The Department of Energy and Climate Change authorities have publicly declared their intention to install smart meters (smart electricity meters and smart gas meters) into every UK home by the end of 2020. The ambitious initiative will see similar commitment to developing smart meter technology within UK businesses - as the government has agreed to contribute 6 million pounds to companies investing in smart meter technologies, particularly smart meters that methodically store electricity and gas.

Lord Hunt, the UK’s Energy Minister, has said in a recent statement:
“Smart meters will put the power in people’s hands, enabling us all to control how much energy we use, cut emissions and cut bills.”

Lord Hunt also provided telling insights into the future development of smart meters that include:

“Globally the business of developing smart grids has been estimated at 27 billion pounds over the next 5 years”

And expressed with great confidence that he believes the UK has the know-how to be part of this revolution.

If you’re not familiar with smart meter technologies, smart meters can be seen as a first step towards creating “smart grids” where consumers and businesses can adjust electricity use to benefit from cheaper energy at times of low-demand.

Whilst smart meters are technologically more sophisticated than ordinary display metres (which simply read the total amount of electricity or gas used since it was installed), they can also be rented from a specialist company.

The advantage of renting a smart metre is that the company who installs the metre can manage the process of setting up an account and producing reports that give businesses a comprehensive insight into areas where they’re wasting energy. This, in turn, can help manage their energy consumption more effectively, save money and take a responsible stance with regards to climate change.

Man has used asbestos for centuries. However, it is over the last 100 or so years that its use has been widespread – an estimated 500,000 buildings in the UK still contain asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) within their fabric.

The dangers of asbestos have long been known. First commercially mined in Canada, in 1879, it had been added to a list of dangerous dusts by the UK and French governments by the early 1900s and in 1918 one insurance company, recognising the connection between asbestos and lung disease, refused to provide life cover to asbestos workers. It wasn’t, however, until 1993 when most insurance companies removed asbestos cover from their public liability policies.

The health risks associated with exposure to asbestos include asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. These diseases have relatively long latency periods of between 15 – 40 years and the problems created in the recent past will continue to have a significant impact for the foreseeable future. There are some estimates that the mortality rate for asbestos-related diseases will continue to rise from the current 4,000 per year to 10,000 deaths per year by 2016. These deaths are not limited to asbestos workers but include persons accidentally and unknowingly exposed to the harmful fibres released when asbestos containing materials are disturbed. The HSE recently announced that 20 tradesmen, including 4 electricians and 6 plumbers, die every week as a direct result of exposure to asbestos – often because they do not understand the risks of exposure.

These frightening statistics are what has driven the HSE’s commitment to redraw the regulations surrounding these harmful products.

Since 2004, duty holders (owners, occupiers, managers and those with responsibility for non-domestic premises) have had a responsibility to locate, identify, assess and manage all asbestos-containing materials on their non-domestic premises. It should be remembered that this is a duty to manage, not simply a duty to survey or provide a register, and over 500 local authority officers have now been trained in the requirements of the law and been instructed to raise the issue of asbestos management at every premises they visit. Should an officer be unsatisfied with the answers they receive, they will be taking action, which could result in improvement and prohibition notices or even prosecution. Recent cases where employers had failed to manage asbestos on their premises have resulted in fines ranging from £20,000 to £50,000 even though surveys or registers were in place.

Having had a survey carried out by a competent person, duty holders are expected to devise a written management plan outlining what action they intend to take to address high and medium risks, including a budget for the works. They must also state how they intend to monitor the condition of those ACMs they intend to leave in position and draw up emergency procedures to deal with any disturbance or release of harmful fibres.

The most recent legislation placed a requirement upon employers to ensure that any employees likely to encounter asbestos as part of their work receive suitable asbestos awareness training in an effort to eliminate accidental and unknowing exposure. There has been some concern over the last few years regarding who carries out this training and what it should include, and employers must satisfy themselves of the competency of the training providers. One way to do this is to check that they are affiliated to UKATA, ARCA or NDTG, where they will have been audited.

A health and safety consultancy service can help you establish the presence, location, quantity, nature and condition of any asbestos on your premises by undertaking an asbestos site survey and reporting on the findings. This report will indicate whether further intrusive investigation is required.

After analyzing the asbestos survey report health and safety consultants can then put together a management system to allow you to properly discharge your obligations.

The Electrical Waste Recycling Group, based in Kirkheaton in Huddersfield, is being prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive and will be appearing in Huddersfield Magistrates Court later in July

A company director is also facing charges for his ignorance towards managing the health and safety of his employees.

The firm recycles electrical and electronic equipment, including light tubes containing mercury, lamps, and batteries.

A HSE spokeswoman said that owner Craig Thompson had been charged under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 under regulation 7.1, for failing to adequately control exposure to mercury.

Regulation 7.1 states: “Every employer shall ensure that the exposure of his employees to substances hazardous to health is either prevented or, where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled.”

COSHH is the law that requires employers to control substances that are hazardous to health. The firm is also being charged under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (2.1) which states:

“It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees.”

The company is also being accused of

“not having have arrangements for ensuring safety and absence of risks to health in connection with the use, handling and storage of articles and substances.”

The company could have avoided appearing in court and exposing its employees to the risks of mercury poisoning, by sending the appropriate staff on the health and safety peoples COSSH Risk Assessment And Training course.

Mercury poisoning is not a trivial matter and heavy or prolonged exposure can do irreversible damage, particularly in fetuses, infants, and young children.

The HSE recently announced that from October 2009 there will be changes to the way first-aiders in the workplace are trained.

From 1 October 2009, HSE is introducing new arrangements to the first aid training regime.  This will not require any change to the current Regulations.  The new first aid training arrangements state that to comply with regulations first-aiders provided by an employer in the workplace for the purposes of the regulatory requirements must hold a certificate of competence in either:

• first aid at work (‘FAW’ – reduced from a four-day to a three-day course), issued by a training organisation approved by HSE;
• Emergency first aid at work (‘EFAW’ – a one-day course), issued by a training organisation approved by HSE or a recognised Awarding Body of Ofqual/ Scottish Qualifications Authority eligible to award an accredited qualification in EFAW applying a training standard set by HSE.

The HSE guidelines also emphasise the need for refresher courses, with a strong recommendation that qualified first-aiders undertake annual refresher courses

The minimum first aid provision on any work site will remain as: 

• an appointed person to take charge of first aid arrangements;
• a suitably stocked first aid box;
• information for employees about first aid arrangements.

Contact The Health and Safety People on 08456 122 144 for more information about our First Aid at work courses, or use our email contact form here

The Mirror’s Asbestos Timebomb campaign got a boost this week when Barbara McQueen, the wife of the King of Cool himself, finally broke her 28-year silence over her husband’s untimely death from asbestos-induced mesothelioma in support of the campaign goals.

Steve McQueen was diagnosed with mesothelioma (a type of cancer associated with asbestos exposure) in December 1979. Having been told by U.S. doctors in July 1980 that there was nothing further they could do for him, he travelled to Mexico for unconventional treatment in a last desperate bid to prolong his life. A fight he was ultimately to lose in November 1980.

Barbara McQueen has been reluctant to speak about it, despite a simmering anger that so little has been done since then to prevent, treat and cure this “industrial” disease.

However, this week she broke her silence to praise the Mirror’s asbestos campaign.

She comments:

“My husband’s death was a long and painful ordeal, and I can readily identify with those who have been exposed to asbestos as well as their loved ones.”

The Mirror’s campaign makes a number of demands, including the setting up of a public register of all asbestos surveys carried out on public buildings and increased funding for the HSE facilitate the inspection of asbestos removal work.

The health and safety people are proud to announce the launch of our new BS OHSAS 18001 Consultancy Service.

The health and safety peoples OHASA 18001 consultancy service is designed to enable your business to achieve UKAS accreditation to the OHSAS 18001 2007 Standard by establishing and implementing an Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) management system within your organisation.

You can find more about this new BS 18001 OHSAS consultancy here or call 08456 122 144 to find out where you are and how we can help you get where you need to be.

The HSE run a regular series of articles debunking some common H&S and given the time of year this months is about the “Banning” of pancake races on the spurious grounds of “elf and safety”

They say:

A straightforward event like this one only needs a short, simple risk assessment. And when an event has taken place lots of times before, all that’s needed is a review of the previous assessment - just to check nothing has changed - so that the fun can go ahead!

You can read more at the HSE myths page here

Every year, a significant number of people are killed or injured by accidents involving vehicles in the workplace and sadly this year has been no different. Not only are people damaged, so is property, profit and company morale. As well as making structural changes, barriers, pedestrian crossings and so on, training and awareness in the appropriate use of vehicles will reduce incident levels. (more…)

Man has used asbestos for centuries. However, it is over the last 100 or so years that its use has been widespread – an estimated 500,000 buildings in the UK still contain asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) within their fabric.

The dangers of asbestos have long been known. First commercially mined in Canada, in 1879, it had been added to a list of dangerous dusts by the UK and French governments by the early 1900s and in 1918 one insurance company, recognising the connection between asbestos and lung disease, refused to provide life cover to asbestos workers. It wasn’t, however, until 1993 when most insurance companies removed asbestos cover from their public liability policies.

The health risks associated with exposure to asbestos include asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. These diseases have relatively long latency periods of between 15 – 40 years and the problems created in the recent past will continue to have a significant impact for the foreseeable future. There are some estimates that the mortality rate for asbestos-related diseases will continue to rise from the current 4,000 per year to 10,000 deaths per year by 2016. These deaths are not limited to asbestos workers but include persons accidentally and unknowingly exposed to the harmful fibres released when asbestos containing materials are disturbed. The HSE recently announced that 20 tradesmen, including 4 electricians and 6 plumbers, die every week as a direct result of exposure to asbestos – often because they do not understand the risks of exposure. (more…)

Faced with inspector recruitment difficulties, the HSE is trialling a joint-inspection scheme – using building control officers to undertake site inspections.

Over the past five years the HSE has struggled to recruit inspectors and staff numbers have decreased, leading to fears that business delivery could be compromised. The HSE currently has 124 full-time construction inspectors – the lowest number since the construction division was formed in 2002, although it is recruiting 10 more. However, there are approximately 4,000 building control officers in the public and private sectors in England and Wales.

The joint inspection scheme will focus on smaller sites, with building control officers reporting dangerous working practices that they encounter during normal site visits to the HSE.

The HSE’s Luton office is running the trial, which covers Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire – an area currently covered by just five HSE inspectors. By utilising building control officers this manpower is bolstered by up to 300 personnel, making the likelihood of an inspection much greater.  (more…)