Health and Safety News

Safety alert for KN95 facemasks

23-06-2020

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned against the use of KN95 facemasks as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). A safety alert has been issued, urging all employers and suppliers not to purchase or use KN95 facemasks as PPE.

The alert stated that "KN95 is a performance rating that is broadly equivalent to the EU standard for FFP2 facemasks. Products manufactured to KN95 requirements rely on a self-declaration of compliance by the manufacturer. There is no independent certification or assurance of their quality.

This respirator has been identified as suspect by HSE experts and locally arranged testing has confirmed they would not meet requirements, including to protect against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. About 90% of the PPE concerns and queries currently being received by HSE involve KN95 masks which are often accompanied by fake or fraudulent paperwork."

The required action within the alert is that "masks that are not CE marked and cannot be shown to be compliant must be removed from supply immediately."

Where masks are CE marked, "suppliers must be able to demonstrate how they know the documentation and CE marking is genuine, supported by Notified Body documentation showing compliance with the essential health and safety requirements as required by the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations (EU) 2016/425."

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Posted in Safety Notice

Face fit testing - what you need to know

23-03-2020

photo shows respiratory protective equipment Ill-fitting clothing is unflattering. Ill-fitting shoes are uncomfortable and ill-fitting protective equipment is unfit for purpose and therefore unsafe. This fact is recognized in law.

For example, the law requires that almost all protective masks be face-fit tested to ensure that they provide effective protection. The sole exception is powered hoods (also known as air-fed hoods).

(You should only use Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) after you have taken all other reasonably practicable measures to prevent or control exposure. By going through the risk assessment process, you can determine whether the use of RPE is necessary in your workplace. If you write your justification for using RPE on your risk assessment record you should remember the reasons behind your chosen control regime and be able to adapt it in the future as necessary.)

With that in mind, here is a quick guide to what you need to know about RPE.

All staff must be individually face-fit tested

You wouldn’t expect all your staff to wear a standard-size pair of shoes so you shouldn’t expect them to wear a standard-size face mask.

Each member of staff has to be individually face-fit tested and they need to be clean-shaven for the test. They also need to be clean-shaven at any time they work using the mask.

The reason for this is that any facial hair, even stubble, will prevent the mask from forming a tight seal with the face and, basically, render it useless.

If a member of staff has to wear a beard for religious reasons (or any other acceptable reason) then the only compliant option is to issue them with a powered hood.

For completeness, if a member of staff has to wear more than one type of face mask, then they need to be face fit tested for each of the face masks that…

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Posted in Guidance

Tags safety ppe personal protective equipment health health and safety face fit testing respiratory protection

Health and safety & security threats in retail businesses and how to remedy them

17-03-2020

photo shows a shutter being closed over a shop window Health and safety and security threats are often either the same or very closely related. This means that by practicing good health and safety, you will often improve your security - and vice versa. Here are some tips to help.

Conduct regular assessments of your premises

Risk assessments are mandatory and since you’re going to have to assess your premises anyway, you might as well make full use of your time and look for security risks while you’re looking for health and safety risks.

The reason for committing to doing this regularly is because risks can change over time and you may miss this (until something happens) unless you commit to undertaking regular checks.

Make sure your premises are always well lit

In the context of health and safety and security, well-lit means lit so people can actually see their way around. If you want to use artistic lighting for displays, that’s fine, just as long as it doesn’t impact general visibility.

Try to have at least two members of staff on your premises at all times

This one could be a bit of a challenge for smaller businesses as there are usually times when you know a store is going to be quiet (in fact you may be counting on it) and in practical terms, you can only really justify one member of staff. In fact, one member of staff may be all you can afford.

If this sounds familiar then you could try splitting the difference by using technology to help. As a minimum, you want a “shop” mobile, i.e. one which belongs to the shop and hence is guaranteed to be there, charged (and with a charger) and with credit.

The reason you want a mobile is so staff can keep it on them as they move so if they have a medical emergency, they can call for help.

Ideally, you want to back this up with CCTV. Whil…

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Posted in Guidance

Tags safety health security retail cctv health and safety safety in retail

A health and safety guide to maintaining a private commercial car park

30-01-2020

image shows a car park Car parks are now one of the UK’s most essential amenities and while their nature is changing (for example due to the move towards electric vehicles), the need for effective health and safety remain the same. With that in mind, here are some points to keep in mind.

Safety begins at the approach and entrance

These days most private commercial car parks use automatic barriers. This generally makes a great deal of sense for many reasons, not least being the fact that they can be monitored and controlled centrally.

You do, however, have to choose the right form of barrier for the right situation. For example, an “arm-type” barrier takes up minimal space, but it is easily evaded by pedestrians (and even cyclists), which may encourage thefts. An automatic gate is more secure, but will need space to move.

All surfaces need to be well-maintained and all areas suitably lit

In addition to routine maintenance such as periodic resurfacing and repainting, you’ll need to think about seasonal maintenance. This is probably most obvious in winter, the time of ice and snow, but what about spring with all its rain, which can leave slippery puddles?

Summer shouldn’t be too bad from a health and safety perspective, but if you’re anywhere near trees, then you’ll have falling leaves to deal with in autumn.

Drivers need room to manoeuvre without bumping into each other (or pedestrians)

There should be a logical, intuitive traffic flow with signs to guide people as necessary and remember that these signs need to be seen in all weather conditions and at night so they should be reflective and/or lit.

Speed limits should take into account the fact that there will potentially be a lot of vehicles and pedestrians in close proximity in a tight space, so usuall…

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Posted in Guidance

Tags parking safety security barriers gates lighting pedestrians vehicles