If you need to tackle a fire (simple rules)

Lots of people put out small fires in their homes and at their businesses quite safely. Some people, however, are killed or injured as a result of tackling a fire that is beyond their capabilities. Here are some simple rules to help you decide whether you should tackle a fire:

- Only tackle a fire when it is in its very early stages.

- Give consideration to your own safety and to the safety of other people and make sure you can escape from the fire if you need to. Never let a fire block you exit.

- think about the position of yourself, the fire and the escape route.

- Remember that fire extinguishers are only for fighting a fire in its very early stages. Never tackle a fire if it is starting to spread (of has spread) to other items in the room or if the room is filling with smoke. More people are killed by the smoke than by the fire (in the order of 70% of fire deaths are caused by smoke and fumes).

- If you cannot put out the fire or if the extinguisher becomes empty, get out and get everyone else out of the building immediately, closing all doors behind you as you go.

- Telephone the fire brigade.

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A worker at a Glossop packaging manufacturer was killed when a machine he was working on was activated while he was still inside. The Company was fined £50,000 with £76,150 costs.

A fifty year old maintenance worker suffered fatal head injuries back in September 2006. Following an investigation into the death by the HSE the company was prosecuted and later sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court. The Court heard that the father of three was carrying out maintenance work to the inside of a 'cut and crease' machine, used to manufacture packaging, when it was switched on by the operator. The maintenance worker, who had been working for the company for less than two months, was struck on the head by bars that transfer cardboard through the machine and was killed instantly.

At an earlier hearing at Chesterfield Magistrate's Court on 21 May 2010, Glossop Carton and Print Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by putting workers at risk. The firm was fined £50,000 with £76,150 costs.

The maintenance man’s ex-wife and mother of two of his children, said:

His children have been totally devastated by Clive's death and continue to miss him terribly ... The hardest thing was telling them their dad had been killed. I remember it vividly and they still find it difficult to accept he's gone. He was a good dad and loved them very much ... The last few years have just been horrendous. His children now have to live without a father for the rest of their lives because of the company's negligence.

After sentencing, the investigating HSE inspector commented:

Mr H tragically died because simple measures were not taken by Glossop Carton and Print to prevent the machine being switched on while he was inside. The maintenance of machinery often involves people working in dangerous situations not encountered during normal production work. People will continue to die in horrific circumstances if employers don't plan, control and monitor maintenance work to machinery. Both machine operators and maintenance workers should be given adequate training. If a simple procedure for cutting the power supply to the machine had been followed then Mr H's death could have been avoided.

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New Year - Resolutions?

We are moving into (yet another) New Year.

Many people make resolutions to change - their lifestyle, attitude, eating habits, etc. Do businesses? Do the people who run businesses?

This year, why not make a resolution to "do safety better". I do not mean to spend unnecessary sums of money or to carry out unnecessary training or risk assessments. I mean "to think about safety and make some simple, low cost changes for the better".

Some simple starters?

Housekeeping standards - about a third of workplace accidents result from slips, trips and falls and about half of these result from poor housekeeping.

Fire Safety - Check exit routes, check emergency lighting, check the fire alarm, do a fire drill, update your fire safety risk assessment, etc

Vehicle movements - review the separation between people and vehicles - people come off really badly when it goes wrong!

Focus - as with all areas that are important to your business, focus your efforts onto those things that will make a big difference for a low cost and for minimal effort. Housekeeping is a nice, easy big hit. It costs little and can reduce the instances of slips, trips and falls and it can reduce the likelihood of a fire.

Records - consider which records are most important to the management of health and safety and make it ease to keep these up to date.

Get involved - walk round the premises and view the operation regularly. Put right those things that do not look right on the walk round or, even better, get those people who should already have addressed these issues to put them right! Truly management by walking about.

Employer without Insurance

A Bradford takeaway owner has been fined for failing to insure his staff against work-related injuries and illnesses. The owner was approached by the HSE on two occasions and asked to provide his employers' liability insurance certificate and failed to do so on both occasions. The owner also fails to turn up for a formal interview and later failed to turn up to court.

He was found guilty of breaching Section 1(1) of the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 and fined £2,500 for failing to insure his employees against injury arising from their work. He faces a further £1,000 penalty for failing to producing an insurance certificate and was also ordered to pay full costs of over £2,500

The HSE inspecton commented:

It's wholly unacceptable for employers not to arrange insurance to cover their employees for incidents or illnesses that can occur because of their work ... Employers who turn a blind eye to this are playing a dangerous game of chance and whenever HSE becomes aware this is happening, we will not hesitate to take enforcement action."

Health, Safety and morality

Health and safety is an area that all companies must maintain, but what is it that obliges us to do so? Reasons could be legal, professional, financial, social or moral to name a few. What are the moral reasons for upholding a high standard of health and safety in the workplace? I shall endeavour to name a few reasons why businesses should be concerned with this aspect of health and safety.
From a Kantian perspective, we all have duties which we ought to act upon. Regarding health and safety we have a duty not to harm others, to prevent unnecessary risks and not to kill. Poor health and safety can result in both minor and major injuries and sometimes even death. We have a duty to protect the wellbeing of others and poor health and safety maintenance ignores this duty; by not upholding a safe work environment, the employer is acting immorally. Thus, because we ought to protect others from unnecessary harm and remain moral, we ought to endorse high standards of health and safety in the workplace.
The Bible teaches ‘love your neighbour as you love yourself’. Although limited by the field of religion, this statement still holds true in a secular environment - we should treat others in a way we would want to be treated. If we take a bad employer who cuts corners and exposes his staff to dangerous conditions, would he want to be treated in this manner? Imagine an employee suffered severe acid burns and was blinded due to poor upkeep of the work environment and subsequently could not work again. This would be the fault of the employer for not accounting for risks and doing his best to provide a safe environment. Would they really want to suffer a similar fate as a result of their negligence? One would assume not, thus in regards to our own self interest as well as the welfare of others around us, good quality health and safety is a must.
Taking on a utilitarian perspective, the ethic is to provide the greatest happiness for the greatest number; once again, our concern here is wellbeing. Poor workplace maintenance could lead to many hazards- trips, spills, electrical, chemical and mechanical. A worker who is constantly under at the mercy of his environment is not a happy worker. Thus, for the greatest happiness of the workers, a safe work environment should be provided. Regarding the employer, poor health and safety standards affect them also. Dangerous conditions could result in severe injury. Imagine an employee was injured at work and an inquiry showed it to be due to the negligence of the manager. Penalties would be enforced, be they fines, sentences or loss of licence. The potential impact is on the employer as well as the employee. Thus, in order to prevent both parties suffering, it would be in the best interests of everyone’s wellbeing to uphold a safe workplace.
To conclude, all three points made point strongly to wellbeing, be it wellbeing of the employer or employees. Health and safety is a moral requirement in any field of work in order to maintain a constant sense of safety and security.

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Avoid driving in adverse weather conditions

You would be wella advised not to drive in the current poor weather (snow, ice, etc) unless your journey is necessary. If you do need to drive, I'd advise you to have a look at the direct.gov.uk website:

Fall from height after contact with electricity

After suffering an electric shock at one of the UK's largest timber merchants, a subcontractor fell more than five metres from a crane ladder. The mechanical fitter suffered a several injuries, including a broken vertebra as a result of the incident.

The Cambridge-based building and timber merchants was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after the incident, which happened in September 2008. The fitter was employed by an Engineering Company that had been subcontracted to fix an overhead crane system at the timber engineering workshop in Sudbury, Suffolk. He was climbing a ladder to access the crane when he made contact with a live conductor, which caused him to fall 18ft. He landed on the concrete floor, sustaining a fractured vertebra, a broken ankle, smashed heel, and burns to his hands.

The timber merchants admitted breaching Regulation 4(3) of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 - failing to ensure work was carried out in such a manner as to not give rise to danger. The firm was fined £5,000 (with £4,344.70 costs).

The HSE Inspector said:

It is essential for companies to ensure that work undertaken on their behalf by subcontractors is properly managed and safe systems of work agreed prior to work commencing. ... have admitted that the task was handed over to Mr Minor without discussion as to the way it was to be undertaken or any precautions that may be needed prior to it being started.