Spanner-In-The-Works
	Quality Tradesman Directory
Home | Trade Search | About Us | Join SITW | Contact Us | Terms and Conditions | Site Map  LOG-IN | Submit Recruitment Ad
Information

Join US Trade Search Great Insurance Deals! Health and Safety Job Search Toolbox Trade Off

Health and Safety For all businesses, Health and Safety is an important issue. Whether you are an employer, employee or self-employed safety at work should be at the forefront of your mind. Each year, in the construction industry alone, there are thousand of people injured, even killed, as a result of work related accident, many of which could be prevented. The Health and Safety Executive website has important advice for all professional trades people. It also contains distinct areas of advice for Construction, Electrical Safety and small businesses, plus many useful information leaflets. According to the Health and Safety Excutive (HSE), the most common causes of construction site accidents are: falling through fragile roofs and rooflights falling from ladders, scaffolds and other work places being struck by excavators, lift trucks or dumpers overturning vehicles being crushed by collapsing structures The HSE have collated the following advice for construction sites and small construction businesses to Reduce Risk On Site. These are however, excellent principles, on which all trades people should work. The Basics Tidy Sites and Decent Welfare Tidy sites and decent welfare are the basics of a good site. Slips and trips are the most common cause of injuries at work. A untidy site is a poorly managed site. All sites need decent welfare facilities. The minimum welfare requirements are: Clean Toliets Running hot and cold water with soap and towels Basins large enough to immerse your arms up to the elbows Drinking Water Somewhere warm and clean to sit and eat Poor welfare facilities can lead to ill health Falls from height Falls from height are the biggest cause of fatal and serious injuries in construction. The account for 50% of all deaths. Many accidents involve falls from roofs through fragile materials from ladders and leading edges. Generally, make sure you: Work from a safe and secure place or platform with proper edge protection Use scaffolds and scaffold towers which are competently erected Use powered access equipment safely Protect holes and leading edges e.g. with gaurdrails and toe boards When working on roofs: Never work in poor weather Never work on sloping roofs without edge protection Never throw down waste or equipment Take care when working on or near fagile material - you can fall through as well as off it Ladders: Only use ladders for light work of short duration, otherwise use a more suitable scaffold or other safer alternative Angle and secure them to prevent slipping (1 out for 4 up) Always make sure ladders are properly maintained Never over-reach Manual Handling Manual handling injuries from working with heavy, awkward materials, often in cold wet conditions, are one of the most common reasons why workers leave construction. Injuries are made worse by repetative jobs, such as laying heavy blocks. Use mechanical means, e.g. hoists, teleporters and chutes rather than hods Choose equipment suitable for the job and keep it maintained Change to lighter materials, bags etc Avoid repetative handing Avoid awkward movements Protect yourself and reduce the strain Transport Workplace transport incidents are the second most common cause of fatalities after falls from height. Use barriers and warning signs to separate vehicles and people Create clearance around vehicles Avoid reversing - where you can't, use a trained banksman Make sure loads are secure Only take passengers on vehicles designed to carry them Make sure vehicles are maintained and opterators trained Don't use plant and vehicles on dangerous slopes When people and vehicles collide people come off worse - so keep them apart! Asbestos Many buildings in the UK contain asbestos. If you're thinking of working in a building the was built or renovated up until the 1980's, you should assume it contains asbestos until proven otherwise. The main asbestos cantaining materials (ACMs) are lagging, asbestos insulating board, sprayed insulation, decorative coatings and asbestos cement. Check if there is any ACM Find out what you need to do to work safely If in doubt - leave it to the experts Working well together (WWT) is the countys leading construction health and safety campaign, supported by the construction industry, trade unions and the Health and Safety executive. For further information check out the WWT campaign website.

---

© Copyright 2005

Contact Our Webmaster@spanner-in-the-works.co.uk

---