Asbestos in the Home

Householders undertaking DIY and maintenance workers are at particular risk of exposing themselves to asbestos. This is due to a combination of ignorance and a lack of readily accessible information and advice. 

Why was asbestos used in the home?
Asbestos fibres are strong and resistant to heat and chemicals. This led to their widespread use in a wide range of building materials and products, particularly during the 1960s and 1970s.  Asbestos was often used as fireproofing but also as a general building material. 

Where was asbestos used in the home?
The picture and list below shows some common areas where asbestos-containing materials may be found; the list is not all-inclusive. The list of products that may contain asbestos is a lengthy one. Those listed below are some of the more common sources, all to be checked by asbestos testing services.

 aspestos_around_home1

Exterior
1)   Roof garage and shed sheets, tiles  or roof felt
2)   Gutters and down pipes
3)   Fascia

 

Interior
4)   Partition walls
5)   Panels beneath windows
6)   Cupboards around domestic boilers
7)   Panels behind electrical equipment
8)   Panels behind fires or heaters
9)   Panels on or inside fire doors
10)  Bath panels 
11)  Floor titles
12)  Textures coatings (artex)
13)  Gaskets and rope seals inside gas appliances
14)  Cold water storage tanks
Filed Under: Asbestos in the Home, Health & Safety Blog Articles

Employers Should Do More To Help Stressed Male Workers

 

Stressed-out male

Stressed-out male

Mental health charity, Mind, has called for employers to do more to help stressed male workers and for the Government to produce a men’s mental health strategy. The call comes following Mind’s latest research that shows that men’s mental health is more likely to suffer as a result of the recession and that they are less likely to seek help.

 

 

 

 

The YouGov survey of over 2,000 men and women showed that 45% of men are currently worried about their finances and 27% are worried about job security, compared with 22% of women.

 

Mind says that men’s mental distress is a “hidden problem” and that up to 2.7 million UK men are suffering from depression. In the survey men were half as likely to talk to friends about their problems and only 31% said they would talk to family, compared with 47% of women. Men were also less likely than women to seek professional help.

 

The report makes ten key recommendations, including:

Health professionals should take gender into account when discussing treatment options.

Employers should learn to recognise the symptoms of men’s mental distress and introduce mental wellbeing policies.

 

The recession is clearly having a detrimental impact on the nation’s mental health, but men in particular are struggling with the emotional impact.  Being a breadwinner is something that is still crucial to the male psyche so if a man loses his job he loses a large part of his identity, putting his mental wellbeing in jeopardy.  The problem is that too many men wrongly believe that admitting mental distress makes them weak and this kind of self stigma can cost lives.

Filed Under: Employers Should Do More To Help Stressed Male Workers, Health & Safety Blog Articles

New Health & Safety Poster “What you need to know”

The HSE is now publishing new versions of its approved health and safety poster and leaflet.

The new H&S poster

The new H&S poster

 

The new versions are modern, eye-catching and easy to read. They set out in simple terms, using numbered lists of basic points, what employers and workers must do, and tell you what to do if there is a problem.

Employers can, if they wish, continue to use their existing versions of poster and leaflet until 5 April 2014, as long as they are readable and the addresses of the enforcing authority and the Employment Medical Advisory Service up to date.

 

 

 

 

 

This information can be obtained from HSE’s Infoline on   0845 345 0055  .

The leaflet that employers can give to workers, instead of displaying the poster, will be in the form of a pocket card that is better suited to the workplace.  From now on, it will only be possible to buy the new law poster and obtain the new pocket cards.

Filed Under: Health & Safety Blog Articles

Swine Flu: UK on Alert – (some timely advice)

Britain is on alert amid fears that the deadly swine flu that has claimed at least 100 lives in Mexico has spread to this country.

The disease has already spread to the United States and eight children in New York, two people in Kansas and eight more in California have reportedly been infected by the virus.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has given warning that the highly lethal mutant strain sweeping Mexico could create a global pandemic.

The WHO asked countries around the world to “intensify surveillance for unusual outbreaks of influenza-like illness and severe pneumonia”.

Previous human cases of swine flu have been rare and were usually restricted to people who had direct contact with animals infected by the respiratory condition.

But some of the 100 plus who have died in Mexico were victims of a unique version of the disease – a combination of bird, pig and human viruses, which can be passed from person to person.

The agency described the outbreak as “unusual” and warranting “further investigation and vigilance” by other countries.

The spokesman added: “The NHS has systems in place which will alert public health authorities of any unusual strain circulating in the UK.”

The new vaccine-resistant strain — a previously unseen combination of pig, bird and human viruses — is causing panic in Mexico’s capital, one of the world’s biggest cities and where most of the victims lived.

Most of the victims have been aged 25 to 45. Medical personnel said symptoms began like normal flu, but then victims’ temperatures shot up, with paralysing muscle aches. More than 1,000 people have fallen ill in Mexico with the suspected flu.

The current seasonal flu vaccine is not believed to offer any protection against the new strain, but the anti-viral drug Tamiflu appears to be effective.

Personal Protection

If, as predicted, the disease inevitably arrives in the UK, sensible precautions need to be adopted.

  • Avoid public gatherings e.g. sports and entertainment venues
  • Wash hands before eating, or touching eyes, nose or mouth.
  • Don’t touch your mouth or nose after touching handrails on public transport or public stairs/escalators.
  • Use bacterial wipes regularly on hands.
  • Wash hands after touching anyone else who is sneezing, coughing, blowing their nose, or whose nose is running.
  • Don’t share things like cigarettes, towels, lipstick, toys, or anything else that might be contaminated with respiratory germs.
  • Don’t share food, utensils or beverage containers with others.

Guidance for Businesses

Organisations should establish a policy now to ensure that employees who are ill remain at home to reduce the possibility of spreading the virus throughout the company.

The HSE is recommending that employers advise staff to stay at home if they are sick, and employees who displaying flu-like signs/symptoms should be sent home. Where practicable, working from home should be advocated and video-conferencing or tele-conferencing undertaken where possible.

Staff and office hygiene is particularly important. The HSE says regular cleaning of offices, providing cleaning wipes to staff, and encouraging hand washing will all help reduce the risk/spread of the virus.

Businesses should discuss with critical suppliers their contingency plans and ensure they are complementary.

As the workforce is likely to be depleted, appropriate additional training may be required for any remaining workers who may be required to carry out unfamiliar tasks. Particular care should be given to the redeployment of young workers and pregnant workers. Certain tasks may need to be suspended if there are inadequate numbers of staff. A suitable and sufficient risk assessment should ascertain suitable measures to take to ensure safety.

Some employees may be required/asked to work longer hours, and consideration must be given to the Working Time Regulations 1998 as amended to ensure appropriate length of daytime working hours, night shifts and rest breaks.

The HSE advises that air conditioning systems are not turned off as this may create more static air which may result in discomfort and ill health effects.

Filed Under: Swine Flu: UK on Alert

Has your driving licence expired?

It is not generally known that photo card licences expire. There appears to be a lack of information that people will have to renew these licences and consequently there are thousands of motorists at risk of being fined up to £1,000 because they are unwittingly driving without a valid licence.They risk prosecution after failing to spot the extremely small print on their photo card licence which says it automatically expires after 10 years and has to be renewed – even though drivers are licensed to drive until the age of 70.

At the heart of the confusion is the small print on the tiny credit-card-size photo licence, which is used in conjunction with the paper version. Just below the driver name on the front of the photo card licence is a series of dates and details – each one numbered. Number 4b features a date in tiny writing, but no explicit explanation as to what it means. The date’s significance is only explained if the driver turns over the card and reads the key on the back which states that ‘4b’ means ‘licence valid to’. Even more confusingly, an adjacent table on the rear of the card sets out how long the driver is registered to hold a licence – that is until his or her 70th birthday.

Motorists who fail to renew their licences in time are allowed to continue driving. But the DVLA says they could be charged with ‘failing to surrender their licence’, an offence carrying a £1,000 fine.

To rub salt into wounds, drivers will have to pay £17.50 to renew their card. People think they have already paid them for once over and that is it. It will come as a surprise to motorists and a shock that they have to pay an extra £17.50.

Filed Under: Has your driving licence expired?

Health Warning Over Water Coolers

Dirty water coolers may be putting people’s health at risk, a consumer watchdog has warned.
In a recent environmental health survey 23 out of 87 samples from dispensers showed bacterial contamination. Coolers in leisure centres, offices, care homes and schools were among those to fail the tests.
The survey showed nine out of the 52 samples from plumbed-in coolers and 14 out of the 35 from bottle-supplied coolers failed because of bacterial contamination.The types of bacteria found had the potential to cause illness among the frail or those who were already suffering ill-health.

There are regulations for bottled water, which are applicable at the time of bottling but there is no legislation specifically for plumbed-in water coolers. These findings suggest that the cleanliness of water coolers has become a low priority for some organisations who have installed them.

Organisations need to make sure coolers on their premises are cleaned and maintained regularly but they also need to get people to use them in such a way that they don’t contaminate them for the next person.

In 14 samples, scientists found coliforms, bacteria of soil and gut origin, which may indicate faecal contamination. Some of the bacteria types found suggested there had been cross contamination, with someone perhaps drinking directly from the tap or touching it with a saliva-tainted bottle. Other types of bacteria found suggested there was a problem with the cleaning and maintenance of the pipe work.

It is recommended that the exterior of water coolers be cleaned at least once a week. Bottle-supplied machines should be cleaned internally every three months, while plumbed-in versions should have their filters changed every six months.

Filed Under: Health Warning Over Water Coolers

I.C.E. A Good Idea (it could save your life)

We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory. If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn’t know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this ‘ICE’ (In Case of Emergency) Campaign.The concept of ‘ICE’ is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As mobile phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name ‘ICE’ ( In Case Of Emergency). The idea was thought up by a
paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents there were always mobile phones with patients but they didn’t know which number to call.

He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognised name for this purpose.

In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number you have stored as ‘ICE’. Please forward this. It won’t take too many ‘forwards’ before everybody will know about this. It really could save your life, or put a loved one’s mind at rest.

For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc

Filed Under: I.C.E. A Good Idea (it could save your life)

IoD and HSE Issue New Guidance for Directors

This guidance sets out an agenda for the effective leadership of health and safety.
It is designed for use by all directors, governors, trustees, officers and their equivalents in the private, public and third sectors. It applies to organisations of all sizes.Protecting the health and safety of employees or members of the public who may be affected by your activities is an essential part of risk management and must be led by the board.
Failure to include health and safety as a key business risk in board decisions can have catastrophic results. Many high-profile safety cases over the years have been rooted in failures of leadership.

HSE statistics reveal the human and financial cost of failing to address health and safety.
More than 200 people are killed at work in the United Kingdom each year. This does not include work-related road deaths. In 2006, 30 million working days were lost in the UK to occupational ill health and injury, imposing an annual cost to society of £30 billion (more than 3% of GDP).

Surveys show that about two million people suffer from an illness that they believe to be caused or made worse by work. Many thousands of deaths each year can be attributed to occupational illnesses, including some cancers and respiratory diseases. Organisations can incur further costs – such as uninsured losses and loss of reputation.                                        View Guidance

Filed Under: IoD and HSE Issue New Guidance for Directors

Bosses are Putting Themselves at Risk

Company bosses are risking their health and their marriages, by working longer and harder to help their business through the economic downturn, according to new research.
A study of over 2,000 bosses, including chief executives and managing directors, showed that two thirds were committing “significantly” more time to their job.
More than half of those surveyed by Employment Law Advisory Services (ELAS) admitted their long hours were putting a strain on their family life, and health, with some blaming work for a marriage break-up.
One in three bosses said they were working between 50 and 60 hours a week
One in 20 were putting in more than 100 hours.
Peter Mooney of ELAS said: “We know of several business leaders working 16 or even 18 hours a day – six or seven days a week. The risks they run are obvious.
“Certainly, it seems likely this will be a stressful time for many bosses and their families. It might be a time for them to take stock and try to regain a degree of balance between their work commitments and their family life.
The first quarter of 2009 is likely to be crucial for many businesses, especially those currently on the edge.

Filed Under: Bosses are Putting Themselves at Risk

More Needs to be Done to Prevent RSI

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) has called on the Government to do more to prevent repetitive strain injuries (RSI) among British workers.

The call came after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found 213,000 employees had a limb or neck disorder caused or made worse by their job in 2007/2008.

The HSE reports little progress in tackling RSI over the past six years. In 2007/2008 there were 81,000 new cases reported, compared with 87,000 in 2001/2002 when 222,000 people were found to be suffering from the condition.

Repetitive strain injuries are estimated to cost employers £300 million every year in lost working time so the CSP is calling on the Government to minimise the problem by making occupational health a compulsory provision and offering employers tax relief for offering occupational health services.

The CSP argues that more needs to be done to prevent repetitive strain injury occurring in the first place and, if it does occur, to provide early intervention treatments to prevent the problem getting so bad people have to stop work altogether.

Filed Under: More Needs to be Done to Prevent RSI
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