Message to Members from the HSE
The pre-planned visit of a H.M. Inspector of Health &
Safety to Sky's Osterley premises took place as expected on
Thursday, 30th October. A tour of several units on the large
site highlighted some of the areas of concern already raised
by BECTU.
The inspector wrote to BSkyB on the 4th November, commenting
on the following matters in relation to the company's responsibilities
under the Health
& Safety at Work Act 1974:
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Unit 2 |
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Unit 4 |
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Unit 3 |
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Unit 3 |
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All Areas |
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All Areas |
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Unit 5 |
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Unit 5 |
It was pointed out in the letter that this was, by no means,
intended to be an exhaustive list of matters requiring attention
at Osterley. An early response to his recommendations was asked
for by the inspector and, in accordance with his responsibilities
under the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974, he enclosed
a copy of the letter, as below, addressed to all Sky employees.
If you have any comments, matters of concern or haven't received
a copy of the letter please contact your local BECTU Health
& Safety representative or e-mail
Stop Press - Despite being deemed satisfactory by the company for the
last 3 years, the Porta Studio was in the process of being demolished on 12 November 2003.
Hopefully it will be rebuilt to the acceptable standard.
Text from HSE letter:-
1. Porta Studio at the rear of Unit 2
Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 Section 2(2)(c) ‚
The general duties of an employer extend to 'the provision and
maintenance of a working environment for his employees that is,
so far as is reasonably practicable, safe, without risks to health
and adequate as regards facilities and arrangements for their
welfare at work'
Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.
Regulation 6(1) - 'Effective and suitable provision shall be made
to ensure that every enclosed workplace is ventilated by a sufficient
quantity of fresh or purified air'.
Regulation 7(1) - 'During working hours, the temperature
in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable'.
The Porta studio was in a generally shabby condition. It was
cold and there was a noticeable smell of damp. The Health and
Safety at Work etc Act 1974 places a general duty on an employer
to provide adequate working conditions. The Workplace (Health,
Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 expands on this general duty
by making specific requirements with regard to heating and ventilation.
The Porta studio will require remedial work if it is to be considered
suitable and guidance is available from HSE as well as from the
Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE).
An alternative, discussed on the day of our visit, would be to
replace the Porta studio with more suitable facilities.
2. Electrical testing in the Unit 4 Maintenance Workshop
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, Regulation 4(3) 'Every
work activity, including operation, use and maintenance of a system
and work near a system, shall be carried out in such a manner
as not to give rise, so far as is reasonably practicable, to danger'.
I recommend that you review risk control measures for electrical
testing in the Unit 4 Maintenance Workshop to ensure
(a). the risks arising from electrical testing work have been
assessed. A risk assessment will probably consider issues such
as
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Can the work be done with the equipment
dead or energised at a safe voltage or current?
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Is it absolutely necessary for someone
to be working on or near to equipment that is live at dangerous
voltages or current levels?
-
What is the maximum voltage on conductor
that will be exposed during testing?
-
Are those carrying out the testing fully
competent?
-
If not, what are the arrangements for
supervision?
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Does the workbench or testing area require
a warning such as a light, to indicate that testing is taking
place?
-
Is there a need for additional emergency
switching devices such as RCDs?
-
An RCD should have a rated tripping
current of no more than 30mA and should not have an adjustable
time delay. An RCD should be tested periodically (weekly using
the built in test facility and annually using an RCD tester)
-
Is it possible to reduce the number
of available paths to earth to reduce the likelihood of shock
(methods include the use of screens, barriers or mats)?
-
Is it possible to use isolating transformers
to reduce the likelihood of phase to earth shock?
(b). the results of a risk assessment have been used to inform
a safe system of work for the electrical testing area. A safe
system of work should include consideration of:
-
Personnel - are they competent to carry
out electrical testing, do they appreciate the risks involved
(even with the use of RCDs), have they been given adequate
first aid training including cardiac pulmonary resuscitation
(CPR)
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The control of the testing area ‚ is
it under the control of a responsible person, does it have suitable
warnings at each entrance, is it accessible to authorised persons
only during testing, have emergency stop buttons (or other equally
effective means) been provided, is an electric shock poster
on prominent display and are there good housekeeping arrangements
to ensure adequate working space is maintained.
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Test equipment - this should be designed
and manufactured to recognised standards and must, of course,
be safe to use as a piece of electrical equipment in its own
right. A safe system of work should, wherever reasonably practicable,
be written and be readily available to employees.
3. Local exhaust ventilation (LEV)
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002.
Regulation 9(2) 'Where engineering controls are provided. . .
. the employer shall ensure that thorough examination and testing
of these controls is carried out, in the case of local exhaust
ventilation plant, at least once every 14 months'
All local exhaust ventilation plant, such as that seen in the
Broadcast Installation and Carpenters workshop should be tested
and examined in accordance with these 2000 Regulations. A thorough
examination and test will normally comprise:
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A thorough external and, where appropriate,
internal examination of all parts of the system and;
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An assessment of control,for example,
by use of a dust lamp, static air monitoring and/or smoke testing
and;
-
Measurement of plant performance, for
example, by static pressure measurement behind each hood or
enclosure, air velocity measurement at the face of the enclosure
or point of emission, air velocity measurement in the duct and/or
power consumption and;
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Where air is re-circulated, an assessment
of the performance and integrity of the air cleaner or filter.
Your insurance company may be able to undertake the necessary
work. Alternatively, you can contact the Institution of Mechanical
Engineers for advice on the National Certification Scheme for
in Service Inspection Bodies. The Institution can be contacted
at 1 Birdcage Walk, London, SW1H 9JJ, telephone .
Further information on test and examination is given in HSE publication
HSG54 'The maintenance, examination and testing of local exhaust
ventilation' which is available from selected book shops or direct
from HSE Books, telephone .
4. Manual handling
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. Regulation 4(1)(a)
'Each employer shall so far as is reasonably practicable, avoid
the need for his employees to undertake ay manual handling operations
at work which involve a risk to their being injured'
Regulation4(1)(b) 'Each employer shall where it is not reasonably
practicable to avoid the need for his employees to undertake any
manual handling operations at work which involve a risk of their
being injure, make a suitable and sufficient assessment of all
such manual handling operations to be undertaken by them. . .
'
Regulation 4(1)(b)(ii) 'Each employer shall where it is not
reasonably practicable to avoid the need for his employees to
undertake any manual handling operations at work which involve
a risk of their being injured, take appropriate steps to reduce
the risk of injury to those employees arising out of their undertaking
any such manual handling operations to the lowest level reasonably
practicable'
The Regulations on manual handling require you to eliminate,
where reasonably practicable, any manual handling that may cause
injury. Any manual handling that cannot be eliminated should be
assessed and measures taken to reduce risk.
Two manual handling operations that may require further assessment
were discussed on the day of our visit ‚ the handling of cable
drums in the Broadcast Installation workshop and the handling
of electronic equipment in the Unit 4 maintenance workshop. In
both cases, the use of mechanical handling aids are being considered.
Such aids can be a valuable means of eliminating or reducing the
risk of injury and their introduction in these areas should be
actively pursued if a risk assessment indicates that they are
reasonably practicable.
The health and safety plan includes review of risk assessment
processes and manual handling will fall within this. Progress
with introducing suitable risk control measures will be reviewed
during future visits.
5. Night workers
Working Time Regulations 1998, Regulation 7(1) 'An employer
shall not assign an adult worker to work which is to be undertaken
during periods such that the worker will become a night worker
unless (i) The employer has ensured that the worker will have
the opportunity of a free health assessment before he takes up
the assignment or (ii) The worker had a health assessment before
being assigned to work to be undertaken during such periods on
an earlier occasion, and the employer has no reason to believe
that that assessment is no longer valid'
We met a number of employees who carry out their work during the
night. You should ensure that the requirements of the Working
Time Regulations are being met for such employees, including the
requirement to assess their health. Further information on the
Regulations is available from the Department of Trade and Industry
on their web site (
www.dti.gov/er).
6. Work related stress
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999,
Regulation 3(1) - 'Every employer shall make a suitable and sufficient
assessment of (a) the risks to the health and safety of his employees
to which they are exposed whilst they are at work; and (b) the
risks to the health and safety of persons not in his employment
arising out of or in connection with the conduct by him of his
undertaking'
Stress related problems are the second most commonly reported
cause of occupational ill health after musculoskeletal disorders.
Work related stress is defined as ěthe adverse reaction people
have to excessive pressures or other demands placed on themî.
It is not an illness in itself but if it is prolonged or particularly
intense it can lead to physical and/or mental ill health.
All risks to health should be assessed and those arising from
work related stress are no exception. You should ensure that a
stress risk assessment is included in the overall review of risk
assessment that forms a section of the health and safety plan.
The risk factors to consider when carrying out an assessment are:
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Culture - how the company approaches
work related stress
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Demands - workload, exposure to physical
hazards, environmental conditions
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Control - how much say the person has
in the way they do the work
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Change - how change is manage and communicated
in the company
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Role - clear identification of roles
and responsibilities
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Support - support from management, including
the provision of training on stress identification and coping
strategies.
The results of the assessment can be used to formulate a company
policy on work related stress. The HSE publication ěTackling work
related stressî (HSG281) offers further guidance.
7. Hairdressing and Makeup Department
Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) regulations 1992. regulation 6 -
'Effective and suitable provision shall be made to ensure that every
enclosed workplace is ventilated by a sufficient quantity of fresh or purified air'
Regulation 7 'During working hours, the temperature in all
workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable'.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Regulation 3 'Every employer shall make a suitable and sufficient
assessment of (a) the risks to the health and safety of his employees
to which they are exposed whilst they are at work; and (b) the
risks to the health and safety of persons not in his employment
arising out of or in connection with the conduct by him of his
undertaking'
The general working conditions in the Hairdressing and Makeup Department
should be assessed to ensure that they meet the requirements of
the Regulations. On the day of our visit, the ventilation system
did not appear to be effective in maintaining a comfortable working
temperature. Recommended workplace environment criteria are:
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A fresh air supply rate of between 5
and 8 litres per second
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Air velocities of approximately 0.1
to 0.15 metres per second and up to 0.25 metres per second in
summer
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Relative humidity in the range of 40%
to 70% (at higher temperatures, the relative humidity should
be at the lower end of this range)
-
An operative temperature of 20 to 24
degrees Centigrade during winter and 23 to 26 during summer
(assuming a working environment where activity is light and
mainly sedentary)
-
A vertical air temperature difference
between head and ankle levels of less than 3 degrees Centigrade.
The mean air velocity should be less than 0.15 m/s in winter
and 0.25 m/s in summer.
The assessment of other risks arising from the work of this department
(exposure to chemicals or musculoskeletal disorders for example)
should, of course, be included in the planned risk assessment
process.
8. Studio 3 Gallery
Noise at Work Regulations 1989, Regulation 6 'Every employer
shall reduce the risk of damage to the hearing of his employees
from exposure to noise to the lowest level reasonably practicable'
Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992,
Regulation6 'Effective and suitable provision shall be made
to ensure that every enclosed workplace is ventilated by a sufficient
quantity of fresh or purified air'
It was agreed that further enquiries
would be made regarding reported problems with the talk back system
and the ventilation in the gallery of Studio 3 and that remedial
action would be taken as necessary.
12 November 2003
