CMSE Training Consultancy Recruitment

When these fibres are inhaled
they can cause serious diseases which
are responsible for around 4000 deaths a year.
There are four main diseases caused by asbestos:
mesothelioma (which is always fatal),
lung cancer (almost always fatal),asbestosis (not always fatal, but it can be very debilitating)and diffuse pleural thickening (not fatal).

Asbestos fibres are present in the environment so people are exposed to very low levels of fibres. However, a key factor in the risk of developing an asbestos-related disease is the total number of fibres breathed in. Working on or near damaged asbestos-containing materials or breathing in high levels of asbestos fibres, which may be many hundreds of times that of environmental levels can increase your chances of getting an asbestos-related disease.

Asbestos related diseases won’t affect immediately but later on in life, so there is a need for you to protect yourself now to prevent you contracting an asbestos-related disease in the future. It is also important to remember that people who smoke and are also exposed to asbestos fibres are at a much greater risk of developing lung cancer.

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The Port of Cork is working with CMSE to achieve OHSAS 18001, Mr Chris Mee of CMSE and Mr Henry Kingston of the Port of Cork recently met to discuss the detail of the support services available from CMSE. The Port of cork have been leading the way in its health and safety and environmental management, demonstrated through it IPSM award in 2007. The Port of Cork will secure OHSAS 18001 Accredition in the next 12 months.  

Health & Safety Authority (HSA) & CMSE – Confined Space Training for HSA Inspectors

Chris Mee Safety Engineering (CMSE) recently delivered several days of confined space training to a large group of HSA inspectors at the CMSE Training Centre.  The hands on training programme was organised by Mr. Mark Roland of the HSA and Mr Christopher Mee of CMSE.  

The customised course was delivered by CMSEs top trainers for the HSA inspectors and focused on the essential safety requirements of confined space entry and rescue including the use of confined space equipment (both operational & rescue).  The inspectors were also instructed in the correct use and inspection of Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). 

The HSA is the Irish State Agency for Occupational Safety and Health.  Their inspectors carry out both enforcement and educational/information delivery to employers and employees in the essential area of accident reduction and prevention.  For more information on the HSA you can visit their website www.hsa.ie.

The Safe-T-Cert was established in 2000 by the Irish Construction Industry Federation (CIF), and Northern Ireland Construction Employers Federation, with support from the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). The scheme was set up to assure clients that certified contractors have an effective safety and health management system, as well as with the expectation that insurance companies may look favourably on contractors who have taken a pro-active approach to risk management as demonstrated through the achievement of Safe-T-Cert certification.

CMSE has just assisted a client in setting up a full Construction Safety Management System. The process involved a number of CMSE consultants working directly with the company’s management team to develop the existing procedures and practices into a coherent and robust system that would not only conform with the Safe-T-Cert requirements but also could be easily integrated into the everyday operational activities of the company. So as well as writing and implementing a detailed written management system, CMSE consultants carried out site inspections and toolbox talks to ensure that all employees and contractors were aware of the system and that it could be implemented quickly and effectively.

The safety management system implemented covered a wide variety of policies and procedures within the organisation, including a training needs analysis, inductions and toolbox talks, control of contractors, site rules and emergency procedures, PPE policy, complying with PSCS and other statutory roles in the construction industry, equipment testing and certification, accident reporting, chemical and physical agents assessments, preparation of method statements and risk assessments and many more. It is important the client receives a ‘living’ system, which can be implemented straight away without causing major internal changes, and will also grow and develop as the company does.

As a final step, CMSE then carried out a rigorous pre-audit of the system, using an independent internal resource to cast fresh eyes over the system and iron out any last issues before the arrival of the Safe-T-Cert team. The lead Safe-T-Cert auditor praised the system during his visit, noting that the company achieved a higher grade than would be expected for a first-time audit. In fact, he also pointed out that up to 50% of companies fail their first Safe-T-Cert audit and that applicants usually have quite a lot of work to do before resubmitting for a second audit.

CMSE implements a range of management systems from ISO 9001 to OHSAS 18001 to internal corporate standards. www.cmse.ie

There were 67 cases of legionnaires’ disease reported in Ireland during the period 2000 to 2007. There were five deaths due to legionnaires’ disease during this period

In April 2003 a woman died of Legionnaires Disease at Waterford Regional Hospital. After being admitted to hospital in March 2003 the patient was diagnosed as having Crohn’s Disease but a routine x-ray taken showed that the patient was also suffering from pneumonia. Further tests confirmed that she had Legionnaires Disease.

In 2008 RTE reported that two members of staff at the Allianz Insurance Company in Dublin had contracted the legionnaires disase. Tests linked the disease to one of the cooling towers used as part of the air conditioning system which was found to have high levels of the legionella bacterium.

What is Legionella?

Legionella is gram negative bacterium, including species that cause Legionellosis or Legionnaires’ disease, most notably L.pneumophilia. Legionnaires disease poses the greatest risk to people who are elderly, ill or immunocompromised.
Legionella transmission is via aerosols, and insulation of mist droplets containing the bacteria. Common source include:

• Cooling towers
• Domestic hot and cold water systems
• Emergency shower heads and showers
• Taps and water storage tanks
• Other water systems

A number of factors are required to create a risk of Legionella including; presence of the Legionella bacteria, water change rate, degree of exposure, presence of the numbers of people who may be at risk of exposure, water temperatures, total microbial count, enclosed or open systems.

What Creates the Risk of Legionella?

A number of factors are required to create a risk of Legionella, including;

• The presence of the Legionella bacteria,
• Source condition (clean- heavy contamination)
• Accessibility (Enclosed – open system)
• Acidity/ Alkalinity
• Conditions suitable for the survival of the organism, e.g. suitable temperature and a source of nutrients, e.g. limescale, rust, algae and other organic matter.
• Temperatures that affect the survival of Legionellae are as follows;

• From 70°C to 80°C – Disinfection range.
• At 66°C – Legionella die within 2 minutes.
• At 60°C – Legionella die within 32 minutes.
• At 55°C – Legionella die within 5-6 hours.
• From 50°C – 55°C – They can survive but do not multiply.
• From 20°C to 50°C – Legionella growth range.
• From 35°C to 46°C – Ideal growth range.
• Below 20°C – Legionella can survive but are dormant.
• Water change rate ( High- static)
• The presence (numbers) of people who may be at risk of exposure.
• Degree of exposure (hrs/week)
• A means of creating and disseminating breathable droplets, e.g. showers
• Total Microbial Count (cfu/ml)

For more information or to manage or assess risk or incidents of Legionella you should contact a reputable Legionella Risk Assessment Consultant .

A few years ago I was investigating an accident at a client’s location when I heard a very sudden loud noise nearby.  I went over to check the noise and to see if there was a problem.   I found an engineer and two fitters standing near a moulding machine.  I enquired of them as to their well being and they all said they were fine but a little startled ! !   I asked the engineer what had happened.  He said that he was lifting a reconditioned mould into place and the lifting device (chain-block) had failed and the mould fell to the ground.

I asked him if he would be investigating the accident and he looked at me with a confused expression on his face.  His answer was interesting –  “ no one was hurt – why would we investigate ?”  I pointed out that there was a very high risk of serious injury from a recurrence of this type of event.  I then also asked him how much it would cost to repair the mould.  His answer here was VERY alarming to me also – “ not sure really – but the last time this happened it cost us €30 k”

For me both the possibility of future serious injury and the high cost of such an event made it very obvious to me that an investigation and new control measures were badly needed.  We did carry out an investigation and implement some simple, cheap and practical control measures.  There has been no recurrence and the MD of the workplace is now really delighted to carry out such accident investigations.  He was unaware of these hidden costs in his very high maintenance budget.

Do you know about all your hidden costs?  Can you afford to ignore such accidents in your workplace?