The Health and Safety Commission has published a summary of its strategic plan update for 2000/2001, which includes national targets for health and safety. In 2000/01 the HSC will implement the Revitalising Health and Safety at Work initiative, under which the government has established the following national targets:
- To reduce the number of working days lost per 100,000 workers from work-related injury and ill health by 30% by 2010
- To reduce the incidence rate of fatal and major injury accidents by 10% by 2010
- To reduce the incidence rate of cases of work-related ill health by 20% by 2010.
Copies available from HSE Books Tel: 01787 881165, quoting Misc 222
The Building Regulations 2000/2531
This replacement to the Building Regulations 1991 applies to persons carrying out certain building operations. They carry forward the provisions of the 1991 regulations, as amended, with additional requirements in Regulation 16. This requires the calculation of an energy rating for a new dwelling, to which the local authority should be notified. A notice of the rating must be posted in the dwelling or, in special circumstances, given to the occupier of the building.
Copies avaiable from The Stationery Office, £4.50, ISBN 0110998979. Tel: 0870 6005522
GMB Guide to manual handling
General union the GMB has produced a safety representative's guide to manual handling. The leaflet covers the requirements of the law, assessing and reducing the risks of manual handling injuries, information and training, lifting equipment, reporting accidents and injuries, pregnant and disabled workers and the GMB/SITA Back in Work project.
Almost every job involves some degree of manual handling – be it pulling a pallet truck on a factory floor, lifting boxes of photocopier paper in an office or pushing a patient on a hospital trolley – and the GMB believes that manual handling activities should be made as safe as possible for everybody.
The GMB leaflet includes two case studies. In one, a safety representative for a county ambulance service drew attention to the manual handling hazard associated with opening sliding garage doors. The sliding doors were removed and replaced with electrically operated ones.
In the other case study, a safety representative at a food manufacturer's plant managed to negotiate ergonomic changes to improve any work involving the stacking of cans or the filling of machines.
Copies available from GMB, 22-24 Worple Road, London SW19 4DD. Tel: 020 8947 3131
Back in work – managing back pain in the workplace
This HSE leaflet advises employers, managers and workers in small businesses on the development of arrangements to manage back pain. The leaflet presents do's and don'ts for workers dealing with back pain and offers advice for employers on what they should do if one of their employees reports back pain.
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 requires employers to eliminate handling risks. If this is not practicable, the risks should be assessed and action should be taken to reduce them.
Copies available from HSE Books. Tel: 01787 881165, quoting INDG333
Source
The Facilities Business
