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JELD-WEN
UK Wins National Safety Award
JELD-WEN,
one of the UK’s largest timber window manufacturers, has been awarded
an International Safety Award from leading training and advisory body
the British Safety Council.
Employees
from the three JELD-WEN sites that received the accreditation –
Melton Mowbray, Darlington and Penrith, joined top names in the health
and safety industry and received an accolade from Prime Minister Tony
Blair at a special ceremony held at London’s prestigious Grosvenor
House Hotel recently.
Prime Minister Tony Blair acknowledged the winners’ hard work:
'I send my congratulations to all those organisations being presented
with an award by the British Safety Council. These awards recognise
the success that these organisations and their employees have achieved
in their pursuit of excellence in the management of health, safety and
environmental matters.'
Keith Claydon, Group Health & Safety Facilitator for JELD-WEN, said:
'We are delighted that three of our manufacturing locations achieved
this prestigious award, which is testament to the hard work of our staff
in developing a health & safety culture throughout our business.
We take a holistic approach to health & safety with all members
of staff taking individual responsibility and it has proved to be a
winning formula in reducing accidents and improving the overall working
environment.'
Only companies with accident incidence rates better than the industry
average are eligible to apply. Winners must have sound safety policies
and plans, showing a commitment to health and safety from the shop floor
to the boardroom. They must detail their health and safety officers’
qualifications and provide details of significant health and safety
advances for the year.
HSE Chief Executive, Geoffrey Podger, added: 'We are pleased to see
companies who demonstrate a firm commitment to health and safety being
rewarded. Over 200 people each year die at work, the majority as a result
of safety failings, failures that can be prevented by companies putting
employee health and safety at the top of their agenda.'
JELD-WEN is a volume manufacturer of windows, doors and stairs, which
are supplied through builder’s merchants and DIY retail chains,
as well as directly to major housebuilders and developers. The company
is US-owned and manufactures at six sites throughout the UK, as well
as at 150 locations across the World, employing over 20,000 people.
Tel: 01302 394 000
Web: http://www.jeld-wen.co.uk
Healthy
Steps at Solaglas
Solaglas Contracting Midlands put
the spotlight on health and safety issues recently as part of a worldwide
International Health & Safety Day on Tuesday 13th June 2006.
215 employees at Solaglas Contracting's Midlands site joined 200,000
colleagues from Saint-Gobain companies around the world to take part
in the special day, designed to raise awareness of the need for health
and safety both at work and at home.
The division held a series of events for staff and sub-contractors during
the day including two live presentations.
Safety training experts from SpanSet's Height Safety & Specialist
Access Training School performed live demonstrations showing the correct
use of harness equipment. Cheshire based SpanSet are leading providers
of height safety training and have been established in the UK for over
30 years. Mr George Grundy, Technical Sales & Training Adviser for
the Training School said, ‘The primary purpose of our demonstration
was to illustrate how to recover from, or assist a casualty who had
sustained suspension trauma in a fall whilst wearing a safety harness.
Marlon
Daly of Solaglas assisted by George Grundy from SpanSet (at top of scaffolding)
demonstrates harness recovery methods in a rescue situation.
‘Under
the new terms of height safety regulations, it is crucial from a compliance
and an ethical point of view that staff are properly trained in the
use of height safety equipment. We thoroughly endorse Saint-Gobain's
commitment to health and safety in the workplace and were pleased to
support this event’.
A crane operation simulator was supplied by Mentor - the largest UK
driver training organisation for the materials handling sector. The
simulator used projected live action footage combined with audio instructions
linked to a joystick and a crane pendant. It is primarily used to help
assess and train the driver in basic operation skills such as co-ordination
in lifting and manoeuvring within a safe controlled environment.
Alan
Herbert (left) tests his crane driving skills, observed by Neil Rose
of Mentor Training.
Mr
Richard Shore, Managing Director for Mentor comments, ‘We were
delighted to support Saint-Gobain's International H&S Day. Employees
are a commercial and moral investment for any organisation. By taking
a pro-active approach to H&S issues such as training, organisations
benefit from fewer accidents so reducing downtime as well as ensuring
increased profitability. Training has also been shown to both improve
morale and assist in staff retention’. Mentor is a privately owned,
independent company established since 1988.
As part of Solaglas' commitment to its employee's health, blood pressure
and cholesterol tests were offered to everyone attending the event with
occupational health advisors on hand to answer questions about diet
and lifestyle.
To round off the day, staff had the opportunity to enter a fun and interactive
health quiz - with the chance of winning £1,000 of holiday vouchers.
All attendees received a pedometer, to measure how many steps they take
in a day. Managing Director of Solaglas' Contracting Division, Nick
Prosser, said, ‘With research showing that the average Brit takes
just 2,000 steps each day - well short of the 10,000 recommended by
experts to maintain a healthy heart - this gift is designed to encourage
staff in leading fit and active lives.’
The event was the second time that Saint-Gobain had organised a Health
& Safety Day across all its worldwide operations.
Nick Prosser said: ‘We believe Saint-Gobain is the first international
group to raise the profile of Health & Safety in this way. Ensuring
that we create a safe working environment for all our employees is a
fundamental principle within Saint-Gobain. The International Health
& Safety Day was a great way of reinforcing this message and having
fun at the same time.’
Email: solaglas.contracting@saint-gobain-glass.com
Web: http://www.solaglas.co.uk
Eurocell
Profiles Wins Top Safety Award
Eurocell
Profiles Ltd,
of Alfreton, has scooped a prestigious safety award from one of the
world's leading training and advisory bodies.
Following gruelling tests by a strict independent adjudicating panel,
Eurocell, the UK manufacturer of PVC-u window and door profile, was
given the esteemed International Safety Award by the British Safety
Council.
Only companies with below average accident rates are eligible to apply
and winners must also have good safety policies, plans and commitment
to health and safety at the highest board level. They must detail their
health and safety officers' qualifications and provide information about
significant advances they have made in health and safety for the year.
Eurocell
team; Paolo Gatti, David Leng, Brian Rose, Sam Foukes and Peter Brown
receiving the safety award from Nina Wrightson OBE, Deputy Chairman,
British Safety Council.
Mr
David Ballard, Chief Executive of the British Safety Council, says:
‘For nearly fifty years we have led the way in promoting health,
safety and environmental best practice in society. In the 21st century,
many organisations worldwide are now making health and safety a top
priority. Through achieving an International Safety Award, Eurocell
is helping to make our vision of a safe working environment a reality.’
Prime Minister Tony Blair added his support: ‘I send my congratulations
to all of those organisations being presented with an award by the British
Safety Council. These awards recognise the success that these organisations
and their employees have achieved in their pursuit of excellence in
the management of health, safety and environmental matters. The Government
would like to place on record its appreciation of the support given
by the Council in raising awareness of the benefits that effective health,
safety and environmental management brings business, employees and the
environment.’
Once
again HansenGroup Companies have
triumphed in the annual RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards.
AccentHansen, FendorHansen and MagHansen have again secured Gold.
FendorHansen has now struck gold three times, added to the tally for
AccentHansen and MagHansen, HansenGroup now has its own ‘magnificent
seven’.
Tony Aked – Director, Health and Safety is delighted with the awards
and said, ‘It’s fantastic news, we are thrilled with the result,
particularly FendorHansen’s hat trick.
We take health and safety seriously in HansenGroup and to gain external
recognition is gratifying. However, we could not do it without the help
and support of our employees and these awards are due in great part
to their efforts.’
The winners received their awards at a special ceremony at the Hilton
Birmingham Metropole Hotel, National Exhibition Centre on Wednesday
10th May 2005, during Health and Safety Expo 2006.
The RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards are about reducing the
number of accidents and cases of ill health at work, ensuring that organisations
have good health and safety management systems in place. They help to
reinforce the message that good health and safety is good business and
clearly demonstrate an organisation's commitment to the achievement
of high levels of performance in this crucial area.
Winners from last year include Alfred McAlpine, Amec, Balfour Beatty,
Birse, Bowmer & Kirkland, Canary Wharf Management Ltd, Carillion,
Costain, Galliford Try Construction, HBG Construction Ltd, Kier Construction
Ltd, M J Gleeson Group, Mansell Construction Services, Morrison Construction,
Mowlem, Taylor Woodrow, Warings Contractors Ltd, and Willmott Dixon
Construction Ltd.
European Noise at Work Summit Spotlights the new EU Directive on Noise and Awards Europe's Best Noise Prevention Cases
EU policymakers, social partners and leading safety and health experts met on 12th December 2005 in Bilbao, Spain, to see how to better protect European workers from noise and to award those organisations that have already managed to implement effective solutions. As many as 60 million workers in the EU are considered to be exposed to excessive noise during their working hours.
The summit, jointly organised by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and the UK Presidency of the European Union, was the culmination of last year's 'Stop that Noise!' campaign in 25 EU Member States as well as EFTA and candidate countries.
Vladimír Epidla, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities said at the summit: 'Noise is a growing concern all over Europe, in workplaces from factories and farms, to entertainment and services. More than 13 million workers are reported to have suffered impaired hearing at work. And noise goes beyond hearing problems. It can cause accidents, voice loss and increase stress levels. The new EU directive, to be implemented in all Member States by mid February 2006, reduces the levels of noise to which workers can be exposed and requires employers to eliminate or reduce to a minimum the risks.'
Noise-induced hearing loss is amongst the most commonly reported occupational diseases in the European Union. It is also one of the most costly, with billions of euros a year paid in compensations and in indirect costs resulting from sick leave, lower productivity and accidents due to impaired communication because of noise. The human costs are immeasurable.
'The occupational safety and health community in Europe is determined to take more effective steps to reduce this tragic toll and thus to improve both the quality of work and the competitiveness of European business', said Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. 'Strategies and solutions presented at the summit show that effective noise prevention is possible and may be implemented in a cost-efficient way even by small companies.'
The European Good Practice Awards 2005 were given to the best practical solutions for the prevention of noise exposure. The winners include a training project from the UK aimed at orchestral musicians. The national industry body representing professional orchestras, the Association of British Orchestras (ABO) has been running a multi-faceted project to address the particular problems faced by this industry. In carrying out the project, the ABO has worked with the Musicians Union and the UK occupational safety and health authority over a number of issues, including policy development on noise for the sector. It has also shared its work with other orchestras outside the group to transfer the system and training. Work so far undertaken includes expert research, a final report, seminars, conferences and special training.
More information about noise at work, the summit and the European Good Practice Awards 2005 is available at the 'Stop That Noise!' campaign's homepage: http://ew2005.osha.eu.int.
Child
Safety is Key Issue when Specifying Automatic Upward Rolling Grilles
The
Door and Hardware Federation (DHF)
is urging all door companies to adhere to its strict safety guidelines
when supplying automatic rolling grilles for use at locations where
children may be present.
The advice from the DHF, which represents the UK’s industrial and
commercial door and shutter companies, was re-issued after the conclusion
of a court case following the tragic death of a young child. The boy,
who was 'riding' on a remote controlled metal rolling grille in a carpark,
was killed when the powered grille opened up to let a car out of the
carpark.
The advice to door companies is unequivocal, and the federation has
been giving the guidance to its own members for several years now. Indeed
the DHF was instrumental in getting this principle included in the relevant
European standard. If any rolling grille is remote controlled, and it
is in use in a place where children could be present, then a presence
detection device should be fitted to the top and bottom of the grille.
This would automatically prevent the grille operating if it detected
anyone in its immediate vicinity.
In addition, the DHF is working closely with the Health & Safety
Executive to update HSE safety guidelines, published on the HSE website,
on the correct use of power operated shutters and grilles.
In the proceedings following the child’s death, various prohibition
and improvement notices were served on the carpark owners and the manufacturers
of the grille.
Said Ray Nowell, DHF technical officer: 'An improvement notice was served
against the door company involved, which was not a member of the DHF.
It cited various breaches of regulations, and in particular it noted
the company had no effective system in place to ensure the product,
satisfied the essential health and safety requirements, was issued with
a declaration of conformity, nor had it been CE marked.
'This is the first time we have seen CE marking under the Machinery
Directive being enforced against a door supplier, and it justifies our
lengthy and successful campaign to encourage our members to CE mark
their power operated products.
'It’s vital that all door and shutter companies, whether DHF members
or not, understand their obligations under the legislation. They must
supply products that have gone through the appropriate conformity assessment
procedure, have in place a Technical Construction File, are supplied
with a Declaration of Conformity, operating and maintenance instructions
and carry the CE mark.'
Detailed advice on conformity and CE marking is available to DHF members
on the DHF website, http://www.dhfonline.org.uk.
WHS
Halo Awarded Health and Safety Certification
WHS
Halo
has achieved OHSAS 18001 status, after rigorous assessments by auditors
from BSI. OHSAS 18001 is an Occupational Health and Safety Assessment
specification for occupational health and safety management systems
and is intended to help any organisation to control occupational health
and safety risks.
The initial assessment by BSI started in March 2004 on the Extrusions
site, resuming in January 2005 to conduct a 'phase 1' inspection to
review current health and safety management systems, risk assessments,
training, awareness and competence. The phase 2 visit took place in
June 2005 when certification to the standard was achieved.
OHSAS
18001 was created via a concerted effort from a number of the worlds
leading national standards bodies, certification bodies and specialist
consultancies. A main driver for the move was to try to eliminate confusion
in the workplace from the proliferation of certifiable OH&S specifications.
WHS Halo's Health and Safety Officer Tony Evans comments: ‘OHSAS
18001 demonstrates our responsibility to our employees, our customers,
our stakeholders and society as a whole by ensuring that WHS Halo does
everything in its power to reduce Health and Safety risks. This is coupled
with the benefits of a genuinely effective management system that will
help WHS Halo reduce the amount of down time the organisation incurs,
and helps deliver a highly motivated, efficient and productive workforce.’
Mark West of BSI presented the certificate to Tony Evans and the WHS
Halo works council. Members of the works council are Hapter Singh, Roy
Follows, Paul Cullen, David Loines and Chairman Winston Duguid.
It is now planned to gain certification across the other Bowater Building
Products companies in the West Midlands.
Tel: 0121 749 8202
Why
Edgetech's Super Spacer® is the Healthy Option
At
the end of 2004, official data from Asthma UK confirmed that the number
of people with asthma had risen to 5.2 million. Asthma was costing the
UK more than £2.3 billion a year through the NHS, benefits and
lost working days. Persistent condensation on windows and doors provides
an ideal breeding ground for bacteria, mould, mildew and dust mites
which are a common cause of asthma.
Edgetech's Super Spacer® reduces
condensation, as Dave Cox, Technical Sales Manager explains: ‘Traditional
metal spacers suck heat from the warm side of the glass to the cold
side. Eighty percent of a window's heat loss is through the glass, and
the edge of the glass is the weakest link, causing condensation.’
‘Condensation is a problem and over time, will stain frames, peel
paint and rot wood,’ continues Dave. ‘Super Spacer is proven
to reduce condensation, eliminate harmful mould, and offer comfortable
household humidity levels. Benefits such as these give installers a
huge advantage in a competitive market.’
Tel: 02476 705570
Everwhite's
John Lewis passes Level 3 Certificate in Occupational Health
John
Lewis from Everwhite Plastics Ltd
has passed the National General Certificate Level 3 in Occupational
Health from NEBOSH.
Health and safety in the factory at Everwhite is more important than
ever with increasing orders to be completed and higher levels of staff.
‘Passing level 3 was just part of Everwhite's commitment to ongoing
health and safety,’ explains John Lewis, Quality Manager, of Everwhite.
‘The factory is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week so to keep
everyone safe in the 130,000 ft2 factory we review our policies and
procedures on a regular basis.
'With 12 extrusion lines and forklifts moving stillages of product,
it's important to keep health and safety at the top of the agenda.
' And good practice for employees also means the products are delivered
on time, every time for our customers.’
Tel: 01685 882 447
Securistyle
urges Fabricators to Take Responsibility not Risk
Window hardware manufacturer Securistyle has launched a campaign to ensure that fabricators and installers put safety at the top of their business agenda.
Ken Evans, national specification sales manager at Securistyle says:
‘Over recent years there has been a gradual but important change
in the way in which fabricators and installers are required to approach
the issues of safety. They must be aware of all the current regulations,
standards, controls and guidance that apply to their field.
‘They have a duty of care to supply products that are safe and
suitable to use in their designed environment. Failure to do so, as
ignorance of regulations is no defence, could have serious consequences
for all concerned.
‘Where windows are involved, the hardware and furniture fitted
can play a large part in ensuring compliance to the required levels
of safety and security. The regulations and codes of practice, which
detail many of the requirements, have been upgraded in recent years.
It is important that window fabricators and installers keep up to date
with these changes and not assume that by satisfying one regulatory
body then all of the obligations are being fulfilled. We have launched
a campaign called ‘Responsibility Not Risk’ to encourage everyone
within the window industry to put safety first and more information
is available on our website.
‘Windows are a key element within the construction industry and
whether you are talking about replacement or new build, the window manufacturer
is subject, like everyone, to the price pressures of a highly competitive
market place. Even if you are operating under a self-assessment scheme,
like Fensa for example, which does not apply to commercial premises
or new build properties, non-compliance isn't worth considering. Safety
is not an area where you should look to compromise.'
Securistyle has produced a free wall chart detailing the relevant Building
Regulations for correct window hardware specification and installation.
For your free copy of the wall chart call Maria Fatica at Securistyle
on 01242 221200 or visit http://www.securistyle.co.uk.
Granada
Chosen as UK Distributor for the VacuPowerlift - Back Problems Minimised
with Fezer Product
With
the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) pushing its 'Better Backs' initiative
this summer, Granada Material Handling
(Granada), one of the nation's leading material handling solutions specialists,
is the sole UK distributor of Fezer VacuPowerlift handling units.
Manual handling has long been known to be a major cause of back injury,
with one in five who suffer work related ill-health experiencing back
pain. This is not only painfully inconvenient for the individual but
with HSE figures showing that one in six working days - equating to
a total of 4.9 million - are being lost to back problems, it's also
a costly problem for UK businesses.
However, as Granada Material Handling sales engineer, Colin Nevett,
comments, the units available as part of the Fezer VacuPowerlift range
can make a huge difference. 'It is important to understand the risks
associated with manual handling and to take appropriate measures to
assess and then reduce these risks. As with anything, it is always better
to prevent rather than cure back ailments and with the VacuPowerlift
taking the strain, the likelihood of suffering back pain in the first
place is significantly reduced.
'The units come in seven different sizes depending on the nature of
the load to be lifted. The capacity ranges from 30kgs up to 120kgs and
the units can handle anything from awkward barrels to sizeable boards.'
The system is based on a self-evacuating tube and can be supported from
a jib crane or, for larger area coverage, a light weight crane system.
The basic design of the system is the same for each product to be lifted
except for the lifting tube suction foot. Colin explains: 'The suction
head is product specific so if the application involves the handling
of paper sacks, the unit would be supplied with a bespoke sack foot
to grip the bag.
'Similarly if the product is an mdf board, the lifting foot would incorporate
a number of adjustable pads to allow for differing board sizes.'
With years of experience in vacuum lifting, Granada can supply the VacuPowerlift
system to suit almost any non-porous product and any size of area that
needs to be covered. And as Colin concludes, safety is always of paramount
importance:
'The VacuPowerlift is a versatile piece of equipment that significantly
reduces the risk of back injury and which can be adapted to work with
any number of materials in a variety of environments.
'Our relationship with Fezer is a long standing one and we are delighted
to be the sole UK supplier of a product that is easy for operators to
understand, which can truly make working practices safer and which can
ultimately save UK businesses fortunes every year.'
Speedy
Hire's 'Safety From The Ground Up' Initiative Provides Industry with
Tools for Communicating the New Work At Height Legislation
The
launch of Speedy's Safety From The
Ground Up initiative represents the UK's largest integrated safety,
training and information campaign in the tool hire sector.
Focusing on Work At Height, Speedy has developed a set of communications
tools including; posters, booklets, pocket guides, CDs, tool box presenters,
stickers etc that will build awareness of the new regulations. This
is especially important as research undertaken by Speedy identifies
the need for coherent communication tools that can be used to convey
the new regulations at site level.
The Safety from the Ground up campaign represents a massive investment
programme for Speedy, providing training, new products and information
for working at height safely. It is the largest commitment by any tool
and equipment hire company, benefiting all Speedy customers from construction
to utilities, to retail and the public sector. In total, over 700 depot
managers and sales representatives at Speedy were trained prior to the
launch, enabling a national roll out of the programme, an efficient
and effective way of building awareness of the new regulations.
Phil Prince, Group Head of Marketing, comments: 'Safety From The Ground
Up was developed following months of research to understand the implications
to the customer of the new regulations. Discussions were held with major
companies, subcontractors and industry bodies, with the key finding
being that Senior Management and Health & Safety teams were aware
of the changes in the regulations but there was an issue in communicating
this at the site level. There was therefore a clear need for a communications
programme to build the awareness of the new regulations and to provide
solutions.'
Phil continues: 'Safety from the Ground Up means that we can help companies
and their teams understand and comply with the regulations so that everyone
can work at any height and be safe. Annually over 4,000 people are injured
from people falling at height, and we want to demonstrate to the tool
hire industry that education is of paramount importance in helping customers
comply with the regulations.'
The new regulations that came into effect on April 6th 2005, were distilled
to 6 guiding principals, enabling sites to develop action plans to ensure
that they are conforming to the new regulations. These include:
1. Work at height regulations affect anyone, anywhere, any height
2. Risk assessment - 3 stage hierarchy of control (avoid, prevent, minimise)
3. The selection of the correct product (collective protection before
personal)
4. Correct use of products
5. Requires planning, organisation and competence
6. Collective responsibility
These themes form the backbone of the campaign. Speedy Hire has set
up a Work At Height hotline on 0845 606 6886, where callers will receive
information on the new regulations and the solutions that Speedy offer.
Speedy has also expanded its diverse range of products and equipment
for providing work at height solutions, with a recent investment of
over £1m. Additions to the hire fleet include extension tools,
aluminium towers, fall arrest systems and low level work at height equipment.
Work
at Height - HSE Explains What the Regulations Mean for the Construction
Industry
New
regulations came into force on 6th April 2005, applying to all work
at height where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury.
To assist the construction industry the Health and Safety Executive
(HSE) has recently published a Question and Answer Brief to explain
what the new regulations mean in practice and the standards HSE expects
the industry to meet. It is available on the HSE website.
Commenting on the new regulations Kevin Myers, HSE’s Chief Inspector
of Construction, said: 'Falls from height remain the single biggest
cause of workplace deaths and major injuries in the construction industry,
responsible for some 40 per cent of fatalities in 2004/05. Preventing
falls from height is a key area where the construction industry can
take steps to drive down the number of accidents. The regulations give
the industry an opportunity to refocus efforts to improve standards
for work at height and reduce deaths and injuries.
'A particular area of concern for HSE is the number of major injuries
caused by low falls – it’s worth pointing out that there are
more major injuries resulting from low falls than from falls above two
metres. The new regulations remove the old divison between low and high
falls; the ‘two-metre rule’ for high falls has not been retained
because dutyholders need to prevent falls from any height. HSE inspectors
will ensure that the existing standards are maintained but that greater
attention is also paid to the risk from low falls.'
Mr Myers also made the following key points:
'Those following good practice for work at height will already be doing
enough to comply with the new regulations;
follow the risk assessments you have carried out for work at height
activities and make sure all work at height is planned, organised and
carried out by competent people;
follow the hierarchy for managing risks from work at height - take steps
to avoid, prevent or reduce risks; and
choose the right work equipment and select collective measures to prevent
falls (such as guardrails) before other measures which may only mitigate
the distance and consequences of a fall (such as nets or airbags) or
which may only provide personal protection from a fall.'
HSE’s publication of the Question and Answer Brief for the Construction
Industry on the Work at Height Regulations 2005 demonstrates its commitment
to being a good partner – working with others to improve health
and safety. The Brief is free and can be downloaded at http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/pdf/fallsqa.pdf
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 (S.I.2005 No 735 ) are accessible
via the HMSO website at http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2005/20050735.htm.
Printed copies are published by The Stationery Office Ltd (TSO). For
further details, please contact TSO, tel: 0870 6005522; fax: 0870 600
5533; e-mail mailto:customer.services@tso.co.uk