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INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OFRISK AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT
Visit our website at wwwiirsmorgIssue 052017
From risk to resilience
Risk-taking has always been an inherent part of business ndash the more risks you take the more you stand to win or lose Fundamentally this hasnrsquot changed But the quotient of risk needed to deliver the target reward has
To prosper in the face of a rapidly changing world organisations need to improve how they deal with unexpected disruptions to complex issues Companies can cultivate such resilience by understanding their vulnerabilities mdash and developing specific capabilities to compensate for those vulnerabilities
How should risk managers respond to these developments One way is to become much better at risk assessment and analysis and avoid actions that entail more than moderate degrees of risk This approach can ensure survival in the short
term since the company will avoid major disasters but it will put its long-term survival at risk since it will lose out to more aggressive competitors who are successful in the risks they take
Companies must be strategic in the risks they take doing so in an intelligent manner by becoming risk-resilient organisations By risk-resilient we mean the ability of an organisation to recognise take and quickly and effectively adapt to changes and the resulting risk This requires rapid acquisition and analysis of vast quantities of
information generating knowledge out of this analysis based on recognising patterns having a flexible and nimble organisation where local units have the autonomy to respond to changing circumstances and having strong risk governance procedures at the board and executive level
ldquoWhile some businesses have started to engage with risk resilience through training very few have integrated it into their HR or health and wellness strategy and processes ndash meaning they have just scratched the surface in terms of whatrsquos possible when you get resilience rightrdquo says IIRSM Deputy President Andy Hawkes
ldquoResilient employees resilient teams and ultimately whole organisations that are ready and able to thrive in the face of the challenges and uncertainties that lie ahead will be the winnersrdquo he adds
EU road deaths ldquonot improving quickly enoughrdquo
13INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Bosses jailed after fatal fall cover up attempt
02 Bringing safety out of the silo06 IIRSM signs MoU
with KOSHA11
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Many organisations have just scratched the surface in terms of whatrsquos possible when you get resilience rightrdquo
wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 32
News Prosecutions
CHIEF EXECUTIVE Phillip PearsonDIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP AND COMMUNICATIONSClare FlemingMANAGING EDITOR Louis Wustemann
EDITOR Kellie Mundellkelliemundelllexisnexiscouk DESIGNER Jo Jamieson
ADDRESSIIRSM 77 Fulham Palace Road London W6 8JA UK Tel +44 (0)20 8741 9100 Fax +44 (0)20 8741 1349Website wwwiirsmorgEmail infoiirsmorg
Registered in England and WalesCharity No 1107666Company No 5310696
PUBLISHED BY LexisNexis copy Reed Elsevier (UK) Limited 2017Printed by Stones Ashford Ltd Kent
This publication is intended to be a general guide and cannot be a substitute for professional advice Neither the authors nor the publisher accept any responsibility for loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of material contained in this publication
Reproduction copying or extracting by any means of the whole or part of this publication must not be undertaken without the written permission of the publishers
ISSN 1746-1359
News Prosecutions
WORK AT HEIGHT
Bosses jailed after fatal fall cover up attempt
Worker brought harnesses to the site after the incident
Three company bosses have been jailed following the death of a man who fell from a roof
Benjamin Edge 25 was working without safety equipment in wet and windy conditions in a quarry in Ramsbottom Greater Manchester in 2014 when he fell from on top of a shed he was helping to dismantle He died from head injuries
Manchester Crown Court was told that Christopher and Robert James Brown and worker Peter Heap conspired to hide the safety management failings to make it look like Edge had taken off his harness before he fell and ignored management instructions
Heap 34 who had been working on the roof alongside Edge brought harnesses to the site just hours after the accident at the request of Christopher Brown The latterrsquos brother Robert James Brown also falsified a risk assessment that should have been completed before work started
The brothers who admitted trying to cover up what had happened were each jailed for 20 months after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice and failing to ensure the safety of employees and others Their firm SR and RJ Brown was ordered to pay a fine of pound300000 after admitting corporate manslaughter
Mark Aspin Director of groundworks firm MA Excavations which had
contracted the work to demolish the shed to SR and RJ Brown was sentenced to 12 monthsrsquo imprisonment for failing to ensure the safety of others at work and failing to ensure that the work was planned and managed MA Excavations was fined pound150000
Heap was sentenced to four months in prison suspended for two years for perverting the course of justice
Outside court after sentencing Benrsquos mother Janet Edge said ldquoThe sentence given to those responsible for Benrsquos death and for their abhorrent actions bears nothing compared to the life sentence my family and I began on December 10 2014
ldquoWhy Ben was on that roof in the most appalling weather conditions seen for a long time we will never know
ldquoHe was a qualified land based agricultural engineer ndash he was not qualified to work on that structurerdquo
REGULATION
Govt releases Brexit white paperThe government has published a white paper on the Great Repeal Bill which will convert EU derived safety law into UK legislation
The Great Repeal Bill will mean that all laws stemming from EU directives ndash including health and safety regulations such as the ldquoSix Packrdquo and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations ndash are transferred into UK law allowing the UK to leave the political bloc without opening gaps in the statute book The government says that once the process is complete parliament ldquowill be able to decide which elements of that law to keep amend or repealrdquo
The white paper was published days after the UK triggered article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty the formal notification that the UK intends to leave the EU The government now has two years to negotiate its exit during which time parliament will prepare the Great Repeal Bill so that the same laws apply on the first day after Brexit
In the foreword to the white paper which was released on 30 March Prime Minister Theresa May said that the government has been keen to provide clarity and reassurance to businesses ldquoOur decision to convert the lsquoacquisrsquo ndash the body of European legislation ndash into UK law at the moment we repeal the European Communities Act is an essential part of this plan This approach will provide maximum certainty as we leave the EU
ldquoThe same rules and laws will apply on the day after exit as on the day before It will then be for democratically elected representatives in the UK to decide on any changes to that law after full scrutiny and proper debaterdquo
Benjamin Edge was a 25 year old father of one
WORKPLACE TRANSPORT
Construction giant fined pound800000 after unsupervised driver killed his brother
A construction firm has been fined pound800000 after a man accidentally crushed his brother to death by running him over with a dump truck
Paul Griffithsrsquo foot became stuck between the truckrsquos brake and accelerator at Heathrow Airport when he tried to move a broken down scissor lift
The truck reversed and crushed his brother Philip Griffiths who was standing between the two vehicles The 38 year old was pronounced dead at the scene
Construction firm Laing OrsquoRourke failed to ensure Paul was trained to operate the
dumper and admitted breaching Regulation 22(1)(a) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 As well as the fine the firm was ordered to pay pound10000 in court costs
An HSE investigation found that neither brother was authorised with the appropriate certificate to use the truck and the operation was not properly overseen or managed
Outside Southwark Crown Court Robert said his brotherrsquos death led to the deterioration of their fatherrsquos health and
said he had lost his lsquobest friendrdquoSpeaking after sentencing
HSE Inspector Jack Wilby said ldquoThis incident was a tragedy for all concerned and as revealed by our investigation entirely avoidable Laing OrsquoRourke failed to address the trend of these workers carrying out tasks they werenrsquot trained or authorised for These dedicated staff needed more appropriate supervision Had there been appropriate supervision then better segregation between
Philip and these two vehicles could have been established and maintained This case should act as a reminder of the dangers of using workplace transport without proper planning management or monitoring of the risks involvedrdquo
Itrsquos the second time the construction giant has been prosecuted over a death at the airport In 2005 Matthew Gilbert 27 died when he fell 17 metres to the concrete floor below as a concrete slab he was standing on collapsed Parminder Singh 21 suffered life-changing injuries in the fall
MAJOR HAZARDS
Essar Oil in the dock after refinery explosion
No one was harmed in the blast but it caused pound20m worth of damage
An oil company has appeared in court following an explosion at its Stanlow refinery in Ellesmere Port
Liverpool Crown Court heard that while there were no injuries the blast from the early hours of 14 November 2013 caused internal structures to collapse with damage totaling more than pound20 million
Problems started at the site during the start-up of its main distillation unit when extremely flammable hydrocarbons were allowed to enter an unignited furnace The heat from another furnace nearby triggered the explosion which destroyed the furnace starting a number of fires which the fire service had to safely bring under control
The incident was reported to the EU as a major accident under schedule 7 of the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations 1999
A HSE investigation found that Essar Oil UK failed to take all measures necessary to prevent or mitigate a major accident A safety critical valve was ordered and installed incorrectly and Essar failed to correctly validate its operation
The UK arm of Indian-owned Essar pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 of the Control of Major Hazards Regulations and was fined pound1650000 with costs of pound57644
Speaking after sentencing HSE Principal Inspector Joanne Eccles said ldquoThe industry should take notice of this case there were no injuries but mistakes were made and could have been preventedrdquo
InBriefUnite raises concerns over safety of windfarms following two deathsThe Unite union has called for urgent action to improve safety standards on windfarms after two workers died falling from turbines within a fortnight
A 37 year old Portuguese engineer Antonio Linares was killed on 15 March at the Kilgallioch Windfarm which is under construction in south Ayrshire He was working for Spanish wind turbine manufacturer and contractor Gamesa
It was reported that Linares fell inside a tower that was still under construction
On 29 March a Spanish worker fell from a turbine at the Whitelee Windfarm in east Renfrewshire
It is understood that maintenance work was happening at the time
Both the windfarms are operated by ScottishPower Renewables
The same type of vehicles involved in the incident
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Why Ben was on that roof in the most appalling weather conditions seen for a long time we will never knowrdquo
Neither brother had a valid CPCS card required to operate the dumper
Had there been appropriate supervision then better segregation between Philip and these vehicles could have been established and maintainedrdquo
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News ProsecutionsNews Prosecutions
SAFE SYSTEMS OF WORK
Site manager guilty of manslaughter after lawyer crushed by window framesA construction company director and site manager has been found guilty of the gross negligence manslaughter of a passerby who was crushed by three window frames that had been left propped up on the pavement in Londonrsquos Mayfair
Amanda Telfer 43 died when the frames weighing around 665kgs fell on top of her outside 5 Hanover Square on 30 August 2012 during renovation of a ground floor and basement gallery
The frames had been delivered the previous day but left unsecured overnight the Old Bailey heard and toppled over as Ms Telfer passed on her way to the offices of Keystone Law near Oxford Street Passers-by rushed to help and managed to lift off the frames but she was unconscious and not breathing
An investigation by the Metrsquos Homicide and Major Crime Command with the assistance of the HSE found that no efforts were made to secure them and no barrier was placed around them the court heard
No checks were made on them when work resumed on site the next morning
Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson QC told the jury it was ldquoobvious to anyonerdquo the heavy frames carried a ldquoclear and serious risk of deathrdquo to anyone nearby
ldquoThere were a series of obvious and in many cases straightforward steps that could have been taken to avoid that risk ranging from cancellation delay refusal of delivery on the one hand to the storage the use of straps
and barriersrdquo he said ldquoNone were taken by any of the defendants and Amanda Telfer died as a resultrdquo
Kelvin Adsett was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence and safety offences The 64 year old was the on-site project manager for IS Europe which was also convicted of safety offences
Site manager for principal contractor Westgreen Construction Damian Lakin-Hall 50 was convicted of safety offences He was acquitted of manslaughter
Both were bailed to appear at the Old Bailey for sentencing on 5 May
HEAT STRESS
Firefightersrsquo higher heart attack risk lsquobecause of heatrsquo
Study links heat and exertion to heart attacks in healthy firefighters
Working in high temperatures increases the risk of suffering a heart attack researchers have said
The University of Edinburgh randomly selected 19 non-smoking healthy firefighters from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to take part in the study
They took part in exercises including an attempted mock rescue from a two-storey structure which exposed them to extremely high temperatures while wearing heart monitors Researchers found their core body temperatures remained high for three to four hours following exposure to the fire They also found their blood became stickier and was about 66 more likely to form potentially harmful clots Their blood vessels also failed to relax in response to medication
The research team believe that the increase in clotting was caused by a combination of fluid loss due to sweating and an inflammatory response to the fire heat which resulted in the blood becoming more concentrated and so more likely to clot
The researchers also found that the exposure to fire caused minor injury to the heart muscles
According to the studyrsquos senior study author Nicholas Mills heart attacks are the most common cause of death among on-duty firefighters with the potentially fatal
cardiac event most likely to occur during or shortly after working to put out a fire
ldquoWe found a direct link between the heat and physical activity levels encountered by firefighters during their duties and changes in blood clotting that would increase their risk of suffering a heart attackrdquo said Mills of the British Heart Foundation Center for Cardiovascular Sciences which funded the project
In the report published in the journal Circulation authors noted other limitations such as the possibility that firefighters might encounter other stressors not replicated in the exercise like smoke or psychological stress
ldquoIt is very rare and unusual for a healthy person without heart disease to have a heart attack even under such extreme conditionsrdquo Dr Stefanos Kales a researcher at Harvard Medical School who wrote an accompanying editorial told Reuters
ldquoHowever a person who appears healthy but who has unrecognised coronary blockages andor heart enlargement could succumb to an acute cardiac event under these conditionsrdquo
HEALTH AND SAFETY EXECUTIVE
HSE outlines new business plan
The HSE has published its 2017ndash18 business plan outlining its future budget expectations and its priorities for the coming year
The latest plan includes an aim to participate in the governmentrsquos wider agenda on security risks and cyber security where it plans to develop a cyber strategy for the chemicals sector
It is also working to create an ldquoevidence baserdquo on blue tape undertaking to ldquosummarise progress present evidence and outline proposals for future activities to the HSE boardrdquo by the fourth quarter of the financial year
On chemical registration which is due to be thrown into upheaval by Brexit the HSE says it will ldquoconduct informal consultation to support the review and simplification of occupational health and safety regulations in chemicalsrdquo reporting its findings to the HSE board
Taking forward key elements from the regulatorrsquos overall strategy lsquoHelping Great Britain work wellrsquo it plans to focus on
leading and engaging with others to improve workplace health and safety
providing an effective regulatory framework
securing effective management and
control of risk reducing the likelihood of low-
frequency high-impact catastrophic incidents
The HSE also says it is going to discuss offering a form of ldquoaccreditationrdquo to companies that sign up to commitments under Helping GB Work Well and will also publish its final sector plans at a national event
Amanda Telfer died when the half tonne frames toppled onto herNineteen non-smoking healthy firefighters from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service took part in the study
MENTAL HEALTH
Mind awards showcase commitmentMindrsquos inaugural Workplace Wellbeing Index Awards took place recently recognising and celebrating employersrsquo commitment to prioritising mental health at work
Based on a number of measures and input from HR professionals managers and staff from within their organisation employers were awarded either lsquoGoldrsquo lsquoSilverrsquo lsquoBronzersquo or lsquoCommitted to Actionrsquo The most mentally healthy workplaces are those that have in place measures to tackle the causes of work related stress and poor mental health promote good wellbeing for all their employers and support staff experiencing mental health problems
The Environment Agency ndash an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Environment Food amp Rural Affairs (DEFRA) ndash topped the board at number one and alongside Ark Conway Primary Academy a primary school in West London received a Gold Award - the most prestigious accolade
Taking place at Londonrsquos Soho Hotel the event was hosted by TV presenter author and Mind Ambassador Anna Williamson The awards coincided with data released by the mental health charity showing that of those staff who had disclosed poor mental health at work (2200 employees) just over half (53) said they felt supported and 72 said theyrsquod been made aware of the support tools such as employee assistance programmes counselling staff support network or informal buddying systems More than half were offered reasonable adjustments or support measures such as changes to hours worked or the nature of some of their duties
While the research suggests that overall staff working for these organisations reported having good mental health at work where their mental health wasnrsquot good they felt their workplace was a contributory factor Just over one in ten said their mental health was poor One in four (26) experiencing poor mental health said that this was due to problems at work
InBriefUtility co fined pound900k over fatal fall Electricity North West has been prosecuted over the death of a 63 year old worker who fell from an electricity pole while trying to clear it of ivy growth
John Flowers died after falling about six metres while clearing tree branches from around power lines in Gregson Lane Hoghton on 22 November 2013
Electricity North West was convicted of contravening work at height regulations by failing to ensure the work was properly planned and supervised but was cleared of two other charges at Preston Crown Court
New safety barriers code of practiceA new BSI-backed standards document on segregating traffic in workplace environments using safety barriers has been published
It is intended for use by anyone who is selecting appropriate safety barriers for their workplace to protect personnel vehicles and structures applying traffic management procedures testing and measuring safety barrier performance or manufacturing and distributing safety barriers
The new code of practice gives recommendations for the impact resilience dimensions and positions of safety barriers in the workplace and guidance on how to manage the risks associated with vehicles within the workplace It also specifies the criteria for testing the impact resilience of a barrier
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It is very rare and unusual for a healthy person without heart disease to have a heart attack even under such extreme conditionsrdquo
Read more about the HSErsquos new business plan at wwwhealthandsafetyatworkcomhse new-business-plan
Accident reduction Accident reduction
Bringing safety out of the siloOccupational accidents are the symptoms of the disease of poor management says Michael Stephens
It is not easy for safety professionals to focus away from the traditional view of concentrating on accidents and identifying causesrdquo
The main function of a safety professional is to prevent accidents and ill health at work It is here
that many concentrate their efforts ndash investigating accidents and near-misses and persuading management to implement control measures to prevent recurrences This is the traditional approach and at this moment there are probably many thousands of health and safety professionals around the world talking to senior management about Birdrsquos triangle and targeting near-misses But is it the correct tactic
Unfortunately many risk professionals are generally trained to think tactically not strategically This means that their health and safety management is often seen as an add-on or a necessary evil To make an
impact we need to view the bigger picture To use a medical analogy accidents ill health and near-misses are all symptoms of the disease of poor management This view is used by the Medical Research Councilrsquos safety security and resilience team to inspire its scientists and managers to adopt good management practice in health and safety By taking a business approach to health and safety management and working with occupational health and human resource managers a reduction of 90 in lost time accidents has been achieved We need to tackle the disease not manage the symptoms ndash and to do that we will need to undertake a diagnosis and prescribe an appropriate course of treatment
Health and safety professionals
constantly repeat the adage that lsquogood safety is good businessrsquo But do we manage the health and safety department as other managers are expected to run their sections of the business Generally speaking we consider ourselves to be experts and are there to give advice often independent of the business that employs us We need to get off the side line and treat ourselves as a business unit serving the rest of the organisation as our customer We can do this by having a business plan for health and safety
Every business has a vision A view of where it wants to be in say five yearsrsquo time It has strategic priority objectives measurable milestones and underpinning standards of professionalism and service To be able to articulate your health and
safety vision you need to be absolutely certain about what you currently do what your current staff structure is and critically appraise your past performance This gives you a clear picture of your starting place It is essential to know where you are before deciding where you would like to be
There are nine steps to achieving your health and safety business plan that will radically change your health and safety performance
1 Define your businessYou need to know why you exist and what is expected of you by your market You need to identify fully your customers serviceproducts suppliers and assets Do not assume that the customers you served yesterday will be your customers of
tomorrow Be very clear at the end of this which servicesproducts you supply and to which customers Also which services you ought to be supplying but donrsquot and which services you do supply but donrsquot need to Know your suppliers ndash who provides you to enable you to provide others
2 Know thy selfWhat are the teamrsquos achievements strengths weaknesses opportunities and threats You need to know what you are capable of achieving identify your weaknesses and plan to address them
3 The futureUsing the information from steps 1 and 2 plus the teamrsquos own skills and knowledge map the health and safety
departmentrsquos future with that of the company Look at product development ndash yours and the companyrsquos marketing and sales information and administration technology organisation management people and overall business results In all of these areas how can you support the business
In the pharmaceutical industry time to marketplace is important as a potential product may spend a substantial part of its patent life in research and development A good example of this was the introduction of a networked programme for completing and authorising genetic modification submissions and risk assessments The result was a cut in the bureaucratic process time from two weeks to three days and an improvement in compliance It was not the copy
ISto
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Tod
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Nik
ifor
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compliance benefit that sold the project to management it was the time saving Safety professionals need to look past the first line safety benefits of their servicesproducts
4 Your visionYou are now in a position to shape your vision of the future not weasel words but a clear crisp statement of what you intend to achieve and by when Your vision should be unique personal challenging achievable simple and graphic
5 Values and beliefsThis says how you intend to operate and shows your professionalism and ethical approach to your work
6 Priority strategic objectivesFrom your vision understanding and awareness of your companyrsquos goals you can develop your priority strategic objectives These are essentially the key targets you have to achieve within the next few years in pursuit of your vision They form the basis for developing practical plans of implementation to convert your vision into reality These will decide how you work what you work at and where your resources go over the next few years They are critical so work at them For example what are the biggest health and safety concerns within the company with regard to reputation financial regulatory risk These should be quantified and a judgment made on how they each might impact the business From then you need to decide what priority and slice of the resource cake that each will receive over the next few years This might be old hat to risk managers but itrsquos still very new for many safety professionals
7 Plan developmentFor each of your strategic objectives you need to put in some milestones Where do you intend to be in one two or three yearsrsquo time with each of them How much should be budgeted for each of them How are you going to measure their effectiveness
8 Test the planIs it making sense Is it factual credible sensitive cost-effective and positive
9 Sell itFirst of all identify the prime movers those people in the organisation with clout Those people whose opinion is respected by management Discover what benefits they would be looking for in the plan their particular business passions and more importantly what
Accident reduction Accident reduction
pleases or interests their managers Then present the plan to them highlighting the benefits For example if one of your strategic objectives is to reduce injuries due to manual handling in the sales force the key message to the sales director is the prevention of potential lost sales For a pharmaceutical rep that could be many thousands of pounds per day So the argument might go Our sales force loses x days per year through back injuries which equates to poundy000 of lost sales We can substantially reduce that (benefit) The main cause of injury is lifting boxes from the boots of their cars We can prevent this by careful vehicle selection (proposal) When can we meet the transport manager to discuss future selection criteria for reps vehicles (question) Yoursquove got him He sees that you have his best interests at heart You are offering to help him reach his sales targets You are demonstrating that you are business focused And this is the key Talk business not safety You are communicating a business plan your commitment to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the company day-to-day
Think like your managerBy establishing this strong foundation of partnership with your senior managers you will find that results come automatically You need to keep up the momentum but success will breed success You have also focused on where your manpower finance and time should be prioritised You have essentially managed the time of your department and its members and you find because you all know what yoursquore meant to be doing the results you want by when and at what cost that a new team harmony develops You have made your team more effective Just how effective should show in your accidents statistics
It is not easy for safety professionals to focus away from the traditional view of concentrating on accidents and identifying causes We know the cause it is management failure in one guise or another It is much easier to obtain results if we the safety professional think like our managers rather than trying to get our managers to think like us
Michael Stephens is Head of Safety Security and Resilience at the Medical Research Council (UK) His book Bringing Safety Out of the Silo produced by IIRSM is available to purchase at wwwamazoncoukBringing-Safety-Out-Silo-Publication-ebookdpB01FDPDI5K
It is much easier to obtain results if we think like our managers rather than trying to get our managers to think like usrdquo
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Institute News Institute News
SHOWCASING YOUR INSTITUTE
On the event circuit
GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS
IIRSM signs MoU with KOSHA
Korea safety agency visits London MoU designed to provide mutual support
IIRSM is committed to working in partnership with like minded organisations and seeks out opportunities that support its membership help to meet its educational aims or benefits the profession more widely
To this end we recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Korea Occupational Health and Safety Agency (KOSHA)
Phillip Pearson IIRSM Chief Executive and Technical Director Peter Hall were
delighted to welcome KOSHA Vice President for Technology Dong-Chun Kim Deputy Director of Occupational Safety Bureau Sung-Joo Lee and Assistant Manager of International Cooperation Centre Kyoung-jin Sim to the Institutersquos London HQ recently
I am delighted to have concluded this MoU with KOSHArdquo says Phillip ldquoThis builds on two previous agreements between KOSHA and IIRSM and we hope that both parties will gain significant benefits from this over the coming years The Institute has many members working for or in partnership with South Korean organisations and we hope that this will further highlight IIRSMrsquos global offeringrdquo
Main The conference programme was well attended and IIRSM welcomed hundreds of current and future members to its stand (below)
The SHE Show South16 May 2017 Milton Keynes
The SHE Show conference runs alongside an exhibition featuring key suppliers and service providers in the fields of safety health and environment IIRSM members receive a 10 discount
Register at wwwthesheshow-southcouk
CDM events14 27 and 28 June 2017 Birmingham Leeds and London
Join health and safety professionals architects designers and principal contractors for a full day of debate and practical guidance at our one day events which will look at the reality of CDM 2015 and the role of the Prinicipal Designer
Book now at wwwiirsmorgCDM2017
Corporate Security Asia 17-19 July Shanghai China
This is the inaugural conference for internal functions tasked with protecting company people product profit and brand in high-risk locations and industries
For more information please visit wwwcorporatesecurityasia-lsemarcusevanscom
Annual Luncheon amp Awards21 September London For the first time IIRSMrsquos popular Annual Luncheon will incorporate the IIRSM Awards and be held at a new central London venue With excellent food an entertaining keynote speaker and more time for networking this event is certain to be fully booked so reserve your place now Email clareflemingiirsmorg
UPCOMING EVENTS
Dates for your diary
Safety Maverick
Big data is for safety professionals
The world of health and safety is not lacking in data ndash itrsquos drowning in it We need smart systems that allow us to apply our expertise in the most efficient way possible to keep workers safe
The term lsquobig datarsquo is often tossed around but rarely understood How many safety leaders fully grasp what big data is or how it is relevant in the safety industry
Big data has been defined as ldquoan accumulation of data that is too large and complex for processing by
traditional database management toolsrdquo So in fact itrsquos not really that innovative We have been trying to analyse data for centuries so why the hype
Well in order to create really useful leading indicators that can answer more strategic business questions like ldquoWhy is this happeningrdquo and ldquoWhat if these trends continuerdquo we must move up the analytics pyramid by employing advanced analytics techniques such as statistical analysis and forecasting and extrapolation It is only then that we
can create the forward-looking leading indicators that our leaders outside of safety really want and are starting to expect
But itrsquos not just advanced analytics we need we need to be delivering predictive analytics and thatrsquos where big data and big data systems come in We need to be able to delve into our own data whether structured or unstructured And import data from outside the organisation that truly gives the leadership vital future guidance
Big data is not just for geeks
QUALITY STANDARDS
Institute achieves ISO 9001
IIRSM is delighted to have been awarded ISO 90012015 (Quality Management) Certification following an in-depth two-stage audit Certification to this international standard is important to
the organisation as it demonstrates to members and stakeholders the Institutersquos commitment to ensuring our management systems are robust and externally audited
Many different aspects of our management system were audited there was a particular focus on the process for onboarding new members renewals and dealing with questions from members as well as an overview of the our membership processes including development of our new risk management qualifications
Technical Director Peter Hall commented ldquoI am particularly grateful for the help in ensuring a successful outcome from all the Institutersquos staff during the preparation for the auditrdquo
Mr Dong-Chun Kim KOSHArsquos Vice President for Technology and IIRSM Chief Executive Phillip
Pearson sign the MoU
Institute welcomes new members IIRSMrsquos Technical Director judges awards
IIRSM was delighted to exhibit at the recent Health and Safety Event held at the NEC in March With more than 6000 attendees it was an ideal opportunity to meet our members and others in the industry over the three days
The IIRSM team was also on hand to provide an insight into the various activities and initiatives that the Institute is currently working on
ldquoIt was great to meet with some of our long-term and newer members at the event and have the opportunity to put a face to a namerdquo says Sophie Cox Head of Member Services ldquoThose members who visited the stand were interested to hear more about what IIRSM is currently working on and it was also a delight to listen to their needs and aspirations for the Institute We certainly received a lot of valuable feedbackrdquo
The stand attracted individuals from a diverse range of sectors including hospitality healthcare construction education and security Delegates were excited to learn of IIRSMrsquos new strategy and its focus on a more integrated risk
management approach As an outcome of the event the Institute has welcomed ten new members on board
There was also a lot of interest in IIRSMrsquos recently launched training approval scheme which offers training providers the mechanism to seek course endorsement for training programmes developed in house Courses which are approved by IIRSM will be publicised among our membership to ensure that members have access to quality and recognised training
Further to this IIRSMrsquos Technical Director Peter Hall joined the event panel for BSIFrsquos Safety Awards This yearrsquos judging had a slight twist ndash finalists were invited to a QampA session in front of a live audience who were then scored by a panel of judges including Peter and BSIFrsquos chief executive Alan Murray IIRSM would like to thank BSIF for the opportunity to be involved and congratulate the worthy winners
ldquoThe Institute considers the event to be a huge success and looks forward to supporting future exhibitions Not only did it enable us to meet with our valued members and future members it was also an opportunity to educate the wider industry on the Institutersquos goals and vision and in turn raise the professional profile of our membershiprdquo
CEO Phillip Pearson and Head of Member Services Sophie Cox
wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1312
International News International News
USA
Restaurant chain to pay $12m over age discrimination
A US restaurant chain has agreed to change its hiring policies and pay $12 million to those affected following lengthy age discrimination lawsuit
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) first filed a suit against Texas Roadhouse in 2011 claiming the company violated federal law by engaging in a nationwide pattern of discriminatory hiring
According to the EEOC applicants were regularly denied front-of-house positions ndash such as servers hosts or bartenders ndash if they were over the age of 40
The agreement also forces Texas Roadhouse to change its recruitment practices hire a diversity director and pay for a decree compliance monitor who is charged with ensuring the company meets all the previously agreed requirements
The USA introduced the Age Discrimination in Employment Act in 1967
GLOBAL
Toxic cabin air lsquoscandalrsquoThe father of a cabin crew worker who allegedly died from an illness caused by breathing in toxic air on aeroplanes is to meet cabin crew from more than 40 different countries in London
Matt Bass died in 2014 after returning from a flight to Ghana A special postmortem paid for by his family found evidence of chronic exposure to poisonous organophosphates
His father Charlie Bass will speak at the International Transport Workersrsquo Federation cabin crew meeting on 8 March 2017 which is being held ahead of the full ITF civil aviation conference
Mr Bass said ldquoI want to come and meet the cabin crew workers so that together we can all build pressure on the industry and government to do more about the scandal of toxic cabin air The ITF and its unions have been brilliant in our campaign they recognise the seriousness of the issue and are raising it at the highest political levels Together we can make sure no one else dies like Matt didrdquo
HONG KONG
Bridge site collapse kills two
Workers at a Hong Kong bridge site where two died may not have followed safety rules the Labour Department has said
Five workers on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge fell into the sea off Tai O Lantau Island when a temporary platform they were working on collapsed Three were rescued
Union representatives have indicated the workers wore safety harnesses hooked to the platform and when the platform collapsed it dragged them into the water
Work has been suspended and an investigation is underway
GLOBAL
Cyber risk among top compliance challenges
Compliance risks are causing headaches for financial services industry executives ndash and fraud financial crime business risk and cyber risk are among the top perpetrators
Those are the results from Accenturersquos Dare to be Different report which quizzed 150 executives from across the world including Australia Hong Kong Japan and Singapore
Eighty-nine percent of executives said their cost increases for compliance will continue to rise in the next two years Almost a fifth of organisations spend more than 5 of their net income addressing compliance
HONG KONG
Slow driver warning suspended in wake of tram accident
Hong Kong Tramways has suspended a speed monitoring programme that discouraged drivers from travelling too slow just days after an accident that left 14 people injured
According to the South China Morning Post an internal Hong Kong Tramwaysrsquo notice explained that tram journeys would be recorded as ldquobelow standardrdquo if they were found to be slower than the average of 79km per hour The company would discipline drivers if they repeatedly recorded slow journeys
The notice said drivers with the highest number of ldquobelow standardrdquo journeys and who had worked for more than one year would be given a verbal warning and have to face authorities
If the driver placed high on the ranking again within 12 months he or she would receive a more serious warning
The tramways company stressed the programme did not ask drivers to increase their speeds and confirmed it would now be suspended
ldquoHong Kong Tramways reiterates that it put safety of operations as an absolute priority and has never requested the motorman to drive fastrdquo the company said
ldquoThe purpose is to bring all trams toward the general average speed of 79km per hour to prevent tram bunching and keep regular headways
GLOBAL
UN experts slam myth that pesticides are necessary
Two United Nations experts are calling for a comprehensive new global treaty to regulate and phase out the use of dangerous pesticides in farming and move towards sustainable agricultural practices
The report which is highly critical of the claims made by the pesticide industry notes ldquoThe assertion promoted by the agrochemical industry that pesticides are necessary to achieve food security is not only inaccurate but dangerously misleadingrdquo
It said chronic exposure to pesticides has been linked to cancer Alzheimerrsquos and Parkinsonrsquos diseases
IRELAND
Doctors and HSE sign charter to help tackle bullying
Doctors and the Health Service Executive have signed up to a new charter to help tackle bullying of young doctors
The Irish Medical Organisation said that the Respect Charter signed by the Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical
Training Bodies and the HSE was a milestone on the road to dealing with the issue
More than a third of trainee doctors reported nurses and midwives as a source of bullying according to research by the Medical Council in 2015 More than half had witnessed someone being bullied at work
The research also found that trainees who were bullied were more likely to say they were leaving medical practice in Ireland Seven out of ten trainees who experienced bullying did not report it to someone in authority
USA
Trump poised to roll back series of worker protection laws
President Trump and congressional Republicans are set to roll back a series of Obama-era worker safety regulations targeted by business groups beginning with a vote by the Senate to kill a rule that required federal contractors to disclose and correct serious safety violationsIn a narrow result that divided along party lines the Senate voted 49 to 48 to eliminate the regulation dubbed the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule Finalised in August and blocked by a court order in October the rule would limit the ability of companies with recent safety problems to complete for government contracts unless they agreed to remedies
It comes after Trump signed an executive order requiring all federal agencies to identify regulations that can be scrapped promising to ldquoremove every job-killing regulation we can findrdquo
suggesting more regulation-cutting bills were on the way
OSHA is also to delay the enforcement of its tough new silica standard in the construction industry prompting concern that it might be watered down by the administration of Trump
The standard cuts the current ldquopermissible exposure limitrdquo (PEL) of 100 micrograms of crystalline silica per cubic metre of air averaged over an eight-hour shift to 50 micrograms just half that in force in the UK
The safety regulator said on 6 April that it will produce additional guidance and undertake more ldquooutreachrdquo before it starts to enforce the new exposure limit and other measures in the standard which was due to begin on 23 June
It said that enforcement will instead start on 23 September
President Trump met with Republican congressional leaders at the White House on 1 MarchEUROPE
EU road deaths ldquonot improving quickly enoughrdquo
The European Commission has published new data showing that deaths on EU roads fell by just 2 last year following a 1 increase in 2015
According to analysis road deaths will now need to fall by 115 a year in order to meet the EU target of cutting deaths by half in the decade to 2020
Commenting on the latest figures Antonio Avenoso Executive Director of the European Transport Safety Council said ldquoWith around 500 deaths on EU roads every week a figure that has hardly budged in three years bold action from the EU and member states is long overdue
ldquoEU minimum vehicle safety standards have not been updated since 2009rdquo he
continued ldquoA plan to require carmakers to install life-saving technologies such as automated emergency braking overrideable intelligent speed assistance and passenger seat belt reminders in all cars was postponed last month until March 2018 and even then will face several years before the changes are implemented Every day of delay will mean more avoidable deaths Member states also need to reprioritise action on enforcement infrastructure safety improvements and measures to make pedestrians and cyclists safer on our roads Road deaths and serious injuries devastate lives and cost the European economy billions every yearrdquo
There are around 500 deaths on EU roads every week
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wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1514
Membersrsquo Pages Membersrsquo Pages
If you are looking for advice call the health and safety information helpline with your questions on +44 (0)1296 678 465 or email iirsmhelplinealcumusgroupcom for information on any health and safety related topic Here are just a few of your recent queries
QampAsEU DRIVING LICENCE CHECKS
We currently undertake checks of employee driving licences using the DVLA system However an employee has a European licence and so we are unable to check the licence through the DVLA Can you advise how we can carry out a check for this or other similar licences please
In the first instance you should contact the issuing office which should be found on the driving licence If it is not displayed on the licence visit httpeuropaeuyoureuropecitizensnational-contact-points Select the country you are looking for select lsquoVehiclesrsquo and the details for driving licences will be displayed
HAZARD PICTOGRAMS
Do you know where I can get the new hazard pictograms from
The HSErsquos new hazard pictograms are available at wwwhsegovukchemical-classificationlabelling-packaginghazard-symbols-hazard-pictogramshtm
ELECTRICAL TESTING
How often should a fixed electrical supply within permanent buildings (workplace) be inspectedtested by a competent person I believe it is five years but am unsure where I have got this information from Could you please advise me on the statutory requirements and any associated best practices
The relevant legal requirement is set out within regulation 4(2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations however these
regulations do not specify how often this should be done as it simply states As may be necessary to prevent danger all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent so far as is reasonably practicable such danger
The accompanying guidance also states The obligation to maintain arises only if danger would otherwise result The quality and frequency of maintenance should be sufficient to prevent danger so far as is reasonably practicable Regular inspection of equipment is an essential part of any preventive maintenance programme Practical experience of use may indicate an adjustment to the frequency at which preventive maintenance needs to be carried out This is a matter for the judgement of the duty holder who should seek all the information he needs to make this judgement including reference to the equipment manufacturerrsquos guidance Records of maintenance including test results preferably kept throughout the working life of an electrical system will enable the condition of the equipment and the effectiveness of maintenance policies to be monitored Without effective monitoring duty holders cannot be certain that the requirement for maintenance has been complied with Reference HSR 25 Memorandum of guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 This document can be viewed in full and freely downloaded from the HSE website at wwwhsegovukpubnspricedhsr25pdf
The guidance concerning the frequency of periodic inspections is set out within British Standard BS 7671 Requirements for Electrical Installations ndash more commonly referred to as the IET Wiring Regulations ndash and the recommended initial frequency of inspection for most types of commercial
premises such as shops offices etc is five-yearly Some general information about this standard can be found on the BSI website at httpshopbsigroupcomProductDetailpid=000000000030292893 Further information can also be found on the IET website at wwwtheietorgresourceswiring-regulations
Therefore while there is no legal requirement to inspect the fixed electrical installation every five years following the recognised best practice set out within the relevant British Standard is the easiest way of demonstrating compliance with the more general legal requirements described above
WORKSPACE WELFARE
When calculating minimum space per person under the Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations what is the preferred method ndash should we take into account furniture and any equipment in the room
The space calculation of 11 cubic metres per person only relates to the empty volume of the room There is no method for considering furnishings so this would need to be considered on a more subjective basis rather than a calculation
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
My client (an engineering business) has been advised that it needs to address the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations but is unsure how to proceed My client an engineering business has older spot welding and annealing machinery which appear to fall under the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations We need to establish how to assess and measure exposure to electromagnetic fields action levels and exposure limit values Is there laymanrsquos guidance which can be provided beyond HSG281
The European Commission has published the following guides to the EMF Directive
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Volume 1 ndash Practical guide
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Volume 2 ndash Case Studies
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Guide for SMEs
These documents can be freely downloaded via the relevant links available at httpbitly2oogDWR
In 2014 the HSE commissioned a research report on EMFs in the welding environment This may be more useful as it provides measurements of the EMF emissions welders may be exposed to during the welding processes understanding where welding fits in with the requirements of the EMF Directive a proposal for an EMF emission risk assessment procedure and guidance on compliance for the welding industry This document can be freely downloaded at wwwhsegovukresearchrrhtmrr1018htm
The EMF Weld website may also be useful as it provides a service to help companies comply with the EMF Directive by assessing arc (MIGMAGTIG) stud and resistance welding processes as well as magnetic particle inspection (MPI) and induction heating Assessments are based on equipment geometry worker position and the process parameters and they use the weighted peak method described in the directive Visit wwwemfweldeuDefaultaspx
FIRE SAFETY ON CONSTRUCTION SITES
Does every construction project need to have a fire risk assessment
The primary legislation is the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) 2015 Part 4 sets out the general requirements for all construction sites and contains several regulations which relate to fire Regulation 29 is concerned with the prevention of risk from fire flooding or asphyxiation and states that ldquosuitable and sufficient steps must be taken to prevent so far as is reasonably practicable the risk of injury to a person during the carrying out of construction work arising from fire or explosion flooding or any substance liable to cause asphyxiation
Regulations 30 to 32 set out the more specific requirements relating to emergency procedures emergency routes exits fire detection and firefighting respectively For more information read L153 Managing health and safety in construction which can be downloaded from wwwhsegovukpubnsbooksl153htm Therefore while there is no specific legal requirement to carry out a fire risk assessment it is effectively implied
because if one was not carried out it would be difficult for a contractor or principal contractor to demonstrate that they have complied with the above legal requirement for example that they have taken suitable and sufficient steps to prevent the risk of injury arising from fire Additionally the relevant guidance set out within the HSE publication Fire safety in construction makes clear that a fire risk assessment should be the foundation for all the fire precautions put in place if you are interested this publication can be freely downloaded from wwwhsegovukpubnsbookshsg168htm
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID
Is there any guidance on the topic of mental health first aid
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches people how to identify understand and help a person who may be developing a mental health issue In the same way as we learn physical first aid mental health first aid teaches you how to recognise those crucial warning signs of mental ill health The aims of mental health first aid are
to preserve life where a person may be a danger to themselves or others
to provide help to prevent the mental health problems developing into a more serious state
to promote the recovery of good mental health
to provide comfort to a person experiencing a mental health problem
MHFA does not teach people to be therapists However it does teach people how to recognise the symptoms of mental health problems how to provide initial help and how to guide a person towards appropriate professional help
Mental health is your business ndash Guidance for developing a workplace policy is available from httpbitly2nSH3AQ
The Take 10 together toolkit may be useful as it contains many resources on this topic such as posters video clips and graphics Yoursquoll find it at httpsmhfaenglandorgtake-10-together-toolkit
CDM DUTIES
Can a company be appointed as a principal designer or principal contractor Can someone can be appointed to more than one role
Both organisations and individuals can be appointed to roles under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and can be appointed to more than one role if they are competent to discharge the duties of each role
FIRE EXITS
Can an exit currently designated as a fire exit be used as a regular exit from the building
There is nothing specific under fire safety legislation that would prohibit the door being used as such as long as is ensured the exit remains available in an emergency
REPORTABLE INCIDENTS
We donrsquot operate on Mondays and Fridays If an employee injures themselves do we still count the Monday and Friday when calculating over seven day injuries
Yes Mondays and Fridays along with weekends would be counted in the calculation of an over seven-day injury
Join the conversation The opinion corner is designed to gauge exactly what our members are thinking on current issues in the industry If you have a question you would like us to ask members please email kelliemundelllexisnexiscouk
This month wersquore asking
Should mental health first aid be mandatory
Have your say visit httpbitly2oV9nBNto join in the discussion
Your membership benefits
Donrsquot forget as well as the technical helpdesk IIRSM members have free and unlimited access to two other helplines as part of your membership
The HR and employment helpline and Legal helpdesk also provide quick responses to everyday queries such as the application of health and safety legislation employment issues and professional and personal legal issues
To contact the HR helpline call 0330 100 7631 quoting your membership numberTo contact the Legal helpline call 0845 676 9498 quoting your membership number
0517 | wwwiirsmorg16
Come along to your next Branch meeting
Why not let 2017 be the year you make the most out of IIRSMrsquos Branch network Register to attend your local meeting and take the opportunity to get involved with the Institute and your fellow members and introduce your colleagues to IIRSM
Below are some up and coming meetings so save the dates or book your place now This is a great platform for risk managers to meet on a regular basis
to network with their peers Itrsquos also the perfect opportunity to take part in training hear a range of speakers and discuss issues which can impact your profession
We send notifications about meetings by email and updates are posted on the website If you are not receiving emails from IIRSM please check your email settings and make sure your details are up to date in your profile so you
donrsquot miss out More meetings will be released throughout the year as well as information about speakers and topics for discussion
Visit the Branches page of the website to see the latest meetings in your local area at wwwiirsmorgbook-a-branch-meeting
If yoursquore interested in helping us develop a new Branch please get in touch with us at branchesiirsmorg
Branch meetings
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AJa
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Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Central England 23rd 14th
East England 29th 19th 6th
East Midlands 12th 10th 7th 12th 9th 13th 11th 9th
East Scotland 19th 19th
London 10th 14th 7th
Nigeria 15th 6th 5th
North Scotland 25th 24th
North West England 15th 21st 16th
Qatar 18th 23rd 18th 22nd 19th 24th 21st 19th
South East England 12th
South Wales 3rd 5th 28th 5th
United Arab Emirates
12th 17th 5th 9th 6th 4th 8th 6th
West Midlands 13th 16th
Yorkshire 23rd 5th 28th
wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 32
News Prosecutions
CHIEF EXECUTIVE Phillip PearsonDIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP AND COMMUNICATIONSClare FlemingMANAGING EDITOR Louis Wustemann
EDITOR Kellie Mundellkelliemundelllexisnexiscouk DESIGNER Jo Jamieson
ADDRESSIIRSM 77 Fulham Palace Road London W6 8JA UK Tel +44 (0)20 8741 9100 Fax +44 (0)20 8741 1349Website wwwiirsmorgEmail infoiirsmorg
Registered in England and WalesCharity No 1107666Company No 5310696
PUBLISHED BY LexisNexis copy Reed Elsevier (UK) Limited 2017Printed by Stones Ashford Ltd Kent
This publication is intended to be a general guide and cannot be a substitute for professional advice Neither the authors nor the publisher accept any responsibility for loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of material contained in this publication
Reproduction copying or extracting by any means of the whole or part of this publication must not be undertaken without the written permission of the publishers
ISSN 1746-1359
News Prosecutions
WORK AT HEIGHT
Bosses jailed after fatal fall cover up attempt
Worker brought harnesses to the site after the incident
Three company bosses have been jailed following the death of a man who fell from a roof
Benjamin Edge 25 was working without safety equipment in wet and windy conditions in a quarry in Ramsbottom Greater Manchester in 2014 when he fell from on top of a shed he was helping to dismantle He died from head injuries
Manchester Crown Court was told that Christopher and Robert James Brown and worker Peter Heap conspired to hide the safety management failings to make it look like Edge had taken off his harness before he fell and ignored management instructions
Heap 34 who had been working on the roof alongside Edge brought harnesses to the site just hours after the accident at the request of Christopher Brown The latterrsquos brother Robert James Brown also falsified a risk assessment that should have been completed before work started
The brothers who admitted trying to cover up what had happened were each jailed for 20 months after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice and failing to ensure the safety of employees and others Their firm SR and RJ Brown was ordered to pay a fine of pound300000 after admitting corporate manslaughter
Mark Aspin Director of groundworks firm MA Excavations which had
contracted the work to demolish the shed to SR and RJ Brown was sentenced to 12 monthsrsquo imprisonment for failing to ensure the safety of others at work and failing to ensure that the work was planned and managed MA Excavations was fined pound150000
Heap was sentenced to four months in prison suspended for two years for perverting the course of justice
Outside court after sentencing Benrsquos mother Janet Edge said ldquoThe sentence given to those responsible for Benrsquos death and for their abhorrent actions bears nothing compared to the life sentence my family and I began on December 10 2014
ldquoWhy Ben was on that roof in the most appalling weather conditions seen for a long time we will never know
ldquoHe was a qualified land based agricultural engineer ndash he was not qualified to work on that structurerdquo
REGULATION
Govt releases Brexit white paperThe government has published a white paper on the Great Repeal Bill which will convert EU derived safety law into UK legislation
The Great Repeal Bill will mean that all laws stemming from EU directives ndash including health and safety regulations such as the ldquoSix Packrdquo and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations ndash are transferred into UK law allowing the UK to leave the political bloc without opening gaps in the statute book The government says that once the process is complete parliament ldquowill be able to decide which elements of that law to keep amend or repealrdquo
The white paper was published days after the UK triggered article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty the formal notification that the UK intends to leave the EU The government now has two years to negotiate its exit during which time parliament will prepare the Great Repeal Bill so that the same laws apply on the first day after Brexit
In the foreword to the white paper which was released on 30 March Prime Minister Theresa May said that the government has been keen to provide clarity and reassurance to businesses ldquoOur decision to convert the lsquoacquisrsquo ndash the body of European legislation ndash into UK law at the moment we repeal the European Communities Act is an essential part of this plan This approach will provide maximum certainty as we leave the EU
ldquoThe same rules and laws will apply on the day after exit as on the day before It will then be for democratically elected representatives in the UK to decide on any changes to that law after full scrutiny and proper debaterdquo
Benjamin Edge was a 25 year old father of one
WORKPLACE TRANSPORT
Construction giant fined pound800000 after unsupervised driver killed his brother
A construction firm has been fined pound800000 after a man accidentally crushed his brother to death by running him over with a dump truck
Paul Griffithsrsquo foot became stuck between the truckrsquos brake and accelerator at Heathrow Airport when he tried to move a broken down scissor lift
The truck reversed and crushed his brother Philip Griffiths who was standing between the two vehicles The 38 year old was pronounced dead at the scene
Construction firm Laing OrsquoRourke failed to ensure Paul was trained to operate the
dumper and admitted breaching Regulation 22(1)(a) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 As well as the fine the firm was ordered to pay pound10000 in court costs
An HSE investigation found that neither brother was authorised with the appropriate certificate to use the truck and the operation was not properly overseen or managed
Outside Southwark Crown Court Robert said his brotherrsquos death led to the deterioration of their fatherrsquos health and
said he had lost his lsquobest friendrdquoSpeaking after sentencing
HSE Inspector Jack Wilby said ldquoThis incident was a tragedy for all concerned and as revealed by our investigation entirely avoidable Laing OrsquoRourke failed to address the trend of these workers carrying out tasks they werenrsquot trained or authorised for These dedicated staff needed more appropriate supervision Had there been appropriate supervision then better segregation between
Philip and these two vehicles could have been established and maintained This case should act as a reminder of the dangers of using workplace transport without proper planning management or monitoring of the risks involvedrdquo
Itrsquos the second time the construction giant has been prosecuted over a death at the airport In 2005 Matthew Gilbert 27 died when he fell 17 metres to the concrete floor below as a concrete slab he was standing on collapsed Parminder Singh 21 suffered life-changing injuries in the fall
MAJOR HAZARDS
Essar Oil in the dock after refinery explosion
No one was harmed in the blast but it caused pound20m worth of damage
An oil company has appeared in court following an explosion at its Stanlow refinery in Ellesmere Port
Liverpool Crown Court heard that while there were no injuries the blast from the early hours of 14 November 2013 caused internal structures to collapse with damage totaling more than pound20 million
Problems started at the site during the start-up of its main distillation unit when extremely flammable hydrocarbons were allowed to enter an unignited furnace The heat from another furnace nearby triggered the explosion which destroyed the furnace starting a number of fires which the fire service had to safely bring under control
The incident was reported to the EU as a major accident under schedule 7 of the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations 1999
A HSE investigation found that Essar Oil UK failed to take all measures necessary to prevent or mitigate a major accident A safety critical valve was ordered and installed incorrectly and Essar failed to correctly validate its operation
The UK arm of Indian-owned Essar pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 of the Control of Major Hazards Regulations and was fined pound1650000 with costs of pound57644
Speaking after sentencing HSE Principal Inspector Joanne Eccles said ldquoThe industry should take notice of this case there were no injuries but mistakes were made and could have been preventedrdquo
InBriefUnite raises concerns over safety of windfarms following two deathsThe Unite union has called for urgent action to improve safety standards on windfarms after two workers died falling from turbines within a fortnight
A 37 year old Portuguese engineer Antonio Linares was killed on 15 March at the Kilgallioch Windfarm which is under construction in south Ayrshire He was working for Spanish wind turbine manufacturer and contractor Gamesa
It was reported that Linares fell inside a tower that was still under construction
On 29 March a Spanish worker fell from a turbine at the Whitelee Windfarm in east Renfrewshire
It is understood that maintenance work was happening at the time
Both the windfarms are operated by ScottishPower Renewables
The same type of vehicles involved in the incident
copy H
SE
copy H
SE
Why Ben was on that roof in the most appalling weather conditions seen for a long time we will never knowrdquo
Neither brother had a valid CPCS card required to operate the dumper
Had there been appropriate supervision then better segregation between Philip and these vehicles could have been established and maintainedrdquo
wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 54
News ProsecutionsNews Prosecutions
SAFE SYSTEMS OF WORK
Site manager guilty of manslaughter after lawyer crushed by window framesA construction company director and site manager has been found guilty of the gross negligence manslaughter of a passerby who was crushed by three window frames that had been left propped up on the pavement in Londonrsquos Mayfair
Amanda Telfer 43 died when the frames weighing around 665kgs fell on top of her outside 5 Hanover Square on 30 August 2012 during renovation of a ground floor and basement gallery
The frames had been delivered the previous day but left unsecured overnight the Old Bailey heard and toppled over as Ms Telfer passed on her way to the offices of Keystone Law near Oxford Street Passers-by rushed to help and managed to lift off the frames but she was unconscious and not breathing
An investigation by the Metrsquos Homicide and Major Crime Command with the assistance of the HSE found that no efforts were made to secure them and no barrier was placed around them the court heard
No checks were made on them when work resumed on site the next morning
Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson QC told the jury it was ldquoobvious to anyonerdquo the heavy frames carried a ldquoclear and serious risk of deathrdquo to anyone nearby
ldquoThere were a series of obvious and in many cases straightforward steps that could have been taken to avoid that risk ranging from cancellation delay refusal of delivery on the one hand to the storage the use of straps
and barriersrdquo he said ldquoNone were taken by any of the defendants and Amanda Telfer died as a resultrdquo
Kelvin Adsett was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence and safety offences The 64 year old was the on-site project manager for IS Europe which was also convicted of safety offences
Site manager for principal contractor Westgreen Construction Damian Lakin-Hall 50 was convicted of safety offences He was acquitted of manslaughter
Both were bailed to appear at the Old Bailey for sentencing on 5 May
HEAT STRESS
Firefightersrsquo higher heart attack risk lsquobecause of heatrsquo
Study links heat and exertion to heart attacks in healthy firefighters
Working in high temperatures increases the risk of suffering a heart attack researchers have said
The University of Edinburgh randomly selected 19 non-smoking healthy firefighters from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to take part in the study
They took part in exercises including an attempted mock rescue from a two-storey structure which exposed them to extremely high temperatures while wearing heart monitors Researchers found their core body temperatures remained high for three to four hours following exposure to the fire They also found their blood became stickier and was about 66 more likely to form potentially harmful clots Their blood vessels also failed to relax in response to medication
The research team believe that the increase in clotting was caused by a combination of fluid loss due to sweating and an inflammatory response to the fire heat which resulted in the blood becoming more concentrated and so more likely to clot
The researchers also found that the exposure to fire caused minor injury to the heart muscles
According to the studyrsquos senior study author Nicholas Mills heart attacks are the most common cause of death among on-duty firefighters with the potentially fatal
cardiac event most likely to occur during or shortly after working to put out a fire
ldquoWe found a direct link between the heat and physical activity levels encountered by firefighters during their duties and changes in blood clotting that would increase their risk of suffering a heart attackrdquo said Mills of the British Heart Foundation Center for Cardiovascular Sciences which funded the project
In the report published in the journal Circulation authors noted other limitations such as the possibility that firefighters might encounter other stressors not replicated in the exercise like smoke or psychological stress
ldquoIt is very rare and unusual for a healthy person without heart disease to have a heart attack even under such extreme conditionsrdquo Dr Stefanos Kales a researcher at Harvard Medical School who wrote an accompanying editorial told Reuters
ldquoHowever a person who appears healthy but who has unrecognised coronary blockages andor heart enlargement could succumb to an acute cardiac event under these conditionsrdquo
HEALTH AND SAFETY EXECUTIVE
HSE outlines new business plan
The HSE has published its 2017ndash18 business plan outlining its future budget expectations and its priorities for the coming year
The latest plan includes an aim to participate in the governmentrsquos wider agenda on security risks and cyber security where it plans to develop a cyber strategy for the chemicals sector
It is also working to create an ldquoevidence baserdquo on blue tape undertaking to ldquosummarise progress present evidence and outline proposals for future activities to the HSE boardrdquo by the fourth quarter of the financial year
On chemical registration which is due to be thrown into upheaval by Brexit the HSE says it will ldquoconduct informal consultation to support the review and simplification of occupational health and safety regulations in chemicalsrdquo reporting its findings to the HSE board
Taking forward key elements from the regulatorrsquos overall strategy lsquoHelping Great Britain work wellrsquo it plans to focus on
leading and engaging with others to improve workplace health and safety
providing an effective regulatory framework
securing effective management and
control of risk reducing the likelihood of low-
frequency high-impact catastrophic incidents
The HSE also says it is going to discuss offering a form of ldquoaccreditationrdquo to companies that sign up to commitments under Helping GB Work Well and will also publish its final sector plans at a national event
Amanda Telfer died when the half tonne frames toppled onto herNineteen non-smoking healthy firefighters from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service took part in the study
MENTAL HEALTH
Mind awards showcase commitmentMindrsquos inaugural Workplace Wellbeing Index Awards took place recently recognising and celebrating employersrsquo commitment to prioritising mental health at work
Based on a number of measures and input from HR professionals managers and staff from within their organisation employers were awarded either lsquoGoldrsquo lsquoSilverrsquo lsquoBronzersquo or lsquoCommitted to Actionrsquo The most mentally healthy workplaces are those that have in place measures to tackle the causes of work related stress and poor mental health promote good wellbeing for all their employers and support staff experiencing mental health problems
The Environment Agency ndash an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Environment Food amp Rural Affairs (DEFRA) ndash topped the board at number one and alongside Ark Conway Primary Academy a primary school in West London received a Gold Award - the most prestigious accolade
Taking place at Londonrsquos Soho Hotel the event was hosted by TV presenter author and Mind Ambassador Anna Williamson The awards coincided with data released by the mental health charity showing that of those staff who had disclosed poor mental health at work (2200 employees) just over half (53) said they felt supported and 72 said theyrsquod been made aware of the support tools such as employee assistance programmes counselling staff support network or informal buddying systems More than half were offered reasonable adjustments or support measures such as changes to hours worked or the nature of some of their duties
While the research suggests that overall staff working for these organisations reported having good mental health at work where their mental health wasnrsquot good they felt their workplace was a contributory factor Just over one in ten said their mental health was poor One in four (26) experiencing poor mental health said that this was due to problems at work
InBriefUtility co fined pound900k over fatal fall Electricity North West has been prosecuted over the death of a 63 year old worker who fell from an electricity pole while trying to clear it of ivy growth
John Flowers died after falling about six metres while clearing tree branches from around power lines in Gregson Lane Hoghton on 22 November 2013
Electricity North West was convicted of contravening work at height regulations by failing to ensure the work was properly planned and supervised but was cleared of two other charges at Preston Crown Court
New safety barriers code of practiceA new BSI-backed standards document on segregating traffic in workplace environments using safety barriers has been published
It is intended for use by anyone who is selecting appropriate safety barriers for their workplace to protect personnel vehicles and structures applying traffic management procedures testing and measuring safety barrier performance or manufacturing and distributing safety barriers
The new code of practice gives recommendations for the impact resilience dimensions and positions of safety barriers in the workplace and guidance on how to manage the risks associated with vehicles within the workplace It also specifies the criteria for testing the impact resilience of a barrier
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SE
It is very rare and unusual for a healthy person without heart disease to have a heart attack even under such extreme conditionsrdquo
Read more about the HSErsquos new business plan at wwwhealthandsafetyatworkcomhse new-business-plan
Accident reduction Accident reduction
Bringing safety out of the siloOccupational accidents are the symptoms of the disease of poor management says Michael Stephens
It is not easy for safety professionals to focus away from the traditional view of concentrating on accidents and identifying causesrdquo
The main function of a safety professional is to prevent accidents and ill health at work It is here
that many concentrate their efforts ndash investigating accidents and near-misses and persuading management to implement control measures to prevent recurrences This is the traditional approach and at this moment there are probably many thousands of health and safety professionals around the world talking to senior management about Birdrsquos triangle and targeting near-misses But is it the correct tactic
Unfortunately many risk professionals are generally trained to think tactically not strategically This means that their health and safety management is often seen as an add-on or a necessary evil To make an
impact we need to view the bigger picture To use a medical analogy accidents ill health and near-misses are all symptoms of the disease of poor management This view is used by the Medical Research Councilrsquos safety security and resilience team to inspire its scientists and managers to adopt good management practice in health and safety By taking a business approach to health and safety management and working with occupational health and human resource managers a reduction of 90 in lost time accidents has been achieved We need to tackle the disease not manage the symptoms ndash and to do that we will need to undertake a diagnosis and prescribe an appropriate course of treatment
Health and safety professionals
constantly repeat the adage that lsquogood safety is good businessrsquo But do we manage the health and safety department as other managers are expected to run their sections of the business Generally speaking we consider ourselves to be experts and are there to give advice often independent of the business that employs us We need to get off the side line and treat ourselves as a business unit serving the rest of the organisation as our customer We can do this by having a business plan for health and safety
Every business has a vision A view of where it wants to be in say five yearsrsquo time It has strategic priority objectives measurable milestones and underpinning standards of professionalism and service To be able to articulate your health and
safety vision you need to be absolutely certain about what you currently do what your current staff structure is and critically appraise your past performance This gives you a clear picture of your starting place It is essential to know where you are before deciding where you would like to be
There are nine steps to achieving your health and safety business plan that will radically change your health and safety performance
1 Define your businessYou need to know why you exist and what is expected of you by your market You need to identify fully your customers serviceproducts suppliers and assets Do not assume that the customers you served yesterday will be your customers of
tomorrow Be very clear at the end of this which servicesproducts you supply and to which customers Also which services you ought to be supplying but donrsquot and which services you do supply but donrsquot need to Know your suppliers ndash who provides you to enable you to provide others
2 Know thy selfWhat are the teamrsquos achievements strengths weaknesses opportunities and threats You need to know what you are capable of achieving identify your weaknesses and plan to address them
3 The futureUsing the information from steps 1 and 2 plus the teamrsquos own skills and knowledge map the health and safety
departmentrsquos future with that of the company Look at product development ndash yours and the companyrsquos marketing and sales information and administration technology organisation management people and overall business results In all of these areas how can you support the business
In the pharmaceutical industry time to marketplace is important as a potential product may spend a substantial part of its patent life in research and development A good example of this was the introduction of a networked programme for completing and authorising genetic modification submissions and risk assessments The result was a cut in the bureaucratic process time from two weeks to three days and an improvement in compliance It was not the copy
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wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg
compliance benefit that sold the project to management it was the time saving Safety professionals need to look past the first line safety benefits of their servicesproducts
4 Your visionYou are now in a position to shape your vision of the future not weasel words but a clear crisp statement of what you intend to achieve and by when Your vision should be unique personal challenging achievable simple and graphic
5 Values and beliefsThis says how you intend to operate and shows your professionalism and ethical approach to your work
6 Priority strategic objectivesFrom your vision understanding and awareness of your companyrsquos goals you can develop your priority strategic objectives These are essentially the key targets you have to achieve within the next few years in pursuit of your vision They form the basis for developing practical plans of implementation to convert your vision into reality These will decide how you work what you work at and where your resources go over the next few years They are critical so work at them For example what are the biggest health and safety concerns within the company with regard to reputation financial regulatory risk These should be quantified and a judgment made on how they each might impact the business From then you need to decide what priority and slice of the resource cake that each will receive over the next few years This might be old hat to risk managers but itrsquos still very new for many safety professionals
7 Plan developmentFor each of your strategic objectives you need to put in some milestones Where do you intend to be in one two or three yearsrsquo time with each of them How much should be budgeted for each of them How are you going to measure their effectiveness
8 Test the planIs it making sense Is it factual credible sensitive cost-effective and positive
9 Sell itFirst of all identify the prime movers those people in the organisation with clout Those people whose opinion is respected by management Discover what benefits they would be looking for in the plan their particular business passions and more importantly what
Accident reduction Accident reduction
pleases or interests their managers Then present the plan to them highlighting the benefits For example if one of your strategic objectives is to reduce injuries due to manual handling in the sales force the key message to the sales director is the prevention of potential lost sales For a pharmaceutical rep that could be many thousands of pounds per day So the argument might go Our sales force loses x days per year through back injuries which equates to poundy000 of lost sales We can substantially reduce that (benefit) The main cause of injury is lifting boxes from the boots of their cars We can prevent this by careful vehicle selection (proposal) When can we meet the transport manager to discuss future selection criteria for reps vehicles (question) Yoursquove got him He sees that you have his best interests at heart You are offering to help him reach his sales targets You are demonstrating that you are business focused And this is the key Talk business not safety You are communicating a business plan your commitment to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the company day-to-day
Think like your managerBy establishing this strong foundation of partnership with your senior managers you will find that results come automatically You need to keep up the momentum but success will breed success You have also focused on where your manpower finance and time should be prioritised You have essentially managed the time of your department and its members and you find because you all know what yoursquore meant to be doing the results you want by when and at what cost that a new team harmony develops You have made your team more effective Just how effective should show in your accidents statistics
It is not easy for safety professionals to focus away from the traditional view of concentrating on accidents and identifying causes We know the cause it is management failure in one guise or another It is much easier to obtain results if we the safety professional think like our managers rather than trying to get our managers to think like us
Michael Stephens is Head of Safety Security and Resilience at the Medical Research Council (UK) His book Bringing Safety Out of the Silo produced by IIRSM is available to purchase at wwwamazoncoukBringing-Safety-Out-Silo-Publication-ebookdpB01FDPDI5K
It is much easier to obtain results if we think like our managers rather than trying to get our managers to think like usrdquo
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wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1110
Institute News Institute News
SHOWCASING YOUR INSTITUTE
On the event circuit
GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS
IIRSM signs MoU with KOSHA
Korea safety agency visits London MoU designed to provide mutual support
IIRSM is committed to working in partnership with like minded organisations and seeks out opportunities that support its membership help to meet its educational aims or benefits the profession more widely
To this end we recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Korea Occupational Health and Safety Agency (KOSHA)
Phillip Pearson IIRSM Chief Executive and Technical Director Peter Hall were
delighted to welcome KOSHA Vice President for Technology Dong-Chun Kim Deputy Director of Occupational Safety Bureau Sung-Joo Lee and Assistant Manager of International Cooperation Centre Kyoung-jin Sim to the Institutersquos London HQ recently
I am delighted to have concluded this MoU with KOSHArdquo says Phillip ldquoThis builds on two previous agreements between KOSHA and IIRSM and we hope that both parties will gain significant benefits from this over the coming years The Institute has many members working for or in partnership with South Korean organisations and we hope that this will further highlight IIRSMrsquos global offeringrdquo
Main The conference programme was well attended and IIRSM welcomed hundreds of current and future members to its stand (below)
The SHE Show South16 May 2017 Milton Keynes
The SHE Show conference runs alongside an exhibition featuring key suppliers and service providers in the fields of safety health and environment IIRSM members receive a 10 discount
Register at wwwthesheshow-southcouk
CDM events14 27 and 28 June 2017 Birmingham Leeds and London
Join health and safety professionals architects designers and principal contractors for a full day of debate and practical guidance at our one day events which will look at the reality of CDM 2015 and the role of the Prinicipal Designer
Book now at wwwiirsmorgCDM2017
Corporate Security Asia 17-19 July Shanghai China
This is the inaugural conference for internal functions tasked with protecting company people product profit and brand in high-risk locations and industries
For more information please visit wwwcorporatesecurityasia-lsemarcusevanscom
Annual Luncheon amp Awards21 September London For the first time IIRSMrsquos popular Annual Luncheon will incorporate the IIRSM Awards and be held at a new central London venue With excellent food an entertaining keynote speaker and more time for networking this event is certain to be fully booked so reserve your place now Email clareflemingiirsmorg
UPCOMING EVENTS
Dates for your diary
Safety Maverick
Big data is for safety professionals
The world of health and safety is not lacking in data ndash itrsquos drowning in it We need smart systems that allow us to apply our expertise in the most efficient way possible to keep workers safe
The term lsquobig datarsquo is often tossed around but rarely understood How many safety leaders fully grasp what big data is or how it is relevant in the safety industry
Big data has been defined as ldquoan accumulation of data that is too large and complex for processing by
traditional database management toolsrdquo So in fact itrsquos not really that innovative We have been trying to analyse data for centuries so why the hype
Well in order to create really useful leading indicators that can answer more strategic business questions like ldquoWhy is this happeningrdquo and ldquoWhat if these trends continuerdquo we must move up the analytics pyramid by employing advanced analytics techniques such as statistical analysis and forecasting and extrapolation It is only then that we
can create the forward-looking leading indicators that our leaders outside of safety really want and are starting to expect
But itrsquos not just advanced analytics we need we need to be delivering predictive analytics and thatrsquos where big data and big data systems come in We need to be able to delve into our own data whether structured or unstructured And import data from outside the organisation that truly gives the leadership vital future guidance
Big data is not just for geeks
QUALITY STANDARDS
Institute achieves ISO 9001
IIRSM is delighted to have been awarded ISO 90012015 (Quality Management) Certification following an in-depth two-stage audit Certification to this international standard is important to
the organisation as it demonstrates to members and stakeholders the Institutersquos commitment to ensuring our management systems are robust and externally audited
Many different aspects of our management system were audited there was a particular focus on the process for onboarding new members renewals and dealing with questions from members as well as an overview of the our membership processes including development of our new risk management qualifications
Technical Director Peter Hall commented ldquoI am particularly grateful for the help in ensuring a successful outcome from all the Institutersquos staff during the preparation for the auditrdquo
Mr Dong-Chun Kim KOSHArsquos Vice President for Technology and IIRSM Chief Executive Phillip
Pearson sign the MoU
Institute welcomes new members IIRSMrsquos Technical Director judges awards
IIRSM was delighted to exhibit at the recent Health and Safety Event held at the NEC in March With more than 6000 attendees it was an ideal opportunity to meet our members and others in the industry over the three days
The IIRSM team was also on hand to provide an insight into the various activities and initiatives that the Institute is currently working on
ldquoIt was great to meet with some of our long-term and newer members at the event and have the opportunity to put a face to a namerdquo says Sophie Cox Head of Member Services ldquoThose members who visited the stand were interested to hear more about what IIRSM is currently working on and it was also a delight to listen to their needs and aspirations for the Institute We certainly received a lot of valuable feedbackrdquo
The stand attracted individuals from a diverse range of sectors including hospitality healthcare construction education and security Delegates were excited to learn of IIRSMrsquos new strategy and its focus on a more integrated risk
management approach As an outcome of the event the Institute has welcomed ten new members on board
There was also a lot of interest in IIRSMrsquos recently launched training approval scheme which offers training providers the mechanism to seek course endorsement for training programmes developed in house Courses which are approved by IIRSM will be publicised among our membership to ensure that members have access to quality and recognised training
Further to this IIRSMrsquos Technical Director Peter Hall joined the event panel for BSIFrsquos Safety Awards This yearrsquos judging had a slight twist ndash finalists were invited to a QampA session in front of a live audience who were then scored by a panel of judges including Peter and BSIFrsquos chief executive Alan Murray IIRSM would like to thank BSIF for the opportunity to be involved and congratulate the worthy winners
ldquoThe Institute considers the event to be a huge success and looks forward to supporting future exhibitions Not only did it enable us to meet with our valued members and future members it was also an opportunity to educate the wider industry on the Institutersquos goals and vision and in turn raise the professional profile of our membershiprdquo
CEO Phillip Pearson and Head of Member Services Sophie Cox
wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1312
International News International News
USA
Restaurant chain to pay $12m over age discrimination
A US restaurant chain has agreed to change its hiring policies and pay $12 million to those affected following lengthy age discrimination lawsuit
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) first filed a suit against Texas Roadhouse in 2011 claiming the company violated federal law by engaging in a nationwide pattern of discriminatory hiring
According to the EEOC applicants were regularly denied front-of-house positions ndash such as servers hosts or bartenders ndash if they were over the age of 40
The agreement also forces Texas Roadhouse to change its recruitment practices hire a diversity director and pay for a decree compliance monitor who is charged with ensuring the company meets all the previously agreed requirements
The USA introduced the Age Discrimination in Employment Act in 1967
GLOBAL
Toxic cabin air lsquoscandalrsquoThe father of a cabin crew worker who allegedly died from an illness caused by breathing in toxic air on aeroplanes is to meet cabin crew from more than 40 different countries in London
Matt Bass died in 2014 after returning from a flight to Ghana A special postmortem paid for by his family found evidence of chronic exposure to poisonous organophosphates
His father Charlie Bass will speak at the International Transport Workersrsquo Federation cabin crew meeting on 8 March 2017 which is being held ahead of the full ITF civil aviation conference
Mr Bass said ldquoI want to come and meet the cabin crew workers so that together we can all build pressure on the industry and government to do more about the scandal of toxic cabin air The ITF and its unions have been brilliant in our campaign they recognise the seriousness of the issue and are raising it at the highest political levels Together we can make sure no one else dies like Matt didrdquo
HONG KONG
Bridge site collapse kills two
Workers at a Hong Kong bridge site where two died may not have followed safety rules the Labour Department has said
Five workers on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge fell into the sea off Tai O Lantau Island when a temporary platform they were working on collapsed Three were rescued
Union representatives have indicated the workers wore safety harnesses hooked to the platform and when the platform collapsed it dragged them into the water
Work has been suspended and an investigation is underway
GLOBAL
Cyber risk among top compliance challenges
Compliance risks are causing headaches for financial services industry executives ndash and fraud financial crime business risk and cyber risk are among the top perpetrators
Those are the results from Accenturersquos Dare to be Different report which quizzed 150 executives from across the world including Australia Hong Kong Japan and Singapore
Eighty-nine percent of executives said their cost increases for compliance will continue to rise in the next two years Almost a fifth of organisations spend more than 5 of their net income addressing compliance
HONG KONG
Slow driver warning suspended in wake of tram accident
Hong Kong Tramways has suspended a speed monitoring programme that discouraged drivers from travelling too slow just days after an accident that left 14 people injured
According to the South China Morning Post an internal Hong Kong Tramwaysrsquo notice explained that tram journeys would be recorded as ldquobelow standardrdquo if they were found to be slower than the average of 79km per hour The company would discipline drivers if they repeatedly recorded slow journeys
The notice said drivers with the highest number of ldquobelow standardrdquo journeys and who had worked for more than one year would be given a verbal warning and have to face authorities
If the driver placed high on the ranking again within 12 months he or she would receive a more serious warning
The tramways company stressed the programme did not ask drivers to increase their speeds and confirmed it would now be suspended
ldquoHong Kong Tramways reiterates that it put safety of operations as an absolute priority and has never requested the motorman to drive fastrdquo the company said
ldquoThe purpose is to bring all trams toward the general average speed of 79km per hour to prevent tram bunching and keep regular headways
GLOBAL
UN experts slam myth that pesticides are necessary
Two United Nations experts are calling for a comprehensive new global treaty to regulate and phase out the use of dangerous pesticides in farming and move towards sustainable agricultural practices
The report which is highly critical of the claims made by the pesticide industry notes ldquoThe assertion promoted by the agrochemical industry that pesticides are necessary to achieve food security is not only inaccurate but dangerously misleadingrdquo
It said chronic exposure to pesticides has been linked to cancer Alzheimerrsquos and Parkinsonrsquos diseases
IRELAND
Doctors and HSE sign charter to help tackle bullying
Doctors and the Health Service Executive have signed up to a new charter to help tackle bullying of young doctors
The Irish Medical Organisation said that the Respect Charter signed by the Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical
Training Bodies and the HSE was a milestone on the road to dealing with the issue
More than a third of trainee doctors reported nurses and midwives as a source of bullying according to research by the Medical Council in 2015 More than half had witnessed someone being bullied at work
The research also found that trainees who were bullied were more likely to say they were leaving medical practice in Ireland Seven out of ten trainees who experienced bullying did not report it to someone in authority
USA
Trump poised to roll back series of worker protection laws
President Trump and congressional Republicans are set to roll back a series of Obama-era worker safety regulations targeted by business groups beginning with a vote by the Senate to kill a rule that required federal contractors to disclose and correct serious safety violationsIn a narrow result that divided along party lines the Senate voted 49 to 48 to eliminate the regulation dubbed the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule Finalised in August and blocked by a court order in October the rule would limit the ability of companies with recent safety problems to complete for government contracts unless they agreed to remedies
It comes after Trump signed an executive order requiring all federal agencies to identify regulations that can be scrapped promising to ldquoremove every job-killing regulation we can findrdquo
suggesting more regulation-cutting bills were on the way
OSHA is also to delay the enforcement of its tough new silica standard in the construction industry prompting concern that it might be watered down by the administration of Trump
The standard cuts the current ldquopermissible exposure limitrdquo (PEL) of 100 micrograms of crystalline silica per cubic metre of air averaged over an eight-hour shift to 50 micrograms just half that in force in the UK
The safety regulator said on 6 April that it will produce additional guidance and undertake more ldquooutreachrdquo before it starts to enforce the new exposure limit and other measures in the standard which was due to begin on 23 June
It said that enforcement will instead start on 23 September
President Trump met with Republican congressional leaders at the White House on 1 MarchEUROPE
EU road deaths ldquonot improving quickly enoughrdquo
The European Commission has published new data showing that deaths on EU roads fell by just 2 last year following a 1 increase in 2015
According to analysis road deaths will now need to fall by 115 a year in order to meet the EU target of cutting deaths by half in the decade to 2020
Commenting on the latest figures Antonio Avenoso Executive Director of the European Transport Safety Council said ldquoWith around 500 deaths on EU roads every week a figure that has hardly budged in three years bold action from the EU and member states is long overdue
ldquoEU minimum vehicle safety standards have not been updated since 2009rdquo he
continued ldquoA plan to require carmakers to install life-saving technologies such as automated emergency braking overrideable intelligent speed assistance and passenger seat belt reminders in all cars was postponed last month until March 2018 and even then will face several years before the changes are implemented Every day of delay will mean more avoidable deaths Member states also need to reprioritise action on enforcement infrastructure safety improvements and measures to make pedestrians and cyclists safer on our roads Road deaths and serious injuries devastate lives and cost the European economy billions every yearrdquo
There are around 500 deaths on EU roads every week
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wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1514
Membersrsquo Pages Membersrsquo Pages
If you are looking for advice call the health and safety information helpline with your questions on +44 (0)1296 678 465 or email iirsmhelplinealcumusgroupcom for information on any health and safety related topic Here are just a few of your recent queries
QampAsEU DRIVING LICENCE CHECKS
We currently undertake checks of employee driving licences using the DVLA system However an employee has a European licence and so we are unable to check the licence through the DVLA Can you advise how we can carry out a check for this or other similar licences please
In the first instance you should contact the issuing office which should be found on the driving licence If it is not displayed on the licence visit httpeuropaeuyoureuropecitizensnational-contact-points Select the country you are looking for select lsquoVehiclesrsquo and the details for driving licences will be displayed
HAZARD PICTOGRAMS
Do you know where I can get the new hazard pictograms from
The HSErsquos new hazard pictograms are available at wwwhsegovukchemical-classificationlabelling-packaginghazard-symbols-hazard-pictogramshtm
ELECTRICAL TESTING
How often should a fixed electrical supply within permanent buildings (workplace) be inspectedtested by a competent person I believe it is five years but am unsure where I have got this information from Could you please advise me on the statutory requirements and any associated best practices
The relevant legal requirement is set out within regulation 4(2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations however these
regulations do not specify how often this should be done as it simply states As may be necessary to prevent danger all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent so far as is reasonably practicable such danger
The accompanying guidance also states The obligation to maintain arises only if danger would otherwise result The quality and frequency of maintenance should be sufficient to prevent danger so far as is reasonably practicable Regular inspection of equipment is an essential part of any preventive maintenance programme Practical experience of use may indicate an adjustment to the frequency at which preventive maintenance needs to be carried out This is a matter for the judgement of the duty holder who should seek all the information he needs to make this judgement including reference to the equipment manufacturerrsquos guidance Records of maintenance including test results preferably kept throughout the working life of an electrical system will enable the condition of the equipment and the effectiveness of maintenance policies to be monitored Without effective monitoring duty holders cannot be certain that the requirement for maintenance has been complied with Reference HSR 25 Memorandum of guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 This document can be viewed in full and freely downloaded from the HSE website at wwwhsegovukpubnspricedhsr25pdf
The guidance concerning the frequency of periodic inspections is set out within British Standard BS 7671 Requirements for Electrical Installations ndash more commonly referred to as the IET Wiring Regulations ndash and the recommended initial frequency of inspection for most types of commercial
premises such as shops offices etc is five-yearly Some general information about this standard can be found on the BSI website at httpshopbsigroupcomProductDetailpid=000000000030292893 Further information can also be found on the IET website at wwwtheietorgresourceswiring-regulations
Therefore while there is no legal requirement to inspect the fixed electrical installation every five years following the recognised best practice set out within the relevant British Standard is the easiest way of demonstrating compliance with the more general legal requirements described above
WORKSPACE WELFARE
When calculating minimum space per person under the Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations what is the preferred method ndash should we take into account furniture and any equipment in the room
The space calculation of 11 cubic metres per person only relates to the empty volume of the room There is no method for considering furnishings so this would need to be considered on a more subjective basis rather than a calculation
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
My client (an engineering business) has been advised that it needs to address the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations but is unsure how to proceed My client an engineering business has older spot welding and annealing machinery which appear to fall under the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations We need to establish how to assess and measure exposure to electromagnetic fields action levels and exposure limit values Is there laymanrsquos guidance which can be provided beyond HSG281
The European Commission has published the following guides to the EMF Directive
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Volume 1 ndash Practical guide
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Volume 2 ndash Case Studies
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Guide for SMEs
These documents can be freely downloaded via the relevant links available at httpbitly2oogDWR
In 2014 the HSE commissioned a research report on EMFs in the welding environment This may be more useful as it provides measurements of the EMF emissions welders may be exposed to during the welding processes understanding where welding fits in with the requirements of the EMF Directive a proposal for an EMF emission risk assessment procedure and guidance on compliance for the welding industry This document can be freely downloaded at wwwhsegovukresearchrrhtmrr1018htm
The EMF Weld website may also be useful as it provides a service to help companies comply with the EMF Directive by assessing arc (MIGMAGTIG) stud and resistance welding processes as well as magnetic particle inspection (MPI) and induction heating Assessments are based on equipment geometry worker position and the process parameters and they use the weighted peak method described in the directive Visit wwwemfweldeuDefaultaspx
FIRE SAFETY ON CONSTRUCTION SITES
Does every construction project need to have a fire risk assessment
The primary legislation is the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) 2015 Part 4 sets out the general requirements for all construction sites and contains several regulations which relate to fire Regulation 29 is concerned with the prevention of risk from fire flooding or asphyxiation and states that ldquosuitable and sufficient steps must be taken to prevent so far as is reasonably practicable the risk of injury to a person during the carrying out of construction work arising from fire or explosion flooding or any substance liable to cause asphyxiation
Regulations 30 to 32 set out the more specific requirements relating to emergency procedures emergency routes exits fire detection and firefighting respectively For more information read L153 Managing health and safety in construction which can be downloaded from wwwhsegovukpubnsbooksl153htm Therefore while there is no specific legal requirement to carry out a fire risk assessment it is effectively implied
because if one was not carried out it would be difficult for a contractor or principal contractor to demonstrate that they have complied with the above legal requirement for example that they have taken suitable and sufficient steps to prevent the risk of injury arising from fire Additionally the relevant guidance set out within the HSE publication Fire safety in construction makes clear that a fire risk assessment should be the foundation for all the fire precautions put in place if you are interested this publication can be freely downloaded from wwwhsegovukpubnsbookshsg168htm
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID
Is there any guidance on the topic of mental health first aid
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches people how to identify understand and help a person who may be developing a mental health issue In the same way as we learn physical first aid mental health first aid teaches you how to recognise those crucial warning signs of mental ill health The aims of mental health first aid are
to preserve life where a person may be a danger to themselves or others
to provide help to prevent the mental health problems developing into a more serious state
to promote the recovery of good mental health
to provide comfort to a person experiencing a mental health problem
MHFA does not teach people to be therapists However it does teach people how to recognise the symptoms of mental health problems how to provide initial help and how to guide a person towards appropriate professional help
Mental health is your business ndash Guidance for developing a workplace policy is available from httpbitly2nSH3AQ
The Take 10 together toolkit may be useful as it contains many resources on this topic such as posters video clips and graphics Yoursquoll find it at httpsmhfaenglandorgtake-10-together-toolkit
CDM DUTIES
Can a company be appointed as a principal designer or principal contractor Can someone can be appointed to more than one role
Both organisations and individuals can be appointed to roles under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and can be appointed to more than one role if they are competent to discharge the duties of each role
FIRE EXITS
Can an exit currently designated as a fire exit be used as a regular exit from the building
There is nothing specific under fire safety legislation that would prohibit the door being used as such as long as is ensured the exit remains available in an emergency
REPORTABLE INCIDENTS
We donrsquot operate on Mondays and Fridays If an employee injures themselves do we still count the Monday and Friday when calculating over seven day injuries
Yes Mondays and Fridays along with weekends would be counted in the calculation of an over seven-day injury
Join the conversation The opinion corner is designed to gauge exactly what our members are thinking on current issues in the industry If you have a question you would like us to ask members please email kelliemundelllexisnexiscouk
This month wersquore asking
Should mental health first aid be mandatory
Have your say visit httpbitly2oV9nBNto join in the discussion
Your membership benefits
Donrsquot forget as well as the technical helpdesk IIRSM members have free and unlimited access to two other helplines as part of your membership
The HR and employment helpline and Legal helpdesk also provide quick responses to everyday queries such as the application of health and safety legislation employment issues and professional and personal legal issues
To contact the HR helpline call 0330 100 7631 quoting your membership numberTo contact the Legal helpline call 0845 676 9498 quoting your membership number
0517 | wwwiirsmorg16
Come along to your next Branch meeting
Why not let 2017 be the year you make the most out of IIRSMrsquos Branch network Register to attend your local meeting and take the opportunity to get involved with the Institute and your fellow members and introduce your colleagues to IIRSM
Below are some up and coming meetings so save the dates or book your place now This is a great platform for risk managers to meet on a regular basis
to network with their peers Itrsquos also the perfect opportunity to take part in training hear a range of speakers and discuss issues which can impact your profession
We send notifications about meetings by email and updates are posted on the website If you are not receiving emails from IIRSM please check your email settings and make sure your details are up to date in your profile so you
donrsquot miss out More meetings will be released throughout the year as well as information about speakers and topics for discussion
Visit the Branches page of the website to see the latest meetings in your local area at wwwiirsmorgbook-a-branch-meeting
If yoursquore interested in helping us develop a new Branch please get in touch with us at branchesiirsmorg
Branch meetings
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rian
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ckso
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Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Central England 23rd 14th
East England 29th 19th 6th
East Midlands 12th 10th 7th 12th 9th 13th 11th 9th
East Scotland 19th 19th
London 10th 14th 7th
Nigeria 15th 6th 5th
North Scotland 25th 24th
North West England 15th 21st 16th
Qatar 18th 23rd 18th 22nd 19th 24th 21st 19th
South East England 12th
South Wales 3rd 5th 28th 5th
United Arab Emirates
12th 17th 5th 9th 6th 4th 8th 6th
West Midlands 13th 16th
Yorkshire 23rd 5th 28th
wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 54
News ProsecutionsNews Prosecutions
SAFE SYSTEMS OF WORK
Site manager guilty of manslaughter after lawyer crushed by window framesA construction company director and site manager has been found guilty of the gross negligence manslaughter of a passerby who was crushed by three window frames that had been left propped up on the pavement in Londonrsquos Mayfair
Amanda Telfer 43 died when the frames weighing around 665kgs fell on top of her outside 5 Hanover Square on 30 August 2012 during renovation of a ground floor and basement gallery
The frames had been delivered the previous day but left unsecured overnight the Old Bailey heard and toppled over as Ms Telfer passed on her way to the offices of Keystone Law near Oxford Street Passers-by rushed to help and managed to lift off the frames but she was unconscious and not breathing
An investigation by the Metrsquos Homicide and Major Crime Command with the assistance of the HSE found that no efforts were made to secure them and no barrier was placed around them the court heard
No checks were made on them when work resumed on site the next morning
Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson QC told the jury it was ldquoobvious to anyonerdquo the heavy frames carried a ldquoclear and serious risk of deathrdquo to anyone nearby
ldquoThere were a series of obvious and in many cases straightforward steps that could have been taken to avoid that risk ranging from cancellation delay refusal of delivery on the one hand to the storage the use of straps
and barriersrdquo he said ldquoNone were taken by any of the defendants and Amanda Telfer died as a resultrdquo
Kelvin Adsett was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence and safety offences The 64 year old was the on-site project manager for IS Europe which was also convicted of safety offences
Site manager for principal contractor Westgreen Construction Damian Lakin-Hall 50 was convicted of safety offences He was acquitted of manslaughter
Both were bailed to appear at the Old Bailey for sentencing on 5 May
HEAT STRESS
Firefightersrsquo higher heart attack risk lsquobecause of heatrsquo
Study links heat and exertion to heart attacks in healthy firefighters
Working in high temperatures increases the risk of suffering a heart attack researchers have said
The University of Edinburgh randomly selected 19 non-smoking healthy firefighters from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to take part in the study
They took part in exercises including an attempted mock rescue from a two-storey structure which exposed them to extremely high temperatures while wearing heart monitors Researchers found their core body temperatures remained high for three to four hours following exposure to the fire They also found their blood became stickier and was about 66 more likely to form potentially harmful clots Their blood vessels also failed to relax in response to medication
The research team believe that the increase in clotting was caused by a combination of fluid loss due to sweating and an inflammatory response to the fire heat which resulted in the blood becoming more concentrated and so more likely to clot
The researchers also found that the exposure to fire caused minor injury to the heart muscles
According to the studyrsquos senior study author Nicholas Mills heart attacks are the most common cause of death among on-duty firefighters with the potentially fatal
cardiac event most likely to occur during or shortly after working to put out a fire
ldquoWe found a direct link between the heat and physical activity levels encountered by firefighters during their duties and changes in blood clotting that would increase their risk of suffering a heart attackrdquo said Mills of the British Heart Foundation Center for Cardiovascular Sciences which funded the project
In the report published in the journal Circulation authors noted other limitations such as the possibility that firefighters might encounter other stressors not replicated in the exercise like smoke or psychological stress
ldquoIt is very rare and unusual for a healthy person without heart disease to have a heart attack even under such extreme conditionsrdquo Dr Stefanos Kales a researcher at Harvard Medical School who wrote an accompanying editorial told Reuters
ldquoHowever a person who appears healthy but who has unrecognised coronary blockages andor heart enlargement could succumb to an acute cardiac event under these conditionsrdquo
HEALTH AND SAFETY EXECUTIVE
HSE outlines new business plan
The HSE has published its 2017ndash18 business plan outlining its future budget expectations and its priorities for the coming year
The latest plan includes an aim to participate in the governmentrsquos wider agenda on security risks and cyber security where it plans to develop a cyber strategy for the chemicals sector
It is also working to create an ldquoevidence baserdquo on blue tape undertaking to ldquosummarise progress present evidence and outline proposals for future activities to the HSE boardrdquo by the fourth quarter of the financial year
On chemical registration which is due to be thrown into upheaval by Brexit the HSE says it will ldquoconduct informal consultation to support the review and simplification of occupational health and safety regulations in chemicalsrdquo reporting its findings to the HSE board
Taking forward key elements from the regulatorrsquos overall strategy lsquoHelping Great Britain work wellrsquo it plans to focus on
leading and engaging with others to improve workplace health and safety
providing an effective regulatory framework
securing effective management and
control of risk reducing the likelihood of low-
frequency high-impact catastrophic incidents
The HSE also says it is going to discuss offering a form of ldquoaccreditationrdquo to companies that sign up to commitments under Helping GB Work Well and will also publish its final sector plans at a national event
Amanda Telfer died when the half tonne frames toppled onto herNineteen non-smoking healthy firefighters from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service took part in the study
MENTAL HEALTH
Mind awards showcase commitmentMindrsquos inaugural Workplace Wellbeing Index Awards took place recently recognising and celebrating employersrsquo commitment to prioritising mental health at work
Based on a number of measures and input from HR professionals managers and staff from within their organisation employers were awarded either lsquoGoldrsquo lsquoSilverrsquo lsquoBronzersquo or lsquoCommitted to Actionrsquo The most mentally healthy workplaces are those that have in place measures to tackle the causes of work related stress and poor mental health promote good wellbeing for all their employers and support staff experiencing mental health problems
The Environment Agency ndash an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Environment Food amp Rural Affairs (DEFRA) ndash topped the board at number one and alongside Ark Conway Primary Academy a primary school in West London received a Gold Award - the most prestigious accolade
Taking place at Londonrsquos Soho Hotel the event was hosted by TV presenter author and Mind Ambassador Anna Williamson The awards coincided with data released by the mental health charity showing that of those staff who had disclosed poor mental health at work (2200 employees) just over half (53) said they felt supported and 72 said theyrsquod been made aware of the support tools such as employee assistance programmes counselling staff support network or informal buddying systems More than half were offered reasonable adjustments or support measures such as changes to hours worked or the nature of some of their duties
While the research suggests that overall staff working for these organisations reported having good mental health at work where their mental health wasnrsquot good they felt their workplace was a contributory factor Just over one in ten said their mental health was poor One in four (26) experiencing poor mental health said that this was due to problems at work
InBriefUtility co fined pound900k over fatal fall Electricity North West has been prosecuted over the death of a 63 year old worker who fell from an electricity pole while trying to clear it of ivy growth
John Flowers died after falling about six metres while clearing tree branches from around power lines in Gregson Lane Hoghton on 22 November 2013
Electricity North West was convicted of contravening work at height regulations by failing to ensure the work was properly planned and supervised but was cleared of two other charges at Preston Crown Court
New safety barriers code of practiceA new BSI-backed standards document on segregating traffic in workplace environments using safety barriers has been published
It is intended for use by anyone who is selecting appropriate safety barriers for their workplace to protect personnel vehicles and structures applying traffic management procedures testing and measuring safety barrier performance or manufacturing and distributing safety barriers
The new code of practice gives recommendations for the impact resilience dimensions and positions of safety barriers in the workplace and guidance on how to manage the risks associated with vehicles within the workplace It also specifies the criteria for testing the impact resilience of a barrier
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SE
It is very rare and unusual for a healthy person without heart disease to have a heart attack even under such extreme conditionsrdquo
Read more about the HSErsquos new business plan at wwwhealthandsafetyatworkcomhse new-business-plan
Accident reduction Accident reduction
Bringing safety out of the siloOccupational accidents are the symptoms of the disease of poor management says Michael Stephens
It is not easy for safety professionals to focus away from the traditional view of concentrating on accidents and identifying causesrdquo
The main function of a safety professional is to prevent accidents and ill health at work It is here
that many concentrate their efforts ndash investigating accidents and near-misses and persuading management to implement control measures to prevent recurrences This is the traditional approach and at this moment there are probably many thousands of health and safety professionals around the world talking to senior management about Birdrsquos triangle and targeting near-misses But is it the correct tactic
Unfortunately many risk professionals are generally trained to think tactically not strategically This means that their health and safety management is often seen as an add-on or a necessary evil To make an
impact we need to view the bigger picture To use a medical analogy accidents ill health and near-misses are all symptoms of the disease of poor management This view is used by the Medical Research Councilrsquos safety security and resilience team to inspire its scientists and managers to adopt good management practice in health and safety By taking a business approach to health and safety management and working with occupational health and human resource managers a reduction of 90 in lost time accidents has been achieved We need to tackle the disease not manage the symptoms ndash and to do that we will need to undertake a diagnosis and prescribe an appropriate course of treatment
Health and safety professionals
constantly repeat the adage that lsquogood safety is good businessrsquo But do we manage the health and safety department as other managers are expected to run their sections of the business Generally speaking we consider ourselves to be experts and are there to give advice often independent of the business that employs us We need to get off the side line and treat ourselves as a business unit serving the rest of the organisation as our customer We can do this by having a business plan for health and safety
Every business has a vision A view of where it wants to be in say five yearsrsquo time It has strategic priority objectives measurable milestones and underpinning standards of professionalism and service To be able to articulate your health and
safety vision you need to be absolutely certain about what you currently do what your current staff structure is and critically appraise your past performance This gives you a clear picture of your starting place It is essential to know where you are before deciding where you would like to be
There are nine steps to achieving your health and safety business plan that will radically change your health and safety performance
1 Define your businessYou need to know why you exist and what is expected of you by your market You need to identify fully your customers serviceproducts suppliers and assets Do not assume that the customers you served yesterday will be your customers of
tomorrow Be very clear at the end of this which servicesproducts you supply and to which customers Also which services you ought to be supplying but donrsquot and which services you do supply but donrsquot need to Know your suppliers ndash who provides you to enable you to provide others
2 Know thy selfWhat are the teamrsquos achievements strengths weaknesses opportunities and threats You need to know what you are capable of achieving identify your weaknesses and plan to address them
3 The futureUsing the information from steps 1 and 2 plus the teamrsquos own skills and knowledge map the health and safety
departmentrsquos future with that of the company Look at product development ndash yours and the companyrsquos marketing and sales information and administration technology organisation management people and overall business results In all of these areas how can you support the business
In the pharmaceutical industry time to marketplace is important as a potential product may spend a substantial part of its patent life in research and development A good example of this was the introduction of a networked programme for completing and authorising genetic modification submissions and risk assessments The result was a cut in the bureaucratic process time from two weeks to three days and an improvement in compliance It was not the copy
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wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg
compliance benefit that sold the project to management it was the time saving Safety professionals need to look past the first line safety benefits of their servicesproducts
4 Your visionYou are now in a position to shape your vision of the future not weasel words but a clear crisp statement of what you intend to achieve and by when Your vision should be unique personal challenging achievable simple and graphic
5 Values and beliefsThis says how you intend to operate and shows your professionalism and ethical approach to your work
6 Priority strategic objectivesFrom your vision understanding and awareness of your companyrsquos goals you can develop your priority strategic objectives These are essentially the key targets you have to achieve within the next few years in pursuit of your vision They form the basis for developing practical plans of implementation to convert your vision into reality These will decide how you work what you work at and where your resources go over the next few years They are critical so work at them For example what are the biggest health and safety concerns within the company with regard to reputation financial regulatory risk These should be quantified and a judgment made on how they each might impact the business From then you need to decide what priority and slice of the resource cake that each will receive over the next few years This might be old hat to risk managers but itrsquos still very new for many safety professionals
7 Plan developmentFor each of your strategic objectives you need to put in some milestones Where do you intend to be in one two or three yearsrsquo time with each of them How much should be budgeted for each of them How are you going to measure their effectiveness
8 Test the planIs it making sense Is it factual credible sensitive cost-effective and positive
9 Sell itFirst of all identify the prime movers those people in the organisation with clout Those people whose opinion is respected by management Discover what benefits they would be looking for in the plan their particular business passions and more importantly what
Accident reduction Accident reduction
pleases or interests their managers Then present the plan to them highlighting the benefits For example if one of your strategic objectives is to reduce injuries due to manual handling in the sales force the key message to the sales director is the prevention of potential lost sales For a pharmaceutical rep that could be many thousands of pounds per day So the argument might go Our sales force loses x days per year through back injuries which equates to poundy000 of lost sales We can substantially reduce that (benefit) The main cause of injury is lifting boxes from the boots of their cars We can prevent this by careful vehicle selection (proposal) When can we meet the transport manager to discuss future selection criteria for reps vehicles (question) Yoursquove got him He sees that you have his best interests at heart You are offering to help him reach his sales targets You are demonstrating that you are business focused And this is the key Talk business not safety You are communicating a business plan your commitment to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the company day-to-day
Think like your managerBy establishing this strong foundation of partnership with your senior managers you will find that results come automatically You need to keep up the momentum but success will breed success You have also focused on where your manpower finance and time should be prioritised You have essentially managed the time of your department and its members and you find because you all know what yoursquore meant to be doing the results you want by when and at what cost that a new team harmony develops You have made your team more effective Just how effective should show in your accidents statistics
It is not easy for safety professionals to focus away from the traditional view of concentrating on accidents and identifying causes We know the cause it is management failure in one guise or another It is much easier to obtain results if we the safety professional think like our managers rather than trying to get our managers to think like us
Michael Stephens is Head of Safety Security and Resilience at the Medical Research Council (UK) His book Bringing Safety Out of the Silo produced by IIRSM is available to purchase at wwwamazoncoukBringing-Safety-Out-Silo-Publication-ebookdpB01FDPDI5K
It is much easier to obtain results if we think like our managers rather than trying to get our managers to think like usrdquo
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Institute News Institute News
SHOWCASING YOUR INSTITUTE
On the event circuit
GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS
IIRSM signs MoU with KOSHA
Korea safety agency visits London MoU designed to provide mutual support
IIRSM is committed to working in partnership with like minded organisations and seeks out opportunities that support its membership help to meet its educational aims or benefits the profession more widely
To this end we recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Korea Occupational Health and Safety Agency (KOSHA)
Phillip Pearson IIRSM Chief Executive and Technical Director Peter Hall were
delighted to welcome KOSHA Vice President for Technology Dong-Chun Kim Deputy Director of Occupational Safety Bureau Sung-Joo Lee and Assistant Manager of International Cooperation Centre Kyoung-jin Sim to the Institutersquos London HQ recently
I am delighted to have concluded this MoU with KOSHArdquo says Phillip ldquoThis builds on two previous agreements between KOSHA and IIRSM and we hope that both parties will gain significant benefits from this over the coming years The Institute has many members working for or in partnership with South Korean organisations and we hope that this will further highlight IIRSMrsquos global offeringrdquo
Main The conference programme was well attended and IIRSM welcomed hundreds of current and future members to its stand (below)
The SHE Show South16 May 2017 Milton Keynes
The SHE Show conference runs alongside an exhibition featuring key suppliers and service providers in the fields of safety health and environment IIRSM members receive a 10 discount
Register at wwwthesheshow-southcouk
CDM events14 27 and 28 June 2017 Birmingham Leeds and London
Join health and safety professionals architects designers and principal contractors for a full day of debate and practical guidance at our one day events which will look at the reality of CDM 2015 and the role of the Prinicipal Designer
Book now at wwwiirsmorgCDM2017
Corporate Security Asia 17-19 July Shanghai China
This is the inaugural conference for internal functions tasked with protecting company people product profit and brand in high-risk locations and industries
For more information please visit wwwcorporatesecurityasia-lsemarcusevanscom
Annual Luncheon amp Awards21 September London For the first time IIRSMrsquos popular Annual Luncheon will incorporate the IIRSM Awards and be held at a new central London venue With excellent food an entertaining keynote speaker and more time for networking this event is certain to be fully booked so reserve your place now Email clareflemingiirsmorg
UPCOMING EVENTS
Dates for your diary
Safety Maverick
Big data is for safety professionals
The world of health and safety is not lacking in data ndash itrsquos drowning in it We need smart systems that allow us to apply our expertise in the most efficient way possible to keep workers safe
The term lsquobig datarsquo is often tossed around but rarely understood How many safety leaders fully grasp what big data is or how it is relevant in the safety industry
Big data has been defined as ldquoan accumulation of data that is too large and complex for processing by
traditional database management toolsrdquo So in fact itrsquos not really that innovative We have been trying to analyse data for centuries so why the hype
Well in order to create really useful leading indicators that can answer more strategic business questions like ldquoWhy is this happeningrdquo and ldquoWhat if these trends continuerdquo we must move up the analytics pyramid by employing advanced analytics techniques such as statistical analysis and forecasting and extrapolation It is only then that we
can create the forward-looking leading indicators that our leaders outside of safety really want and are starting to expect
But itrsquos not just advanced analytics we need we need to be delivering predictive analytics and thatrsquos where big data and big data systems come in We need to be able to delve into our own data whether structured or unstructured And import data from outside the organisation that truly gives the leadership vital future guidance
Big data is not just for geeks
QUALITY STANDARDS
Institute achieves ISO 9001
IIRSM is delighted to have been awarded ISO 90012015 (Quality Management) Certification following an in-depth two-stage audit Certification to this international standard is important to
the organisation as it demonstrates to members and stakeholders the Institutersquos commitment to ensuring our management systems are robust and externally audited
Many different aspects of our management system were audited there was a particular focus on the process for onboarding new members renewals and dealing with questions from members as well as an overview of the our membership processes including development of our new risk management qualifications
Technical Director Peter Hall commented ldquoI am particularly grateful for the help in ensuring a successful outcome from all the Institutersquos staff during the preparation for the auditrdquo
Mr Dong-Chun Kim KOSHArsquos Vice President for Technology and IIRSM Chief Executive Phillip
Pearson sign the MoU
Institute welcomes new members IIRSMrsquos Technical Director judges awards
IIRSM was delighted to exhibit at the recent Health and Safety Event held at the NEC in March With more than 6000 attendees it was an ideal opportunity to meet our members and others in the industry over the three days
The IIRSM team was also on hand to provide an insight into the various activities and initiatives that the Institute is currently working on
ldquoIt was great to meet with some of our long-term and newer members at the event and have the opportunity to put a face to a namerdquo says Sophie Cox Head of Member Services ldquoThose members who visited the stand were interested to hear more about what IIRSM is currently working on and it was also a delight to listen to their needs and aspirations for the Institute We certainly received a lot of valuable feedbackrdquo
The stand attracted individuals from a diverse range of sectors including hospitality healthcare construction education and security Delegates were excited to learn of IIRSMrsquos new strategy and its focus on a more integrated risk
management approach As an outcome of the event the Institute has welcomed ten new members on board
There was also a lot of interest in IIRSMrsquos recently launched training approval scheme which offers training providers the mechanism to seek course endorsement for training programmes developed in house Courses which are approved by IIRSM will be publicised among our membership to ensure that members have access to quality and recognised training
Further to this IIRSMrsquos Technical Director Peter Hall joined the event panel for BSIFrsquos Safety Awards This yearrsquos judging had a slight twist ndash finalists were invited to a QampA session in front of a live audience who were then scored by a panel of judges including Peter and BSIFrsquos chief executive Alan Murray IIRSM would like to thank BSIF for the opportunity to be involved and congratulate the worthy winners
ldquoThe Institute considers the event to be a huge success and looks forward to supporting future exhibitions Not only did it enable us to meet with our valued members and future members it was also an opportunity to educate the wider industry on the Institutersquos goals and vision and in turn raise the professional profile of our membershiprdquo
CEO Phillip Pearson and Head of Member Services Sophie Cox
wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1312
International News International News
USA
Restaurant chain to pay $12m over age discrimination
A US restaurant chain has agreed to change its hiring policies and pay $12 million to those affected following lengthy age discrimination lawsuit
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) first filed a suit against Texas Roadhouse in 2011 claiming the company violated federal law by engaging in a nationwide pattern of discriminatory hiring
According to the EEOC applicants were regularly denied front-of-house positions ndash such as servers hosts or bartenders ndash if they were over the age of 40
The agreement also forces Texas Roadhouse to change its recruitment practices hire a diversity director and pay for a decree compliance monitor who is charged with ensuring the company meets all the previously agreed requirements
The USA introduced the Age Discrimination in Employment Act in 1967
GLOBAL
Toxic cabin air lsquoscandalrsquoThe father of a cabin crew worker who allegedly died from an illness caused by breathing in toxic air on aeroplanes is to meet cabin crew from more than 40 different countries in London
Matt Bass died in 2014 after returning from a flight to Ghana A special postmortem paid for by his family found evidence of chronic exposure to poisonous organophosphates
His father Charlie Bass will speak at the International Transport Workersrsquo Federation cabin crew meeting on 8 March 2017 which is being held ahead of the full ITF civil aviation conference
Mr Bass said ldquoI want to come and meet the cabin crew workers so that together we can all build pressure on the industry and government to do more about the scandal of toxic cabin air The ITF and its unions have been brilliant in our campaign they recognise the seriousness of the issue and are raising it at the highest political levels Together we can make sure no one else dies like Matt didrdquo
HONG KONG
Bridge site collapse kills two
Workers at a Hong Kong bridge site where two died may not have followed safety rules the Labour Department has said
Five workers on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge fell into the sea off Tai O Lantau Island when a temporary platform they were working on collapsed Three were rescued
Union representatives have indicated the workers wore safety harnesses hooked to the platform and when the platform collapsed it dragged them into the water
Work has been suspended and an investigation is underway
GLOBAL
Cyber risk among top compliance challenges
Compliance risks are causing headaches for financial services industry executives ndash and fraud financial crime business risk and cyber risk are among the top perpetrators
Those are the results from Accenturersquos Dare to be Different report which quizzed 150 executives from across the world including Australia Hong Kong Japan and Singapore
Eighty-nine percent of executives said their cost increases for compliance will continue to rise in the next two years Almost a fifth of organisations spend more than 5 of their net income addressing compliance
HONG KONG
Slow driver warning suspended in wake of tram accident
Hong Kong Tramways has suspended a speed monitoring programme that discouraged drivers from travelling too slow just days after an accident that left 14 people injured
According to the South China Morning Post an internal Hong Kong Tramwaysrsquo notice explained that tram journeys would be recorded as ldquobelow standardrdquo if they were found to be slower than the average of 79km per hour The company would discipline drivers if they repeatedly recorded slow journeys
The notice said drivers with the highest number of ldquobelow standardrdquo journeys and who had worked for more than one year would be given a verbal warning and have to face authorities
If the driver placed high on the ranking again within 12 months he or she would receive a more serious warning
The tramways company stressed the programme did not ask drivers to increase their speeds and confirmed it would now be suspended
ldquoHong Kong Tramways reiterates that it put safety of operations as an absolute priority and has never requested the motorman to drive fastrdquo the company said
ldquoThe purpose is to bring all trams toward the general average speed of 79km per hour to prevent tram bunching and keep regular headways
GLOBAL
UN experts slam myth that pesticides are necessary
Two United Nations experts are calling for a comprehensive new global treaty to regulate and phase out the use of dangerous pesticides in farming and move towards sustainable agricultural practices
The report which is highly critical of the claims made by the pesticide industry notes ldquoThe assertion promoted by the agrochemical industry that pesticides are necessary to achieve food security is not only inaccurate but dangerously misleadingrdquo
It said chronic exposure to pesticides has been linked to cancer Alzheimerrsquos and Parkinsonrsquos diseases
IRELAND
Doctors and HSE sign charter to help tackle bullying
Doctors and the Health Service Executive have signed up to a new charter to help tackle bullying of young doctors
The Irish Medical Organisation said that the Respect Charter signed by the Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical
Training Bodies and the HSE was a milestone on the road to dealing with the issue
More than a third of trainee doctors reported nurses and midwives as a source of bullying according to research by the Medical Council in 2015 More than half had witnessed someone being bullied at work
The research also found that trainees who were bullied were more likely to say they were leaving medical practice in Ireland Seven out of ten trainees who experienced bullying did not report it to someone in authority
USA
Trump poised to roll back series of worker protection laws
President Trump and congressional Republicans are set to roll back a series of Obama-era worker safety regulations targeted by business groups beginning with a vote by the Senate to kill a rule that required federal contractors to disclose and correct serious safety violationsIn a narrow result that divided along party lines the Senate voted 49 to 48 to eliminate the regulation dubbed the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule Finalised in August and blocked by a court order in October the rule would limit the ability of companies with recent safety problems to complete for government contracts unless they agreed to remedies
It comes after Trump signed an executive order requiring all federal agencies to identify regulations that can be scrapped promising to ldquoremove every job-killing regulation we can findrdquo
suggesting more regulation-cutting bills were on the way
OSHA is also to delay the enforcement of its tough new silica standard in the construction industry prompting concern that it might be watered down by the administration of Trump
The standard cuts the current ldquopermissible exposure limitrdquo (PEL) of 100 micrograms of crystalline silica per cubic metre of air averaged over an eight-hour shift to 50 micrograms just half that in force in the UK
The safety regulator said on 6 April that it will produce additional guidance and undertake more ldquooutreachrdquo before it starts to enforce the new exposure limit and other measures in the standard which was due to begin on 23 June
It said that enforcement will instead start on 23 September
President Trump met with Republican congressional leaders at the White House on 1 MarchEUROPE
EU road deaths ldquonot improving quickly enoughrdquo
The European Commission has published new data showing that deaths on EU roads fell by just 2 last year following a 1 increase in 2015
According to analysis road deaths will now need to fall by 115 a year in order to meet the EU target of cutting deaths by half in the decade to 2020
Commenting on the latest figures Antonio Avenoso Executive Director of the European Transport Safety Council said ldquoWith around 500 deaths on EU roads every week a figure that has hardly budged in three years bold action from the EU and member states is long overdue
ldquoEU minimum vehicle safety standards have not been updated since 2009rdquo he
continued ldquoA plan to require carmakers to install life-saving technologies such as automated emergency braking overrideable intelligent speed assistance and passenger seat belt reminders in all cars was postponed last month until March 2018 and even then will face several years before the changes are implemented Every day of delay will mean more avoidable deaths Member states also need to reprioritise action on enforcement infrastructure safety improvements and measures to make pedestrians and cyclists safer on our roads Road deaths and serious injuries devastate lives and cost the European economy billions every yearrdquo
There are around 500 deaths on EU roads every week
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wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1514
Membersrsquo Pages Membersrsquo Pages
If you are looking for advice call the health and safety information helpline with your questions on +44 (0)1296 678 465 or email iirsmhelplinealcumusgroupcom for information on any health and safety related topic Here are just a few of your recent queries
QampAsEU DRIVING LICENCE CHECKS
We currently undertake checks of employee driving licences using the DVLA system However an employee has a European licence and so we are unable to check the licence through the DVLA Can you advise how we can carry out a check for this or other similar licences please
In the first instance you should contact the issuing office which should be found on the driving licence If it is not displayed on the licence visit httpeuropaeuyoureuropecitizensnational-contact-points Select the country you are looking for select lsquoVehiclesrsquo and the details for driving licences will be displayed
HAZARD PICTOGRAMS
Do you know where I can get the new hazard pictograms from
The HSErsquos new hazard pictograms are available at wwwhsegovukchemical-classificationlabelling-packaginghazard-symbols-hazard-pictogramshtm
ELECTRICAL TESTING
How often should a fixed electrical supply within permanent buildings (workplace) be inspectedtested by a competent person I believe it is five years but am unsure where I have got this information from Could you please advise me on the statutory requirements and any associated best practices
The relevant legal requirement is set out within regulation 4(2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations however these
regulations do not specify how often this should be done as it simply states As may be necessary to prevent danger all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent so far as is reasonably practicable such danger
The accompanying guidance also states The obligation to maintain arises only if danger would otherwise result The quality and frequency of maintenance should be sufficient to prevent danger so far as is reasonably practicable Regular inspection of equipment is an essential part of any preventive maintenance programme Practical experience of use may indicate an adjustment to the frequency at which preventive maintenance needs to be carried out This is a matter for the judgement of the duty holder who should seek all the information he needs to make this judgement including reference to the equipment manufacturerrsquos guidance Records of maintenance including test results preferably kept throughout the working life of an electrical system will enable the condition of the equipment and the effectiveness of maintenance policies to be monitored Without effective monitoring duty holders cannot be certain that the requirement for maintenance has been complied with Reference HSR 25 Memorandum of guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 This document can be viewed in full and freely downloaded from the HSE website at wwwhsegovukpubnspricedhsr25pdf
The guidance concerning the frequency of periodic inspections is set out within British Standard BS 7671 Requirements for Electrical Installations ndash more commonly referred to as the IET Wiring Regulations ndash and the recommended initial frequency of inspection for most types of commercial
premises such as shops offices etc is five-yearly Some general information about this standard can be found on the BSI website at httpshopbsigroupcomProductDetailpid=000000000030292893 Further information can also be found on the IET website at wwwtheietorgresourceswiring-regulations
Therefore while there is no legal requirement to inspect the fixed electrical installation every five years following the recognised best practice set out within the relevant British Standard is the easiest way of demonstrating compliance with the more general legal requirements described above
WORKSPACE WELFARE
When calculating minimum space per person under the Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations what is the preferred method ndash should we take into account furniture and any equipment in the room
The space calculation of 11 cubic metres per person only relates to the empty volume of the room There is no method for considering furnishings so this would need to be considered on a more subjective basis rather than a calculation
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
My client (an engineering business) has been advised that it needs to address the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations but is unsure how to proceed My client an engineering business has older spot welding and annealing machinery which appear to fall under the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations We need to establish how to assess and measure exposure to electromagnetic fields action levels and exposure limit values Is there laymanrsquos guidance which can be provided beyond HSG281
The European Commission has published the following guides to the EMF Directive
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Volume 1 ndash Practical guide
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Volume 2 ndash Case Studies
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Guide for SMEs
These documents can be freely downloaded via the relevant links available at httpbitly2oogDWR
In 2014 the HSE commissioned a research report on EMFs in the welding environment This may be more useful as it provides measurements of the EMF emissions welders may be exposed to during the welding processes understanding where welding fits in with the requirements of the EMF Directive a proposal for an EMF emission risk assessment procedure and guidance on compliance for the welding industry This document can be freely downloaded at wwwhsegovukresearchrrhtmrr1018htm
The EMF Weld website may also be useful as it provides a service to help companies comply with the EMF Directive by assessing arc (MIGMAGTIG) stud and resistance welding processes as well as magnetic particle inspection (MPI) and induction heating Assessments are based on equipment geometry worker position and the process parameters and they use the weighted peak method described in the directive Visit wwwemfweldeuDefaultaspx
FIRE SAFETY ON CONSTRUCTION SITES
Does every construction project need to have a fire risk assessment
The primary legislation is the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) 2015 Part 4 sets out the general requirements for all construction sites and contains several regulations which relate to fire Regulation 29 is concerned with the prevention of risk from fire flooding or asphyxiation and states that ldquosuitable and sufficient steps must be taken to prevent so far as is reasonably practicable the risk of injury to a person during the carrying out of construction work arising from fire or explosion flooding or any substance liable to cause asphyxiation
Regulations 30 to 32 set out the more specific requirements relating to emergency procedures emergency routes exits fire detection and firefighting respectively For more information read L153 Managing health and safety in construction which can be downloaded from wwwhsegovukpubnsbooksl153htm Therefore while there is no specific legal requirement to carry out a fire risk assessment it is effectively implied
because if one was not carried out it would be difficult for a contractor or principal contractor to demonstrate that they have complied with the above legal requirement for example that they have taken suitable and sufficient steps to prevent the risk of injury arising from fire Additionally the relevant guidance set out within the HSE publication Fire safety in construction makes clear that a fire risk assessment should be the foundation for all the fire precautions put in place if you are interested this publication can be freely downloaded from wwwhsegovukpubnsbookshsg168htm
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID
Is there any guidance on the topic of mental health first aid
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches people how to identify understand and help a person who may be developing a mental health issue In the same way as we learn physical first aid mental health first aid teaches you how to recognise those crucial warning signs of mental ill health The aims of mental health first aid are
to preserve life where a person may be a danger to themselves or others
to provide help to prevent the mental health problems developing into a more serious state
to promote the recovery of good mental health
to provide comfort to a person experiencing a mental health problem
MHFA does not teach people to be therapists However it does teach people how to recognise the symptoms of mental health problems how to provide initial help and how to guide a person towards appropriate professional help
Mental health is your business ndash Guidance for developing a workplace policy is available from httpbitly2nSH3AQ
The Take 10 together toolkit may be useful as it contains many resources on this topic such as posters video clips and graphics Yoursquoll find it at httpsmhfaenglandorgtake-10-together-toolkit
CDM DUTIES
Can a company be appointed as a principal designer or principal contractor Can someone can be appointed to more than one role
Both organisations and individuals can be appointed to roles under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and can be appointed to more than one role if they are competent to discharge the duties of each role
FIRE EXITS
Can an exit currently designated as a fire exit be used as a regular exit from the building
There is nothing specific under fire safety legislation that would prohibit the door being used as such as long as is ensured the exit remains available in an emergency
REPORTABLE INCIDENTS
We donrsquot operate on Mondays and Fridays If an employee injures themselves do we still count the Monday and Friday when calculating over seven day injuries
Yes Mondays and Fridays along with weekends would be counted in the calculation of an over seven-day injury
Join the conversation The opinion corner is designed to gauge exactly what our members are thinking on current issues in the industry If you have a question you would like us to ask members please email kelliemundelllexisnexiscouk
This month wersquore asking
Should mental health first aid be mandatory
Have your say visit httpbitly2oV9nBNto join in the discussion
Your membership benefits
Donrsquot forget as well as the technical helpdesk IIRSM members have free and unlimited access to two other helplines as part of your membership
The HR and employment helpline and Legal helpdesk also provide quick responses to everyday queries such as the application of health and safety legislation employment issues and professional and personal legal issues
To contact the HR helpline call 0330 100 7631 quoting your membership numberTo contact the Legal helpline call 0845 676 9498 quoting your membership number
0517 | wwwiirsmorg16
Come along to your next Branch meeting
Why not let 2017 be the year you make the most out of IIRSMrsquos Branch network Register to attend your local meeting and take the opportunity to get involved with the Institute and your fellow members and introduce your colleagues to IIRSM
Below are some up and coming meetings so save the dates or book your place now This is a great platform for risk managers to meet on a regular basis
to network with their peers Itrsquos also the perfect opportunity to take part in training hear a range of speakers and discuss issues which can impact your profession
We send notifications about meetings by email and updates are posted on the website If you are not receiving emails from IIRSM please check your email settings and make sure your details are up to date in your profile so you
donrsquot miss out More meetings will be released throughout the year as well as information about speakers and topics for discussion
Visit the Branches page of the website to see the latest meetings in your local area at wwwiirsmorgbook-a-branch-meeting
If yoursquore interested in helping us develop a new Branch please get in touch with us at branchesiirsmorg
Branch meetings
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Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Central England 23rd 14th
East England 29th 19th 6th
East Midlands 12th 10th 7th 12th 9th 13th 11th 9th
East Scotland 19th 19th
London 10th 14th 7th
Nigeria 15th 6th 5th
North Scotland 25th 24th
North West England 15th 21st 16th
Qatar 18th 23rd 18th 22nd 19th 24th 21st 19th
South East England 12th
South Wales 3rd 5th 28th 5th
United Arab Emirates
12th 17th 5th 9th 6th 4th 8th 6th
West Midlands 13th 16th
Yorkshire 23rd 5th 28th
Accident reduction Accident reduction
Bringing safety out of the siloOccupational accidents are the symptoms of the disease of poor management says Michael Stephens
It is not easy for safety professionals to focus away from the traditional view of concentrating on accidents and identifying causesrdquo
The main function of a safety professional is to prevent accidents and ill health at work It is here
that many concentrate their efforts ndash investigating accidents and near-misses and persuading management to implement control measures to prevent recurrences This is the traditional approach and at this moment there are probably many thousands of health and safety professionals around the world talking to senior management about Birdrsquos triangle and targeting near-misses But is it the correct tactic
Unfortunately many risk professionals are generally trained to think tactically not strategically This means that their health and safety management is often seen as an add-on or a necessary evil To make an
impact we need to view the bigger picture To use a medical analogy accidents ill health and near-misses are all symptoms of the disease of poor management This view is used by the Medical Research Councilrsquos safety security and resilience team to inspire its scientists and managers to adopt good management practice in health and safety By taking a business approach to health and safety management and working with occupational health and human resource managers a reduction of 90 in lost time accidents has been achieved We need to tackle the disease not manage the symptoms ndash and to do that we will need to undertake a diagnosis and prescribe an appropriate course of treatment
Health and safety professionals
constantly repeat the adage that lsquogood safety is good businessrsquo But do we manage the health and safety department as other managers are expected to run their sections of the business Generally speaking we consider ourselves to be experts and are there to give advice often independent of the business that employs us We need to get off the side line and treat ourselves as a business unit serving the rest of the organisation as our customer We can do this by having a business plan for health and safety
Every business has a vision A view of where it wants to be in say five yearsrsquo time It has strategic priority objectives measurable milestones and underpinning standards of professionalism and service To be able to articulate your health and
safety vision you need to be absolutely certain about what you currently do what your current staff structure is and critically appraise your past performance This gives you a clear picture of your starting place It is essential to know where you are before deciding where you would like to be
There are nine steps to achieving your health and safety business plan that will radically change your health and safety performance
1 Define your businessYou need to know why you exist and what is expected of you by your market You need to identify fully your customers serviceproducts suppliers and assets Do not assume that the customers you served yesterday will be your customers of
tomorrow Be very clear at the end of this which servicesproducts you supply and to which customers Also which services you ought to be supplying but donrsquot and which services you do supply but donrsquot need to Know your suppliers ndash who provides you to enable you to provide others
2 Know thy selfWhat are the teamrsquos achievements strengths weaknesses opportunities and threats You need to know what you are capable of achieving identify your weaknesses and plan to address them
3 The futureUsing the information from steps 1 and 2 plus the teamrsquos own skills and knowledge map the health and safety
departmentrsquos future with that of the company Look at product development ndash yours and the companyrsquos marketing and sales information and administration technology organisation management people and overall business results In all of these areas how can you support the business
In the pharmaceutical industry time to marketplace is important as a potential product may spend a substantial part of its patent life in research and development A good example of this was the introduction of a networked programme for completing and authorising genetic modification submissions and risk assessments The result was a cut in the bureaucratic process time from two weeks to three days and an improvement in compliance It was not the copy
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ifor
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wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg
compliance benefit that sold the project to management it was the time saving Safety professionals need to look past the first line safety benefits of their servicesproducts
4 Your visionYou are now in a position to shape your vision of the future not weasel words but a clear crisp statement of what you intend to achieve and by when Your vision should be unique personal challenging achievable simple and graphic
5 Values and beliefsThis says how you intend to operate and shows your professionalism and ethical approach to your work
6 Priority strategic objectivesFrom your vision understanding and awareness of your companyrsquos goals you can develop your priority strategic objectives These are essentially the key targets you have to achieve within the next few years in pursuit of your vision They form the basis for developing practical plans of implementation to convert your vision into reality These will decide how you work what you work at and where your resources go over the next few years They are critical so work at them For example what are the biggest health and safety concerns within the company with regard to reputation financial regulatory risk These should be quantified and a judgment made on how they each might impact the business From then you need to decide what priority and slice of the resource cake that each will receive over the next few years This might be old hat to risk managers but itrsquos still very new for many safety professionals
7 Plan developmentFor each of your strategic objectives you need to put in some milestones Where do you intend to be in one two or three yearsrsquo time with each of them How much should be budgeted for each of them How are you going to measure their effectiveness
8 Test the planIs it making sense Is it factual credible sensitive cost-effective and positive
9 Sell itFirst of all identify the prime movers those people in the organisation with clout Those people whose opinion is respected by management Discover what benefits they would be looking for in the plan their particular business passions and more importantly what
Accident reduction Accident reduction
pleases or interests their managers Then present the plan to them highlighting the benefits For example if one of your strategic objectives is to reduce injuries due to manual handling in the sales force the key message to the sales director is the prevention of potential lost sales For a pharmaceutical rep that could be many thousands of pounds per day So the argument might go Our sales force loses x days per year through back injuries which equates to poundy000 of lost sales We can substantially reduce that (benefit) The main cause of injury is lifting boxes from the boots of their cars We can prevent this by careful vehicle selection (proposal) When can we meet the transport manager to discuss future selection criteria for reps vehicles (question) Yoursquove got him He sees that you have his best interests at heart You are offering to help him reach his sales targets You are demonstrating that you are business focused And this is the key Talk business not safety You are communicating a business plan your commitment to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the company day-to-day
Think like your managerBy establishing this strong foundation of partnership with your senior managers you will find that results come automatically You need to keep up the momentum but success will breed success You have also focused on where your manpower finance and time should be prioritised You have essentially managed the time of your department and its members and you find because you all know what yoursquore meant to be doing the results you want by when and at what cost that a new team harmony develops You have made your team more effective Just how effective should show in your accidents statistics
It is not easy for safety professionals to focus away from the traditional view of concentrating on accidents and identifying causes We know the cause it is management failure in one guise or another It is much easier to obtain results if we the safety professional think like our managers rather than trying to get our managers to think like us
Michael Stephens is Head of Safety Security and Resilience at the Medical Research Council (UK) His book Bringing Safety Out of the Silo produced by IIRSM is available to purchase at wwwamazoncoukBringing-Safety-Out-Silo-Publication-ebookdpB01FDPDI5K
It is much easier to obtain results if we think like our managers rather than trying to get our managers to think like usrdquo
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dith
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wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1110
Institute News Institute News
SHOWCASING YOUR INSTITUTE
On the event circuit
GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS
IIRSM signs MoU with KOSHA
Korea safety agency visits London MoU designed to provide mutual support
IIRSM is committed to working in partnership with like minded organisations and seeks out opportunities that support its membership help to meet its educational aims or benefits the profession more widely
To this end we recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Korea Occupational Health and Safety Agency (KOSHA)
Phillip Pearson IIRSM Chief Executive and Technical Director Peter Hall were
delighted to welcome KOSHA Vice President for Technology Dong-Chun Kim Deputy Director of Occupational Safety Bureau Sung-Joo Lee and Assistant Manager of International Cooperation Centre Kyoung-jin Sim to the Institutersquos London HQ recently
I am delighted to have concluded this MoU with KOSHArdquo says Phillip ldquoThis builds on two previous agreements between KOSHA and IIRSM and we hope that both parties will gain significant benefits from this over the coming years The Institute has many members working for or in partnership with South Korean organisations and we hope that this will further highlight IIRSMrsquos global offeringrdquo
Main The conference programme was well attended and IIRSM welcomed hundreds of current and future members to its stand (below)
The SHE Show South16 May 2017 Milton Keynes
The SHE Show conference runs alongside an exhibition featuring key suppliers and service providers in the fields of safety health and environment IIRSM members receive a 10 discount
Register at wwwthesheshow-southcouk
CDM events14 27 and 28 June 2017 Birmingham Leeds and London
Join health and safety professionals architects designers and principal contractors for a full day of debate and practical guidance at our one day events which will look at the reality of CDM 2015 and the role of the Prinicipal Designer
Book now at wwwiirsmorgCDM2017
Corporate Security Asia 17-19 July Shanghai China
This is the inaugural conference for internal functions tasked with protecting company people product profit and brand in high-risk locations and industries
For more information please visit wwwcorporatesecurityasia-lsemarcusevanscom
Annual Luncheon amp Awards21 September London For the first time IIRSMrsquos popular Annual Luncheon will incorporate the IIRSM Awards and be held at a new central London venue With excellent food an entertaining keynote speaker and more time for networking this event is certain to be fully booked so reserve your place now Email clareflemingiirsmorg
UPCOMING EVENTS
Dates for your diary
Safety Maverick
Big data is for safety professionals
The world of health and safety is not lacking in data ndash itrsquos drowning in it We need smart systems that allow us to apply our expertise in the most efficient way possible to keep workers safe
The term lsquobig datarsquo is often tossed around but rarely understood How many safety leaders fully grasp what big data is or how it is relevant in the safety industry
Big data has been defined as ldquoan accumulation of data that is too large and complex for processing by
traditional database management toolsrdquo So in fact itrsquos not really that innovative We have been trying to analyse data for centuries so why the hype
Well in order to create really useful leading indicators that can answer more strategic business questions like ldquoWhy is this happeningrdquo and ldquoWhat if these trends continuerdquo we must move up the analytics pyramid by employing advanced analytics techniques such as statistical analysis and forecasting and extrapolation It is only then that we
can create the forward-looking leading indicators that our leaders outside of safety really want and are starting to expect
But itrsquos not just advanced analytics we need we need to be delivering predictive analytics and thatrsquos where big data and big data systems come in We need to be able to delve into our own data whether structured or unstructured And import data from outside the organisation that truly gives the leadership vital future guidance
Big data is not just for geeks
QUALITY STANDARDS
Institute achieves ISO 9001
IIRSM is delighted to have been awarded ISO 90012015 (Quality Management) Certification following an in-depth two-stage audit Certification to this international standard is important to
the organisation as it demonstrates to members and stakeholders the Institutersquos commitment to ensuring our management systems are robust and externally audited
Many different aspects of our management system were audited there was a particular focus on the process for onboarding new members renewals and dealing with questions from members as well as an overview of the our membership processes including development of our new risk management qualifications
Technical Director Peter Hall commented ldquoI am particularly grateful for the help in ensuring a successful outcome from all the Institutersquos staff during the preparation for the auditrdquo
Mr Dong-Chun Kim KOSHArsquos Vice President for Technology and IIRSM Chief Executive Phillip
Pearson sign the MoU
Institute welcomes new members IIRSMrsquos Technical Director judges awards
IIRSM was delighted to exhibit at the recent Health and Safety Event held at the NEC in March With more than 6000 attendees it was an ideal opportunity to meet our members and others in the industry over the three days
The IIRSM team was also on hand to provide an insight into the various activities and initiatives that the Institute is currently working on
ldquoIt was great to meet with some of our long-term and newer members at the event and have the opportunity to put a face to a namerdquo says Sophie Cox Head of Member Services ldquoThose members who visited the stand were interested to hear more about what IIRSM is currently working on and it was also a delight to listen to their needs and aspirations for the Institute We certainly received a lot of valuable feedbackrdquo
The stand attracted individuals from a diverse range of sectors including hospitality healthcare construction education and security Delegates were excited to learn of IIRSMrsquos new strategy and its focus on a more integrated risk
management approach As an outcome of the event the Institute has welcomed ten new members on board
There was also a lot of interest in IIRSMrsquos recently launched training approval scheme which offers training providers the mechanism to seek course endorsement for training programmes developed in house Courses which are approved by IIRSM will be publicised among our membership to ensure that members have access to quality and recognised training
Further to this IIRSMrsquos Technical Director Peter Hall joined the event panel for BSIFrsquos Safety Awards This yearrsquos judging had a slight twist ndash finalists were invited to a QampA session in front of a live audience who were then scored by a panel of judges including Peter and BSIFrsquos chief executive Alan Murray IIRSM would like to thank BSIF for the opportunity to be involved and congratulate the worthy winners
ldquoThe Institute considers the event to be a huge success and looks forward to supporting future exhibitions Not only did it enable us to meet with our valued members and future members it was also an opportunity to educate the wider industry on the Institutersquos goals and vision and in turn raise the professional profile of our membershiprdquo
CEO Phillip Pearson and Head of Member Services Sophie Cox
wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1312
International News International News
USA
Restaurant chain to pay $12m over age discrimination
A US restaurant chain has agreed to change its hiring policies and pay $12 million to those affected following lengthy age discrimination lawsuit
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) first filed a suit against Texas Roadhouse in 2011 claiming the company violated federal law by engaging in a nationwide pattern of discriminatory hiring
According to the EEOC applicants were regularly denied front-of-house positions ndash such as servers hosts or bartenders ndash if they were over the age of 40
The agreement also forces Texas Roadhouse to change its recruitment practices hire a diversity director and pay for a decree compliance monitor who is charged with ensuring the company meets all the previously agreed requirements
The USA introduced the Age Discrimination in Employment Act in 1967
GLOBAL
Toxic cabin air lsquoscandalrsquoThe father of a cabin crew worker who allegedly died from an illness caused by breathing in toxic air on aeroplanes is to meet cabin crew from more than 40 different countries in London
Matt Bass died in 2014 after returning from a flight to Ghana A special postmortem paid for by his family found evidence of chronic exposure to poisonous organophosphates
His father Charlie Bass will speak at the International Transport Workersrsquo Federation cabin crew meeting on 8 March 2017 which is being held ahead of the full ITF civil aviation conference
Mr Bass said ldquoI want to come and meet the cabin crew workers so that together we can all build pressure on the industry and government to do more about the scandal of toxic cabin air The ITF and its unions have been brilliant in our campaign they recognise the seriousness of the issue and are raising it at the highest political levels Together we can make sure no one else dies like Matt didrdquo
HONG KONG
Bridge site collapse kills two
Workers at a Hong Kong bridge site where two died may not have followed safety rules the Labour Department has said
Five workers on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge fell into the sea off Tai O Lantau Island when a temporary platform they were working on collapsed Three were rescued
Union representatives have indicated the workers wore safety harnesses hooked to the platform and when the platform collapsed it dragged them into the water
Work has been suspended and an investigation is underway
GLOBAL
Cyber risk among top compliance challenges
Compliance risks are causing headaches for financial services industry executives ndash and fraud financial crime business risk and cyber risk are among the top perpetrators
Those are the results from Accenturersquos Dare to be Different report which quizzed 150 executives from across the world including Australia Hong Kong Japan and Singapore
Eighty-nine percent of executives said their cost increases for compliance will continue to rise in the next two years Almost a fifth of organisations spend more than 5 of their net income addressing compliance
HONG KONG
Slow driver warning suspended in wake of tram accident
Hong Kong Tramways has suspended a speed monitoring programme that discouraged drivers from travelling too slow just days after an accident that left 14 people injured
According to the South China Morning Post an internal Hong Kong Tramwaysrsquo notice explained that tram journeys would be recorded as ldquobelow standardrdquo if they were found to be slower than the average of 79km per hour The company would discipline drivers if they repeatedly recorded slow journeys
The notice said drivers with the highest number of ldquobelow standardrdquo journeys and who had worked for more than one year would be given a verbal warning and have to face authorities
If the driver placed high on the ranking again within 12 months he or she would receive a more serious warning
The tramways company stressed the programme did not ask drivers to increase their speeds and confirmed it would now be suspended
ldquoHong Kong Tramways reiterates that it put safety of operations as an absolute priority and has never requested the motorman to drive fastrdquo the company said
ldquoThe purpose is to bring all trams toward the general average speed of 79km per hour to prevent tram bunching and keep regular headways
GLOBAL
UN experts slam myth that pesticides are necessary
Two United Nations experts are calling for a comprehensive new global treaty to regulate and phase out the use of dangerous pesticides in farming and move towards sustainable agricultural practices
The report which is highly critical of the claims made by the pesticide industry notes ldquoThe assertion promoted by the agrochemical industry that pesticides are necessary to achieve food security is not only inaccurate but dangerously misleadingrdquo
It said chronic exposure to pesticides has been linked to cancer Alzheimerrsquos and Parkinsonrsquos diseases
IRELAND
Doctors and HSE sign charter to help tackle bullying
Doctors and the Health Service Executive have signed up to a new charter to help tackle bullying of young doctors
The Irish Medical Organisation said that the Respect Charter signed by the Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical
Training Bodies and the HSE was a milestone on the road to dealing with the issue
More than a third of trainee doctors reported nurses and midwives as a source of bullying according to research by the Medical Council in 2015 More than half had witnessed someone being bullied at work
The research also found that trainees who were bullied were more likely to say they were leaving medical practice in Ireland Seven out of ten trainees who experienced bullying did not report it to someone in authority
USA
Trump poised to roll back series of worker protection laws
President Trump and congressional Republicans are set to roll back a series of Obama-era worker safety regulations targeted by business groups beginning with a vote by the Senate to kill a rule that required federal contractors to disclose and correct serious safety violationsIn a narrow result that divided along party lines the Senate voted 49 to 48 to eliminate the regulation dubbed the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule Finalised in August and blocked by a court order in October the rule would limit the ability of companies with recent safety problems to complete for government contracts unless they agreed to remedies
It comes after Trump signed an executive order requiring all federal agencies to identify regulations that can be scrapped promising to ldquoremove every job-killing regulation we can findrdquo
suggesting more regulation-cutting bills were on the way
OSHA is also to delay the enforcement of its tough new silica standard in the construction industry prompting concern that it might be watered down by the administration of Trump
The standard cuts the current ldquopermissible exposure limitrdquo (PEL) of 100 micrograms of crystalline silica per cubic metre of air averaged over an eight-hour shift to 50 micrograms just half that in force in the UK
The safety regulator said on 6 April that it will produce additional guidance and undertake more ldquooutreachrdquo before it starts to enforce the new exposure limit and other measures in the standard which was due to begin on 23 June
It said that enforcement will instead start on 23 September
President Trump met with Republican congressional leaders at the White House on 1 MarchEUROPE
EU road deaths ldquonot improving quickly enoughrdquo
The European Commission has published new data showing that deaths on EU roads fell by just 2 last year following a 1 increase in 2015
According to analysis road deaths will now need to fall by 115 a year in order to meet the EU target of cutting deaths by half in the decade to 2020
Commenting on the latest figures Antonio Avenoso Executive Director of the European Transport Safety Council said ldquoWith around 500 deaths on EU roads every week a figure that has hardly budged in three years bold action from the EU and member states is long overdue
ldquoEU minimum vehicle safety standards have not been updated since 2009rdquo he
continued ldquoA plan to require carmakers to install life-saving technologies such as automated emergency braking overrideable intelligent speed assistance and passenger seat belt reminders in all cars was postponed last month until March 2018 and even then will face several years before the changes are implemented Every day of delay will mean more avoidable deaths Member states also need to reprioritise action on enforcement infrastructure safety improvements and measures to make pedestrians and cyclists safer on our roads Road deaths and serious injuries devastate lives and cost the European economy billions every yearrdquo
There are around 500 deaths on EU roads every week
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wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1514
Membersrsquo Pages Membersrsquo Pages
If you are looking for advice call the health and safety information helpline with your questions on +44 (0)1296 678 465 or email iirsmhelplinealcumusgroupcom for information on any health and safety related topic Here are just a few of your recent queries
QampAsEU DRIVING LICENCE CHECKS
We currently undertake checks of employee driving licences using the DVLA system However an employee has a European licence and so we are unable to check the licence through the DVLA Can you advise how we can carry out a check for this or other similar licences please
In the first instance you should contact the issuing office which should be found on the driving licence If it is not displayed on the licence visit httpeuropaeuyoureuropecitizensnational-contact-points Select the country you are looking for select lsquoVehiclesrsquo and the details for driving licences will be displayed
HAZARD PICTOGRAMS
Do you know where I can get the new hazard pictograms from
The HSErsquos new hazard pictograms are available at wwwhsegovukchemical-classificationlabelling-packaginghazard-symbols-hazard-pictogramshtm
ELECTRICAL TESTING
How often should a fixed electrical supply within permanent buildings (workplace) be inspectedtested by a competent person I believe it is five years but am unsure where I have got this information from Could you please advise me on the statutory requirements and any associated best practices
The relevant legal requirement is set out within regulation 4(2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations however these
regulations do not specify how often this should be done as it simply states As may be necessary to prevent danger all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent so far as is reasonably practicable such danger
The accompanying guidance also states The obligation to maintain arises only if danger would otherwise result The quality and frequency of maintenance should be sufficient to prevent danger so far as is reasonably practicable Regular inspection of equipment is an essential part of any preventive maintenance programme Practical experience of use may indicate an adjustment to the frequency at which preventive maintenance needs to be carried out This is a matter for the judgement of the duty holder who should seek all the information he needs to make this judgement including reference to the equipment manufacturerrsquos guidance Records of maintenance including test results preferably kept throughout the working life of an electrical system will enable the condition of the equipment and the effectiveness of maintenance policies to be monitored Without effective monitoring duty holders cannot be certain that the requirement for maintenance has been complied with Reference HSR 25 Memorandum of guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 This document can be viewed in full and freely downloaded from the HSE website at wwwhsegovukpubnspricedhsr25pdf
The guidance concerning the frequency of periodic inspections is set out within British Standard BS 7671 Requirements for Electrical Installations ndash more commonly referred to as the IET Wiring Regulations ndash and the recommended initial frequency of inspection for most types of commercial
premises such as shops offices etc is five-yearly Some general information about this standard can be found on the BSI website at httpshopbsigroupcomProductDetailpid=000000000030292893 Further information can also be found on the IET website at wwwtheietorgresourceswiring-regulations
Therefore while there is no legal requirement to inspect the fixed electrical installation every five years following the recognised best practice set out within the relevant British Standard is the easiest way of demonstrating compliance with the more general legal requirements described above
WORKSPACE WELFARE
When calculating minimum space per person under the Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations what is the preferred method ndash should we take into account furniture and any equipment in the room
The space calculation of 11 cubic metres per person only relates to the empty volume of the room There is no method for considering furnishings so this would need to be considered on a more subjective basis rather than a calculation
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
My client (an engineering business) has been advised that it needs to address the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations but is unsure how to proceed My client an engineering business has older spot welding and annealing machinery which appear to fall under the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations We need to establish how to assess and measure exposure to electromagnetic fields action levels and exposure limit values Is there laymanrsquos guidance which can be provided beyond HSG281
The European Commission has published the following guides to the EMF Directive
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Volume 1 ndash Practical guide
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Volume 2 ndash Case Studies
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Guide for SMEs
These documents can be freely downloaded via the relevant links available at httpbitly2oogDWR
In 2014 the HSE commissioned a research report on EMFs in the welding environment This may be more useful as it provides measurements of the EMF emissions welders may be exposed to during the welding processes understanding where welding fits in with the requirements of the EMF Directive a proposal for an EMF emission risk assessment procedure and guidance on compliance for the welding industry This document can be freely downloaded at wwwhsegovukresearchrrhtmrr1018htm
The EMF Weld website may also be useful as it provides a service to help companies comply with the EMF Directive by assessing arc (MIGMAGTIG) stud and resistance welding processes as well as magnetic particle inspection (MPI) and induction heating Assessments are based on equipment geometry worker position and the process parameters and they use the weighted peak method described in the directive Visit wwwemfweldeuDefaultaspx
FIRE SAFETY ON CONSTRUCTION SITES
Does every construction project need to have a fire risk assessment
The primary legislation is the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) 2015 Part 4 sets out the general requirements for all construction sites and contains several regulations which relate to fire Regulation 29 is concerned with the prevention of risk from fire flooding or asphyxiation and states that ldquosuitable and sufficient steps must be taken to prevent so far as is reasonably practicable the risk of injury to a person during the carrying out of construction work arising from fire or explosion flooding or any substance liable to cause asphyxiation
Regulations 30 to 32 set out the more specific requirements relating to emergency procedures emergency routes exits fire detection and firefighting respectively For more information read L153 Managing health and safety in construction which can be downloaded from wwwhsegovukpubnsbooksl153htm Therefore while there is no specific legal requirement to carry out a fire risk assessment it is effectively implied
because if one was not carried out it would be difficult for a contractor or principal contractor to demonstrate that they have complied with the above legal requirement for example that they have taken suitable and sufficient steps to prevent the risk of injury arising from fire Additionally the relevant guidance set out within the HSE publication Fire safety in construction makes clear that a fire risk assessment should be the foundation for all the fire precautions put in place if you are interested this publication can be freely downloaded from wwwhsegovukpubnsbookshsg168htm
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID
Is there any guidance on the topic of mental health first aid
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches people how to identify understand and help a person who may be developing a mental health issue In the same way as we learn physical first aid mental health first aid teaches you how to recognise those crucial warning signs of mental ill health The aims of mental health first aid are
to preserve life where a person may be a danger to themselves or others
to provide help to prevent the mental health problems developing into a more serious state
to promote the recovery of good mental health
to provide comfort to a person experiencing a mental health problem
MHFA does not teach people to be therapists However it does teach people how to recognise the symptoms of mental health problems how to provide initial help and how to guide a person towards appropriate professional help
Mental health is your business ndash Guidance for developing a workplace policy is available from httpbitly2nSH3AQ
The Take 10 together toolkit may be useful as it contains many resources on this topic such as posters video clips and graphics Yoursquoll find it at httpsmhfaenglandorgtake-10-together-toolkit
CDM DUTIES
Can a company be appointed as a principal designer or principal contractor Can someone can be appointed to more than one role
Both organisations and individuals can be appointed to roles under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and can be appointed to more than one role if they are competent to discharge the duties of each role
FIRE EXITS
Can an exit currently designated as a fire exit be used as a regular exit from the building
There is nothing specific under fire safety legislation that would prohibit the door being used as such as long as is ensured the exit remains available in an emergency
REPORTABLE INCIDENTS
We donrsquot operate on Mondays and Fridays If an employee injures themselves do we still count the Monday and Friday when calculating over seven day injuries
Yes Mondays and Fridays along with weekends would be counted in the calculation of an over seven-day injury
Join the conversation The opinion corner is designed to gauge exactly what our members are thinking on current issues in the industry If you have a question you would like us to ask members please email kelliemundelllexisnexiscouk
This month wersquore asking
Should mental health first aid be mandatory
Have your say visit httpbitly2oV9nBNto join in the discussion
Your membership benefits
Donrsquot forget as well as the technical helpdesk IIRSM members have free and unlimited access to two other helplines as part of your membership
The HR and employment helpline and Legal helpdesk also provide quick responses to everyday queries such as the application of health and safety legislation employment issues and professional and personal legal issues
To contact the HR helpline call 0330 100 7631 quoting your membership numberTo contact the Legal helpline call 0845 676 9498 quoting your membership number
0517 | wwwiirsmorg16
Come along to your next Branch meeting
Why not let 2017 be the year you make the most out of IIRSMrsquos Branch network Register to attend your local meeting and take the opportunity to get involved with the Institute and your fellow members and introduce your colleagues to IIRSM
Below are some up and coming meetings so save the dates or book your place now This is a great platform for risk managers to meet on a regular basis
to network with their peers Itrsquos also the perfect opportunity to take part in training hear a range of speakers and discuss issues which can impact your profession
We send notifications about meetings by email and updates are posted on the website If you are not receiving emails from IIRSM please check your email settings and make sure your details are up to date in your profile so you
donrsquot miss out More meetings will be released throughout the year as well as information about speakers and topics for discussion
Visit the Branches page of the website to see the latest meetings in your local area at wwwiirsmorgbook-a-branch-meeting
If yoursquore interested in helping us develop a new Branch please get in touch with us at branchesiirsmorg
Branch meetings
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Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Central England 23rd 14th
East England 29th 19th 6th
East Midlands 12th 10th 7th 12th 9th 13th 11th 9th
East Scotland 19th 19th
London 10th 14th 7th
Nigeria 15th 6th 5th
North Scotland 25th 24th
North West England 15th 21st 16th
Qatar 18th 23rd 18th 22nd 19th 24th 21st 19th
South East England 12th
South Wales 3rd 5th 28th 5th
United Arab Emirates
12th 17th 5th 9th 6th 4th 8th 6th
West Midlands 13th 16th
Yorkshire 23rd 5th 28th
wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg
compliance benefit that sold the project to management it was the time saving Safety professionals need to look past the first line safety benefits of their servicesproducts
4 Your visionYou are now in a position to shape your vision of the future not weasel words but a clear crisp statement of what you intend to achieve and by when Your vision should be unique personal challenging achievable simple and graphic
5 Values and beliefsThis says how you intend to operate and shows your professionalism and ethical approach to your work
6 Priority strategic objectivesFrom your vision understanding and awareness of your companyrsquos goals you can develop your priority strategic objectives These are essentially the key targets you have to achieve within the next few years in pursuit of your vision They form the basis for developing practical plans of implementation to convert your vision into reality These will decide how you work what you work at and where your resources go over the next few years They are critical so work at them For example what are the biggest health and safety concerns within the company with regard to reputation financial regulatory risk These should be quantified and a judgment made on how they each might impact the business From then you need to decide what priority and slice of the resource cake that each will receive over the next few years This might be old hat to risk managers but itrsquos still very new for many safety professionals
7 Plan developmentFor each of your strategic objectives you need to put in some milestones Where do you intend to be in one two or three yearsrsquo time with each of them How much should be budgeted for each of them How are you going to measure their effectiveness
8 Test the planIs it making sense Is it factual credible sensitive cost-effective and positive
9 Sell itFirst of all identify the prime movers those people in the organisation with clout Those people whose opinion is respected by management Discover what benefits they would be looking for in the plan their particular business passions and more importantly what
Accident reduction Accident reduction
pleases or interests their managers Then present the plan to them highlighting the benefits For example if one of your strategic objectives is to reduce injuries due to manual handling in the sales force the key message to the sales director is the prevention of potential lost sales For a pharmaceutical rep that could be many thousands of pounds per day So the argument might go Our sales force loses x days per year through back injuries which equates to poundy000 of lost sales We can substantially reduce that (benefit) The main cause of injury is lifting boxes from the boots of their cars We can prevent this by careful vehicle selection (proposal) When can we meet the transport manager to discuss future selection criteria for reps vehicles (question) Yoursquove got him He sees that you have his best interests at heart You are offering to help him reach his sales targets You are demonstrating that you are business focused And this is the key Talk business not safety You are communicating a business plan your commitment to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the company day-to-day
Think like your managerBy establishing this strong foundation of partnership with your senior managers you will find that results come automatically You need to keep up the momentum but success will breed success You have also focused on where your manpower finance and time should be prioritised You have essentially managed the time of your department and its members and you find because you all know what yoursquore meant to be doing the results you want by when and at what cost that a new team harmony develops You have made your team more effective Just how effective should show in your accidents statistics
It is not easy for safety professionals to focus away from the traditional view of concentrating on accidents and identifying causes We know the cause it is management failure in one guise or another It is much easier to obtain results if we the safety professional think like our managers rather than trying to get our managers to think like us
Michael Stephens is Head of Safety Security and Resilience at the Medical Research Council (UK) His book Bringing Safety Out of the Silo produced by IIRSM is available to purchase at wwwamazoncoukBringing-Safety-Out-Silo-Publication-ebookdpB01FDPDI5K
It is much easier to obtain results if we think like our managers rather than trying to get our managers to think like usrdquo
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tock
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dith
_Silv
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wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1110
Institute News Institute News
SHOWCASING YOUR INSTITUTE
On the event circuit
GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS
IIRSM signs MoU with KOSHA
Korea safety agency visits London MoU designed to provide mutual support
IIRSM is committed to working in partnership with like minded organisations and seeks out opportunities that support its membership help to meet its educational aims or benefits the profession more widely
To this end we recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Korea Occupational Health and Safety Agency (KOSHA)
Phillip Pearson IIRSM Chief Executive and Technical Director Peter Hall were
delighted to welcome KOSHA Vice President for Technology Dong-Chun Kim Deputy Director of Occupational Safety Bureau Sung-Joo Lee and Assistant Manager of International Cooperation Centre Kyoung-jin Sim to the Institutersquos London HQ recently
I am delighted to have concluded this MoU with KOSHArdquo says Phillip ldquoThis builds on two previous agreements between KOSHA and IIRSM and we hope that both parties will gain significant benefits from this over the coming years The Institute has many members working for or in partnership with South Korean organisations and we hope that this will further highlight IIRSMrsquos global offeringrdquo
Main The conference programme was well attended and IIRSM welcomed hundreds of current and future members to its stand (below)
The SHE Show South16 May 2017 Milton Keynes
The SHE Show conference runs alongside an exhibition featuring key suppliers and service providers in the fields of safety health and environment IIRSM members receive a 10 discount
Register at wwwthesheshow-southcouk
CDM events14 27 and 28 June 2017 Birmingham Leeds and London
Join health and safety professionals architects designers and principal contractors for a full day of debate and practical guidance at our one day events which will look at the reality of CDM 2015 and the role of the Prinicipal Designer
Book now at wwwiirsmorgCDM2017
Corporate Security Asia 17-19 July Shanghai China
This is the inaugural conference for internal functions tasked with protecting company people product profit and brand in high-risk locations and industries
For more information please visit wwwcorporatesecurityasia-lsemarcusevanscom
Annual Luncheon amp Awards21 September London For the first time IIRSMrsquos popular Annual Luncheon will incorporate the IIRSM Awards and be held at a new central London venue With excellent food an entertaining keynote speaker and more time for networking this event is certain to be fully booked so reserve your place now Email clareflemingiirsmorg
UPCOMING EVENTS
Dates for your diary
Safety Maverick
Big data is for safety professionals
The world of health and safety is not lacking in data ndash itrsquos drowning in it We need smart systems that allow us to apply our expertise in the most efficient way possible to keep workers safe
The term lsquobig datarsquo is often tossed around but rarely understood How many safety leaders fully grasp what big data is or how it is relevant in the safety industry
Big data has been defined as ldquoan accumulation of data that is too large and complex for processing by
traditional database management toolsrdquo So in fact itrsquos not really that innovative We have been trying to analyse data for centuries so why the hype
Well in order to create really useful leading indicators that can answer more strategic business questions like ldquoWhy is this happeningrdquo and ldquoWhat if these trends continuerdquo we must move up the analytics pyramid by employing advanced analytics techniques such as statistical analysis and forecasting and extrapolation It is only then that we
can create the forward-looking leading indicators that our leaders outside of safety really want and are starting to expect
But itrsquos not just advanced analytics we need we need to be delivering predictive analytics and thatrsquos where big data and big data systems come in We need to be able to delve into our own data whether structured or unstructured And import data from outside the organisation that truly gives the leadership vital future guidance
Big data is not just for geeks
QUALITY STANDARDS
Institute achieves ISO 9001
IIRSM is delighted to have been awarded ISO 90012015 (Quality Management) Certification following an in-depth two-stage audit Certification to this international standard is important to
the organisation as it demonstrates to members and stakeholders the Institutersquos commitment to ensuring our management systems are robust and externally audited
Many different aspects of our management system were audited there was a particular focus on the process for onboarding new members renewals and dealing with questions from members as well as an overview of the our membership processes including development of our new risk management qualifications
Technical Director Peter Hall commented ldquoI am particularly grateful for the help in ensuring a successful outcome from all the Institutersquos staff during the preparation for the auditrdquo
Mr Dong-Chun Kim KOSHArsquos Vice President for Technology and IIRSM Chief Executive Phillip
Pearson sign the MoU
Institute welcomes new members IIRSMrsquos Technical Director judges awards
IIRSM was delighted to exhibit at the recent Health and Safety Event held at the NEC in March With more than 6000 attendees it was an ideal opportunity to meet our members and others in the industry over the three days
The IIRSM team was also on hand to provide an insight into the various activities and initiatives that the Institute is currently working on
ldquoIt was great to meet with some of our long-term and newer members at the event and have the opportunity to put a face to a namerdquo says Sophie Cox Head of Member Services ldquoThose members who visited the stand were interested to hear more about what IIRSM is currently working on and it was also a delight to listen to their needs and aspirations for the Institute We certainly received a lot of valuable feedbackrdquo
The stand attracted individuals from a diverse range of sectors including hospitality healthcare construction education and security Delegates were excited to learn of IIRSMrsquos new strategy and its focus on a more integrated risk
management approach As an outcome of the event the Institute has welcomed ten new members on board
There was also a lot of interest in IIRSMrsquos recently launched training approval scheme which offers training providers the mechanism to seek course endorsement for training programmes developed in house Courses which are approved by IIRSM will be publicised among our membership to ensure that members have access to quality and recognised training
Further to this IIRSMrsquos Technical Director Peter Hall joined the event panel for BSIFrsquos Safety Awards This yearrsquos judging had a slight twist ndash finalists were invited to a QampA session in front of a live audience who were then scored by a panel of judges including Peter and BSIFrsquos chief executive Alan Murray IIRSM would like to thank BSIF for the opportunity to be involved and congratulate the worthy winners
ldquoThe Institute considers the event to be a huge success and looks forward to supporting future exhibitions Not only did it enable us to meet with our valued members and future members it was also an opportunity to educate the wider industry on the Institutersquos goals and vision and in turn raise the professional profile of our membershiprdquo
CEO Phillip Pearson and Head of Member Services Sophie Cox
wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1312
International News International News
USA
Restaurant chain to pay $12m over age discrimination
A US restaurant chain has agreed to change its hiring policies and pay $12 million to those affected following lengthy age discrimination lawsuit
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) first filed a suit against Texas Roadhouse in 2011 claiming the company violated federal law by engaging in a nationwide pattern of discriminatory hiring
According to the EEOC applicants were regularly denied front-of-house positions ndash such as servers hosts or bartenders ndash if they were over the age of 40
The agreement also forces Texas Roadhouse to change its recruitment practices hire a diversity director and pay for a decree compliance monitor who is charged with ensuring the company meets all the previously agreed requirements
The USA introduced the Age Discrimination in Employment Act in 1967
GLOBAL
Toxic cabin air lsquoscandalrsquoThe father of a cabin crew worker who allegedly died from an illness caused by breathing in toxic air on aeroplanes is to meet cabin crew from more than 40 different countries in London
Matt Bass died in 2014 after returning from a flight to Ghana A special postmortem paid for by his family found evidence of chronic exposure to poisonous organophosphates
His father Charlie Bass will speak at the International Transport Workersrsquo Federation cabin crew meeting on 8 March 2017 which is being held ahead of the full ITF civil aviation conference
Mr Bass said ldquoI want to come and meet the cabin crew workers so that together we can all build pressure on the industry and government to do more about the scandal of toxic cabin air The ITF and its unions have been brilliant in our campaign they recognise the seriousness of the issue and are raising it at the highest political levels Together we can make sure no one else dies like Matt didrdquo
HONG KONG
Bridge site collapse kills two
Workers at a Hong Kong bridge site where two died may not have followed safety rules the Labour Department has said
Five workers on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge fell into the sea off Tai O Lantau Island when a temporary platform they were working on collapsed Three were rescued
Union representatives have indicated the workers wore safety harnesses hooked to the platform and when the platform collapsed it dragged them into the water
Work has been suspended and an investigation is underway
GLOBAL
Cyber risk among top compliance challenges
Compliance risks are causing headaches for financial services industry executives ndash and fraud financial crime business risk and cyber risk are among the top perpetrators
Those are the results from Accenturersquos Dare to be Different report which quizzed 150 executives from across the world including Australia Hong Kong Japan and Singapore
Eighty-nine percent of executives said their cost increases for compliance will continue to rise in the next two years Almost a fifth of organisations spend more than 5 of their net income addressing compliance
HONG KONG
Slow driver warning suspended in wake of tram accident
Hong Kong Tramways has suspended a speed monitoring programme that discouraged drivers from travelling too slow just days after an accident that left 14 people injured
According to the South China Morning Post an internal Hong Kong Tramwaysrsquo notice explained that tram journeys would be recorded as ldquobelow standardrdquo if they were found to be slower than the average of 79km per hour The company would discipline drivers if they repeatedly recorded slow journeys
The notice said drivers with the highest number of ldquobelow standardrdquo journeys and who had worked for more than one year would be given a verbal warning and have to face authorities
If the driver placed high on the ranking again within 12 months he or she would receive a more serious warning
The tramways company stressed the programme did not ask drivers to increase their speeds and confirmed it would now be suspended
ldquoHong Kong Tramways reiterates that it put safety of operations as an absolute priority and has never requested the motorman to drive fastrdquo the company said
ldquoThe purpose is to bring all trams toward the general average speed of 79km per hour to prevent tram bunching and keep regular headways
GLOBAL
UN experts slam myth that pesticides are necessary
Two United Nations experts are calling for a comprehensive new global treaty to regulate and phase out the use of dangerous pesticides in farming and move towards sustainable agricultural practices
The report which is highly critical of the claims made by the pesticide industry notes ldquoThe assertion promoted by the agrochemical industry that pesticides are necessary to achieve food security is not only inaccurate but dangerously misleadingrdquo
It said chronic exposure to pesticides has been linked to cancer Alzheimerrsquos and Parkinsonrsquos diseases
IRELAND
Doctors and HSE sign charter to help tackle bullying
Doctors and the Health Service Executive have signed up to a new charter to help tackle bullying of young doctors
The Irish Medical Organisation said that the Respect Charter signed by the Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical
Training Bodies and the HSE was a milestone on the road to dealing with the issue
More than a third of trainee doctors reported nurses and midwives as a source of bullying according to research by the Medical Council in 2015 More than half had witnessed someone being bullied at work
The research also found that trainees who were bullied were more likely to say they were leaving medical practice in Ireland Seven out of ten trainees who experienced bullying did not report it to someone in authority
USA
Trump poised to roll back series of worker protection laws
President Trump and congressional Republicans are set to roll back a series of Obama-era worker safety regulations targeted by business groups beginning with a vote by the Senate to kill a rule that required federal contractors to disclose and correct serious safety violationsIn a narrow result that divided along party lines the Senate voted 49 to 48 to eliminate the regulation dubbed the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule Finalised in August and blocked by a court order in October the rule would limit the ability of companies with recent safety problems to complete for government contracts unless they agreed to remedies
It comes after Trump signed an executive order requiring all federal agencies to identify regulations that can be scrapped promising to ldquoremove every job-killing regulation we can findrdquo
suggesting more regulation-cutting bills were on the way
OSHA is also to delay the enforcement of its tough new silica standard in the construction industry prompting concern that it might be watered down by the administration of Trump
The standard cuts the current ldquopermissible exposure limitrdquo (PEL) of 100 micrograms of crystalline silica per cubic metre of air averaged over an eight-hour shift to 50 micrograms just half that in force in the UK
The safety regulator said on 6 April that it will produce additional guidance and undertake more ldquooutreachrdquo before it starts to enforce the new exposure limit and other measures in the standard which was due to begin on 23 June
It said that enforcement will instead start on 23 September
President Trump met with Republican congressional leaders at the White House on 1 MarchEUROPE
EU road deaths ldquonot improving quickly enoughrdquo
The European Commission has published new data showing that deaths on EU roads fell by just 2 last year following a 1 increase in 2015
According to analysis road deaths will now need to fall by 115 a year in order to meet the EU target of cutting deaths by half in the decade to 2020
Commenting on the latest figures Antonio Avenoso Executive Director of the European Transport Safety Council said ldquoWith around 500 deaths on EU roads every week a figure that has hardly budged in three years bold action from the EU and member states is long overdue
ldquoEU minimum vehicle safety standards have not been updated since 2009rdquo he
continued ldquoA plan to require carmakers to install life-saving technologies such as automated emergency braking overrideable intelligent speed assistance and passenger seat belt reminders in all cars was postponed last month until March 2018 and even then will face several years before the changes are implemented Every day of delay will mean more avoidable deaths Member states also need to reprioritise action on enforcement infrastructure safety improvements and measures to make pedestrians and cyclists safer on our roads Road deaths and serious injuries devastate lives and cost the European economy billions every yearrdquo
There are around 500 deaths on EU roads every week
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ap
wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1514
Membersrsquo Pages Membersrsquo Pages
If you are looking for advice call the health and safety information helpline with your questions on +44 (0)1296 678 465 or email iirsmhelplinealcumusgroupcom for information on any health and safety related topic Here are just a few of your recent queries
QampAsEU DRIVING LICENCE CHECKS
We currently undertake checks of employee driving licences using the DVLA system However an employee has a European licence and so we are unable to check the licence through the DVLA Can you advise how we can carry out a check for this or other similar licences please
In the first instance you should contact the issuing office which should be found on the driving licence If it is not displayed on the licence visit httpeuropaeuyoureuropecitizensnational-contact-points Select the country you are looking for select lsquoVehiclesrsquo and the details for driving licences will be displayed
HAZARD PICTOGRAMS
Do you know where I can get the new hazard pictograms from
The HSErsquos new hazard pictograms are available at wwwhsegovukchemical-classificationlabelling-packaginghazard-symbols-hazard-pictogramshtm
ELECTRICAL TESTING
How often should a fixed electrical supply within permanent buildings (workplace) be inspectedtested by a competent person I believe it is five years but am unsure where I have got this information from Could you please advise me on the statutory requirements and any associated best practices
The relevant legal requirement is set out within regulation 4(2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations however these
regulations do not specify how often this should be done as it simply states As may be necessary to prevent danger all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent so far as is reasonably practicable such danger
The accompanying guidance also states The obligation to maintain arises only if danger would otherwise result The quality and frequency of maintenance should be sufficient to prevent danger so far as is reasonably practicable Regular inspection of equipment is an essential part of any preventive maintenance programme Practical experience of use may indicate an adjustment to the frequency at which preventive maintenance needs to be carried out This is a matter for the judgement of the duty holder who should seek all the information he needs to make this judgement including reference to the equipment manufacturerrsquos guidance Records of maintenance including test results preferably kept throughout the working life of an electrical system will enable the condition of the equipment and the effectiveness of maintenance policies to be monitored Without effective monitoring duty holders cannot be certain that the requirement for maintenance has been complied with Reference HSR 25 Memorandum of guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 This document can be viewed in full and freely downloaded from the HSE website at wwwhsegovukpubnspricedhsr25pdf
The guidance concerning the frequency of periodic inspections is set out within British Standard BS 7671 Requirements for Electrical Installations ndash more commonly referred to as the IET Wiring Regulations ndash and the recommended initial frequency of inspection for most types of commercial
premises such as shops offices etc is five-yearly Some general information about this standard can be found on the BSI website at httpshopbsigroupcomProductDetailpid=000000000030292893 Further information can also be found on the IET website at wwwtheietorgresourceswiring-regulations
Therefore while there is no legal requirement to inspect the fixed electrical installation every five years following the recognised best practice set out within the relevant British Standard is the easiest way of demonstrating compliance with the more general legal requirements described above
WORKSPACE WELFARE
When calculating minimum space per person under the Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations what is the preferred method ndash should we take into account furniture and any equipment in the room
The space calculation of 11 cubic metres per person only relates to the empty volume of the room There is no method for considering furnishings so this would need to be considered on a more subjective basis rather than a calculation
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
My client (an engineering business) has been advised that it needs to address the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations but is unsure how to proceed My client an engineering business has older spot welding and annealing machinery which appear to fall under the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations We need to establish how to assess and measure exposure to electromagnetic fields action levels and exposure limit values Is there laymanrsquos guidance which can be provided beyond HSG281
The European Commission has published the following guides to the EMF Directive
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Volume 1 ndash Practical guide
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Volume 2 ndash Case Studies
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Guide for SMEs
These documents can be freely downloaded via the relevant links available at httpbitly2oogDWR
In 2014 the HSE commissioned a research report on EMFs in the welding environment This may be more useful as it provides measurements of the EMF emissions welders may be exposed to during the welding processes understanding where welding fits in with the requirements of the EMF Directive a proposal for an EMF emission risk assessment procedure and guidance on compliance for the welding industry This document can be freely downloaded at wwwhsegovukresearchrrhtmrr1018htm
The EMF Weld website may also be useful as it provides a service to help companies comply with the EMF Directive by assessing arc (MIGMAGTIG) stud and resistance welding processes as well as magnetic particle inspection (MPI) and induction heating Assessments are based on equipment geometry worker position and the process parameters and they use the weighted peak method described in the directive Visit wwwemfweldeuDefaultaspx
FIRE SAFETY ON CONSTRUCTION SITES
Does every construction project need to have a fire risk assessment
The primary legislation is the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) 2015 Part 4 sets out the general requirements for all construction sites and contains several regulations which relate to fire Regulation 29 is concerned with the prevention of risk from fire flooding or asphyxiation and states that ldquosuitable and sufficient steps must be taken to prevent so far as is reasonably practicable the risk of injury to a person during the carrying out of construction work arising from fire or explosion flooding or any substance liable to cause asphyxiation
Regulations 30 to 32 set out the more specific requirements relating to emergency procedures emergency routes exits fire detection and firefighting respectively For more information read L153 Managing health and safety in construction which can be downloaded from wwwhsegovukpubnsbooksl153htm Therefore while there is no specific legal requirement to carry out a fire risk assessment it is effectively implied
because if one was not carried out it would be difficult for a contractor or principal contractor to demonstrate that they have complied with the above legal requirement for example that they have taken suitable and sufficient steps to prevent the risk of injury arising from fire Additionally the relevant guidance set out within the HSE publication Fire safety in construction makes clear that a fire risk assessment should be the foundation for all the fire precautions put in place if you are interested this publication can be freely downloaded from wwwhsegovukpubnsbookshsg168htm
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID
Is there any guidance on the topic of mental health first aid
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches people how to identify understand and help a person who may be developing a mental health issue In the same way as we learn physical first aid mental health first aid teaches you how to recognise those crucial warning signs of mental ill health The aims of mental health first aid are
to preserve life where a person may be a danger to themselves or others
to provide help to prevent the mental health problems developing into a more serious state
to promote the recovery of good mental health
to provide comfort to a person experiencing a mental health problem
MHFA does not teach people to be therapists However it does teach people how to recognise the symptoms of mental health problems how to provide initial help and how to guide a person towards appropriate professional help
Mental health is your business ndash Guidance for developing a workplace policy is available from httpbitly2nSH3AQ
The Take 10 together toolkit may be useful as it contains many resources on this topic such as posters video clips and graphics Yoursquoll find it at httpsmhfaenglandorgtake-10-together-toolkit
CDM DUTIES
Can a company be appointed as a principal designer or principal contractor Can someone can be appointed to more than one role
Both organisations and individuals can be appointed to roles under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and can be appointed to more than one role if they are competent to discharge the duties of each role
FIRE EXITS
Can an exit currently designated as a fire exit be used as a regular exit from the building
There is nothing specific under fire safety legislation that would prohibit the door being used as such as long as is ensured the exit remains available in an emergency
REPORTABLE INCIDENTS
We donrsquot operate on Mondays and Fridays If an employee injures themselves do we still count the Monday and Friday when calculating over seven day injuries
Yes Mondays and Fridays along with weekends would be counted in the calculation of an over seven-day injury
Join the conversation The opinion corner is designed to gauge exactly what our members are thinking on current issues in the industry If you have a question you would like us to ask members please email kelliemundelllexisnexiscouk
This month wersquore asking
Should mental health first aid be mandatory
Have your say visit httpbitly2oV9nBNto join in the discussion
Your membership benefits
Donrsquot forget as well as the technical helpdesk IIRSM members have free and unlimited access to two other helplines as part of your membership
The HR and employment helpline and Legal helpdesk also provide quick responses to everyday queries such as the application of health and safety legislation employment issues and professional and personal legal issues
To contact the HR helpline call 0330 100 7631 quoting your membership numberTo contact the Legal helpline call 0845 676 9498 quoting your membership number
0517 | wwwiirsmorg16
Come along to your next Branch meeting
Why not let 2017 be the year you make the most out of IIRSMrsquos Branch network Register to attend your local meeting and take the opportunity to get involved with the Institute and your fellow members and introduce your colleagues to IIRSM
Below are some up and coming meetings so save the dates or book your place now This is a great platform for risk managers to meet on a regular basis
to network with their peers Itrsquos also the perfect opportunity to take part in training hear a range of speakers and discuss issues which can impact your profession
We send notifications about meetings by email and updates are posted on the website If you are not receiving emails from IIRSM please check your email settings and make sure your details are up to date in your profile so you
donrsquot miss out More meetings will be released throughout the year as well as information about speakers and topics for discussion
Visit the Branches page of the website to see the latest meetings in your local area at wwwiirsmorgbook-a-branch-meeting
If yoursquore interested in helping us develop a new Branch please get in touch with us at branchesiirsmorg
Branch meetings
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Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Central England 23rd 14th
East England 29th 19th 6th
East Midlands 12th 10th 7th 12th 9th 13th 11th 9th
East Scotland 19th 19th
London 10th 14th 7th
Nigeria 15th 6th 5th
North Scotland 25th 24th
North West England 15th 21st 16th
Qatar 18th 23rd 18th 22nd 19th 24th 21st 19th
South East England 12th
South Wales 3rd 5th 28th 5th
United Arab Emirates
12th 17th 5th 9th 6th 4th 8th 6th
West Midlands 13th 16th
Yorkshire 23rd 5th 28th
wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1110
Institute News Institute News
SHOWCASING YOUR INSTITUTE
On the event circuit
GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS
IIRSM signs MoU with KOSHA
Korea safety agency visits London MoU designed to provide mutual support
IIRSM is committed to working in partnership with like minded organisations and seeks out opportunities that support its membership help to meet its educational aims or benefits the profession more widely
To this end we recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Korea Occupational Health and Safety Agency (KOSHA)
Phillip Pearson IIRSM Chief Executive and Technical Director Peter Hall were
delighted to welcome KOSHA Vice President for Technology Dong-Chun Kim Deputy Director of Occupational Safety Bureau Sung-Joo Lee and Assistant Manager of International Cooperation Centre Kyoung-jin Sim to the Institutersquos London HQ recently
I am delighted to have concluded this MoU with KOSHArdquo says Phillip ldquoThis builds on two previous agreements between KOSHA and IIRSM and we hope that both parties will gain significant benefits from this over the coming years The Institute has many members working for or in partnership with South Korean organisations and we hope that this will further highlight IIRSMrsquos global offeringrdquo
Main The conference programme was well attended and IIRSM welcomed hundreds of current and future members to its stand (below)
The SHE Show South16 May 2017 Milton Keynes
The SHE Show conference runs alongside an exhibition featuring key suppliers and service providers in the fields of safety health and environment IIRSM members receive a 10 discount
Register at wwwthesheshow-southcouk
CDM events14 27 and 28 June 2017 Birmingham Leeds and London
Join health and safety professionals architects designers and principal contractors for a full day of debate and practical guidance at our one day events which will look at the reality of CDM 2015 and the role of the Prinicipal Designer
Book now at wwwiirsmorgCDM2017
Corporate Security Asia 17-19 July Shanghai China
This is the inaugural conference for internal functions tasked with protecting company people product profit and brand in high-risk locations and industries
For more information please visit wwwcorporatesecurityasia-lsemarcusevanscom
Annual Luncheon amp Awards21 September London For the first time IIRSMrsquos popular Annual Luncheon will incorporate the IIRSM Awards and be held at a new central London venue With excellent food an entertaining keynote speaker and more time for networking this event is certain to be fully booked so reserve your place now Email clareflemingiirsmorg
UPCOMING EVENTS
Dates for your diary
Safety Maverick
Big data is for safety professionals
The world of health and safety is not lacking in data ndash itrsquos drowning in it We need smart systems that allow us to apply our expertise in the most efficient way possible to keep workers safe
The term lsquobig datarsquo is often tossed around but rarely understood How many safety leaders fully grasp what big data is or how it is relevant in the safety industry
Big data has been defined as ldquoan accumulation of data that is too large and complex for processing by
traditional database management toolsrdquo So in fact itrsquos not really that innovative We have been trying to analyse data for centuries so why the hype
Well in order to create really useful leading indicators that can answer more strategic business questions like ldquoWhy is this happeningrdquo and ldquoWhat if these trends continuerdquo we must move up the analytics pyramid by employing advanced analytics techniques such as statistical analysis and forecasting and extrapolation It is only then that we
can create the forward-looking leading indicators that our leaders outside of safety really want and are starting to expect
But itrsquos not just advanced analytics we need we need to be delivering predictive analytics and thatrsquos where big data and big data systems come in We need to be able to delve into our own data whether structured or unstructured And import data from outside the organisation that truly gives the leadership vital future guidance
Big data is not just for geeks
QUALITY STANDARDS
Institute achieves ISO 9001
IIRSM is delighted to have been awarded ISO 90012015 (Quality Management) Certification following an in-depth two-stage audit Certification to this international standard is important to
the organisation as it demonstrates to members and stakeholders the Institutersquos commitment to ensuring our management systems are robust and externally audited
Many different aspects of our management system were audited there was a particular focus on the process for onboarding new members renewals and dealing with questions from members as well as an overview of the our membership processes including development of our new risk management qualifications
Technical Director Peter Hall commented ldquoI am particularly grateful for the help in ensuring a successful outcome from all the Institutersquos staff during the preparation for the auditrdquo
Mr Dong-Chun Kim KOSHArsquos Vice President for Technology and IIRSM Chief Executive Phillip
Pearson sign the MoU
Institute welcomes new members IIRSMrsquos Technical Director judges awards
IIRSM was delighted to exhibit at the recent Health and Safety Event held at the NEC in March With more than 6000 attendees it was an ideal opportunity to meet our members and others in the industry over the three days
The IIRSM team was also on hand to provide an insight into the various activities and initiatives that the Institute is currently working on
ldquoIt was great to meet with some of our long-term and newer members at the event and have the opportunity to put a face to a namerdquo says Sophie Cox Head of Member Services ldquoThose members who visited the stand were interested to hear more about what IIRSM is currently working on and it was also a delight to listen to their needs and aspirations for the Institute We certainly received a lot of valuable feedbackrdquo
The stand attracted individuals from a diverse range of sectors including hospitality healthcare construction education and security Delegates were excited to learn of IIRSMrsquos new strategy and its focus on a more integrated risk
management approach As an outcome of the event the Institute has welcomed ten new members on board
There was also a lot of interest in IIRSMrsquos recently launched training approval scheme which offers training providers the mechanism to seek course endorsement for training programmes developed in house Courses which are approved by IIRSM will be publicised among our membership to ensure that members have access to quality and recognised training
Further to this IIRSMrsquos Technical Director Peter Hall joined the event panel for BSIFrsquos Safety Awards This yearrsquos judging had a slight twist ndash finalists were invited to a QampA session in front of a live audience who were then scored by a panel of judges including Peter and BSIFrsquos chief executive Alan Murray IIRSM would like to thank BSIF for the opportunity to be involved and congratulate the worthy winners
ldquoThe Institute considers the event to be a huge success and looks forward to supporting future exhibitions Not only did it enable us to meet with our valued members and future members it was also an opportunity to educate the wider industry on the Institutersquos goals and vision and in turn raise the professional profile of our membershiprdquo
CEO Phillip Pearson and Head of Member Services Sophie Cox
wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1312
International News International News
USA
Restaurant chain to pay $12m over age discrimination
A US restaurant chain has agreed to change its hiring policies and pay $12 million to those affected following lengthy age discrimination lawsuit
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) first filed a suit against Texas Roadhouse in 2011 claiming the company violated federal law by engaging in a nationwide pattern of discriminatory hiring
According to the EEOC applicants were regularly denied front-of-house positions ndash such as servers hosts or bartenders ndash if they were over the age of 40
The agreement also forces Texas Roadhouse to change its recruitment practices hire a diversity director and pay for a decree compliance monitor who is charged with ensuring the company meets all the previously agreed requirements
The USA introduced the Age Discrimination in Employment Act in 1967
GLOBAL
Toxic cabin air lsquoscandalrsquoThe father of a cabin crew worker who allegedly died from an illness caused by breathing in toxic air on aeroplanes is to meet cabin crew from more than 40 different countries in London
Matt Bass died in 2014 after returning from a flight to Ghana A special postmortem paid for by his family found evidence of chronic exposure to poisonous organophosphates
His father Charlie Bass will speak at the International Transport Workersrsquo Federation cabin crew meeting on 8 March 2017 which is being held ahead of the full ITF civil aviation conference
Mr Bass said ldquoI want to come and meet the cabin crew workers so that together we can all build pressure on the industry and government to do more about the scandal of toxic cabin air The ITF and its unions have been brilliant in our campaign they recognise the seriousness of the issue and are raising it at the highest political levels Together we can make sure no one else dies like Matt didrdquo
HONG KONG
Bridge site collapse kills two
Workers at a Hong Kong bridge site where two died may not have followed safety rules the Labour Department has said
Five workers on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge fell into the sea off Tai O Lantau Island when a temporary platform they were working on collapsed Three were rescued
Union representatives have indicated the workers wore safety harnesses hooked to the platform and when the platform collapsed it dragged them into the water
Work has been suspended and an investigation is underway
GLOBAL
Cyber risk among top compliance challenges
Compliance risks are causing headaches for financial services industry executives ndash and fraud financial crime business risk and cyber risk are among the top perpetrators
Those are the results from Accenturersquos Dare to be Different report which quizzed 150 executives from across the world including Australia Hong Kong Japan and Singapore
Eighty-nine percent of executives said their cost increases for compliance will continue to rise in the next two years Almost a fifth of organisations spend more than 5 of their net income addressing compliance
HONG KONG
Slow driver warning suspended in wake of tram accident
Hong Kong Tramways has suspended a speed monitoring programme that discouraged drivers from travelling too slow just days after an accident that left 14 people injured
According to the South China Morning Post an internal Hong Kong Tramwaysrsquo notice explained that tram journeys would be recorded as ldquobelow standardrdquo if they were found to be slower than the average of 79km per hour The company would discipline drivers if they repeatedly recorded slow journeys
The notice said drivers with the highest number of ldquobelow standardrdquo journeys and who had worked for more than one year would be given a verbal warning and have to face authorities
If the driver placed high on the ranking again within 12 months he or she would receive a more serious warning
The tramways company stressed the programme did not ask drivers to increase their speeds and confirmed it would now be suspended
ldquoHong Kong Tramways reiterates that it put safety of operations as an absolute priority and has never requested the motorman to drive fastrdquo the company said
ldquoThe purpose is to bring all trams toward the general average speed of 79km per hour to prevent tram bunching and keep regular headways
GLOBAL
UN experts slam myth that pesticides are necessary
Two United Nations experts are calling for a comprehensive new global treaty to regulate and phase out the use of dangerous pesticides in farming and move towards sustainable agricultural practices
The report which is highly critical of the claims made by the pesticide industry notes ldquoThe assertion promoted by the agrochemical industry that pesticides are necessary to achieve food security is not only inaccurate but dangerously misleadingrdquo
It said chronic exposure to pesticides has been linked to cancer Alzheimerrsquos and Parkinsonrsquos diseases
IRELAND
Doctors and HSE sign charter to help tackle bullying
Doctors and the Health Service Executive have signed up to a new charter to help tackle bullying of young doctors
The Irish Medical Organisation said that the Respect Charter signed by the Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical
Training Bodies and the HSE was a milestone on the road to dealing with the issue
More than a third of trainee doctors reported nurses and midwives as a source of bullying according to research by the Medical Council in 2015 More than half had witnessed someone being bullied at work
The research also found that trainees who were bullied were more likely to say they were leaving medical practice in Ireland Seven out of ten trainees who experienced bullying did not report it to someone in authority
USA
Trump poised to roll back series of worker protection laws
President Trump and congressional Republicans are set to roll back a series of Obama-era worker safety regulations targeted by business groups beginning with a vote by the Senate to kill a rule that required federal contractors to disclose and correct serious safety violationsIn a narrow result that divided along party lines the Senate voted 49 to 48 to eliminate the regulation dubbed the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule Finalised in August and blocked by a court order in October the rule would limit the ability of companies with recent safety problems to complete for government contracts unless they agreed to remedies
It comes after Trump signed an executive order requiring all federal agencies to identify regulations that can be scrapped promising to ldquoremove every job-killing regulation we can findrdquo
suggesting more regulation-cutting bills were on the way
OSHA is also to delay the enforcement of its tough new silica standard in the construction industry prompting concern that it might be watered down by the administration of Trump
The standard cuts the current ldquopermissible exposure limitrdquo (PEL) of 100 micrograms of crystalline silica per cubic metre of air averaged over an eight-hour shift to 50 micrograms just half that in force in the UK
The safety regulator said on 6 April that it will produce additional guidance and undertake more ldquooutreachrdquo before it starts to enforce the new exposure limit and other measures in the standard which was due to begin on 23 June
It said that enforcement will instead start on 23 September
President Trump met with Republican congressional leaders at the White House on 1 MarchEUROPE
EU road deaths ldquonot improving quickly enoughrdquo
The European Commission has published new data showing that deaths on EU roads fell by just 2 last year following a 1 increase in 2015
According to analysis road deaths will now need to fall by 115 a year in order to meet the EU target of cutting deaths by half in the decade to 2020
Commenting on the latest figures Antonio Avenoso Executive Director of the European Transport Safety Council said ldquoWith around 500 deaths on EU roads every week a figure that has hardly budged in three years bold action from the EU and member states is long overdue
ldquoEU minimum vehicle safety standards have not been updated since 2009rdquo he
continued ldquoA plan to require carmakers to install life-saving technologies such as automated emergency braking overrideable intelligent speed assistance and passenger seat belt reminders in all cars was postponed last month until March 2018 and even then will face several years before the changes are implemented Every day of delay will mean more avoidable deaths Member states also need to reprioritise action on enforcement infrastructure safety improvements and measures to make pedestrians and cyclists safer on our roads Road deaths and serious injuries devastate lives and cost the European economy billions every yearrdquo
There are around 500 deaths on EU roads every week
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copy IS
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ilzch
ap
wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1514
Membersrsquo Pages Membersrsquo Pages
If you are looking for advice call the health and safety information helpline with your questions on +44 (0)1296 678 465 or email iirsmhelplinealcumusgroupcom for information on any health and safety related topic Here are just a few of your recent queries
QampAsEU DRIVING LICENCE CHECKS
We currently undertake checks of employee driving licences using the DVLA system However an employee has a European licence and so we are unable to check the licence through the DVLA Can you advise how we can carry out a check for this or other similar licences please
In the first instance you should contact the issuing office which should be found on the driving licence If it is not displayed on the licence visit httpeuropaeuyoureuropecitizensnational-contact-points Select the country you are looking for select lsquoVehiclesrsquo and the details for driving licences will be displayed
HAZARD PICTOGRAMS
Do you know where I can get the new hazard pictograms from
The HSErsquos new hazard pictograms are available at wwwhsegovukchemical-classificationlabelling-packaginghazard-symbols-hazard-pictogramshtm
ELECTRICAL TESTING
How often should a fixed electrical supply within permanent buildings (workplace) be inspectedtested by a competent person I believe it is five years but am unsure where I have got this information from Could you please advise me on the statutory requirements and any associated best practices
The relevant legal requirement is set out within regulation 4(2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations however these
regulations do not specify how often this should be done as it simply states As may be necessary to prevent danger all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent so far as is reasonably practicable such danger
The accompanying guidance also states The obligation to maintain arises only if danger would otherwise result The quality and frequency of maintenance should be sufficient to prevent danger so far as is reasonably practicable Regular inspection of equipment is an essential part of any preventive maintenance programme Practical experience of use may indicate an adjustment to the frequency at which preventive maintenance needs to be carried out This is a matter for the judgement of the duty holder who should seek all the information he needs to make this judgement including reference to the equipment manufacturerrsquos guidance Records of maintenance including test results preferably kept throughout the working life of an electrical system will enable the condition of the equipment and the effectiveness of maintenance policies to be monitored Without effective monitoring duty holders cannot be certain that the requirement for maintenance has been complied with Reference HSR 25 Memorandum of guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 This document can be viewed in full and freely downloaded from the HSE website at wwwhsegovukpubnspricedhsr25pdf
The guidance concerning the frequency of periodic inspections is set out within British Standard BS 7671 Requirements for Electrical Installations ndash more commonly referred to as the IET Wiring Regulations ndash and the recommended initial frequency of inspection for most types of commercial
premises such as shops offices etc is five-yearly Some general information about this standard can be found on the BSI website at httpshopbsigroupcomProductDetailpid=000000000030292893 Further information can also be found on the IET website at wwwtheietorgresourceswiring-regulations
Therefore while there is no legal requirement to inspect the fixed electrical installation every five years following the recognised best practice set out within the relevant British Standard is the easiest way of demonstrating compliance with the more general legal requirements described above
WORKSPACE WELFARE
When calculating minimum space per person under the Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations what is the preferred method ndash should we take into account furniture and any equipment in the room
The space calculation of 11 cubic metres per person only relates to the empty volume of the room There is no method for considering furnishings so this would need to be considered on a more subjective basis rather than a calculation
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
My client (an engineering business) has been advised that it needs to address the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations but is unsure how to proceed My client an engineering business has older spot welding and annealing machinery which appear to fall under the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations We need to establish how to assess and measure exposure to electromagnetic fields action levels and exposure limit values Is there laymanrsquos guidance which can be provided beyond HSG281
The European Commission has published the following guides to the EMF Directive
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Volume 1 ndash Practical guide
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Volume 2 ndash Case Studies
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Guide for SMEs
These documents can be freely downloaded via the relevant links available at httpbitly2oogDWR
In 2014 the HSE commissioned a research report on EMFs in the welding environment This may be more useful as it provides measurements of the EMF emissions welders may be exposed to during the welding processes understanding where welding fits in with the requirements of the EMF Directive a proposal for an EMF emission risk assessment procedure and guidance on compliance for the welding industry This document can be freely downloaded at wwwhsegovukresearchrrhtmrr1018htm
The EMF Weld website may also be useful as it provides a service to help companies comply with the EMF Directive by assessing arc (MIGMAGTIG) stud and resistance welding processes as well as magnetic particle inspection (MPI) and induction heating Assessments are based on equipment geometry worker position and the process parameters and they use the weighted peak method described in the directive Visit wwwemfweldeuDefaultaspx
FIRE SAFETY ON CONSTRUCTION SITES
Does every construction project need to have a fire risk assessment
The primary legislation is the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) 2015 Part 4 sets out the general requirements for all construction sites and contains several regulations which relate to fire Regulation 29 is concerned with the prevention of risk from fire flooding or asphyxiation and states that ldquosuitable and sufficient steps must be taken to prevent so far as is reasonably practicable the risk of injury to a person during the carrying out of construction work arising from fire or explosion flooding or any substance liable to cause asphyxiation
Regulations 30 to 32 set out the more specific requirements relating to emergency procedures emergency routes exits fire detection and firefighting respectively For more information read L153 Managing health and safety in construction which can be downloaded from wwwhsegovukpubnsbooksl153htm Therefore while there is no specific legal requirement to carry out a fire risk assessment it is effectively implied
because if one was not carried out it would be difficult for a contractor or principal contractor to demonstrate that they have complied with the above legal requirement for example that they have taken suitable and sufficient steps to prevent the risk of injury arising from fire Additionally the relevant guidance set out within the HSE publication Fire safety in construction makes clear that a fire risk assessment should be the foundation for all the fire precautions put in place if you are interested this publication can be freely downloaded from wwwhsegovukpubnsbookshsg168htm
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID
Is there any guidance on the topic of mental health first aid
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches people how to identify understand and help a person who may be developing a mental health issue In the same way as we learn physical first aid mental health first aid teaches you how to recognise those crucial warning signs of mental ill health The aims of mental health first aid are
to preserve life where a person may be a danger to themselves or others
to provide help to prevent the mental health problems developing into a more serious state
to promote the recovery of good mental health
to provide comfort to a person experiencing a mental health problem
MHFA does not teach people to be therapists However it does teach people how to recognise the symptoms of mental health problems how to provide initial help and how to guide a person towards appropriate professional help
Mental health is your business ndash Guidance for developing a workplace policy is available from httpbitly2nSH3AQ
The Take 10 together toolkit may be useful as it contains many resources on this topic such as posters video clips and graphics Yoursquoll find it at httpsmhfaenglandorgtake-10-together-toolkit
CDM DUTIES
Can a company be appointed as a principal designer or principal contractor Can someone can be appointed to more than one role
Both organisations and individuals can be appointed to roles under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and can be appointed to more than one role if they are competent to discharge the duties of each role
FIRE EXITS
Can an exit currently designated as a fire exit be used as a regular exit from the building
There is nothing specific under fire safety legislation that would prohibit the door being used as such as long as is ensured the exit remains available in an emergency
REPORTABLE INCIDENTS
We donrsquot operate on Mondays and Fridays If an employee injures themselves do we still count the Monday and Friday when calculating over seven day injuries
Yes Mondays and Fridays along with weekends would be counted in the calculation of an over seven-day injury
Join the conversation The opinion corner is designed to gauge exactly what our members are thinking on current issues in the industry If you have a question you would like us to ask members please email kelliemundelllexisnexiscouk
This month wersquore asking
Should mental health first aid be mandatory
Have your say visit httpbitly2oV9nBNto join in the discussion
Your membership benefits
Donrsquot forget as well as the technical helpdesk IIRSM members have free and unlimited access to two other helplines as part of your membership
The HR and employment helpline and Legal helpdesk also provide quick responses to everyday queries such as the application of health and safety legislation employment issues and professional and personal legal issues
To contact the HR helpline call 0330 100 7631 quoting your membership numberTo contact the Legal helpline call 0845 676 9498 quoting your membership number
0517 | wwwiirsmorg16
Come along to your next Branch meeting
Why not let 2017 be the year you make the most out of IIRSMrsquos Branch network Register to attend your local meeting and take the opportunity to get involved with the Institute and your fellow members and introduce your colleagues to IIRSM
Below are some up and coming meetings so save the dates or book your place now This is a great platform for risk managers to meet on a regular basis
to network with their peers Itrsquos also the perfect opportunity to take part in training hear a range of speakers and discuss issues which can impact your profession
We send notifications about meetings by email and updates are posted on the website If you are not receiving emails from IIRSM please check your email settings and make sure your details are up to date in your profile so you
donrsquot miss out More meetings will be released throughout the year as well as information about speakers and topics for discussion
Visit the Branches page of the website to see the latest meetings in your local area at wwwiirsmorgbook-a-branch-meeting
If yoursquore interested in helping us develop a new Branch please get in touch with us at branchesiirsmorg
Branch meetings
copy is
tock
phot
oB
rian
AJa
ckso
n
Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Central England 23rd 14th
East England 29th 19th 6th
East Midlands 12th 10th 7th 12th 9th 13th 11th 9th
East Scotland 19th 19th
London 10th 14th 7th
Nigeria 15th 6th 5th
North Scotland 25th 24th
North West England 15th 21st 16th
Qatar 18th 23rd 18th 22nd 19th 24th 21st 19th
South East England 12th
South Wales 3rd 5th 28th 5th
United Arab Emirates
12th 17th 5th 9th 6th 4th 8th 6th
West Midlands 13th 16th
Yorkshire 23rd 5th 28th
wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1312
International News International News
USA
Restaurant chain to pay $12m over age discrimination
A US restaurant chain has agreed to change its hiring policies and pay $12 million to those affected following lengthy age discrimination lawsuit
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) first filed a suit against Texas Roadhouse in 2011 claiming the company violated federal law by engaging in a nationwide pattern of discriminatory hiring
According to the EEOC applicants were regularly denied front-of-house positions ndash such as servers hosts or bartenders ndash if they were over the age of 40
The agreement also forces Texas Roadhouse to change its recruitment practices hire a diversity director and pay for a decree compliance monitor who is charged with ensuring the company meets all the previously agreed requirements
The USA introduced the Age Discrimination in Employment Act in 1967
GLOBAL
Toxic cabin air lsquoscandalrsquoThe father of a cabin crew worker who allegedly died from an illness caused by breathing in toxic air on aeroplanes is to meet cabin crew from more than 40 different countries in London
Matt Bass died in 2014 after returning from a flight to Ghana A special postmortem paid for by his family found evidence of chronic exposure to poisonous organophosphates
His father Charlie Bass will speak at the International Transport Workersrsquo Federation cabin crew meeting on 8 March 2017 which is being held ahead of the full ITF civil aviation conference
Mr Bass said ldquoI want to come and meet the cabin crew workers so that together we can all build pressure on the industry and government to do more about the scandal of toxic cabin air The ITF and its unions have been brilliant in our campaign they recognise the seriousness of the issue and are raising it at the highest political levels Together we can make sure no one else dies like Matt didrdquo
HONG KONG
Bridge site collapse kills two
Workers at a Hong Kong bridge site where two died may not have followed safety rules the Labour Department has said
Five workers on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge fell into the sea off Tai O Lantau Island when a temporary platform they were working on collapsed Three were rescued
Union representatives have indicated the workers wore safety harnesses hooked to the platform and when the platform collapsed it dragged them into the water
Work has been suspended and an investigation is underway
GLOBAL
Cyber risk among top compliance challenges
Compliance risks are causing headaches for financial services industry executives ndash and fraud financial crime business risk and cyber risk are among the top perpetrators
Those are the results from Accenturersquos Dare to be Different report which quizzed 150 executives from across the world including Australia Hong Kong Japan and Singapore
Eighty-nine percent of executives said their cost increases for compliance will continue to rise in the next two years Almost a fifth of organisations spend more than 5 of their net income addressing compliance
HONG KONG
Slow driver warning suspended in wake of tram accident
Hong Kong Tramways has suspended a speed monitoring programme that discouraged drivers from travelling too slow just days after an accident that left 14 people injured
According to the South China Morning Post an internal Hong Kong Tramwaysrsquo notice explained that tram journeys would be recorded as ldquobelow standardrdquo if they were found to be slower than the average of 79km per hour The company would discipline drivers if they repeatedly recorded slow journeys
The notice said drivers with the highest number of ldquobelow standardrdquo journeys and who had worked for more than one year would be given a verbal warning and have to face authorities
If the driver placed high on the ranking again within 12 months he or she would receive a more serious warning
The tramways company stressed the programme did not ask drivers to increase their speeds and confirmed it would now be suspended
ldquoHong Kong Tramways reiterates that it put safety of operations as an absolute priority and has never requested the motorman to drive fastrdquo the company said
ldquoThe purpose is to bring all trams toward the general average speed of 79km per hour to prevent tram bunching and keep regular headways
GLOBAL
UN experts slam myth that pesticides are necessary
Two United Nations experts are calling for a comprehensive new global treaty to regulate and phase out the use of dangerous pesticides in farming and move towards sustainable agricultural practices
The report which is highly critical of the claims made by the pesticide industry notes ldquoThe assertion promoted by the agrochemical industry that pesticides are necessary to achieve food security is not only inaccurate but dangerously misleadingrdquo
It said chronic exposure to pesticides has been linked to cancer Alzheimerrsquos and Parkinsonrsquos diseases
IRELAND
Doctors and HSE sign charter to help tackle bullying
Doctors and the Health Service Executive have signed up to a new charter to help tackle bullying of young doctors
The Irish Medical Organisation said that the Respect Charter signed by the Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical
Training Bodies and the HSE was a milestone on the road to dealing with the issue
More than a third of trainee doctors reported nurses and midwives as a source of bullying according to research by the Medical Council in 2015 More than half had witnessed someone being bullied at work
The research also found that trainees who were bullied were more likely to say they were leaving medical practice in Ireland Seven out of ten trainees who experienced bullying did not report it to someone in authority
USA
Trump poised to roll back series of worker protection laws
President Trump and congressional Republicans are set to roll back a series of Obama-era worker safety regulations targeted by business groups beginning with a vote by the Senate to kill a rule that required federal contractors to disclose and correct serious safety violationsIn a narrow result that divided along party lines the Senate voted 49 to 48 to eliminate the regulation dubbed the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule Finalised in August and blocked by a court order in October the rule would limit the ability of companies with recent safety problems to complete for government contracts unless they agreed to remedies
It comes after Trump signed an executive order requiring all federal agencies to identify regulations that can be scrapped promising to ldquoremove every job-killing regulation we can findrdquo
suggesting more regulation-cutting bills were on the way
OSHA is also to delay the enforcement of its tough new silica standard in the construction industry prompting concern that it might be watered down by the administration of Trump
The standard cuts the current ldquopermissible exposure limitrdquo (PEL) of 100 micrograms of crystalline silica per cubic metre of air averaged over an eight-hour shift to 50 micrograms just half that in force in the UK
The safety regulator said on 6 April that it will produce additional guidance and undertake more ldquooutreachrdquo before it starts to enforce the new exposure limit and other measures in the standard which was due to begin on 23 June
It said that enforcement will instead start on 23 September
President Trump met with Republican congressional leaders at the White House on 1 MarchEUROPE
EU road deaths ldquonot improving quickly enoughrdquo
The European Commission has published new data showing that deaths on EU roads fell by just 2 last year following a 1 increase in 2015
According to analysis road deaths will now need to fall by 115 a year in order to meet the EU target of cutting deaths by half in the decade to 2020
Commenting on the latest figures Antonio Avenoso Executive Director of the European Transport Safety Council said ldquoWith around 500 deaths on EU roads every week a figure that has hardly budged in three years bold action from the EU and member states is long overdue
ldquoEU minimum vehicle safety standards have not been updated since 2009rdquo he
continued ldquoA plan to require carmakers to install life-saving technologies such as automated emergency braking overrideable intelligent speed assistance and passenger seat belt reminders in all cars was postponed last month until March 2018 and even then will face several years before the changes are implemented Every day of delay will mean more avoidable deaths Member states also need to reprioritise action on enforcement infrastructure safety improvements and measures to make pedestrians and cyclists safer on our roads Road deaths and serious injuries devastate lives and cost the European economy billions every yearrdquo
There are around 500 deaths on EU roads every week
copy IS
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oRE
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ona
ilzch
ap
wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1514
Membersrsquo Pages Membersrsquo Pages
If you are looking for advice call the health and safety information helpline with your questions on +44 (0)1296 678 465 or email iirsmhelplinealcumusgroupcom for information on any health and safety related topic Here are just a few of your recent queries
QampAsEU DRIVING LICENCE CHECKS
We currently undertake checks of employee driving licences using the DVLA system However an employee has a European licence and so we are unable to check the licence through the DVLA Can you advise how we can carry out a check for this or other similar licences please
In the first instance you should contact the issuing office which should be found on the driving licence If it is not displayed on the licence visit httpeuropaeuyoureuropecitizensnational-contact-points Select the country you are looking for select lsquoVehiclesrsquo and the details for driving licences will be displayed
HAZARD PICTOGRAMS
Do you know where I can get the new hazard pictograms from
The HSErsquos new hazard pictograms are available at wwwhsegovukchemical-classificationlabelling-packaginghazard-symbols-hazard-pictogramshtm
ELECTRICAL TESTING
How often should a fixed electrical supply within permanent buildings (workplace) be inspectedtested by a competent person I believe it is five years but am unsure where I have got this information from Could you please advise me on the statutory requirements and any associated best practices
The relevant legal requirement is set out within regulation 4(2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations however these
regulations do not specify how often this should be done as it simply states As may be necessary to prevent danger all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent so far as is reasonably practicable such danger
The accompanying guidance also states The obligation to maintain arises only if danger would otherwise result The quality and frequency of maintenance should be sufficient to prevent danger so far as is reasonably practicable Regular inspection of equipment is an essential part of any preventive maintenance programme Practical experience of use may indicate an adjustment to the frequency at which preventive maintenance needs to be carried out This is a matter for the judgement of the duty holder who should seek all the information he needs to make this judgement including reference to the equipment manufacturerrsquos guidance Records of maintenance including test results preferably kept throughout the working life of an electrical system will enable the condition of the equipment and the effectiveness of maintenance policies to be monitored Without effective monitoring duty holders cannot be certain that the requirement for maintenance has been complied with Reference HSR 25 Memorandum of guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 This document can be viewed in full and freely downloaded from the HSE website at wwwhsegovukpubnspricedhsr25pdf
The guidance concerning the frequency of periodic inspections is set out within British Standard BS 7671 Requirements for Electrical Installations ndash more commonly referred to as the IET Wiring Regulations ndash and the recommended initial frequency of inspection for most types of commercial
premises such as shops offices etc is five-yearly Some general information about this standard can be found on the BSI website at httpshopbsigroupcomProductDetailpid=000000000030292893 Further information can also be found on the IET website at wwwtheietorgresourceswiring-regulations
Therefore while there is no legal requirement to inspect the fixed electrical installation every five years following the recognised best practice set out within the relevant British Standard is the easiest way of demonstrating compliance with the more general legal requirements described above
WORKSPACE WELFARE
When calculating minimum space per person under the Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations what is the preferred method ndash should we take into account furniture and any equipment in the room
The space calculation of 11 cubic metres per person only relates to the empty volume of the room There is no method for considering furnishings so this would need to be considered on a more subjective basis rather than a calculation
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
My client (an engineering business) has been advised that it needs to address the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations but is unsure how to proceed My client an engineering business has older spot welding and annealing machinery which appear to fall under the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations We need to establish how to assess and measure exposure to electromagnetic fields action levels and exposure limit values Is there laymanrsquos guidance which can be provided beyond HSG281
The European Commission has published the following guides to the EMF Directive
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Volume 1 ndash Practical guide
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Volume 2 ndash Case Studies
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Guide for SMEs
These documents can be freely downloaded via the relevant links available at httpbitly2oogDWR
In 2014 the HSE commissioned a research report on EMFs in the welding environment This may be more useful as it provides measurements of the EMF emissions welders may be exposed to during the welding processes understanding where welding fits in with the requirements of the EMF Directive a proposal for an EMF emission risk assessment procedure and guidance on compliance for the welding industry This document can be freely downloaded at wwwhsegovukresearchrrhtmrr1018htm
The EMF Weld website may also be useful as it provides a service to help companies comply with the EMF Directive by assessing arc (MIGMAGTIG) stud and resistance welding processes as well as magnetic particle inspection (MPI) and induction heating Assessments are based on equipment geometry worker position and the process parameters and they use the weighted peak method described in the directive Visit wwwemfweldeuDefaultaspx
FIRE SAFETY ON CONSTRUCTION SITES
Does every construction project need to have a fire risk assessment
The primary legislation is the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) 2015 Part 4 sets out the general requirements for all construction sites and contains several regulations which relate to fire Regulation 29 is concerned with the prevention of risk from fire flooding or asphyxiation and states that ldquosuitable and sufficient steps must be taken to prevent so far as is reasonably practicable the risk of injury to a person during the carrying out of construction work arising from fire or explosion flooding or any substance liable to cause asphyxiation
Regulations 30 to 32 set out the more specific requirements relating to emergency procedures emergency routes exits fire detection and firefighting respectively For more information read L153 Managing health and safety in construction which can be downloaded from wwwhsegovukpubnsbooksl153htm Therefore while there is no specific legal requirement to carry out a fire risk assessment it is effectively implied
because if one was not carried out it would be difficult for a contractor or principal contractor to demonstrate that they have complied with the above legal requirement for example that they have taken suitable and sufficient steps to prevent the risk of injury arising from fire Additionally the relevant guidance set out within the HSE publication Fire safety in construction makes clear that a fire risk assessment should be the foundation for all the fire precautions put in place if you are interested this publication can be freely downloaded from wwwhsegovukpubnsbookshsg168htm
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID
Is there any guidance on the topic of mental health first aid
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches people how to identify understand and help a person who may be developing a mental health issue In the same way as we learn physical first aid mental health first aid teaches you how to recognise those crucial warning signs of mental ill health The aims of mental health first aid are
to preserve life where a person may be a danger to themselves or others
to provide help to prevent the mental health problems developing into a more serious state
to promote the recovery of good mental health
to provide comfort to a person experiencing a mental health problem
MHFA does not teach people to be therapists However it does teach people how to recognise the symptoms of mental health problems how to provide initial help and how to guide a person towards appropriate professional help
Mental health is your business ndash Guidance for developing a workplace policy is available from httpbitly2nSH3AQ
The Take 10 together toolkit may be useful as it contains many resources on this topic such as posters video clips and graphics Yoursquoll find it at httpsmhfaenglandorgtake-10-together-toolkit
CDM DUTIES
Can a company be appointed as a principal designer or principal contractor Can someone can be appointed to more than one role
Both organisations and individuals can be appointed to roles under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and can be appointed to more than one role if they are competent to discharge the duties of each role
FIRE EXITS
Can an exit currently designated as a fire exit be used as a regular exit from the building
There is nothing specific under fire safety legislation that would prohibit the door being used as such as long as is ensured the exit remains available in an emergency
REPORTABLE INCIDENTS
We donrsquot operate on Mondays and Fridays If an employee injures themselves do we still count the Monday and Friday when calculating over seven day injuries
Yes Mondays and Fridays along with weekends would be counted in the calculation of an over seven-day injury
Join the conversation The opinion corner is designed to gauge exactly what our members are thinking on current issues in the industry If you have a question you would like us to ask members please email kelliemundelllexisnexiscouk
This month wersquore asking
Should mental health first aid be mandatory
Have your say visit httpbitly2oV9nBNto join in the discussion
Your membership benefits
Donrsquot forget as well as the technical helpdesk IIRSM members have free and unlimited access to two other helplines as part of your membership
The HR and employment helpline and Legal helpdesk also provide quick responses to everyday queries such as the application of health and safety legislation employment issues and professional and personal legal issues
To contact the HR helpline call 0330 100 7631 quoting your membership numberTo contact the Legal helpline call 0845 676 9498 quoting your membership number
0517 | wwwiirsmorg16
Come along to your next Branch meeting
Why not let 2017 be the year you make the most out of IIRSMrsquos Branch network Register to attend your local meeting and take the opportunity to get involved with the Institute and your fellow members and introduce your colleagues to IIRSM
Below are some up and coming meetings so save the dates or book your place now This is a great platform for risk managers to meet on a regular basis
to network with their peers Itrsquos also the perfect opportunity to take part in training hear a range of speakers and discuss issues which can impact your profession
We send notifications about meetings by email and updates are posted on the website If you are not receiving emails from IIRSM please check your email settings and make sure your details are up to date in your profile so you
donrsquot miss out More meetings will be released throughout the year as well as information about speakers and topics for discussion
Visit the Branches page of the website to see the latest meetings in your local area at wwwiirsmorgbook-a-branch-meeting
If yoursquore interested in helping us develop a new Branch please get in touch with us at branchesiirsmorg
Branch meetings
copy is
tock
phot
oB
rian
AJa
ckso
n
Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Central England 23rd 14th
East England 29th 19th 6th
East Midlands 12th 10th 7th 12th 9th 13th 11th 9th
East Scotland 19th 19th
London 10th 14th 7th
Nigeria 15th 6th 5th
North Scotland 25th 24th
North West England 15th 21st 16th
Qatar 18th 23rd 18th 22nd 19th 24th 21st 19th
South East England 12th
South Wales 3rd 5th 28th 5th
United Arab Emirates
12th 17th 5th 9th 6th 4th 8th 6th
West Midlands 13th 16th
Yorkshire 23rd 5th 28th
wwwiirsmorg | 05170517 | wwwiirsmorg 1514
Membersrsquo Pages Membersrsquo Pages
If you are looking for advice call the health and safety information helpline with your questions on +44 (0)1296 678 465 or email iirsmhelplinealcumusgroupcom for information on any health and safety related topic Here are just a few of your recent queries
QampAsEU DRIVING LICENCE CHECKS
We currently undertake checks of employee driving licences using the DVLA system However an employee has a European licence and so we are unable to check the licence through the DVLA Can you advise how we can carry out a check for this or other similar licences please
In the first instance you should contact the issuing office which should be found on the driving licence If it is not displayed on the licence visit httpeuropaeuyoureuropecitizensnational-contact-points Select the country you are looking for select lsquoVehiclesrsquo and the details for driving licences will be displayed
HAZARD PICTOGRAMS
Do you know where I can get the new hazard pictograms from
The HSErsquos new hazard pictograms are available at wwwhsegovukchemical-classificationlabelling-packaginghazard-symbols-hazard-pictogramshtm
ELECTRICAL TESTING
How often should a fixed electrical supply within permanent buildings (workplace) be inspectedtested by a competent person I believe it is five years but am unsure where I have got this information from Could you please advise me on the statutory requirements and any associated best practices
The relevant legal requirement is set out within regulation 4(2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations however these
regulations do not specify how often this should be done as it simply states As may be necessary to prevent danger all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent so far as is reasonably practicable such danger
The accompanying guidance also states The obligation to maintain arises only if danger would otherwise result The quality and frequency of maintenance should be sufficient to prevent danger so far as is reasonably practicable Regular inspection of equipment is an essential part of any preventive maintenance programme Practical experience of use may indicate an adjustment to the frequency at which preventive maintenance needs to be carried out This is a matter for the judgement of the duty holder who should seek all the information he needs to make this judgement including reference to the equipment manufacturerrsquos guidance Records of maintenance including test results preferably kept throughout the working life of an electrical system will enable the condition of the equipment and the effectiveness of maintenance policies to be monitored Without effective monitoring duty holders cannot be certain that the requirement for maintenance has been complied with Reference HSR 25 Memorandum of guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 This document can be viewed in full and freely downloaded from the HSE website at wwwhsegovukpubnspricedhsr25pdf
The guidance concerning the frequency of periodic inspections is set out within British Standard BS 7671 Requirements for Electrical Installations ndash more commonly referred to as the IET Wiring Regulations ndash and the recommended initial frequency of inspection for most types of commercial
premises such as shops offices etc is five-yearly Some general information about this standard can be found on the BSI website at httpshopbsigroupcomProductDetailpid=000000000030292893 Further information can also be found on the IET website at wwwtheietorgresourceswiring-regulations
Therefore while there is no legal requirement to inspect the fixed electrical installation every five years following the recognised best practice set out within the relevant British Standard is the easiest way of demonstrating compliance with the more general legal requirements described above
WORKSPACE WELFARE
When calculating minimum space per person under the Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations what is the preferred method ndash should we take into account furniture and any equipment in the room
The space calculation of 11 cubic metres per person only relates to the empty volume of the room There is no method for considering furnishings so this would need to be considered on a more subjective basis rather than a calculation
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
My client (an engineering business) has been advised that it needs to address the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations but is unsure how to proceed My client an engineering business has older spot welding and annealing machinery which appear to fall under the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations We need to establish how to assess and measure exposure to electromagnetic fields action levels and exposure limit values Is there laymanrsquos guidance which can be provided beyond HSG281
The European Commission has published the following guides to the EMF Directive
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Volume 1 ndash Practical guide
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Volume 2 ndash Case Studies
Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 201335EU Electromagnetic Fields ndash Guide for SMEs
These documents can be freely downloaded via the relevant links available at httpbitly2oogDWR
In 2014 the HSE commissioned a research report on EMFs in the welding environment This may be more useful as it provides measurements of the EMF emissions welders may be exposed to during the welding processes understanding where welding fits in with the requirements of the EMF Directive a proposal for an EMF emission risk assessment procedure and guidance on compliance for the welding industry This document can be freely downloaded at wwwhsegovukresearchrrhtmrr1018htm
The EMF Weld website may also be useful as it provides a service to help companies comply with the EMF Directive by assessing arc (MIGMAGTIG) stud and resistance welding processes as well as magnetic particle inspection (MPI) and induction heating Assessments are based on equipment geometry worker position and the process parameters and they use the weighted peak method described in the directive Visit wwwemfweldeuDefaultaspx
FIRE SAFETY ON CONSTRUCTION SITES
Does every construction project need to have a fire risk assessment
The primary legislation is the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) 2015 Part 4 sets out the general requirements for all construction sites and contains several regulations which relate to fire Regulation 29 is concerned with the prevention of risk from fire flooding or asphyxiation and states that ldquosuitable and sufficient steps must be taken to prevent so far as is reasonably practicable the risk of injury to a person during the carrying out of construction work arising from fire or explosion flooding or any substance liable to cause asphyxiation
Regulations 30 to 32 set out the more specific requirements relating to emergency procedures emergency routes exits fire detection and firefighting respectively For more information read L153 Managing health and safety in construction which can be downloaded from wwwhsegovukpubnsbooksl153htm Therefore while there is no specific legal requirement to carry out a fire risk assessment it is effectively implied
because if one was not carried out it would be difficult for a contractor or principal contractor to demonstrate that they have complied with the above legal requirement for example that they have taken suitable and sufficient steps to prevent the risk of injury arising from fire Additionally the relevant guidance set out within the HSE publication Fire safety in construction makes clear that a fire risk assessment should be the foundation for all the fire precautions put in place if you are interested this publication can be freely downloaded from wwwhsegovukpubnsbookshsg168htm
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID
Is there any guidance on the topic of mental health first aid
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches people how to identify understand and help a person who may be developing a mental health issue In the same way as we learn physical first aid mental health first aid teaches you how to recognise those crucial warning signs of mental ill health The aims of mental health first aid are
to preserve life where a person may be a danger to themselves or others
to provide help to prevent the mental health problems developing into a more serious state
to promote the recovery of good mental health
to provide comfort to a person experiencing a mental health problem
MHFA does not teach people to be therapists However it does teach people how to recognise the symptoms of mental health problems how to provide initial help and how to guide a person towards appropriate professional help
Mental health is your business ndash Guidance for developing a workplace policy is available from httpbitly2nSH3AQ
The Take 10 together toolkit may be useful as it contains many resources on this topic such as posters video clips and graphics Yoursquoll find it at httpsmhfaenglandorgtake-10-together-toolkit
CDM DUTIES
Can a company be appointed as a principal designer or principal contractor Can someone can be appointed to more than one role
Both organisations and individuals can be appointed to roles under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and can be appointed to more than one role if they are competent to discharge the duties of each role
FIRE EXITS
Can an exit currently designated as a fire exit be used as a regular exit from the building
There is nothing specific under fire safety legislation that would prohibit the door being used as such as long as is ensured the exit remains available in an emergency
REPORTABLE INCIDENTS
We donrsquot operate on Mondays and Fridays If an employee injures themselves do we still count the Monday and Friday when calculating over seven day injuries
Yes Mondays and Fridays along with weekends would be counted in the calculation of an over seven-day injury
Join the conversation The opinion corner is designed to gauge exactly what our members are thinking on current issues in the industry If you have a question you would like us to ask members please email kelliemundelllexisnexiscouk
This month wersquore asking
Should mental health first aid be mandatory
Have your say visit httpbitly2oV9nBNto join in the discussion
Your membership benefits
Donrsquot forget as well as the technical helpdesk IIRSM members have free and unlimited access to two other helplines as part of your membership
The HR and employment helpline and Legal helpdesk also provide quick responses to everyday queries such as the application of health and safety legislation employment issues and professional and personal legal issues
To contact the HR helpline call 0330 100 7631 quoting your membership numberTo contact the Legal helpline call 0845 676 9498 quoting your membership number
0517 | wwwiirsmorg16
Come along to your next Branch meeting
Why not let 2017 be the year you make the most out of IIRSMrsquos Branch network Register to attend your local meeting and take the opportunity to get involved with the Institute and your fellow members and introduce your colleagues to IIRSM
Below are some up and coming meetings so save the dates or book your place now This is a great platform for risk managers to meet on a regular basis
to network with their peers Itrsquos also the perfect opportunity to take part in training hear a range of speakers and discuss issues which can impact your profession
We send notifications about meetings by email and updates are posted on the website If you are not receiving emails from IIRSM please check your email settings and make sure your details are up to date in your profile so you
donrsquot miss out More meetings will be released throughout the year as well as information about speakers and topics for discussion
Visit the Branches page of the website to see the latest meetings in your local area at wwwiirsmorgbook-a-branch-meeting
If yoursquore interested in helping us develop a new Branch please get in touch with us at branchesiirsmorg
Branch meetings
copy is
tock
phot
oB
rian
AJa
ckso
n
Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Central England 23rd 14th
East England 29th 19th 6th
East Midlands 12th 10th 7th 12th 9th 13th 11th 9th
East Scotland 19th 19th
London 10th 14th 7th
Nigeria 15th 6th 5th
North Scotland 25th 24th
North West England 15th 21st 16th
Qatar 18th 23rd 18th 22nd 19th 24th 21st 19th
South East England 12th
South Wales 3rd 5th 28th 5th
United Arab Emirates
12th 17th 5th 9th 6th 4th 8th 6th
West Midlands 13th 16th
Yorkshire 23rd 5th 28th
0517 | wwwiirsmorg16
Come along to your next Branch meeting
Why not let 2017 be the year you make the most out of IIRSMrsquos Branch network Register to attend your local meeting and take the opportunity to get involved with the Institute and your fellow members and introduce your colleagues to IIRSM
Below are some up and coming meetings so save the dates or book your place now This is a great platform for risk managers to meet on a regular basis
to network with their peers Itrsquos also the perfect opportunity to take part in training hear a range of speakers and discuss issues which can impact your profession
We send notifications about meetings by email and updates are posted on the website If you are not receiving emails from IIRSM please check your email settings and make sure your details are up to date in your profile so you
donrsquot miss out More meetings will be released throughout the year as well as information about speakers and topics for discussion
Visit the Branches page of the website to see the latest meetings in your local area at wwwiirsmorgbook-a-branch-meeting
If yoursquore interested in helping us develop a new Branch please get in touch with us at branchesiirsmorg
Branch meetings
copy is
tock
phot
oB
rian
AJa
ckso
n
Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Central England 23rd 14th
East England 29th 19th 6th
East Midlands 12th 10th 7th 12th 9th 13th 11th 9th