Health and Safety at Work

6.1 Introduction

Health and safety in the workplace is a crucial part of good facilities management.Facilities Managers often retain a level of overall accountability for the creation and maintenance of health and safety policies and processes and also for taking steps to ensure that all staff and visitors to the premises are aware of how to play their part in ensuring health and safety standards. However, responsibility falls to everyone working or visiting a particular workplace, to ensure their part in providing, supporting and maintaining a safe working environment. This module will break down some of the main areas of health and safety in the workplace and give you further information

about some of the tools at your disposal, to ensure the safety and security of those working on your premises.

6.2 What is the law regarding health and safety at work?

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the main piece of health and safety legislation in the UK. It places a duty on all employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practical, the health, safety and welfare at work of all employees. There is also an independent body in the United Kingdom called The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), whose role it is to provide guidance and support to those with health and safetyresponsibilities in the workplace and to ensure adherence to The Health and Safety at Work Act.The website, hse.gov.uk, is an invaluable resource of how-to guides, sample policies and processes and detail regarding the law in the UK.

Much of the information in this particular module reflects the HSE's current guidance, but should not be used as a substitute for an up to date and thorough knowledge of health and safety law, asthe regulations frequently change and it is therefore vital that you develop a robust process for keeping yourself up to date and upskilled in this area, on an ongoing basis.

6.3 Potential risks and hazards to members of staff and the public

All sorts of everyday situations can present potential risks to people and it is impossible to draw up an exhaustive list of hazards, as much will depend on the type of business that you work for, the nature of the premises that you occupy, the type of work that staff carry out, etc.

Here are some common areas which can lead to accidents at work:-

Hazardous substances

Slips, trips and falls

Falling objects

Strike or becoming trapped by a moving object

The Labour Force Survey of 2015/2016 produced the following statistics regarding accidents at work in the United Kingdom and serves to highlight the prevalence of such accidents and the importance of putting preventative measures in place, where possible:-

In 2015/16:

There were 144 fatal injuries to workers.

Three quarters of them were accounted for by just six different accidents types.

Just over a quarter of all fatal injuries were accounted for by falls from a height, with a further 20% due to being struck by a moving vehicle.

The profile of non-fatal injuries by accident differed quite markedly to the profile of fatal injuries.

Handling, lifting, or carrying and slip, trip, or falls accounted for almost 40% of all self- reported non-fatal injuries to workers.

As you can see from the above statistics, there are some very common areas which are known to present particular risks to individuals in the workplace and it is important to recognise them and take steps to mitigate them, where possible.

Documentation and administrative requirements

You should keep thorough records relating to the health and safety issues on your premises, as you may be required to produce them as part of an internal or external audit.

Some examples of relevant documents are as follows:

Accident books

Risk assessments and action plans

Reportable accidents (see below)

Policies and processes relating to health and safety

Training records and certificates

6.4 RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations)

RIDDOR describes the requirement to formally report certain situations directly to the Health and Safety Executive.

There is a certain criteria that must be met, in order for an accident to be reported under RIDDOR, as stated by the HSE - as follows:-

An accident has caused the injury (for example, the injury was not caused by a pre-existing illness).

The accident was work-related (the accident must have happened in connection to the work carried out by the individual, not just at the work place).The injury is of a type which is reportable. There are a separate set of criteria in relation to this, as follows:

The death of any person.

Specified injuries to workers.

Injuries to workers, which result in their incapacitation for more than seven days.

Injuries to non-workers, which result in them being taken directly to hospital for treatment, or specified injuries to non-workers which occur on hospital premises.

Source: HSE website http://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/key-definitions.html

If you are in charge of overseeing work related accidents or issues on your premises, it may be helpful for you to set up a process so that you are sure to be informed of any occurrences which could fall under the RIDDOR regulations, to ensure that they are properly reported in the right manner.

Preventing accidents at work

There are many things that can be done to prevent accidents from happening and it is important to understand which factors are within the sphere of an individual's control, so that proper steps can be put in place to prevent them where possible. The three main areas that we are going to talk about in this regard are risk assessments, training and appropriate equipment and clothing to carry out the job at hand.

Activity 1

Estimated time: 10 minutes

Re-visit the accident book from your organisation and review the work related accidents listed over the last 12 months. Can you see any themes or trends?

Try to put together an action plan, tackling some of the most common issues, to reduce the number of accidents.

6.5 Risk assessments

A risk assessment is the process of carefully considering which specific factors within a given situation have the potential to be hazardous or cause harm to the individuals who are exposed to them.

Identification of the key risks related to a process or situation allows the individuals concerned to draw up an action plan to prevent or mitigate these risks and hopefully, lead to a safer working environment.

There are a number of instances when risk assessments should be carried out, with some examples listed below.

Although each organisation is different, Facilities Managers often retain overall responsibility for the tracking and analysis of risk assessments, although individual line managers can also have responsibility for carrying them out with the individuals concerned.

Active participation in this process by line managers and team members should be encouraged, to ensure that responsibility is shared across all parties and does not just fall to the Facilities team.

After all, managers and employees carrying out these roles are more likely to be aware of the specific and inherent risks or issues involved.

General risk assessments can be conducted for a number of reasons, such as upon using a new piece of equipment, moving to new premises, etc.

Specific assessments should also be carried out in particular areas that are considered to be higherrisk or more complex.

The areas could include:-

Working with noise or vibrations

Working at heights

Manual handling

Working with COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health)

There are also particular instances where risk assessments are appropriate, due to changes in an individual's working conditions or their own circumstances. Pregnancy and return from long term sickness absence are examples of common times when a risk assessment is carried out.

How to conduct a risk assessment

Although there are no rules as such on how to perform a risk assessment, a robust process should be followed and accurate and detailed documentation should back up the process used and the findings.

Below are some areas to consider, when carrying out a risk assessment.

Identify the hazards which could pose a risk to an individual - you may use different methods to identify the areas which could pose a risk.

The person conducting the assessment should use their own previous knowledge of the task or role at hand, as well as that of the person

being risk assessed, to pick out some areas.

Observation is also a useful method to use - try walking through the steps of the task one by one, in order to highlight where hazards could occur.

Decide who the hazard could cause harm to and how - this could be a particular person, group of workers, or the general public. Also consider the different ways in which the risk could present itself.

Evaluate the risks and the control measures that should be put into place - your main objective at this stage is how to eliminate the hazard altogether. If this is not possible, you should consider ways in which to significantly reduce the risk of injury to individuals.

Document the risk assessment and outcome - you should thoroughly record the hazards identified and the control measures that you will put into place and keep this record in a safe place. When reviewing the area in the future, you should refer back to the original risk assessment and document changes, progress made, etc.

Continuously review and update your risk assessment, as required - a risk assessment should not be considered as a completed document and instead, should be revisited and reviewed as and when things change in relation to the given situation.

Activity 2

Estimated time: 15 minutes

Write a sample risk assessment on either a piece of equipment or machinery, or a person carrying out a particular task that you are familiar with.

Try to identify the key risks and hazards in the process and how to mitigate them

6.6 Providing staff training

Giving workers the skills and knowledge that they need to carry out their job effectively and safely is critical to the creation of a safe and secure workplace and it has been proven that skilled, well trained staff are less likely to be involved in accidents at work.

Not only this, training can benefit individuals in a number of other ways, as follows:-

To ensure that your business complies with legal and regulatory requirements. There are some mandatory areas which the law states that you must provide staff with initial and refresher training on.

Lower staff turnover. Employers who invest in staff training often enjoy the benefit of a lower staff turnover, perhaps because individuals feel that they are invested in and provided with the means to carry out their role effectively. It may also mean that you can hire talented staff more easily, as they can see the benefits of working for you.

Improved efficiency and productivity. Staff who have been trained to carry out their role effectively are often quicker, more effective and make fewer mistakes than those who have not.

Higher morale and motivation. It may be the case that individuals who are well trained have higher job satisfaction levels and are more engaged with both their role and the wider business.

Less supervision. If an individual has been well trained, they will often require less direct supervision from their manager or other colleagues, thus allowing others to carry out other tasks and potentially reducing their salary bill.

When should training be carried out?

Training can take place for a variety of reasons throughout the employee life cycle. When an individual first joins the team, they should   receive a thorough induction training on various areas of the business, in order to give them a good grounding in the organisation, as well as the job specific training that they need for their particular role.

In order to keep them updated, individuals should also receive regular refresher training in certain areas. This may be necessary because it has been a certain length of time since they last undertook the training, or because something has changed in that particular area and their skills and knowledge need to be refreshed accordingly.

Training should also be provided if an individual changes their role, location, or department within the organisation.

Below is a summary of some of the main areas that you may wish to consider training your staff in.

Bear in mind that some areas are mandatory and covered by law (e.g. fire safety training).

Health and safety training

Depending upon the nature of your business and the role that individuals perform within it, you should train your employees on the principles of manual handling, COSHH and hazardous materials,DSE (Display Screen Equipment) training for computer users, first aid training and fire safety, etc.

Emergency procedures including emergency evacuation

All employees who work on the premises should be trained on the procedures that take place in emergency situations. This could include what to do if they discover an emergency, the location of first aid kits, fire extinguishers and fire blankets, etc. Employees and regular visitors to the site should also receive a full fire tour, in order to demonstrate the evacuation procedure of the building, plus the location of fire exits, assembly points and fire alarms, etc.

Factors specific to the premises

Most buildings or premises have their own specific policies or procedures, such as key holder and locking/opening up responsibilities, start and finish times, break times, clocking in/out requirements, reporting of absence, IT procedures, etc.

Job specific training

Whilst most of the training mentioned above is general and provided to most workers in the same way, job specific training will differ greatly in its content and style, depending on the needs of the staff that it is being provided to. Some roles will require existing skills, qualifications, or experience and the individual will only need to be trained in the company's specific way of working. Other individuals may need to be trained to carry out the role from scratch, which may need to be more structured and may take a longer period of time.

How to deliver the training

There are different ways to successfully deliver staff training. The factors that you may consider before deciding upon the best method are the nature of what is to be trained, how many people need to be trained, your training resources and budget and different individuals' learning styles, amongst other things.

Here are some common methods that you could consider:

On the job training, mentoring, or coaching by people experienced in that particular area.

More formal, classroom style training.

Online training.

Providing information verbally, or in writing.

If you work for a large organisation, it is likely that there will be a dedicated training team who are responsible for organising and carrying out staff training. If your organisation is smaller, or does not have the budget for this specialism, there are lots of low-cost training methods available, such as coaching by existing staff, utilising free online resources, or even enlisting the help of an external training company.

Fact

In 2015/16, the rate of non-fatal injury to employees reported by employers fell, continuing the long term downward trend.

Source: Health and Safety Executive

6.7 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal protective equipment (often abbreviated to PPE) is an umbrella term for all of the clothing, eye wear, head wear, foot wear, etc that an individual should wear during the course of their work, to protect them from hazards which may cause them injury.

The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations of 1992 detail that an employer must provide and enforce the correct use of PPE for all individuals who require it and must issue it to them free of charge.

Here are some common types of PPE:-

PPE which offers skin protection

If your workers carry out tasks in a laboratory, factory, building site, or other similar place, appropriate skin protection can help to protect them against dangerous contact which could cause skin diseases, burns, cuts, or infections. If tasks are performed outside, care must also be taken to protect workers' skin from prolonged direct sun exposure, which can be very damaging, particularly over a number of years. Any material which provides a barrier between the skin and the external elements can be useful, but some higher risk areas require more specific protection, such as long sleeved overcoats to protect the forearms, or even suits which fully cover all exposed skin, for maximum protection.

Gloves are an excellent way of protecting the hands from the elements, or from chemical or biological substances which could cause damage.

PPE which offers eye protection

Many types of work can create hazards which may cause injuries or infections to workers' eyes. Construction or manufacturing are industries which often utilise eye protection. For example, small particles can become dislodged and enter the eyes when an individual is drilling or sawing. Safety glasses or goggles can be a good choice to isolate the eyes effectively from foreign objects.Full face shields can be worn over eye protection, to offer even more protection to the face and eye.

PPE which offers hearing protection

Ear plugs or ear muffs can be useful to offer a barrier to the ears in very noisy or high frequency environments, which can cause significant and long term damage to the inner ear.

PPE which offers foot protection

Steel toe capped or waterproof boots, for example, are a very common way of protecting the feet in environments where they are at risk of heavy items falling on them, or they are subject to unpleasant weather conditions such as rain or snow.

PPE which offers head protection

Some roles call for individuals to work at heights, such as on scaffolding, or in close proximity to work undertaken at height and it is therefore necessary to protect their heads from the risk of falling or the possibility of being hit by falling or flying objects. Safety helmets should be worn in all circumstances where an individual is working at heights. Hair nets should also be used where there is a risk of long hair getting caught or trapped in machinery.

When to use PPE and how to choose it

One of the main ways of identifying whether PPE is required or not is through reviewing the risk assessments carried out on individual roles and tasks and seeing which hazards could be mitigated by the use of PPE. However, it should be mentioned that hazardous situations should be avoided where possible and an alternative measure put in place. PPE should only be used if there is no alternative to the job at

hand, to minimise the risk of injury.

You should choose items of PPE which have the CE mark, as it ensures that they have been designed to the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 2002. One of the main barriers to the effectiveness of PPE is that it is often disliked by employees, who sometimes find it uncomfortable or seemingly unnecessary, or even that it hinders them in carrying out their role to their own preferences.

With this in mind, we have compiled some tips to help you to encourage individuals to wear their PPE correctly and consistently: Train workers on how to put the PPE on and how to remove it effectively, so that it causes minimum interference to them and their roles. Support employees to understand the benefits of wearing PPE for their own personal safety and share with them some of the dangerous consequences of failing to wear it. Take some time to compare suppliers and choose clothing and products that are both effective and comfortable, taking the preferences of those who need to wear it into account where possible.

Maintaining PPE

Some parts and pieces of equipment may need replacing regularly or when worn out and therefore, you will need a process in place to track and monitor this. You should store PPE in a safe, dry, clean place and have extra equipment available for emergencies, visitors, faults, etc.

6.8 Workplace Ergonomics

As a Facilities Manager, you should be aware of the ergonomics of your workplace and how this could have an impact on the health and wellbeing of employees. In particular, you should consider tasks which have the following impacts:-

Highly repetitive tasks

Many tasks are repetitive in nature, for example speed typing, working on a production line, data entry, etc and an unpleasant outcome can be a repetitive strain injury to the part of the body involved in the task. Consider ways to mitigate this risk and prevent such strains, such as task rotation, building in of regular breaks and the addition of equipment or technology, in order to ease the impact on the individual.If you work in an office environment, you should familiarise yourself with the Display Screen Equipment Regulations and risk assess workers who spend long periods of time working on computers or laptops. Interventions that can be put into place include specially designed chairs and PC equipment to improve posture, eye glasses and screen shades to minimise the impact on vision and exercises to avoid strain on the fingers. 

Some tasks require high force loads on the body, such as lifting. Implement robust manual handling training, which will teach employees how to lift heavy loads correctly and reduce impact on the joints and muscles. Again, regular rest periods are important, to avoid unnecessarily causing strain to the body.

Assignment

Health and Safety at Work

Time: 30+ minutes

Hopefully, you took in as much of the information in this module as possible. To find out how well you have done, complete the following worksheet.

Module Summary

We began this module with an overview of two important legal and regulatory frameworks/bodies relating to health and safety at work in the UK - The Health and Safety at Work Act and The Health and Safety Executive. As part of this, we took a closer look at some statistics regarding the prevalence of accidents in the workplace and the fact that there are some types of accident and injury which are particularly common. After identifying some of these risk areas, we moved onto some interventions that you should consider putting into place, with the aim of reducing these hazards where possible.

We looked at the importance of carrying out risk assessments and provided you with a template framework to follow when conducting risk assessments. Secondly, we covered the key role that staff training has and discussed different methods of training your workforce for maximum effectiveness. We also looked at the role of PPE in the workplace and how this can be an effective way of keeping some employees safer when carrying out their roles. Finally, we covered the ergonomics of a workplace and some ideas for how to reduce the impact of repetitive tasks and manual handling on some groups of workers.