SAFE & SOUND
Newsletter Vol 14 Issue 7
NI Safety Group President Wilson Lambe MBE cuts the opening ribbon at JMD Training’s new purpose
built Training Centre alongside Jim and Maire Donnelly and staff.
Safety Group delighted to be asked to open new training centre.
From Disco to DSE
Assessments!!!
and the Safety Group were
delighted to be asked to cut
the ribbon.
not what you’d expect to
hear. He said “I’m about half
way through writing a book,
its title is how I fell into
safety”. It may not reach the
best sellers lists, but should
be an engaging read for
those in the profession.
Jim & Maire Donnelly have
come a long way since first
meeting at a disco in 1980.
The 7,500 sq ft training
centre is a far cry from the
early days when the first
move was from their
Jim’s opening line of “would kitchen table to the boot of
you like to dance?” has long Jim’s VW Passat.
gone to be replaced with
“what will I be delivering
Three moves in five years
today?”
can sometimes be a sign of
downsizing in a poor
The JMD project as Jim
economy but every move
prefers to call it opened
this engaging couple have
new premises in Boucher
made has always been to
Crescent earlier this month bigger premises.
And what’s next for the
Donnelly’s? You might think
it would be to expand the
business further, but when
asked, Jim’s response was
Newsletter Safety Advice Centre Ltd
Safety Health
Sponsor
Check out our new website for your safety training needs at
www.safetyadvicecentre.com
& Environmental Consultants
HSENI UPDATE/HSENI UPDATE/HSENI UPDATE/HSENI UPDATE
NEW INSPECTION DRIVE TO TARGET HEALTH AND SAFETY RISKS IN CONSTRUCTION
From Monday 1 September,
inspectors from the HSENI will
begin a two-week programme
of unannounced site visits to
tackle a number of risks
facing local construction
workers.
During these site visits, HSENI
inspectors will seek
improvements where work
activities fall short of
expected standards.
However, if workers are at
risk, they will not hesitate to
take enforcement action to
stop work activities
immediately.
The visits will focus on the
high-risk activity of working at
height, the safe management
of the risks from asbestos, the
control of silica dust and
lifting aids for heavy
materials, such as kerbs.
In addition, HSENI inspectors
will look at how sites are
managed, whether risk
assessments are being used
properly, if sites are tidy and
with good welfare facilities.
To ensure the risks from
asbestos are properly
managed, HSENI will also
check, where appropriate,
that asbestos surveys have
been carried out prior to any
refurbishment or demolition
work.
Announcing the new series of
inspections, Nancy Henry who
heads up HSENI’s
construction group
said:
“Construction is one
of the more
dangerous
industries and a lax
attitude to health
and safety costs
people’s lives.
“Many accidents and risks to
health are completely
avoidable by putting in place
very simple and sensible
measures that are well
known across the industry.
“HSENI will continue to
provide advice to the
industry but, as we've
demonstrated in previous
years, HSENI will not hesitate
to take action if we find poor
practices that are putting the
lives of workers at risk.”
During the inspection
programme, inspectors will
be looking at whether:
● appropriate precautions
are in place on jobs which
involve working at height
● equipment is correctly
installed / assembled,
inspected and
maintained
SAFETY
ALERT
Explosion risk
from redundant
back boilers in
domestic property
© Elvert Barnes
● site supervisors have
received appropriate
training and there are
suitable and sufficient
risk assessments
● welfare facilities, such as
toilets and canteens, are
clean with hot/cold
(warm) running water,
soap and towels
● appropriate control
measures are used for
jobs generating silica
dust, for example water
suppression or on-tool
extraction
● all tight-fitting facemasks
(RPE) have been face-fit
tested within the
previous 12 months
● asbestos surveys are
available (where
appropriate) and
The HSENI has issued this
safety alert aimed at home
owners, tenants, landlords and
heating professionals following
two incidents in the past 18
months in Northern Ireland
where redundant solid fuel
back boilers have exploded.
One of the incidents led to
serious injuries to one of the
occupants. This alert follows
similar alerts issued by the HSE
(GB) in May 2008 and April
2014.
You can view details at
http://hseni.gov.uk/news
NISG WELCOMES
NEW MEMBERS
EURüFIRE
health
and safety
support
● mechanical lifting
equipment is being used
for kerb laying
● sites are well organised
and tidy so as to avoid
trips and falls
BURKE
SHIPPING GROUP
LADDER
e change
Initiative
2014
Run by industry body
the Ladder Association,
the Ladder Exchange
takes old, potentially
dangerous ladders out
of circulation by
offering people a cash
incentive to trade them
in. The 2014 scheme will
run from September 1st
until the end of the
year.
Contact 0845 260 1048 to find an NI supplier
Safety Advice Centre Ltd Newsletter
Safety Health Sponsor
Sign up for City and Guilds NVQ level 5 Diploma in Health and Safety,
contact [email protected]
& Environmental Consultants
Safety Group loses good
friend and supporter.
HEALTH & SAFETY HISTORY
Continuing our history of
health and safety from the
beginning which began with
the Factory Act 1802, in this
issue we cover the period
1837 - 1847
1837 - The case of Priestley
v. Fowler (1837) appeared to
established for the first time
that an employer owed, in
common law, a duty of care
to his employee which was
actionable by the employee
if breach resulted in injury.
1840 - Royal Commission
established to investigate
working conditions in the
Mining Industry
The Commission’s findings
published in 1842 made
shocking reading. Accidents,
brutality, lung diseases, long
David Smyth, H & S
Manager of Northstone
Materials Handling passed
away in late June following
an illness.
hours and highly dangerous
and adverse working
conditions were found to be
the norm. Public outcry
resulted and the Mines Act
1842 was brought into force.
1847 - Factories Act 1847
Also known as the Ten Hours
Act. Stipulated that as of 1
July 1847, women and
children between the ages of
13 and 18 could work only
63 hours per week.
www.historyofosh.org.uk
Caught on camera
A picture says a thousand
words!
last month’s newsletter,
mostly for training purposes.
The adage "A picture is worth
a thousand words" refers to
the notion that a complex
idea can be conveyed with
just a single still image. It also
aptly characterizes one of the
main goals of visualization,
namely making it possible to
absorb large amounts of data
quickly.
This gave us the idea of
compiling a collection of
photos taken by our
members which we’ve
decided to call ‘caught on
camera’.
Quite a few members asked
for copies of the dangerous
working at height photos in
Please do email mail any
photos you’d be happy to
share with other members to
David will be remembered
with affection by those in
the construction industry
who had the pleasure of
knowing him.
He was a speaker at a
Conference we held
several years ago, speaking
with great dignity and
compassion about what it is
really like to have to
investigate a fatality.
David was well known to
Committee Members and
his untimely death leaves a
void with all that knew him.
British workplaces among
safest in the world
The first photo (shown here)
was taken by a member who
works in construction.
Figures are at a record low on
the 40th anniversary of the
HSW Work Act
Ernie Spence at
[email protected]
? ???
Test your employees’ knowledge with these Safety Quiz Questions
If they get these right, then gather a team for next year’s quiz. Questions will appear in the
newsletter up until next year’s quiz. Alternately, use them for your in-house quiz. This week
we’ll look at Compressed air & gases. Answers on page 4.
1
What four essential precautions are necessary when handling or storing oxygen
cylinders?
2
Is oxygen an inflammable gas?
3
Name one correct way to test for a gas leak?
4
Is it acceptable to store all gas cylinders in the one store?
??
The number of people who
lose their lives at work has
dropped sharply by 85% over
the past forty years, from over
650 every year in 1974 to a
record low of 133 today, new
figures reveal.
The number of injuries at work
has also reduced considerably
by 77% over the same time
period, from 336,701 to
78,222. The statistics illustrate
the enormous impact of an act
that created a flexible,
proportionate and world class
regulatory system.
CITB Grants support for construction training needs from health & safety
to business improvement - Claim While you Train www.citbcsni.org.uk
N.I. Pleural Plaques Damages Judgement Given: [2014]
Carol Macaulay (Widow of William Henry Macaulay) –vHarland & Wolff and Royal Mail
Background
This is a deceased pleural
plaques claim brought by the
widow of a former employee
of Harland & Wolff and Royal
Mail. Proceedings were issued
against both defendants who
admitted asbestos exposure
during his respective periods
of employment.
The plaques were
asymptomatic and there was
no evidence within the
medical records that the
deceased had suffered stress
or anxiety as a result of this
diagnosis. The plaques did not
contribute to the cause of
death.
Outcome
On 27th June 2014 Mr Justice
O'Hara held that 'pleural
plaques' are now a statutory
DIARY DATE
Tuesday
11th November 2014
personal injury following the
introduction of the Damages
(Asbestos Related Conditions)
Act (NI) 2011 and damages
can and should be awarded if
the plaintiff proves fault
against the defendant. Mr
Justice O'Hara referred to the
2007 guidelines for
assessment of damages in
such cases but allowed for an
increase for inflation and
awarded damages in the sum
of £10,000 with interest at 2%
Implications of Decision
This was the first claim in
Northern Ireland concerning
pleural plaques to be heard by
a Judge since the introduction
of the Damages (Asbestos
Related Conditions) Act (NI)
2011. Until now, these cases
had not been brought before
Safety Group
MSD/Behavioural Safety
Conference
the courts and were being
settled before hearing. It is
not a welcome decision as it
has set a rather high
precedent for damages in
such matters going forwards.
Indication, however, has been
given that the decision will
likely be appealed. Therefore,
this is definitely one to watch!
Article by:Sean McGahan,
Partner, McKinty & Wright
NOT TO BE MISSED
Details out shortly
Witness
Behavioural Safety
as it has
never been shown before
by the 2macs
From
Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
Blackpool housing firm gambles on tenant safety and loses
Blackpool Coastal Housing Ltd
was prosecuted on 1st August
by the Health and Safety
Executive (HSE) after an
investigation found that the
company had known the
walkways were dangerous for
several years, but had failed to
act to make them safe.
A resident at a block of flats in
Blackpool narrowly avoided
being seriously injured or killed
when the second floor
walkway he was standing on
collapsed, a court has heard.
Resident Andrew Bleasedale
had returned from the shops
to his home at Newby Place in
Mereside on 29 May 2012
when he felt the balcony move
beneath his feet as he turned
the key in his front door. He
dived into his flat and looked
back to see that the walkway
had gone.
They failed to carry out any
repairs – despite many of the
senior staff who knew about
the structural issues
transferring to the new
organisation, along with
relevant files, when it was set
up in 2007.
The court also heard that the
company misled HSE about its
Quiz Answers
1 Store upright, keep oil away from valve, do not expose to heat, do not drop
2 No, but it vigorously supports combustion.
3 1 By brushing with soapy water over the suspected point of the leak.
2 - Use an appropriate sensitive gas detector
4 No, cylinders containing flammable or explosive gases should never be stored in the same
store as oxygen.
knowledge of the structural
flaws that led to the collapse
during the investigation into
the incident, until documents
were recovered from as far
back as February 2006.
Blackpool Coastal Housing Ltd,
of Abingdon Street in
Blackpool, was fined £50,000
and ordered to pay £27,821.25
in prosecution costs after
pleading guilty to a breach of
the Health and Safety at Work
etc Act 1974.
Article from HSE press release
Safety Group Patron:
experts in safety
Contact NISG
[email protected]
028 9336 8928
07938 049270