How The Safety Department has improved staff involvement in safety, achieved legal compliance & reduced accidents

Workforce involvement

Challenge:  The Health & Safety Manager of a manufacturing site with a mixed union & non-union workforce had resigned and, over a period of 12 months, the workforce had become disengaged from safety management. The union had become concerned that the lack of worker involvement would lead to an increase in accidents.

Solution:  Union & non-union Safety Reps were appointed and a Safety Committee was put in place. Working with the Safety Committee, a system of Work Place Inspections was started, along with a management system for recording, prioritising & acting on safety improvement items. In the year that followed the revitalisation of safety management at the site, lost time accidents fell to zero.

Risk Assessment Process

Challenge:  A privately owned NHS practice had been advised by its Primary Care Trust that it urgently needed formal systems for managing health & safety. The Practice Manager was heavily involved with managing the closure of a branch surgery, refurbishment of the main site to accomodate all of the GPs and amalgamation of the patient lists, so needed urgent support.

Solution:  The Safety Department^TM initially advised on and provided policies, procedures, supporting documentation and a risk management system. This was followed by DSE awareness and risk assessment training with the workforce to generate involvement, along with risk assessment of the building work, introduction of COSHH systems and risk assessment of all other Practice activities.  A critical restraint that the Associate worked with, was the need to maintain patient confidentiality.

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)

Challenge:  A continuous process site that used bulk and semi-bulk chemicals needed to be sure that its ageing COSHH management systems were adequate to deal with turn-over in the workforce and periodic substitution of raw materials.

Solution:  An audit was carried out of all chemicals on the site and compared with the existing register. Up to date MSDS was sourced and the paper-based Chemical Register updated. PDF versions of the MSDS were used to build an on-line Chemical Register on the site intranet, followed by refresher training in chemical handling & hazards for the workforce. COSHH risk assessments were carried out where needed and also built in to the site intranet.

Asbestos management

Challenge:  A paper mill had installed a new boiler alongside redundant plant. The asbestos lagging on the old plant had been sealed but was disturbed by birds looking for nesting materials.

Solution:  Loose asbestos lagging was suspected to be present in the area used by the boiler operators, so steps were taken immediately to restrict access to the area, provide PPE, a safe changing area for key staff and breifings on the potential risks. Sampling confirmed the presence of blue asbestos. A short-list of asbestos removal contractors was produced, followed by Duty of Care checks and price negotiations. A contractor was appointed. Arrangements for access and the contractor's activies on site were managed to the mill's satisfaction and the plant handed back once the area was confirmed to be asbestos-free.

Falling debris

Challenge:  This site had a problem with fist-sized chunks of concrete falling 6m from an old barrel vaulted roof into an area where machine operators worked. High risk areas were cordoned off while remedial action was taken.

Solution:  Civil contractors were brought in to inspect the damage but confirmed that roof repairs would be impractical due to restricted access, cost and the length of time that the area would be unusable. Specialised netting contractors and a "cherry picker" designed for difficult access, were used to make the area safe, in a operation that took two days during a scheduled maintenance shut, at a fraction of the cost of roof repairs.

If you would like to discuss any of the case studies, or for an informal discussion of your individual needs, please contact us.