Health and Safety Executive

Field Operations Directorate (FOD)

Operational Circulars (OCs)

OCs are arranged according to a topic classification system.

Industry/health & safety topic-specific

The headings are arranged in alphabetical order:

Agriculture

[380-400]

Class Definition
OC 380/5 Railway level crossings on farms [23KB]
OC 394/1 Suspected adverse reactions surveillance scheme
OC 400/8 The control of pollution (silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oil) regulations 1991 [20KB]
OC 400/10 Nitrogen Dioxide at silage clamps [18KB]
OC 400/12 Toilet and washing facilities in agriculture [28KB]

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Building and civil engineering

[401-423]

Class Definition
OC 401/3 The enforcement of fire safety standards during construction work [138KB]
OC 401/4 Enforcement of general fire precautions at temporary accommodation units on construction sites [21KB]
OC 404/20 The construction (head protection) regulations 1989 [29KB]
OC 404/21 Structural safety: Action by inspectors including liaison with local authorities [39KB]
OC 404/23 General fire precautions at temporary accommodation units on construction sites [155KB]
OC 406/5 Safe lifting of scaffolding tubes using fibre ropes [30KB]
OC 408/4 Transport platforms [85KB]
OC 415/9 The Boreholes Sites and Operations Regulations 1995 [33KB]
OC 420/6 Work in Compressed Air Regulations 1996 [13KB]

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Chemical and allied trades

[430-462]

Class Definition
OC 431/13 Chemical reactor safety - Test methods for exothermicity [32KB]
OC 431/15 Exothermic reactions [24KB]
OC 433/4 (2 part) Control of exposure to fume at coke ovens: Advice to employers [84KB]
OC 438/4 Medium pressure ductile iron gas pipes not owned by Transco [45KB]
OC 440/28v2 The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996 and the Pipelines Safety Regulations 1996 [35KB]
OC 440/30 Gas safety procedure and enforcement advice [74KB]
OC 440/31 Enforcement of gas safety at rented residential accommodation [45KB]
OC 440/34 Gas safety in touring caravans, motor-caravans, caravan holiday-homes and residential park-homes [132KB]
OC 440/35 Gas safety - alerting members of the public to installer incompetence [30KB]
OC 440/36 Investigation of riddor 6(1) domestic gas incidents [187KB]
OC 440/37 Dangerous gas fittings (gas industry unsafe situations procedure)
OC 449/7 Prevention or creation of liquid slugs in flarelines [16KB]

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Electricity

[480-507]

Class Definition
OC 480/2 Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 [56KB]
OC 480/3 Training courses for electrical craftsmen and technicians City and Guild of London Institute [17KB]
OC 482/2 Electrical safety of independent low-voltage AC portable & mobile generators and connected systems [25KB]
OC 483/5 Dorman Smith Britmac 13 amp fuse units [8KB]
OC 483/7 Test Leads - Philips Multimeters [8KB]
OC 483/8 GEC Type AAK 11KV Switchgear [8KB]
OC 483/9 The Electro-Medical Equipment (EEC Requirements) Regulations 1988 [9KB]
OC 483/11 Uncovenanted starting of plant due to control system cross-connections [17KB]
OC 483/14 Electrical protection for mainframe computers [10KB]
OC 483/15 Electricity suppliers - Use of non-standard cut-out enclosures [10KB]
OC 483/16 Electrical isolation of large smoke extraction systems [9KB]
OC 483/18 Crompton Parkinson TF 15 AM 11 KV oil circuit-breaker failure [12KB]
OC 483/19 BS 5036: Part 2: 1990 [8KB]
OC 483/20 GEC-Alsthom Installation Equipment Ltd [8KB]
OC 483/21 Yorkshire Switchgear SO-HI Equipment [9KB]
OC 483/22 Low voltage switchgear and controlgear - BS EN standards [8KB]
OC 483/23 Merlin Gerin type DA 415V switchgear [35KB]
OC 483/25 Long and Crawford circuit breakers [37KB]
OC 483/26 Square D 11 KV switchgear type VAD 3 [9KB]
OC 483/27 Oil-filled electrical distribution and other switchgear [49KB]
OC 489/5 Unsafe electrical extension cable reels [47KB]
OC 489/6 The Plugs and Sockets Etc (Safety) Regulation 1994 [18KB]
OC 491/1 Ellison land-bar Bushbar systems [9KB]
OC 492/2 The drawing into ventilated electrical tools of conductive dusts [14KB]
OC 494/3 Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) and second hand spare parts [8KB]
OC 494/5 Sulphur hexaflouride in electrical equipment [19KB]
OC 494/6 Polychlorinated biphenyls - sampling [14KB]
OC 495/4 (rev) Electrostatic powder coating: British Coatings Federation: code of practice [17KB]
OC 495/5 Electrostatic hand-held spraying equipment for non flammable material for painting and finishing [20KB]
OC 497/1 Electromagnetic fields and radiation [77KB]
OC 497/2 Mobile phones and health: guidance from the Department of Health [26KB]
OC 498/14 Flame-proof right-angled adaptors manufactured by Redapt Engineering Company Ltd [16KB]
OC 501/11 (rev) Electrical safety at lasers, magnetrons, accelerators, radio frequency equipment and the like [98KB]
OC 506/1 The effect of electromagnetic interference on electronic proximity devices used in guarding applications [78KB]

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Food and drink

[520-555]

Class Definition
OC 520/21 Guidance on achieving reasonable working temperatures and conditions during production of chilled foods [17KB]
OC 520/22 The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 1992: enforcement of hygienic design: Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Health and HSE [39KB]
OC 523/1 Flour dust in bakeries, airborne levels and ill health [80KB]
OC 523/3 Dust control in bakeries [88KB]
OC 523/5 flour dust in bakeries: new guidance and video training package [15KB]
OC 523/6 Alleged restrictions on entry into food handling premises [17KB]
OC 524/8 supp 1 The Federation of Bakers Safety Memoranda [18KB]
OC 525/2 Manual handling in beer delivery [16KB]
OC 535/2 Banana Ripening Rooms - Fire & explosion hazards in the use of Ethylene Gas [26KB]

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Non-ionising radiations

[559]

Class Definition
OC 559/7 Ignition hazards due to radio frequency sources: computer assessment of risk [77KB]
OC 559/8 Guidelines for magnetic resonance diagnostic equipment in clinical use [75KB]
OC 559/9 Ultra-violet radiation exposure from general workplace light sources

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Ionising radiations

[560-564]

Class Definition
OC 560/26 Fitness for work with ionising radiations: experience from the medical review panel [92KB]
OC 560/27 Council Regulation (Euratom) No.1493/93 - On Shipments of Radioactive Substances Between Member States [203KB]
OC 560/28 The IRR Regs 1985: Occupational exposure to Low Specific Activity (LSA) Materials [19KB]
OC 560/31 Ionising Radiation Regulations 1985: Radioactively contaminated land [89KB]
OC 560/35 Ionising Radiation Incident Database [108KB]
OC 560/36 Occupational exposure to ionising radiation: Central Index of Dose Information [18KB]
OC 560/43 Handling applications for special entriesin dose records (Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 reg.22) [97KB]
OC 560/47 Prior authorisation of specified practices under the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999
OC 560/49 The Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 Industrial radiography: a guide to inspection [72KB]
OC 560/50 Occupational exposure to radon in workplace buildings [384KB]
OC 560/51 The Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999: Industrial radiography using pipeline crawling devices during the construction of oil and gas pipelines [42KB]
OC 560/52 The Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001 [213KB]
OC 560/53 The Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 [49KB]
OCC 560/54 The Ionising Radiations Regs - Outside workers (including applications for exemption from issue and use of radiation passbooks) [72KB]
OC 563/38 Andrex Smart 300 portable industrial x-ray generators [266KB]
OC 563/41 The Ionising Radiation Regulations 1985: Critical examinations of installed articles [88KB]
OC 563/43 Ionising Radiations Regulations 1985: Type approval of radiation generators and apparatus and smoke detectors and gas filled self-luminous devices [37KB]
OC 564/6 (rev) Thoriated Tungsten Electrodes [87KB]

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Metal manufacture, working, treatment and finishing

[600-671]

Class Definition
OC 633/10 Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) punching and nibbling machines [49KB]
OC 634/7 Direct pressure blasting equipment [57KB]
OC 634/8 Control of dust and noise exposure during direct pressure blasting [50KB]
OC 635/8 Hot vapour cleaning - addition of fresh solvent [16KB]
OC 641/6 Safeguarding Hot Forging Presses [136KB]
OC 647/11 Gas fired special atmosphere furnaces: isolation and burner
supervision [85KB]
OC 652/1 Post weld cleaning using pickling pastes
OC 655/6 Safety in electropolishing
OC 668/17 Ozone and fume arising from welding on aluminium [20KB]
OC 668/22 (2-part) Plasma cutting: control of fume, gases and noise [38KB]
OC 668/23 (2-part) Safeguarding of resistance welding machines [46KB]
OC 668/26 (2-part) Positioning equipment for manual and automatic welding: specialised machinery such as column and boom, rotators, and positioners [243KB]
OC 668/27 (2-part) The safe use of oxy-propane preheating torches [141KB]
OC 668/29 Control of fume arising from electric arc welding [62KB]
OC 668/30 Oxy-fuel gas cutting [51KB]

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Mine and quarry products (except metals)

[680-700]

Class Definition
OC 687/5 Safety in the handling of flat glass [16KB]
OC 687/7 The hazards associated with the silvering of mirrors, vacuum flasks etc. [39KB]
OC 690/12 (rev) Safe operation of kilns in ceramic craft studios [22KB]
OC 690/13 Safe operation of ball mills used in potteries and allied industries [187KB]
OC 692/3 Planning applications at or near quarries
OC 693/6 The Quarries Regulations 1999
OC 693/7 Cooperation between HSE and the coal authority
OC 696/2 The use of small vehicles in quarries and open-cast coal quarries
OC/700/2 Exemptions Under Quarries Regualtions 1999 [15KB]

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Shipbuilding

[730-731]

Class Definition
OC 730/8 Work carried out by ships' crews in shipyards and dry docks [10KB]
OC 730/9 Storage and use of oxygen and fuel gases on board ships under construction or repair [47KB]

 

Textile and allied industries

[742-772]

Class Definition
OC 770/7 Safeguarding metal spinning machines [116KB]
   

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Transport and distribution

[780-794]

Class Definition
OC 783/3 Dangerous Substances in Harbour Areas Regulations 1987 (DSHAR): Part 1X - Explosives [13KB]
OC 789/4 'Road traffic type' issues: overlap with other enforcement agencies [21KB]
OC 789/5 Risks to the public from un/loading vehicles on the highway [23KB]
OC 790/12 Repairs to fork arms for fork-lift trucks [12KB]
OC 790/16 Rider-operated lift trucks: operator training and approved code of practice [22KB]

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Vehicles

[800-805]

Class Definition
OC 803/69 Application of PUWER & LOWER to MVR
OC 803/70 Closed circuit TV on road going vehicles [32KB]
OC 803/71 Apllication of the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulation (DSEAR) 2002 to motor vehicle repair and part 2 (id doc) [18KB]

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Miscellaneous: not elsewhere specified

[811-847]

Class Definition
OC 655/7 COMAH application at surface treatment sites
OC 801/2 Supplement 1 Sport Parachuting - Liaison between HSE Inspectors and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
OC 847/4 Water boreholes: Potential hazard from methane evolution [2.7MB]
OC 847/9 Sewage sludge drying plant [78KB]
OC 847/10 Reservoirs and HSW Act: inspection policy [28KB]
   

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Updated 25.08.11