The latest round-up of changes and developments in health and safety, including what you need to know about noise pollution and why some asbestos is not as bad as we thought …

Control of noise rules revised

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 come into force this month, requiring employers to reduce workers' exposure to high levels of noise. The regulations, which replace the Noise at Work Regulations 1989, reduce acceptable noise exposure by 5 dB in comparison with the 1989 regulations. The upper exposure level is now set at 85 dB, rather than 90 dB. The Health and Safety Executive says that the regulations put the emphasis on identifying other measures to reduce risks, as opposed to simply relying on workers wearing hearing protection.

In summary, the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 require employers to:

  • assess the risks to their employees from noise at work
  • take action to reduce the noise exposure that produces those risks
  • provide their employees with hearing protection if they can't reduce the noise exposure enough through other methods. They have to make hearing protections available on request at 80 dB and ensure it is worn at 85 dB
  • make sure the legal limits on noise exposure - 87 dB daily or weekly exposure or peak sound pressure of 140 dB taking account of hearing protection - are not exceeded
  • provide employees with information, instruction and training
  • carry out health surveillance where there is a risk to health.
The HSE has launched a guide called Controlling noise at work L108 to help employers comply with the new regulations. It also provides help through its dedicated web pages (link below) and helpline.

Study reveals lower asbestos risk

The HSE has published research on asbestos that reveals risks from asbestos containing textured coatings are much lower than previously thought. This research, carried out by the Health and Safety Laboratory, supports the proposal that work with textured coatings will no longer require a licence, to bring it into line with work with asbestos cement. This presents comparable risks but does not require a licence. The HSE says that the research shows that the level of asbestos fibres in the air from work with textured coatings will not exceed the proposed new control limit of 0.1 fibres per cm³ for work with all types of asbestos. Tests were carried out to analyse the effect of working with no air extraction and clearance strategies inside enclosures. In both cases measurements demonstrated that the fibre concentrations were less than 0.1 f/cm³. The HSE plans to make final recommendations to the Health and Safety Commission in May with a view to introducing the revised regulations on 1 October.

Vibration syndrome awareness

Tool and equipment hire company Speedy Hire has launched a national campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of hand vibration syndrome after commissioned research found out that half of construction workers weren't concerned about HAV and two-thirds were unaware of the Control of Vibration at Work 2005 regulations. Health problems caused by HAV cost the industry 300,000 lost working days and tens of millions of pounds each year. The company says it wants to educate workers on how to reduce the risk of health problems caused by vibrating tools and equipment and demonstrate how site operatives and managers can reduce their impact. Staff trained on HAV will be available to tour clients' construction sites across the UK to supply information and practical guidance. Moreover, courses on product selection, tool handling and health surveillance have been devised for operatives, supervisors and management.

Leicester slashes accident rates

Leicester council, the first local authority in England to introduce a safety passport scheme for its housing maintenance operatives, has recorded a 32% drop in its accident rates in the past three years. These results highlight a greater awareness of health and safety issues among the council's staff.

The scheme has been specifically developed by Safety Pass Alliance for people involved in building maintenance. It includes training on customer care, power tools, occupational health, asbestos awareness and access and egress.

Leicester council says that 520 employees working as tradespeople completed the tailor-made health and safety training course and gained a safety passport from the SPA. The council has also decided to run specific training on manual handling, scaffolding awareness, accident investigation, stress awareness and fire safety in addition to the SPA's curriculum requirement.

Bespoke safety services

Fall-arrest equipment supplier Safesite has launched a health and safety division to provide tailored services to meet individual health and safety needs. The company says its business safety healthcheck and risk assessment services provide detailed assessments of building sites to identify health and safety requirements and advise on how to ensure a safe working environment.

Bespoke training courses cover issues including asbestos, the Disability Discrimination Act, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health, manual handling, fire safety and risk management and are designed to help professionals understand legal duties involved in health and safety regulations.