Page 3 - Health and Safety

The Risks of Construction Dust

Posted on July 19, 2013

Construction Dust Construction dust can cause serious damage to your health and some types of dust can eventually kill you. Regularly breathing in these harmful dusts over a long period of time can cause a life threatening disease on your lungs. The dangers of asbestos dust is well documented elsewhere (see Asbestos health and safety on the HSE website) so we are focusing here on other types of dust which have harmful side-effects. What is construction dust? Construction dust is generally used to describe different types of dusts that you may find on a construction site. There are three main types of construction dust: Silica dust – created when working on materials containing silica. Materials such as concrete, mortar and sandstone (also known as respirable crystalline silica or RCS) Wood dust – created when working on softwood, hardwood and wood-base products like MDF and plywood Lower toxicity dusts – created when working on materials containing little or no silica. The most common...

COSHH - How to Control Substances Hazardous to our Health

Posted on April 26, 2013

What is a substance hazardous to health? Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) covers substances that are hazardous to health. Substances can take many forms and include: - chemicals - products containing chemicals - fumes - dusts - vapours - mists - nanotechnology - gases and asphyxiating gases - biological agents (germs) What is COSHH for? COSHH's objective it to prevent, or to adequately control exposure of substances that are hazardous to health. This can be done by: - Using control equipment such as total enclosure, partial enclosure or local exhaust ventilation (LEV); -Controlling procedures, e.g. ways of working, supervision and training to reduce exposure, maintenance, examination and testing of control measures; -Worker behaviour, making sure employees follow the control measures. COSHH Assessment Before your start your COSHH assessment, you need to think about what do you do that involves hazardous substances? How can these cause harm? And how can you reduce the risk...

Which one are you? First-Aider, Employer or Employee?

Posted on April 24, 2013

When you think of first-aiders, what do you think of? High-vis jackets, highly qualified personnel? What about the person sitting next you in the office? Many people do not realise that a first-aider can be one of your colleagues within your workplace. Training courses are provided to those who would like to become a part-time first-aider, which is safer and less time consuming than ringing a paramedic or visiting the doctors. There are three roles within a the workplace, first-aider, employers and employees. Which one are you? Are you a...? First-aider A first-aider is a person who has undertaken training and has a qualification that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) approves of. They should hold a valid certificate of competence in either: - First aid at work, issued by a training organisation approved by the HSE - Emergency first aid at work, issued by a training organisation approved by the HSE or a recognised Awarding Body of Ofqual/Scottish Qualifications Authority. Employers...

How to Handle and Store Gas Cylinders Safely

Posted on April 19, 2013

Accidents involving gas cylinders can cause serious injury or even death. Having the correct support and guidance on how to handle gas cylinders in the safest way possible. The Health and safety Executive (HSE), offers guidance and support to anyone who manufactures, owns, fills, repairs or uses gas cylinders. The generic and legal term that covers gas cylinders is 'pressure receptacle' which also covers other types of 'pressure receptacle' such as tube, pressure drum, cryogenic receptacle, bundle of cylinders as well as gas cylinders themselves. Hazards of gas cylinders Gas cylinders are known for transporting and store gases under pressure which are used for many different purposes including, chemical processes, medical and laboratory uses, fuel for vehicles, heating and cooking and lots more. The problem is, that there are hazards that come with the cylinders. Some of the main hazards include impact from rapid release of compressed gas, a fire as a result of escaping flammable gases...

Ramp up Your Accessibility Efforts

Posted on April 15, 2013

Some of you may have seen the new ITV prankster show 'Off Their Rockers', if not, watch it! The show is about a bunch of old aged pensioners being let loose into the big wide world and playing pranks on the younger generations. We normally see old dears out and about the place either slowly walking down the street or racing about in their mobility scooters, looking rather down and quite frankly complaining about most things, but these elderly folk will have you rocking with laughter. How can we make the reality a better place for the older generation? Have an 'Old Aged Pensioner' lane on the path? Give them free vegetables for a year? Or do we given them a way of accessing areas easily and safely? I say yes we do! We have a list of products from The Workplace Depot that will help in creating a more accessible place for the people who cannot move as easily as they used to. Let's start with a Disabled Grab Rail. Grab rails can help an elderly person when climbing up some stairs or help...

Cable Protection – a Pet Topic

Posted on April 12, 2013

There were 28 fatalities in the UK as a result of electric shocks and 22 of these were 'home or leisure electrocutions' (Electrical Safety Council 2010). There were also a large number of fires that had electrical origins that sadly resulted in 268 deaths and 7,776 injuries. What is not shown in these figures are the number of incidents that were caused by domestic animals damaging wires and cables. Young animals, especially kittens and puppies are naturally very curious and will chew just about anything. Other animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs and pet rats enjoy gnawing things and it is possible for them to gnaw through a wire with or without getting a shock themselves. Someone can then receive a shock from the exposed wire. Parrots can be another problem pet because they have such powerful beaks that they can easily slice through cable. A member of staff recently got a low level shock as a result of their rabbit biting through an extension cable, so this sparked some suggestions for...

Why Choose Safety Steps?

Posted on April 08, 2013

Here at The Workplace Depot we have a range of mobile safety steps to suit any height and any type of access you need. Whether you work in an office, a warehouse or a supermarket storage facility, these steps will prevent any accidents and injuries to workers if they want to reach a high shelf. But why would you use safety steps rather than a ladder? One of the most common cause of injury when using a ladder is when the user carries out excessive overhead reaching which can lead to sprains and strains. Other injuries include, slipping off a ladder, the ladder wobbles and falls from under the user and the ladder breaking whilst in use. All of these can be prevented with a few safety checks listed in this table below, courtesy of HSE. Why not remove the risk of these injuries and use a safety step. Most safety steps have four legs with wheels on that can be secured so they do not move. The Foot Lock Safety Steps, have a mechanism which locks the front feet to immobilise the steps...

Pick Yourself up With a Sack Truck

Posted on April 05, 2013

One of the most common injury a person can have is back pain which can be caused by old age, sports activities and lifting heavy objects in the wrong way. Back pain can be caused by most work situations but the cause if often unclear and can be a result of many things. Lifting heavy objects is one of the main causes for back pain, if you lift a heavy object that exceeds your personal limit - SNAP! There goes your back. This is why it is so important to carry out the right precautions and use the correct equipment if the object exceeds the weight limit. One piece of equipment that can help lift heavy objects is a Sack Truck. They are 'wheelie' good for lifting heavy loads and are 'wheelie' easy to use! It is a great and useful addition to any workplace that involves moving items and will help reduce the risk of injury to the workforce. Our Range of Sack Trucks The Workplace Depot have a full range of sack trucks from economy, collapsible, P handle, universal, heavy duty, Ecoline, *breath*...

Are You Sitting Comfortably?

Posted on April 04, 2013

Office workers spend much of their day sitting down so it is important that they are comfortable and avoid the kind of bad posture that can cause back pain. It is estimated in the UK that 80 million working days a year are lost through back pain and that 80% of people will be affected by back pain at some point in their lives. Back problems can affect people in both sedentary and manual work and they tend to occur most frequently in the 16 – 44 age range. Perhaps the most shocking statistic is that 80% of people who work with computer monitors will get back problems. The Health and Safety Executive offer a number of practical tips to make seating adjustments to suit your needs: - Adjust your chair and monitors so that your forearms are roughly horizontal and your eyes are at the same height as the top of the screen - Try different arrangements of keyboard, mouse, screen and document holder to avoid awkward movements - Arrange the screen so that there is not awkward glare (eg from...

Workplace Safety - Working at Height

Posted on March 15, 2013

Sadly, fatalities in the workplace are not uncommon. According to statistics released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), an estimated 591,000 workers had an accident at work in 2011-12 and 212,000 of these injuries led to over 3 days absence from work and 156,000 to over 7 days absence. Employers reported 114,000 injuries to workers, 24,000 were classified as major injuries; many of these incidents could have been avoided if the correct equipment, such as safety steps and ladders, were supplied. Richard Pratley was 65 years old when he fell 1.8 metres from a ladder whilst cleaning inside the Snuff Mill Harvester on Frenchay Road in Bristol on the 19th January 2009. He suffered from a fractured skull as a result of the fall, which was caught on CCTV, and he died just four days later on the 23rd January 2009. The CCTV footage shows Mr Pratley was working his way along the structure, known as the Boathouse, inside the pub after his manager at the time asked him to clean the corrugated...

Safety in the Warehouse

Posted on March 07, 2013

Safety in the Warehouse Thousands of serious injuries happen in warehouse environments each year according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Most of these injuries occur through improper handling of goods and machinery, slips, trips and falls, and accidents involving other vehicles. Other injuries happen because of poorly maintained racking systems. Here are a few safety tips and checks that should be carried out when working in a warehouse or storage environment. Vehicles and Heavy-Duty Equipment Vehicles and heavy-duty equipment such as pallet trucks, forklifts, stackers and other warehouse trucks, account for the majority of injuries in a warehouse. Knowing what precautions you need to take is vital for keeping workers safe. But also, some accidents happen to the users of the equipment because they do not know which truck to use for which job and what the trucks capacity is. Using the wrong truck and capacity when dealing with goods, could end in a nasty accident, e.g. forklifts...

First Aid Compliance for the Workplace

Posted on February 11, 2013

The Workplace Depot (Central Source Ltd) are delighted to announce that we now distribute Wallace Cameron first aid products. Wallace Cameron has been servicing the needs of the first aid market for over 60 years, supplying new and innovative quality products and services. This has led to the achievement of 2 Royal Warrants and the ongoing ISO 9001:2008 and BRC accreditations. First aid is imperative to any business therefore it is important to review your workplace first aid needs annually. Sheena Jack Marketing & Design Manager at Wallace Cameron commented, “We are delighted to have formed a working partnership with the Workplace Depot. Our extensive range of products that are available through Workplace Depot will ensure any business can maintain HSE compliance in the workplace, and enjoy the latest innovations in the market place.” 1. There is no mandatory list of items that should be included in a first-aid kit. This will be influenced by the findings of the first aid needs assessment...