavily, if someone was unconscious or if someone was hurt and not breathing.Just 14% of people would know what to do in all the situations, but half of those would be unwilling or not have the confidence to help. Fear of getting something wrong was cited by many, although some also said they were concerned about getting sued.
The charity said the findings were extremely worrying as an estimated half of all A&E visits could benefit from some form of first aid. However, the British Red Cross said it took comfort from the finding that 60% would be willing to try to help if they felt they did have the skills.
Joe Mulligan, head of first aid at the British Red Cross, said: "The positive thing this research shows us is that there is great willingness from the public to step in, but a lack of confidence or fear of getting something wrong is holding people back.
22nd June 2010
New Look Appeal Dismissed
The Court of Appeal has ruled against high-street retailer New Look after the company appealed that the £400,000 fine it received last year in relation to fire-safety breaches was excessive.
A fire on 26 April 2007 resulted in the evacuation of around 450 people from the store and required the attendance of thirty-five fire engines and around 150 firefighters to deal with the blaze.
A subsequent investigation found that a fire risk assessment, prepared on 16 January 2007 by an employee who was not responsible for fire safety, was defective. This resulted in confusion on the evening of the fire, when, instead of being ushered by trained staff to safe escape routes, customers made for the main exit by routes which took them under the heart of the fire on the second floor.
At a court hearing in November last year, the company pleaded guilty to a failure to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, and to ensure that its employees were provided with adequate safety training. The judge imposed a fine of £250,000 in respect of the first count and a fine of £150,000 in respect of the second. However, New Look appealed the penalty.
In a judgement handed down by Lord Justice Pitchford and published on 16 June 2010, the appeal court denied their appeal. Lord Justice Pitchford explained: “The magnitude of that risk was demonstrated, not by a death or serious injury, but by a fire in which death and serious injury was fortuitously avoided. What the fire served to illustrate was the magnitude of the risk, which the appellant ran with public safety.”
Report adapted from www.shponline.co.uk
15th June 2010
Health and Safety Review
There has been a mixed reaction to the news yesterday that the Government have appointed Lord Young of Graffham as advisor to the prime minister on health and safety law and practice to undertake a Whitehall-wide review of the operation of health and safety laws and the growth of the “compensation culture”.
The prime minister stated: “I’m very pleased that Lord Young has agreed to lead this important review. The rise of the compensation culture over the last ten years is a real concern, as is the way health and safety rules are sometimes applied.
“We need a sensible new approach that makes clear these laws are intended to protect people, not overwhelm businesses with red tape. I look forward to receiving Lord Young’s recommendations on how we can best achieve that.” However, many unions disagreed. The TUC believe that the review is “an attempt to undermine the already limited protection that workers have by focusing on the needs of business”.
Richard Jones, Policy and Technical Director for IOSH said,” We welcome any debate that helps to dispel the negative myth that health and safety is all about banning things…We need legislation to protect workers, and it’s important to remember that health and safety laws do a great job in helping prevent injury and illness at work. It’s the wider public-safety issues, involving leisure activities and children, where people seem to make up their own rules and we get all the crazy stories.’’
For more information see the full article at www.shponline.co.uk
10th June 2010
Staff Training – New Rights
Currently, if you feel, as a member of staff, that there is a need for training, unless you work in a company of more than 250 employees you don’t have the right to request it. However, a new regulation, ‘Time to Train’, was introduced in April which changes this situation. Time to Train is being phased in over twelve months, but by April 2011 the right to request training will be offered to all employees.
Training improves both employee effectiveness and business productivity and providing employees with an awareness of available training and the ability to request it will be beneficial to both their own development and the overall performance of company.
For more information click here.
25th May 2010
Six Figure Penalty for Fire Safety Breaches
The Safety and Health Practitioner website recently reported on the owner of a timber yard who has been ordered to pay a total of £130,300 after pleading guilty to several breaches of fire safety legislation.
Paul Ashley, of P and S Ashley Timberworks, in Cheshire, was found guilty of eight offenses against the Fire Safety Order at the Cheshire Crown Court on 11 May.?He was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay Cheshire Fire and Rescue service £50,300 in costs after repeatedly refusing to carry out fire safety measures.?
Despite being visited on several occasions by fire safety officers, the first time in February 2008, Mr Ashley failed to provide a suitable fire alarm or proper means of escape. He also failed to implement a ‘suitable and sufficient’ risk assessment.
Mark Cashin, deputy chief fire officer, said: "This is an excellent result. Fire safety is a key part of good business management and Mr Ashley showed little or no regard for the safety of his employees or the people living and working around his premises.”
For the full story go to www.shponline.co.uk
20th May 2010
First Aid – Employers' Legal Duties Explained
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to provide adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel to ensure their employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work. These Regulations apply to all workplaces including those with less than five employees and to the self-employed.
What is ‘adequate and appropriate’ will depend on the circumstances in the workplace. This includes whether trained first-aiders are needed, what should be included in a first-aid box and if a first-aid room is required. Employers should carry out an assessment of first-aid needs to determine what to provide.
The Regulations do not place a legal duty on employers to make first-aid provision for non-employees such as the public or children in schools. However, HSE strongly recommends that non-employees are included in an assessment of first-aid needs and that provision is made for them.
Source: www.hse.gov.uk/
11th May 2010
The Importance of CPR
The tragic news of the death of a 16-year old girl at a Swimming Pool last year due to the Life Guard stopping CPR too soon, has led to a number of calls for better training in this life saving technique.
The AoFA reported on this story earlier this year after being asked to comment on the case and highlighted the importance of CPR;
"If in doubt, do CPR. It is better to do CPR when not needed than not to do CPR when needed!"
Would you know what to do in a situation like that? Do you know how to carry out CPR? We offer a range of First Aid Courses open to everyone – from those wishing to brush up their skills and learn the latest techniques, to those who just want to know how to deal with an emergency. Please follow the links on the website, or contact us to find out more.
For the full story on the AoFA website, please click here.
29 April 2010
Major Retailers Fined for Fire Safety Law Breaches
Both Tesco and the Co-op have received large fines this month for breaching the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Following a small fire at Tesco's Colney Hatch store in 2007, a fire inspection by the London Fire Brigade found a number of breaches, including failure to keep the fire escape routes clear and a failure to have an up-to-date fire risk assessment.
Tesco pleaded guilty to the breaches and was found guilty on 20 April 2010. They received a fine of £119,000.
In Hampshire, the Co-op have also been fined for similar issues at their Southampton store, including fire exit doors being locked, a fire call point being blocked and the store manager had not been instructed in fire safety. Their fine amounted to £124,000.
To read the full stories visit www.info4fire.com/news.
Are you aware of your responsibilities under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005? Do you have an up to date fire risk assessment in place? Have you provided fire safety training for your staff?
If you would like help or advice with any of these issues, contact us on 0845 345 2138 or via email at info@tstc.org.uk.
22 April 2010
Poor Fire Safety Procedures Put Millions of UK Workers at Risk
According to a recent report by Info4fire.com, the Insurance Company, RSA, commissioned research which shows that a 25% of workers have never participated in a full fire evacuation of their workplace. One in 20 UK workers also said their workplace had no marked fire exits at all.
According to the survey, over 40% of people said they would spend time retrieving personal belongings or work documents before vacating the building. One in ten workers said they sit at their desks for more than a minute before getting up to leave the building on hearing the alarm go off, regardless of whether they believe there is a real fire or not.
David Geer, UK business director at RSA, said: “It is crucial in the case of fire safety that companies not only evacuate employees from the workplace quickly and efficiently in an emergency, but also make sure that staff are made acutely aware of fire safety procedures and the location of their nearest fire exit.”How seriously is fire safety taken by the company you work for? Do you know what to do when the fire alarm goes off? How often do you participate in a fire evacuation drill? For more information, training and guidance, contact us via email at info@tstc.org.uk or phone on 0845 345 2138.
16 March 2010
Automatic External Defibrillators
In conjunction with the Association of First Aiders, we are pleased to be able to now supply Automatic External Defibrillators for use in the workplace. The cost of £1250 which includes delivery and a full staff training package is considerably less than the RRP of £1395 + VAT.
Chris Richards, Operations Manager said “If someone suffers a cardiac arrest, the time between the arrest and receiving treatment is one of the most important factors in improving survival rates. Sometimes waiting for an ambulance just isn’t an option”.
For more information on AED’s, please contact us on 0845 345 2138.
26 January 2010
Air Livery fined for breach of Work at Height Regulations 2005
Several news sources have reported this week on the outcome of a court case involving Air Livery plc in Bristol following the fall of an employee which has left him unable to work for the last two years.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching the Work at Height Regulations 2005, for failing to put into place sufficient measures to prevent an accident after Robert Lupton fell 5 metres whilst re-painting an aircraft. The Magistrate ordered Air Livery to pay a fine of £2400 and over £9000 in costs.A statement from the company said: “We take health and safety very seriously and deeply regret this incident. We fully cooperated with the HSE’s investigation and subsequently updated the risk assessment and safe working procedures across all of our sites. Fall-arrest systems have also been introduced, and all of our staff and supervisors have received work at height training.”
Chris Richards, Operations Manager at Total Safety commented that, “The training of staff to enable them to carry out their jobs safely is absolutely essential. Here at Total Safety we offer a full range of training courses to help businesses meet their legal obligations under Health and Safety legislation, including ‘work at height’ training. In addition, we can help companies to review their health and safety practises, carry out the necessary risk assessments and produce the relevant policy documents."
Please email us at info@tstc.org.uk for more information on all your health and safety issues.
21 January 2010
Firm fined for illegal storage of Aerosols
The 'Safety & Health Practioner' has reported this month on the outcome of a court case involving a haulage firm who were caught illegally storing large quantities of aerosols.
The report states that AM Widdowson & Son Ltd (Leicestershire) had stored large amounts of aerosols, which contain liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), for around seven months, after winning a contract to transport the products.
HSE inspectors visited the site after being notified in July 2008 and estimated that around 500 tonnes – 10 times the legal limit – were being stored at the site.
The HSE Inspector stated that the quantity of aerosols being stored were a serious fire risk and "…would have posed a threat to employees on site and those in the surrounding area." He added that " Where there are serious failures to implement suitable arrangements for managing the risks from LPG, HSE will not hesitate to prosecute.”
The company were found guilty of breaching reg.6(2) of COMAH, for failing to send notice that it was storing large quantities of flammable substances, and s2(1) of the HSWA 1974. It was fined £5000 with costs of £4900.
6 January 2010
Shut That Door!
Checking that doors and windows are locked, and that the computer and lights are turned off, are things that most people do before leaving work for the night, and at home before going to bed, without even thinking about it. But do you also bother to shut the internal doors? – Many people don't. However, the simple action of shutting a door can stop smoke and fire from spreading around your home or place of work for up to 20 minutes. This will provide you with enough time to get everyone out of the building safely.
Shutting a door helps in two main ways – by preventing the poisonous smoke from leaving the room and blocking any escape routes, and by preventing additional oxygen entering the room and feeding the fire, causing it to grow more rapidly.
For Fire Safety advice for your home or business, please contact us at info@tstc.org.uk
10 December 2009
Landlord Fined for Fire safety Law breaches.
According to a news report in the Fire Safety Engineering newsletter, a landlord has been ordered to pay over £20,000 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to breaches of fire safety legislation.
City of Westminster magistrates' court fined the landlord £10,150 for seven breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The prosecution followed inspections of the property in Streatham Common, North Side in London on 17 April 2007 and 3 October 2007.
A spokesperson for London Fire Brigade said the breaches included no fire safety procedures in place or a way of informing tenants about fire safety arrangements, storage blocking an escape route and smoke alarms which had been removed or had low batteries inside them. In addition, no fire risk assessment had been completed for the premises.
Total Safety's Operations Manager, Chris Richards, commented, "Housing providers have a legal responsibility to conduct a fire risk assessment on their properties and implement the findings."
If you are unsure about your legal requirements with regard to Fire Risk Assessments, or would like to arrange for a risk assessment to be carried out, please contact us on 0845 345 2138 or email admin@tstc.org.uk.
29 November 2009
We are pleased to announce our recent affiliation to the Association of First Aiders. This ensures that every First Aid Course delivered meets nationally recognised standards and guarantees the highest level of teaching and course delivery. In addition each course delegate can be certain that the information they receive, and the practical exercises undertaken as part of the training experience, are always up to date, accurate and relevant to their needs within the workplace or home.
