Safety Compliance Matters looking back to the latest prosecutions and initiatives for 2017 and forward to 2018 predictions.

1. Asbestos: £1m-worth of fines following incident
   Three companies were fined a total of more than £1m after workers were exposed to asbestos while refurbishing a school in Waltham Forest. A worker removed part of a suspended ceiling in a school and identified suspect asbestos containing materials. Asbestos fibres were subsequently found in numerous areas in the school.
2. Time to Talk Day: conversations about mental health change lives
   Sue Baker, director of Time to Change, said: “Mental health problems are common and can affect any one of us, yet too often people are afraid to talk openly about mental health. for fear of being judged.” Therefore, this year’s theme focussed on how positive conversations about mental health change lives. It urged people to start up a conversation, whatever the hour, on Time to Talk Day itself.
3. Hackitt review: RIBA calls for repeal of Fire Safety Order
   In October 2017 the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), called for The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRFSO) to be disposed of.  “The RIBA welcomes Dame Judith Hackitt’s review but we believe it must be more comprehensive, addressing the details of Building Regulations guidance as well as the broader regulatory system” said Chair of the RIBA Expert Advisory Group on Fire Safety.
4. Jail for boss who ‘couldn’t care less’ about health and safety
   The owner of a skip hire and waste disposal firm was investigated following a fire which took 25 firefighters to put out.  The HSE found several safety breaches and numerous enforcement notices were issued in the next three years but were not acted upon. The court heard how he acted so ‘aggressively’ toward the HSE that police officers were required whenever inspectors visited the site.
5. Jail for bosses who tried to cover up details of 25-year-old’s fatal fall
   Three company bosses were jailed following the death of 25-year-old father of one, Benjamin Edge, who fell from a roof he was working on, without safety equipment and in windy conditions. Following the incident safety failings were covered up, a new risk assessment was written and an employee was “sent home to collect harnesses to make it look like the accident was Mr Edge’s fault, because he had not worn safety equipment” it was reported.
6. Highways company fined after the death of an employee
   Exeter Crown Court heard how the 48-year old employee was working with colleagues to repair roads in Tiverton, Devon on 29 January 2013 when he sustained fatal injuries after being struck by a vehicle being driven by a member of the public

   An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company failed to adequately identify the risks associated with the road repair work and moving traffic, and as a result the appropriate control measures were not implemented.

   This incident could have been prevented had SWHL implemented the correct safety measures including signage, temporary speed limits, temporary traffic management and even closure of the road for a short period of time. It was found the planning for this work activity had failed to consider the most appropriate way to manage traffic while carrying out the road repairs.

   Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Caroline Penwill said: “The failures exposed in this case are alarming, given the clear and obvious risks associated with roadside work and highlight the importance of managing short term works on a high- speed road.

   “This incident could have been prevented had South West Highways implemented suitable traffic management for this work.”

7. Bedford company fined after teenage trainee engineer lost his life
   A 19 year old trainee design engineer came into contact with a live 3 phase electrical system and died from his injuries. He was carrying our electrical testing work at the Grundfos Pumps factory in Windsor and was working unsupervised whilst testing a live electrical control panel.

   An unsafe system of work was found to be the cause of Jake’s death. Grundfos Pumps had not adequately risk assessed the testing of live electrical panels to identify a safe system of work and failed to provide suitable training and supervision to undertake 3 phase live testing.

   Inspector for the Health and Safety Executive, Paul Williams, said: “This tragic incident could and should have been avoided. Grundfos Pumps’ failure to adequately risk assess the electrical testing process led to an unsafe system work being in place. Training and supervision arrangements were clearly inadequate.

   “If live electrical testing has to be undertaken, suitable precautions must be in place.”

8. 2018 predictions: Smarter PPE will better protect all workers
   The current trend towards ‘smart’ personal protective equipment (PPE) is expected to continue and accelerate in 2018. According to the latest industry research from analysts Technavio: “the rise in data consumption will drive the need for smart wearables with smartphone compatibility, consequently fuelling the market’s growth prospects [1].”

   In the era of Industry 4.0, RFID and Bluetooth®-enabled PPE and gas detectors can already connect to smartphones to become smart, edge devices able to collect and transmit data. In future, by using retrofitted wireless data transfer technology, like Near Field Communication (NFC), everything from eyewear to hardhats could become connected, while further innovations in wearable sensors could make it possible to monitor any parameter that affects a worker’s health – from noise to radiation.

   A connected approach could also help encourage the uptake and correct use of PPE among millennials, who are expected to make up 50 percent of the global working population by 2020 [2]. By equipping itself with the kind of technology that meets the expectations of this generation of digital-natives, the safety industry will put itself in the best position to protect their health in the long term.