This guidance from Electrical Safety First has been produced in conjunction with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in order to provide practical guidance for employers, employees sub-contractors, and the self-employed on the management of electrical safety, with particular emphasis on low voltage safe isolation procedures to be followed during construction and refurbishment projects, and during maintenance activities.

The guidance is aimed at protecting employees, sub-contractors, and other workers against serious or fatal electrical injuries.

Although the principles apply generally, it is particularly relevant to circumstances where work is being carried out in the presence of other trades, and to sites where more than one electrician is employed.

The guidance covers the following topics in more detail:

• Legislation.
• HSE guidance.
• Site safety management.
• Safe isolation procedures.
• Additional precautions.

 

Please click the link below for the full guidance

Electrical Safety First
August 2023

Contrary to popular belief, often it is not operators who are most at risk when it comes to forklift accidents. Stuart Taylor of Mentor FLT Training explains why it is important that those working alongside lift trucks understand the risks and how to help keep themselves and others safe.

According to RIDDOR figures from recent years, 43% of incidents involving a forklift truck were impacts with a third person. These include pedestrians engaged in unrelated activities, co-workers, supervisors and delivery drivers.

Unlike operator training, awareness training for those working alongside MHE is often overlooked, and yet, these individuals are the most vulnerable. While the operator is protected by the truck’s cab, pedestrians are exposed and most likely to sustain a serious injury, should something go wrong.

Remember, when we refer to pedestrians, we don’t just mean colleagues who work in the area. It includes visitors, delivery drivers, staff members from other areas of the company and even forklift drivers themselves, once they have dismounted from their trucks. Anyone who may find themselves in the vicinity of MHE is at risk.

Ultimately, it is the responsibility of forklift operators (and their manager/employers) to ensure forklifts are used safely on site. Ensuring that measures such as operator training, safe systems of work and regular monitoring are in place will undoubtedly help to create safer operations.

But further improvements can be made by providing basic awareness to those most at risk and preparing all staff to handle potentially dangerous scenarios safely. Real gains can come from ensuring that everyone working in the vicinity of MHE understands what to do – and what not to do – to keep themselves and others safe.

What steps can pedestrians take?

• Use pedestrian walkways/zones: One of the biggest risks to safety on a site with forklifts operating is inadequate segregation between trucks and pedestrians. Forklifts and people on foot should be separated, wherever possible, ideally by physical segregation using barriers, designated zones and separate traffic routes to keep them apart. Where walkways are available, they should be used – every time.
• Stick to safe systems of work: Where total separation is not feasible and staff are required to perform tasks in a shared area, there should be other control measures in place to keep them apart. Safe systems of work (SSOW) – based on risk assessments of specific tasks – will ensure that all parties understand how to carry out their duties safely. These should be communicated to all who may be affected and must be followed day in, day out.
• Keep a safe distance from MHE: While this should be a regular theme in a company’s SSOW, it is general fundamental principle which everyone should understand and follow throughout their time on site to reduce risk. Sadly, many injuries occur when pedestrians find themselves too close to forklift trucks when they do not need to be there in the first place. When establishing what constitutes a safe distance, consider the specific nature of the operation, e.g. if a forklift is unloading from height, leave more distance as, in the event of a tip over, the area covered by the falling mast and load will be larger.
• Wear PPE: Pedestrians must wear any PPE issued to them by their employer for their safety, such as high vis jackets and safety boots. Not only is this good practice, it is also a legal requirement upon the employee.
• Follow signage: Posters and signs will likely be positioned around site, to reinforce safety measures and travel routes. Take note of these and follow the guidance at all times.
• Report bad practice: Staff must be mindful not only for their own safety, but also that of their peers, and while managers have an obligation to monitor behaviour, there may be times when it is necessary for a staff member to flag the actions of others. Unsafe forklift operation or disregard for safe travel routes are examples of bad practice that should be reported to a supervisor for the safety of everyone on site.

For further guidance on segregation and forklift awareness for your site, click here to download our free fact sheet.

It’s important – for their own safety and that of others – that everyone at risk understands the importance of following safety measures, and the potential consequences if they don’t. Crucially, those working close to forklift trucks should understand what bad operating practice looks like, so that they can recognise (and report) any unsafe activities taking place around them.

Mentor’s online Forklift Awareness course has been designed to help meet this need, providing a concise, impactful look at key safety messages surrounding forklift use and underlining their importance. Unlike most forklift training packages, this course is designed to target operators and pedestrians alike, emphasising to all parties the need to remain alert to their surroundings and maintain safe distances between MHE and pedestrians at all times. What’s more, with material available in a flexible e-learning format, training can be completed in a matter of hours, at the learner’s own pace, making it an ideal tool for inductions.

By increasing forklift safety awareness across the board, you can ensure that everyone is equipped to contribute to a safer site. Find out more about Forklift Awareness training for your team and watch the preview video here.

For further information contact Amy Alton of Mentor FLT Training on 01246 555222 or email: amy.alton@mentortraining.co.uk

A recent article showed Sellafield leading the way to increased safety by deploying drones rather than people.

Simon Brentnall (Head of Health & Safety) states ‘We believe there are still many opportunities within the food and drink industry where this technology could be embraced. Although the majority of drone manufacturers state drones must be kept at temperatures between 0°C – 40°C there are still many examples where these can be utilised outside the cold store, such as:

• the inspection of roof voids above cold stores,
• high-level maintenance inspection,
• solar panel inspection,
• contractor roof inspections/quotations.

With any risk assessment, the hierarchy of risk control is adopted giving clear priority to the elimination of hazards over all other controls. In terms of work at height, falls are responsible for the biggest cause of fatality in GB. Using drones provides the best example of practically eliminating the need to work a height.

So the question is, are we realising the full potential of this technology?

Groundbreaking flights at Sellafield lead the way in safety

Drone pilots have successfully completed two flight firsts on the Sellafield site leading the way to increased safety of employees during decommissioning.

The successful deployment of the Elios three drone equipped with a LiDAR sensor marks a major milestone for the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) team, enabling Sellafield Ltd to achieve unparalleled efficiency in mapping and 3D modelling.

Hot on the heels of this first flight the team then successfully flew the Elios 3 drone with a RAD (radiation activity detection) dosimeter which they hope will allow them to map radiation hotspots in areas before other colleagues go into unused areas of the Sellafield site.

Amanda Smith, UAV equipment programme lead, Sellafield Ltd, highlighted the safety and financial benefits of deploying a drone for the mapping. She said: “We’re thrilled that this first flight of Elios 3 with the LiDAR payload was a success and the data collected is now being processed in a Computer Aided Design system which will produce a 3D model of the area in question, helping to inform engineering decisions going forwards.

“Sending a drone into this tight and unused space rather than an employee in the first instance reduces risk, and also saves time and money.

“The team put a lot of work into making sure they were fully prepared for this flight. There are building plans they can study and try to work out the best route for the drone to take.”

Sam Jay, UAV equipment engineer and chief pilot, Sellafield Ltd said: “The flights can be very intense and in this case there was pipework everywhere. The drones fly in a cage with sensors so if they do happen to touch anything they won’t be damaged.

“The hardest part is remembering your way out again. In such a short space of time you need to get in and out quickly. There can be a lot of pressure as not getting the drone out and having to send someone in after it would defeat the point of the flight.

“Now that we have scanned the area the engineers can design scaffolding before they go to unblock a pipe which has been causing an issue in this particular area. By deploying the drone, and speeding up the process we have potentially saved the company, and the taxpayer, hundreds of thousands of pounds.”

Buoyed by the success of this flight, Sellafield made history again recently as the first UK nuclear site to employ a drone equipped with a radiation monitor.

This innovative addition aims to assess radiation levels and identify potential hot spots in areas where radiation exposure levels are unknown.

The deployment of the drone with a radiation payload demonstrates the organisation’s commitment to exploring innovative solutions for radiation assessment, reducing risk to those working on the Sellafield site.