Updated HSE ACOP - Welfare Regs.

This month the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published new guidance for employers on how to protect the health, safety and welfare of their workers.

Following consultation, HSE has reviewed and updated the Workplace Regulations Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) (L24) to make it easier for employers to understand and meet their legal obligations and so reduce the risks of over-compliance.

Following recommendations by Professor Ragnar Löfstedt in his report ‘Reclaiming health and safety for all’, the ACOP was identified for review and revision, consolidation or withdrawal.

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 cover a wide range of basic health, safety and welfare issues and apply to most workplaces except for those involving work on construction sites, those who work in or on a ship and those who work below ground at a mine.

Legal responsibilities to protect workers’ health and safety are not altered by any changes to the ACOP.
HSE spokesman Chris Rowe said: ‘Across HSE we are working hard to ensure that employers have access to good-quality advice which makes clear what they need to do to protect workers.

‘The revised ACOP will help employers understand the regulatory requirements on key issues such as temperature, cleanliness, workstations and seating, toilets and washing facilities.’

The review of and subsequent revision to the Workplace ACOP was subject to public consultation and the changes were agreed by both the HSE Board and the minister of state with responsibility for health and safety.

More info: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l24.pdf

New First Aid Rules

Changes to the rules about the HSE approving First Aid training come into force tomorrow. The HSE have issued guidance for employers.

Under the amended regulations the requirement for workplace first aid training providers to be approved by the HSE is removed from 1 October 2013.The amendments cover carrying out a first aid needs assessment and selecting a first aid training provider.

Legislation Update - First Aid Training

Following a review of First Aid Training Provision it was determined that the HSE's current approval process goes beyond the minimum requirement laid out in EU legislation.  Therefore it is expected that changes to the current edition of L74, ‘First Aid at Work’ (Approved Code of Practice and Guidance)  are expected in October 2013.

As an interim the HSE have published three draft guidance documents.

The documents deal with assessing First Aid needs in the workplace, the second addresses selection of appropriate training providers, while the third presents a selection of example scenarios to help employers with the assessment of First Aid needs. Full details can be found here

As progress continues with this important change we will keep you informed.  Remember the old regs still apply until the new ones are published.

If you need any health and safety advice please contact us 01270 589615

Safety Training is always available from www.entrainment.co.uk

Legislation Update - The Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Repeals, Revocations and Amendments) Regulations 2013

Catchy title eh?  We flagged these revisions up earlier in the year and subject to Parliamentary approval it is now in place.

The full list of measures being removed are:

• Celluloid and Cinematograph Film Act 1922
• Gasholders (Record of Examinations) Order 1938 
• Shipbuilding and Ship-repairing Regulations 1960
• Celluloid and Cinematograph Film Act 1922 (Repeals and Modifications) Regulations 1974
• Celluloid and Cinematograph Film Act 1922 (Exemptions) Regulations 1980
• Gasholders and Steam Boilers (Metrication) Regulations 1981
• Locomotives etc Regulations 1906 (Metrication) Regulations 1981
• Notification of Installations Handling Hazardous Substances Regulations 1982
• Docks, Shipbuilding etc (Metrication) Regulations 1983
• Construction (Head Protection) Regulations 1989
• Notification of Installations Handling Hazardous Substances (Amendment) Regulations 2002
• Notification of Conventional Tower Cranes Regulations 2010
• Notification of Conventional Tower Cranes (Amendment) Regulations 2010

For more information see - http://www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/repeals-revocations.htm

 

We hope you find these regular safety updates useful.  If you would like any assistance with safety training, auditing or other guidance please contact us 01270 589615

Safety Update - How's Your First Aid Knowledge?

If somebody in your workplace, your sports club, at the supermarket or even at home collapsed in front of you, would you know what to do?

Can you answer these questions?

• Do you recognise the symptoms of a Heart Attack?
• Do you recognise the Symptoms of a Stroke?
• Can you check somebody’s pulse?
• How do you check if somebody is breathing?

These are all essential skills and a small amount of knowledge could help save someone’s life. If you haven’t had first aid training please consider getting some.

And finally if you are waiting with a patient who’s heart has stopped, do you know where the nearest defibrillator is? There are more and more of these life saving pieces of kit becoming available. For a list of publically available defibrillators (PADs) check out this web site. If your company, shop or sporting club has one that is not listed here see if you can get it registered.

Safety Update - Poor Safety Costs

And they are sending out the bills!

You might remember that a while back we advised you that the HSE would charge for a range of interventions where H&S breaches were found. Well an update on the governments 'Fee for Intervention' taken from the HSE Board meeting on 30 January 2013 revealed that first invoices were sent out the week commencing 21 January.

“The total sum invoiced for the first three months (Oct-Dec 2012) was £727,645 - in respect of 1,419 invoices. The average amount invoiced was £513 with 10% of invoices having a value greater than £1,000 and 70% less than £500. The independent members of the disputes panel have yet to be announced , though the panel is expected to meet for the first time in March.” - source: HSE published data.

You have been warned!  Health and safety Issues? let us help:

Health and Safety Consultancy - Call 01270 589615
Safety Training - www.entrainment.co.uk - we practice what we teach!

Safety Update - Winter Vomiting Bug

Or more correctly Norovirus; as the name suggests, a virus. It causes gastroenteritis (stomach upset) which is often dubbed winter vomiting disease as it is far more common in the winter months (although it does cause infection all year round). It is very infectious with only a few virus particles required to cause infection.

The most common symptoms are nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. The onset can be very sudden and the vomiting quite dramatic (projectile vomiting). There is no specific treatment for the infection, other than to stay at home, drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration and let it take its course. Most people make a full recovery within 1 to 2 days.

Because the virus is so infectious, outbreaks are common, with person-to-person transmission rates being high. Immunity to norovirus is short-lived and there are different types of norovirus, so don’t assume that if you have been infected recently that you are now protected.

The virus will be present in very high numbers in the vomit and faecal material from an infected person, and it is capable of living for several days in the environment. If you think you are ill with norovirus, it is recommended that you do not visit your GP (as this increases the risk of spreading the disease). If, however, you are ill for longer than a few days or you are already suffering from a serious illness – contact your surgery by phone to ask for advice.

To stop the spread of norovirus – practice proper hand hygiene (wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water), do not prepare food for others while infected (if possible avoid the kitchen altogether while you are ill), do not share towels or flannels, clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces (any hard surfaces contaminated with vomit or diarrhoea should be immediately cleaned and disinfected with household bleach), wash contaminated laundry thoroughly (handle the soiled items carefully, preferably wearing rubber gloves.

So there is is a concise guide to winter vomiting disease - stay healthy!