Safety Groups UK

• Safety Groups UK AGM and revising HSG65
• HSE RPE Project
• Sponsors Article - Deb
• Increasing attendance at Group Meetings?

Diary

• Group Meetings
• Next Safety Groups UK Meeting
• Other Health and Safety events

Health & Safety News

• RoSPA welcomes the Lord Young Review
• Kent Health & Safety Group - News

Links / Resources

• EU-OSHA Report
• Clean Air Seminar Offer
• HSE Podcast

Contacts

• Safety Groups UK Management Committee
• Safety Groups UK Secretary

The Minutes of the SGUK AGM held on 3rd Jun 2010 at RoSPA, Birmingham are available on SGUK website

The AGM was followed by a presentation on:

“Successful Health and Safety Management” by Dr Andrew Cottam (Manager, H&S Project Team, HSE)

Revising Successful Health and Safety Management HSG 65

HSE is revising the well known guide used by organisations and safety practitioners to plan and assess their occupational health and safety management systems.

The existing publication is now 19 years old and will be updated to reflect the modern business approach to managing in general and to recognise the changed business environment. The new guide, to be published early 2011, will be for managers of medium to larger companies and show a routemap from getting started to achieving best practice.

The guidance will focus much more on how to manage, using people, rather than on management by systems. Many use and continue to support the POPMAR (Policy, Organising, Planning, Measuring, Auditing and Reviewing) process which will have a part to play in the new guidance. It will be a free downloaded publication, but much associated guidance will be web based. A new website was launched recently to carry this information; www.hse.gov.uk/managing/index.htm.

Andrew Cottam asked for input from Groups and individuals:

• case studies – good and bad
• useful tool kits
• other guidance that could be signposted
• ideas on the design and build process

Please send any information to Roger Bibbings (rbibbings@rospa.com) who is on the committee to represent Groups’ views.

Preventing Respiratory Diseases in the Workplace

RPE Project Aims for Behavioural Change
Safety Groups UK is proud to be working in partnership with HSE to take action to improve use of protective equipment to combat occupationally induced respiratory diseases.

A new project is underway to support employers in selecting and using respiratory protective equipment (RPE) correctly. It will support the delivery of HSE’s strategy goal 'to specifically target key health issues...', and reduce respiratory disease, by securing good practice in the selection, use and maintenance of RPE.

Safety Groups UK is a part of a team of organisations that are working with HSE to devise and develop research-led information and tools for employers across a wide variety of industries, sectors and occupations where there is a risk of respiratory disease. Our role is to ensure that the information and tools produced meet the needs of industry and SME’s in particular

Identifying the need for action
The latest HSE estimates suggest that 12,000 people die every year from occupationally induced cancers and respiratory diseases, caused by past exposures to dusts, fumes, gases etc. However, today’s workers are still at risk; recent surveys of employers and employees consistently suggest that a high proportion (a quarter of workers and 1 in 5 of employers) regard themselves as regularly breathing in substances that could lead to a risk of respiratory disease.

Many of these employers and employees will rely on RPE as a control measure, but evidence suggests that compliance with good practice is low. For example, the results of a soon to be published behavioural study show that less than half of the sampled businesses had a fit-for-purpose RPE programme. All of the evidence combined supports the need for an RPE Project to help reduce the potential for cases of ill health in the future.

What will the project include?
The exact nature of the information and tools that the project will deliver is dependant on the steer from Safety Groups UK and the other external organisations, but early ideas include a website to host all guidance and support on the topic of RPE, a DVD demonstrating good practice on RPE to employers, and revised guidance documentation.

Next steps
Safety Groups UK is represented on the HSE Steering Group by John Cairns SG UK Vice Chairman, please contact him at :- contact@safetygroupsuk.org.uk should you wish to be involved in delivering the benefits of this project.

Hand Hygiene

To prevent the spread of germs we all know that we should maintain good basic hand hygiene. But are we actually following this advice? Christine Mottershead, Deb Ltd

View article published in the RoSPA Occupational Safety & Health Journal March 2010

Deb Ltd sponsors SGUK – www.debgroup.com/en

Advice wanted on encouraging larger numbers to meetings

Safety Group meetings (monthly/bi-monthly) are an important benefit of Group membership providing informative presentations on relevant topics and H&S updates as well as an opportunity to have contact with like-minded people to discuss common issues.

However, some groups have found that meeting attendance levels have dropped over recent years.

SGUK would welcome advice from Groups who have faced this problem and have successful increased attendance.

Do you think any of the following issues determine attendance?
• The day of the week meetings are held
• Time of the day (am, pm, evening)
• Meeting venue
• Topics

If your Group is in a situation where attendance has decreased OR you have successful increased meeting attendance and have some helpful tips please email: chenderson@rospa.com

and help by sharing experience and best practice with other Groups.

Diary:

July 2010:

26 27 28 29 30

August 2010:

03 04 05 06 07
09 10 11 12 13
16 17 18 19 20
23 24 25 26 27
30 31

28th July 2010

• Hampshire Health and Safety Group
  Post Helicopter Crash & the Management of Health Safety & Environmental Issues
  Matthew Marshall, Environmental Scientist, INM
• South Yorkshire Occupational Safety Association
  Electrical Safety
  John Robinson, Advanced Safety (Yorkshire) Ltd
  
  

10th August 2010

• Midland Construction Safety Association
  HSE update
• West & North Yorkshire Construction Safety Association
  Loan Worker / Road Safety
  Ram Tracking
  Work Safe Platforms
  Stephen Cotton

11th August 2010

• Worcestershire Health & Safety Group
  Do you Control Contractors!
  ACT Associates Ltd

19th August 2010

• South Cumbria Occupational Health and Safety Group
  Works Visit: BAE Systems Barrow-in-Furness
  Booking required
• South Humberside Health and Safety Group
  HSE Update
  

All programmes received from Groups are added to the information on the Safety Groups UK web pages.

Please send any updates to charlotte Henderson Email: contact@safetygroupsuk.org.uk

• Group Events
• Next SGUK Meeting
  
• IOSH National Safety Symposium 2010
• RoSPA Scotland Occupational Safety & Health at Work Congress
• Health & Safety '10 and '11
• Working Well Together Events
• Business Advice Open Days
• Healthy Working Lives – Scotland
  

Group Events

• 29th September 2010
  Birmingham Health, Safety & Environment Association
  The Safety Made Easy Seminar
  Venue: Birmingham Motor Cycle Museum
• 13th October 2010
  Hampshire Health and Safety Group
  HHSEG Conference
  Venue: Marriott Hotel, Portsmouth
• 20th October 2010
  Cambridge Occupational Safety Group
  A one day Management of Occupational Road Risk Seminar including the powerful presentation "Crash Course"
  Venue: Imperial War Museum, Duxford
• 20th October 2010
  Waveney Safety & Environment Group (WASEG)
  Annual Conference
  Venue: Holiday Inn North, Norwich
• 21st October 2010
  South Cumbria Occupational Health and Safety Group
  Day Seminar
  Upper Limb Disorders and Behavioural Safety
  Venue: Netherwood Hotel, Grange over Sands
• 28th October 2010
  North Lincs Health & Safety Group
  Annual Conference
  Healthy Living - Healthy Working
  

Next SGUK Meeting

Thursday 14th October
Venue: TBA

IOSH National Safety Symposium 2010

Date: 05-07 September 2010
Venue: Nottingham Belfry Hotel.

Now in its 35th year, the symposium will provide valuable information and guidance on how to manage occupational road risk effectively, along with essential best practice and legal updates, all helping to deliver positive results at work.

Event Brochure

RoSPA Scotland Occupational Safety & Health at Work Congress

The way ahead for worker-centred health and safety

Date: September 23, 2010,
Venue: Hilton Glasgow Hotel, Glasgow

Now in its sixteenth year, the RoSPA Scotland Occupational Safety and Health at Work Congress is a key annual event. The Congress gives delegates a chance to keep abreast of the latest health and safety thinking and research in Scotland.

Programme and Booking

Health & Safety Events '10 and '11

• Health and Safety '10 - Scotland : The Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh 15th/16th September
• Health and Safety '10 – North: The Reebok Stadium, Bolton 13th/14th October
• Health and Safety '11 – South: Sandown Park, Esher 22nd/23rd February 2011
  

Visit the Health & Safety '10 website for further information

Working Well Together Events

Further information and to book a place

Business Advice Open Days

Dedicated to providing free information and support to businesses.
What support is available?
• full team of experts at each event
• advice and support - health and safety, starting a new business, business growth...
• help to understand and meet legal requirements
• enhance your business - funding, marketing and new technology.

Book a place and future dates

Healthy Working Lives – Scotland

Further information

RoSPA Press Release, June 2010

RoSPA WELCOMES LORD YOUNG’S HEALTH AND SAFETY LAW REVIEW

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has welcomed the announcement of a review into health and safety law and practice.

The Prime Minister has announced that the Rt Hon Lord Young of Graffham would undertake a Whitehall-wide review of the operation of health and safety laws and the growth of the compensation culture.

Tom Mullarkey, chief executive of RoSPA, said: “We welcome this review and hope it will get to the bottom of concerns about health and safety once and for all, considering facts as well as people’s opinions.

“RoSPA believes that there is nothing essentially wrong with the Health and Safety at Work Act, which dates back to 1974 and has proportionality at its heart. The problem is in its application. Good safety is all about good judgement - avoiding the intolerable, ignoring the trivial and, in between, getting the balance right between risk and the cost of precautions. In the workplace, 'health and safety culture' is a good thing, saving lives, preventing injuries and helping to cut costs and promote efficiency.

“In practice, however, many people are getting the balance wrong. Some are going too far (although many stories about over-the-top safety turn out on examination to be myths). In many other cases, people are still being hurt in easily preventable accidents because not enough is being done to ensure safety. In general, the latter is still a bigger problem than the former in our view. Let’s not forget that accidents are the principal cause of death among under-35s and that the number of people dying in accidents is going up – the figure currently stands at around 13,500 accidental deaths each year in the UK. There is no room for complacency.

“RoSPA has previously called for a permanent body to investigate and take action on disproportionate health and safety issues, and we welcome this review as an important first step. The problem of getting safety right is one that needs to be solved through education not more legislation.

“Good research evidence rather than anecdotage is needed to establish the extent of problems in this field and to help identify possible solutions. As ever, RoSPA stands ready and willing to help.”

Presentation to Frank Pestell

Kent Health & Safety Group made a presentation to Frank Pestell at their June meeting to acknowledge the substantial contribution Frank had made to the Group over the years including as Vice President.

Frank was presented with an engraved plate from the KHSG team as well as a certificate from Safety Groups UK to recognise his distinguished service to Health and Safety.

The presentation was conducted by Angus Withington, a barrister with Henderson Chambers who were delivering the presentation regarding health and safety law.

EU-OSHA Annual Report 2009:
spending on health and safety is an investment not a cost

EU-OSHA has continued to emphasise the importance of workplace health and safety for successful organisations. Main projects in 2009 include the ESENER survey, the Healthy Workplaces Campaign on Risk Assessment, a pan-European photo competition and the Healthy Workplaces Film Award. The report also offers an outlook into 2010.

To: Local Safety Group Chairmen/Secretaries/Representatives
From: BSIF

	Clean Air? Take Care! Seminar Proposal/Invitation to participate

The British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) along with the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and with the strong support of a number of safety industry stakeholders (including Safety Groups UK, IOSH, BOH, IOM, ISRP, TUC & IIRSM) have launched a new joint initiative entitled “Clean Air? Take Care!” This respiratory campaign aims to help reduce occupational respiratory disease by raising awareness of the issues that surround it.

In recent research it was estimated that 5.5 million workers are exposed to respiratory hazards in the workplace. Of these, approximately 50% wear respiratory protective equipment (RPE) and of this group, in the region of 50% wear equipment that is correctly selected and fitted. This means that only an estimated 25% of those at risk are adequately protected: it is likely that the remaining 75% could experience a resulting degree of ill health during their lifetime. Most shockingly, the HSE estimate that approximately 12,000 people die each year from respiratory disease created through prior exposure to occupational respiratory hazards!

This new initiative includes DVDs and Toolbox presentations aimed at helping employers correctly select RPE and implement a full RPE programme. Additionally there is material to encourage wearers to understand why correctly wearing RPE is so important.

The BSIF would like to enlist the professionals within the local groups that are members of Safety Groups UK to help 'spread the message' and ensure we can protect as many workers as possible from occupational exposure.

The proposal is for BSIF and its members to run half day seminars for each local Safety Group at a convenient time and place. Within this seminar they will explain the material available to assist RPE selection and usage, outline the key markets the HSE and ourselves have highlighted and discuss the new electronic selection tools the HSE are now making available.

The seminars will be non-commercial and free of charge other than requesting the local safety group to supply a venue and arrange for group members to be present.

The proposed seminar event agenda will be:

• 30 Minutes:- BSIF overview of the scheme. The background research and key objectives
• 1 hour:- A detailed look at the Clean Air? Take Care! support material, who it is aimed at and how it can be used.
• 30 Minutes:- Collecting RPE selection data and using the HSE electronic selection tool.
• 30 minutes:- Questions and discussing follow up actions and outcomes.

We hope that you will help us in delivering this very important message.

Our key objective is to significantly reduce the number of workers harmed by exposure to occupational respiratory hazards and our key message to those companies with potential hazards is Damage to your worker’s lungs and other parts of their bodies can seriously affect their health…it can also affect your business!

We do hope you will take part in this campaign and help us deliver this very important message.

To find out more information or to book a seminar, please either e-mail David Lummis at david.lummis@bsif.co.uk or telephone 01442 248744.

July 2010: Buncefield prosecution

In this episode: HSE's Deputy Chief Executive, Kevin Myers talks about the prosecution of five companies held responsible for the explosion at Buncefield Oil Storage Depot in 2005

Latest news: HSE's annual report into workplace deaths shows they have fallen to a record low. Company fined £280,000 after employee crushed between concrete blocks and metal platform. HSE Chair Judith Hackitt has said too many people use health and safety as an excuse to hide behind.