Health and safety.
Technical principles
Safe working practices
Health and safety
Health and safety is everyone’s responsibility and employers have a duty of care to ensure that procedures are implemented to keep employees safe, and to prevent them from being harmed or becoming ill through work.
Safe working practices
Employers should ensure the following:
• The workplace is safe and free from risks to health (such as use of extraction systems to remove harmful dust or fumes).
• Welfare facilities such as first aid are provided.
• Dangerous items and substances are used and stored safely, and removed from use if necessary.
• Training, information and adequate supervision are provided as necessary.
• Personal protective equipment (PPE) is provided.
• Machinery has guards in place, is safe to use, maintained and in good working order.
• Appropriate safety signage is provided.
• Accident reporting systems are in place, RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, 2013).
Employees should ensure they:
• take reasonable care for their own health and safety, as well as that of those in the vicinity
• use the personal protective equipment (PPE) provided
• use machinery in accordance with the given training instructions
• report any accidents, near miss or dangerous event.
Employers must comply with specific legislation to protect employees in the manufacturing industry.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a national independent watchdog for work-related health, safety and illness.
• The HSE helps companies and employers to meet health and safety obligations.
• They produce guidance documents and investigate accidents in the workplace.
Health and Safety at Work Act (1974)
• The Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) is the main piece of legislation for British health and safety law.
• To comply, all employers must ensure (so far as is reasonably practicable) that all employees and visitors to the workplace are protected in terms of health, safety and welfare.
• Compliance includes assessing risks and adopting appropriate safety measures to provide a safe environment for product manufacture.
Key terms
Health and Safety Executive (HSE): a national independent watchdog for work-related health, safety and illness.
Health and Safety at Work Act (1974): the main piece of legislation for British health and safety law.
Exam tip
Make sure that you know the specific act or legislation and describe its purpose.
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations (2002)
• To comply with Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations (COSHH) employers need to prevent, reduce or control their workers’ exposure, as well as any workers in the vicinity, to substances that may be hazardous or cause ill health.
• Hazardous substances include:
○ paints, varnishes, cleaning agents and adhesives that may be used during work
○ fumes that may be created as a result of a process such as soldering or brazing
○ airborne particles such as dust created by cutting or sanding timber.
• Hazardous substances will usually show a symbol that meets the classification labelling and packaging (CLP) regulations.
• The CLP hazard pictograms in Figure 23.1 allow easy identification of a hazard as corrosive, flammable, toxic, etc.
Key term
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations (2002): legislation to prevent, reduce or control people’s exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace.
Safe working practices
These are primarily the same for schools, colleges and industry; they all serve to keep the person doing the work, as well as those in the vicinity, safe and free from harm.
Table 23.1 General guidelines to keep people safe and free from harm
• Do not operate any machinery or equipment unless you have been trained in its use.
• PPE must be worn when using machinery.
• All guards and safety measures should be utilised.
• Work areas should be kept neat, clean and free of hazards. Spillages should be reported.
• All persons must be aware of the emergency procedures, such as fire evacuation routes, locations of fire extinguishers, emergency stops, etc.
• Walkways should be kept clear and free from trip hazards.
• If a person becomes ill or injured or in the event of an accident, this should be reported to a supervisor/teacher.
In a school these guidelines may be produced as workshop safety rules.
In industry there may be additional measures in place. For example:
• Where there is movement of goods around a factory floor, there may be designated safe zones or walkways that must be kept free from machinery.
• Forklift trucks or vehicles will usually be fitted with a flashing light and/or reverse signal alarm to alert those near the vehicle movements.
• Job rotation may also be used so that workers are not at risk of repetitive strain injury (RSI) or injury caused by a lapse in concentration from doing the same task with no variation.
Safety precautions
• These refer to any action carried out in advance that protects against a possible danger or injury.
• For example, when sanding wood on a disc sander, the safety precautions would include wearing eye protection and the use of a dust extraction system.
Figure 23.1 CLP hazard pictograms
Acute toxicity, Very toxic (fatal), Toxic, etc.
Gases under pressure
Harmful skin irritation, serious eye irritation
Flammable gases
Explosive, self reactive, organic peroxide
Harmful to the environment
Oxidising gases, oxidising liquids, oxidising solids
Respiratory sensitiser, mutagen, carcinogen, reproductive toxicity, systemic target organ toxicity, aspiration hazard
Corrosive (causes severe skin burns and eye damage), serious eye damage
• Safety precautions include the use of signage such as that shown in Figures 23.2 and 23.3.
Figure 23.2 Prohibiting an action likely to cause danger
Smoking and naked flames forbidden
Figure 23.3 Warning of a danger or hazard
Industrial vehicles
Key terms
Safety precautions: any action carried out in advance that protects against a possible danger or injury.
Risk assessment: a statutory process that considers what might cause harm to people and what reasonable steps might be taken to prevent that harm.
Hazard: anything that could cause someone harm.
Risk assessment
• An employer is required to carry these out by law. They should be recorded in any establishment where there are five or more employees.
• The risk assessment must consider what might cause harm to people, and if reasonable steps are being taken to prevent that harm.
• Not all risks can be eliminated, but the employer must take all reasonably practicable measures to identify potential hazards and minimise the risk.
• Risk assessments must be reviewed regularly by the employer.
Table 23.2 An example of a basic risk assessment for a manufacturing process
Process
Cutting wood on a band saw
Hazard(s)
Cut risk
Inhalation of wood dust particles
Particles in the eye
Potential harm
The machine operator
Persons in the immediate vicinity
Risk and control measure
Risk level is medium
Provide training prior to machine use
Provide access to machine operating manual
Provision of machine guards and push sticks
Use of dust extraction system during machine operation
Good ventilation in the workplace
Provision of eye goggles
Post safety signs on machine and in vicinity
Mark out a safe zone around the machine that only the operator can enter
Review date
The risk assessment would be signed and dated by the person assessing the risk. The 6- or 12-month review date would also be noted.
Exam practice from my notes
COSHH QUESTION
COSHH regulations protect workers in manufacturing environments by ensuring hazardous substances are identified and controlled to reduce risks to health. Employers must first identify hazards such as toxic fumes, dust, solvents, adhesives, paints or chemicals that could cause breathing problems, burns, skin irritation or long-term illnesses.
A COSHH risk assessment is then carried out to determine how workers may be exposed and what control measures are needed to prevent harm. For example, in a workshop using spray paints or adhesives, extraction and ventilation systems may be installed to remove harmful fumes from the air.
COSHH also requires employers to provide suitable personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, goggles and respirators to reduce direct contact with hazardous substances. Workers handling corrosive chemicals may wear chemical-resistant gloves and eye protection to prevent burns or injuries.
The regulations ensure that control measures are maintained and used correctly. Ventilation systems and extraction equipment must be regularly inspected to make sure they remain effective. Hazardous substances must also be stored safely in labelled containers to reduce accidental exposure.
Employers must provide training and information so workers understand the risks associated with substances and know the correct handling procedures. Safety data sheets and warning labels help employees use chemicals safely and respond correctly in emergencies such as spills or leaks.
Coshh regulations protect workers in manufacturing environments by ensuring hazardous substances are identified and controled to reduce health risk. Employers must first identify hazard eg toxic fumes dust solvents that can hause health problems such as burns skin conditions and illness. A risk sesessment must be carried out to determine how workers may be exposed and what control measures need to be put in place eg ventilation, extraction, and coshh requires employees understand risks associated with these harmful substances and recieve proper training and ppe such as gloves, aprons, to minimise risk
COSHH may also require health monitoring and emergency procedures. Workers exposed to dust or fumes over long periods may undergo health surveillance to detect illnesses early, while emergency plans ensure quick action can be taken in the event of accidental exposure.
Product safety for consumers
Safety in products and services to the customer (REVISED)
• Designers and manufacturers need to consider the safety of the potential user of their product, and should ensure that the product is safe to use.
• To help protect the user, many products have specific legislation and standards that specify certain requirements that the product must meet.
• These include suitable safety levels and the right for consumers to get their money back if goods are found to be faulty or do not perform as the manufacturer claims.
Legislation
Consumer Rights Act 2015
Legislation designed to safeguard consumers from faulty products by giving them certain rights. The act includes rights on the purchase of digital content, combines legislation from other previous acts and replaces the Sale of Goods Act (1979).
The act is split into three parts:
• Part 1 concerns consumer contracts for goods, digital content and services.
• Part 2 concerns unfair terms.
• Part 3 concerns other miscellaneous provisions such as letting agencies.
Parts 1 and 2 cover areas such as:
Part 1 – Consumer contracts for goods, digital content and services
• Goods to be of satisfactory quality
• Goods to be fit for particular purpose
• Goods to be as described and to match a model seen or examined
• Right to reject goods and right to repair or replacement
• Digital content including paid and free software
• Digital content to be of satisfactory quality
• Digital content to be fit for particular purpose
• Digital content to be as described
• Compensation for damage to device or to other digital content
• Remedy for damage to device or to other digital content
Part 2 – Unfair terms
• Requirement for contract terms and notices to be fair for any goods or service
• Requirement for transparency of fees and services
The British Standards Institute (BSI)
• The BSI works with industry and government to produce a set of standards to assure consumers that products are well produced, safe and fit for purpose.
• A standard is a published document that shows an agreed way of doing something, and provides an assurance of consistently reliable and safe products.
• The BSI kitemark is a quality mark.
• It is used on hundreds of products from cycle helmets to children’s toys, manhole covers to electric plug casings.
Typical mistake
Don’t be too general when discussing standards or legislation. For example writing ‘safety standards help prevent people getting ill at work’ may be better written: ‘The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations (2002) mean employers need to prevent, reduce or control their workers’ exposure, as well as that of any workers in the vicinity, to substances that may be hazardous or cause ill health.’
Figure 23.4 The BSI kitemark
Safety of toys
Manufacturers of children’s toys must comply with the provisions of the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011, which are part of the European Toy Safety Directive as well as British Standards BS EN 71.
Toy manufacturers must:
• make sure that the toy has been designed and manufactured to comply with the essential safety requirements during its normal period of use
• carry out a safety assessment of the toy
• demonstrate that an applicable conformity assessment procedure has been followed and affix the CE (Conformité Européenne) marking
• make sure that the toy is accompanied by instructions for safe use and safety information where appropriate
• carry out sample testing of toys and bring non-conforming toys into compliance
• investigate and record any complaint made in relation to the toy, and keep a register of complaints, non-compliant toys and recalled toys
• draw up the technical documentation and keep it for ten years
• identify the toy and manufacturer on the toy or packaging.
Lion Mark
• The British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) developed the Lion Mark in 1988 to show consumers that a toy had been made with quality and safety in mind.
• The Lion Mark indicates that the toy has been made by members of the BTHA, who adhere to a code of practice that includes rules covering the ethical and safe manufacture of toys, a ban on any counterfeit goods, a commitment to improving sustainability and a desire to promote the value of all play.
Advice to consumers
When buying products, consumers should ensure they are buying from a reputable trader, reading and following any specific safety advice contained in the product details or instruction manual. In the event of any fault consumers should contact the supplier.