18 October 2010

HSE still to target the Print Sector

The Print and Print Packaging sector reports on average one thousand RIDDOR incidents to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Local Authorities every year. During 2008/09 this fell to approximately 788 reportable incidents. The incidents and the data gathered from the type of incidents reported, allows the regulator to identify the significant problems that the industry is experiencing.

The HSE have been focusing on the industry for the last four years or so, and much more is still needed to drive down commonly reported issues. Therefore, the regulator and its field inspectors will continue to visit printing companies for the foreseeable future. This operation will be delivered by general inspectors, occupational health inspectors and compliance officers.  

The industry was very pleased to have achieved zero for workplace deaths back in 2001 up until 2003/04, when an incident happened involving a person working at height. The individual fell through a fragile roof and died from his injuries. Over recent years the industry death rate increased thus sparking a reaction within the HSE for further proactive inspections. One of the common denominators in the workplace fatal incidents investigated was the issue of operatives' carrying out ‘machine interventions’ during maintenance work and retrieval of miss-feeds, etc. This type of activity can expose the operative to the ‘danger zone’ of equipment, as previously reported in Inprint Issue 19.

So, what are the areas that the regulator will be focussing on when he or she visits your premises?

Using the HSE data, slips and trips are still on their hit list. This is an issue within most industries within the UK, but in the print sector, this accounts for approximately 24% of reported incidents during 2008/09. Therefore, the management of slips and trips continues to be a national campaign programme.

Machine safety and safe interventions is next on the list.  With an increase of these types of incidents such as poor or removed guards, access to danger points, etc., the inspector will be looking at machine safety such as suitable guarding and interlocked systems, which have not been tampered with and the interaction between the operatives or the maintenance engineer, when carrying out intervention activities. These range from make ready, removal of miss-feeds, general maintenance and breakdown maintenance. All such activities should be covered within the risk assessment process with the introduction of isolate and lock off procedures where possible.

Manual handling incidents have reduced over recent years, but more can be done and therefore, it is still a focus area with approximately 27% of reported during the 2008/09. This type of injury is vastly under-reported within the print industry and the inspector, during his/her tour, will be looking for good evidence of mechanical lifting aids, such as telescopic pallet trucks, sack barrows and other suitable lifting aids to reduce the risk of a musculoskeletal injury. This will extend to finishing areas whereby inspectors will be looking for evidence of job rotation of high risk upper limb activities, which are greatly undermined when looking at staff activities. Therefore, it would be advisable to look at this area, if applicable to your business, and undertake a few assessments by using the HSE ’ART tool’ (Assessment for Repetitive Tasks), which was recently introduced as another assessment tool by the HSE - it may just tick the last box with the inspector! 

Dermatitis is still an issue within the industry. Although we are now able to purchase and use less harmful inks and chemicals, there are still the defatting agents out there (known as irritants) and the HSE data still highlights this as a focus area for the industry. In fact, BPIF H,S&E advisers frequently identify from their visits to printers, poor use of gloves, incorrect gloves being used, for example, doubling glove techniques being used. All this is coupled with poor maintenance and storage of gloves when not being used by the operative. It is also quite common to find as much contamination inside the glove as there is on the outside! Therefore, good management of PPE and education to operatives on preventative measures is imperative. Why not reissue the operatives with the HSE guidance booklet, ‘Preventing Contact Dermatitis at Work’? It is also prudent to issue operatives with suitable pre and after work creams, to help preserve and replenish natural skin oils.

Workplace transport - this issue is not just aimed at the printing industry, but a generic problem for a large number of sectors within the UK. Incidents involving pedestrians and site vehicle activity, such as reversing Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV), Commercial Vans and Forklift Truck (FLT) movement are usually recorded and reported as ‘major’ reportable incidents under RIDDOR Regulations (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) to the regulating authority. However, at times these incidents have been recorded as workplace fatalities. Therefore, the regulator will be looking for the employer to segregate pedestrians and vehicles where reasonably practicable, for example, ensuring that the site has arrangements in place for the safe movement of people and vehicles, that site traffic is controlled and reversing of vehicles reduced to a minimum, where possible; FLTs are maintained and inspected frequently, the vehicle’s ignition keys are removed when the unit is not in use, commonly known as a key management system and that drivers of site vehicles are trained and competent to use them correctly. 

Our last area to be focussed upon is the Working at Height activity. Many printing companies feel that The Working at Height Regulations 2005 do not apply to their business, as it is perceived that this is solely aimed at the construction industry. The regulations were introduced to tackle all working at height problems in all sectors and are required to be adhered to if the task in question could present a risk of an injury, if that person undertaking the task was to fall from a height or from an unprotected edge (into a pit/excavation), where an injury could be sustained.

Therefore, printing organisations that allow staff to use ladders and other equipment that allow staff to gain height, for example, accessing stored articles on racking, fall into the requirements and should be assessing such tasks through the risk assessment approach. The inspector, on their tour of your premises, will be looking for ladders and if spotted will be asking questions about the management of them! Management systems comprise of only permitting authorised persons to use them, so therefore having ladders secured to a wall or a structure when not in use (by chain and padlock), having an inspection regime of the working at height equipment and having only competent persons using them. This should all be supported with the relevant documentation as one would expect, site policy, risk assessment and a safe system of work.

If you require any further advice on the above focus areas, please contact your regional BPIF health, safety and environmental adviser.

Simon Lunken, BPIF Head of Health and Safety