… we don’t have accidents

*It will never happen to me…

Jayne Hayward

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*The ostrich syndrome

*“I’ve been doing this job for over thirty years and I’ve never had an accident”

*“If we put everything in place that we’re supposed to we’d never get the job done”

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*Why do we feel this way?*No accidents may lead to ‘false sense of

security’*Under-reporting*‘we are safe’ mindset*Lack of knowledge about the risks ….

We don’t need SMS because we don’t have accidents

COMPLACENCY

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*All it takes is a moment in time…Case study - Guard interlockingSUMMARY An employee severed his arm in a rotary valve to which access had been gained through a hatch. He had been trying to clear a blockage.

The crop had blocked the cyclone causing the line to shut down. He opened the access door in cyclone to clear wet product, which wasn't dropping correctly onto conveyor. Instructed by the shift supervisor he then opened another lower inspection hatch.

He was somehow grabbed by the conveyor. As he tried to put his arm out to grab the edge of the hatch, he missed and his arm went into valve. As a result his arm was severed below the elbow including two fingers across top of hand - arm put back on and two fingers plus thumb.

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immediate causes: the agent of injury or ill health e.g.• the blade• the substance• the dust etc.

underlying causes: unsafe acts and unsafe conditions e.g.• the guard removed • the ventilation

switched off etc.

root causes: the failure from which all other failings grow (often remote in time and space from the adverse event e.g. • failure to identify

training needs and assess competence• low priority given to risk

assessment etc.• Lack of

maintenance/inspection

The Domino Theory

Source: HSE/HSG45

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Man slipping on a patch of oil

Inadequate health and safety management

Management not being committed to health and safety

Inadequatemaintenance Inadequate

housekeeping Lack of

supervision and monitoring

Accident investigation Source: HSE/HSG45

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*Cost of accidents

FinancialCriminal/Civil litigationDamage to equipmentLoss of personnel/skill-setHidden costsDowntimeTime for the investigationIncreased insurance costsDecreased morale of workforceNegative publicity

LegalCriminal proceedingsCivil law suits

Moral(human costs)Injured partyPhysical injuryLoss of livelihoodSocial life affectedCompanyStress of dealing with aftermathStress over potential litigation

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Key annual figures 2011/12173 fatalities

111K RIDDOR reportable injuries

1.1m work-related illness

212K over-3-day absence injuries occurred (LFS)

27 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury

Workplace injuries and ill health (excluding cancer) costs to society an estimated £13.4 billion in 2010/11

Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/

£1 insured costs

£8 > £36 Hidden/

uninsurable costs

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Andrew Pursey aged 21 yearsAndrew used the spike of the fore end loader to bring a large, half ton bag of fertiliser from the storage barn and then positioned it behind the fertiliser spreader at the rear end of the main vehicle. The spreader tractor was parked with its engine off but Andrew left the engine running on the other vehicle and did not put the handbrake on. He then went between the two vehicles to slit the fertiliser bag. He had his back to the older vehicle and because the yard was on a concrete slope it crept forward, gathered speed and crushed him between the two vehicles. His mobile telephone was in the spreader tractor cab and he could not summon help.

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*Prevention is better than cure

The cost of ‘putting things right’ far outweigh the cost of preventing an incident from happening in the first

placeSafety Management SystemsPro-active management

Trained personnelHorizon scanning

Effective communicationEmployee involvement in decision

making

Positive safety cultureRewarding safe practiceDisciplinary procedures

Safety meetings / tool-box talks

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DOCUMENTATION

QUESTIONSOBSERVATIONS

Pro-active

management

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*Drivers for pro-active risk

management• Compensation claims• Perception of stakeholders• Adverse publicity• Loss of business• Fee for Intervention

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*Fee for intervention

• In operation from 1st October 2012• Brought in as an incentive to operate within the Law

• Focus on high risk organisations• HSE charge £124 per hour for inspections/investigation

where there is found to be a ‘material breach’

Exceptions• Self-employed – except S3• Does not apply to Companies regulated by a LA, also;• licensable work with asbestos (for licence holders)• work activities involving biological agents at specified containment

levels

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*Material breach

‘A material breach is when, in the opinion of the HSE inspector, there is or has been a contravention of health and safety law that requires them to issue notice in writing of that opinion to the duty-holder’

Guidance available on HSE website HSE47

(Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hse47.pdf)

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*Mitigating the impact of workplace

accidents• Policy and procedures for managing incidents

• Trained personnel / allocated duties• Appropriate level of First Aid cover – early intervention• First Aiders trained in specific occupational risks e.g. hazardous

chemicals• De-fibrillators available

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*Changes to First Aid

Guidance applies from 1st October 2013 (currently in draft form)The requirement for HSE to approve the training and qualifications of appointed first-aid personnel to be removedTraining Providers will be required to meet certain standards set by HSE

Legal requirement for employers to ensure they have an adequate number of suitably trained first aiders (or appointed

persons) in accordance with their first aid needs assessment remains unchanged

Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l74draft.pdf

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*Changes to RIDDOR

ReportingPreviously reported injuries that subsequently result in a fatality are reportable under RIDDOR by telephoning the incident contact centre (ICC) or by submitting a duplicate form online…

Increase in period from over 3 consecutive days lost-time injury to over 7 consecutive days

Details of over 3 day injuries (listed in the Regulations) must still be formally recorded

CONSULTATIVE DOCUMENT Proposals to simplify/clarify RIDDOR reporting requirements (CD243)

6th April 2012

Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l73.pdf

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*Discussion points……