News for 2006
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News for 2006 |
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18th December 2006
Space Shuttle Safety Case  Stephen Carver from
Cranfield University gave a most interesting presentation
on the American Space Shuttle Programme.It was with particular reference to the way in which political, organisational and production considerations had lead to some serious safety problems. For a copy of his presentation, clicking here. In keeping with the Christmas spirit, we rounded off the session in festive fashion with mince pies, Christmas crackers and a light hearted quiz. |
18th
December 2006
Space Shuttle Safety Case (contd.)  |
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20th November 2006 Revision of CDM Regulations Richard Boland, Head of Construction Policy at HSE, gave a presentation on the proposed changes to the Construction Design and Management (CDM) Regulations that are due to come into force in April 2007. This topic was of keen interest to the audience, as demonstrated by the 51 people present. This is about double our usual strength, mainly due to the attendance of many with Facilities Management responsibilities. Richard started by reminding us, that construction can be a highly hazardous industry, with a history of many serious accidents. Although, he went on to credit some well organised companies with making a concerted effort over the last few years that has resulted in a significant reduction in accidents. However, the HSE considered that more needed to be done to gain a greater involvement of more people in the construction industry. Hence it was decided to revise the CDM Regs and consolidate them with the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regs. The aim of the new Regs is to simplify the legislation and improve flexibility. Also to provide more clarity on the duties of Clients, Designers and Contractors. There is strong emphasis on the need to plan and manage the whole project. |
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20th November 2006 Revision of CDM Regulations (continued) The role of the Planning Supervisor has been redefined as a Planning Coordinator. The important change is a shift of planning duties towards the Client and the Coordinator is a resource for the Client to fulfill these duties. The Designer frequently has the opportunity of minimising or eliminating hazards while the plans are on the drawing board. Richard urged the audience to capitalise on this opportunity. The HSE is keen to promote the concept of risk assessments with less paperwork and more information flow and more action to reduce risks. An ACoP is due to be published in January but guidance is left to industry bodies. The proposed regulations received a large number of comments during the consultation phase. Likewise, the audience raised several questions that clearly illustrated some of the practical problems of getting construction work done. Downloads now available Richard's presentation on the new CDM Regs LHSG Newsletter for December 2006 HSE Bulletins from 20th Oct to 7th Nov 2006 |
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16th October 2006 Visit to the Houses of Parliament  To celebrate the Group's 65th anniversary our President, Lord Brougham and Vaux, arranged a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament and hosted a reception luncheon in the Lords Dinning Room.   |
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23rd October 2006 Training Young Workers Steve Franklin, honorary member, gave a presentation on the considerations that should be included when training young persons to work safely. This is in keeping with the Safe Start theme for this year's European Week of Safety and Health at Work. Accident statistics show that young people are at risk of serious injury during their initial period at work. As Steve explained, they lack awareness, experience and maturity. Hence it is vitally important for the employer to provide suitable information, instruction, training and supervision; as per the Health and Safety at Work Act. Steve's presentation is available as a download. It contains a wide range of elements for consideration when devising a training programme. One point emphasised by Steve, was that the trainer should be enthusiastic and assertive. The audience responded with a lively series of questions and discussion points to round off the session. Other Downloads Now Available LHSG Newsletter for November 2006 HSE News Bulletins for October 2006 Expert Witness Presentation by Adrian Watson Minutes of the AGM on 10th April 2006 |
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18th September 2006 Sensible Risk Management Steve Pointer from the HSE Strategy Division, opened the first meeting of the new season. He presented the recently launched concepts on "Sensible Risk Management". Last year, the HSE conducted a review into stories of excessive or inappropriate health and safety arrangements which were causing serious adverse reactions by the public and the press. These "Sensible" concepts aim to address this situation by re-emphasising the essential principles that should be the foundation of the risk assessment process and the need to make judgements that act on significant risks while avoiding inappropriate precautions for insignificant risks. |
_____________________________ Sensible Risk Management (contd.) It is essential to strike the right balance between the need to protect people at work from serious harm while recognising that it is not possible or sensible to eliminate all risks from working conditions. Serious risks really should be addressed by employers and employees. These concepts were explained in more detail by Mr Pointer and it is possible to remind yourself of the salient points with a copy of his slide presentation by clicking here. The HSE website has more useful information, advice, guidance and examples on Risk Management. In addition, you may care to review The HSC Strategy to 2010 and Beyond it was first published in February 2004 but is still relevant today. |
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15th May 2006 Tales of an Expert Witness Adrian Watson, an occupational hygienist from Watson and Wild, gave a talk based his experiences as an expert witness. He has been called to give his opinion in court in both civil and criminal trials. He explained court procedures and requirements. Then he outlined the pertinent details of some interesting cases in which he had been involved. Click here for his presentation. |
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10th April 2006 AGM and 65th Anniversary Celebrations  The AGM was chaired by our President, Lord Brougham and Vaux. Edmund Jacobs gave an up-beat Chairman's Report for the year. He outlined a wide-ranging programme that had proved to be popular with members and had resulted in the Group winning the RoSPA Best Programme Award for the second year running. In addition, he thanked Sport England for hosting the meetings because the excellent facilities have been very much appreciated.  The newly elected committee is
substantially similar to last year; you can find all the details on the
Committee
Page.The AGM concluded with a cake cutting ceremony to celebrate the Group's 65th Anniversary. The cake was enjoyed by members at the end of the meeting, with thanks to our expert baker, Liz Ferrier. |
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10th April 2006 HSE Report for the Year  Jonathan
Holvey, HSE
External Relations Manager, presented the meeting with An HSE Report
for the Year.Jonathan started by reminding us of the targets set in the Revitalising H&S. In his view, the ill-health targets were being achieved but there had been no noticeable improvement in the fatal and major injuries figures. The HSE is currently a part of the Department of Work and Pensions so they are influenced by DWP's priority to reduce ill-health. The new strategic goals for HSE are Fit3 and Control Major Hazards. These are to be achieved by focusing HSE resources and developing a more effective relationship with Environmental Health Officers. In addition, there is the new independent Workplace Health Connect Service; see their website. Fit3 means Fit for Work, Fit for Life and Fit for Tomorrow. To achieve this goal the HSE is planning a number of campaigns; these include Falls from Height, Moving Goods Safely, Backs 2006, Stress and Sick Absence Management. Major incidents, such as the fire and explosion at the Buncefield fuel depot, are matters of great concern to the public. Hence HSE will continue to focus on proactive measures to minimise these occurrences. A copy of Jonathan's presentation is available from the Downloads Page. |
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20th March 2006 Sensible Regulation or Nanny State Brian Etheridge from the HSE gave a talk on what represents a sensible level of regulation of health and safety activities. He summarised the outcome from the national debate over the last 12 month. This included a typical range of public perceptions and cited examples of the good, the bad and the ugly views expressed in the press. The HSE's view is that risk assessment is the essential route to controlling hazards and minimising injuries. |
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However it is not sensible to stop beneficial activities on the pretext of eliminating risk to achieve perfectly safety situation and a blame free management. The HSE is trying to portray a balanced message, where risk assessment is used to identify sensible precautions which will allow the activity to proceed safely. He concluded by saying that HSE would welcome Health & Safety Professionals taking action to confront mis-conceptions that arose during their work. A copy of his presentation may be obtained from the Downloads Page and more information is available from www.hse.gov.uk/sensiblehealthandsafety. |
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20th February 2006 London Aquarium Visit The Group enjoyed a guided tour of the London Aquarium. This gave an excellent over-view of the general work and scope of the Aquarium. An explanation of some specific health and safety considerations was given by Terry Dixon. He had been engaged by the Aquarium as a health and safety consultant to conduct site inspections and risk assessments. |
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Roll of Honour for Service to London Health and Safety Group The Group has been running since 1941 and it has conferred Honorary Membership on individuals who have provided stalwart service. Their names are recorded on the Roll of Honour, in addition to the Chairpersons, Secretaries and Treasurers. |
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23rd January 2006 MRSA Causes and Combat Strategies Dr Mark
Enright, from Imperial College, gave an authoritative
exposition of the characteristics and risks associated with MRSA;
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus.
Mark started by explaining that the bacterial organism Staphylococcus Aureus is found on the skin of very many individuals (always on one third of the population, sometimes on another third and never on the rest) and seems to cause no major problems. However if it gets inside the body, for instance under the skin or into the lungs, it can cause infections such as boils or pneumonia. This is most likely to happen in hospital where surgery and other medial procedures can facilitate entry into the body. Also those who are ill or elderly are more at risk than healthy individuals. In about 1961, it was noticed that Staphylococcus Aureus had mutated to developed Resistance to treatments based on the penicillin Methicillin. These mutations have continued as new penicillins have been introduced; hence the term MRSA super bugs. Mark put forward the following strategies for controlling the problem; Isolate the patient, Reduce hospital bed occupancy, Increase the nurse to patient ratio, Hand washing between touching each patient. However, to implement these measures effectively would require additional facilities and higher running cost. Also hand washing more than 50 time/day can cause skin problems. Mark also considered that extra hospital cleaning would have very little benefit and that super bugs did not usually survive outside hospitals. However, there has been a recent case in the USA of a community acquired MRSA that caused a serious skin problem in a 15 year old child. This is a worrying situation that will need to be closely monitored by the world health professionals. The Chairman, Edmund Jacobs, proposed a vote of thanks to Dr Enright for his most informative presentation. He went on to thank the H&S group at Imperial College for all their efforts at hosting the meeting at such short notice, this was very much appreciated. |
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26th January 2006 Alan Butler Awards for Excellence 2005  The above photo shows Lord Hunt presenting the Alan Butler Award for the Best Programme to the London Health and Safety Group in the House of Lords. Lord Hunt, the Minister for Health and Safety, opened the ceremony by talking about the Government's priorities on health, with emphasis on reducing occupational ill-health, improving rehabilitation and reducing Invalidity Benefit. He paid tribute to the efforts of H&S Groups around the country and welcomed the relaunch of Safety Groups UK with encouragement to form partnership arrangements that can effectively address local issues.  There were a number of other awards, including one for Lord Brougham and Vaux as a tribute to his many years of steadfast service as President of the old National Health and Safety Groups Council. The photo above shows Lord Brougham and Vaux with committee members of the London Health and Safety Group. |
NB:- These reports have been written by a member of the audience so they may not fully reflect the views of the speaker. NB:- Previous news items may be viewed through the links on the Archive Page. |
| Page updated:- 14.01.2011 Any comments or enquiries should be emailed to the Secretary . The website and all its contents © 2005-2011 The London Health and Safety Group - all rights reserved. Registered Charity No. 1,051,071 President: Lord Brougham and Vaux CBE Affiliated to RoSPA |