vital.uk.com Sept2022 SAFETY NEWSLETTER
Contents Section Introduction Welcome SafetyMatters/HSQETeam CIRASreporting CIRASspeaktoAlexWilson,VitalSafetyAdvisor Hottopic HandArmVibrationSyndrome(HAVS) SilicaDust:cuttherisk HealthandWellbeing Samaritans:youareneveralone Driving Driverhealth Compliance Handbookupdates Environment Whattodoifyou'restrugglingtopayyour energybills Energysavingtips:howtosaveenergyathome Offices ExternalAlerts&Notices NRSafetyBulletinNRB2208BatteryFire SiemensFastFactsAlert DeVegLegInjury PortTalbot COLASRail OOCOperationalCloseCall SouthernShieldSafetyUpdate120822 Sept2022 Page3 Page4 Page5 Page6 Page7 Page8 Page9 Page10 Page11 Page12 Page13 14 Page15 Page16 Page17 Page18 Page19-20
Itwillbecolder havewarmerclothing availabletouse Itwillbewetter havewetweatherprotective clothingavailabletouse Thegroundwillbemoreslippery havegood conditionsafetyfootwear Itwillbedarker haveaheadtorchingood workingorder,andcleanPPE Therewillbemoretraffic plantoleavefor workearlier Therewillbemorepedestrianscrossingthe road drivemoreslowly Therewillbemorecyclists givecyclistsroom Areasnearschoolswillbebusywithcarsand pedestrians avoidareasaroundschoolsif possible Allfluidlevelsincludingwindscreenwasher fluidwiththelowersunlevels Tyretreadandpressurewiththemoreslippery conditions Vehiclelights,andkeeptheirsurfacesclean GroupDirector,Health,Safety,Qualityand EnvironmentalCompliance,GarethMorris WelcometoourSeptembernewsletter. Septembermarkstheendofsummerandthe gradualtransitionintoAutumntowardstheendof themonth Whilewewillmissthesummerweather,each seasonbringsusnewopportunities,occasions, andchallenges Likeallotheranimalsandplants,weadaptand prepareforthechangeofseasonsintoAutumn, andthensubsequentlyWinter Asseasonschange,weneedtothinkabouthow wewillprepareforthedifferenthazardsthe changingconditionswillpresent Also,inSeptemberchildrenwillreturntoschool aftertheirSummerbreak Ifyouuseavehicleitisimportanttocheck; Welcome 3 Takecareinthisnewseason, GarethMorris
MyIdea Howwouldyouimprove safety? Whatareyourideasfor innovation? Whatwouldyouchange? Tobeinwiththechance towith£100worthofgift vouchers,emailusyour ideasat: HSQE Team 4 HSEAdviserandSafetyUnit (North) JaneHepburn Manchester, Solutions,MiltonKeynes (North)Doncaster,Market RasenandBirmingham Jane.Hepburn@vital.uk.com 07717306797 HSEAdviserandSafetyUnit (South) AlexWilson Cardiff,Farnham, MiltonKeynes(South)and CanningTown AlexWilson@vitalukcom 07717306811 HSEAdviserandSafetyUnit KeithWright KeithWright@vitalukcom 07717306775 HSQEDirector GarethMorris,Morson International Manchester GarethMorris@morsoncom 07736657039 MYIDEA@VITAL.UK.COM FeaturesInclude: Simple Addtheinformationtotheform providedandsubmit Direct Allclosecallsreportedthrough theapparesentinstantlytoourHealth andSafetymailbox Photograph Uploadsupportingimages Offline Nonetworkconnectionrequired, usetheappanywhere Available to download NOW! Safety Matters The Close Call Reporting App Createdspecificallyforourworkforce;amulti platformmobileappthathasbeendesignedfor userstoensuretheycanreportaclosecallat anytimeandanyplace SafetyMatters
5 CIRAS-aconfidentialreportingservice CIRASisanorganisationofferingaconfidentialreportingservicewheresafetyconcernscanbe raised.Vitalsupportthisimportantservicethroughmembershipandactiveparticipation. CIRASpartnerswiththeGBmainlinerailwayindustryandhasseensignificantimprovementin safetyperformanceoverthepasttwodecades.Theirconfidentialreportingservicecutsacross organisationalboundariesandcontinuestobeanintegralpartofRail’ssafetymanagement system CIRASwilltakecallsonawiderangeofconcernsaffectingthehealth,wellbeingandsafetyof staff,passengersorthepublic Fromrulesnon complianceandequipmentissuesthroughto fatigue,securityandworkingconditions theseareallearlyindicatorsofpotentialharm The concernsraisedthroughthehotlineoftenhavecommonthemes,allowingtheindustryto benefitfromsharedlearningandgoodpractice Whyspeakingupmatters Ifyouseesomethingthatlooksunsafe,orthinkthewayyouorothersareworkingisunsafeor damagingtohealthorwellbeing,youhavetwochoices:dosomething,ordonothing Doingnothingisasmuchachoiceasdoingsomething-andweareallresponsiblefor thechoiceswemake. Byspeakingup,youaremakingsurethatcompaniesareawareofanyissuesandhaveallthe informationtheyneedtoaddressaconcern Youmightbetheonlypersonwhocanseethat thereisaproblem,soit’simportantnottoassumethatothersknowaboutitorhavespokenup Andwhenyoudon’twanttoraiseyourconcernsthroughotherchannels,CIRAScanpassthem onconfidentially Whatdopeoplereport? Exposuretofumesandpoorairquality Performingtaskswithouttherightcompetence Social distancingmeasuresnotfollowed Trainingnotsuitablefortherole Regulartrespass Worn out equipment ThesearejustafewexamplesofthingspeoplehaveraisedwithCIRAS Seetheir FrontlineMagazineformoreexamples Ifyouhavearailsafetyconcernthat youfeelunabletoraisewithyourown employer,callCIRASnowon: Reporthotline:08004101101 Reporttextline:07507285887 CIRAS’squarterlymagazine,Frontline Matters,isavailabletodownloadfor free clickhere CIRASreporting
Whatchallengesdoyouthinkpeoplefacewhenitcomestoreportinghealthandsafetyconcerns? Ibelievesomepeoplefeeltheywouldbecausingaproblembyraisinghealthandsafetyconcerns Wetryand overcomethisbyprovidingaphoneappwhichstaffcanusetoreporttousiftheywantto Wealsoworkhard toensureofficestaffandhealthandsafetyprofessionalsareapproachable,promotinga‘noblame’ environmentwherebysafetyconcernscanberaisedknowingtheywillbetakenseriouslyanddealtwith WhatvaluedoesCIRAShaveforyouatVital? CIRASisakeytoolinourhealthandsafetyarsenal Itshowsourcommitmenttostaffthat iftheyfeelthey cannotspeaktosomeonewithinthebusiness,wearemorethanhappy thatanyissuescanberesolvedamicablyandsafely WepromoteCIRAS talks
CIRASaskedAlexWilson,HSEAdvisorSouthatVitalHumanResources,toshareaviewofhisworldfor them. Alex’sroleinvolvesworkingwithfrontlinestaffdayindayout,tohelpkeepthemsafe Sowhatdotoday’shealth andsafetychallengeslooklikefromhisperspective?Andwhatdoeshethinkmakesiteasierforpeopleto speakup?Here'swhathesaid Whatdoesadayinyourlifelooklike?
Whatdoyouseeasthebiggesthealthandsafetychallengesfacingyourbusiness? Therailwayindustryhasalwaysbeenaveryfluidplaceofworkwithnewinnovationsandworkingpractices beingimplementedregularly Oneofthechallengesistostayabreastofthesechangessowecaneducate andassistthoseoutontrack Thisweachievethroughtoolboxtalks,newsletters,onsitesafetyconversations andbriefings
Gettingouttooperativesworkingacrossdispersedandremotelocationscanalsobedifficult Idriveoneof Vital'sSafetyUnits,whichletsmebriefstaffoutonsiteincomfortusingthreeinbuilttelevisionscreensfor presentationsandvideos Externalcanopiesandaspeakersystemallowmetointeractwithmoreoperatives atalocation,reducingthenumberofbriefingsessionsweneed,soeachonecantakeabitlonger Thisgives meandouroperativesmoretimetodebatetopics.
Aworkingdayornightinmylifeisverymuch‘bootsontheground’ Ienjoymeetingotherswithinourbusiness whoareworkingonthefrontlineoftherailindustry With29yearsinrail,Icanrelatetotheissuesthatthestaff haveandcanhelpthemworksaferandmoreefficiently Ifindmyexperiencemakesiteasierforstafftofeel theycanapproachmewithanyissuestheyhave
CIRASspeaktoAlexWilson, VitalSafetyAdvisor 6
Didyouknow? HandArmVibration Syndromeiscausedby REPEATEDUSEofvibrating toolsoveraperiodoftime ItcancauseIRREVERSIBLE DAMAGEtoapersonshands andbeseverelydisabling NetworkRailandVital adherestoalllegislationto PROTECTTHEHEALTHofits workersfromtheeffectsof vibration HandArmVibrationSyndrome (HAVS) 7 Whatcanyoudo? ALWAYSusetherighttoolsforthejob Whenpossible,AVOIDusingvibrating toolsaltogether Checktoolstomakesuretheyare WORKINGPROPERLYandhavebeen maintained KeepyourhandsWARMandDRYin coldweather LearntospottheEARLYsignsand REPORTthemtoyourmanagerassoon aspossible SYMPTOMS Lossofsensitivity Numbnessortinglingoffingers Lossofstrengthinhands Fingersmaygowhite,especially incoldweather Paininhandsorwrists
Howissilicadustdangerous?
Silicadustiscreatedwhenthe‘crystallinesilica’inmaterialssuchasstone,mortarortilesisbrokendownand released Ithappenswhenyoudrill,saw,cut,grindorsandtheproducts orworkontheminanywaythat disturbsthenaturalsilicacontent Ithappenswhenyoudrill,sawcut,grindorsandtheproductsorworkon theminanywaythatdisturbsthenaturalsilicacontent Dealingwithballastonarailtrackorsweepingupafter ataskhasbeenfinishedcanleaveunhealthydustintheair
Silicadustcanbeharmfulifyoubreatheitin Don'tbefooledbytheword"dust" Silicadustwon'tjustmakeyou
sneezeandcoughlikeabitofnormaldustinyourhouse Itcanbedeadly Silicadustparticlesareverysmall andcangetdeepintoyourlungsandstaythereinflamingthemandcausingserioushealthproblemsinsome people,includingchronicobstructivepulmonarydisease,silicosisandcancer Reducetherisk Ensureyoureceiveafullbriefingdetailingthehazardsandrisks Donotputyourselfinthedangerzone ifyou donotneedtobethere,donotentertheworkarea Alwayswearthecorrectface/dustmaskandensureyouhavebeenfacefittested Washyourhandsthoroughlybeforeeatinganddrinking Yourfoodcouldbecomecontaminated Reportanyissueyouhaveonsitetothesupervisor.Ifyouthinkitisunsafe raiseaCloseCall 8 SilicaDust:cuttherisk SILICADUSTISONEOF THEWORLD’SMOST SIGNIFICANTCAUSESOF OCCUPATIONALDISEASE FINDOUTMOREwww.notimetolose.org.uk/networkrail
Whatissilicadust?
Silicaisallaroundus it'sinstone,bricks,concrete,ballastandmanyothercommonmaterials evensome plasticcomposites Undisturbedsilicaissafe,butifyouworkonmaterialsthatcontainsilica,you'llbemaking dangeroussilicadust ResearchsuggeststhatinBritain,nearly800peopledieayearfromlungcancercausedbybreathinginsilica dustatwork IntheEuropeanUnion,around7,000casesoflungcancerarecausedbythiscarcinogen annually Worldwide,it’sestimatedthatmillionsofemployeesareexposedtosilicadust
Thereareallsortsofreasonswhyyoumaybefindingithardtocope Oftenit’sduetoacombinationofthings
Callanytime,dayor night 116123 Sendanemail jo@samaritans.org
Beproudofwhatyou’regoodat,aswellasawareofwhatyoustrugglewith Payattentiontowhatyou’refeeling.
Experiencing'brainfog',findithardtothinkclearly Findingithardtoconcentrate Feelingrestlessandagitated
Maybeyoucan'tquiteputyourfingeronit,butyou’renotfeelingokay.Youmightbefeelingtiredmore often,befeelingemotional,andyoumightnotwanttodothethingsthatyouusuallyenjoyrightnow. Strugglingtocopewitheverydaylifedoesn’tlookorfeelthesameineveryone.
Perhapsyou'regoingthrough:
Notwantingtodothingsyouusuallyenjoy Usingalcoholordrugstocopewithfeelings Findingithardtocopewitheverydaythingsandtasks
SAMARITANS
Thesefeelingsmaynotlastforever
Source:Samaritans Samaritans:youare neveralone
Identifytriggersituations
Lackingenergyorfeelingtired Feelingexhaustedallthetime
Therearelotsofthingsyoucandotohelpyourself
Experiencing'burnout' relationshipandfamilyproblems loss,includinglossofafriendorafamilymemberthroughbereavement financialworries job relatedstress collegeorstudy relatedstress worryaboutcurrentevents lonelinessandisolation,orstrugglingwithself isolation depression painfuland/ordisablingphysicalillness
Everyonefeelslowatsomepointintheirlivesandifyou’restrugglingtocopeitmaybedifficulttoseebeyondyour currentsituation Talkingabouthowyou’refeelingcanhelpputthingsintoperspectiveandhelpyoutofeelmore positiveaboutthefuture
Ifyou’vestoppeddoingthingsyouusuallylove,you’retearful,noteatingorsleepingproperly,driftingfrompeople closetoyou,takingalcoholordrugstocopeorself harming,thentalktous,orsomeoneyoutrust
It'sokay.It'scommontofeelthisway. You’renotaloneinfeelinglikethis Manypeoplestruggletocopeatonepointoranotherandgoingthrougharange ofemotionsduringthistimeiscommon.YoucancontactSamaritansanytimeyoulikeoryoumightalsowantto speaktosomeoneelseyoutrustlikeafamilymember,yourGPorarrangetoseeacounsellor Youareneveralone
Feelingtearful,wantingtocryallthetime Notwantingtotalktoorbewithpeople
heavyuseofordependencyonalcoholorotherdrugs thoughtsofsuicide
Maketimeforyourself,relaxanddothingsyouenjoy Eathealthily;getplentyofsleepandexercise Spendtimewithpeopleyoulove Talkaboutyourproblemswithpeopleyoutrust
Signstolookoutfor
Whenpeoplearegoingthroughatoughtimetheyoftenexperiencenegativethoughtsaboutthemselvesandfeel theyhaveno onetoturnto Evenifyoudonthavefamilyorfriendscloseby,youareneveralone Samaritans volunteersarethereforyoueverydayoftheyear,roundtheclock
Aperson'sfitnesstodrivecanbeaffectedbyamedicalcondition, temporaryillness,substancessuchasalcoholandbytheenviron whichtheywork,driveandlive.
ROSPA'sadvicehighlights thefactorsthatcanmakesomeoneunfittodriveandtheimportanceof assessingyourfitnesstoundertakeajourney
Thesetypesofcrashesareabout50%morelikelytoresultindeathorse injuryastheytendtobehighspeedimpactsbecauseadriverwhohas asleepcannotbrakeorswervetoavoidorreducetheimpact. Sleepinessincreasesreactiontime(acriticalelementofsafedriving) It reducesvigilance,alertnessandconcentrationsothattheabilitytoperf attention basedactivities(suchasdriving)isimpaired
Thespeedatw informationisprocessedisalsoreducedbysleepiness
Crashescausedbytireddriversaremostlikelytohappen: Eyesight Goodeyesightisvitalforsafedriving Driversandmotorcyclistsmustbe readastandardnumberplatefromadistanceof20metres(or205m oldstylenumberplate)wearingcorrectivelensesifrequired Youmustwearglassesorcontactlenseseverytimeyoudriveifyounee tomeetthe‘standardsofvisionfordriving’ Althougheyesightoftengetsworseaswegrowolder,peoplecandevelo rangeofeyesightconditionsatanyage GlaucomaandCataractarep themostwellknownconditions,butdiabetesandotherage relateddise leftunidentifiedanduntreated,canalsoaffectvisionseriouslyenoughto preventsaferoaduse Thegeneralrecommendationistohaveaneyesightcheckeverytwoye moreoftenifyouropticianrecommendsit Thiswillhelptomakesureyo theminimumeyesightstandardsfordrivingandwillusuallyidentifythe ofcommoneyesightconditionsearlyastheydevelop Ifyouhaveanynewmedicalconditions,pleasemakeyourbranchawar theycanactaccordingly 10 10
Healthimpairments,suchasstress,sleepdisturbance,migraine,flu,seve andhayfevercanleadtounsafedriving
Driverhealth
Thequalityofde makingmayalsobeaffected
Fatigueandroadaccidents
Itisclearthatdriversareawarewhentheyarefeelingsleepy,andsoma consciousdecisionaboutwhethertocontinuedrivingortostopforares bethatthosewhopersistindrivingunderestimatetheriskofactuallyfal asleepwhiledriving Oritmaybethatsomedriverschoosetoignorethe (inthewaythatdrinkdriversdo)
onlongjourneysonmonotonousroads,suchasmotorways between2amand6am between2pmand4pm(especiallyaftereating,ortakingevenonea drink)
afterhavinglesssleepthannormal afterdrinkingalcohol iftakingmedicinesthatcausedrowsiness afterlongworkinghoursoronjourneyshomeafterlongshifts,espec nightshifts
Sometimes,thetreatmentfort conditionscanalsoimpairsomeone’sdriving
Driverfatigueisaseriousproblemresultinginmanythousandsofroad accidentseachyear Itisnotpossibletocalculatetheexactnumberofs relatedaccidentsbutresearchshowsthatdriverfatiguemaybeacontr factorinupto20%ofroadaccidents,anduptoonequarteroffataland accidents
SummaryOfChanges
Section7hasbeenrewrittentogiveamorecompletesetofinstructions
ThishandbookisforthosepersonnelwhoneedtogoontheoperationalrailwayinanDCelectrifiedareato carryouttheirduties
Thefollowinghandbooks cameintoforce4thJune 2022 11
SummaryOfChanges
InadditiontoliveCRE,theruleshavealsobeenchangedwhererelevantthroughoutthehandbooktostatethat theyalsoapplytothedangerfromliveshoegearandassociatedexposedlivetrain mountedequipment whichcanalsoposeanelectricalrisk
Theruleshavebeenchangedtomakeclearthatactivitiesortaskscanbeundertakenwithin275metre(9 feet)ofliveoverheadlineequipment(OLE)aslongasthereisamethodstatementorcompanyinstruction,all precautionstomanagedangerfromliveOLE,pantographsorassociatedroof mountedelectricalequipment areinplaceandthoseinthemethodstatementarebeingcarriedout InadditiontoliveOLE,theruleshavebeenchangedwhererelevantthroughoutthehandbooktosaythatthey alsoapplytothedangerfromlivepantographsorassociatedroof mountedelectricalequipmentwhichcan alsoposeanelectricalrisk
ThetitleofSection33hasbeenamendedasthewordingoftherulealreadyexplainsthatreportsarenot alwaysmadetotheECO,butthroughthesignaller
Theruleshavebeenchangedtoextendthedistancethataperson,oranythingbeingcarried,cancomewithin liveconductorrailequipment(CRE)to15m(5feet)buttomakeclearthatactivitiesortaskscanbecarried outwithinthis15metre(5feet)dimensionifthereisamethodstatementorelectricalriskassessment,all specifiedprecautionstomanagedangerfromliveCRE,shoegearandassociatedexposedlivetrain mounted equipmentareinplaceandtheprecautionsinthemethodstatementorcompanyinstructionsarebeing carriedout
Section31hasbeenchangedtostatethatifitisnecessarytoaccessatrainroofortoworknearroof mountedelectricalequipment,theoverheadlinepermitissuedtotheCOSSorSWLmustalsostatethatalltrain andlocomotivepantographsandroof mountedequipmenthavebeenisolatedandearthed
Section32hasbeenamendedtostatefirstthetypeofdefectsthatmustbereportedtothesignallerand thosewhichmustbethenreportedtotheECO
GERT8000-HB16Issue5
DCelectrifiedlines
ThishandbookisforthosepersonnelwhoneedtogoontheoperationalrailwayinanACelectrifiedareato carryouttheirduties
ACelectrifiedlines
Ifyouhaveanyqueriespleaseemailvital.compliance@vital.uk.com 10
Section7hasbeenretitledandexpandedtoprovideafullerexplanationoftheprecautionsthatmustbein placebeforeattemptingtorescueaperson,whomaybeatriskfrompantographsorassociatedroof mountedelectricalequipmentaswellastheOLE GERT8000-HB17Issue4
Paymentreductions
We'recheckingwithothersuppliersandwill updateherewhenweknowmore
It'llbeaddedascredittoyouraccount,soyoushouldseethisaddedtoyourbillsoverthis period Smartprepaymentcustomers
You'llgetthegrantautomatically,asadeductiononyourmonthlypayment, orasarefundintoyourbankaccountshortlyafteryourdirectdebitpaymentistakeneachmonth BritishGas, EDFandOvo/SSEhaveallconfirmedthey'llissuerefundsasopposedtoreducingyourmonthlypayment,while BulbandShellEnergysaytheywillreducemonthlypayments
You'llgetthegrantautomaticallyascreditapplieddirectlytoyourmeterinthe firstweekofeachmonth Traditionalprepaymentcustomers
However,sinceitwasannounced,predictionsforthepricecapfromOctoberhave increasedevenmore meaningthe£400won'thaveasmuchofanimpactiftheyriseasmuchasexpected Formost,thegrantwillbeautomatic,paidbyyoursupplierbetweenOctober2022andMarch2023 However, thoseonnon smartprepaymentmeterswillhavetotakeactiontogetthemoney
Forthesecustomers,thegrantISN'Tautomatic youhavetoredeemitto getit
Almostallhouseholdstoget£400thiswintertohelpwithrisingenergybills
by casebasis,butimportantly,repaymentmustbebasedonyour abilitytopay Sogetintouchwithyoursupplierassoonaspossible
OneofthemeasuresannouncedbackinMayaspartoftheGovernment's'costoflivingsupport'packagewas thatallhouseholdsinEngland,ScotlandandWaleswillgeta£400energygrant Allhouseholdswithadomestic electricitymeterwillgetit
Source:www.moneysavingexpert.com
Whattodoifyou'restruggling topayyourenergybills 12
Monthlydirectdebitcustomers
Moretimetopay Accesstohardshipfunds
Afullpaymentplanreview
Crucially,theGovernmenthassaidyou'llhavethreemonthstoredeemeachvoucher andifyoulosethem ortheyexpire,theycanonlybereissuedupuntil31March2023
Standardcreditcustomers
You'llneedtoensureyoursupplierhasup to datecontactdetailsforyouasyourmoneywillbesentas sixseparatevouchersviatext,emailorpost whichyou'llneedtoredeembytoppingupyourelectricity meterasnormalinashoporpostoffice
Ifyou'refallingbehindwithyourenergybills,andfindingyourselfstrugglingtopay,thebestthingtodoiscontact yoursupplierassoonaspossible UnderrulesfromregulatorOfgem,yoursupplierhastohelpyou usuallyby negotiatingapaymentplanthatyoucanafford
Therearearangeofoptionssupplierscouldofferifyou'restruggling,including:
Thisincludesthosewhopaybycash,cardorchequeafterreceivingamonthlyor quarterlybill.You'llgetthepaymentautomatically inthefirstweekofeachmonthbetweenOctober2022 andMarch2023
Whathelpyoucangetisdecidedonacase
Howit'spaiddependson howyoupayforyourenergy: Youwon'tgetthisifyou'reinNorthernIreland,buttheGovernmenthassaiditwilldeliverequivalentsupport we'll updatethiswhenweknowmore
Soyoucouldmissoutifyoudon'tactto redeemallofthemintime
Affordabledebtrepaymentplans
Energypricesarealreadyatall-timehighs,andtheenergypricecapispredictedtoriseagainby82% inOctober.Thiswillleavemanyfacingthestarkchoicebetweenheatingandeating.Whilethe Governmenthasannouncedasupportpackage,massiveincreasestothepredictedpricecapsince meanmoreisneeded.Inthemeantime,thisguidetakesyouthroughallthehelpavailablerightnowif you 'restruggling.
It'llcomeassixseparate payments £67inOctoberandNovember,then£66fortheremainingfourmonths
Paymentbreaks
Itreckonsyou couldsave£21ayeardoingthis Turndraughtdetective Walkroundyourhomespotting windowanddoordraughts
Energysavingtips: Howtosaveenergyathome 13
Ofcourse,itmight causesomeargumentswithfamily,flatmatesorfussy pets,buttheWorldHealthOrganisationsaysthat18 degreesisenoughforhealthyadults,withslightly highertemperaturesneededfortheveryoldoryoung Soconsiderpoppingonajumperathomeandseeing whattemperatureyourhouseholdiscomfortableat
Decentdraught proofing cancut2%offenergybills,soabout£39ayearon averageforatypicalhome
Thesefiguresarelargelybasedoncalculationsfrom theEnergySavingTrust,butMSEhavealsocrunched thenumberswherepossibletochecktheyaddup andupdatedthemtoreflectthecurrentpricecap (savingsarebasedonatypicalthree-bedroom householdwithafamilyoffour,correctasofAugust 2022).Source:MoneySavingExpert
Cuttingjustaminuteoffyour showertimecouldsave£115ayearinenergybills,and afurther£105ayearinwaterbillsifyouhaveameter £220ayearforanaveragefour personhousehold Try buyingashowertimertokeepyoureyeontheball(or justsetanalarmonyourphone)
Turnyourthermostatdown Thisisoneoftheeasiest thingstodoonthislist Foreachdegreeyoucutthe thermostat,expecttocutbillsby4% ish,orabout£78a yearonaverageforatypicalhome
There'snoshortageoffreewater savinggadgets availablefromwaterfirms Whatyoucangetdepends onwhereyouliveandvariesthroughouttheyear see freewater savinggadgetsforwhat'savailableand howtogetthem Andifyou'renotonawatermeter, youcangetonefittedforfreeinEnglandandWales Some especiallyinhomeswithfewerresidentsthan bedrooms cansavelarge Youcanuseawater metercalculatortoseeifyoucansave Don'tassumeallenergy savinglightbulbsareequal LEDusesabouthalftheenergyofthebigger fluorescentspiral'energy savingbulbs' Obviously turningthemoffwhenyou'renotintheroomhelpstoo
Therewillbeaninitialoutlay,butyoushouldrecoupit fairlyquickly Someworrythatconstantlyturninglights onandoffwastesenergybut,accordingtotheEnergy SavingTrust,you'rebetteroffturningthemoffwhenyou leavetheroom,nomatterhowlongfor
Fitafreewater savingshowerhead Reducingyour waterusagecancutbillsforthoseonwatermeters, helptheenvironment,andreduceenergycoststoo,as whenyouuselesswater,youusuallyheatlesswater.
Thisappliestochimneys too,whereyoucangeta15% ishfurtherreduction Again,thisissubjecttoaninitialoutlay,butyouwill makeitbackovertime Cutyourshowertime
Youcouldalsotrydoingyourwashingona coldersetting Bywashingyourclothesat30degrees,youcouldsave£43ayear,leadingtoa£58overall saving Think'HowmanycuppasamImaking?'Themorewateryouboil,themoreenergyyouuse Beconscious aboutthiswhenfillingthekettle,soyoudon'toverfill
Manyapplianceshavemodeswhichmakethemoperateat differentspeeds,temperaturesandlevelsofpower
Thesavingsaren'thuge,around£15ayear formodernmachines,butcanbemuchmorewitholdones
theboilerwillstillbeontoheatother rooms,butitwilluselessenergy
Formostappliances,'eco'modemeansoperatingatalowerspeed,and often,heat It'sfrequentlyanoptiononwashingmachinesanddishwashers
Installingthemandusingthemwithyourthermostatallowsyoutocontrol thetemperatureroombyroom,andcouldsaveyoualmost6%,soabout£118ayearonaverageforatypical home,althoughaninitialoutlayisneeded Use'eco'modeonapplianceswherepossible
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Whenthetemperatureinthatroomrisesabovewhat'ssetonthe radiatorvalve,itwillstopwaterflowingthroughthatparticularradiator
Often,theyhavean'eco'mode,whichismarketedas beingmoreenvironmentallyfriendly
Trytodoonefewerloadofwashingaweekandmakesureyoufillupthemachineeachtime Nomore washingjustoneshirtordressthatyouneedforabignightout
Simple,buteffective,withasavingof£12ayearpossible Don'tleaveyourdevicesonstandby
Usingthesemodeswilluseless energy,insomecasesevenlessthanwashingonashortcycle,andthereforewillsaveyoumoneyonyour energybills Fillthedishwasherup Itmightbetemptingtorunyourdishwasherwhenit'sonlypartiallyfull,justtogetyour stuffclean,butit'sanextremelyinefficientwaytouseenergy Ifyouwaittillit'sfull,youcanmanageoneless runofthemachineaweek AccordingtotheEnergySavingTrust,reducingyourdishwasherusebyoneruna weekcouldsave£21annually Obviously,it'sbesttonotusethedishwasheratallifyoucanavoidit,butwe knowtimeandenergyareprecious. Avoidusingthetumbledryer Youcouldsavebyavoidingusingthetumbledryerwherepossible,asitusesa lotofenergy TheEnergySavingTrustreckonsyoucouldsave£92ayearifyouneveruseit Trydryingyour clothesonanairer,butmakesureyouleaveawindowopen,asitcancausedampinpoorlyventilated homes Inthewarmersummermonths,ifyou'veagardenorbalcony,drythemoutside Usethemicrowaveinsteadoftheoven Ifyoucanuseyourmicrowaveinsteadoftheoventocookcertain foods,do Theyuselessenergythanovensbecausetheyonlyheatthefood,nottheairaroundit Totakethe exampleofajacketpotato,wecalculatedthatcookingitinthemicrowaveuses25%oftheenergyittakesto cookitintheoven
Switchingoffyourdevicesisbetterthanleavingthemonstandby,of course,asotherwiseyou'reusingenergyforsomethingyou'renotmakinguseof Useradiatorthermostats..Don'theatthewholehousewhenyou'respendingalldayinoneroom.Thermostatic radiatorvalvesareanextracontrolwhichyoucanusetosetthetemperatureofeachindividualroom(other thanwhereyourmainthermostatis)
OfficeLocations 15 Abercynon T:01443809950 E:Abercynon@vitalukcom G16/17TyCynon, NavigationPark, Abercynon, CF454SN Bellshill T:01698840950 E:BellshillRail@vitalukcom 10JamesStreet, RigheadIndustrialEstate, Bellshill,Lanarkshire ML43LU Doncaster T:01302244450 E:Doncasterrail@vital.uk.com FirstFloorOffices, CarrHouse, HeavensWalk, Doncaster, DN45HZ Farnham T:01252964020 E:Farnham@vital.uk.com Unit10, GuildfordRoadTradingEstate, Farnham, Surrey, GU99PZ Manchester(HeadOffice) T:01618367000 E:HeadOffice@vitalukcom TheMill, SouthHallStreet, offOrdsallLane, Salford,Manchester, M54TP London T:02039635080 E:CanningTown@vitalukcom Unit10, CanningTownBusinessPark, StephensonStreet, London, E164SA MarketRasen T:01302308080 E:MarketRasen@vitalukcom Unit2, GallamoreLaneInd Estate, MarketRasen, LN83HZ Derby T:01332982470 E:Derby@vital.uk.com GroundFloor,Room30Derwent CaxtorHouse, RTCBusinessPark, Derby, DE248UP Crewe T:01270906130 E:Crewe@vitalukcom Office2TheDairy, CreweHallFarm,OldPark Road, Crewe, Cheshire, CW15UE Cardiff T:02920839955 E:Cardiff@vitalukcom TheLaurels, HeolYRhosog, SpringmeadowsBusinessPark, Rumney, Cardiff, CF32EW Newcastle T:01913000433 E:Newcastle@vitalukcom Spaceworks, BentonParkRoad, NewcastleuponTyne, Tyne&Wear, NE77LX Birmingham T:01218093010 E:birminghamrail@vitalukcom OfficeG08FirstFloor, FairgateHouse, 205KingsRoad, Tyseley, Birmingham, B112AA
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Safety Newsletter vital.uk.comSept2022
