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

Remember Health and Safety is more than just about Safety

Following on from the recent HSE focus on workplace Health issues, “Safer Sites – Targeted Inspection Initiative” comes a Seminar covering Respiratory Health, hosted by IOSH.

Respiratory health issues creep up slowly, with many people not realising they have a condition, often thinking their symptoms are simply due to lack of fitness or to getting older. As a result of this, often a condition does not get diagnosed in the early stages.

Presented by experts from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) and the private sector, this seminar aims to outline an employer’s responsibilities for respiratory health and to identify control measures that can reduce the likelihood of problems and identify any health issues early.

Link to the IOSH Seminar details:
http://www.iosh.co.uk/IOSH/Home/Events/Event%20details.aspx?Name=Respiratory%20Health%20Seminar&Id=101621&ItemType=Course&ReturnURL=%2fEvents.aspx%3fcurrentPage%3d4

Link to HSE Safer Sites Initiative:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/campaigns/safersites/index.htm?eban=govdel-equipment-at-work&cr=30-Sep-2014

Courses we run regarding health matters:-

1. Face fitting of masks (We offer face fitting on site or in the client's office) (Face fitting is a requirement of the COSHH Regs)
2. Training persons to carry out the face fitting of masks.
3. Inspection of masks course.
4. Registers of mask use written or provided.
5. Hand arm vibration awareness training.
6. HAV register provided.
7. Asbestos awareness training to UKATA standard.
8. Category B asbestos removal training.

Please get in touch if you'd like to discuss the options or make a booking.