Protecting Woodworkers’ Health

Protecting Woodworkers’ Health

Wood dust can cause serious and often irreversible health problems, including sino-nasal cancer, asthma, as well as dermatitis. As wood dust is hazardous to health, employers have a legal responsibility to prevent or adequately control exposure in the workplace.  Wood dust is often overlooked by employers and is not recognised as a serious hazard.  For this reason, throughout 2023/24 the HSE is inspecting a variety of woodworking businesses, as part of its strategy to reduce cases of work related ill health, and to combat the devastating impact occupational lung disease has on workers’ lives. Inspectors will check that woodwork is planned correctly to minimise risk; and that adequate control measures are in place to protect workers’ health.

In 2022/23, the HSE carried out more than 1,000 woodworking inspections and found 78% of businesses were not compliant in protecting workers from respiratory sensitisers (primarily hardwood, softwood and composite material’s dust). This resulted in 402 enforcement actions taken by HSE.

The main areas of concern identified by the HSE were:

1. Dry sweeping. Avoid dry sweeping and using compressed airlines when cleaning up as these will just create dust clouds and redistribute the dust. Use vacuum equipment that meets at least the dust class M (medium hazard) classification or a suction hose attached to the LEV system.

2. Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV)Control wood dust at source as it is produced, and prevent it spreading into the workplace, by the use of fixed LEV. We have advice about LEV design and management in the download below.

3. Face fit testing. Workers have varying sizes and shapes of faces, so a face ‘fit test’ is needed to ensure any tight fitting respirator is effective for the individual worker. Facial hair or glasses tend to lift the respirator off the face and permit inward leakage of contaminated air.

4.Health Surveillance. Woodworking employers have a legal duty to provide health surveillance as there is a disease associated with wood dust.  

Health surveillance is necessary when:

  • there is a disease associated with the substance in use (eg asthma, dermatitis, cancers);
  • it is possible to detect the disease or adverse change and reduce the risk of further harm;
  • the conditions in the workplace make it likely that the disease will appear.


Need further information?

The HSE have produced a useful information sheet on the risks from wood dust and how they can be controlled.  Alternatively, please feel free to contact us for further support.

 

 

 

Info Sheet

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Feel free to contact us if you need support with COSHH risk assessments, air monitoring or face fit testing.

Building Safety Act 2022

Building Safety Act 2022

The new regulatory regime for the Building Safety Act (BSA) came into force on 1 October 2023. The Building Safety Act 2022 brings in new roles and responsibilities which don’t only affect high risk buildings.  

The new regime introduces fresh terminology, roles, responsibilities and other criteria that are important to understand for all projects that fall under building regulations.

Registering a high-rise residential building

High-rise residential buildings are defined as 18 metres tall or higher, or at least 7 floors tall, and must contain 2 or more residential units. It is a legal requirement that high-rise residential buildings are registered by 1 October 2023. The fee to register each building is £251.

Roles and responsibilities

The BSA 2022 identifies new roles and responsibilities for people and organisations who are responsible for the safety of high-rise residential buildings in England- accountable persons and the principal accountable person.

These responsibilities include registering high-rise residential buildings with the Building Safety Regulator.

It is the principal accountable person who is required to have registered high-rise buildings before 1 October 2023.  An accountable person is an organisation or individual who owns or has a legal obligation to repair any common parts of the building.

Fire safety resonsibilties

As as result of the introduction of The Building Safety Act 2022, changes have been made to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.  These requirements apply to all non domestic premises such as workplaces and non domestic parts of multi occupied residential buildings (e.g. communal corridors, plant rooms). There are various responsibilities of the Responsibile Person e.g. requiring Responsible Persons of a building containing two or more sets of domestic premises to provide residents with relevant fire safety information in a format that is easily understood by the residents. 

In addition, the Regulations require Responsible Persons to provide information on fire doors including that they should be kept shut when not in use, that residents should not tamper with self-closing devices and that
residents should report any faults with doors immediately   

Extensive legislation and guidance has been issued under the Building Safety Act 2022 – further details can be provided by clicking here

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Feel free to contact us if you need any advice regarding what these legislative changes mean to you.

Martyn’s Law

Martyn’s Law

Since the tragic events of the Manchester bombing where sadly 22 persons were killed and as a result of the inquest and various campaigns, we now have a draft bill, the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill otherwise known as Martyn’s Law.

‘Martyn’s Law’ will place a requirement on those responsible for certain venues to consider the threat from terrorism and implement appropriate and proportionate mitigation measures. The legislation will ensure that people are prepared, ready to respond and know what to do in the event of an attack. 

Who will be in scope?

Premises will fall within the scope of the duty where “qualifying activities” take place. This will include locations for purposes such as entertainment and leisure, retail, food and drink, museums and galleries, sports grounds, public areas of local and central government buildings (e.g. town halls), visitor attractions, temporary events, places of worship, health, and education.

 It is proposed that the duty will apply to eligible premises which are either:

  •  a building (including collections of buildings used for the same purposes, e.g. a campus); or
  • a location/event (including a temporary event) that has a defined boundary, allowing capacity to be known.

Eligible locations whose maximum occupancy meets the above specified thresholds will then be drawn into the relevant tier. Therefore, premises will be drawn into the scope of the duty if they meet the following three tests:

  • That the premises is an eligible one – i.e., building or event with a defined boundary.
  • That a qualifying activity takes place at the location; and
  • That the maximum occupancy of the premises meets a specified threshold – either 100+ or 800+

This bill is not yet enacted, predictions are that it may be in the Autumn, so it may change and we will keep you updated with developments.  More detail on the tiers and the requirements can be found below. 

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HSE Statistics: Work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain 2023

HSE Statistics: Work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain 2023

Earlier this month, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), published its annual statistics setting out the number of work-related fatal injuries in the year to March 2023. 

135 workers were killed in work-related incidents in Great Britain in 2022/23, an increase of 12 (10%) on the previous year, AND a total of 68 members of the public sustained fatal injuries, which is a decrease of 20 deaths (23%) from the same period last year.

Trends

In analysing the trends of fatal injuries to workers, it is clear that this year’s figures are similar to those last seen prior to the Covid 19 pandemic, and are equivalent to data from 2016/17 where there was the same number of work-related deaths, but fewer than the year 2018/19, where there were 149 worker fatalities.

    Which industries are the most common fatalities occurring in?

    82% of fatal injuries in 2022/23 occurred within five industry sectors:

    Construction: consistent with previous years, the construction sector had the highest number of fatalities, with a total of 45 fatal injuries recorded, an increase of 16 (55%) from the previous year. The five-year average for fatalities in this sector is 37.

    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing: this sector saw 21 fatal injuries, a decrease of 2 (9%) from the previous year.

    Manufacturing: the manufacturing sector had 15 fatal injuries, which is also a decrease of 7 (32%) from the previous year.

    Transportation and Storage: the number of work-place fatalities fell by 1 from the previous year of 16.

    Wholesale, Retail, Motor Repair, Accommodation and Food Services: the number of work-place related deaths increased to 15 (36%), from the 11 that were recorded in the previous year.

    HSE have also considered the fatal injury rate by looking at the number of fatalities per 100,000 workers employed. The calculation shows that the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector appears to be the least safe and poses the greatest risk of serious injury across all the sectors, with waste and recycling in second place.

     

    Which are the most common types of incidents?

    The statistics show that falls from height and being struck by a moving vehicle or object remain the main causes of fatal injury. Combined, they have accounted for more than half of all fatalities every year since 2001/02. In the year to March 2023:

    40 of the fatal injuries recorded were attributable to falls from height, accounting for 30% of all work-related deaths in this period, reflecting the significant risks posed by working at height.

    Being struck by a moving, flying or falling object made up 21% of the fatal injuries sustained.

    Being struck by a moving vehicle accounted for 20 fatal injuries to workers, representing 15% of the total number of deaths in 2022/23.

     

    Conclusion

    Whilst there has been a long term declining trend in the number of fatal incidents in the workplace over recent years, both to workers and members of the public, it is clear that certain sectors and workplace activities continue to pose significant risk.

    Falling from height and being struck by an object or moving vehicle, remain the most high risk workplace activities. Based on these statistics, employers need to ensure that these work activities are suitably and sufficiently risk assessed, and that robust control measures are put in place to mitigate those risks.

    The statistics also show that the rate of fatal injury is higher to older workers and reinforces the need for businesses to ensure that they have suitable training programmes with refresher training, and toolbox talks, being delivered to employees on a regular basis.

    Any loss of life in the workplace is a tragedy. While these figures show Great Britain is one of the safest countries in the world to work, safety must continue to be at the top of everyone’s agenda. Our mission is to protect people and places and we remain committed to maintaining safe workplaces and holding employers to account for their actions.

    Sarah Albon

    Chief Executive, Health & Safety Executive

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    The Importance of a Health & Safety Audit

    The Importance of a Health & Safety Audit

    Do you worry that:

    • an employee could be injured or suffer ill health?
    • you may be exposed should an employee submit a claim?
    • you may have a sudden visit by the enforcing authority?
    • costs may spiral out of control?

    Where do you start?

    A good starting place is to have a visit by one of our qualified consultants. They will undertake an audit to identify the risks to your employees, contractors and visitors along with reviewing what you already have in place.

    You may already have systems in place which merely need reviewing and bringing up to date. You may have no documented health and safety management system in place but want practical and realistic advice on what you need to implement, to sufficiently manage your risks. We can offer clear advice which is in proportion to your risks.

    So, what is an audit?

    An audit is a systematic, independent and documented process. This allows you to measure your safety management systems consistently, with the aim of achieving continuous improvement.

    Why have an audit?

    The main reasons orgnisations should regularly audit their health and safety management system are, to ensure all risks are adequately managed and to ensure compliance with health and safety legislation, such as the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974 and the Regulations made under this Act.

    It is notable that when the Health and Safety Executive undertake their investigations into major accidents, they usually highlight health and safety management failures as being the root of the cause.

    How is an audit undertaken?

    Initially, one of our consultants will visit your premises and complete an initial evaluation of the systems and procedures already in place, checking compliance with current health and safety law. This will involve reviewing your current documentation such as policies, risk assessments, training records, work instructions, inspection records etc. A physical inspection of your site will then be undertaken. This will identify any hazards which require improved management and discussions will be held with your employees.

    If a weakness is identified, it will be detailed within an Audit Report which includes an evaluation of what is required and an action plan to make the necessary improvements.

    So, what are the benefits of an audit?

    • Reduce risks.
    • Improve your compliance with the law.
    • Benchmark your organisation against other organisations outside or within your sector.
    • Having an independent auditor of your policies and procedures means that you get a reliable, unbiased report of findings and an objective action plan for improvement.
    • Control systems weaken over time and need to be constantly reviewed.
    • It helps demonstrate management commitment to employees and third parties.

    What next?

    Once your audit has been undertaken, you’re now in a better position that you know what needs to be implemented to better protect your employees, visitors, contractors and your business.

    You may have the resource internally to complete the actions, or you may choose for one our consultants to visit and support you with this process.

    We offer various consultancy packages. These are specifically designed to suit individual business needs following audits.  We pride ourselves in getting to know and understand specific business requirements and developing consultancy packages that are right for businesses, in terms of supporting their needs and budget.

    If you’d like a chat to discuss any assistance that you may require in getting focused and drawing up an action plan, then please get in touch.