Safety Matters - July 2015 … · Whilst a holiday is an important part of maintaining your health and wellbeing (and sanity), it is important that you get to the time when you turn

Safe by choice ….not by chance 02380 742222 [email protected] www.dyerandbutler.co.uk

Safety Matters July 2015


Time for a break…

“Schools Out” and for many of us it will be time to enjoy a well-earned break. Many of you will be jetting off to warmer, sunnier, exotic locations and others will simply opt to enjoy a “stay-cation” in the UK.

Whilst a holiday is an important part of maintaining your health and wellbeing (and sanity), it is important that you get to the time when you turn on your “out of office” email response in one piece. Statistics show that more accidents occur prior to the holiday period because people have their mind on other things. Make sure that you keep your mind on the job in order to ensure that you are able to make the most of your time off.

Where ever you are and whatever you are doing it is important to ensure that you and your family stay safe. This can involve simple precautions such as making sure that you know where your fire escape routes and first aid facilities are on arriving at the resort. A simple check on your holiday accommodation in relation to electrical safety and height safety issues (i.e. balcony safety) could also prevent any mishaps. Discussing these simple safety arrangements with your family should ensure that you too have a happy, relaxing and safe holiday.

Following your holiday, you will naturally be keen and eager to get back to work. However, on your return to the workplace, it is good practice to reacquaint yourself with the changes that may have occurred within the time that you have been off. If you need to, insist on being re-inducted so that you are bought up to speed with the current state of the project and any specific health and safety risks and control measures that may have changed.

Only then can you sit back and let those of us who opted for the “stay-cation” to envy at your newfound tan…Happy holidays everyone…!

Steve Broom Head of Safety, Health, Environment, Quality and Training (SHEQT)

Safety Performance - July

Accident Frequency Rate – 0.084

Reportable Accidents or Incidents

None Reported During the Period

Minor Accidents and Near Misses

3/6/15 – Bournemouth Minor Works – A 2 tonne dumper failed to stop on site due to a hydraulic brake failure. The machine was condemned.

3/6/15 – St Austell – A generator caught fire due to fuel being spilt onto the hot exhaust.

4/6/15 – Tesco’s Retaining Wall – An operative received a puncture wound to their arm after walking into a metal wall tie.

4/6/15 – Gatwick Main Runway – A subcontract operative took it upon themselves to call a vehicle away from its hold point without seeking approval for the vehicle to move from its position.

4/6/15 – Brixham Road Widening – An agency excavator operator took it upon themselves to excavate material from a trench without authorisation and damaged a buried cable.

5/6/15 – Eastleigh Station – An operative trapped and cut their finger whilst manually handling a machine bucket on site.

8/6/15 – West Country Platforms – A potential ALO issue was identified where an excavator was seen to be operating within 3 metres of a siding that was “potentially” open to traffic.

9/6/15 – Eastleigh Station – Some road forms slipped from the forklift whilst being moved as they were not properly secured with a suitable strap.

10/6/15 – Gatwick, Car Park M – Insufficient traffic management had been provided to allow pedestrians to walk safely around the worksite.

11/6/15 – E. Midlands L.C Repairs – A car drove round the traffic management and approached the crossing whilst a train was approaching. Staff manually waved down the vehicle.

11/6/15 – Glascoed Fish Pass – An operative struck and cut his finger whilst hammering in a timber fencing stake.


11/6/15 – Gatwick, Main Runway – An item was lifted by the forklift by slipping the strops directly over the forks. The activity was suspended until the correct attachment could be used.

13/6/15 – Brixham Road Widening – An operative handled and moved a live 11Kv cable without authorisation. Disciplinary action is being considered.

15/6/15 – Queens Road Roundabout – A cyclist fell off of their bike after colliding with a road cone.

17/6/15 – Queens Road Roundabout – An operative was bitten by a horsefly and required hospital treatment after reacting badly to the bite.

17/6/15 – Taw River Viaduct – An operative struck their arm on an exposed scaffold clip causing a cut and bruising.

18/6/15 – Carlton Square Fans – A temporary wall failed due to piston pressure within the adjacent tube line tunnels.

23/6/15 – Newgate Lane – An operative trapped and cut their finger whilst trying to insert the pin of a towing hitch.

24/6/15 – Old Oak Common – Potential asbestos was discovered during de-vegetation works.

25/6/15 – Queens Road Roundabout – An excavator breaker attachment fell off without warning due to wear and damage on the locking pin locating plate. A SHEQ Alert has been issued.

29/6/15 – Taw River Viaduct – A container of solvent was knocked over and drained into the river. The site team deployed the emergency spillage equipment and prevented a more serious environmental incident from occurring.

29/6/15 – Black Bridge – An operative cut their knee whilst carrying out de-vegetation works.

30/6/15 – Brixham Road Widening – An excavator struck a cable in the side of the trench causing a loss of power to a nearby property.

Unchartered Services Report

During July 2015 we received No reports of any unchartered services being encountered on site.

CIRAS – Confidential Reporting

Dyer & Butler hold a Principal Contractors License to enable us to carry out work for Network Rail and as such the reporting of incidents and potential safety issues is an important part of our culture.

You will already be well aware that Dyer & Butler operates a refusal to work policy whereby any member of staff will be supported if they stop work because they are being asked to work in a way that exposes themselves and their colleagues to serious and imminent danger. However, In addition to this, Dyer & Butler have now subscribed to the CIRAS reporting system.

CIRAS is a totally independent Confidential Reporting scheme for transport across the UK. It provides member organisations with a method of ensuring that safety (or other concerns) are captured before they become a real issue. The scheme allows any employee to confidentially report any safety, security or environmental concerns where they feel that they are not being supported by their employer. The employee’s personal information is always kept confidential and once an issue has been reported, CIRAS will provide personal feedback to the employee and the member organisation to allow for the matter to be actioned correctly.

Dyer & Butler will continue to maintain an open and supportive reporting structure. However, if you feel that you do need to make a confidential report on any matter that affects you, then this option is also available to you. CIRAS can be contacted by using the following methods…

Free phone –

0800 4 101 101

Text –

07507 285 887

Freepost –

Freepost CIRAS

Or by using the online reporting system which can be found at www.ciras.org.uk

Keep your eyes open for CIRAS Newsletters and other Publications that will be sent out from time to time


New Timesheets

A new timesheet has now been issued which contains a number of changes that the majority of staff need to be aware of. (Not airport staff).

The revised timesheet now has a section where the vehicle details must be recorded and the person filling it in can indicate whether they were the driver or the passenger of the vehicle. There is now an additional section where the driver must then record that the daily vehicle checks that have been listed within section 16 of the Company Drivers Handbook have been completed. Your assistance in completing the new timesheets and entering the details correctly is much appreciated.

Please note – all vehicle damage and faults that are noted during the completion of the daily checks must be promptly reported to Phil Smith, The Plant and Vehicle Manager to allow for the matter to be rectified.

Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance

Over the past month, the SHEQ team have been active on site and have been carrying out their program of routine inspections. On the whole, the standard of safety on sites is good. However, from time to time, we come across issues where the potential problems could have been avoided by a bit of careful planning…the photo below demonstrates this perfectly…!!!

The answer to this situation is simple…

What’s the hazard or impact…?

What’s the risk…?

How should it be controlled…?

It is normally the simplest solutions that are the most effective.

Bournemouth Setting the Standard

Dyer & Butler has been carrying out works on the Bournemouth Framework for the past five years and it was announced last month that Dyer & Butler has secured this work stream for the next 5 years. It is therefore pleasing to see that a number of staff that are working on the framework have taken up the challenge of improving the safety culture on site. During the past month the following people have been nominated for safety awards for going above and beyond the level required for normal “compliance”. Paul Saunders was nominated for maintaining an exemplary standard of site health and safety with particular regards to the protection of the public as the site where he was working was in a highly pedestrianised area. Paul ensured that the site fencing, signage and public walking areas remained effective and in good order throughout the works and this involved taking additional time as part of the daily routine to check this to ensure that the correct level of safety was maintained.

Ray Sackley and Rob Bibby were also nominated for carrying out work to cut and place kerbstones on site. Both Ray and Rob were seen to be using dust masks properly (as well as all of the other items of mandatory PPE) as well as using water suppression. They had also taken the time to look outside of their site to ensure that passing members of the public had been protected by temporarily moving the fencing and signage to divert them away from the works area.

Congratulations to Paul, Ray and Rob for assisting in maintaining an excellent standard of site safety. A £25 voucher is on its way

Recording Unchartered Services

Some of you have asked why we are reporting unchartered services that are discovered on site. These reports are designed to be a positive indicator that not only shows how often this occurs but also that we are able to react responsibly to this unknown hazard. This information is helpful because it helps us to defend our reputation should any further service strikes occur.


Consider Your Neighbours

Dyer & Butler employees can often be called upon to work in any location at any time of the day or night and although we are very good at planning the safety requirements associated with the works, the operational issues on the fringe of our activities are often overlooked because we are focused on getting the job done.

Recently we have had a number of complaints from members of the public who have experienced noise at night with vehicle engines left running and loud voices in the early hours of the morning. During the summer month’s people are more likely to sleep with their windows open and therefore if we are carrying out works in built up, residential areas, we must be considerate to those who live there.

Parking is another area where we can show some consideration. The photo below was sent to us by a member of the public.

It is normal for us to want to park as close as we can to the access point, and the employees involved simply wanted to get on with the work. But, by not considering the wider implication of every aspect associated with the works, we have created a significant hazard to other road users.

What would you be concerned about as a road user or pedestrian (who is possibly using a pushchair) when approaching this bend…?

When you are carrying out your works, please be considerate to the needs of residents, road users and members of the public.

Invasive Species Identification

Dyer & Butler often carry out works in areas where invasive species of plants can be found. It is an offence to interfere with or promote the spread of these type of plants and therefore it is important that you recognise these invasive species on site and take action to avoid them. The photos below show you some of the most common invasive species.

Japanese Knotweed

Himalayan Balsam

Giant Hogweed

These plants can spread quickly and eradicate the UK’s native plant species. They can be spread by seed dispersal, or by parts of the plant being transferred in the soil. The Giant Hogweed’s sap can also cause severe skin burns and blisters.

If you think that you have an invasive plant species on your site, contact the SHEQ Team immediately for advice.


Taw Viaduct - Emergency Planning Pays Off

Dyer & Butler has been carrying out works at Taw Viaduct in Umberleigh in Devon and the team there have been carrying out repair and painting works to the structure for a number of months. In June, an environmental incident occurred where a tin of solvents was left on the deck of the scaffolding without its lid. The tin was situated on a plant nappy. However, as a member of the site team walked past the tin, it was knocked over and the contents of the tin drained out through the scaffold boards into the river below.

The incident was immediately reported to Peter Park, the Site Supervisor and because the site had an effective, documented and practiced environmental spill response plan, this was put into action and within minutes a boom had been placed across the affected part of the river.

The spill was contained and absorbed by the boom and any potential environmental impacts from the spillage were avoided. The swift action taken by Peter Park and the team have been commended by Network Rail and the EA.

A £25 voucher is also on its way to Peter Park as a reward for his quick response in putting the emergency spill response plan into place.

Once again, this incident could have been avoided by ensuring that simple precautions are taken on site (i.e. that lids of containers containing harmful liquids are in place and securely fastened). However, the potential impact of this spill was only avoided due to the presence of a well planned and executed spillage response plan.

Please ensure that your spillage response and emergency plans are reviewed to ensure that they are effective.

Work at Height is Still a Concern

The results of our routine safety inspections and behavioural safety observations continue to show that work at height issues are a common concern across all of our worksites.

Remember – There is no safe height to fall from and work at any height that could cause an injury will require control measure to be put in place which protect the individual against a fall occurring, or protect them against the effects of a fall.

The common issues that are noted in relation to work at height hazards are as follows…

Personnel working on mobile tower scaffoldsthat have been incorrectly constructed.

Personnel working on the back of vehicles withno edge protection or fall mitigation measures.

Personnel working on structures with no edgeprotection (i.e. parapets, wing walls, etc)

Personnel working at the edge of an openexcavation with no edge protection

Falls from height remain one of the biggest causes of fatal and life changing injuries within our industry and it is often a split second decision that people take to work unsafely at height that results in an accident.

Dyer & Butler do not want anyone to put themselves at risk when working at height and we are asking all of our employees and subcontractors to take a zero tolerance approach to work at height issues.

If you see a person working unsafely at height or are asked to work unsafely you must STOP the activity immediately and report the issue to the SHEQ Team or your Line Manager so that the matter can be investigated. If you invoke the Worksafe procedure, you will be fully supported by Dyer & Butler.

It is only by taking a firm stance on work at height issues and preventing the risk of falls that we will stop people’s lives from being shattered.

Be safe by choice…not by chance..!


Safety Concerns Reported via a Close Call

David Lewis is a Controller of Site Safety (COSS) for Dyer & Butler and during a recent night shift his route to site meant having to cross Laleham Road Bridge which is an old iron bridge which crosses the River Thames. Whilst crossing the bridge David identified that the steel grates that formed the walking route were poorly fitted and loose and that there were large (foot sized) holes in some of the grates.

David temporarily stopped the group and moved them to a positon of safety before briefing them all about the hazard. It was agreed between the team that they would continue to access the site, but that additional care would be required when walking on the grates. On completion of the works, David Lewis took it upon himself to report the issue to the local Network Rail fault control centre and raised a close call.

We are still awaiting confirmation of action from Network Rail, but congratulations to David Lewis for taking proactive measures to protect the safety of your team. A £25 voucher is on its way to you.

Safety Award for Central

Howard Walsh has been nominated for a safety award by the Central team during June. Howard has been instrumental in maintaining the health and safety standards on site and has gone out of his way to keep the site in good order.

Well Done Howard, a £25 voucher is on its way.

Annual Safety Award Winners Day

After the success of last year’s event the annual safety award winner’s day was held at Bisley Firing Ranges during July. The event, (put on by the company) is attended by all of the employees that have been rewarded for contributing to health and safety throughout the year.

After a welcoming bacon sandwich to start the day, the attendees (around 45 employees) were provided with a behavioural safety presentation by Jon Whitehouse before being taken out onto the clay pigeon shooting ranges where they were split into teams to try out a number of different shooting scenarios.

Throughout the day, a shoot-out competition was held on two of the ranges and after a close result, the overall “Top Gun” for the day was Albie Cole. Albie and the runners up all received a trophy and the team spoils were split between Steve Broom’s “Six Shooting Steers” and Geoff Fox’s “Fighting Fandangos” The group were then treated to a 3 course lunch and due to the fine warm weather, a few beers were also consumed to quench the thirst.

Our thanks go to the staff at Bisley for treating us to a first class day and to all of the attendees for taking the time to go beyond the level of what is required to maintain the safety of our worksites.

We will hope to see you at next year’s event?


Airports Team – Safety Award Winners

It has been a particularly good month for safety award nominations and our employees working within the airports have continued to maintain their excellent standards.

At Heathrow, Mark Bye was nominated for a safety award due to his ongoing efforts in keeping our sites safe. Mark is well known at Heathrow for “not walking by” a safety issue and his determination to ensure that this type of culture exists on his worksites is commendable.

Good work has also been recognised at Gatwick and in the first instance, Barry Knight was commended for spotting a discrepancy on the Permit to Work (P2W) that had been issued for his worksite which could potentially have allowed an unsafe condition to occur. Barry not only identified the discrepancy, but took the time to report this back to the client to ensure that the method of completing the work was corrected, thus ensuring the safety of the airport infrastructure and his employees.

In a second nomination, Gordon Foot was commended for refusing to carry out some work that involved cutting as this would have generated dust which would have affected a nearby smoke head. Rather than take a chance, or temporarily cover the smoke head, Gordon, suspended the works until a formal isolation of the smoke detection system in that area could be arranged.

Well done to all of our worthy safety award winners. A £25 voucher will be making its way to you shortly.

Your News and Views

“Safety Matters” is designed to keep you informed about changes, innovations and updates in relation to health, safety, environmental and quality issues within the workplace.

In order to keep the content of this publication useful and engaging, we rely on your feedback. Therefore if you have any news, views, questions, articles or ideas on subjects that should be covered within future editions of “Safety Matters”, please feel free to give your feedback to any member of the SHEQ or Management Team

Suitability of Hire Vehicles

It has been reported recently that a number of cases have occurred where hire vehicles that are being delivered to our employees have turned up in a poor condition.

In some instances the vehicles have been uncleaned, had evidence that the previous occupants had been smoking in them, or had damage or faults at the time of being handed over.

Whilst these issues are unfortunate, they represent only a handful of issues and on the whole our Hire Vehicle Companies continue to provide us with a good service.

However, if you are required to take delivery of a hire vehicle for any reason, please ensure that you fully inspect the vehicle when it is handed over and that any issues are noted on the handover sheet. If the issues are serious or significant enough for you to be concerned or not want to take ownership of the vehicle, these issues must be reported to Phil Smith, the Vehicle and Plant Manager immediately.

Phil Smith can be contacted at the Head Office at Nursling on 023 8074 2222.

Day 1 New Starters Induction

A slimmed down induction that all new starters to Dyer & Butler should receive on arriving within the business on day one is now available on the inductions tab within the activity zone on Workspace.

The contents of the induction are supported by the Company Induction Form (HR-FM-01) and


Dyer & Butler Behavioural Safety (DABBS) Feedback

Dyer & Butler operates a behavioural safety system which involves trained “Observers” carrying out a specified number of workplace observations to identify safe and unsafe acts. One DABBS observation must be carried out for every 500 man hours that are worked.

During June 330 DABBS observations were carried out. The target was 379.

49 of the behavioural safety observations that took place during March identified unsafe acts.

A summary of the main unsafe acts raised during the DABBS observations is shown below…

Work at Height PPE Plant / Equipment Lifting Operations

Inappropriate precautions taken to

prevent a fall

Not following the method statement for

work at height

Access to the work at height was unsuitable

Working from an unsafe platform

Personnel were not wearing the correct

level of eye protection on site

Personnel were not wearing the correct

mandatory PPE on site

Failing to check that plant and equipment is suitable and in good

order prior to use

Using plant and equipment in a way that is deemed to be

unsafe

Ensuring that the lifting operation was properly

controlled

A person failed to maintain a safe

position in relation to the load being lifted

Why…? Why…? Why…? Why…?

WHAT CAN YOU DO DIFFERENTLY ON SITE TO PREVENT THIS TYPE OF UNSAFE BEHAVIOUR..?

The most common causes of unsafe acts that has been recorded is still people who are not willing to follow the safe system of work.

Why is this…?

What more can we do on site to make sure that they follow the safe system of work…?

The safe system of work is the planned and agreed methods that are to be used on site to protect the safety and wellbeing of the workforce.

Why is it so hard for people to comply…?

Please can you discuss the reasons for these results as part of the cascade briefing and feedback any thoughts or conclusions.


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Training attendance register

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Declaration - I can confirm that the above named people attended this course and were in full attendance.

Course Tutor – Signature – Date of Training –

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Training attendance register

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Course Name –

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Declaration - I can confirm that the above named people attended this course and were in full attendance.

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Documents

Safety Matters - July 2015 … · Whilst a holiday is an important part of maintaining your health and wellbeing (and sanity), it is important that you get to the time when you turn