October 2009

“Most of my day-to-day work involves refurbishing and repairing old properties. The stripping out of old kitchens and bathrooms etc – not to mention the demolition of walls, results in clouds of dust. We keep windows and doors open where we can – but we still breathe in a lot of muck – are we damaging our health and if so, what measures can we take to reduce the risk?”

One of the most common illnesses resulting from prolonged exposure to building dust is silicosis, caused by crystalline silica. This is present in sand, sandstone and granite, clay, shale, slate, concrete and mortar and the use of power tools to cut or dress stone opens up workers to high exposure. People with silicosis suffer from scarring of lung tissue which leads to breathing difficulties.

The most common is progressive silicosis, caused by exposure over a longer period. Victims suffer severe shortness of breath and the effect continues to develop after exposure has stopped. It is also irreversible.

You should certainly reduce your exposure to silica. In most cases it is possible to control this using dust suppression techniques or local exhaust ventilation. Exhaust ventilated tools are widely available, and capturing or controlling the dust at source is nearly always better than attempting to control exposure by ventilating the whole area.

Respiratory protective equipment (RPE) may need to be provided as well. Guidance on the selection and use of RPE is contained in the HSE booklet: Respiratory protective equipment: A practical guide.

Where workers are regularly exposed to respirable crystalline silica then health surveillance which includes a respiratory questionnaire and lung function testing should be provided, plus, if on an individual basis the doctor thinks it’s necessary, a chest X-ray.

For more detailed information refer to the HSE Guidance Note: Respirable crystalline silica.

May 2009

A new film demonstrates the behavioural changes businesses need to make to reduce deaths and accidents in the construction industry.

ConstructionSkills and UCATT have joined forces to encourage construction firms to improve on-site communication in a bid to reduce numbers of accidents in the industry.

Through the Worker Engagement Toolkit, a new film developed by ConstructionSkills and the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT), construction firms can learn that communication between employers and workers can dramatically increase health and safety awareness, and therefore lead to a reduction in the number of accidents. In addition, effective worker engagement can help to increase turnover, and help firms to safeguard their business during tough times. The interview-led, 30-minute film examines all levels of a variety of businesses, speaking to managing directors, foremen and workers, and offers working examples of how accidents have reduced over time when worker engagement has been effectively carried out. The Health and Safety Executive was also involved in developing the DVD, which has been identified by the Strategic Forum for Construction Worker Involvement Group as the best toolkit on the market.

Good communication prevents accidents

Recent research by Glasgow Caledonian University, commissioned by the HSE, found that the lack of communication between management and the workforce was an on-going problem that led to accidents taking place when simple communication could have prevented them. As a result ConstructionSkills and UCATT have been working together to address the root causes of the patterns in behaviour that can lead to accidents occurring.

Kevin Fear, Head of Health, Safety and Environment at ConstructionSkills said:

“This Toolkit aims to encourage firms to take on-site health and safety a step further and implement worker engagement at a higher level, in order to help eliminate the number of accidents across the industry. We have already seen evidence that worker engagement is vital in terms of driving down accident and fatality rates, and as the industry’s Sector Skills Council, we want to promote this across the board using this film as a guide. With entire workforces becoming more open and honest, both productivity and safety can be improved.”

Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of the Construction Union, UCATT, said: “All the evidence shows that construction sites which are well organised, where workers are directly employed and where there are a high number of independent health and safety representatives, are far safer than casualised sites where bosses pay lip service to safety.

“This new DVD is a useful tool in reinforcing the message to employers that effective worker involvement is a major factor in reducing deaths and injuries at work.”

About ConstructionSkills

ConstructionSkills is the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the construction industry. As a partnership between CITB-ConstructionSkills, CIC and CITB Northern Ireland, it is UK-wide and represents the whole industry from professional consultancies to major contractors and SMEs.

About UCATT

UCATT represents 125,000 members employed in the construction industry throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. UCATT’s General Secretary Alan Ritchie is the Chair of the Strategic Forum for Construction (SFfC) Encouraging Worker Involvement Working Group.

The first 20 copies of the DVD are free on a first come first served basis after which it will cost £20 and is available to buy from ConstructionSkills at: http://www.cskills.org/supportbusiness/publications/index.aspx?productid=3537

May 2009

For builders across the UK, the need to be compliant with all things relating to health and safety has never been more important.

Having a sound health and safety policy can bring new opportunities and is something that in the current economic downturn, should be seriously considered.

According to Anthony Botibol, Marketing Manager at HBXL, being health and safety compliant is something builders can do very easily, especially if they make use of IT and software that produces all the relevant paperwork for any job at the click of a button.

New Law

The new Health & Safety Offences Act 2008 came into force on 16 January 2009.

Brought in to increase penalties, it provides courts with greater sentencing powers for those who break health and safety law and has three main points:

1. The Act has raised the maximum fi ne which may be imposed in the lower courts to £20,000 for most health and safety offences

2. It makes imprisonment an option for more health and safety offences in both the lower and higher courts

3. It makes certain offences, which are currently triable only in the lower courts, triable in either the lower or higher courts.

So builders must now be even more vigilant in the way they run their sites and businesses.

Commenting on the new Act Anthony said: “The introduction of this new Act sends out an important message to those who push the boundaries. Those who cut corners, fail to comply with health and safety law or who put workers and the public at risk should be very worried.

“Good builders though have nothing to fear and being compliant with health and safety doesn’t mean they have to spend precious resources using specialists or investing their own time to make sure they’re on the right side of the law. Instead, investing in software such as Health & Safety Xpert makes the whole process easy.

“Its built-in knowledge base determines the likely tasks and risks involved in the project for you. It cuts down the time it would normally take and is much cheaper than employing a health and safety consultant.”

Lack of awareness

A survey carried out by HBXL showed that 47 percent of builders didn’t know whether the CDM (Construction Design Management) Regulations 2007 applied to them and highlights a huge lack of understanding.

Anthony said: “The introduction of the new CDM regulations meant that all building companies have to adhere to the new updated CDM laws.

“The revised scheme was brought in to help reduce the regulatory burden on the construction industry and improve the level of health and safety but it seems there is still confusion about its application.

“The key objective of CDM 2007 was to simplify and clarify the regulations. It is often very diffi cult for building businesses to know where to start on health and safety, but it’s important if they haven’t already put plans in place to do so immediately.

“Health & Safety Xpert has been designed specifi cally to help builders comply with all health and safety paperwork and interprets the ACOP (Approved Code of Practice) for CDM 2007, producing all the necessary paperwork.”

Opportunity to expand

Although the primary reason for having sound health and safety procedures is ensuring safety on site, Anthony believes it may also provide opportunities for builders to expand, and follows pressure by groups such as the FMB to fast track the planning process to release and designate land for social housing.

Should this happen, then, according to Anthony, the winners will be those who can submit the right health and safety paperwork during the tender process, and using Health & Safety Xpert will place them at the front of the queue when contracts are awarded.

He said: “The current financial climate could see the return of a lot more social housing as the Government plans to enable local authorities to build more affordable homes. This in turn should help both the construction industry and the economy.

“The FMB warned the Government not to forget the small builders, the ‘backbone of the economy’, when it comes to dealing out these new jobs.

“If you are one of those small builders it is also down to you to make sure that you are in a position to win the work by being able to submit health and safety paper work with your quote.”

Exclusive offers for all FMB Members

Health & Safety Xpert costs £649 (ex VAT)

Buy Health & Safety Xpert and you can:
 

• Save £100 ex VAT
• Get a FREE place at CDM 2007 training course worth £149 ex VAT 

For further information on Health & Safety Xpert or any other HBXL product call 0870 850 2444 or visit www.hbxl.co.uk

Health & Safety Xpert costs £649 (ex VAT)

FMB members can also benefit from a discount by quoting their FMB membership number.