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The healthy bottom line
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A comfortable wordorce is a productive workforce so it is vital to know the basic health and safety rules to ensure your site is up to scratch — and
legal. Patric Cunnane offers our top 10 tips.
1 0 things you need to know about...
HEALTH AND SAFEIT
In the road transport industry the "workplace" is a more fluid concept than a factory or office, because so many of the workers will be off-site for so much of the time. However, a medium-sized operator will have some employees in fixed workplaces including traffic clerks and warehouse staff. In either case you need good working practices — here are 10 things you need to know...
1. Driving on the open road
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires employers to ensure the safety of all employees in the workplace; the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 places responsibility on employers to assess all workplace health risks, including while driving to customers. It includes guidance about workrelated road accidents and advises for example, against "making unrealistic claims about delivery schedules which may encourage drivers to drive too fast or exceed speed limits."
2. Workplace Regulations
Minimum standards for the workplace are laid down in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. Temporary work sites are also included and must have, as far is practicable, toilets, washing facilities, drinking water, a place to change and keep clothing; a rest and eating area. As a bare minimum outdoor sites must have toilets, washing facilities and drinking water.
3. Traffic routes Pedestrians and vehicles should be able to move around the site safely. The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has published a discussion document to focus on areas that could reduce the accident rate including speed limits,segregation between pedestrians and vehicles and better communication between drivers and traffic controllers at the sites they are visiting.
4. Falling objects
Protection against falling objects, especially in warehouses is vital. In addition to protective clothing, precautions must be taken to ensure that accidents do not happen.
5. Temperature
Like many elements of the workplace regulations, temperature is covered by an approved code of practice (ACOP) which states that workplace temperature must be "reasonable" and must not require outdoor clothes. The ACOP says rooms should be at least 16°C for most work and at least 13°C for work involving considerable physical effort. For most types of work the acceptable range of thermal comfort lies between 16-24°C.
There is no maximum temperature specified but workplaces should be adequately ventilated and the -excessive effects of sunlight on temperature shall be avoided". The World Health Organisation recommends a range between 18-24°C in temperate climates. The TUC and unions continue to press the government for a maximum temperature limit.
6. Ventilation
Employers must provide adequate ventilation to ensure a sufficient quantity of fresh or purified air. The ACOP says that ventilation systems must not cause uncomfortable draughts and ventilation should be sufficient to provide fresh air for breathing and also to dilute contaminants, such as tobacco smoke, and to cut odours Air inlets should not be near contaminated air, such as from vehicle exhausts or flues, and recycled air systems should be filtered and mixed with fresh air.
7. Light
Employers must ensure the workplace has -suitable and sufficient lighting"— natural light, as far as is reasonably practicable. Suitable and sufficient emergency lighting should be provided where needed."Suitable and sufficient" is not defined by the regulations except that it means lighting which enables people to move about and work safely.
Sources of natural light — windows and skylights — must be regularly cleaned but may be shaded to reduce the effects of heat. Transparent surfaces should be made of safety materials and marked to make them conspicuous where this may improve safety.
8. Maintenance
A suitable system of maintenance must be in place to ensure the safe working order of workplace systems and to ensure that equipment is in good repair. This includes ventilation, warehouse shelving, forklifts, emergency lighting and guards to prevent falls In addition the workplace and its furniture and fittings should be kept clean. Walls and ceilings must have surfaces which are easy to clean and floors must be cleaned at least once a week. Waste materials must be stored in suitable containers.
9. Space
Workers must have enough room to work comfortably — the clays of sending young boys up chimneys are gone. The ACOP recommends making sure that your mechanics work in a garage that allows a minimum of 11m3 per employee, discounting ceiling heights over 3m.
The ACOP adds that the number of people who can work safely in a room is dependent on how much room is occupied by furniture, fittings and equipment and how the room is laid out. More than 11m3 per person will be needed in crowded workplaces. In a typical room with a ceiling height of 2.4m, a floor area of 4.6m is needed. If the ceiling is 3m high the minimum floor area will be 3.7m2.
10. Workstations
Every maintenance facility must have workstations that are suitable for the employees and the work being carried out. Have you checked your garage recently to ensure this is the case? Outdoor workstations must have protection from bad weather and must allow the worker to leave quickly in an emergency without danger of slipping or falling. A seat and a footrest (if necessary) must be provided at workstations where the work reasonably can he done sitting down.
Suitable toilets must be provided with adequate ventilation and light. They must be kept clean and properly maintained.
Showers may be required where necessary due to the nature of the work. Separate toilets for men and women are required unless the room is for the use of one person at a time and is lockable. Washing facilities and drinking water must be provided.
CONTACTS www.hse.gov.uk Workplace Transport Safety: guidance for employers, E7.50 from HSE Books Preventing Workplace Transport Accidents can be downloaded from www.hse.gov.ok/ consult/disdousiddel 8. pdf