2014 november complyatwork newsletter s

Tel 01204 772977 or 07792 400 503

Comply at Work safety snippets & business bytes Upcoming Courses What to do in the event of a fire

P3 P4-5

Electrical Safety - Overloading Sockets

P6

Workplace Transport

P7

In the Spotlight

P14-15

November 2014

Sn Saf ip ety pe ts P2 | Safety Snippets

Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503

Comply at Work

UPCOMING COURSES Thurs 20 November

Level 2 Accredited Health and Safety One day course with text book, Certification and buffet lunch

Friday 21 November from 1 pm

Manual Handling Awareness and Asbestos Awareness Pick and Mix sessions.

Tuesday 25 November

Level 2 Emergency First aid at work One day course with text book, ID card, Certification and buffet lunch

Please call us now for details.

Places are limited don’t miss out!

Tel 01204 772977

e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk

Safety Snippets | P3

Sn Saf ip ety pe ts

Do you assume that your staff will know how to respond if the fire alarm goes off?

If so, you might be deceiving yourself. What do you need to know?

Source: Indicator

P4 | Safety Snippets

Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503

Comply at Work

What to do in the event of a fire Wasted resources. Despite investment by businesses in sensible fire precautions such as alarm systems and extinguishers, this is being considerably undermined by a lack of instruction. Whilst well-rehearsed procedures are standard practice in some businesses, many others are doing nothing. In a recent survey, 47% of employees said they hadn’t been shown or told about the fire safety procedures at work.

Does this lack of instruction affect fire safety? When respondents were asked what they would do if they heard the fire alarm, 14% said they would have a look at what everyone else was doing and go with the flow; 11% said they would go into the corridor and investigate; and a further 5% said they would assume it was a false alarm and ignore it.

Not just staff. The survey also sought feedback from 500 managers who had formal responsibility for fire safety in their organisations. Nearly half of this group (47%) were unclear about their legal obligations. This figure explains the low level of fire awareness amongst employees.

Tip 1. If you’re a business owner, senior manager, director or premises manager, you must understand your own responsibilities for fire safety, i.e. ensure there is: (1) a fire risk assessment completed by a competent person; (2) an effective way of raising the alarm; (3) a safe means of escape; (4) adequate fire-fighting equipment; (5) a practised fire procedure; and (6) monitoring and maintenance of the fire safety measures.

Tip 2. Fire awareness training must be undertaken regularly by all staff (normally annually). This must include fire prevention, an understanding of the fire precautions in your building and a run through of the fire procedures.

Regular fire drills (usually every six months) will help to test and reinforce your procedures.

Avoid the associated risks by taking responsibility for fire safety including the provision of regular fire awareness training sessions and practice drills.

Please contact us if you require a fire risk assessment of fire safety awareness or Fire Marshall training. We can provide a competitive quote with no obligation.

e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk

Safety Snippets | P5

Sn Saf ip ety pe ts Use our online calculator to check that you are not overloading the sockets in your home or office: http://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/guides-and-advice/ electrical-items/overloading-sockets/

P6 | Safety Snippets

Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503

Comply at Work

Electrical Safety Overloading sockets Most people have extension leads in their homes, using 4-way bar adaptors to increase the number of appliances that they can plug into a wall socket.

However, although there is space to plug in four appliances, this does not mean it is always safe to do so.

You can avoid overloading sockets and risk of fire by following this simple advice:

• Check the current rating of the extension lead before plugging appliances into it.

Most are rated at 13 A, but some are rated at only 10 A or less - the rating should be clearly marked on the back or underside of the extension lead. If not, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions

• Consider having additional sockets installed if you regularly rely on extension leads and adaptors - and use a competent electrician to carry out the installation work

• Never overload an extension lead by plugging in appliances that together will exceed the maximum current rating stated for the extension lead. This could cause the plug in the wall socket to overheat and possibly cause a fire.

- a smell of hot plastic or burning near an appliance or socket

• Use our overload calculator (below) to check if you’re exceeding the maximum load • For an indication only of the current ratings of commonly-used domestic appliances check out our information about Amps and Watts • Only use one socket extension lead per socket and never plug an extension lead into another extension lead

• Check regularly for the following danger signs:

- sparks or smoke coming from a plug or appliance - blackness or scorch marks around a socket or plug, or on an appliance - damaged or frayed leads - coloured wire inside leads showing at the plug or anywhere else - melted plastic on appliance casings or leads - fuses that blow or circuit-breakers that operate for no obvious reason

• Use a multi-way bar extension lead rather than a block adaptor, as this will put less strain on the wall socket. Some block adaptors do not have a fuse, which increases the risk of overloading and fire

Source: Electrical Safety First e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk

Safety Snippets | P7

Sn Saf ip ety pe ts

Source: Indicator

P8 | Safety Snippets

Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503

Comply at Work

Workplace Transport The HSE has recently updated its guidance on Workplace transport.

This guide provides advice for employers on what they need to do to comply with the law and reduce risk. It is shorter and more streamlined than the previous edition and has been updated to take account of new advice on workplace transport safety and to reflect changes to relevant legislation.

Workplace Transport comes in various forms: fork lift trucks, dumper trucks, delivery vehicles etc. Simple precautions can reduce the risk of serious injuries, fatalities and damage to other plant, vehicles and equipment.

Check out the updated edition here: HSG136 – A guide to workplace transport safety (Third edition) http://tinyurl.com/k6u8zkk

e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk

Safety Snippets | P9

Comply at Work

spotlight

Welcome to our new Clients this month: Advanced Aesthetics Academy CLC Accountants and Business Advisors Eclipse Building & Electrical Services Ltd Engage People Ltd Fileturn Ltd Fortis HMS Ltd Glazerite Windows Ltd Heightvale Ltd Merseyside Care NHS Trust Perfect Confectionery Ltd Wallace Printers Ltd Westgate House Management Co Ltd

Comply at Work News • Tribune AVS, a recent retained client has succeeded in their CHAS accreditation and will be training their Director and safety lead Guy Burgess is on our next accredited Health and Safety course on 20 November.

• Our ‘full house’ of Emergency First Aid delegates all passed our course last month • Around 60 Delegates from Merseyside NHS Trust have now been trained to Level 2 Health and Safety • Bolton NDT have once again run a successful Responsible Welders course from our Training Centre • We are also pleased to announce that the Business Growth Hub have agreed for us to be a preferred supplier for venue hire and have booked several dates with us over the next few months. We are looking forward to working with the Hub and meeting many small and start-up businesses.

We will also be upgrading our Broadband to fibre optic 152 MB to give the fastest and very best connectivity to our clients.

• Finally, we have been in the News again; for all the right reasons! Please find the article here where you can see Sue Scott (Director) and Shaneal Collier (Office Manager) busy at work…finally thanks to the support from the advertisers who made this article possible. http://tinyurl.com/pn332dl

The Authority in Access Ladder Log Safety Inspection System

We thought that I would give you the heads up about the Ladder Exchange which starts on the 1st September and lasts until 31st December this year.

Ensure you meet current Working at Height (WAHR 2005) Ladderstore have been part of this great initiative for over 6 years and we give customers regulations with our adhesive 10% off any orders that are to replace damaged ladders. If customers are unsure about the stickers, tags, holders state of the ladder they can always contact us on 01204 590232and and webusiness can advise them or if it is a large number of ladders go out to check them. packs See the general details at http://www.ladderexchange.org.uk/

The Authority in Access

Services We Offer Ladder Log Safety Inspection System • • • •

Site Surveys for Bespoke Access EnsureTraining you meet current Ladder & PASMA Workingdesign at Height (WAHR 2005) Special Application regulations with our adhesive On Site Ladder Inspections stickers, tags, holders and business packs

Visit Ladderstore.com or call our team on 01204 590 232 Services We Offer • • • •

Site Surveys for Bespoke Access Ladder & PASMA Training Special Application design On Site Ladder Inspections

Visit Ladderstore.com or call our team on 01204 590 232

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COMPLY at WORK HEALTH & SAFETY CONSULTANCY AND TRAINING

adve r tise with us for unde r ÂŁ10 pe r month Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503 e-mail info@complyatwork.co.uk www.complyatwork.co.uk