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April 26, 2022Working at height is defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as working in any place where, if precautions are not taken, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury.
It remains one of the biggest causes of fatalities and injuries globally.1
Examples of working at height include:
- Work above ground / floor level
- Work where the individual could fall from an edge, through an opening or fragile surface
- Work where the individual could fall from ground level into an opening in the floor (a hole in the ground) IOSH
It is important to note that working at height does not include a slip or trip on a level surface, as a fall from height has to involve falling from one level to a lower level. Equally, walking up and down a permanent staircase in a building does not constitute -
April 26, 2022The number of people who have died as a result of contracting an asbestos-related illness has reached new heights in recent years, following widespread use of the material between the 1950s and 1970s. Due to the latency period of illnesses such as mesothelioma sometimes occurring up to 50 years after exposure, it is thought that deaths caused by the harmful fibres are now reaching their peak.
Figures released earlier this year by the Health and Safety Executive revealed there were 2,523 deaths from mesothelioma in 2017, which is a cancer of the lining of the organs that is predominantly caused by inhalation of asbestos fibres. While the figure was found to be similar to the five previous years, rates of mesothelioma have nearly doubled since 1995 – when there were 1,317 cases. The figures also revealed that more than half of the deaths from mesothelioma were among individuals aged over 75, and 82% of these were men.
Any industrial building constructed prior to the -
April 26, 2022The new statistics from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) show non-fatal accidents in the construction industry continue to follow a downward trend.
But despite the strides made in reducing accidents on site, the report shows there’s still a lot further to go – in particular the number of fatalities, although also on a downward trajectory, remained pretty constant. This therefore marks an opportune time for a refresher of some the main areas the industry should focus on to make greater inroads in improving health and safety.
1. Conduct thorough risk assessments – and make sure everyone knows about it
Before any project begins, inspect the site for any unusual or potential hazards, which will enable the creation of a suitable safety plan. A thorough risk assessment can create savings for projects not just in terms of accident prevention, but also working capital. A list of control measures should be made for each potential hazard and documented within -
April 26, 2022hortages, supply chain disruptions and rising demand have made it much harder to procure PPE.
Experts believe market conditions aren’t likely to return to normal any time soon. Businesses that need PPE — including manufacturers, health care providers, restaurants and more — will need new strategies to adapt to current supply chain conditions.
1. Diversify suppliers
Depending on the same few suppliers can introduce unnecessary risk to your operations.
Individual suppliers can sometimes struggle, even when the market is good, which may limit your business’s ability to source PPE. Companies in the same region may be vulnerable to local shortages, infrastructure failures and poor market conditions. Clustered suppliers can also be susceptible to short-term crises like natural disasters. Businesses that work with multiple suppliers in danger-prone areas may frequently find themselves without needed items.
Working with a range -
April 18, 2022There are many scenarios where working at height is simply unavoidable and some of the most hazardous work sees operatives working on top of an elevated surface or structure. It’s here where selecting the correct fall arrest solution is critical. Jon Rowan, Product Line Manager at MSA Safety, explores where, when and how Self-Retracting Lifelines (SRLs) should be deployed for vertical fall arrest protection, and looks at the features that define the most reliable, robust and best lifetime-value equipment.
Despite significant advances in risk awareness and safety technology, falls from height remain a significant cause of injury and death. According to the HSE’s figures for fatal injuries in Great Britain for 2019-20, 29 workers suffered fatal injuries as a result of falling from height – that’s just over 26% of all UK fatalities in the workplace. Over the last five years, falls from a height have accounted for 26% of all fatal accident injuries (an average of 37 fatal injuries -
April 18, 2022SPIE is the independent European leader in multi-technical services delivering solutions to the building, plant and infrastructure sectors. Its customers include energy companies, public works departments, electric utilities and car manufacturers. Workplace health and safety is one of the company’s main priorities. The focus is on safety workwear that is truly effective and offers the highest level of class 2 protection against potentially fatal arc flash injuries. SPIE has placed its trust in Gore’s innovative PYRAD® by GORE-TEX LABS fabric technology. This technology provides maximum protection while offering an extremely lightweight and comfortable solution.
Working with electricity in any environment can be highly dangerous. SPIE technicians work at great heights on pylons supporting high-voltage overhead lines, maintain the electrical substations of regional network operators and install lighting or information systems on high ceilings. Operating giant data centres with -
April 18, 2022Twenty-two million workers are exposed to hazardous occupational noise each year, a figure nearly equivalent to the population of Florida.
To reduce noise hazards and protect workers’ hearing, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Kansas City regional office has established a Regional Emphasis Program. The program will target inspections of general industry and construction workplaces at high risk of noise exposure and raise awareness of hazards and safety measures among Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska employers.
"Hearing Conservation Programs require employers to measure noise levels, provide free annual hearing exams and hearing protection, offer training, and conduct evaluations of the adequacy of the hearing protectors in use", says Tim Turney, Global Marketing Manager at occupational hygiene and environmental expert Casella.
"The programs cost around $350 per worker each year, necessitating $70,000 annually for -
April 18, 2022People are increasingly interested in clothes made from smart textiles. They do more than help wearers look nice or stay protected from the elements. Many such garments have sensors woven into them or characteristics that make them change in response to a wearer’s body temperature or other aspects.
These clothes don’t merely provide interesting talking points to the individuals who have them, they could also promote worker safety. Here are some of the innovative textiles that companies should consider in order to keep their employees safe on the job.
What are smart textiles? The smart textiles category is extremely vast, and there are varying definitions for what it includes. Even so, people generally categorise items into electronic and nonelectronic types. The first group contains products with sensors or similar electronics sewn in or attached to them. These are the kinds primarily examined in this article.
However, people also make smart textiles that -
April 11, 2022More than 229 million construction workers around the globe may benefit from a revised and updated code of practice on safety and health, adopted by International Labour Organization (ILO) experts from government and employers’ and workers’ organizations.
The updated code, discussed during a five-day meeting of experts (21-25 February), could play an important role in countries where construction is an economic engine for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and where urbanization rates and population growth are highest. It can also improve the attractiveness of the sector to future generations of women and men.
The code of practice builds on the previous 1992 code, as well as on International Labour standards, in particular the Safety and Health in Construction Convention, 1988 (No. 167) and its accompanying Recommendation (No. 175), and other sectoral codes.
This revised code takes account of new areas in the sector which require improved health and safety -
April 11, 2022Modified natural materials will be an essential component of a sustainable future, but first a detailed understanding of their properties is needed. The way heat flows across bamboo cell walls has been mapped using advanced scanning thermal microscopy, providing a new understanding of how variations in thermal conductivity are linked to the bamboo’s elegant structure.
The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, will guide the development of more energy-efficient and fire-safe buildings, made from natural materials, in the future.
The building sector currently accounts for 30-40% of all carbon emissions, due to both the energy-intensive production of the materials (predominantly steel and concrete), and the energy used in heating and cooling the finished buildings. As the global population grows and becomes increasingly based in towns and cities, traditional building approaches are becoming unsustainable.
Renewable, plant-based materials such
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