Page 5 – Envico®

Page 5

The motorway work zone is dangerous for motorists as well as for the workers who repair, build and maintain the streets, highways and bridges. Working in the roadway can be very dangerous and it brings different risks than it would working on car parks, secondary roadways or driveways.

Why is working on the highway so dangerous?

One of the main reasons why working on the highway is so dangerous is because of the speed of the traffic moving around the highway work zone. The vehicles are travelling so quickly that they are very likely to cause serious damage or injury as a result. Also, it is not possible to control the driving habits of the massing motorists. There are a number of factors such as speeding, driver fatigue, driving under the influence, limited visibility, bad weather and large trucks or trailers. The combination of these factors makes it even more dangerous to work on the highways.

Implement the Necessary Precautions

When you are working on the highways, it is essential to implement all of the necessary precautions that you can in order to protect workers from dangers – as well as any members of the public around the work crew. It is also necessary for the on-site supervisor to vigilantly monitor the changing conditions of the highway. Working during inclement weather conditions increases the risk of hazards, because visibility for drivers is reduced and roadways are slippery so it is more difficult for a vehicle to come to a complete stop.

What can you do to work safely on the highways? There are a number of things that you can do to improve the safety of your employees when you are working on the roadways. Here are some important things to keep in mind:

Slowing Down Drivers

Speed is one of the major causes of accidents and injuries related to those working on highways. It is impossible to control the personal habits of each driver on the road, but there are ways to encourage motorists to slow down as they are passing your crew.

Depending on where you are working, there are usually procedures for closing lanes so make sure that you comply with the minimum requirements. There are also other safeguards that you can use to protect your employees, such as arrow boards, shadow vehicles, trunk-mounted attenuators, slow moving vehicle signs and much more. These will help to alert motorists to the road work that is being done, so that they will know that they need to slow down and drive more carefully.

Regular Vehicle and Equipment Maintenance and Training

There are many different types of vehicles and large equipment that are used in road works, such as hydraulic excavators, backhoe loaders, ride on roller/compactors and much more. Working with these types of large equipment brings its own risks. It is crucial to ensure that all employees working on these vehicles and machines are fully trained and certified to operate them. Read our post on vehicle operator safety for more information.

Also, it is important for this equipment to be tested regularly and maintained to a high standard. A malfunction due to wear and tear on the equipment can be very dangerous and can result in a serious injury or accident. Make a schedule for maintaining your equipment and make sure that it is followed correctly; making a written record of any maintenance that is performed on the equipment which is signed off by the person carrying out the maintenance.

Effective Night Lighting

If workers are on the roadways during the dusk, dawn or night time hours, the lack of light can greatly increase the chance of danger. Low light decreases visibility and makes it much easier for a vehicle to fail to see the worker or if the worker cannot see what they are doing both of which could be potentially very hazardous.

Pay attention to how your worksite is lit in order to ensure safety. The working environment should be illuminated so that the workers can see properly to carry out their work tasks. The worksite should be lit up in a way that makes it completely visible to approaching motorists. There should be no dark areas or confusing lighting that could potentially cause motorists not to see the workers clearly.

Obtain the Relevant Health and Safety Training

When you are working on a highway, it is important to make sure that you and all of your employees have the right training for this situation. There are health and safety courses that are specifically suited to working on the highways, giving you the knowledge and skills that you need to work safely in this potentially hazardous environment.

The NRSWA stands for the New Roads and Street Works Act and the NRSWA training courses are designed for anyone who is involved in working on the public highway. There are two different versions of this course; NRSWA for operatives and NRSWA for supervisors. The supervisor course is designed for any supervisor that is in charge of a team of workers carrying out their tasks on the highway and the operative’s course is for anyone who is involved with work on the highway.

These are very hands on and practical courses and they contain a lot of in depth training as well as practical assessments. The courses will cover a lot of content relevant to working on the highways, such as signing, guarding and lighting, how to avoid underground services, techniques for excavation in the highway, reinstatement of modular surfaces, laying practices of road-base materials and much more.

These health and safety courses will give you all the information you need to work safely on the highways, whether you are an operative or a supervisor. They are a crucial step to safe working procedures.

These are just a few of the ways that you can improve your safety when you are working on highways. Highway safety in the workplace is absolutely essential and it doesn’t only save lives, it also offers a number of great benefits to the employer. When you commit to a proper highway safety program, you will be able to enjoy lower insurance costs as well as minimising your loss potential.

Page 5

News from the cscs.uk.com website states that from the 1st July 2014 the CSO (Construction Site Operative) Green Card will no longer be issued. There is a new Green CSCS card only available for people working in Labouring Occupations.

Do You Work in a Labouring Occupation?

If you work in a labouring occupation you can now apply for the new Green Labourer Card. You will need to provide evidence to support that you have achieved one of the following:

QCF/SCQF Level 1 Award Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
Site Safety Plus CITB 1-Day Health and Safety Awareness

We advertise hundreds of CITB 1-Day Health and Safety Awareness courses throughout the UK which you can compare and book online. You can attend the training in a classroom, online or we can also arrange for the course to be delivered on-site at your premises or another venue of your choice.

All CITB courses advertised on this website are scheduled and delivered by established CITB accredited training providers.

Pass the CITB Operatives Test

You must also pass the CITB Operatives Health, Safety and Environment test within two years before applying for a new card.

Construction Training Courses Other Students Book

Content Other Students Find Interesting

CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme

Page 5

So you are considering a career as a CDM Coordinator? This can be a very interesting, challenging and rewarding career. If you are looking to become a CDM Coordinator, let’s take a closer look at this profession and how you can find success.

What is a CDM Coordinator and what do they do?

The Construction, Design and Management Regulations of 2007 define the legal duties for the safe operation of construction sites in the UK. These regulations will place specific duties on contractors, designers and clients so that they can carry out their work safely. These regulations apply to all steps of the construction process, from the planning stages to demolition and removal.

A CDM Coordinator is someone who is fully trained on these regulations and is responsible for being the key project advisor when it comes to health and safety risk management in the workplace. They work together with designers, clients and workers and their responsibilities include:

Notifying the project to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Assisting the client with their duties and finding suitable management arrangements for the project.
Identify pro-construction information for designers and contractors
Advise the client on whether the time allocated for all phases of the project is adequate
Ensure that the designer and contractor co-ordinate with each other and those involved in the project
Aiding communication between the designers, clients, contractors and others
Updating the health and safety paperwork

The role of the CDM Coordinator in the workplace is a very important one. You will be responsible for these tasks and much more, taking an important leadership role in the health and safety of the workplace.

What is the Typical Salary Range?

The role of a CDM Coordinator is generally a well-paid one, reflecting the level of responsibility that this person has in the workplace. Of course, the salary range for a CDM coordinator depends on the company that you are working for and the industry that you are working in.

However, the typical salary is usually between £22,000 and £55,000 annually. The more qualifications and experience you have, the more chances you will have of obtaining a higher salary.

Necessary Skills and Traits

What kind of skills and traits are necessary to being a successful CDM coordinator? One of the main characteristics is a mind for details and a good memory, as you will need to understand the many complex CDM regulations. It is also important to have good communication skills. You will need to coordinate with a number of different people on the construction site, such as the contractors, the site supervisors, the employees and the designers. It is important to be able to express yourself clearly and ensure that all communication is understood.

It is also essential to be organised in order to be successful as a CDM coordinator. You will be in charge of keeping track of a lot of paperwork and files, so it is necessary to be able to keep numerous details straight. It is also important that all files, paperwork, planning applications, risk assessments and other important documents are conducted on time meeting deadlines and submitted in the right way.

CDM Coordinator Training & Qualifications

How to get CDM certification

If you are considering becoming a CDM coordinator, the first step is to make sure that you have the right skills and qualifications. These will usually include a degree in construction or engineering as well as some experience related to building surveying. Also, you will need to have health and safety training such as the NEBOSH Construction Certificate or the CDM training. Once you have the correct training and experience, it is just a matter of marketing yourself and your skills and building up a network of clients with construction projects for you to work on.

CDM Training Courses

Joining the ICS

Another important step along the way to your CDM Coordinator career is to join an organisation such as the ICS or Institution for Construction Safety. This organisation will verify that you are competent, which is reassuring for clients who are looking for a CDM coordinator that they can rely on. To be able to join the ICS you must be hold a professional or vocational qualification in construction or design, be a member of a professional body, have experience as a health and safety practitioner, demonstrate a commitment to provide safety, have work experience in construction or design and have an appropriate CDM qualification. All applications are considered by the ICS membership committee.

The benefits of joining are the accreditation that you will receive as a health and safety professional. If you are accredited as a CDM coordinator, this will be a great marketing tool and a way to build up a larger base of clients.

How to get a CDM certification

The first step to becoming a CDM Coordinator is getting the right training. The CDM 2015 in Practice course is designed to teach you all of the information you need to take on the responsibilities of this role.

The course covers a number of important topics, including identifying procedures for co-ordination, understanding the requirements of the CDM regulations, knowing how to carry out a risk assessments, understanding the scope of the project, providing advice to clients on legal duties and being able to critically evaluate the parts of a safety plan.

This type of training is convenient to find because it is available to attend at many strategically located public venues throughout the UK. Or sometimes a business will have the training company come to their business premises and teach a large group of staff at once.

Having the right training is necessary for a career as a CDM coordinator, so make sure that you find a reliable training company that provides high quality instruction.

These are just a few important things that you should know about becoming a CDM Coordinator and making a career for yourself in this business. Best of luck in your future success as a Construction Design and Management Coordinator!

How to Engage Your Workforce in Health & Safety

So how can you create a positive culture in your workplace around health and safety? Here are some ideas:

1). Reward Good Health and Safety Behaviour

Your employees will respond well when you reward them for doing something right, so using positive reinforcement can be very effective. Put together a program that rewards your employees when they follow the correct procedures, such as naming the “Health and Safety Star of the Month” and treating them to a prize.

Also, on an informal level you can simply offer positive feedback whenever you see your employees do something right. Let them know right there and then that you are impressed by their dedication to safety.

2). Promote Personal Responsibility

One of the risks to health and safety is when individuals in the workplace start to disassociate from their personal responsibility to health and safety. When the prevailing attitude is “that’s someone else’s job”, then important health and safety procedures can be easily overlooked.

It is very important to avoid a culture of blame and instead encourage everyone to ensure their own personal safety and health. Discourage arguments about whose “job” something is and instead encourage everyone to do their part and act proactively so that the entire workplace can be a safer environment.

How to create a safe working environment

3). Keep Discussion Open

If you are the type of manager or supervisor that employees are too intimidated to approach, do you think they will be comfortable addressing potential health and safety risks with you? Your employees are a valuable resource when it comes to spotting potential hazards because they work on the front lines and they usually see risks and maintenance problems before anyone else. Make sure that they feel comfortable approaching you about these things, so that they can be resolved rather than ignored, preventing accidents from occurring.

4). Never Value Meeting Deadlines Over Safety

In some workplaces, employees feel like they need to cut corners on safety in order to meet tight deadlines and increase production. Sometimes when you make a deadline, your employees will assume that you need the job done no matter what – so it is important to make it clear that safety is always top priority.

Talk to your employees about this and clarify that, while deadlines are important, they should never be valued above safe working practices. If employees are in a situation where they would have to work unsafely to get the job done fast enough, they should be encouraged to let you know this so that the deadline can be extended if needed.

5). Make Everyone Accountable

Do you ever walk through the workplace without proper personal protective equipment (PPE)? Do you fail to discipline workers who are not wearing the right protective equipment? These actions can be seen as a lack of accountability by your employees and can be having a negative effect on your health and safety culture. Make sure that everyone is held accountable for their actions and that if a particular safety procedure is required, it is followed by everyone.

6). Improve Your Communication

It is always better to convey important health and safety information face to face, rather than via emails, memos and bulletin boards. These messages can be missed, so it is only with in-person communication that you can ensure your employees are aware of the new information.

7). Receive Training

If your goal is to build a positive health and safety culture in your workplace, it is important to ensure that you have the right training. Anyone in a position of responsibility, including managers, supervisors and employees, should be aware of the risks that their job contains and should be properly trained.

Suitable Health & Safety Training for Supervisors and Managers

The CCNSG Leading a Team Safely course is also a health and safety qualification that will instil you with these important skills. It is a one day course that is designed for team leaders and supervisors who want to improve their team leading skills within the workplace. It covers a lot of materials and subjects, including interpersonal skills, how to plan work safely, leadership and much more. It will also include strategies for working safely with others, leading a team effectively, tips for successful communication, self-management strategies and awareness of health and safety at work and an understanding of safe solutions to workplace problems.

The course emphasises the fact that team leaders play a very pivotal role in establishing good health and safety procedures and practices.

The training lasts for one day and covers the necessary material in an interesting and interactive way. By completing this training, you will better be able to create a positive health and safety culture in the workplace. This will allow you to avoid accidents, reduce your insurance costs, improve morale and also create a happier and more productive working environment.

FAQ

What is a positive health & safety culture?

According to the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) organisations with a positive health and safety culture are characterised by communications founded on mutual trust, by shared perceptions of the importance of safety and by confidence in the efficacy of preventive measures.

What are the positive indicators of a good health and safety culture?

Safety values, engagement, high levels of hazard reporting, incident investigation and timely corrective action management, work life balance, embrace openness, embrace an open and fair work place, teamwork, OHS responsibilities / area ownership, effective communication, trained employees and involved workers.

Reduce & Prevent Construction Accidents

Here are some tips to keep in mind for bringing down the risk for your employees:

1). Be Aware of the Risks First!

It is difficult to avoid risks if you don’t know what they are, so you should conduct a risk assessment before beginning work. A risk assessment is a detailed look at the workplace in order to spot any potential causes of harm. If you have a company of more than five people, a risk assessment is required by law and it must be recorded in writing.

Once the hazards have been identified by the risk assessment, the next step is to figure out how best to manage them. From here, you will be able to develop a plan for the health and safety of your workers that will protect them from the hazards that you have outlined.

2). Keep Tools and Equipment Well Maintained

It is very important to make sure that your machinery and equipment is in working order. All tools and machinery should be kept on a regular inspection schedule and there should be a written record of when they were last checked or repaired. It is unfortunate, but many accidents in the workplace have occurred because tools and equipment were not well maintained.

You should also encourage your employees to do a quick check of the equipment or machinery before they use it, in order to make sure that it is functioning correctly. Any maintenance issues should be reported to management as soon as possible if not immediately.

3). Keep The Workplace Clean

Another common cause of a construction accident is when workers trip over debris and injure themselves with a fall or a slip. It is very important to keep all of the walkways free of debris in order to avoid unnecessary injuries. All employees need to be on board with this and there should be an accepted and enforced standard of cleanliness throughout the workplace.

Put all tools and materials away in the correct place when you are finished working with them. Also, if there is a spill it should be cleaned up right away, with the area marked off as “Wet” until it is safe to walk on again.

4). Have More Frequent Safety Meetings

Your safety meetings should be as frequent as possible – perhaps even daily if you are performing high risk work such as construction on a highway. These safety meetings shouldn’t just consist of reading boring and generic safety tips from a manual. Instead, you should ask your crew to offer feedback about the potential risks that they see in their particular working environment. You can then brainstorm together as a group to come up with the best way to avoid these risks. Applied real life job specific safety information will always be more valuable.

5). Wear the Right Safety Gear

Do your employees wear the appropriate safety gear for the job that they are carrying out? Make sure that you are educating employees on what personal protective equipment to wear, providing this equipment free of charge and enforcing the wearing of the equipment. If PPE is uncomfortable or broken your employees will be less likely to wear it, so make sure that it fits them well and is in good condition. Create a culture of health and safety in the workplace by rewarding the employees who wear their protective gear and reprimanding those who don’t.

6). Receive Training

Another very important step to reducing accidents on a construction site is to ensure that all contractors, employees, managers and supervisors have completed the correct health and safety training. There are many different courses available that will benefit your company.

For example, the CCNSG Safety Passport course is a nationally recognised site safety qualification that offers a basic introduction to health and safety in the workplace. It will be valid for three years and can then be renewed with a one day course. The course is accredited by the Client Contractors National Safety Group.

The course contains a lot of important health and safety information, including how to work safely on scaffolding, outline safe working procedures for exiting and access, how to manage fire risks and precautions, how to use personal protective equipment and how to carry out accident and first aid procedures. Each of the training modules are assessed via a multiple choice question paper, with the examination mark for each paper set at 80%.

These are just a few of the ways that you can reduce the number of accidents on a construction site. With the right training, effort and care it is possible to ensure that your workplace is as safe as possible and kept free of accidents and incidents. This will not only bring down your insurance premiums and reduce downtime, but will also improve the morale and productivity of your employees.

Related Incident & Accident Course

NEBOSH HSE Introduction to Incident Investigation Course
Lead Accident Investigator Online Course – IIRSM-approved course explains how to structure and lead accident investigations that uncover root causes and deliver meaningful improvements in safety performance.
Accident Reporting and Near Miss Training

Construction Courses

Page 5

Do you make sure to talk to your workers about health and safety? What is the dialogue usually like? Talking to workers about health and safety is very important for a number of reasons.

Employees are on the front line and they are the most likely people to spot hazards and risks as they develop, as well as being the most likely to be hurt by them. They are usually the best people to help you understand the risks within your workplace and then you can work out how to prevent them. Talking to your workers has a number of benefits, as they can help you to identify joint solutions to problems, reduce accidents and ill health, bring about improvements in efficiency and comply with legal requirements.

Also, by empowering your workforce and getting them involved in health and safety decision making, you will make them feel valued and involved while also greatly improving their morale. It will show them that you care about their safety and well-being. They will feel more comfortable raising their concerns and offering suggestions to improve the workplace. Other benefits of talking to your employees about health and safety include a more positive health and safety culture, greater awareness of risks, better control of those risks and in turn lower accident rates.

When Should You Talk to Your Workers?

When should you talk to your workers about health and safety? What is the best way to approach this topic? Here are some important things to keep in mind for and the important times to bring it up, including:

When a new employee first starts on the job, so you can understand what they know and so they can learn about your specific workplace procedures.
When you make a change in the workplace, so that staff can be aware of new potential hazards.
When you implement a new safety solution, so that employees can learn how to follow it.
When you buy new equipment, so that workers can be informed on how to use it safely.
When an accident or a near-miss occurs, so that everyone can be aware of what went wrong and how to avoid it in the future.

These are some of the important situations for talking about health and safety, but it is also helpful to have talks on a regular basis as well.

Talk about Safety Before it Becomes a Problem

Don’t be the hindsight workplace that only addresses health and safety after an employee has had an accident. Health and safety is something that should be focused on at all times, so don’t wait for something to go wrong.

Preventative actions are very important and discussions on safety should be part of your regular working routine. If this is the case, you will have a much safer and healthier workplace.

Tips for Talking to Employees About Health and Safety

You might have all the right intentions when talking to your employees about health and safety, but perhaps they get bored and tune out, they don’t understand or they take things personally? It is important to talk to your employees in the right way about this topic, so that the results of the talk will be positive and effective. Here are some tips that you should keep in mind:

Keep talks short and concise. Talking for an hour or more about any topic can be boring and will cause people to lose their concentration on what you are saying. It is better to have several short meetings than one long one.
Provide printed materials, such as bullet point lists, infographics and fact sheets with your talks. They help people remember material and understand it better.
Never place blame when talking about health and safety. If there is an issue or an area for improvement, be careful not to make the focus on finding fault or chastising as this makes employees defensive. Ensure discipline is fair, but then move onto how the problem can be solved.
Use real life examples – your employees will understand the consequences of not following health and safety procedures in a much more profound way if they are exposed to a story of someone who has been seriously injured or killed by unsafe working practices.
Provide positive reinforcement for good health and safety procedures. Reward the employees who do things right.
Encourage your employees to ask questions and make suggestions. Be open-minded to what they say and show them that you are listening and you care.
You can make learning about health and safety fun by incorporating quiz questions, games and competitions into your weekly safety meetings.
Use all different types of media to talk about health and safety, including video, photos, written documents and much more. People remember things in different ways, so this will help you to cover all the bases.

Training Can Help

There are a number of health and safety training programs that focus on the role of the director, manager or supervisor and teach you the leadership skills you need to create a positive, healthy and safe working culture. For example, the CITB Directors Role for Health and Safety is designed for those who work at a senior management level in the construction industry.

The Directors course covers a number of topics, including the moral and human costs of decisions made at boardroom level, the impact of unsafe working environment on businesses, legal responsibilities of health and safety and how to create a strong and responsible health and safety culture.

This training course can be completed in one day, which is ideal for those who have little time and want to improve their knowledge of health and safety, as well as gain skills to promote it within their organisation.

These are just a few of the things that you should keep in mind when it comes to talking to your workers about health and safety. Make sure that this very important topic is addressed and that everyone is on the same page, so that your workplace will be as safe as possible.

Other Health and Safety Leadership Courses

Page 5

So you are interested in pursuing a career as a construction site manager? This is a very important role on a job site, as you will be responsible for making sure that the work is done safely, within budget and on time – while upholding standards of quality.

When you are a site manager, you might be responsible for the entire site or perhaps part of a project – reporting to a more senior manager. You will also have the role of taking on staff, carefully planning the work, preparing the site and installing temporary offices for your site staff.

While the job is being carried out, you will be overseeing deliveries of materials, monitoring the progress of the work, addressing problems as they arise and carrying out safety checks. Also, being a site manager might mean that you need to keep in contact with members of your team at all times, as well as communicating with the engineers, planners and architects. It will also be your job to comply with building regulations, health and safety regulations in construction as well as many other legal requirements.

As the site manager, you will also be the communication link between the client and the sub-contractors. You will need to keep the client updated on the progress of the work, as well as answer any questions that they might have.

Hours and Working Environment

For most construction site managers, the standard 40 hour work week is the norm. However, sometimes you might need to work overtime in the evenings and weekends to meet a deadline. Also, construction work tends to have an earlier start and finish than most jobs that are office based.

You will be working on a construction site, which means that you will be outside in all types of weather. It is necessary to wear the right clothing and personal protective equipment while you are on the job. Also, the position might require working at height, such as if you need to inspect a roof. Also, the job can require travel between different construction sites, so that you can meet a range of different sub-contractors and clients.

If this role sounds like the right fit for you, how do you go about getting a job as a construction manager? Here are some important tips that you should keep in mind:

Get Some Construction Experience

In order to get into this job, you will need to have a foundation degree that is relevant or a HNC/HND degree. A relevant degree might include construction engineering, surveying and civil engineering and construction management. It is also possible to enter into this field from a background as an estimator, site supervisor and building technician.

It is recommended that you have some experience working on a construction site before you start studying to become a site manager. Having worked in this environment before will give you a deeper understanding of construction and how it works, as well as how each role in the workplace fits together. When you are applying for construction site manager jobs, the employer will want to see that you have experience in a building site workplace and that you are aware of what goes on there.

Also, this will give you a chance to understand whether or not working in construction is a good fit for you.

Make Sure That You Have The Right Safety Training

In order to be a successful construction site manager, it is also important to have the appropriate safety training for the job. When you are in a role of responsibility in the construction industry, you will need to have a thorough understanding of health and safety training, so that you can make sure your workplace is adhering to the current legal guidelines. It is actually a legal duty of site managers to ensure that their workers and the public are kept safe, as well as a moral duty to prevent accidents, injuries and death.

The training that is appropriate to this position is CITB SMSTS, which stands for Site Management Safety Training Scheme. This training is necessary and will teach site managers all that they need to know in order to complete with the laws and manage their site safely. The course includes CDM, creating method statements, site set up, conducting risk assessments and the safety risks of scaffolding, demolition, working in confined spaces and much more. In order to be awarded the qualification, it is necessary to attend a five day training course and pass the final examination at the end of the training. Once you pass the exam, your CITB certificate will be valid for five years.

What Skills and Traits Do You Need?

One of the most important traits of a site manager is organisation. You will need to be able to keep many details organised and stay on top of all the paperwork that comes along with the job. Also, you will need to have strong decision making skills because you will be in charge of making important choices about how the work is carried out.

Also, you will need to have the ability to understand the health and safety regulations of the industry in depth, so that you can apply these regulations to the workplace in order to keep your employees safe. A site manager must also have strong people skills, because they must be able to motivate and communicate with employees on all levels of the business. In this job it is necessary to be a “people person” as well as a confident and creative problem solver.

What is the Typical Salary?

On average, a site manager at a construction site can earn anywhere between £27,000 to over £45,000 per year – depending on the experience they have and where they are working. If you eventually become a senior manager, you could earn more than £70,000.
A construction site manager role can be an interesting and challenging career, so if this type of work appeals to you there are a lot of opportunities available out there.

Construction Health and Safety Courses

Page 5

Working in the healthcare industry has a range of different health and safety considerations and there are a number of risks for workers. If you work within the healthcare industry, it is very important to ensure that you have the appropriate health and safety training so that you can reduce your risks on the job.

Healthcare professionals are required by law to offer training in the safe handling and disposal of Sharps, as well as training for hygiene and biological hazards.

It is very important to dispose of used needles and other sharps, because they can be dangerous to people and pets if not disposed correctly. They can spread the germs which cause serious health conditions. The most common diseases that are transferred by incorrect disposal of sharps are hepatitis C, hepatitis B and Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

What are Sharps?

Sharps is a term that is used to describe any devices with sharp points and edges that can cut or puncture the skin. This could include needles, syringes, lancets (the small finger stick devices used by diabetics), auto-injectors such as Epi-pens, infusion sets and connection needles. Sharps are also used in the medical profession to manage conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, allergies, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, blood clotting disorders and infertility. Of course, since health care professionals deal with a large volume of these sharps on a daily basis, they have an increased chance of incurring injury. This is a serious threat and contracting blood borne diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B will prevent these healthcare workers from providing their services. Also, contracting these diseases can affect the employee for the rest of their life and have a serious negative impact on their quality and length of life.

Not only are medical workers at risk for coming into contact with sharps, also housekeepers, janitors, sewage workers and trash workers are at risk for encountering these sharps when they are not correctly disposed of.

Also, the dangers of sharps is relevant to working in a laboratory as well. Scientists and lab technicians should take extra care when they are using blood vials, scalpels and razor blades, Pasteru pipettes, syringe barrels, microscopic slides and any glassware that is contaminated with infectious agents.

Tips for Preventing Injuries when Working with Sharps

It is the legal and moral responsibility of the employer to ensure that there is a health and safety policy regarding the safe use and disposal of sharps in the workplace. Also, it is up to that employer to make sure that the policy is fully understood by all employees and enforced on a daily basis. Here are some tips to keep in mind when working with sharps in order to ensure the safety of yourself and those around you:

Don’t unwrap a sharp object until right before you are going to use it.
Always keep the sharp object pointed away from you at all times and keep your fingers far away from the tip of the object.
Don’t hand sharp objects to someone else or place them in a tray for someone else to pick up.
After using a sharp, always place it in a sharps disposal container in order to reduce the risk of punctures and needle-sticks.
A sharps disposal container should be made of heavy duty plastic and should be able to close with a tight-fitting lid – without any sharps being able to come out. It should also be stable enough to stay upright during use.
Always know where the official sharps disposal container is and check to make sure that there is enough room in the container for the object you are placing in to fit.
A large facility should have several small sharps disposals throughout the building, so that employees will not have to walk a long distance while carrying a sharp.
The sharps disposal units will need to be emptied by someone who is trained in sharps disposal. They will likely haul it away with a truck to the appropriate destruction facility.
Never ever place needles or other sharps down the toilet, in the trash or in the recycle bin.
Never try to recap a used syringe, as this can be very dangerous and creates the risk of cutting or puncturing your skin.

How to Deal with a Sharps Injury

If you are following the right health and safety procedures, you should eliminate all risk of injuring yourself with a sharp. However, if an injury does occur it is important to know how to deal with it.

The main risk associated with a cut from a sharp object is the exposure to infection. If the sharp penetrates your skin, it can infect you with a blood-borne pathogen. If you experience an injury from a sharp, you should encourage the wound to bleed gently while holding it under running water. Next, wash the wound and the area around it with lots of soap. Be careful not to scrub the wound while you are washing it. Also, do not suck the wound.

Once the wound is clean, you should dry it carefully and cover it with a waterproof plaster. At this point, it is very important to seek immediately medical attention. There is sometimes a chance that you could take a prophylaxis that will help to fight the infection. If this accident has happened in the workplace, it is essential that you report the injury to your employer. The employer should assess what has happened and should take appropriate measures to ensure that the accident doesn’t happen again.

Health and Safety Training Is Essential

It is the moral and legal obligation of the employer to ensure that all healthcare workers have the appropriate health and safety training and that their training covers the safe handling and disposal of Sharps. There are a range of relevant health and safety courses available at locations across the country.

Page 5

If it is used correctly, scaffolding can be a helpful way for workers to reach high up places and perform important tasks. However, if it is not used correctly it can be incredibly dangerous. It is crucial that all managers and supervisors are aware of how to construct a safe working platform and provide fall protection.

The hazards of working on a scaffold include falling from the elevation because of a lack of fall protection and the collapse of the scaffold – due to an unstable structure or an overloading of weight. Also, another risk is the danger of being struck by falling tools, debris and work materials. Also, sometimes scaffolding is dangerously close to overhead power lines which can result in electrocution.

If the scaffolding at the building site is unsafe, workers have the right to refuse to use it. No workers should ever have to work on scaffolding that is unsafe or perform their work without the appropriate health and safety equipment. The employer has the responsibility of ensuring that any work tasks performed on it is done in the safest way possible.

Scaffolding Should Always Be Inspected

Before use, a survey of the work area should always be performed in order to check for hazards. This means looking for hazards such as debris, high tension wires, ditches, unguarded openings, and much more. Also, you should look very closely at the scaffolding and check for any damage or alterations. If the scaffolding must be taken apart or moved, it should be inspected again before being used to make sure that nothing has become damaged or defective.

Also, before you use scaffolding it is important to know its load capacity. The platform must be strong enough to hold the desired weight, otherwise you run the risk of having it collapse. Never try to fit more workers onto the scaffold platform than it can safely handle and be careful not to overload it with equipment and materials either.

Scaffolding Safety Tips

What can you do to make your scaffolding safe? Here are some tips that you can keep in mind in order to protect the health and well-being of your employees:

The very first step is to learn how to conduct a risk assessment and to identify hazards. What are the possible dangers involved in the work that you are doing and how can you prevent them?
Slow down. It is rushing and cutting corners that usually results in accidents and injuries, so never sacrifice speed for safety. Instead, invest in tools and techniques that will make your employees more efficient without compromising their safety.
Avoid the risk of slips, trips and falls by keeping your workplace clean and organised. This will make moving around on the scaffold a lot safer for your workers.
Always make sure that everyone using the scaffolding is properly trained. Also, there should be a policy in place in your workplace for a lifesaving procedure if necessary.
Make sure that you take the time for the prep work, such as making sure that the base is level and adjusted, the legs are plumb and all of the braces are in place.
Also, make sure that the scaffold is adequately braced and secured to the building itself.
The design of the scaffold should always include guardrails, at least on the three sides of the scaffold that face away from the building. If your scaffold doesn’t have guardrails, they should be installed immediately.
Employees should always wear the appropriate fall protection equipment. This will include non-slip footwear, head protection and fall protection – such as a safety harness that is attached to a solid structure.
A scaffold should always be perfectly level. If not level it will make it easier for workers to lose their balance and fall off, causing serious accidents and injuries.
Always lock the wheels of portable scaffolding when it is in use. Also, scaffolding should be placed on stable ground.
Employees should always remove their tools or debris on the scaffold platforms and keep these working areas clear at all times.
It is important to never mix frames, scaffolding and components that come from different manufacturers.
Don’t move it around when it is in use or occupied, it is not safe for workers to ride on mobile scaffold platforms.
If there is a strong wind or a storm, avoid working on and save the work for another day without adverse weather conditions.
Never try to increase the height by placing ladders or other materials on top of it. This is a very dangerous thing to do and is likely to result in a fall.
Once you have performed the initial risk assessment, continue to survey the site and identify any new hazards that you might find.
Remember, health and safety procedures concerning heights should always be enforced. As the work continues, workers will become more comfortable on the job, which can cause them to neglect safety. Always supervise their behaviours and ensure that they are staying safe at all times.

These are a few of the most important tips that employers and employees should keep in mind when working with scaffolding. Remember, all it takes is one little slip or fall for an employee to become seriously injured or even lose their life.

Scaffolding Safety Training is Critical

It is absolutely essential for any supervisors and workers who are dealing with scaffolding to have the right scaffolding training. Without the appropriate health and safety training, unsafe practices will be followed and serious injury or even death can occur. Employers should ensure that their training is up to date and that all workers using scaffolding have the right qualifications. If you have a site manager or supervisor make sure they are trained in the safe use of scaffolding – the CITB accredited SMSTS course covers scaffolding as part of the five day course syllabus.

Page 5

Working at height occurs in a number of different industries and it can have very serious safety risks. Employers are responsible for ensuring that their employees are safe when working at height, whether working at a height of 5 metres or 50 metres above the ground.

Train Staff in Working at Height to Ensure a Safe Working Environment

In order to create a safe working environment when tasks are being carried out at height, it is essential that everyone involved has the right working at height training. The appropriate course will provide workers and employees with the information and guidance that they need to establish a safe working environment at height.

What are the Risks of Working at Height?

There are many risks associated with working at height. First of all, one of the main hazards is the risk of the workers themselves falling or objects falling onto others below. This might occur if there is inadequate protection around the edges of a working space, or if objects are poorly secured.

Falling from Height Can Cause Serious Injury

A fall from a height can cause serious injury and can even be deadly. Even a fall from a relatively low height such as a couple of metres can result in broken bones, fractures, head injuries, spinal injuries or other very serious consequences. According to the Health and Safety Executive, since 2001 an average of 50 people every year in the UK have died as a result from a fall when working at height. Also, there are a further 8,702 people who are seriously injured every year.

Assess the Risk to Ensure the Work is Carried Out Safely

It is the moral and legal responsibility of the employer to ensure that all work is being carried out safely, which includes taking all reasonable action to ensure health and safety in the workplace. Before carrying out any work at height, an employer should carry out a risk assessment. A working at height risk assessment is designed to determine the potential risks that might affect workers and figure out what measures should be taken to avoid them.

First of all, the employer should look for any hazards that might affect working at height. Is the roof that employees are standing on fragile? Are they carrying out complex work with ladders? Take a close look at the working procedures and figure out who might be harmed and how it could happen.

Next, determine whether or not there are any preventative measures in place to deal with these identified risks. If not, what measures should be implemented. For example, if there are any areas with no guardrails, can guardrails be installed? Also, if any working procedures need to be adapted to make them safer, this should be outlined clearly in a guide for employees.

Which Industries Require Working at Height?

There are many different industries that require working at height where employees might be in danger. For example, workers in maintenance and construction often work at height, including window cleaners, decorators and painters. Also, workers who repair or install telephone poles or roofing installers also work at height on a regular basis.

14 Tips for Staying Safe While Working at Height

It is very important to follow the appropriate health and safety procedures when working at height. Here are some important tips that you can keep in mind:

If at all possible, always do as much work as you can while close to the ground or on the ground.
Be careful not to overload ladders and always make sure that employees using ladders have a “buddy” on the ground ensuring that the ladder is stable.
All employees involved in working at height should have the correct working at height training appropriate for the industry.
Also, employees should have the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) (such as a safety harness). This equipment should fit correctly and should be inspected regularly.
Always check to make sure that the surface and the access equipment is stable enough to support the weight of the worker.
Employees should never try to increase the reach of a ladder by placing it on top of something else.
All scaffold towers should be erected by a competent and trained professional and they should be inspected regularly.
Any equipment that is used when working at height should be inspected very regularly and replaced or repaired on the very first sign of wear and tear.
Provide all workers with protection from falling objects.
If the task is difficult or will make more than 30 minutes, it is not recommended to use a ladder or a stepladder. Ladders and stepladders should only be used for simple, straightforward and short duration work rather than complex tasks over long periods.
If you can’t reach something while standing on a ladder, don’t over-reach to try to get to it. This can be very dangerous, so find another safer way of reaching the object.
When operating a piece of machinery that lifts up workers so that they can perform a task at height, check the surrounding area first for any obstacles such as manhole covers, arches, trees or power lines. Also, the machinery operator should always have sufficient visibility while reversing.
If the machine is unable to be lowered due to a malfunction or an injury, there should be a plan in place to rescue the occupant.
A pre-inspection of the machinery should be performed and any faults should be reported immediately and repaired before the equipment is used.

These are just a few of the important health and safety tips that employees and employers should follow when working at height.

Why is working on the highway so dangerous?

Implement the Necessary Precautions

Slowing Down Drivers

Regular Vehicle and Equipment Maintenance and Training

Effective Night Lighting

Obtain the Relevant Health and Safety Training

Do You Work in a Labouring Occupation?

Pass the CITB Operatives Test

Construction Training Courses Other Students Book

Content Other Students Find Interesting

What is a CDM Coordinator and what do they do?

What is the Typical Salary Range?

Necessary Skills and Traits

CDM Coordinator Training & Qualifications

How to get CDM certification

CDM Training Courses

Joining the ICS

How to get a CDM certification

Related Content

Accident Investigation Course

How to Engage Your Workforce in Health & Safety

1). Reward Good Health and Safety Behaviour

2). Promote Personal Responsibility

3). Keep Discussion Open

4). Never Value Meeting Deadlines Over Safety

5). Make Everyone Accountable

6). Improve Your Communication

7). Receive Training

Suitable Health & Safety Training for Supervisors and Managers

FAQ

Related Posts and Content

Reduce & Prevent Construction Accidents

1). Be Aware of the Risks First!

2). Keep Tools and Equipment Well Maintained

3). Keep The Workplace Clean

4). Have More Frequent Safety Meetings

5). Wear the Right Safety Gear

6). Receive Training

Related Incident & Accident Course

Construction Courses

Related Content

When Should You Talk to Your Workers?

Talk about Safety Before it Becomes a Problem

Tips for Talking to Employees About Health and Safety

Training Can Help

Other Health and Safety Leadership Courses

Hours and Working Environment

Get Some Construction Experience

Make Sure That You Have The Right Safety Training

What Skills and Traits Do You Need?

What is the Typical Salary?

Construction Health and Safety Courses

What are Sharps?

Tips for Preventing Injuries when Working with Sharps

How to Deal with a Sharps Injury

Health and Safety Training Is Essential

Scaffolding Should Always Be Inspected

Scaffolding Safety Tips

Scaffolding Safety Training is Critical

Related Content

Train Staff in Working at Height to Ensure a Safe Working Environment

What are the Risks of Working at Height?

Falling from Height Can Cause Serious Injury

Assess the Risk to Ensure the Work is Carried Out Safely

Which Industries Require Working at Height?

14 Tips for Staying Safe While Working at Height

Related Working at Height Training Courses

Content Other Students Find Interesting

Compare