What Is Health and Safety?

Archive for the ‘Safety Essentials’ Category

Behavioural based safety is the process that often goes against traditional health and safety approaches but this does not mean that it should be implemented as an instead of, but as an as well.  Behavioural safety training is based on the assumption that most accidents in the work place are not a result of health and safety regulation violations, unsafe equipment or dangerous conditions, but instead caused by unsafe actions, risky behaviour and poor decisions.

By analysing the activities that lead to accidents a trained health and safety consultant can analyse the employee’s behaviours at the root cause of accidents. There could be a variety of factors that affect people’s behaviour including; not fully acknowledging their behaviours towards risks, being put under pressure to complete tasks to a deadline or not being accountable for their actions. Observation is a key part of behavioural safety, aimed at fully understanding how the people in an organisation carry out their processes in the real world rather than how guidelines tell them they should be operating. It is important to do this discreetly as the very act of observation can affect people’s behaviour. Another key indicator of trends in people’s behaviour can be found in the accident log book, accidents that occur most often in a particular area or around an activity is a good place to start an investigation. The process of observation should be data driven with metrics for a number of factors such as risk, frequency and ease of implementing remedial action being taken in to account.

Once the behaviours have been observed a well trained and experienced health and safety consultant will be able to understand why people behave the way they do towards health and safety. From this stand point a strategy for changing the safety culture can begin to be applied.

Throughout the behavioural safety training it should be kept in mind that for this approach to work, the management should be giving constructive feedback and positively reinforcing actions to staff, it is important to know that communication is the key to success. Staff should not feel that blame for accidents is being put on their behaviour, but should understand the health and safety of the entire workforce depends on the actions of the individual. By working together and tackling health and safety issues as a team, the culture towards health and safety can begin to be changed. The workplace culture is often the biggest factor in behaviours and attitudes in the work place. As we said at the start of this article behavioural safety should not be implemented as a one stop strategy. Ensuring a safe working environment is still vital but behavioural safety training should be considered as a useful tool in limiting accidents.

Vita Safety – Ian Hutchings, Managing Director

More information: www.vitasafety.com

Floor Mats are not just a way to improve the brand image of your office or workplace. They can actually serve quite a big health and safety function. Whether it’s reducing fatigue, preventing slips or stopping the transfer of static discharge, mats can play an important role in the health and safety of all employees.

Here we take a look at some of the mats available:-

Anti-Fatigue Mats

Anti-Fatigue mats are an important product for anyone who has to stand up for long periods of time. The body is not designed to stand still for long periods and is meant to be dynamic. This can have disastrous effects on the body and put pressure on the joints. The effects are even worse for those working in buildings or factories with hard floors. For example working on a concrete floor all day can often cause pain in the lower back and legs.

Anti-Fatigue floor mats work to alleviate this by allowing subtle movement of the leg and calf muscles. This in turn allows blood to flow easily back to the heart. This is called “dynamic ergonomics”. Anti-Fatigue mats are made of various materials including vinyl, rubber and PVC to name a few. These mats are usually found in plants and factories which often have concrete flooring, restaurants in food preparation areas and assembly line operations. They can often be combined with a safety matting function with bright yellow borders to help promote workplace safety.

Non-Slip Mats

As well as keeping the mat in one place, non-slip mats play a vital role in workplace safety. These are often placed in areas where being able to keep sure footed is paramount such as industrial and food preparation areas. They can also help to trap debris and moisture in the mat. These kinds of mats are extremely hard wearing.

Electrical Mats

Electrical matting is paramount to the safety of those working on live high voltage & low voltage switchboard apparatus. They should always be placed in areas where operators or maintenance staff are exposed to the risk of accidental electric shock. Electrical mats are made out of a special type of insulating rubber ranging in grade from 450 volt to the BS921 approved 650 volt grade. Placing electrical mats down conforms to BS EN 61111 2009 with regards to safe methods of work.

ESD & Grounding Mats

Static can be harmful to office equipment, especially computer equipment. When working on computer repairs and maintenance it is important the technician is properly grounded to stop the transference of static to computer chips, memory and the motherboard. ESD mats, matting and grounding mats help dissipate static.

In summary mats play an important part of keeping workers and employees safe.  Not only do they increase productivity and reduce the risk of injury but they are also known to increase employee morale too.

 

Author Bio

Neil Maycock writes articles for Floor Mats Direct

When shopping for your kitchen Appliances must choose safe kitchen Appliances. Smart house women always go for energy-efficient and safe kitchen appliances. When you purchase kitchen appliances for kitchen, you shouldn’t look for appliances at inexpensive prices but it must be safe.

Many manufacturers companies place indicators about the energy efficiency .This is a key factor to consider when purchasing these appliances for kitchen. This is very useful when you are going to buy refrigerators, freezers, and dishwashers. Must Compare star or number ratings and choose from the most energy-efficient and safe ones for your beautiful kitchen.

Today’s modern kitchen combines technology, style, versatility and distinctive design to produce an inviting atmosphere that loves to cook and show your friends. Do not keep out-of-date appliance design for you kitchen but buy safe appliance.

The quality of the kitchen appliances is also significant as customers should always prefer high and best quality appliances for their kitchen to ensure high performance and complete safety to the users. Although expensive in price high quality kitchen appliances are worth their cost due to their long and sturdy performance and extreme durability. Instead of buying cheap and economical kitchen appliances with low performance and less durability it is always better to spend little more and opt for top quality appliances. It is never wise to compromise the quality of the appliances for the sake of money as kitchen appliances are regular used products that have to stand the toughest time to deliver smooth and consistent performance. Kitchen Appliances have become the vital need of modern kitchens. Most kitchens today include more than one cooking appliance. Some product of kitchen appliances are becoming more and more Energy Efficient, they are effective in reducing electricity bills.

Some guidelines for selecting the Perfect kitchen appliances for your kitchen:

• You can read different reviews or feedback given by the clients who have been using these appliances. Based on these views, you can make a decision of the best appliances. You can get information about the different appliances, its price and features on websites. You should also collect information about the latest products that have arrived in the market and its features.
• The most significant factors which are to be considered while selecting the appliances are cooking method, energy use, accessories and price. Think and prepare a list about the appliances that you wish to purchase for your kitchen. You should also collect detailed information about the products and its features.
• Apart from price, another important aspect to be considered while purchasing a kitchen appliance is to check whether it is energy efficient.
• You should also take into consideration style and color of the appliance. Select an appliance which would complement well with your kitchen’s color and style.
• Before buying an appliance, you must check whether it is functioning properly. Enquire about the product, its functions, and compare it with the other models which are available in the market and purchase the best among them. Evaluate the appliance on the basis of your requirements.
• Find out the advantages of buying the appliance over the others which are available in the outlet. You must know the information about the warranty of the product and select it on the basis of the length of the warranty period offered.

The kitchen can become so much more fun with all the new modern kitchen appliances. Ultimately, your choice of appliances depends on the financial plan. Avail Chefs Coupon to save maximum money while shopping online.

About Author:  I am Ava Little. Shopping is my hobby and I always save money with Online Coupons while shopping online.

There are a lot of courses these days that might interest you in taking up career in that profession. What is required is the right kind that will give you an edge over the others and prepare CV or résumé better than the others.

If you consider the course of Occupational Health and Safety, you will choose the right thing. OHS is all about maintaining and ensuring that health and safety conditions remain at workplace and that there is no illness or injury to the employees.

There are some points that need to be cleared before one should get into this course:

Who is this course for?

This course is for those who wish to work in an environment where there is a responsibility in maintaining health and safety concerns. This may also be ideal for those who wish to be employed as trainers, assessors, human resource practitioners, safety officers or work as an OHS officer.

What will one learn?

The course will cover wide ranging areas like:

• Identifying hazards
• Assessing and also controlling the risks
• Contributing to OHS in the place of work
• Managing and consulting on the issues of OH&S
• Building business relationships
• Developing teams and individuals
• A valuable qualification that could be used in a wide ranging new employment opportunities

What is the structure of the course?

The course is structured in a scientific and professional way. There are a total of 9 units that are to be covered on the whole:

• Contributing to a systematic approach to OHS
• Implementing OHS consultation
• Identifying hazards and assessing risks
• OHS risk control
• Emergency procedures
• Assisting compliance with OHS and other relevant laws
• Establishing networks
• Analysis of research information and presenting them
• Developing teams and individuals

The units that are to be studied are:

• BSBOHS402B The implementation of the OHS process is to be contributed
• BSBOHS401B  The implementation of a systematic approach to managing OHS is to be contributed
• BSBOHS407A A safe workplace is to be monitored
• BSBOHS403B Identification of the hazards and the assessment of the risks of OHS
• BSBOHA405B The implementation of the emergency procedures is to contributed
• BSBOHS404B The implementation of strategies to control OHS risk is to be contributed
• BSBCMM401A how to make presentation
• BSBOHS408A Assisting with compliance of OHS and relevant laws
• FNSPIM401A Planning and rehabilitating and returning to work and health strategies
• BSBOHS405B Contributing to implement emergency procedures

What happens after finishing this course?

After finishing this course you should be prepared in these circumstances:

• In systematically managing OHS you would be able to ensure legal compliance of OHS
• Making use of developed of processes and tools you would be able to identify hazards and risks
• Undertaking of basic accident analysis
• Regarding OHS risk controls you would be able to contribute to the implementation of it
• Be able to monitor effectively the various risk controls
• Ensure that people in the organization are informed about OHS and they have the opportunity effectively participate in the processes of OHS
• Making preparations, deliverance and reviewing a presentation to the audience that is targeted

So, all in all this course is for the professionals to make a difference to the safety of workplace environment.

Dan has been associated with health and safety field for several years, now he loves to share his experience through his article about Fire safety consultancy,Generic coal induction, health and safety courses and many more.

Contact lenses are one of the greatest medical inventions of the 20^th century. People wear contact lenses for several reasons. One of them is freedom from glasses which can mar the appearance of a person. In the last couple of years, there have been a number of advancements in technology for developing contact lens; the following are some of them.

Scleral and Limbal Lenses

Scleral and Limbal lenses are an alternative for hard lenses that were launched during the 1950s. These lenses last for a longer period when compared to soft lenses and are more durable. Scleral and Limbal lenses are prescribed for people who suffer from astigmatism or high myopia.

Although the lenses have a low tolerance and take some time to get used to in dusty environments, they offer outstanding visual sharpness. To retain eye health, the firm plastic of the lenses aids in the transmission of necessary gases and oxygen. Contact lenses with large diameters are one of the recent advancements in hard lenses. They are fast becoming a favorite when compared to the regular soft lenses, as they offer more comfort.

Multifocal Contact Lenses

Multifocal contact lenses are used by people for reading and distant vision problems. Presbyopia is a vision condition affecting people during old age where the simplest tasks such as reading a newspaper or telephone book can become a hassle. The condition can be treated only if it gets timely attention in the form of regular eye checkups.

Presbyopia can be corrected with contact lenses that are bi-focal or multifocal. These lenses are ideal as they will enable you to read newspapers and view objects at a distance. For this reason, multifocal lenses should be prescribed only by a qualified eye doctor. The prescription will have to be analyzed thoroughly so that you experience superior vision and comfort.

It will be difficult to adjust to the vision at first and will require a number of visits to the eye doctor. Some of the latest multifocal lenses are disposable and softer than regular contact lenses. Earlier, bi-focal lenses were expensive and could not be afforded by everyone. However, today, they are produced by a number of companies and are not as costly as before.

Corneal Refractive Therapy

Corneal Refractive Therapy is one of the latest advancements in contact lens technology. Also referred to as Ortho-K or Orthokeratology, this is a temporary solution to wearing glasses. Before you retire for the night, you can fit a special lens which can be removed when you wake up the next day.

Research has shown that patients can go up to 24 hours without using glasses or contacts when they use Ortho-K. However, this should not be recommended as a permanent solution for visual problems. These lenses solve the problem of changing your eye power prescription on an annual basis. In some cases, astigmatism and myopia have been significantly reversed with the help of Corneal Refractive Therapy. This is an alternative to other surgical methods such as LASIK to correct vision problems.

Lily is an expert associated with Next Optical, an online store for Glass Frames.The store has a huge collection of the latest high quality sunglasses, daily contact lenses and Designer Glasses

Closed circuit television (CCTV) has become an important interactive part of man companies’ safety and security measures. Security and health and safety go hand-in hand, and closed-circuit television is a great way of keeping an eye on what is going on in and around your work premises.

If you are considering having a CCTV system installed to help improve the security of you business then here are 10 top reasons why you should do so:

1. Careful placement of cameras will help to record any accidents, acts of mindless vandalism or burglaries. The information can help the policy to identify the perpetrators.

2. Your insurance company may discount your insurance premiums if you install approved CCTV equipment.

3. Clearly visible CCTV installations helps to deter break-ins by opportunist thieves.

4. Yellow window stickers help to show a clear warning the premises is protected.

5. Remote monitoring means you can view things happening at your workplace when you are out and about.

6. Can be integrated with other systems including security and fire hazard warning systems.

7. Installation is relatively simple and straightforward.

8. A CCTV installation can be used in areas where it is unsafe for people to enter, for example chemical plants.

9. Can protect and warn in terms of both inside your premises, and outside too.

10. Low cost enhanced security and health and safety.

CCTV is security and health and safety at the cutting edge. It enables scenarios to be reviewed instantly, events to be played back where appropriate, and can be used to monitor developing situations to forestall either an accident, or a break-in.

A CCTV installation is not just a piece of operational equipment that can help you to enhance your security and health and safety measures, but it can also be considered to be an asset and as such can be valued and depreciated over time. Assets are of course a valuable item to any company and are recorded on an asset register.

Asset tracking is an important accounting function that enables the business to keep track of its many assets, including CCTV equipment. A useful method of identifying assets is asset tagging, and you can buy durable and hard wearing asset tags online.

There are few places where Health and Safety is as important as on a construction site. Even though the UK has one of the best records in the world, there were still 50 fatal injuries on construction sites in 2011. While some fatalities are perhaps unavoidable, it is testament to the benefits of adherence to Health and Safety guidelines that there have been no fatalities at any of the London 2012 Olympic sites.

For every fatality that is recorded, there are many more serious injuries and near misses and many of these could have been avoided if there had been a stricter focus on Health and Safety. Even when dealing with what some may class as “smaller” pieces of equipment, such as excavator attachments, it is crucial Health and Safety onsite is adhered to.

For some, Health and Safety is seen as a barrier, they see the laws as something that gets in the way of getting things done. However, failure to adhere to Health and Safety law is serious and can end up in court.

In January 2012 a construction company and its director were fined by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for breaching Health and Safety legislation which ultimately lead to the death of a worker on a site in Hampstead. The worker was operating a crane in an attempt to lift a skip of liquid concrete onto the site. When the crane overturned, its boom struck the worker causing injuries so severe that he died on the site.

Both the company and its director were fined under Regulation 8 (1a and 1c) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 which states that “Every employer shall ensure that every lifting operation involving lifting equipment is properly planned by a competent person” and “Every employer shall ensure that every lifting operation involving lifting equipment is carried out in a safe manner”. For further details, go to http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2012/coi-ldn-3101.htm.

In this case, and many like it, it appears that neither the equipment nor the operators were equipped to carry out the job in hand. Many construction companies try to make the job fit their equipment rather than making their equipment fit the job. Although it is impossible to know for sure, it could be that if the worker in Hampstead had had the right equipment, he could have completed the job and returned home that night as usual.

Health and Safety legislation dictates that you should have the correct equipment to undertake a job. As some jobs require specialist equipment, it is sensible that you consider renting the appropriate construction equipment. A good equipment hire company will only carry equipment that is regularly checked and thoroughly maintained; they will send experts to your site to advise on the type of equipment that you should use.

Clearly, buying equipment isn’t always an option as the cost will quickly become prohibitive, but if you hire your equipment you should ensure that the hire company complies with all relevant Health and Safety legislation and that they provide you with the right equipment to do the job.

We all make use of batteries on a daily basis and, in many respects, we now take batteries for granted. The vast majority of creature comforts and technology that we make use of today will require a battery, or batteries, of some description and, despite the frequency with which they are used, the average person is often not too aware of the basic do’s and don’ts of looking after their batteries.

So, in order to better understand the batteries that power the majority of things that we use in modern society, let’s take a look at the various do’s and don’ts of caring for batteries…

Do’s:

There are obviously too many points to mention them all but let’s take a look at some of the most basic and rudimentary things that you must do when using batteries and helping to ensure that they perform optimally:

ü      Instructions – It is important to read the instructions on both the battery packaging and on the device you are using the batteries on before you install them into the device. This will make sure that you are using batteries that are fit for purpose.

ü      Removal – When removing batteries from a device, whether this is a television remote, computer controller or any other device, it is important that you remove all the batteries at the same time and then promptly replace them with your new batteries (of the same size and type).

ü      Children – Needless to say, you must keep batteries away from children as they are dangerous if swallowed. If a battery is swallowed, you must contact a doctor immediately and they will advise on the best course of action.

ü      Time – If you know that you’re not going to be using a device for a long time i.e. weeks or months, you should take the batteries out of the device.

ü      Storage – Most people will have some spare batteries in their homes and how you store them is important. Batteries should be stored in a dry environment at a standard room temperature.

ü      Alignment – This may seem like an obvious point but make sure that you insert your batteries correctly with the (+) and (-) terminals in properly alignment. If this isn’t the case, the device won’t operate and it may damage the batteries themselves.

Don’ts:

When it comes to batteries, it is important to respect them and not use them in any potentially dangerous manner. Some of the main things to avoid when using batteries can be seen below:

Disposal – One of the most important things to remember when it comes to the disposal of batteries is to make absolutely sure that you don’t dispose of them in fire – as this is likely to lead to the batteries exploding.

Carriage – Carrying around loose batteries in pockets or bags is also to be avoided. If you have any metal objects (paper clips, coins etc) in your bag or pockets that come into contact with the batteries, it has the potential to short-circuit the battery which, in turn, can lead to high levels of heat.

Charging – A common mistake amongst consumers is to attempt to recharge batteries that aren’t clearly marked as being ‘rechargeable’. Attempting to recharge batteries that aren’t suitable won’t work and may damage the battery itself.

Separate – It is important not to mix old batteries with new batteries in a device because this has the potential to cause battery rupture or leakage – both of which may result in some form of personal injury or property damage.

BIO:

Leo is a gadget and technology blogger who is frequently on the lookout for cheap batteries to power his array of gadgetry.

You may not think at first that practising how to use of a fire extinguisher is actually much use. But come the time when you might actually need to locate and use one, you could be very glad that you were made to practice the act of using and handling an extinguisher in the first place.

The fact of the matter is that there are many different types of fire extinguisher, not only in terms of operation, but also in terms of the chemicals actually inside the extinguisher. This is basically because the different types of extinguisher have been designed for different types of fire, including chemical fires, and electrical fires.

The thing is that you cannot just pick up any old type of extinguisher for use on any old fire, because if you pick up the wrong type, it can actually make the fire much worse, by either spreading it, or by adding to its ferocity. So you need to learn the rules, and the best way to do so is by attending a fire extinguisher course whereby you will be taught how to select the correct extinguisher to tackle a specific fire, how to actually operate that extinguisher, and how to direct the extinguisher to best put out the fire.

Another very important element of our fire extinguishers is where they are positioned within the building. Most local fire brigades have specialist advisers who will visit the premises to give you best advice on where to position your extinguishers. They will also be able to give you professional advice on which types of extinguisher are more appropriate to your building and the nature of your business.

Once installed, you should have your extinguishers inspected regularly, they should also be included on an asset register as they are classified as a company’s assets. Labelling fire extinguishers is not only helpful from a health and safety asset point of view, but it is also essential from a practical point of view in terms of selecting the right tool for the job, and extinguishing the blaze at the earliest opportunity.

Practising using a fire extinguisher may help to alleviate any fears and as the saying goes ‘practice makes perfect’, so like many things the more you practise the adept you will become at using a fire extinguisher, which could help to save lives.

Many DIY and home improvement projects carry an element of danger and we are often aware of the dangers present in projects that require power tools, risky situations and heavy or cumbersome objects.  However did you know that according to Government figures there are over 1500 wallpaper related accidents and injuries every year?

While wallpaper may not seem like a dangerous material, it was actually listed as the 10^th most dangerous DIY material in the 2002 Home Accident Surveillance System (HASS) report with 1602 reported accidents and injuries resulting from the use of wallpaper!

This unexpected statistic really intrigued me so I decided to have a look and see what common wallpapering injuries I could find, not an easy task but I eventually found some data from a hospital A&E unit that gave me the following insights:

Females are 28% more likely to suffer a wallpapering related injury than males.  64% of reported injuries were from females compared to just 36% from males.  However this difference may be down to males being less likely to seek medical advice and attention for their injuries.

The most injured part of the body was the lower back, this was usually in the form of back pain or a strain injury resulting from bending, stretching and falling off ladders!  To avoid this it may be advisable to warm up before papering and set the pasting table at a height that is comfortable to use.  Also remember that you should always take care when using ladders and step ladders no matter how high or low the height.

Surprisingly the least injured body part was the finger, most of which were from cuts by knives and scissors. This is probably because we are usually very aware of what we are doing with our hands, especially when using sharp cutting tools!  However injuries to the hands were far more common and usually resulted from the use of scraping tools, gloves are recommended to help protect the hands from these injuries.

Chest pains were a common complaint for those over the age of 50. This was often accompanied by a lack of sensation and tingling in the hands, most likely this was caused by having the arms raised above the head for long periods which can affect the bloods circulation.  To avoid this be sure to take regular breaks and shake down your arms to get the blood flowing back through your hands.

Another fairly common injury was caused by loose bits of debris shooting into the eye when scraping the walls.  This is extremely common when scraping wood chip wallpaper.  Goggles should be worn to protect the eyes when scraping off old wallpaper.

So remember that no matter how harmless your home improvements activities may seem it is always better to plan ahead, recognise the risks and wear any appropriate safety gear.  If you suffer from back pain or poor circulation then it may be better to call in a professional decorating service to carry out the work for you.

This article was written and researched by Mike Escott on behalf of the Home and Garden Website, a UK Home Improvements Directory.