On this page you will find health and safety information, news and links from 2009
HSE recently published its latest HSE Statistics (for 2008/09) on workplace injuries, work-related ill health and enforcement in GB. In food and drink manufacture there were further significant reductions in injuries during 2008/09 with the injury incidence rate (i.e. injuries per 100,000 workers) for both 'over-3-day (O-3-D) absence injuries' and 'major injuries' (eg broken bones or requiring hospitalisation) falling 4% from the previous year. Long-term trends now show:
These very significant and consistent year-on-year injury reductions are due to the considerable effort made by the industry since the joint HSE/food industry Recipe for Safety initiative commenced in 1990/91. This initiative is supported and steered by the Food Manufacture Health and Safety Forum.
The owners of an Ayrshire meat processing plant have been convicted of failing to have a safe isolation procedure in place for machinery, after a worker lost three fingers when a machine he was attempting to repair started up. Belcher Food Products Ltd of Prestwick was fined £30,000 after pleading guilty to breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
The case highlights the need for effective isolation procedures and adequate training, instruction and supervision. In food manufacture moving machinery causes 10% of major injuries and 30% of fatal injuries reported to HSE.
In June 2007 a worker had a finger of his right hand amputated while clearing a jammed tray from the stacking station of a thermoforming machine producing plastic food trays. The company was prosecuted by HSE, fined £3500 by the Court and ordered to pay £2000 costs after pleading guilty to a charge under Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The HSE investigating inspector said "Adequate safeguards and safe working practices must be in place to ensure employees are not exposed to dangerous parts of machinery. Blockages and jams lead to a high number of injuries in the workplace".
Following consultation with industry and other stakeholders, HSE launched its new long-term Strategy document in June 2009. This sets out 10 goals in key areas such as:
A 40-year old factory worker was crushed to death after crawling into a machine to clear a jam. The semi-automatic 'off load machine' was used to transfer finished cartons of dog food onto a conveyor. The worker crawled into the front entrance of the machine when a pneumatic pick up unit descended and pinned him to a stack of trays, resulting in asphyxiation. The company was fined £157,500 as both the machine's photo-electric safeguarding system and a hinged access gate interlock had been bypassed, resulting in the fatality. A number of prohibition notices were also served at the time of the investigation.
In food and drink manufacturing there have been 9 fatalities over the past 8 years resulting from workers entering large machines which have not been safely isolated and locked-off from electric, hydraulic or pneumatic power sources. Systems should be in place to ensure workers entering machines are safe, for example by locking off the power source and the worker taking the key with them into the machine.
HSE's new STEP tool is an eLearning package providing slips and trips guidance through interactive learning. It provides an easy way to learn about slips and trips, how they are caused, why preventing them is important and how to tackle them. STEP includes quizzes, videos, animations, case studies and interactive sequences to enhance the learning experience. Completing this package will aid understanding of slips and trips allowing informed decision making on the actions required to reduce injuries.
An employee of Bacocompak (Norfolk) Ltd suffered a severe fracture to his arm when it became trapped in the unguarded end roller of a conveyor belt. The company and director were prosececuted by HSE and fines and HSE costs totalling £16,000 were imposed.
In food/drink manufacture conveyors are involved in 30% of machinery accidents, more than any other class of machine. 90% of the injuries involve well known hazards such as in-running nips, transmission parts and trapping points between moving and fixed parts.
HSE's new work-related stress website provides a one-stop source of advice and guidance on managing stress at work. It offers tailored information for different members of an organisation and their part in the Management Standards approach - including directors, HR managers, line managers and employees. A brand new self-assessment tool for line managers to test their stress management skills is also available.
The Federation of Bakers (FOB), with the support of HSE, has recently updated its publication 'Guidance on Dust Control and Health Surveillance in Bakeries' to reflect changes to the COSHH Regulations. The guidance which is often referred to as the 'Blue Book' contains practical advice on controlling exposure to flour and other dusts in bakeries and similar premises and also useful advice on health surveillance. HSE and local authority inspectors have used the original booklet as a reference standard for many years.
The FOB has also re-issued its associated 'Breathe Easy' training package. Both the guidance booklet and training package (which includes a DVD, training notes and the booklet) are available from:
The Federation of Bakers
6 Catherine Street
London
WC2B 5JW
Tel: 020 7420 7190
Email: info@bakersfederation.org.uk
In 2006 the food & drink manufacturing industry conducted a major survey across the various trade sectors of the industry as a follow up to the HSE Backs! 2005 initiative. The objective behind the survey, which was coordinated by the Food Manufacture Health and Safety Forum, was to:
This survey was repeated during 2008 allowing comparison with the 2006 findings. The incidence of back injuries in 2008 was considerably lower than in 2006, however direct comparison was difficult as different companies took part. Many companies had made considerable progress in reducing back injuries, for example one company had reduced working days lost from back injuries by almost 60%.
The Survey Findings and Working Examples cover both prevention and management of back injuries. The survey has helped identify what action is being taken around key issues such as occupational health involvement, rehabilitation, employee involvement and job rotation. In addition the survey highlights the need to consider raw material delivery weights and finished goods weight and design in conjunction with suppliers and customers. The survey findings conclude with suggestions on back injury prevention.
