Connect Connect Issue 6
18 August 2008
Welcome to the latest issue of Connect
Hello, and welcome to the latest issue of Connect.
Dispelling the many myths in the media surrounding health and
safety is something IOSH works hard to do. Whether responding to
articles about the ‘conkers bonkers’ culture, or promoting sensible
risk, we believe it’s essential to change the perception of health
and safety in the UK national psyche.
That’s why we’re sponsoring the World Conker
Championships again this year. Last year’s event proved a
massive success, with IOSH enjoying positive coverage in the media,
from Radio 4’s Today to The Times. The event pushed the
idea of sensible risk and, for once, the profession had the
opportunity to get its message across. This year’s event will give
us another chance to set the record straight.
Sensible safety is certainly at the top of one particular member’s
agenda. In this issue, we talk to Marcus Brian, who works at one of the
UK’s top attractions, Alton Towers. For him and his team it’s all
about providing thrills without the spills to more than 2 million
visitors a year.
Thousands of British workers suffer from occupational asthma and
other lung diseases every year. In our In Practice article, you can learn
about the new guidance on local exhaust ventilation and how to get
things right where you work. If you want to find out more about the
topic, the London Metropolitan Branch is holding an event on
Tuesday 9 September on LEV. Find out more in our events calendar. Remember,
Connect features all your branch and group events in
MyNetwork, as well as linking to the full events calendar on the website.
Bill Brown from Western Diagnostic Pathology in Australia takes our
60 second interview hotseat for this
issue. He talks about how workplace deaths are a big problem in
Australia and how he’s delivering a behavioural-based safety
programme to more than 300 sceptical workers.
Happy reading, and if you have any comments about Connect,
or want to be featured in any of our articles, please
drop me a line.
Shaun Gibbons
e-Editor
Guidance: what you need to know
New HSE local exhaust ventilation (LEV) guidance
Headlines:
- Thousands of British workers get occupational asthma and other
lung diseases every year
- Local exhaust ventilation is one of the most commonly used
exposure control measures – but it’s often poorly designed,
applied, maintained and ineffective
- New guidance aims to help bosses, workers and suppliers to
design, get, apply and maintain effective LEV
- Airborne contaminants are higher up the agenda for HSE
inspectors and they will be expecting standards to rise
What is it?
New guidance on LEV for suppliers (HSG 258), employers buying
and using LEV (INDG 408) and employees using LEV (INDG 409). The
guidance replaces the old HSGs 37 and 54.
When was it published?
The new guidance came out on World Asthma Day, 6 May 2008. The
employer and employee guidance is available to view online.
Why has it been introduced?
It’s come in as part of the HSE’s Disease Reduction Programme to
tackle lung and other occupational diseases caused by airborne
contaminants. The control problems, addressed by the HSE LEV
project, are:
- employers don’t appreciate the extent of exposure risk from
their processes
- suppliers, employers and employees are over-optimistic about
LEV capabilities
- LEV buying – there has, until now, been no guidance and
employers are often misled and mis-sold
- LEV design – often the LEV hood is not matched to the process
and sources causing exposure
- LEV commissioning – rarely done thoroughly, often done
uncritically and control effectiveness, matched to need, isn’t
assessed
- LEV checking and maintenance – suppliers provide little
guidance and employers don't do it frequently or systematically
enough
- LEV thorough examination and test – often not done and when it
is, it’s typically incomplete and uncritical
- The guidance addresses all but the first problem. Help on this,
in the form of a practical ‘how to’ guide to COSHH, is being
prepared.
What difference will it make?
To tie in with the new guidance, the HSE is taking a tougher
line on LEV. Over 400 inspectors have been put through a new LEV
training course and issued with simple test equipment including a
dust-lamp, anemometer and smoke tubes. Site inspections will be
more thorough.
Twenty thousand packs on dust
control have been sent to woodworking businesses. The HSE is
also talking to key stakeholders, including the Chartered Institute
of Building Service Engineers.
What do I need to do now?
Download your copy of the
employer and employee guidance.
Buy the supplier’s guidance if your business uses lots of LEV.
Check whether the HSE’s inspection initiative affects the
sector you work in. Brief your boss and workforce about the new
good practice guidance. You’ll need to review the way your
organisation buys and runs LEV controls. Involve staff in the
process. If necessary, get expert advice.
The benefits are cheaper, more effective LEV that works over the
whole year, and not just for a month or so after each ‘yearly’
examination. And, most importantly, the LEV reliably and
demonstrably protects employees’ health.
To improve your LEV controls you need to:
- check that the LEV has been applied to all important sources of
airborne contaminant
- check the right type of LEV has been applied, especially the
hood
- check that it effectively controls exposure (part of
commissioning)
- get simple airflow indicators fitted to critical hoods (eg
where airflow has to be adjusted)
- get a user manual and log book, or equivalent (from the
supplier or other competent person)
- get a responsible person to arrange checking and
maintenance
- review LEV management every year, after receiving the
examination report
Watch this space
The HSE LEV website will be updated in two phases. Keep an eye
out for guidance and information that supplements the new
publications, including practical case studies.
The HSE wants to hear from IOSH members with information on
solutions that have worked well, and those that haven’t.
Contact us if you’d like
to submit a case study.
User briefings and roadshows are being planned – details will be
published on the LEV website. The new HSE LEV training course
material is freely available to trainers and advisors via Trainer,
Advisor Briefing Days.
IOSH viewpoint
We contributed to the development of the new LEV guidance,
providing feedback on drafts and voicing concerns over the content
of the guide aimed at employers. We also called for the guidance to
be a free download.
IOSH event
The London Metropolitan Branch is holding an event on Tuesday 9
September called ‘The HSE Engineering Control Project’ where the
HSE’s Dr Mark Piney will be talking about LEV.
The meeting will cover:
- the background to the project
- the new guidance and its messages
- key design principles using an award-winning LEV model
- Trainer, Advisor Briefing Days
Find out more...
Related links:
Our thanks to Dr Mark Piney, from the HSE, for his help in
writing this article.
Spotlight: Descent into Oblivion
Alton Towers is the UK’s number one theme park, attracting more
than 2 million visitors a year. Overseeing the health and safety of
both visitors and staff sounds like a tough job for anyone so
Connect caught up with Marcus Brian, Health and Safety
Manager for the park, at the peak of the holiday season…
Marcus, understandably, is a busy man. And he’s just got a lot
busier after being promoted to Group Health and Safety Manager for
Merlin Entertainments Group. On top of Alton Towers, the Group owns
a range of theme parks and resorts across Europe.
“Diversity is the main attraction in my job,”
explains Marcus. “Any single day can range from completing or
updating a risk assessment on a multi-million rollercoaster, to a
claims investigation for a minor injury slip incident in the water
park.”
Marcus’s job is about much more than just the rides.
“I could be involved in a planning meeting
for a new ride concept or a food hygiene inspection in one of our
food outlets. I could even be downloading data from Alton’s
permanent environmental noise monitoring station, which is in the
middle of a farmer’s field occupied by some very curious
cattle.”
One of his first roles in health and safety involved
implementing a COSHH compliance strategy for British Aerospace.
After that, Marcus went for a broader role and began working for a
local authority. Nine years on, he started at Alton Towers and from
having the park in his enforcement area in his previous role, he
already knew something about the job.
“Until you start working at a theme park,
you’ve no idea what it’s like. The day-to-day operations are
completely different to working in local government. Managing
safety on high thrill rides is essentially about making people feel
like they’re risking life and limb when in reality by far the
riskiest thing about visiting a theme part is getting there and
back.”
To highlight the uniqueness of Marcus’s role, a Halloween event
was organised last year which involved creating a ‘horror maze’ in
a cornfield that had zombies chasing guests with chain saws in the
dark.
“This is definitely not something you will
find an example risk assessment for on the HSE's website!”
Despite his full-time role based at Alton Towers, Marcus is also
the programme organiser for the Midlands Branch’s North District.
In this role he helps organise meetings and events for the
committee.
“As a branch, we are trying to get away from
the traditional speaker format.”
They recently organised a CPD online training session which was
“incredibly well attended”.
Alton Towers has changed considerably since it was opened as a
theme park in 1980, and is now becoming more of a resort with two
large hotels as well as a 3700m² indoor water park. Introducing
this into Alton Towers has meant Marcus has been dealing with a
whole host of new issues. Noise exposure is an extremely common
issue, from mechanical noise to people noise – and this is
something that spreads into the water park. Marcus and his team
have been working to resolve the noise problem for the lifeguards
who are in an enclosed area with screaming children and lots of
water features.
“We thought about issuing them with hearing
protection, as ‘engineering out’ the noise problem is virtually
impossible. But having lifeguards scanning the pool with full cans
on their ears when they’re meant to be responding to possible
distress calls just didn’t sit comfortably with us!”
Marcus and the team decided that bringing in noise consultants
to carry out an assessment and come up with control options was the
answer, and as a result of this Alton Towers is now trialling a
specific type of low attenuation ear plug.
“They are actually improving the situation
for the lifeguards by filtering out background noise and making
speech clearer.”
The park is also currently in the process of trialling Kid
Spotters – a system where children are issued with a wristband with
a GPS tracking device.
“From our security control room we can
monitor where a child is, if they get lost. This is a great way of
making the issue of a lost child on a 500 acre site a quick and
easy process.”
Alton Towers is known for its white-knuckle rides, and the
park’s most famous rollercoasters, Oblivion and Air, were the
world’s first prototypes.
“This can obviously throw up problems as
we’re the guinea pig but we get heavily involved in the process by
talking to the manufacturers.”
Marcus and his team work on all ride safety assessments, dealing
with evacuation procedures and access for people with
disabilities.
Slips, trips and falls account for around 40 per cent of
accidents at the park.
“General accidents are expected on a site as
large as this.”
All injuries are dealt with by the onsite medical centre – the
team also work as community ‘first responders’ in the local
villages.
“Safety is the cornerstone of our business.
We put a lot of resources into making sure that our visitors have a
‘thrills not spills’ experience.”
Factfile:
- Alton Towers is situated in the grounds of a semi-ruined house
which belonged to the 13th Earl of Shrewsbury
- The site is 220 hectares
- Its main attractions include Nemesis, Air, Rita – Queen of
Speed and Oblivion – a rollercoaster in which riders experience an
87.9° drop
- In 2007 Alton Towers attracted 2.4 million visitors, making it
the most visited theme park in the UK and the 11th most visited in
Europe
Links:
60 second interview
Bill Brown, Health, Safety and Rehabilitation Adviser for
Western Diagnostic Pathology in Australia, talks to Connect.
What’s the hot issue in your sector right
now?
Needle-stick injuries – getting stuck with a needle after taking
a blood sample from a patient. There are too many, too often and
the potential is devastating. We’ve been lucky so far and I’m
rolling out a preventive programme at the moment.
What’s the most challenging problem you’ve had to
overcome?
I don't have problems, I have challenges! I’m rolling out a
behavioural-based safety programme which included training 300
employees on site who didn’t want to be trained. Thick skin, focus
and determination won that challenge. It improved my confidence no
end.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever had about
working in health and safety?
Maintain broad vision, look at the whole picture and listen!
What advice would you give to someone starting their
career in health and safety?
It’s not about hours, it’s about having the passion. If you’ve
the passion you’re half way there. Also, be a people person and
know your subject.
If you could ban the use of one piece of jargon, what
would it be?
The notion of the ‘expert’. I don’t feel there is such an
animal. We’re all qualified and experienced to different levels, in
sometimes specific areas, but there’s always something to learn.
‘Expert’ suggests total knowledge of a subject. If someone accepts
that he or she is an expert, how do they allow for further learning
opportunities?
If you weren’t a health and safety practitioner what
would you be?
A professional golfer and professionally broke!
What’s the biggest health and safety story in Australia
at the moment?
Deaths in the workplace. We’ve a serious problem in Western
Australia and the country as a whole. The biggest offenders are the
mining and construction industries. Falls from height and moving
vehicles, particularly on mine sites, are among the main
concerns.
Do you want to be considered for a 60 Second
Interview? Contact the e-Editor.
Quote me
IOSH gets its message across...
Daily Mail
IOSH President Ray Hurst hit back at claims health and safety
had led to the end of the Spalding Flower Parade.
“I’m sick of people blaming my profession for
preventing them doing things when that’s not the case. Health and
safety is about finding sensible solutions to serious problems; any
health and safety issues associated with the parade could be
addressed with a bit of sensible decision-making.”
The Independent
In a letter to The Independent Ray Hurst responded to
an article called ‘The end of playtime’.
“Stopping children from playing games such as
conkers denies them the chance of learning vital life skills. One
of those crucial skills is knowing how to manage risk.
“If children get to grips with this when
they’re young they’ve more chance of coping with bigger risks in
adulthood. While parents’ motives are worthy, the effect can be
negative. So let’s play conkers, without goggles.”
The Sunday Times
Sunday Times journalist Matt Rudd hit out at the
findings of a survey that showed half of children weren’t allowed
to climb trees, and a fifth were banned from playing conkers.
“I contacted John Hadman, president of the
Ashton Conker Club in Northamptonshire. In 42 years of hosting the
World Conker Championships, he knows of just one injury. A
competitor slipped off the platform and scuffed his shin.
“Last year’s event, sponsored by the
Institution of Occupational Safety and Health no less, saw almost
500 entrants swatting away. Beer was consumed. Conkers smashed.
Nobody died. All proceeds went to helping visually impaired people,
none of whom were visually impaired by conkers.”
Construction News
IOSH Construction Group member Philip Baker warned that ladders
still remained a big safety concern in the sector.
“We don’t see a massive rise in incidents
involving cherry pickers although they are growing in popularity.
In my experience, it is often familiarity that breeds contempt.
People are often over-familiar with ladders and steps, whereas with
new pieces of lifting equipment they are cautious.”
Western Mail
IOSH member Donna Kennedy, Principal Environmental Health
Consultant at National Brittania, highlighted IOSH’s young workers
campaign in an article in the Western Mail.
“In the past decade, 64 under-19s were killed
at work. Nearly 15,000 suffered major injuries and almost 50,000
other teenagers were hurt.
“Young people are vulnerable at work because
they lack experience, training and awareness. They need a safe
environment in which to carry out their duties, but that alone
isn’t enough – they also need training, information and good
supervision.
“IOSH has developed a Workplace Hazard
Awareness Course for Year 10 students which is available to
download free as a teaching resource. To date, over 2,000 teachers
and trainers have downloaded the pack, and more than 70,000
students have already achieved the qualification.”