City of London DSE Project Survey
Officers from the Environmental Health Service carried out the
survey of a sample of businesses with over 200 staff in the
City of London during 2003/2004 and in total this phase of the
project covered 31,000 “users” of display screen equipment
(DSE).
The project was initiated in response to:-
- a perceived increase in the number of statutory reports of
occupational disease associated with the use of DSE in the
City;
- a wider, national concern about the musculoskeletal health
impacts of intensive and prolonged use of display screen use;
and
- the very substantial numbers of workers potentially exposed to
these risks, some 270,000 in the City of London alone.
and supports the Health & Safety Executive's Musculoskeletal
Disorders Priority Programme (see
Key City Health & Safety
topics below).
The report describes the results of a survey conducted during
2003/04 of large business premises (200+ employees) employing a
total of approximately 31,000 DSE “users” in the City of London.
The survey was carried out by Environmental Health Officers
visiting sampled premises and also taking action where there was
non-compliance.
Included among the findings:
- an effective ‘Early Warning System’ for DSE-related health
problems was found to be operating at 69% of the businesses
assessed;
- most premises complied with requirements for appropriate
workstation equipment and the working environment but only 57%
complied with risk assessment requirements;
- 48% of premises were good performers with 4 or five statutory
risk factors and early warning systems in place;
- 17% of premises were poor performers with only 1 or no
statutory risk factors in place; and
- the remaining premises were moderate to poor performers
with 2 or 3 statutory risk management factors in
place.
As many of the organisations visited were large high profile
employers with multiple sites across the UK, it is considered the
impact of this programme could extend well beyond the City of
London.
Work is continuing with the second phase, which involves a
survey of smaller businesses with less than 200 employees with
follow-up work on both phases planned during 2007/8 in order to
assess the impact of this intervention programme.
The report on Phase I of the project is now available to
download below with the key findings are set out in the
Executive Summary to the report.
Download a copy of the
City DSE Project Phase 1 Report here (214kb)
Key City Health & Safety
topics
The Government’s
Revitalising Health &
Safety strategy seeks to reduce death, accidents and
work-related ill-health by 2010.
In support of this national strategy, the
Health & Safety
Executive (HSE) and UK Local Authorities are focusing on
five Priority Programmes areas or “Topics” which inspectors are
raising with business during routine inspections and during other
enforcement interventions.
1. Musculoskeletal Disorders
Display Screen Equipment use is seen as a major issue in City
businesses and in support of the
Musculoskeletal
Disorders Priority Programme we have been carrying out a
phased project over a number of years now looking at compliance
with legislation and good practice in a representative sample of
City businesses, both small (less that 200 employees) and medium
(more than 200 employees) in size.
2. Falls from Height
Window cleaning and the use of Suspended Access Equipment is a
high risk activity in the City and in support of the
Falls from Height
Priority Programme of the HSE a programme of inspections takes
place annually plus intervention at the planning application stage
for large developments so as to ensure that risks are designed out
or reduced to
“As Low As Reasonably
Practicable” as early as possible in accordance with HSE
policy. (see also Working
At Height section below).
The City of London is also represented on national bodies
working in partnership with the HSE and industry such as the
Federation of Window
Cleaners, reviewing guidance on safety in window
cleaning and actively participates and supports initiatives with
other local authorities who have similar issues.
3. Work-related Stress
The City of London is currently involved in a project in
partnership with the HSE and the
London Borough of Tower
Hamlets on
Work-related
Stress (WRS) within the Financial Services sector,
one of five industry sectors identified as having the highest
risks from WRS; Health Services, Education, Local Government,
and Central Government are the other four. Any improvements in
these sectors will therefore have a significant effect on the
national picture.
The purpose of the project, entitled Stress in the
City, is to assist organisations in the Financial Services
sector in carrying out a risk assessment of the levels of WRS
across their organisation and to subsequently help them implement
the HSE’s Management
Standards. If you would like further information on this
issue, please
email us with your request.
4. Workplace Transport
A London-wide initiative entitled
Moving Goods
Safely commenced this year with both the HSE and
London Boroughs jointly looking at aspects of the supply chain
including Workplace
Transport, Slips & Trips and MSD. We will be
involved in the project later on this year looking at the aspects
most prevalent in the City including the safe use of loading bays
and deliveries across the pavement.
5. Slips & Trips
As well as officers raising the issue of
Slips & Trips
during their routine inspections, we are also currently working up
a project involving Office Cleaning which will include Slips &
Trips.
The Cleaning Industry Liaison Forum on which the City of London
sits has recently worked with the HSE and industry representatives
on producing a Health & Safety Information Sheet on Slips &
Trips entitled Slips and trips: The importance of floor
cleaning and this will be available from 19 September as
download from the
slips information
pages on the HSE website.
As well as nationally identified priority work there are also
issues which are particular to the City of London and amongst these
the most important is the prevention of
Legionnaires
disease from
Cooling Towers.
We are heavily involved in their inspection with over 250 "live"
sites at any one time, the largest concentration in Europe.
We are also involved on a regular basis in:-
The Investigation of Workplace Accidents -
Employers, self-employed people and those in control of workplaces
have a duty to report some workplace accidents, diseases and
dangerous occurrences. Over 300 per year are reported to us.
Accidents are investigated in accordance with our current
Enforcement and Accident Investigation Policies.
The Working Environment – we receive over 500
enquiries per year on a wide range of health & safety matters
both from individuals and businesses seeking advice or information
or wishing to complain about possible non-compliance with health
& safety law.
Massage & Special Treatment Establishments
– auditing premises to assist the Licensing Team with licence
approvals.
Cooling towers
Annually, the audit and inspection of Wet Cooling Towers
constitutes one of the major pro-active elements of our work in
order to prevent the spread of Legionella sp. bacteria,
the cause of Legionnaires Disease. Around 160 sites are audited
each year with the frequency of each audit based upon a national
risk rating scheme which takes into account how those responsible
are managing health & safety risks and their previous
performance.
The Department of Environmental Services maintains a public
register of all cooling towers registered within the City of
London. To obtain a copy of this register please
email or tel 020 7332 3630.
Download a Registration
Form to register your Cooling Tower(s) with the City of
London (21kb)
Further information on cooling towers can also be obtained from
The Water Management
Society, the British Association for
Chemical Specialities and the
Legionella Control
Association for the water treatment industry.
Registration of cooling towers
Under the Notification of Cooling Towers and Evaporative
Condensers Regulations 1992, which were introduced following
serious outbreaks of Legionnaires Disease across the UK, all “wet”
cooling towers must have their details registered with the local
authority including details of the person(s) responsible for the
operation of the tower(s).
Working at height
The second major element of our pro-active work is in relation
to Suspended and Facade Access Equipment used for window cleaning
and building maintenance. We carry out audits of City buildings to
ensure that the management and control of this high risk activity
is being maintained to the highest standards.
All types of lifting equipment have to be thoroughly examined at
least every six months (where they are used to lift people) by a
competent person and if any defects are found which require
immediate attention, they must be brought to the attention of the
owners and health & safety enforcing authority.
L3 Lift Reports can be sent to electronically to the City of
London by
email or by fax to 020
7332 1623
Further information on lifts and lifting equipment can be
obtained from the HSE or from these
three industry-related associations:-
- SAFed - the
Safety Assessment Federation – representing
organisations who carry out thorough examinations and inspections
of all types of equipment and plant
- SAEMA – the
Specialist Access Engineering and Maintenance
Association who’s members primarily design, manufacture
and maintain suspended and façade access equipment
- LEIA - the
Lift & Escalator Industry Association
representing the manufacturers and installers of lifts and
escalators
Ladder Safety
The seminar was aimed at primarily Facilities and Property
Management organisations and presentations were given by a range of
speakers from both the health & safety enforcement community
and the ladder manufacturing and facilities management industries
and the messages it sent out are still applicable today over two
years on.
Copies of the speakers’ presentation slides are available for
down load in PDF format below.
Download the presentation
of Tony Almond, HSE (2.2mb)
Download the presentation
of David Walker, BLMA (1.2mb)
Download the presentation
of Tony Macklin, Corporation of London (1.4mb)
Download the presentation
of Tony Macklin and Rob Greenfield, BIFM (4.2mb)
Risk assessment
Risk assessment lies at the heart of today’s modern management
of health & safety in the UK. Today’s health and safety
legislation can be described as “goal setting” rather than
“prescriptive” as was its predecessor in that it is designed to
encourage businesses to look at themselves and identify suitable
and sufficient controls for the risks inn the business.
This means that those with responsibility for managing health
& safety – the “dutyholders” - have to assess the risks posed
to employees and others by hazards that exist in their workplaces
and by their various work activities.
They must then put into place suitable and sufficient control
measures. Some controls – eg noise levels at work – are still
specified by legislation but in the majority of newer legislation,
the standards expected are backed up by Approved Codes of
Practice.
Once the risks have been assessed then they should be recorded
and control measures to reduce them to as low as reasonably
practicable needed to be employed.
The HSE produces simple,
free guides to risk
assessment as well as further advice on the
management of
risks generally and in
Small
Businesses.
Pressure
systems
Pressure systems can be dangerous because, if they fail, they
can seriously injure or even kill people and cause serious damage
to property through explosion or if their contents (gases or
fluids) are released. They may fail for a number of reasons
including poor design, lack of maintenance, unsafe systems of work,
operator error and poor repair work.
Pressure systems include boilers and steam heating plants,
compressed air systems (fixed and portable), pressure cookers,
autoclaves, pipework and hoses, and gas cylinders; ie systems that
contain a fluid under pressure.
They are dealt with primarily by the Pressure Systems Safety
Regulations 2000 which set out various requirements relating to the
design and installation of such equipment. Specifically, there is a
duty for there to be a written scheme of examination drawn up by a
competent person as to how the system is to be examined to ensure
it is being correctly maintained, all protective devices are
working and it can be used without risk. Where the pressure system
is fixed, the user is generally responsible, but where it is
mobile, then the owner is responsible.
The regulations also require users and owners to:
- establish safe operating limits for such equipment
- ensure operators have adequate instructions and training
- maintain the pressure system in good condition
- keep records of examinations and maintenance
However the regulations only apply where the equipment or plant
contains a relevant fluid (steam or gas under pressure or liquids
under pressure which become gas when released) which are at a
pressure of 0.5 bar (7psi) or more above atmospheric pressure.
If the relevant fluid is steam then the regulations apply
regardless of the pressure.
Some smaller items are exempt from parts of the legislation; if
the internal volume and pressure of the vessel is less than 250 bar
litres then the following items probably would not need a
thorough examination:-
- hand held tools;
- compressed air receivers and pipework where the pressure
multiplied by the internal capacity of the receiver is less than
250 bar litres;
- portable LGP cylinders;
- office hot water urns, etc.
Other regulations that apply to pressure systems in specific
circumstances are:-
- Carriage of Dangerous Goods (Classification, Packaging and
Labelling) and Use of Transportable Pressure Receptacles
Regulations 1996
- Transportable Pressure Vessels Regulations 2001
The examination of pressure systems must only be undertaken by a
competent person such as a member of the
Safety Assessment
Federation (SAFed) and, if there are issues or defects
which the competent person believes may give rise to imminent
danger, they must notify the users and/or the owners and the
relevant health and safety enforcing authority – see
below.
Further details on the responsibilities that owners and users of
pressure systems have are available from the HSE’s website in
Introduction to Health &
Safety. They have also produced two leaflets -
Pressure Systems - safety and
you and
Written Schemes of
Examination - both of which can be downloaded from the
free leaflets pages of the HSE website.
Examination Reports on Pressure Systems can be sent to
the City of London by
email or by fax to 020 7332 1623
Projects
The Team’s inspection programme is complemented by more project
orientated work based upon both national health & safety
initiatives and campaigns and local intelligence gathered on the
ground about current issues affecting health & safety in the
City. As can be seem from the list of topics above, we are
currently engaged in work in support of three national Priority
Programmes.
Designing in safety
The development of major City buildings brings with it a
specific set of risks primarily associated with
working at height and the use of suspended or façade
access equipment for window cleaning and building maintenance. We
are very pro-active in our approach, engaging with architects,
planners and designers from the earliest possible stages in any
development in order to advise and assist with reducing risks and
promoting health & safety for buildings future to users.
To assist developers, architects, designers and installers
through the process of making such risks “as low as reasonable
practicable” - A.L.A.R.P. - and
to help them meet their responsibilities under CDM, we have
developed in conjunction with the City of London’s
Building Control Services, a
Code of Practice for Developers on the Design and Installation
of Suspended and Façade Access Equipment in the City Of
London.
Download a copy of our
Code of Practice (74 kb)
We would however like feedback from developers and other
stakeholders on the Code of Practice as part of an on-going review
over the next six months. You can
email us, however we welcome
feedback in any format.
Infectious diseases
The Health & Safety Team also investigate cases of Non-Food
Infectious Diseases which are notified by GPs and the NHS to local
authorities. Examples of such diseases include
tuberculosis and
Legionnaire's
Disease and they may have been acquired at work or
have workplace-related element to them which needs to be checked
out.
Further information on Infectious Diseases can also be obtained
from the
Heath Protection
Agency on a wide variety of such illnesses which are
notified to local authorities under Public Health
legislation.
For further information or to report a complaint or
problem
email us or telephone 020 7332 3630
Fireworks
Fireworks are no longer simply for just for “Bonfire Night”.
They are used to celebrate many religious and other secular
festivals across the UK and are more and more becoming an intergral
part of public events throughout the year.
However if businesses now wish to sell fireworks
outside the traditional periods of 5 November, Diwali, New
Year or Chinese New Year, they must have an additional
licence authorising such sales. Please contact our
Licensing Service for more
details.
There remains a serious risk from mis-handling and
mis-using what in reality are explosives at any time of
the year and the Government's
Fireworks Safety
Campaign on the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI)
website provides downloadable guidance leaflets and materials for
organisers of public firework displays, retailers selling
fireworks, schools and the media the Firework Safety Code.
Professionally organised displays are regulated by the Health
& Safety Executive (HSE) and the
fireworks pages of the HSE website contain simple advice
on safety at firework dislays. The HSE also publish two booklets
for both
home or domestic
displays and for the
organisers of public
displays and both are available from
HSE books.
For further advice about firework safety, the following websites
provide a wide variety of information:
Pets and animals are very frightened of fireworks so always keep
them indoors when you know a display is taking place. You can
download a special leaflet “Fireworks & Pets” from The
Blue Cross
“Campaigns” website too.
Finally, all retailers selling fireworks must be registered with
their local
Trading Standards authority who
investigate problems with unsafe products and the safe storage of
fireworks.
Who is your health & safety
enforcing authority?
|
Private Sector Offices
Retail Shops
Pubs, Bars, Restaurants and Nightclubs
Sports Clubs |
The City of London and the poster should inform of the
following contact details:- |
Department of Environmental Services
City of London
PO Box 270, Guildhall
London, EC2P 2EJ
Tel 020 7332 3630
Fax 020 7332 1623
or
email |
|
Construction and Civil Engineering
Transport and Railways
The NHS
Manufacturing and Engineering
Local Authorities and other Public Services |
The HSE |
Health & Safety Executive
Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge
London, SE1 9HS
Tel 020 7556 2100
Fax 020 7556 2102
www.hse.gov.uk |
The Employment Medical Advisory Service is a free advisory
service available to all businesses and employees irrespective of
whom their Health & Safety Enforcing Authority is. For the
London area they can be contacted at: Rose Court , 2 Southwark
Bridge, London SE1 9HS Tel 020 7556 2100 Fax 020 7556 2102
Finally you can always check who is the health & safety
Enforcing Authority for your particular circumstances by
following this link to an A-Z list published by the HSE.
For further information or to report a complaint or
problem
email us or telephone 020 7332 3630
-
Business
- council notification of new employees
- Business which employ any person or persons to work in a shop
or office premises are required by Section 49 of the Office Shops
and Railway Premises act 1963 and the Notification of Employment of
Persons order 1964 to notify the local authority.
-
Business
- registering premises
- Business premises are required to be registered with the local
authority. Following an application an Officer will visit premises
to check they meet health and safety guidelines and conform with
local Byelaws. Premises will be inspected on a regular basis once
registered.
-
Fire
certificates - hotels and boarding houses
- A fire certificate is required for any premises used as a hotel
or boarding house where there is accommodation for more than 6
people. The local fire authority is responsible for inspecting
premises and issuing the certificate.
-
Fire
certificates - offices
- A fire certificate is required for any office premises where
there are more than 20 people employed (in one or more buildings)
at any one time or more than 10 people employed other than on the
ground floor of the building. The local fire authority is
responsible for processing applications, inspecting premises and
issuing certificates.
-
Fire
certificates - shops
- A fire certificate is required for any retail premises where
there are more than 20 people employed (in one or more buildings)
at any one time or more than 10 people employed other than on the
ground floor of the building. The local fire authority is
responsible for processing applications, inspecting premises and
issuing certificates.
-
Fire warden
- Fire safety training for employees is a legal requirement under
fire legislation. The local fire brigade run courses for fire
wardens and marshals on fire prevention, fire safety, use of
breathing apparatus and for managers who are responsible for
determining fire safety procedures.
-
Health and safety
- accident reporting
- Employers have a duty to report certain dangerous occurrences
and accidents at work to the Local Authority who will investigate
any incidents. The outcome of these enquiries usually involves the
giving of advice to the employer. If a blatant breach of
requirements is identified as the main reason for an accident
happening, then formal action will be taken.
-
Health and
safety - construction regulations
- The construction of domestic, commercial and industrial
buildings are bound by fire safety requirements including safe
means of escape, internal/external stability, accessibility for
fire equipment, containment of smoke/fire. The local fire service
inspect premises to ensure compliance with all
legislation.
-
Health
and safety - occupational health services
- The council has a legal duty to enforce the Health and Safety
at Work etc Act 1974 and related legislation. As part of this duty
the council should ensure that work premises are safe for employees
and visitors to them and that accidents are prevented wherever
possible.
-
Health and
safety - prosecutions register
- The local authority will keep information on any businesses
that have been prosecuted for Health and Safety breaches.
-
Health and safety -
training courses
- The local authority provide food hygiene and occupational
health and safety training courses for managers and staff of local
businesses. Some of the courses may also be open to members of the
public.
-
Health
and safety at work - advice and training
- The local authority is responsible for carrying out routine
inspection of commercial premises to ensure health and safety
practices at work and also provide basic health and safety training
courses.
-
Health and
safety at work - investigation
- Investigation of reports of accidents at work to ensure that
the workplace is safe and that employers are not contravening
health and safety regulations.
-
Health
and safety at work - regulation and inspection
- A local authority carries out regular checks on local
businesses and business premises to ensure that safe and healthy
working conditions are provided for all employees and
visitors.
-
Workplace
regulations
- The local fire authority provides advice to employers on
current fire regulations, fire prevention and safety in the
workplace.