Tag Archives: regulations

General Safety Issues

CONSTRUCTION SAFETY – HAS IT IMPROVED? (GUEST POST)

The construction industry has been under close speculation over the past 10 years, more so than any other industry, due to the high number of workplace fatalities and serious injuries. But has this close watch and the ever tightening reigns on regulations had any effect on the construction fatalities?

The latest figures released by the HSE for 2011/2012 show 49 people were killed within this period, the statistics falling only by 1 from 2010/2011, although this is a vast improvement on the figures ten years previous, with 105 workplace deaths within the construction industry in 2000/2001.

There are vast signs of improvement for the number of workplace deaths, however the construction industry still holds the highest number of deaths above all other sectors; with 33 deaths in agricultural and only 5 in the waste industry (2012).

It is the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) who govern the legislation to prevent work place injuries and fatalities, and they have worked hard over the past 10 years to bring down the numbers within construction.

One piece of legislation that has had a massive impact on the way health and safety is carried out on construction projects is the revision to the Construction, Design and Management Regulations 2007. The original CDM regulations were introduced in 1994, however were revised in 2007 to ‘make it easier for those involved with construction projects to comply with their health and safety duties.’ – cdm-regulations-uk

The HSE stresses that the regulations were brought in; not to create more paperwork but to place emphasis on management and planning to help reduce the number of fatalities and serious workplace injuries within construction.

Under the revised Regulations the responsibilities are now placed on all those who are involved with the planning and implementation of the construction project. Mainly; duties are placed on the client, the designers and contractors, with more authority given to the CDM coordinator. It is hoped by placing more responsibility and liability on each of these roles that each will conform to the safety standard, to avoid the serious penalties, and thus reducing the number of work place deaths.

The HSE hopes to continue to bring the number of fatalities down within the construction industry over the next few years, by policing projects in accordance with the CDM Regulations, penalizing those who are not complying and rewarding those who are.

This has meant a complete overhaul in the way many companies carry out their projects and site work. CDM management is becoming an industry norm, rather than considered additional paperwork.

Companies are now adding CDM management in to the running of their day-to-day business, ‘our machinery installation and plant and equipment removal services vary from a single plant installation or 1 day lifting programme through to a complete CDM managed industrial site relocation.’ – ainscoughvanguard.co.uk  

It’s fair to say, safety within the construction industry has improved drastically over the past ten years; however the number of deaths within the industry is still not acceptable, especially in comparison with alternative sectors. In the future the HSE, clients, designers, contractors and CDM coordinators are going to have to work together to help reduce these numbers to zero.

About the Author:

Michael Carr can be found at https://plus.google.com/111142938178449829465/posts?hl=en-GB&partnerid=gplp0

General Safety Issues

TRUCKING ACCIDENT AND LIABILITY OF THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY (GUEST POST)

If you have been victimized in a truck accident, you will have a chance at obtaining compensation for the injuries and damages that you have suffered because of the fault of another individual. However, in order to receive compensation, you will have to go through the legal battle of winning a personal injury lawsuit against the responsible party. 

Before you think about going through with filing the suit, you would first need to determine who and what caused the accident. Liability plays a huge role in these types of lawsuits and liability cannot be proven until the accident cause has been pinned down. 

Proving liability in truck accidents can be tricky. Various parties may be involved in these types of accidents and more than one party may be responsible for causing it. In order to determine cause and liability, you would need to have some level of industry know-how. 

As far as studies show, the number of trucking accidents has increased by 20% over the past 20 years. The Federal Motor carrier Safety Administration or FMCSA states that in 2002 alone, around 4,897 people lost lives and around 130,000 individuals received serious injuries in accidents that involved collisions between large trucks and passenger vehicles. Though trucking accidents account for only 3% of the injuries caused by motor vehicle accidents, these types of accidents are capable of causing a lot more damage and harm than any other traffic accident. 

The trucking industry is highly regulated by the federal laws. Certain standards have been set by these laws, and the truck drivers, trucking companies, truck owners and leasing companies must adhere to these regulations. You can learn more about these laws and regulations from the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49. Agencies like Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) are responsible for regulating the trucking industry.

 As far as truck accidents are concerned, a web of players may be involved and anyone may be liable for causing the accident. Some of the parties that are generally held responsible are truck driver, truck owner, the truck leasing company, the manufacturer of the various parts of the vehicle and the loader or the shipper of the truck’s cargo.    

Get in touch with the Texas truck accident attorneys if you are looking to file a truck accident lawsuit. Your lawyer will be well versed in the trucking laws and regulations and he/she will be able to guide you through the legal maze of filing and winning the suit. 

Author Bio: Rob Baptist is expertise in injury laws. In his career he defended many accident cases. In this article he shares his experiences about the role of Texas truck accident attorney.

 

 

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General Safety Issues, Head Protection, Respiratory Safety

Construction Health and Safety: Working in Confined Spaces (Guest Post)

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In the UK, the construction and maintenance industries remain consistently one of the largest employers, with the current figures showing that over 2 million people work in this industry every day. However, it is one of the most hazardous places to work, with construction workers facing a variety of risks and dangers as they carry out their tasks on a daily basis.  Therefore, without the correct education, training and awareness, working in this environment can be potentially dangerous. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the authority which lays down the health and safety law in the UK, gives regulations on a variety of construction areas to make sure that workers’ wellbeing and health is looked after properly by their employers.

When working in the construction and maintenance industry you may be faced with working in a confined space – especially if you work on the docks, or in the sewage or mining industries. In January of 1998, the Confined Spaces Regulation came into force in the UK, which set out the legislation surrounding Health and Safety in these circumstances.

The HSE gives the following definition of a “confined space”: any place, including chamber, tank, vat, silo, pit, trench, pipe sewer, flue, well or other similar space in which, by virtue of its enclosed nature, there arises a reasonably foreseeable specified risk (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1997/1713/regulation/1/made). Due to the nature of the environment, it can be very dangerous to work in as there are many volatile characteristics to a confined space, for example, lack of oxygen, presence of gas or fumes, liquids which can suddenly rise in level or free flowing solids. With these risks present, there is no wonder that the HSE has a specific guidelines regarding working in a confined space.

The legislation states that every employer or self-employed person must ensure compliance with the regulations and the only way to do this is to make sure that those working in the environment understand the regulations and can recognise the risks involved in work of this nature. The issue with a large company is that you may not always be present to oversee the work, which is why a good education for your staff members is crucial – this is where construction training comes into the fray.

The confined space training course is one which is popular in the construction training category. On average, there are 15 fatalities each year following work in a confined space, and by ensuring that the HSE regulations are abided by, and that each and every worker, manager and supervisor is aware of their duties and how they should work this figure can hopefully be reduced.

A Construction Training Confined Space Course allows employers to ensure they are working within legislation guidelines, ensuring that their staff are trained in the risks which they may face when working in this environment. The courses are thorough and cover all elements from the definition of a confined space, to safe systems of work, how to identify hazards to safety equipment and form emergency procedures to access. You’ll usually find that there will be a short test at the end of the training session which is proof that you have digested and understood the information given to you.  It is also worth noting that there are different courses for the varying staff levels – from worker all the way up to site supervisors, as each has a different type of responsibility when working onsite.

Bio: Rebecca Field is writing on behalf of Britannia Safety and Training, a company offering construction training near Norwich in Norfolk, UK. Their industry experienced experts and purpose built training facility are designed to make your construction training course experience the best you can wish for. Visit their website here: http://www.britanniaits.com/  to find out more.

Thanks, Rebecca, for sharing this important information with us.  OSHA also has the same description and regulations for persons workin in confined spaces.  There should always be someone present watching workers in case of emergency, and those workers should have the proper personal protective equipment, such as respirators, hardhats, and other safety items. 

General Safety Issues

NEW ADA STANDARDS FOR SWIMMING POOLS

Probably not too many of us are using swimming pools now, unless they are heated, but this guest article will give many persons something to look forward to next spring.

New ADA Standards for Swimming Pools

The following information was sent to us by Guest Author, Jeffrey Cross, SEO/SEM Specialist at PoolCorp.  It refers to new regulations regarding public swimming pools’ access arrangements according to the Americans with Disabilities Act.  We appreciate this news, which comes into effect in 2012.


Affected Facilities

Those affected are commercial swimming pools that are state and local government owned facilities, parks and recreation departments, state run schools and universities, as well as hotels, health clubs, private schools and community centers. Private residences, apartments and condominiums are not affected unless they sell memberships to the public or actively rent out their units to the public similar to a hotel. Nature made swimming locations like beaches, lakes, and rivers are not affected.

Means of Access

The newly adopted regulations define five permitted means of access for swimming pools. Primary means of access include swimming pool lifts and sloped entries. Secondary means of access include transfer walls, transfer systems, and accessible pool stairs.  Access requirements differ depending on the size of the swimming pool. For large pools with over 300 linear feet of pool wall, two means of access are required. One of these required means must be a primary access. For smaller pools with under 300 linear feet of pool wall, at least one means of access must be provided, and it must be primary.

Tax Credits

Tax credits are also available for adapting to the new regulations. If a facility has annual revenue under $1 million or has fewer than 30 employees, it can receive a tax credit up to $5000 to help offset the cost of the accessibility modifications.

Resources

 

Jeff Cross, SEO/SEM Specialist

POOLCORP, 109 Northpark Blvd., Covington, LA 70433

Note: Thank you, Jeff, for this information.  Many persons who could not access a swimming pool, either public, or at hotels, can now look forward to the same recreation that others enjoy.  Those who have or have had family members or friends who are disabled know the many obstacles they must overcome, and this will be one less.