16 September 2010

Safe Maintenance - a new campaign from the HSE

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a ‘Safe Maintenance Campaign’ in partnership with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) as part of the ‘Healthy Workplaces European campaign’.

This campaign aims to promote safe and healthy workplaces by encouraging staff and employers to produce a structured protocol to approach workplace maintenance. This will definitely be valuable; according to the HSE, 25 – 30 per cent of manufacturing industry fatalities in Britain are related to maintenance activities.

Maintenance doesn’t just include machinery. It embraces the whole workplace, its structures, equipment, furniture and facilities. Regular checks and planned maintenance will prevent sudden or unexpected failure that can often lead to injuries or even fatalities.
Preventative or proactive maintenance, which includes periodic checks and planned repairs, is the opposite of corrective action or reactive maintenance once an equipment failure has occurred – and the HSE findings show that this is usually more hazardous than scheduled maintenance.

In May 2010, the HSE prosecuted 27 companies or individuals who were found guilty and fined for a total of 32 breaches. Six of these prosecutions were maintenance or cleaning activity related. One of the case studies was for a property maintenance firm employee falling from a ladder while at work. Over the same month in the north east of England, 13 companies or individuals were served with enforcement notices (a total of 19 notices).

Among the cases looked at was a company which received an improvement notice for failure to have isolation or lock-out procedures; and a builder who received a prohibition notice for unsafe work while conducting minor repairs to a roof.

All print companies have roofs machinery that would be made safe during maintenance or repair using a protocol for isolation and lock-off procedures. And many printers have ladders available in the workplace.

Major areas of concern are:
•    Disturbing asbestos – do you know where asbestos may be lurking on your premises?
•    Falls from height – maintenance of the roof, guttering, window cleaners, builders and raised sections of machinery and plant equipment. Have you asked the contractor for his risk assessments and method statements before work commences? It is too late when a member of your staff is in the ambulance after being struck by an item falling from above.
•    Isolation and lock-out procedures – do you use them? As you may be aware, safe interventions is a HSE focus point within the print industry.
•    Permits for work are essential to ensure that maintenance work will be conducted safely, and contractors should have a sound safety record.

The HSE has produced a Safe Maintenance Healthcheck booklet. For full details and checklist download click here to visit the HSE website  or call your local BPIF HS&E Adviser.