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UK News - Breaking news in the field of health and safety
HSE AND GREATER MANCHESTER LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO HOLD .....
HSE AND GREATER MANCHESTER LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO HOLD FREE AWARENESS DAY AT MANCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB
HSE and Greater Manchester's ten local authorities are combined to stage a half-day awareness raising day to highlight the Health and Safety Commission's ongoing Revitalising Health and Safety campaign.
The event - on Thursday 9 December - is free, and bookings can still be made by contacting Kevin Mattison at HSE Manchester's office, either by phone on 0161 952 8288, fax on 0161 952 8219 or by e-mail at
Kevin.mattison@hse.gsi.gov.uk
It is being staged in both the morning and afternoon, commencing at 9.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. respectively with an opening address delivered by HSE Deputy Director General Justin McCracken.
The event is being organised in partnership with Manchester United Football Club, and all of Greater Manchester's ten local authorities: Trafford, Salford, Manchester, Tameside, Oldham, Bolton, Bury, Rochdale, Stockport and Wigan.
Using a series of practical demonstrations, the event will highlight some of the major topics of HSC's ongoing Revitalising Health and Safety campaign. Topics covered will include:
Managing Asbestos
An overview of the new Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002. Using practical demonstration to explain the duty to manage workplace asbestos and the typical problems associated with routine maintenance and repair.
Work at height
Highlighting the dangers of working at height and explaining the importance of the following themes: Risk assessment, avoiding work at height where at all possible, prevention of falling a distance likely to cause injury, safety by design, and consideration of the whole task when choosing and using equipment.
Manual Handling
Using practical demonstration, manual handling will be looked at as a whole taking into account the load, the environment, nature of the task and individual capabilities. Emphasis will be on the need to initially assess lifting and then to implement the hierarchy of control i.e. avoid manual handling where at all possible and use mechanical lifting and good lifting practice to reduce the risk of injury.
Workplace Transport Safety
Examples of both good and bad practice will be used to explain the principals of safe site, safe driver and safe vehicle. Emphasis will be on the need for training, risk assessment and the management and organisation of the workplace to achieve safety when using vehicles.
Slips, Footwear and Flooring Design
Using practical demonstration, the scenario will explain how consideration of the following can reduce the risk of injury due to slipping. Simple housekeeping, prevention and management of floor contamination, cleaning procedures, choice of footwear, design, layout and maintenance of flooring.
Each subject will be highlighted in a practical manner to raise awareness of the potential risks in each area of work and the preventative measures that can be taken to eliminate them.
The half-day morning seminar will be repeated during the afternoon and will be attended by representatives of up to ??? 300 companies in total from throughout Greater Manchester.
The event is part of HSE's Revitalising Health and Safety initiative - the biggest overhaul of Britain's health and safety regime since the Health and Safety at Work Act was introduced in 1974.
Its targets are
* to reduce the number of working days lost per 100,000 workers from work related injury and ill-health by 30% by the year 2010;
* reduce the incidence of people suffering from ill-health by 20% by 2010;
* reduce the rate of fatal and major injuries by 10% by 2010; and
* achieve half of each improvement by the year 2004.
