Posts in category: Safety

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has unveiled a new COVID Workplace Champion scheme, which seeks to recognise those who have continually gone above and beyond to keep their colleagues safe during the pandemic. Nominations are being sought to recognise those individuals who have not only made their workplaces safe, but in doing so indirectly protected hundreds of thousands of people and their families.

RoSPA, known for its prestigious health and safety awards which impact on the working lives of more than seven million employees, is now seeking to highlight the contributions of those who have used their expertise, passion and unwavering commitment to help limit the transmission of COVID in workplaces.

Errol Taylor, RoSPA’s Chief Executive, said: “We know only too well the huge effort that has been required to keep workplaces functioning over the past 18 months. We also realise that this vital work must continue for the foreseeable future. Importantly, for each and every one of us, there are COVID Workplace Champions out there and this recognition scheme is for them. We simply want to say thank you, and keep up the great work!

“All businesses and organisations, big or small, have people who are working tirelessly to keep us safe – and often do so in the background and with little or no recognition. This is why we want to say to them: we see you; and we want to celebrate you.

“Making a nomination is free and anyone from a CEO to a caretaker can be put forward as a COVID Workplace Champion. We would like to see nominations from all sectors, irrespective of whether they are small businesses or large multinationals, from the public or the private sector, it’s time to show our gratitude to the people who are keeping us safe every day.”

Anyone can nominate a colleague or someone in their professional network, who they think deserves praise for keeping employees COVID safe during the pandemic. It is completely free of charge to nominate someone and RoSPA welcomes submissions from anywhere in the world.

Successful nominees will receive a certificate and will be invited to attend a celebratory event in 2022.

For more information head here: www.rospa.com/champion

British Safety Council is calling on the UK Government to approach the issue of air pollution with the same level and degree of urgency as it does climate change, and in doing so improve how it monitors and measures air pollution levels across the country.

In a letter to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs today (9 December), Mike Robinson, Chief Executive of British Safety Council, said: “The British Safety Council has been campaigning since 2019 to raise awareness of the impact that air pollution can have on the health of outdoor workers. More recently, the risk to everyone’s health from poor air quality was highlighted by the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s decision to significantly reduce the limits in its air quality guidelines (AQGs) for smaller particulates and nitrogen dioxide. We support this decision and have been consistent in continuing to call for the UK Government to match the WHO’s limits.

“The UK has an opportunity to lead the world on this issue, particularly now we have left the European Union, and should approach improving the air we breathe with the same energy and zeal as it does in tackling climate change.”

On the issue of monitoring and data, Mike Robinson said: “While we know that the Government recently announced a new round of Air Quality Grants for local authorities, which is welcome, much of this money is intended for them to raise awareness on the issue.

“The British Safety Council is calling for improvements in the monitoring of air pollution levels throughout the UK. Indeed, we want every town and city to have the same standard of information and data as the London Air Quality Network (LAQN) which is now even being supplemented by other additional sensors as part of the ‘Breathe London’ initiative.”

On the fact that risks of outdoor air pollution are not currently overseen by the Government’s health and safety regulator, Mike Robinson said: “We also would like to see the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recognise exposure to ambient air pollution as an occupational health issue. Only by accepting the health implications of noxious outdoor air, can the necessary actions be taken to protect workers who are exposed to its harmful effects on a regular basis.

“The HSE must recognise outdoor workers as a vulnerable group and undertake the research needed to assess the scale of the problem, but we know it will not do so unless directed to by Ministers.”

Ahead of a Private Members’ Bill being tabled in the House of Commons tomorrow (10 Dec) by Christine Jardine MP calling on the Government to match the WHO’s clean air targets Mike Robinson added: “The Government will be consulting next year to determine new limits for the UK, as part of targets being set under the new Environment Act. We are urging it to be as bold and ambitious as possible with these, given we know there are no safe limits to human health from breathing fine particles (PM2.5).

“We would encourage MPs to support this Private Members’ Bill and urge the Government to show global leadership and match the WHO’s new lower air pollution limits.”

Many hallmarks of the holiday season, including Christmas trees, holiday decorations, cooking and baking, present potential fire hazards that contribute to an annual increase in U.S. home fires during the winter months. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Christmas Day and Christmas Eve are among the leading days of the year for home fires (topped only by Thanksgiving Day).

“December is a leading month for home fires, in large part because many of the activities we engage in during the holiday season reflect leading causes of home fires year-round,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA vice president of Outreach and Advocacy. 

Fortunately, Carli notes, the majority of winter fires can be prevented with a little added awareness and planning.

“By knowing where potential fire hazards exist and taking some basic safety precautions to prevent them, people can enjoy a festive, fire-free holiday season,” said Carli.

The NFPA Winter Holidays page offers a wide variety of tips and resources to reduce the risk of fires, while the latest NFPA statistics underscore the increased risk of fire during the holiday season:

Christmas Trees

• An estimated average of 160 home fires that began when Christmas trees caught fire caused an average of two civilian deaths, 12 civilian injuries, and $10 million in direct property damage per year between 2015 and 2019.
• Some type of electrical distribution or lighting equipment, including decorative lights, was involved in almost half of these fires. Nearly one in five Christmas tree fires were started by decorative lights.
• Eight percent of Christmas tree fires were started by candles.
• In nearly one-fifth of Christmas tree fires, the tree was too close to a heat source, such as candle or heating or lighting equipment.

Decorations

• An estimated average of 790 home fires that began when decorations (other than Christmas trees) caught fire caused an average of one civilian death, 26 civilian injuries and $13 million in direct property damage per year between 2015 and 2019.
• One in five home decoration fires occurred in December.
• Year-round, 35 percent of home decoration fires began with candles; in December, the number jumped to 45 percent.
• In more than two of every five fires (44 percent) involving decorations, the decoration was too close to a heat source such as a candle, cooking or heating equipment.

Candles

• An estimated average of 7,400 home fires (2 percent) started by candles caused an average of 90 civilian deaths (three percent), 670 civilian injuries (six percent), and $291 million (four percent) in direct property damage per year between 2015 and 2019.
• Candle fires peak in December and January with 11 percent of candle fires in each of these months.
• In three of every five candle fires, the candle was too close to something that could catch fire.
• Christmas is the peak day for candle fires with roughly 2.5 times the daily average; Christmas Eve ranked second.
• Falling asleep was a factor in 10 percent of the home candle fires and 12 percent of the associated deaths.

Cooking

• Cooking is the leading cause of reported home fires (49 percent) and home fire injuries and the second-leading cause of home fire deaths.
• Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires.
• Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day and Christmas Eve.

Fires caused by heating equipment, the second-leading cause of U.S. homefires year-round, peak during the winter months, when temperatures drop and more people use heating equipment to keep their homes warm. Put a Freeze on Winter Fires, an annual NFPA campaign with the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), works to better educate the public about ways to stay safe during the colder months, offering tip sheets and other resources to help reduce the risk of heating fires and other winter hazards.

The British Safety Council have released a statement following the current threat of the Omicron Covid-19 variant. Commenting on the threat that the variant poses to the workplace and how employers can best manage the risks particularly in the run up to Christmas, Mike Robinson, Chief Executive of British Safety Council, said: “Most employers have taken sensible precautions during the pandemic to help protect their staff against catching or passing on Covid-19. The swift way they responded to new Government guidance ensured that the workplace did not become the source of transmission that people feared it might.

“It is vital that we all maintain our efforts, and don’t let down our guard, especially when we are waiting to find out exactly what risks Omicron may pose to our health and the way Covid-19 could spread further.

“None of us wants to go backwards and see our NHS, schools and other vital services threatened through disruption or overwhelmed. The impact of this on people’s mental health and wellbeing has also been significant. Omicron has the potential to replace Delta as the dominant variant, and that would mean many more people likely becoming infected, which is why we support the Government’s call for people to take up the chance of a booster vaccine when offered.

“Our view at British Safety Council is that employers will know their organisation best and be able to judge what they can and should do. We would advise them to review and where possible avoid any non-essential face-to-face contact. This may mean some or all staff working remotely, holding meetings online where it is feasible to do so and, yes, looking at postponing Christmas parties until we are clearer on the risks, especially if they are bringing large numbers together and where non-essential travel is involved.

“I know it’s a tough call to ask people to hold off from celebrating physically together in the run up to Christmas, especially when staff have worked so hard this year. There are other ways of people coming together using online technology and I’d urge employers to look at alternatives, at least until the picture is clearer on Omicron and the risks that it poses.”

British Safety Council has taken its own precautionary action in light of the new Omicron variant. All the following actions are temporary and will be reviewed as more information comes to light:

• Cancelling or postponing any planned overseas business travel from the UK
• Delivering any UK face-to-face training or auditing remotely
• Suspending any staff or client face-to-face meetings in the UK until further notice
• Working remotely and temporarily closing our UK office to all but essential activities
• Regretfully, we also decided to cancel a planned staff Christmas party.

The British Safety Council has worked with employers since the start of the pandemic to understand and evaluate risks to put appropriate controls in place to safeguard their people and businesses. Crucially, we have worked with them to review and measure the effectiveness of their control measures and take necessary steps to deal with a changing situation, which can be increasing controls as well as relaxing them.

Firefighters spent the afternoon at the Tower of London yesterday as part of a multiagency training exercise.

Crews from across the North East area of London Fire Brigade were joined by Historic Royal Palaces staff and colleagues from the Metropolitan Police Service and London Ambulance Service. The exercise was to practice the response of all partners to an incident at the iconic castle and World Heritage Site. 

As well as testing the emergency response to a fire in the famous White Tower, it was also an opportunity for firefighters and the Tower’s salvage team to train for how they would safely remove or preserve the site’s priceless artefacts in the event of an emergency.

The Brigade’s heritage team recently highlighted the importance of London’s historic venues having up to date salvage plans in place. These identify not only which actions should be implemented by site staff, but also clearly identify priority items which need to removed from the building or protected in place.

The plans allow crews to put recovery strategies in place in advance of an incident and help firefighters establish which equipment is needed to safely recover or protect items as quickly as possible to minimise damage.

Tower Hamlets Borough Commander, Richard Tapp, said: “The Tower of London exercise was a fantastic opportunity for our firefighters to be able to test their response at one of our city’s most iconic landmarks.

“It was a very useful session and I’d like to thank all our partners for taking part in the training with us.” A Historic Royal Palaces spokesperson said: “We are extremely grateful to London Fire Brigade and other partners for their support and participation in the training exercise undertaken at the Tower of London yesterday. 

“As custodians of the Tower – one of the country’s most treasured landmarks – we are keenly aware of the importance of protecting the buildings and collections in our care. This exercise gave us the opportunity to practice our emergency procedures and provided invaluable experience for our staff.”

Crews were also supported at the exercise by the Salvation Army’s Incident Response van whose volunteers provided refreshments.

The Fire Brigades Union lawyer for the inquiry has placed central importance on a government “agenda of deregulation, privatisation and marketisation” for causing the disaster.

The comments were made as part of the opening statements for Module 6 of Phase 2 of the Grenfell inquiry. Phase 2 is focussing on the causes of the events of the night of the disaster, and Module 6 within that is focussed on government.

Acting on behalf of the union, Martin Seaward said a regime “which encouraged companies to behave recklessly towards building safety” was “actively and, regrettably, deliberately created by central government”.

Seaward said that the aforementioned agenda had been in place for “more than four decades”, across multiple governments.

He stated that it had led to a range of factors which had in turn “contributed to the systemic failure of the building and fire safety regimes, thereby enabling the installation of cheap and dangerous rainscreen cladding systems all over the UK, including at Grenfell Tower”.

Flammable cladding installed onto Grenfell Tower played a vital role in the fire spreading across the building.

In the FBU’s submissions to the Inquiry, links were also drawn between deregulation and other factors that caused the disaster, such as sprinklers and premises safety information.

Seaward emphasised that the disaster was not simply caused by “government and public authorities being taken advantage of by a few unscrupulous companies”, but that it was a failure of the building safety system in place. He outlined how this system had been hit by deregulation.

In the accompanying written submission it was highlighted that “The fundamental underlying causes of the terrible loss of life at Grenfell Tower lie in political decisions made by central government in the service of a social and economic system driven by profit and greed”, appearing to draw links between government actions here and their wider political agenda.

Lawyers for bereaved, survivors and residents also pointed the finger at deregulation. And the inquiry’s own lawyer Richard Millett QC notably stated that one of four essential questions for government was what motivated government in the approach it took to fire safety, a statement which could relate to wider aims the government had such as deregulation. 

UL have announced that it is among approximately 80 organisations comprising the International Fire Safety Standards (IFSS) Coalition that contributed to the just-released Global Plan for a Decade of Action for Fire Safety.

The plan aims to help ensure an internationally consistent approach to the safety and management of buildings and infrastructure to save lives by reducing risks and preventing devastating fires. According to the IFSS, global fires and burns result in more than 150,000 deaths, over 7 million injuries and displacement of tens of thousands of people every year.

­­The Global Plan for a Decade of Action for Fire Safety aims to stabilise and then reduce the forecast level of fire fatalities, injuries, economic cost and environmental impact around the world by 2032, even as the global population increases. Countries can use the plan from the IFSS to accelerate the adoption of sustainable and cost-effective fire safety programs and standards, while also using it to improve their fire safety performance and as a platform to share their experiences and knowledge with others.

“In countries around the world, we are seeing growing population, rapid urbanisation, new methods of building construction and new technologies that present fire challenges. This has led to a greater number of populations and buildings that are at risk for fire hazards,” said Dwayne Sloan, director of Principal Engineering for Built Environment at UL.

He was one of the standard-setting committee members acknowledged for his contributions to the Global Plan for a Decade of Action for Fire Safety. “UL is among many organisations that recognised this problem and came together with the IFSS to establish an ambitious, yet feasible, target for reduction of fire-related fatalities and injuries by 2032. The Decade of Action builds upon the IFSS – Common Principles that were published in October 2020.”

The Global Plan for a Decade of Action for Fire Safety delivers a clear goal, performance-based objectives framework and common actions that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These activities can occur at the individual, community, city, national, regional and global levels. The plan outlines 15 objectives, along with a list of over 60 representative action items, presented within the framework of five central pillars:

• People – Actions to help individuals and groups understand fire and what they can do to increase their understanding
• Products – Actions to reduce fire hazards associated with appliances, contents and building components
• Structures – Actions to reduce fire hazards related to structures, including planning, design and operation
• Infrastructure – Actions to help enhance firefighting infrastructure
• Communities – Actions to facilitate sustainable and fire-resilient communities

“This new initiative is unprecedented, being the first agreement on fire safety actions on this international scale, with its development supported by the United Nations in line with its own Sustainable Development Goals,” said Gary Strong, chair of the IFSS Coalition. “Our coalition has worked hard to produce this globally applicable way to bring improvements and consistency in fire safety to buildings and infrastructure, new and old, and reduce the risk to lives.”

The IFSS Coalition is an industry-led global response to address differing or, in some cases, non-existent fire safety requirements in countries across the world. The Decade of Action for Fire Safety (2022-2032) and more information on IFSS is available on the Coalition’s website.

Learn more information about Fire Safety at UL.