What are the main hazards and controls associated with handling equipment?

Please also refer to other relevant sections, notably Manual Handling and Safety of Vehicles in the Workplace.

Wherever possible mechanical aids should be used to reduce risks associated with manual handling injury. Such equipment may be divided into two types; (i) devices that are pedestrian powered and (ii) those that are mechanically powered. As with manual handling, operations can be split into four groups (TILE): Read More

How can I effectively manage and control the safety of vehicles in the workplace?

Driver error is often a key factor in vehicle accidents. Many incidents result from reversing manoeuvres and excessive speed. Whether due to error or irresponsibility, poor driving frequently compounds hazards involving vehicle operations in the workplace. These can be divided into four groups: Read More

What is ‘COSHH’, What ar the main risks arising from hazardous substances and how should I control them?

When we refer to hazardous substances, we are talking about either chemical agents, (which exist as liquids, gases, vapours, mists, fumes or dusts) or biological agents (fungi, bacteria or viruses).

The CHIP 3 (Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations) deal with how substances should be classified and how hazard information should be communicated to users via safety data sheets. These regulations also require that all chemicals supplied are assessed as to whether they are inherently dangerous and if so that a ‘Category of danger’ is identified and a ‘Risk phrase’ or description of the hazard allocated. ‘Categories of danger’ define substances, for example, as ‘TOXIC’, ‘CORROSIVE’ or ‘IRRITANT’ which in turn dictate the type of square orange labels that appear on packaging. Read More

What precautions should I take to safeguard employees working in cold environments?

Working in cold environments fairly obviously presents very different hazards to those encountered in the ‘normal’ workplace, the most obvious of which are frostbite and hypothermia. Perhaps the most significant issue is that of maintaining body temperature within normal tolerances whilst preserving sufficient manual dexterity and general body movement to allow the work task to be completed safely. However care should also be taken with regard to hazards which may be less obvious such as slips caused by ice build-up and the risk of entrapment within cold rooms – there should be an easily operable and highly visible door release mechanism that is insulated from the cold area and thus protected from the risk of malfunction due to the build up of ice. Read More

What should I do to protect the safety of young workers?

Firstly it helps to know exactly who we are talking about and how safety law defines children and young people.

A Young Person is anyone under 18 years of age.

A Child is anyone who has not yet reached the official age at which they may leave school, just before or just after their 16th birthday – often referred to as the Minimum School Leaving Age. Read More