Citing a UK Health & Safety Commission report, he told his listeners that one in ten carpenters born in the UK in the 1940s are likely to contract an asbestos-related disease.

While the cases that come before the Dublin City Coroner’s Court may not always concern carpenters, they bear out Mr MacNeill’s message about the number of deaths linked to, if not actually caused by, exposure to asbestos. Since the start of the year, asbestos was identified as a factor in at least four Dublin City Coroner inquests; covering the deaths of a fitter-turner, a pipe-layer/civil engineer, a lagger, and a retired Royal Navy engineer.

Health & Safety Review Vol.17 No.4

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Asbestos Consultancy Services

Michael Brophy, chair of the Association of Accredited Certification Bodies (AACB), recently stated that while the overall number of certified companies was still relatively modest, significant growth had been observed in recent years, with the number of OHSAS 18001 certified organisations rising from just 81 in 2006 to 229 in 2010.
Also, the number of OHSAS 18001 organisations in Ireland had more than doubled in the last 18 months.

The challenge of this study was to extract pertinent information which could be used to inform and better understand why a specific organisation, or company,  has OHSAS certification and why others do not.
From the research, there are few correlations between industrial indicators such as size, nationality and the results.
However, certain associations were measured, such as the effects of the measured OHSMSs on accidents, risks and costs.

Accidents:
It seems, although it is based on a limited sample, there was an apparent reduction in the number of non reportable accidents and LTAs over the prescribed five year timeline.

Risks:
OHSAS certified companies recorded less medium risks

Costs:
OHSAS 18001 is on average 2.48 times less expensive than non-OHSAS systems

Claims:
There were more actual claims filed within the non-OHSAS group and the costs of these claims were correspondingly higher.

In conclusion this research indicates OHSAS certified companies have fewer accidents, fewer claims and the costs of implementing the OHSAS 18001 standard are less than its alternatives. OHSAS 18001 companies have KPIs for accident rates and in this regard can plan, rather than react to adverse events in the workplace.

Health and Safety Review, April 2012

For more information on OHSAS 18001 Services please visit the CMSE Website

The following is an extract from his article:

So, what are good questions to ask, and how should you go about developing them?

Firstly, and most obviously, actually ask questions! The number of candidates who pass up the opportunity to question the employer about the position remains high. Having no questions tells the potential employer that the candidate is indifferent, ill-prepared, or – worse – clueless.

Secondly, think out the topics you might want to discuss, remembering that employers continue to make judgements about candidates based on the questions they raise. Plan the areas you want to explore, research the organisation, and then develop the questions. Don’t limit your research to the organisation’s website; consider sector information from the likes of the HSE and trade associations. The latter are particularly useful if you have no prior experience of the industry within which the organisation operates.

Do your homework

When researching an organisation, start by clarifying the key OH&S risks it faces. This may sound obvious, but the more you home in on the significant issues the better you will understand the organisation and thus have a stronger set of questions.
Once you have a good idea of the services provided by the organisation and fully understand the sector in which they operate, it can be useful to consider the context in which the hiring is taking place. If the organisation publishes information about its aims, targets or strategy, you should think about the safety implications of these.
For example, a construction firm might be planning to move into the refurbishment sector, a retailer has announced a plan to merge distribution centres, or a council is seeking to reduce operating costs by 15 per cent. Organisational change has implications for safety practitioners at all levels and candidates who demonstrate an understanding of this will stand out from the crowd.
It is also advisable to research what performance data are available. Is it possible, for example, to obtain any injury and ill-health statistics for the sector, or even the organisation itself? Is there any record of previous enforcement action against it? Competitors or other organisations in the same sector may also provide something to compare against.

Formulate your questions

Once you have a feel for the organisation, start drafting your questions, based on your research. Think, too, about how to frame the questions to ensure they appear informed and are respectful. Always try to ask ‘open’ questions, i.e. those that require a detailed answer, rather than a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. This will ensure the interviewer is drawn into a discussion, providing an opportunity for candidates to again demonstrate their experience of managing a risk, or handling a particular situation.
Ask questions that reveal the depth of your research and your interest in the job. In other words, do not ask questions that are easily answered on the company website, or in the job description – “Have you not read the job description?” The areas to enquire about are the goals of the organisation, the challenges of the role, and your expectations as the candidate.
While there are no hard and fast rules on the number of questions to ask, you should prepare six to eight, on the assumption that half will be answered during the interview itself. Prioritise your questions based on importance and whether you are at first, second, or third-interview stage. Asking an obvious question in a second or third interview can be counterproductive!

Source: Pomeroy, J. 2012, ‘ If you ask me’, SHP, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 32-34

Link to full article

CMSE Recruitment is the premier job agency specialising in health and safety, environmental, energy, EHS and construction project related jobs. CMSE Recruitment is part of the CMSE Group and we deliver the best quality in health & safety, environmental, Energy and project recruitment, jobs and careers.  We also provide interview preparation advice for our candidates.

Current EHS vacancies

• Ensure statutory compliance
• Address significant risks
• Educate and guide the employer to help bring about improvement
• Educate and guide the Workforce in health and safety matters
• Raise the profile of Health and Safety at the workplace

You may have wondered what you can expect when a HSA inspector calls to inspect your premises.
HSA inspectors monitor compliance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.

The Inspectors’ primary focus is a preventative one, which is to raise awareness among employers and their employees on their responsibilities under the 2005 Act.

With this in mind they are looking at the level of preparedness of Irish workplaces on safety and health management and in particular on the preparation and implementation of the safety statement.

The safety statement must spell out how safety and health is managed in the workplace, to which it relates and must include the risk assessments which were carried out.

Patricia Murray, an occupational psychologist and inspector with the Health and Safety Authority, says employers and institutions have a responsibility “not to cause or exacerbate (existing) health problems. This responsibility is outlined by EU and national legislation”.

Different health scenarios will arise in different workplaces. Dermatitis could be exacerbated by chemical products used in healthcare, hairdressing, cleaning, or manufacturing. In the health or biomedical industries, including university science labs, employers have to guard against threats posed by blood borne viruses.

In an office environment, workers might be seated at a desk hunched over a computer, and could be at a higher risk of developing muscular-skeletal disorders. Increasingly, mental health and wellbeing is being factored into workplace health plans.
“If an employer is forewarned about workplace health issues that can be anything from high stress caused by bullying to back pain caused by inappropriate desks – and they do nothing about it, they’re burying their head in the sand,” says Murray. “But if they do an analysis of the problem, address it, and offer supports where appropriate, they’ll avoid problems down the line.”
The best approach is to address health issues before they arise.

Worker involvement may be the key factor in workplace health management. “Who knows the workplace best?” asks Christa Sedlatschek, director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.
“The workers, the people who do the job. They are the experts. They know the problems that can arise, and the problems that they have. In carrying out a risk assessment, it is essential to have them on board.”

The Irish Times, 22/02/2012

Risk Assessments

Safety Statements

Government Plans:
One of the reasons for the concerns that are being expressed is that the Government’s plans, while outlined, have not been spelled out in detail.
Indeed, it is worth noting that a consultation paper published by the Department of Education and Skills on the establishment of a new further education and training body, to be called SOLAS, makes no reference to health and safety training, statutory or otherwise.

The Government has brought forward a Bill, the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011, in which it proposes to merge HETAC, FETAC and the National Qualifications Authority into one organisation, the Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority of Ireland (QQAAI).

In response to a query from HSR, the Department of Education states that all references in health and safety legislation to FETAC will be taken to be references to the QQAAI. The proposed Bill is currently being debated by the Oireachtas. It is at committee stage.

The Government’s plans to disband FAS, while they have received a lot more attention, are not nearly as far advanced. What the Government has said is that FAS will be disbanded in 2012 and that the first phase of this process has been achieved, with the transfer of its employment services to the Department of Social Protection.

The second part, which is the part that impacts on health and safety training, is the establishment of a new Body, to be called SOLAS, and the merging of FAS’s current training provision with the VECs to form 16 local education and training boards. SOLAS will not have a training delivery role.

However, the legislation to give effect to these plans has yet to be drafted. Indeed, the Government has not yet approved the heads of a Bill to give effect to the plans. What the Department of Education has said to HSR is: “The impact of these changes is the subject of detailed discussions between FETAC, FAS and the Departments of Education and Skills and Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.
As part of these discussions FETAC is currently reviewing the certification of CSCS and QSCS.

Health and Safety Review, January 2012

CMSE offer various accreditations and will continue to reach customers needs with accredited/professional courses.
Call us on 1850 315 415 to discuss any of our courses.

http://www.cmse.ie/Safety_Training-351.html

The main aim is to make sure that no one gets hurt or becomes ill.
Accidents and ill health can ruin lives, and can also affect business if output is lost, machinery is damaged, insurance costs increase, or if you have to go to court. Therefore, carrying out risk assessments, preparing and
implementing a safety statement and keeping both up to date will not in themselves prevent accidents and ill health but they will play a crucial part in reducing their likelihood.

Employers, managers and supervisors should all ensure that workplace practices reflect the risk assessments and
safety statement. Behaviour, the way in which everyone works, must reflect the safe working practices laid down
in these documents. Supervisory checks and audits should be carried out to determine how well the aims set down
are being achieved. Corrective action should be taken when required. Additionally, if a workplace is provided for
use by others, the safety statement must also set out the safe work practices that are relevant to them.

Hence, it is important to carry out a Risk Assessment and prepare a Safety Statement for:

1. Financial reasons:
There is considerable evidence, borne out by companies’ practical experiences, that effective safety and health management
in the workplace contributes to business success. Accidents and ill-health inflict significant costs, often hidden and
underestimated.

2. Legal reasons:
Carrying out a risk assessment, preparing a safety statement and implementing what you have written down are not only
central to any safety and health management system, they are required by law. Health and Safety Authority inspectors
visiting workplaces will want to know how employers are managing safety and health. If they investigate an accident,
they will scrutinise the risk assessment and safety statement, and the procedures and work practices in use.
It should be ensured that these stand up to examination. If the inspector finds that one of these is inadequate,
he or she can ask the employer to revise it. Employers can be prosecuted if they do not have a safety statement.

3. Moral and ethical reasons:
The process of carrying out a risk assessment, preparing a safety statement and implementing what you have written
down will help employers prevent injuries and ill-health at work.  Employers are ethically bound to do all they can
to ensure that their employees do not suffer illness, a serious accident or death.

www.hsa.ie   08/02/12

For more information visit our Website

The EGF have up to €500 million available each year.

The EGF helps workers find new jobs and develop new skills when they have lost their jobs as a result of:
changing global trade patterns, e.g. when a large company shuts down or a factory is moved to outside the EU
or
global financial and economic crisis.

The EGF provides co-financed assistance to individual Member States to provide programmes and services to workers made redundant as a result of the adverse impacts of globalisation.
The types of services and programmes eligible for EGF support include career advice and guidance, education and training courses, and enterprise supports.

To be eligible for support from the EGF individual redundant workers must meet a number of conditions. In the case of redundant construction workers they must have:
- been made redundant between 1st July 2009 and 31st March 2010
- worked in one of three specified sectors within the overall construction sector
- been identified in one to the three approved EGF Construction Applications.

All redundant workers eligible for support under the three EGF Construction Programmes will have been notified of their eligibility by letter.  They will also have been provided with an EGF Eligibility Number.

On the 19th December 2011, a notification letter was issued to a total of 8,779 construction workers and apprentices eligible for support from the EGF.

If you have not received a letter from the EGF Managing Authority in the Department of Education and Skills and still wish to check your eligibility you can contact the EGF Construction Contact Centre.

EGF Training Grants pay fees for approved courses in private education and training companies.

EGF Grants range in value and can be as high as €5,000.
Before you can apply for an EGF Training Grant you will need to identify an approved training course that can be completed before Friday 8th June 2012.

Find out more – Click here to go to our website!

Course Title: Elementary First Aid Course (EFA) STCW – 95.

The Elementary First Aid Course (EFA) STCW – 95 is a one day classroom based course and forms part of the mandatory basic training for all personnel assigned designated emergency duties.

On completion of this course the student will be able to provide immediate basic medical care at the scene of an accident or other medical emergency until the arrival of a person with first aid skills or the person in charge of medical care aboard.

The purpose of this course is to comply with the international Marine requirements for watch-keeping personnel serving as ship officers and crew.

CMSE already offer STCW courses and we pride ourselves on our association with such accredited courses.

This course is due to commence in early 2012 and we believe it will complement our current Marine and Fire Safety trainingwhich we offer in our specialised Fire Safety Training Centre in Cork.

To find out more please call us on 1850 315 415 or email info@cmse.ie

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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.

hse

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