Posts in category: Safety

The theme of resilience takes centre stage at NEBOSH’s first ever online conference later this year. Experts from the Health and Safety Executive, Travis Perkins, Johnson Matthey, Kier Highways, Cambridge Assessment and the Filipino International League of Safety Advocates, plus many more, will take to the screen to share their advice and learnings.

The free-to-attend, one-day online event takes place on 5 October 2021 and registration is open now. The conference comes at what has been a turbulent time for people everywhere. It will explore how health and safety professionals can help the organisations and workers in their care to be more resilient to challenges and change. Safety professionals spend so much time caring for other people that they must remember to care for themselves too; the agenda takes a closer look at careers as well as mindfulness to take some time for their own wellbeing.

“NEBOSH’s vision is to make the world of work a safer and healthier place. This conference will offer more learning opportunities to professionals, wherever they are in the world.” said Matt Powell-Howard, NEBOSH Head of Learning and Partnerships. “With a jam-packed agenda and a line-up of expert speakers, it’s going to be a great event!”

The conference, sponsored by Astutis, Green World Safety & Security Consultancies LLC, NIST Institute Pvt. Ltd., QHSE International and RRC International, takes place from 09:15-16:00 UK time on 5 October 2021.  

At a glance line-up:

• Risk management; prepared for anything
  Callum Irvine, Global Vice President of Safety & Security for IHG Hotels & Resorts
  Neeraj Shah, Group Director – EHS, Johnson Matthey
  Richard Byrne, Group Director – HSE and Fleet, Travis Perkins
• What have we learnt about mental health and stress during the pandemic?
  Maria Anderson, Group Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing, Cambridge Assessment
  Alexis Powell-Howard, Managing Director, Fortis Therapy and Training
• Human and organisational factors: the part they can play solving real world problems
  James Bird, Senior SHE Manager – Strategic Risk and Behavioural Safety, Kier Group
  Dan Hipkiss, Performance Coach and Facilitator, Cleartrack Performance Limited
• Mini mindfulness
• Leadership: organisational versus individual resilience
  Ed Corbett, Head of Human Factors and Organisational Performance, Health and Safety Executive
• Make your career future-ready: essential skills for health and safety professionals
  Rogel “Roi” D. Importado, co-Founder, FILSA-UAE and Sr. HSE Supervisor, OSC, Dubai UAE
  James Irwin, Director, Irwin & Colton
  Jennet Arshimova, Faculty of Occupational H&S Management at the School of Business National Louis University, Poland and member of the RedRisks Media Stream Team
• Virtual networking

Registration is free at conference.nebosh.org.uk, and all sessions will be available for registrants to view on-demand for one year after the event. 

Anyone involved in fire safety in the built environment recognises that the challenges around product assurance are many and complex. The sector continues to work hard to improve systems and processes to deliver the recommendations of the Hackitt Review and rebuild public trust.

The Fire Sector Federation’s product assurance group was established to consider issues related to product assurance of fire safety products and the most recent in a series of workshops with industry experts examined traceability and specification. One of the most consistent themes that emerge in these discussions is collaboration.

Dame Judith Hackitt’s report said that the built environment sector, “Needs to accelerate the adoption of readily available means of providing product traceability.” This requires collaboration from everyone involved in the product cycle.

The introduction of the new Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) aims to ensure that construction manufacturers provide reliable, accurate information about their products throughout their lifecycle.  It will allow users easy access to all of the necessary details when making decisions about specifying, maintaining and disposing of their products. The Code is built around five ‘acid tests’ informed by the Call for Evidence Survey.

It said that product information must be Clear, Accurate, Up to Date, Accessible and Unambiguous. The new code is an important milestone on the product assurance journey, but it is voluntary and so requires commitment and collaboration across the sector. It is currently being tested by early adopters before being finalised and formally launched later this year.

Alongside the CCPI initiative, BSI has collaborated with the CPA to create BSI Identify. It is an initiative that aims to transform traceability in the supply chain by issuing manufacturers with a unique and enduring Universal Persistent Identification Number (UPIN) for every product that is specified and incorporated in a building structure. The manufacturer can tag the product with the UPIN to provide access to a page with all up to date information on a product – from specification, installation and maintenance to replacement CE and recall/safety information.  UPINs and open and accessible to anyone on the internet.

When it comes to specification, there are still questions about the ability to cope with the complex interactions and collaboration required to manage the multiple performance objectives needed at concept stage through the inevitable changes as projects advance. This becomes even harder when designers are no longer in the loop.

Many involved in the construction process are unaware of the fire safety implications of what they might regard as a small change to the specification.  The manufacturer’s specification could potentially hide important knowledge as well as incompatibilities with wider assumptions and key dependencies.  Specifiers are reliant on this critical level of detail.

Beyond the provision of accurate product information, the system needs engaging, competent people who understand how cost innovation and change can impact project delivery and how all this work and data can be absorbed.

More education and awareness, competency and understanding is needed across the sector.  The industry needs to embrace greater collaboration now to build on the impetus of recent years.

The Fire Sector Federation seeks to give voice to and exert influence in shaping future policy and strategy related to the UK Fire Sector. The Federation is a not for profit non-government organisation established to act as a forum for the benefit of its membership and to evolve as a central source of information on all aspects relating to fire.

www.firesectorfederation.co.uk

Farms and other agricultural environments can help ensure that livestock and assets are protected from fire following the launch of a dedicated package by fire detection specialists Patol.

Every year in the UK some 1,700 farm buildings are destroyed by fire. Around 50 percent are estimated to be deliberate, often an act of vandalism/sabotage. 2020 saw the cost of farm fires reach a five-year high at an estimated £49million.

Against this backdrop, UK based Patol and its manufacturing partner Securiton, have developed a fire detection package specifically designed to meet the needs of such applications.

Farm buildings have their own specific requirements in terms of fire safety. They often contain flammable materials such as bedding, hay, grain and wood, which, if they ignite, burn with savage intensity. Liquid fuel sources such as alcohol, liniment, paints and creosote can also add significantly to the fire load.

Another factor is the trend for rationalisation which has resulted in an increase in the size of agricultural buildings as well as the level of mechanisation, bringing ever more complex electrical and electronic installations to meet these needs. All of this significantly increases fire risk and the potential for greater losses.

Smoke is the major hazard in the event of fire, responsible for most animal and human deaths. It is therefore important in farm applications to discover a fire at the earliest point – the so-called incipient stage when the opportunity to intervene and extinguish is at its greatest. SecuriSmoke aspirating smoke detectors from Patol are used extensively in a wide range of applications and the HD version has been developed specifically to protect farm buildings and greenhouses.

The ASD 535 detector is designed with the higher protection class of IP 66 for use in extreme conditions. This ensures it can be deployed in humid and dusty environments, both of which are characteristics of many agricultural structures. It is also suitable for applications containing corrosive elements such as methane and ammonium or where herbicides and pesticides are present.

SecuriSmoke works by sampling air drawn through pipework to a smoke sensing detector. It features a dust filter unit with a special flap for rapid filter change without power down, which prevents dirt from entering the detector, as well as triggering an air flow fault indicator if the filter cartridge is missing. For environments with very high dust exposure, there is the option of the ADB 500 automatic blow-out device with readily available compressed air to provide automated cleaning of the sampling tubes and sampling holes. The system also employs a special conformal coated sensor SSD 535-3 CP for harsh environments, such as when ammonia is present.

Early warning of smoke can be provided for two areas of up to 300 metres by a single detector, with a range of sensitivity settings to ensure it can be matched to the specific conditions of a given environment. SecuriSmoke is VDS approved to the standard EN 54-20 classes A, B and C using pipe flow design software.

Buildings and other farm infrastructure, as well as the animals, are often insured against the risk of fire. However, the loss of business contracts, for example a long-term supply contract with a meat processing company and the economic damage resulting from it, are rarely insured. With an estimated forty percent of businesses that suffer arson attacks never trading successfully again, the need to recognise and protect against the threat from fire has never been greater.

BAFE Scheme DS301 Third Party Certification is now available for contractors working with Grade D fire detection and fire alarm systems for domestic premises.

Following an extensive development process over two years in the making, the BAFE Fire Safety Register and NAPIT are proud to announce a new Scheme to assess the competency of organisations who provide design, installation, commissioning and maintenance services for BS 5839-6 Grade D fire detection and fire alarm systems in domestic premises.

BAFE DS301 (For the Design, Installation, Commissioning and Maintenance of Grade D Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems in Domestic Premises) supports appropriate British Standards and best working practice, most notably the latest iteration of BS 5839-6 (Code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems in domestic premises).

Acknowledging progress of recognising both organisational and individual competency following the Grenfell Tower fire, the BAFE DS301 Scheme will also focus scrutiny on two key personnel roles required for an organisation to become Third Party Certificated/BAFE Registered for Grade D systems. These are a Principal Duty Holder (the person appointed by the organisation to have responsibility for the maintenance of the overall standard and safety of the fire detection and fire alarm system work) and a Qualified Supervisor (a Competent Person who meets the requirements of the BAFE DS301 Scheme and with specific responsibility on a day-to-day basis for the safety, technical standard and quality of the fire detection and fire alarm system work). A key requirement for the Qualified Supervisor will be to ensure that all operatives undertaking fire detection and fire alarm work for the organisation are competent.

Chris Auger, Director of Schemes – BAFE, comments “The roles of Principal Duty Holder and Qualified Supervisor for the BAFE DS301 Scheme is a crucial element to upholding quality and competency of those delivering these services. Dame Judith Hackitt and subsequent Working Groups have raised the topic of both organisational and individual responsibility which have been incorporated into the BAFE DS301 Scheme organisation competency criteria as a direct result. With this, there will be a transparent chain of responsibility for such systems aiding the desired ‘golden thread’ of key information. It was a core component in the development of the Scheme.”

“We are delighted to officially announce the BAFE DS301 Scheme with NAPIT as the first Licensed Certification Body, who will be delivering assessment for those registered within this scope for the electrotechnical sector.”

Justin Maltby-Smith, NAPIT Technical Scheme Development Manager, added “NAPIT are delighted to be leading the way with the development of the new DS301 Scheme with BAFE. The DS301 Scheme will help to raise standards within the domestic electrical sector for organisations who carry out design, installation, commissioning and maintenance work on BS 5839-6 Grade D fire detection and fire alarm systems. BS 5839-6 was fully revised in 2019 and amended in 2020 and it is extremely important that work on Grade D fire detection and fire alarm systems is performed in compliance with and to the current British Standard. Achieving this Third Party Certification will demonstrate an organisation’s commitment and competence to perform quality and compliant work to keep people safe in their homes.”

The BAFE DS301 Scheme (For the Design, Installation, Commissioning and Maintenance of Grade D Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems in Domestic Premises) is now available for application/assessment via NAPIT. You can register your interest with NAPIT here www.napit.org.uk/schemes/BAFE-DS301-Domestic-Fire-Alarm-Scheme.aspx  

The BAFE DS301 Scheme Document is now available on the BAFE Website www.bafe.org.uk/become-bafe-registered/bafe-ds301-assessment-and-registration-process

This afternoon, FEMA authorised the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Poverty Flats Fire burning in Big Horn County and Crow Agency in Montana.

FEMA Acting Regional Administrator Tammy Littrell approved the state’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) after receiving the request earlier today and determining that the fire threatened such destruction that it would constitute a major disaster.

At the time of the request, the Poverty Flats Fire was threatening more than 1,240 homes in and around the Crow Agency and the town of Hardin in Big Horn County. The fire is also threatening buildings, infrastructure, utilities, equipment, and roads in the area. The fire started yesterday, July 27, 2021 and has burned more than 65,000 acres of state and private land.  The fire is zero percent contained. 

The authorization makes FEMA funding available to pay 75 percent of the state’s eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant for managing, mitigating and controlling designated fires. These grants do notprovide assistance to individual home or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire.

Fire Management Assistance Grants are provided through the President’s Disaster Relief Fund and are made available by FEMA to assist in fighting fires that threaten to cause a major disaster. Eligible items can include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; mobilization and demobilization activities; and tools, materials and supplies.

With the FMAG authorization, additional funding is made available through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) Post Fire for the mitigation of wildfire and related hazards, such as flood after fire or erosion. Some eligible wildfire project types include defensible space measures, ignition-resistant construction, and hazardous fuels reduction.

A vertical farming, glasshouses and energy company has been sentenced after a worker suffered electrical burns after coming into contact with an 11kV overhead power line.

Beverley Magistrates’ Court heard that on 3 December 2018, a subcontractor scaffolding worker was unloading some scaffolding poles near power cables in Willerby, Hull, when one of the poles caught the overhead line. He sustained burns to his leg and foot and was hospitalised.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the site was very muddy, and operatives were unable to park their vehicles on site near the work area, meaning they had to move the materials onto the site by hand. There were also inadequate controls on site to warn of the overhead cables.

Cambridge Glasshouse Company Limited of Wallingfen Park, Main Road, Newport Brough, East Yorkshire pleaded guilty to breaching Section 14 of the Electricity at Work Act 1989. The company was fined £333,333 and ordered to pay costs of £1,235.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Sarah Robinson said: “The company should have planned the work to mitigate the risks and had better signage and controls around the site for overhead cables.

“This was a very serious incident and could have easily been fatal.”

Less than two weeks after heavy downpours saw roads and homes flooded in northwest and southwest London, London Fire Brigade’s 999 Control Officers took more than 1,000 calls during the capital’s second bout of widespread flooding on Sunday.

Firefighters attended hundreds of incidents after flood water affected areas such as Kingston, Redbridge, and Leytonstone. These included rescuing people stranded in cars, basement floodings and reports of ceilings collapsing.

In Worcester Park, firefighters rescued three adults and two children who were trapped after their car became stuck in one metre of flood water under the railway bridge.

Station Officer Andrew Cuthbert, who was at the scene, said: “When we arrived, there were two cars in the water. One car was already submerged, and another car had broken down in the water with a family inside.

“The sheer volume of water meant that it was also coming up through the drains and sewers and our rescue team wearing dry suits used an inflatable rescue boat to bring them to safety from the window of the car.

“Thankfully, no one was hurt, but these types of incidents can be avoided if people familiarise themselves with what to do if you’re caught in a flood.

“After rescuing the family from the car, we also had to speak to local people playing and even kayaking in the flood water. Hidden hazards beneath the surface and contaminated water can make driving or walking through flood waters very dangerous. We were seeing drain covers being lifted by the water, which could not only cause cars to become stuck, but could also seriously injure people walking through. If you’re unsure about the depth of the water, look for landmarks as to where the water has come up to. If you can’t see the pavement, don’t risk it.”

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service firefighters will soon be able to use smoke curtains to stop the spread of smoke to an escape route and help them rescue people from fires, particularly in high-rise buildings.

The curtains, which are designed to hold back smoke while people escape, will be introduced on Sunday 1 August once the Service has completed the necessary training.  Smoke curtains would be particularly useful in high-rise buildings due to the potentially complex nature of these rescues.

The Government has given NFRS nearly £100,750 to buy smoke curtains and other equipment designed specifically for tackling fires in high-rise buildings, following the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report.  Smoke hoods, which were introduced earlier this year, were successfully used for the first time in a Radford fire last month to rescue a woman uninjured.

Group Manager Chris Emmott said: “The smoke hoods have already proved their worth and we expect smoke curtains will be just as useful.  This equipment could save many lives in future.  Purchasing special equipment to tackle fires in high-rise buildings is just one of many ways we are meeting the recommendations of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report.”

More information about the Service’s response to the Inquiry can be found in a report to the meeting of the Nottinghamshire and City of Nottingham Fire and Rescue Authority today (Friday 23 July).  The report can be found on Nottingham City Council’s website.

Further targeted daily contact testing is being rolled out in England to frontline emergency services and some transport workers, following the government’s close engagement with these sectors in order to avoid any potential disruption to crucial services.

Following clinical trial results, daily contact testing will be rolled out to further critical workplaces in England so that contacts who would otherwise be self-isolating can instead take daily tests, with an expected initial additional 200 testing sites.

Delivering daily contact testing to these critical workplaces builds on pioneering work by NHS Test and Trace and Public Health England which puts the UK at the vanguard of scientific research.

New testing sites will be allocated for frontline police and fire services to ensure critical staff can continue their vital work. Daily testing will enable eligible workers who have received alerts from the NHS Covid 19 app or have been called by NHS Test and Trace and told they are a contact and to isolate will be able to continue working if they test negative. Employers and workers taking part in Daily Contact Testing will be provided with guidance about the protocols they must follow.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “Our brave police officers and fire fighters have shown throughout the pandemic that they have worked tirelessly to keep us safe and serve their communities. Border Force have played a vital role in the national effort to keep goods and supplies coming into the country as well as keeping our borders secure. Daily testing will keep our frontline teams safe while they continue to serve the public and communities across our country.

Health and Social Care Secreatay Sajid Javid added: “Throughout the pandemic, our frontline emergency services have continued to keep us all safe, overcoming enormous challenges to do so, while workers across the transport network have kept the country moving

“Throughout the pandemic, our frontline emergency services have continued to keep us all safe”

“As we learn to live with the virus, we must do everything we can to break chains of transmission and stop the spread of the virus. Daily contact testing of workers in these critical sectors will help to minimise any disruption caused by rising cases in the coming weeks, while ensuring staff are not put at risk.”

Self-isolation remains an essential tool for suppressing the transmission of the virus.

People who have been identified as contacts are at least five times more likely to be infected with COVID-19 than other members of the public. Vaccines are highly effective at reducing the risk of serious illness, hospitalisation and death, and we are encouraging everyone to continue to get the vaccine to enable us to tackle the virus.

A food manufacturing company has been sentenced after repeated failures to maintain safety devices on its food processing machinery.

South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard that on three separate occasions between July 2008 and March 2016, HSE inspectors visiting the premises of Coldconnection Limited found multiple food processing machines that had non-functional or defeated interlock safety devices. Notices were served on each occasion, requiring the company to remedy the defects, but on a fourth visit in August 2019, the same issues were found again.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted the firm due to the repeated contraventions relating to these safety devices and the failure to maintain improvements.

Coldconnection Limited of Bladen Street Ind Est, Jarrow, Tyne And Wear pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11 (3)(c) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The company was fined £14,000 and ordered to pay £928 costs.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Stephen Garner said: “While HSE would prefer to engage with businesses proactively through alternative enforcement tools, we can and will bring action through the courts where businesses are found to put their employees at unnecessary risk through repeated contraventions of health and safety law.”