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Key City Health & Safety
topics
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) are the government
agency charged with enforcing health & safety law in the UK and
their mission is to prevent death, injury and ill health in the
UK’s workplaces and their strategy is set out in the document
The Health and Safety of Great Britain: Be part of
the solution.
The City’s Health & Safety Team actively supports this
strategy and our annual Health & Safety Intervention Plan
carries full details of the work carried out by the Team.
Download a copy of the Intervention Plan here (136kb)
Projects
The Team’s inspection programme is complemented by more project
orientated work based upon both national health & safety
initiatives and campaigns and local intelligence gathered on the
ground about current issues affecting health & safety in the
City. Priority Programmes areas or “Topics” which inspectors are
raised with business during routine inspections and during other
enforcement interventions.
Musculoskeletal disorders
Display Screen Equipment use is seen as a major issue in City
businesses and in support of the
Musculoskeletal Disorders Priority Programme we
have been carrying out a phased project over a number of years now
looking at compliance with legislation and good practice in a
representative sample of City businesses, both small (less that 200
employees) and medium (more than 200 employees) in size.
Falls from height
Window cleaning and the use of Suspended Access Equipment is a
high risk activity in the City and in support of the
Falls from
Height Priority Programme of the HSE a programme of inspections
takes place annually plus intervention at the planning application
stage for large developments so as to ensure that risks are
designed out or reduced to
“As Low As Reasonably Practicable” as early as
possible in accordance with HSE policy. (see also
Working At Height section below).
The City of London is also represented on national bodies
working in partnership with the HSE and industry such as the
Federation of
Window Cleaners, reviewing guidance on safety in window
cleaning and actively participates and supports initiatives with
other local authorities who have similar issues.
Work-related Stress
The City of London is currently involved in a project in
partnership with the HSE on
Work-related Stress (WRS) within the
Financial Services sector, one of five industry sectors identified
as having the highest risks from WRS; Health Services, Education,
Local Government, and Central Government are the other four. Any
improvements in these sectors will therefore have a significant
effect on the national picture.
The purpose of the project, entitled Stress in the
City, is to assist organisations in the Financial Services
sector in carrying out a risk assessment of the levels of WRS
across their organisation and to subsequently help them implement
the HSE’s Management Standards. If you would like
further information on this issue, please email
publicprotection@cityoflondon.gov.uk with
your request.
Workplace transport
A London-wide initiative entitled
Moving
Goods Safely commenced this year with both the HSE and London
Boroughs jointly looking at aspects of the supply chain including
Workplace Transport, Slips & Trips and MSD.
We continue to be involved in the project looking at the aspects
most prevalent in the City including the safe use of loading bays
and deliveries across the pavement.
Slips & Trips
As well as officers raising the issue of Slips & Trips
during their routine inspections, we are also currently working up
a project involving contractor management for office services such
as cleaning which will include Slips & Trips. The Cleaning
Industry Liaison Forum on which the City of London sits has
recently worked with the HSE and industry representatives on
producing a Health & Safety Information Sheet on Slips &
Trips entitled Slips and trips: The importance of floor cleaning
and this is available as download from the Slips
information pages on the HSE website.
Noise at work
Hearing loss caused by exposure to noise at work continues to be
a significant occupational disease. The team is currently running a
Noise in Entertainment Project promoting the HSE’s key messages
available on the links below.
Sound Advice http://soundadvice.info
HSE's Noise at Work webpages www.hse.gov.uk/noise
The investigation of workplace accidents
Employers, self-employed people and those in control of
workplaces have a duty to report some workplace accidents, diseases
and dangerous occurrences. Over 300 per year are reported to us but
should be reported via the HSE’s
Incident
Contact Centre the data can be analysed nationally. All
accidents are investigated in accordance with our current
Policy Statement on Enforcement.
The working environment
We receive over 500 enquiries per year on a wide range of health
& safety matters both from individuals and businesses seeking
advice or information or wishing to complain about possible
non-compliance with health & safety law.
Massage & Special Treatment establishments
We audit premises to assist the Licensing Team with licence
approvals.
Cooling towers
Annually, the audit and inspection of Wet Cooling Towers
constitutes one of the major pro-active elements of our work in
order to prevent the spread of Legionella sp. bacteria,
the cause of Legionnaires Disease. Around 140 sites are audited
each year with the frequency of each audit based upon a national
risk rating scheme which takes into account how those responsible
are managing health & safety risks and their previous
performance.
Under the Notification of Cooling Towers and Evaporative
Condensers Regulations 1992, which were introduced following
serious outbreaks of Legionnaires Disease across the UK, all “wet”
cooling towers must have their details registered with the local
authority including details of the person(s) responsible for the
operation of the tower(s).
The Department of Environmental Services maintains a public
register of all cooling towers registered within the City of
London. To obtain a copy of this register please email
publicprotection@cityoflondon.gov.uk
or tel 020 7332 3630.
A summary of the regulation relating to this
notification.
Download a Registration Form to register your
Cooling Tower(s) with the City of London (20kb)
Further information on cooling towers can also be obtained from
The Water
Management Society, the British Association for Chemical Specialities
and the Legionella Control Association for the water
treatment industry.
Working at height –
suspended and façade access equipment
The further major element of our pro-active work is in relation
to Suspended and Facade Access Equipment used for window cleaning
and building maintenance. We carry out audits of City buildings to
ensure that the management and control of this high risk activity
is being maintained to the highest standards.
Lifts and lifting equipment
All types of lifting equipment have to be thoroughly examined at
least every six months (where they are used to lift people) by a
competent person and if any defects are found which require
immediate attention, they must be brought to the attention of the
owners and health & safety enforcing authority.
L3 Lift Reports can be sent to electronically to the City of
London by email to
publicprotection@cityoflondon.gov.uk or
by fax to 020 7332 1623
Further information on lifts and lifting equipment can be
obtained from the HSE in this free guidance document
www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg339.pdf
or from these three industry-related associations:
- SAFed -
the Safety Assessment Federation – representing organisations who
carry out thorough examinations and inspections of all types of
equipment and plant
- SAEMA – the
Specialist Access Engineering and Maintenance Association who’s
members primarily design, manufacture and maintain suspended and
façade access equipment
- LEIA - the
Lift & Escalator Industry Association representing the
manufacturers and installers of lifts and escalators
Designing in safety
The development of major City buildings brings with it a
specific set of risks primarily associated with
working at
height and the use of suspended or façade access equipment for
window cleaning and building maintenance. We are very pro-active in
our approach, engaging with architects, planners and designers from
the earliest possible stages in any development in order to advise
and assist with reducing risks and promoting health & safety
for buildings future to users.
To assist developers, architects, designers and installers
through the process of making such risks “as low as reasonable
practicable” - A.L.A.R.P. - and to help them meet their
responsibilities under CDM, we have developed in conjunction with
the City of London’s
Building Control Services, a Code of Practice for
Developers on the Design and Installation of Suspended and Façade
Access Equipment in the City Of London.
Download a copy of our Code of Practice (74
kb)
Risk assessment
Risk assessment lies at the heart of today’s modern management
of health & safety in the UK. Today’s health and safety
legislation can be described as “goal setting” rather than
“prescriptive” as was its predecessor in that it is designed to
encourage businesses to look at themselves and identify suitable
and sufficient controls for the risks in the business. It helps you
focus on the risks that really matter in your workplace – the ones
with the potential to cause harm.
This means that those with responsibility for managing health
& safety – the 'dutyholders' - have to assess the risks posed
to employees and others by hazards that exist in their workplaces
and by their various work activities.
They must then put into place suitable and sufficient control
measures. Some controls – eg noise levels at work – are still
specified by legislation but in the majority of newer legislation,
the standards expected are backed up by Approved Codes of
Practice.
Once the risks have been assessed then they should be recorded
and control measures to reduce them to as low as reasonably
practicable needed to be employed.
The City supports the HSE’s
Sensible Risk Management approach.The HSE
produces simple, free guides to risk assessment as well as
further advice on the
management of risks generally and in
Small Businesses.
Pressure systems
Pressure systems can be dangerous because, if they fail, they
can seriously injure or even kill people and cause serious damage
to property through explosion or if their contents (gases or
fluids) are released. They may fail for a number of reasons
including poor design, lack of maintenance, unsafe systems of work,
operator error and poor repair work.
Pressure systems include boilers and steam heating plants,
compressed air systems (fixed and portable), pressure cookers,
autoclaves, pipework and hoses, and gas cylinders; ie systems that
contain a fluid under pressure.
They are dealt with primarily by the Pressure Systems Safety
Regulations 2000 which set out various requirements relating to the
design and installation of such equipment. Specifically, there is a
duty for there to be a written scheme of examination drawn up by a
competent person as to how the system is to be examined to ensure
it is being correctly maintained, all protective devices are
working and it can be used without risk. Where the pressure system
is fixed, the user is generally responsible, but where it is
mobile, then the owner is responsible.
The regulations also require users and owners to:
- establish safe operating limits for such equipment
- ensure operators have adequate instructions and training
- maintain the pressure system in good condition
- keep records of examinations and maintenance
However, the regulations only apply where the equipment or plant
contains a relevant fluid (steam or gas under pressure or liquids
under pressure which become gas when released) which are at a
pressure of 0.5 bar (KPIs) or more above atmospheric pressure. If
the relevant fluid is steam then the regulations apply regardless
of the pressure.
Some smaller items are exempt from parts of the legislation; if
the internal volume and pressure of the vessel is less than 250 bar
litres then the following items probably would not need a thorough
examination:
- hand held tools;
- compressed air receivers and pipework where the pressure
multiplied by the internal capacity of the receiver is less than
250 bar litres;
- portable LPG cylinders;
- office hot water urns, etc.
Other regulations that apply to pressure systems in specific
circumstances are:
- Carriage of Dangerous Goods (Classification, Packaging and
Labelling) and Use of Transportable Pressure Receptacles
Regulations 1996
- Transportable Pressure Vessels Regulations 2001
The examination of pressure systems must only be undertaken by a
competent person such as a member of the
Safety Assessment
Federation (SAFed) and, if there are issues or defects which
the competent person believes may give rise to imminent danger,
they must notify the users and/or the owners and the relevant
health and safety enforcing authority – see below.
Further details on the responsibilities that owners and users of
pressure systems have are available from the HSE’s website in
Introduction to Health & Safety. They have also produced two
leaflets - Pressure Systems - safety and you and
Written Schemes of Examination - both of which
can be downloaded from the free leaflets pages of the HSE
website.
Examination Reports on Pressure Systems can be sent to
the City of London by email to
publicprotection@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Infectious diseases
The Health & Safety Team also investigate cases of Non-Food
Infectious Diseases which are notified by GPs and the NHS to local
authorities. Examples of such diseases include tuberculosis and
Legionnaire's Disease and they may have been acquired at work or
have workplace-related element to them which needs to be
investigated.
Further information on Infectious Diseases can also be obtained
from the Heath Protection Agency on a wide variety of such
illnesses which are notified to local authorities under Public
Health legislation.
For further information or to report a complaint or problem
email
publicprotection@cityoflondon.gov.uk
or telephone 020 7332 3630.
Fireworks
Fireworks are no longer simply for just for “Bonfire Night”.
They are used to celebrate many religious and other secular
festivals across the UK and are more and more becoming an integral
part of public events throughout the year.
However, if businesses now wish to sell fireworks outside the
traditional periods of 5 November, Diwali, New Year or Chinese New
Year, they must have an additional licence authorising such sales.
Please contact our
Licensing Service for more details.
There remains a serious risk from mis-handling and mis-using
what in reality are explosives at any time of the year and the
Government's Fireworks website provides
downloadable guidance leaflets and materials for organisers of
public firework displays, retailers selling fireworks, schools
and the media the Firework Safety Code.
Professionally organised displays are regulated by the Health
& Safety Executive (HSE) and the
fireworks
pages of the HSE website contain simple advice on safety at
firework dislays. The HSE also publish two booklets for both home
or domestic displays and for the organisers of public displays and
both are available from
HSE books.
For further advice about firework safety, the following websites
provide a wide variety of information:
Pets and animals are very frightened of fireworks so always keep
them indoors when you know a display is taking place. You can
download a special leaflet “Fireworks & Pets” from The
Blue Cross “Campaigns” website too.
Finally, all retailers selling fireworks must be registered with
their local authority who investigate problems with unsafe
products and the safe storage of fireworks.
What to expect when a health and safety inspector calls
If an inspector from the Health and Safety Team calls at your
business the HSE leaflet
“What to expect when a health and safety
inspector calls” explains what you can expect. Is intended
for those in business who have duties under health and safety law
(‘dutyholders’), for example employers and those in control of
workplaces. It also tells employees and their representatives what
information they may expect from an inspector during a visit.
Following a visit to your business, the Health & Safety Team
refer to the following HSE guides when making an enforcement
decisions which aim to be consistent, transparent and
proportional
Who is your health & safety
enforcing authority?
The following organisations are the City of London's
responsibility,
- Private Sector Offices
- Retail Shops
- Pubs, Bars, Restaurants and Nightclubs
- Sports Clubs
The postal contact is: Department of Environmental
Services,City of London PO Box 270, Guildhall London, EC2P
2EJ
Tel 020 7332 3630, Fax 020 7332 1623 or
Email:publicprotection@cityoflondon.gov.uk
These organisations are the HSE's
responsibility
- Construction and Civil Engineering
- Transport and Railways
- The NHS
- Manufacturing and Engineering
- Local Authorities and other Public Services
The postal contact is: Health & Safety Executive,
Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge London, SE1 9HS
Tel
020 7556 2100, Fax 020 7556 2102 or
visit the HSE
website
The Employment Medical Advisory Service is a free advisory
service available to all businesses and employees irrespective of
whom their Health & Safety Enforcing Authority is. For the
London area they can be contacted at: Rose Court , 2 Southwark
Bridge, London SE1 9HS Tel 020 7556 2100 Fax 020 7556 2102
Finally you can always check who is the health & safety
Enforcing
Authority for your particular circumstances by following this
link to an A-Z list published by the HSE.
For further information or to report a complaint or
problem email
publicprotection@cityoflondon.gov.uk
or telephone 020 7332 3630
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