If you are unfortunate enough that your property is in an area that could flood, prepare your property well in advance to reduce the risk of flood water getting inside.
Sandbags: contact local builders’ merchants for stocks of bags and sand.
Doors and windows: buy automatic flood-proof doors and windows, or purpose-built flood boards that can be fitted when flooding is expected. Raise door thresholds to help keep shallow water out.
Exterior walls: check the pointing, and apply water-proofing sealant to exterior walls.
Floors: raise damp-proof brick courses. Seal floors or replace wooden flood boards with concrete with a damp-proof membrane. Be aware that water can enter where the floor and walls join.
Air bricks: buy automatic flood-proof air bricks or specially designed covers that are easy to fit over air bricks when flooding is expected.
Drains and pipes: fit non-return valves to drains and water inlet and outlet pipes. This will prevent wastewater from flowing back into the property through sewerage pipes for ground floor toilets and sinks.
Barriers: you could arrange free-standing temporary flood barriers, but remember that water could still get in through the drainage system
Before a flood:
Find out if you can receive flood warnings
Prepare and keep a list of all your important contacts
Think about which items you can move now and which items you would want to move to safety during a flood such as pets, cars, furniture and electrical equipment
Know how to turn off gas, electricity and water supplies.
During a flood:
Switch off water, gas and electricity at mains when water is about to enter your home. Do not touch sources of electricity when standing in water
Fit flood protection products if you have them
Put plugs in sinks and baths. Weigh them down with a pillowcase or plastic bag filled with soil
If you do not have non-return valves fitted, plug water inlet pipes with towels or cloths
Disconnect equipment that uses water, like washing machines and dishwashers.
By being prepared and having a flood plan in place, should help to protect your home.
Sarah Mellor CMIOSH MIIRSM Salopian Health & Safety Limited T: 01630 657084 E: enquiries@salopiansafety.co.uk W: SalopianSafety.co.uk
Do you run your own business? Do you have competent Health & Safety advice? If not then read on….
All businesses want and need to see a healthy return on their investment. When you are deciding who should manage your health and safety, you need to engage someone who:
is focussed on your business and growth objectives
provides you with competent and sound advice
is qualified, experienced and understands how businesses operate.
Your options for engaging a Health and Safety Manager include recruiting a permanent employee or outsourcing the role of managing your health and safety processes to a consultancy.
How much does a Health and Safety Manager cost?
The average salary of a permanent full time Health and Safety Manager is between £30,000 and £60,000 a year, depending on qualifications and experience. But when you take into account the hidden costs such as office and IT costs, recruitment fees, pension contributions, training, company car and other benefits, the annual cost can be more like £80,000-£100,000. And £100,000 is if you get the recruitment right! If you don’t that could be money that your organisation never sees again.
What will outsourcing do for my business?
Outsourcing your health and safety to a competent consultant is good value for money because you only pay for what you use. If you compare outsourcing to employing a permanent or contract manager, you’ll find the following benefits:
a consultant can start immediately, so you don’t have to wait for them to work out their notice period;
a consultant will roll up their sleeves and get started without the need for the on-boarding that an employee requires to get up and running;
a consultant will offer you candid and independent advice without the politics;
you only pay for what you need, so can scale up or down depending on your business needs at the time;
you don’t have to pay recruitment consultancy fees (which could be around £7,000 to £10,000);
you don’t have to pay for the job advert (at least £750);
you can keep office and IT costs down if they work offsite with their own IT. IT and office costs can be around £4,000 for an employee;
you don’t have to pay national insurance or pension contributions which could save you £6,000 to £10,000 a year;
you don’t have to pay for a car or other company benefits – another saving of about £6,000 a year;
a consultant will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience for your sector;
if you engage a consultancy, you will have access to other H&S practitioners with different expertise.
Organisations can save a lot of money by choosing the outsourcing route. All of our consultants are competent, independent and have the professional integrity that you need to give your business the edge. We pride ourselves on providing practical solutions to meet your business needs. Outsourcing your health and safety to Salopian Health & Safety can give you peace of mind so that you can concentrate on your business goals.
For more information please call us to have a chat.
Did you know that health and safety law applies to work activities on the road in the same way as it does to all work activities and employers and self-employed persons need to manage the risks to drivers.
Effective management of work-related road safety helps reduce risk. It could also result in, for example:
■ fewer injuries to drivers;
■ reduced risk of work-related ill health;
■ reduced stress and improved morale.
Assessing Risks on the Road
Employers/self-employed persons are responsible for assessing the risks to health and safety within their businesses. Below are some tips for employers/self-employed persons on how to complete a risk assessment for driving for work:
1. Identify the hazards
Look for hazards that may result in harm when driving on public roads. Remember to ask your employees, or their representatives, what they think as they will have first-hand experience of what happens in practice. The main areas to think about are the driver,
the vehicle and the journey.
2. Who might be harmed?
Decide who might be harmed and how. This will usually be the driver, but it might also include passengers, other road users and/or pedestrians. Also consider whether there are any groups who may be particularly at risk, such as those new to
the job and those driving long distances and working long hours.
3. Evaluate the risks
Having identified the hazards, decide how likely it is that harm will occur. You are not expected to eliminate all risks, but you must make sure you know about the main risks and how to manage them responsibly.
4. Record your findings
Record your significant findings – make it simple and focus on controls. If you have five or more employees, you are required by law to write it down.
5. Regularly review your risk assessment
It makes sense to review your risk assessment on a regular basis.
A check list can be viewed on the HSE’s website, or please feel free to contact us if you need any support in protecting your drivers.
Despite the changeable weather in the UK, it is now even more important than ever to consider sun exposure for those working outside. However many outdoor workers:
1. Take their tops off 2. Don’t wear a hat 3. Sit outside in the sun when taking a break 4. Don’t wear sun cream 5. Don’t drink plenty of water
Lots of outdoor workers do not protect themselves for many reasons, for example bravado, uncomfortable equipment, and not understanding why they need to protect themselves.
What is UV and why is it a hazard?
Sunburn is caused by ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the sun. You can’t feel UV rays. The heat we feel from the sun comes from infrared rays (IR), these IR rays can’t burn you. This is why people can and do still burn on cool days. Too much UV radiation from the sun can damage your skin cells. If this builds up enough damage over time it can cause abnormal cell growth which can then lead to skin cancer.
Cancer Research UK state that ‘’Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or sunbeds is the main cause of skin cancer and over 8 out of 10 melanomas in the UK (around 11,100 cases every year) are linked to too much exposure to UV rays from sunlight or sunbeds’’.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) state that UV radiation should be considered an occupational hazard for people who work outdoors. It is not only the possibility of skin damage that needs to be considered. Outdoor workers also need to be protected against damage to their eyes, overheating and dehydration.
What should workers do?
Take care around midday and do not spend too long in the sun unprotected.
Cover up and spend time in the shade between 11am and 3pm when possible. Use at least factor 15 sunscreen on exposed skin.
Outdoor workers should check their skin regularly for any unusual moles or spots and should visit their GP promptly if they find anything that is changing in shape, size or colour, itching or bleeding.
What should employers do?
Risk assessment is one way to help employees be aware of the risk to sun exposure but cannot control the risks alone.
Ensure outdoor workers are well informed, have the right equipment and understand the risks.
Listen to the concerns employees have and actively involve them in choosing controls to help them.
For more information on our risk assessment and training services please contact us.
Sarah Mellor CMIOSH MIIRSM Salopian Health & Safety Limited T: 01630 657084 E: enquiries@salopiansafety.co.uk W: SalopianSafety.co.uk
The concept of risk assessments has been around for many years. It is alarming how many risk assessments we are asked to review which have fundamental sections missing making the assessment ineffective.
Below are some common mistakes that we have come across:
1. Done only for legal reasons
Yes they are a legal requirement for anyone who employ 5 or more employees however they must add value and be of a benefit to your company by reducing risks and keeping your workforce safe.
2. Done from the office
Many risk assessments are done from the office without physically assessing the area or activity. This is when it’s highly likely that critical risks can be overlooked and therefore inadequate controls are implemented.
3. Focussing only on control measures in place
Of course you need to state what existing controls are in place, but more importantly you need to identify those controls that should be in place which aren’t.
4. No ranking
Because you need an overview of all of your risks and be able to prioritise the actions, you need to have a ranking system so high risk actions can be addressed first.
5. Not specific to your company
More and more often we are seeing examples of risk assessments which have been purchased ‘off the shelf’ so companies can ‘tick the box’ stating they have risk assessments. However you need to remember the reason for undertaking risk assessments in the first place; to carefully examine what can go wrong in your company and what action needs to be implemented to avoid harm or ill health. Therefore it is critical that risk assessments are suitable and sufficient ie: relevant to your company activities and specific.
If you would like any training to enable you or your workforce to undertake effective risk assessments or you would like us to undertake them for you, then please get in touch.
Portable Appliances are best described as any electrical item with a plug on. Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) is a procedure you should regularly have undertaken to ensure your electrical items are safe to use.
All types of work settings have electrical appliances in them. It may be a care home, school, office, shop, kitchen, industrial unit or a hotel. When considering having your electrical items PAT tested you need to consider how often items are used, moved, who is exposed to them (staff, general public, children) and what environment they are in. All these factors affect how often you should have your appliances inspected.
Why do I need to get them tested?
It is a legal requirement under The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. Every employer should ensure that work equipment is maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.
In the event of any accidents or serious incidents involving the use of electrical equipment the Health and Safety Executive would want to see evidence that shows you have taken steps to ensure your electrical items have been maintained and inspected on a regular basis.
Do you want peace of mind that you are legally compliant? If so please contact us and we will be happy to discuss your requirements and provide you with a no obligation quote.
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