Safety Matters. September Safe by choice.not by chance

Transcription

1 Safety Matters September 2014 Safe by choice.not by chance

2 Welcome Welcome to the first edition of Safety Matters. This publication will be produced on a monthly basis as a means to keep you and your teams up to date with the main issues that affect health and safety in the areas where you work. Where relevant other issues relating to the environment, quality and training will also be included. The information contained within this publication can then be used during any monthly meetings or briefings to ensure that a consistent message is delivered throughout the company. I am sure that you will find the information contained within this publication of use and will assist with the cascade of information and the collection of any useful feedback. Paul Hobbs Managing Director Safety Performance August Accident Frequency Rate No Reportable Accidents or Incidents Minor Accidents 16/8/14 Lee Station An operative crushed their finger between a heavy duty breaker and an adjacent wall 18/8/14 Totnes An operative caught their thumb in a clamp during a lifting operation which twisted their thumb. Near Misses 3/8/14 Minor Works Wales A possession irregularity occurred when a track trolley was placed on the line outside of the protection limits. 12/8/14 National Grid Site A delivery lorry drove over a cable trough damaging the lid of the trough 14/8/14 Gatwick Staff Car Park The feed hose to the bitumen sprayer worked loose spraying bitumen over an operative. 27/8/14 Heathrow Winter Resilience A runway sweeper dropped into a gap on the low loader whilst being loaded. Oxford Canal Bridge Near Miss On the 1 st August 2014 a Dyer & Butler Site Agent narrowly missed being struck by a train as he crossed the track in order to obtain some photographs of a bridge that he was planning to work on. In crossing the track the Site Agent moved from a separated green zone onto an open line (red zone) without implementing suitable safe system of work. All staff must remember that D&B staff are not permitted to work open line (i.e. a red zone) without having gained prior permission to do so from a Director. D&B staff are not permitted to cross an open line, unless an authorised crossing point is used (i.e. foot / level crossing). All works must be properly planned to ensure that a valid and effective safe system of work is produced by using the On-Trac service that has been procured by D&B. 20/8/14 Totnes An operative was struck on the head by a section of reinforcement bar that fell whilst being moved. 30/8/14 Southampton Airport An operative pulled his back whilst moving a set of tower lights Safe by choice.not by chance

3 HAVS Exceedances We are experiencing a large number of HAV s exceedances and during August 2014, there were a total of 15 cases where our employees exceeded the daily HAVS exposure limit. The highest exposure limit breach was 186 points. The normal daily HAVS exposure limits for all D&B activities is 80 Points In extreme circumstances, this exposure limit can be extended up to a daily HAVS exposure limit of 320 points but this limit must be pre-approved by the SHEQ Manager. All cases of HAVS exceedance will be monitored by the SHEQ Advisors and Line Managers and where an exceedance is identified the following action will be taken. Breaches between 80 and 100 points A verbal reminder will be provided to the individual which will be logged by the SHEQ Advisor or Line Manager. Breaches over 100 points A formal toolbox talk will be given to the individual which will be logged by the SHEQ Advisor and recorded on their training and personnel record. All personnel must use Reactec meters when using vibrating equipment. Reverse Parking Policy The company has now adopted a reverse parking policy as research has shown that drivers are more aware of their surroundings when entering a car park and that it is then safer to move off in a forwards direction. Thank you for your continued efforts to implement this policy Planning and Delivery of Safe Work (PDSW) Network Rail is to progress with changes relating to the planning and delivery of safe works (PDSW). This will have an effect on all D&B personnel that hold a COSS, ES, Planner or Responsible Manager competency As part of the changes (Planned for Spring 2015) the majority of COSS s will need to undertake an additional 5 days training to become a Safe Works Leader (SWL) Level 1. A SWL 1 will only be permitted to manage one worksite and will not be allowed to delegate their authority to any other person. Those who are currently ES s will become a Safe Works Leader (SWL) Level 2. A SWL 2 will be permitted to manage more complex worksites where more than one operation is being carried out. For the more complex jobs, a Safe Works Manager will be appointed who is able to manage and co-ordinate multiple operations and worksites. SWL s and SWM s must also be included in the planning process for all worksites. As part of the changes, a new electronic permitting system will also be introduced which will form part of the safe system of work. The details of how this training will be rolled out and how the changes will affect the company are still being assessed. D&B has provided the training details of all personnel that require training to Network Rail and are awaiting further details of how the training and changes will be rolled out. These details will be formally briefed out when they have been confirmed. A presentation (entitled PDSW Update September 2014) which provides an update in relation to how these changes will be managed has been uploaded into workspace. This is available within the Information Zone under the Health, Safety and Environment Reference Material Pool. Safe by choice.not by chance

4 Lifesaving Rules Update 2014 Network Rail has amended the Lifesaving Rules. The main changes to the Lifesavings rules are as follows There are now 10 Lifesaving Rules. The leading theme of the Lifesaving Rules has been renamed Working Responsibly. This is designed to put the theme of taking personal responsibility for implementing the rules at the heart of the every organisations safety culture. The rules affecting the use of plans and permits and the use of equipment that is fit for purpose have been moved into the Working Responsibly section to allow them to have universal relevance to all works situations. The use of hands free devices whilst driving has also now been prohibited to reinforce the current prohibition on the use and programming of hand held, and other mobile devices whilst driving. A revised copy of the Lifesaving Rules poster is available within the Rail CMS pool on Workspace. Please ensure that this information is displayed and briefed out to all staff and contractors on site. All breaches of the Lifesaving Rules must be reported to the SHEQ Team by using the internal D&B reporting cards which are available at all sites and offices NDS becomes NSC For some time now all accidents, incidents and operational close calls that have occurred on Network Rail Managed Infrastructure have been reported to the NDS 24:7 reporting line. The term NDS is now changing to NSC which stands for National Supply Chain. Nothing else has changed and the service can still be contacted on the following number NSC 24: Overhead Lines Test Before Touch One of the Network Rail Lifesaving Rules is the requirement to Test Before Touch before carrying out any work which may involve coming into contact with any electrical conductors that have been isolated (i.e. Conductor Rails and Overhead Lines). During 2014, D&B provided Seaward Live Line Testers to all COSS s in line with a package of training that was mandated by Network Rail which allowed them to test the state of the conductor rail before putting people to work near it. Unfortunately, although equipment is available to test overhead lines, no formal training package has been issued to allow people to carry out this test. Therefore until Network Rail have decided the policy and competency requirements to allow for COSS s to test the state of an overhead line, D&B staff are not permitted to engage in overhead line testing activities and the operations of the persons managing the isolation should be relied upon. If possible, it is a good idea to witness this testing before accepting the overhead line permit where possible. Safe by choice.not by chance

5 Scaffolding Hand-back Procedures A potentially serious incident took place on the D&B bridge painting site at Albert Road in Bristol recently where a section of scaffolding was left foul of the track after the completion of the day s works. DABBS Feedback During August 222 DABBS observations took place throughout the company and in total 621 acts were observed. 33 of these acts were reported as unsafe. The main cause of unsafe acts throughout the company during August were as follows Working at Height Failing to provide safe access to places of work at height and the failure to provide suitable measure to protect against falls from height. Traffic Management Stepping outside of the supplied protection measures and the planning of impractical traffic management measures COSHH Compliance Failure to provide a valid COSHH assessment whilst using a harmful chemicals. The scaffolding had been erected without the knowledge of the Site Agent and due to changes in the scaffolding team throughout the day, the scaffolders forgot that the section of scaffolding needed to be dismantled to allow for the track to be cleared and handed back. The scaffolding remained in place and during the evening, the driver of the first train that used the line spotted the obstruction and bought the train to a stop before striking the scaffolding. Luckily, the line is a slow speed, low volume track which feeds into a good yard. The matter was immediately reported and dealt with by D&B staff on site. This incident has highlighted a number of issues in relation to the control and co-ordination of scaffolding works. All scaffolding operations are to be agreed with the D&B Site Team and should be confirmed as part of the Form 005 process. Un-authorised adaptions to scaffolding is not permitted and all adaptions must be approved. Please pay close attention to these issues during all future works. Weekly Inspections and Capturing Man-hours One of the indicators of how effective our safety culture is at Dyer & Butler is referred to as our Accident Frequency Rate (AFR). This is calculated by using a defined formula which considers the number of reportable accidents in relation to the number of hours worked. Currently the AFR for D&B is well below the industry average at The AFR is frequently used to prove to other parties (i.e. Clients and prospective clients) how good our safety systems are. Because man-hours are an integral part of this calculation, it is vitally important that we capture all of the man-hours worked on site. This should be carried out during the weekly inspections that are carried out by the Site Agents. Please ensure that you complete your manhour totals as part of your weekly site inspections. Safe by choice.not by chance

6 Revised Street Works Code of Practice A revised Safety at Street Works and Road Works Code of Practice (or Red Book) has been issued which contains updated advice for those who carry out work in the public highway. The contents of the new book come into force on the 1 st October 2014 and it is important that all D&B staff are working to the new standards by this date. Workspace New Document Management System (DMS) Go Live! As of the 1 st October 2014, the new Document Management System or DMS will go live on Workspace. This will mean that the Information Zone will have a new look and feel as well as having improved functionality and search options. All Workspace users have received training in the new system and it is hoped that the training combined with the benefits of the new system will further improve the company s use of Workspace. Please also remember that all of the company procedures, forms and guidance notes that are to be used on site, must be obtained from the Company Management System pool or (CMS) within Workspace. Safe by choice.not by chance

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