Unhappy council staff being forced to attend work clean shaven

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council has informed some of its staff that unless they turn up to work clean shaven from now on, they will face disciplinary action.

The reason? Those employees in the repairs department, so including such tasks as carpentry and plumbing, are required to wear face-fit masks when working in dusty locations and situations. If a face is not clean shaven, there's a chance that the mask may not seal properly and dust could leak in and into that person's lungs, potentially creating a health risk.

As you'd expect, those who enjoy having facial hair and who work at the council in the repairs department are not too pleased about this demand. But health and safety comes first, and if they don't comply the disciplinary action could include losing pay. So a supervised face fit test is carried out, after which the employees must remain clean shaven to ensure the mask fits correctly.

We suspect more than a few people working at Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council will be sporting a new, cleaner look in the coming days and week, whether they like it or not.

C&D Consultancy can face fit all operatives if your organization or company requires the same health and safety precautions be adhered to. Please contact stuart@demolishdismantle.co.uk for more details.

Source: Coventry Telegraph

Action On Dust

According to many industry insiders, dust could well be the next asbestos when it comes to workplace-generated illnesses. The main concerns are centred around silica, which is present in many materials found on-site. Not a nice thought bearing in mind the consequences of present day Mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

Whilst all of us should be aware of the requirement for operatives to wear suitable and appropriate Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE), how many actually know what is suitable and appropriate for the task in hand, and that the RPE should be correctly fitted to the face?

The COSHH 2002 regulations and accompanying ACoPS stipulate the employers responsibilities when it comes to RPE, and there are also numerous guides and Toolbox Talks on the HSE website. Probably the two major points that need considering are that all face fitting testing should be done by a competent and accredited person and that records of the face fitting for all individuals should be kept and available for inspection.

C&D Consultancy's training department can help employers to comply with these requirements by providing advice by telephoning 01902 686363 or by attending one of our RPE Awareness and Face Fitting Courses, further details are available on:

http://demolitiontraining.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/training-courses.html

Asbestos documentary exposes its dangers

The video you see above is a trailer for an Australian documentary about the dangers of asbestos. It was originally aired last year, and involved local communities taking part in each location the stage show was put on. It focuses on where asbestos was used and how individuals were, unknowingly, exposed to it in a number of products including toothpaste, play-dough, hair dryers, and cigarette filters.

We know now how dangerous asbestos is, and yet we are still dealing with it on a daily basis. If your day-to-day business potentially involves dealing with asbestos, then your staff needs the proper training in order to stay safe. If you'd like to learn more about our asbestos awareness course then please get in touch via margaret@demolishdismantle.co.uk.

HSE FREE SEMINAR on dust announced

HSE have announced a free seminar on dust to be held on Friday 20th September at Coalville, Leicestershire. The seminar has been organised to increase awareness on the hazards associated with dust and the fact that 500 workers per annum die from the effects of inhaling dust from materials such as concrete, brick, wood, mortar, gypsum and sandstone.

Full details of the seminar and how to book are via the following link:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2013/rnn-em-20113.htm