05Jan2016

Improve Your Lifting Safety in 2016

robin health & safety

Lifting heavy equipment can be extremely dangerous. It is crucial that correct training and equipment is used to prevent accidents and fatalities in the workplace.

Last year it was reported that a 37 year old warehouse worker died in a tragic accident on his first shift as saw operator for a business in the Cardiff docks area.

There were no eye witnesses to the accident but it is believed that the worker may have been attempting to attach lifting chains around a girder unsupervised. Staff members found him pinned between two pieces, attempts were made to remove the girder but Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Although training was provided, there was no clear instruction about which method for moving or cutting the two tonne steel columns should be used. It came to light that the company did not have written guidance on how to lift the girders, leaving their employees to create their own ways.

The company was fined £112,000 and ordered to pay £98,000 in costs.

Accidents like these, whether they end in a fatality like the above case, or a worker ends up hurt are tragic, because they are so easily preventable.

As an employer it is your responsibility to ensure that your employees are working in a safe environment by providing comprehensive training to all your employees and training them to use the right equipment and wear the correct PPE at all times.

Before engaging in any type of heavy lifting, you need to ensure that all of your equipment meets or exceeds the working load limit (WLL) of the load you are planning on lifting or moving.

Additionally you must also ensure that any lifting tasks are correctly planned, supervised and conducted in a safe manner, with people who are fully trained to use the equipment needed. You must also perform an inspection of all the lifting equipment that you will be using. Do not use equipment that is worn or damaged in any way.

Here at SafetyLiftinGear we stock a fully comprehensive range of top quality heavy lifting equipment, including a large range of beam clamps, chainblocks, leverhoists, electric hoists, wire rope hoists, round slings, chainslings and more. Click here to view our extensive lifting equipment range.

18Dec2015

Farmer Fined £2,500 After Fall From Height Kills Worker

Admin health & safety

If you find yourself working at height, you should always ensure that you are taking the necessary precautions to prevent accidents. In 2013/2014, falls from height were the most common cause of work-related deaths, with nearly 3 in 10 accidents being fatal.

In Northern Ireland recently, a worker fell 3 metres from a ladder onto the concrete floor of the dairy farm where he was replacing a sky panel on a corrugated barn roof. The worker was working from the underside of the roof, but slipped and fell while he was looking at the farm owner during the installation. It came to light that there was no scaffolding erected, nor was the worker wearing a safety harness whist working at height.

An inspector with Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland found that this accident was preventable, and states that it “underlines why farmers must not ignore the potential dangers associated with working at heights”.

This accident illustrates that, no matter what the task, if you are working at height then it is essential that you take the correct safety precautions to reduce the risk of fatalities. To prevent accidents whist working at height, it is important that you don’t over-reach whilst using ladders, and that you do not erect ladders on uneven or unsafe surfaces.

Here at SafetyLiftinGear, we take height safety extremely seriously. We have a whole department dedicated to working at height products, featuring a large variety of specialist safety harnesses, lanyards, fall arrest blocks and more. Click here to view our full range.

If you have any questions regarding our height safety range, or if you cannot find a product that meets your specific requirements, please contact us by telephoning 0808 123 6969 or emailing a member of our customer service team on sales@safetyliftingear.com.

16Dec2015

Scaffolders: Be Sure to Wear Safety Harnesses!

mike health & safety

Recently, we came across a news story regarding a scaffolder from Bristol, who suffered life-changing head injuries as a result of falling 9 metres while dismantling a scaffold. The HSE investigated the firm in question following this incident, and found that no preventative measures had been taken to avoid the accident, which means that they were held fully responsible for the worker's injuries.

They were subsequently fined £26,250 for failing to comply with the Work at Height Regulations 2005, which clearly states that work should be properly planned, supervised and carried to secure safety. The firm were found to have neglected their duty as employers by failing to provide proper equipment and training for their employees, a simple step which could have prevented this incident.

Sadly, cases like this are not uncommon, which is why you often see us writing about them here, in an attempt to remind people why providing and using the correct safety equipment is so important. For some strange reason, health and safety is often neglected in professions like scaffolding, due to a misguided sense of invincibility, coupled with the idea that harnesses will somehow make life more difficult.

No matter how well-trained or experienced someone is at their job, there is always the risk of human error, or hazards posed by matters beyond their control. To ensure that the risk of suffering a serious or fatal injury is reduced as much as possible, it is vitally important that employers and workers make use of the proper resources available to them. Here at SafetyLiftinGear, we stock a huge variety of safety harnesses, all of which are intended to provide an extra measure of security for individuals working at height. Using harnesses, as proven by the case above (as well as countless others which occur frequently throughout the UK) can mean the difference between life and death, providing a secure lifeline when things go wrong and errors occur.

To browse our full range of height safety equipment, click here, or follow us on Twitter for more health and safety news, advice and updates.

03Dec2015

Should You Be Wearing PPE?

Admin health & safety

Construction sites are very dangerous places to work, being surrounded by heavy machinery, noisy power tools, large trucks and lorries, entering confined working spaces, or being in contact with potentially hazardous materials (Asbestos) chemicals and gases, can greatly increase the risk of accidents. So if you are working on, visiting or managing a building or construction site, you need to ensure that you and your staff are dressing appropriately.

When is PPE Needed?

According to the HSE (Health and Safety Executive), PPE should be used “when all other measures are inadequate to control exposure”. PPE is generally advised to be used as a last resort, when risks to employee health cannot be avoided or controlled in any other way.

Do I need PPE?

If your workplace is found to have risks to your health that cannot be controlled by any other means, you might need PPE. If PPE is needed, it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure PPE is provided to all employees who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety while at work. It is also the responsibility of the employer to provide said PPE free of charge, whether it is returnable or not (Section 9 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974).

Workplace PPE from SafetyLiftinGear:

We at SafetyLiftinGear, take Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) extremely seriously. Here is an example of the products that we stock in our specialist PPE section:

Ear protection

When you are working in loud environments where you are exposed to loud noises it is important to take care of your hearing, prolonged exposure to loud noises can lead to noise related hearing loss, or tinnitus. You can protect yourself against noise by using our Ear defenders. Our ear defenders offer comfort and protection with a noise reduction rating up to 34dB.

Click here to view our full range of ear defenders

Eye Protection

By law eye protection must be worn when you are in a hazardous area, if you are employing people to work on your site it is your responsibility to provide eye protection. When choosing eye protection it is important that they are comfortable, and that they are designed to protect you from the potential hazard such high speed flying metal particles, small stones, or chemical splashes. You will also need to consider if you are going to be using ear protection with them, or a respirator, as these items can affect how the glasses fit.

Here at SafetyLiftinGear our safety goggles have a soft, adjustable head strap to ensure that they are comfortable and can be used with your ear protection and respirators if needed. Click here to View.

Dust Masks

Every year people are dying because of prolonged exposure to hazardous substances while at work. Dust masks help prevent the development of respiratory illnesses caused from the inhalation of hazardous substances while you are working. Many hazardous substances are fine dusts, smoke, gas and vapour, most of which you cannot see.

When you are choosing your dust mask, make sure it is suitable for the potential hazards you could be facing in your workplace. Here at SafetyLiftinGear we stock a huge range of dust masks that will protect you from a range of hazardous substances, click here to view our comprehensive range.

High Visibility Clothing

When you are working on a building or construction site, you are at increased risk of injury by large trucks, and Lorries when they are entering, navigating and exiting a work site. High visibility clothing is made from materials with florescent pigments and reflective bands over the shoulders and around the waist. Make sure that you are choosing the correct high visibility clothing for the working conditions, and the task that you are carrying out.

Here at Safety Lifting Gear we stock a huge range of high visibility wear, including safety jacket harnesses, high visibility overalls, and high visibility jackets. Click here to view our full range of high Visibility clothing.

Did you know that here at SafetyLiftinGear we can also offer Custom branded workwear? Just head over to Safety Life Gear where all of the Personal Protection Equipment is Customisable. So if you want to proudly display your companies name and logo on your high visibility jacket you can!

03Dec2015

Should You Be Wearing PPE?

Admin health & safety

Construction sites are very dangerous places to work, being surrounded by heavy machinery, noisy power tools, large trucks and Lorries, entering confined working spaces, or being in contact with potentially hazardous materials (Asbestos) chemicals and gases, can greatly increase the risk of accidents. So if you are working on, visiting or managing a building or construction site, you need to ensure that you and your staff are dressing appropriately.

We at SafetyLiftinGear, take Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) extremely seriously. Here is an example of the products that we stock in our specialist PPE section:

Ear protection

When you are working in loud environments where you are exposed to loud noises it is important to take care of your hearing, prolonged exposure to loud noises can lead to noise related hearing loss, or tinnitus. You can protect yourself against noise by using our Ear defenders. Our ear defenders offer comfort and protection with a noise reduction rating up to 34dB.

Click here to view our full range of ear defenders

Eye Protection

By law eye protection must be worn when you are in a hazardous area, if you are employing people to work on your site it is your responsibility to provide eye protection. When choosing eye protection it is important that they are comfortable, and that they are designed to protect you from the potential hazard such high speed flying metal particles, small stones, or chemical splashes. You will also need to consider if you are going to be using ear protection with them, or a respirator, as these items can affect how the glasses fit.

Here at SafetyLiftinGear our safety goggles have a soft, adjustable head strap to ensure that they are comfortable and can be used with your ear protection and respirators if needed. Click here to View.

Dust Masks

Every year people are dying because of prolonged exposure to hazardous substances while at work. Dust masks help prevent the development of respiratory illnesses caused from the inhalation of hazardous substances while you are working. Many hazardous substances are fine dusts, smoke, gas and vapour, most of which you cannot see.

When you are choosing your dust mask, make sure it is suitable for the potential hazards you could be facing in your workplace. Here at SafetyLiftinGear we stock a huge range of dust masks that will protect you from a range of hazardous substances, click here to view our comprehensive range.

High Visibility Clothing

When you are working on a building or construction site, you are at increased risk of injury by large trucks, and Lorries when they are entering, navigating and exiting a work site. High visibility clothing is made from materials with florescent pigments and reflective bands over the shoulders and around the waist. Make sure that you are choosing the correct high visibility clothing for the working conditions, and the task that you are carrying out.

Here at Safety Lifting Gear we stock a huge range of high visibility wear, including safety jacket harnesses, high visibility overalls, and high visibility jackets. Click here to view our full range of high Visibility clothing.

Did you know that here at SafetyLiftinGear we can also offer Custom branded workwear? Just head over to Safety Life Gear where all of the Personal Protection Equipment is Customisable. So if you want to proudly display your companies name and logo on your high visibility jacket you can!

02Dec2015

The Importance of Height Safety Measures and Risk Assessments

mike health & safety

Recently, two more news stories have come to our attention which highlight the importance of implementing proper health and safety procedures, particularly when working at height.

The first of these concerns Wayne Morgan, a scaffolder from Castleford who has been prosecuted following the death of one of his workers. It was revealed in court that the accident occurred due to an incorrect use of scaffolding edge protection, which left a gap for the individual to fall through and fatally injure himself. The employer was subsequently sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work, and was ordered to pay £15,000 in costs, having breached Regulation 8(a) of the Work at Height Regulations.

A demolition company in Glasgow has also experienced similar circumstances in recent times, after a 50-year-old worker fell when carrying out work from a mobile scaffolding platform. A cable tray swung and hit the worker, causing him to fall five feet from the platform he was working on, and fracture both his right elbow and left arm. The platform had not been put together properly and was missing several essential items, made worse by the fact that no proper risk assessment or inspection had been performed before use. The company in question, DSR Demolition, were subsequently fined £5,000 for breeching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations.

Accidents at work are terrible for both the companies concerned as well as their employees, often causing lasting and unrepairable damage to the lives of those involved. Employers who are found guilty of workplace negligence not only have to deal with the legal implications of their actions, but also with the guilt that comes with bearing responsibility for causing the accidents. They also have to accept that their company may suffer long-term reputation issues following the events, which in the worst scenarios could lead to them ceasing to work in their profession altogether.

For employees and their families, the consequences could be worse still, resulting in serious injury and in the worst cases, death. As illustrated in the story above, even short falls can be dangerous, making it impossible for the victims to return to work for a period of time due to their physical and psychological trauma.

In order to prevent situations like the examples mentioned above, it is vital that employers follow a short list of simple procedures:

Provide the correct height safety equipment for specific jobs, ensuring that all factors have been taken into account.
Ensure that all equipment is regularly tested and is suitable for use.
Conduct proper risk assessments and make sure that all staff are properly briefed on safety procedures.

We provide a large number of height safety solutions here at SafetyLiftinGear, all of which are intended to provide maximum protection whilst working at height. To see our full range, click here.

23Nov2015

Daredevil Climbs Eiffel Tower Without Safety Equipment

mike health & safety

James Kingston, a 25 year old daredevil from Hampshire, climbed the Eiffel Tower at 1am with no safety precautions. That’s right - no safety harness or safety ropes! James, who has previously climbed Wembley Stadium, The Princess Tower in Dubai and Dnipro Towers in Ukraine without any safety precautions in place, evaded the security guards and CCTV, but was finally caught by security and arrested at 9am. He was released without charge but was banned from climbing the Eiffel tower for 3 years.

This got us thinking about all of our customers who regularly work at height in a number of different industries, and about how dangerous their work really is. We at SafetyLiftinGear cannot stress enough just how vital it is to use the correct safety equipment, such as specialist harnesses, fall arrest blocks, and safety ropes to prevent any accidents or injuries if you suddenly slip or fall from a structure.

Here at SafetyLiftinGear/ we have a large variety of safety harnesses, from a basic full body rescue harness through to specialist rope access and insulated harnesses. Stay safe when you are working at height, and don’t try to recreate James’s stunt while operating at height.

Click here to view all our products in our Height Safety Department. If you have any question s about the products then please call us on 0808 123 69 69 or email us sales@safetyliftingear.com and a member of our customer service team will get back to you.