Spotlight: testing, testing...
Seven months after the new law on noise
came into effect, Connect caught up with Gemma Prosser at the
National Exhibition Centre – the busiest venue in Europe – to find
out how they’re adjusting to the new demands.
The NEC Group holds well over 800 exhibitions and events a year,
and sees over four million visitors come through its doors as a
result. The four arena venue stages high profile events ranging
from the Labour Party Conference to Crufts, with well-known faces
such as Elton John, Gordon Ramsay and David Cameron appearing at
the centre in the last 12 months.
Noise is currently high on the health and safety team’s agenda.
The Control of Noise at Work Regulations came into force in the
music and entertainment sectors in April this year, but Gemma, the
Safety, Health and Environment Manager, and her team of seven set
about implementing a robust noise management strategy as early as
2005.
“We wanted to get ahead and be knowledgeable,
so when the changes came in we’d be clued up on them and could
improve on what we’d already done.
“Live music is part of our business, so
managing noise in the work environment is a tough challenge for us.
We started by looking at a range of concerts, from easy listening
to thrash metal, as well as different layouts.
“For every concert, we look out for where the
speakers and sound systems will be in relation to the barrier so
that it’s not too close to the crowd or the pit crew who stand at
the front.”
The team focuses on the pit crew in particular because they’re
so near to sound equipment and special effects.
“We’re constantly looking for practical and
technical solutions and the most advanced hearing protection.
Members of the crew not only need to speak to each other, but
customers too, so the hearing protection equipment has to have a
two-way radio fitted into it.”
Job rotation looks like an obvious answer, but isn’t
straightforward.
“Our pit crew is made up of highly skilled
stewards trained to take on a number of different roles. We try to
rotate crew members, but it’s difficult when there are only a
select few trained to do that role.
“While a solution may work one time, it may
not the next – every artist has different equipment that they bring
with them as part of their tour.”
Before any event that’s likely to be
especially loud or feature pyrotechnics, the team will do a noise
check, usually at the same time as the equipment is being
sound-checked.
The health and safety culture is very strong among the 1,000
employees at the NEC Group. Training plays a big part in this. The
team regularly holds IOSH Managing Safely courses – sometimes as
many as three a month – as well as office safety and manual
handling sessions. Anyone involved in event operations is trained
in health and safety, including the traffic management team,
visitor management team, security personnel and events team
itself.
Since 2005, the health and safety team has been busy embedding a
‘safety first’ culture. They recently ran a poster campaign called
‘You watch my back and I’ll watch yours’. The programme included a
hazard hotline to encourage staff to report on unsafe activities or
conditions. The team also offered a manual handling e-learning
course. They handed out mugs to promote the hotline and staff had
the chance of winning iPods as an incentive to get involved.
“We’ve also launched the ‘Safety star’ award
to recognise staff who make a significant contribution, or go the
extra mile on a safety initiative.
“It’s fantastic that all these people are up
on health and safety. There’s always so much to do in the running
of an event that we can’t be closely involved at every level.”
The health and safety team maintains what’s known as the
‘Bluebook’ on the NEC website to provide clients with information
on how to build stands correctly, as well as health and safety
standards and guidelines for a typical event. The team also
maintains a ‘competent persons’ register – they use this to help
check out contractors working on the site.
“We work very closely with our events team,
our clients and their consultants – it’s about helping and offering
advice, but also making sure that our standards are met.”
Broadcaster and journalist Jeremy Clarkson isn’t health and
safety’s biggest fan, but at Top Gear Live in November – an event
which saw 5,000 visitors a day – the arena was dotted with health
and safety consultants keeping an eye on things.
“The Top Gear team was very competent and
co-operative – and there were no back-handed comments made about
health and safety!”
Top Gear was one of several events being staged over one
weekend.
“Every venue had something on – that’s very
common for this time of year. As well as Top Gear, we had the
Disney on Ice Finding Nemo show, McFly and Kanye West concerts, the
Classic Motor Show, Crafts for Christmas exhibition, plus
conferences at the ICC. The run up to Christmas is always busy for
us.
“This job has really got under my skin. It’s
not for everyone but I love how dynamic and interesting it is. How
many people can say that they’ve done a noise assessment for Take
That where the atmosphere is electric and you can see a sea of
13,000 fans with smiles on their faces?”
Factfile:
- Gemma has been a member of IOSH since 2005
- She belongs to the Midland Branch and the
IOSH Environmental and Waste Management Group
- The NEC opened in Birmingham in 1976
- There are 21 halls totalling 200,000 square metres of
exhibition space
Links:
Dangerously safe: on the road
Health and safety professionals don’t like
risks? We think not. In Connect, we’re running Seriously Fun,
Dangerously Safe, to profile the extreme sports and high risk jobs
our members are involved in.
How many of us give more than a fleeting thought to the safety
of road workers, especially when we’ve spent three hours on a
motorway and are in a rush to get home? Connect talks to
Paul Goward, Senior Technical Advisor for the Highways Agency,
about keeping workers safe while making sure the traffic runs
smoothly.
Between 2003 and 2007, 10 road workers were killed and 81
seriously injured on England’s motorways and A roads. The Highways
Agency has just launched its ‘Respect our road workers’ campaign,
highlighting the work that thousands of road workers do every day
to keep our roads safe.
“Our aim,” said Paul, “is that all our
workers should go home safely at the end of their working day.
That’s the bottom line. We’re introducing measures that will
improve their safety including the recent launch of a DVD and
safety toolkit package aimed at encouraging drivers to show more
respect to maintenance workers.”
The Agency is also bringing in new technology to help improve
safety – not only for its road workers but for road users too.
"We’ve introduced sequential flashing lamps
on the approach to roadworks to guide drivers safely into coned
lanes. We’re also using moveable barrier systems so that we can
take out and reinstate one or two lanes of motorway fairly quickly
to keep traffic flowing.
“What we think about, first and foremost, is the safety of road
workers and road users. We’ve many potential safety issues around
managing the road network and making sure essential maintenance is
done as safely as possible. That means appropriate signage and,
where necessary, reducing speed limits, but it all contributes to
improving safety and reducing congestion around roadworks.
“We try to give road users as much advice and
information as possible so they know what’s happening. But it all
needs to be easy to follow so that the traffic keeps moving.”
Paul says speed cameras are a vital part of the safety mix,
despite the sometimes negative perception.
“We’ve found that with average speed cameras
there’s a high level of compliance. They’re proving effective and
that’s very helpful for us. Where we have fixed speed cameras
people tend to become familiar with where the camera is, slow down
for the camera, and then speed off again. Average speed cameras
deter drivers from doing that.”
Perhaps the most disappointing thing for Paul and the Highways
Agency is that so many drivers take out their frustrations on road
workers.
“People sit there in their cars and get more
and more frustrated. The people on the frontline are all there to
do a job, but they are only the people on the frontline. They bear
the brunt of the insults and, sometimes, the physical assaults, but
they’re not the people who are to blame for slowing you down -
they’re just doing their job.
“Some of our contractors have trained their
staff to help them deal with conflicts, including using techniques
to diffuse situations if problems do occur.”
Paul’s been an IOSH member for seven years, having started in
facilities management. He says he gradually found his role was
becoming “more and more focused on health and safety” and really
got a taste for safety after completing the NEBOSH Certificate at
Leeds College of Technology.
“I joined IOSH when I first started working
full time in health and safety and one of the main benefits I’ve
found is the fantastic networking opportunities. The fact there are
so many other people out there who are as enthusiastic about it as
me. I still find I get a real buzz when I go to meetings and see
and hear about what people are doing to improve things. I just wish
I had more time to go along!
“I’ve also found that having Chartered status
has given me standing in my organisation and it has certainly
helped me in my career. Our core business is to manage and maintain
the road network and health and safety is obviously a major part of
that. I’m very enthusiastic about IOSH, and I’ve even been able to
encourage other staff to embark on career paths as health and
safety professionals.”
Factfile
- Paul is a member of the Yorkshire Branch and a member of the
Public Services Group
- The Highways Agency, established in 1994, is a part of the
Department for Transport (DfT) and is responsible for operating,
maintaining and improving the roads in England on behalf of the
Secretary of State for Transport
- England's road network, ranging from motorways to single
carriageway trunk roads, is valued at over £81 billion
Links
- Respect our Road
Workers
- Think! road safety campaign
- Occupational Road Safety
Alliance
- HSE driving at
work guide
60 second interview
James Cheung, of James Safety Consultants
Ltd in Hong Kong, talks to Connect
What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had in your
career?
I used to work as a factory inspector, and
was once called to investigate an accident in which a worker was
scalded by hot water while he was working inside a manhole. After
being taken to hospital his condition deteriorated and he sadly
died. I realised just how important the job of a health and safety
professional is that day.
What do you get out of your job?
In my 28 years in health and safety I’ve seen
continuous improvement in Hong Kong. I’m proud that I’ve been able
to contribute to that. We have to face lots of different challenges
– from lack of management support to lack of resources – but the
satisfaction I get from overcoming each challenge is the motivation
for moving forward.
What issues can you see coming up in your sector?
The financial crisis this year will impose
huge economic impacts on every industry, including construction.
The construction industry will see a drop in new projects and a
drastic cut in resources. There’s no doubt there will be a negative
impact on health and safety. Both company bosses and safety
professionals will face a very tough situation in the coming
year.
Would you like to see any legislative changes in your
sector?
Yes, I’d like to see legal changes to raise
standards in our community. In 2000, the government introduced a
new law that required factories, construction sites, shipyards, the
electricity sector, town gas and LPG and container handling to
establish a safety management system. Many other organisations – in
the public and private sector – have since set up safety systems.
The question is should this law have a wider scope to cover all
sectors?
What is the Hong Kong Branch doing to build links with the
government?
This is our major target this year. Our
professional knowledge is a valuable resource in helping the
government formulate policy and that’s why we’re working to make
and maintain links with a number of departments.
What approach to your job sets you aside from the perceived
public image of health and safety people being bureaucratic
busybodies?
Bureaucrats can be found in every sector. A
typical bureaucrat is someone who only does things ‘by the book’,
without considering the actual situation or the needs of others.
But there’s always more than one way to get things done.
Do you want to be considered for a 60 Second Interview? Contact
the e-Editor.
Quote Me
IOSH gets its message across...
Derby Evening Telegraph, Western Daily Press, Exeter Express
& Echo, Brighton Argus, Birmingham Post
IOSH President Nattasha Freeman wrote to a number of local and
regional papers to urge readers to consider health and safety in
their workplaces, with the letter being picked up by titles in
Brighton, Exeter, Bristol, Birmingham and Derby.
She told them:
“Health and safety at work is not just the
preserve of ‘experts’ like me. It’s something everyone has to
engage with and understand the importance of. It’s a team effort,
and if one member of the team underperforms it can have dire
consequences for many others.”
Dundee Evening Courier
Nattasha also responded to a story about a Gloucestershire
school banning pupils from baking Pudsey the Bear cakes for
Children in Need because of ‘health and safety’ concerns.
“This decision by the school has more to do
with food allergies than with health and safety. So to blame health
and safety for the ban is a little wide of the mark. We want to do
all we can to support Pudsey.”
Manchester Evening News
IOSH President-Elect John Holden’s election to his new role was
picked up by regional giant the Manchester Evening
News.
“I hope that I can tackle this image health
and safety seems to have of stopping people from doing things,
because it’s absolutely not the reality. Health and safety is a
solution provider, it’s not an excuse not to do something.”
Government response to Dame Carol Black’s report
Policy and Technical Director Richard Jones welcomed the
government’s response to the recently published Dame Carol Black
report, 'Improving health and work: changing lives', saying that it
needs to be “the start of a new ‘national journey’ of improvement
for work and workplaces”.
“We are glad that ministers have taken on
board IOSH’s call to learn lessons from the Workplace Health
Connect initiative and advisory services in Scotland and Wales. We
welcome the extra resources committed, including the new
occupational health helpline for SMEs, the ‘Fit for Work’ service
pilots, local Health, Work and Well-being Co-ordinators, and an
extended Access to Work scheme.
“The government response recognises the role
that ‘good’ work and workplaces can play in promoting employee
health and well-being and the need for employers to take a holistic
approach.”
Edinburgh Branch
Ahead of the Edinburgh Branch’s panel debate last month, ‘A
question of safety – zero risk or personal responsibility?’, at the
Scottish Parliament, IOSH President Nattasha Freeman hit out at the
image of the profession.
“The Institution of Occupational Safety and
Health is hosting this debate at the Scottish Parliament to get the
issues, including those in the workplace, out in the open.
“The stereotype of health and safety
professionals wanting to ban everyday activities is a myth that we
want to bust. The ‘cotton wool culture’ doesn’t do anyone any
favours either and could actually make young people less able to
deal with risk when they grow up."
Dr Bill Wilson MSP, who logged the Criminal Sentencing (Equity
Fines) Bill, said:
“If you don’t have large enough penalties
then the legislation won’t be taken seriously… We don’t change the
concept of justice because it’s one individual or a company. If you
kill as an individual, you won’t get a fine that is a fraction of
your income. If you’re a company, you do.”
David Watt, Executive Director for IoD Scotland, was adamant
that the IoD “does not and will not defend bad practice.” He called
Dr Wilson’s remarks about people who die in the workplace literally
laying down their lives for the company “melodramatic” and
“extremely unhelpful” and asked for the panel to “be realistic”
about corporate responsibility.
Andrew Sharman, IOSH Trustee and Chair of the Edinburgh Branch,
closed the event with a call to action for all advocates of health
and safety:
“I think the panel all agree on one thing –
the need for a pragmatic approach to risk. It’s also clear that
practitioners and business leaders both need to shout about and
celebrate success in health and safety. We must not be the victims
- we need to stand up and be counted as safety professionals,
because if we sit back then the media takes over.”
Channel 4
Watch out for the Channel 4 documentary 'The fun police'
on Thursday 4 December, at 9pm. IOSH has been involved in the
filming of the programme and then President Ray Hurst was
interviewed at the World Conker Championships, which we sponsored
to make the point that IOSH members are not here to spoil anyone’s
fun!
It’s an independent film with some 'artistic licence' and the
producer shows both sides of the argument.