How your business can benefit from a streamlined DSE Risk Assessment process.

Research by OFCOM, reveals that as a nation we are now spending more time in front of a screen than we do sleeping.  In a recent survey, two-thirds of the participants reported that they now work longer hours than they did just two years ago.  The impact of these extended hours, sitting incorrectly and/or in front of screen equipment, whether at work or socially, can cause visual fatigue, stress, and musculoskeletal disorders.  While, as employers, you can not control what your employees do when they leave the workplace, you have a responsibility for their health, safety and well being when engaged in a work activity. DSE Risk Assessment is a critical part of this.

The use of effective ergonomics in the workplace ensures that the capabilities and limitations of employees are considered and addressed when work is assigned. Applying ergonomics across the workforce, has been proven to reduce accidents, injury and ill health, improve on productivity and boost morale.

As employers, you can help protect your employees by performing regular display screen equipment (DSE) checks through a programme of workstation risk assessments.  DSE includes display screens, laptops, touch screens, smartphones and similar devices.  

Under the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992, DSE workstations need to be assessed regularly and effectively.  This can be done either by fully trained and informed staff or by implementing an online DSE Risk Assessment solution.

ErgoWize from VinciWorks is an award-winning online DSE course and risk assessment that instructs employees in the correct setup and safe use of their computer workstation.

This online course provides detailed images and interactions showing the correct sitting position, keying position and hand placement when using the mouse.  There are additional animations showing exercises and stretching techniques used to help reduce the amount of stress placed on joints and muscles when sitting for long periods of time.

The ErgoWize system ensures DSE compliance in three powerful steps:

1. online training,
2. workstation risk assessment
3. resolution.

After your employees complete the eLearning course, a workstation Assessment is triggered automatically by the system. This ensures the employees are assessed immediately after completing the required training. The DSE Risk Assessment allows users to self resolve low-risk issues and escalate high-risk issues. This significantly reduces the number of risks escalated to management, reducing administration time required.

Ideal for companies with 100 employees to 100,000+ employees, the ErgoWize system provides drill-down reporting giving reports you can action, rather than static information. The ErgoWize system allows full trend analysis of Workstation risk issues raised and because the reports are dynamic, you can drill down into the detail with a click of your mouse.

The Compliance dashboard also provides a unique view of how your roll out of training and assessments is progressing. The Compliance module also provides closed loop training – it can import your users from a third party system, auto enrol them on the course and assessment, automatically send reminder emails and then also auto re-enrol users every 12 months (or whatever time frame your organisation prefers).

Looking for more in-depth and engaging health and safety training? Explore our comprehensive eLearning library and try any of our courses for free. 

Electrical safety at work

Electricity can kill. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) approximately 1000 accidents, a year are caused by electric shocks. About 30 of these cases are fatal and arise from working with overhead or underground power cables. This means electrical safety at work is a serious issue.

Individuals working directly with electricity, for example, engineers and electricians dealing with overhead power cables, installation and circuit assemblies, are most at risk. However, those working indirectly with electricity such as farmers, construction workers and office-based employees can still be exposed to the dangers of electricity if control measures are absent and regular risk assessments are not carried out.

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 employers have legal duties and obligations “to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work” of all their employees. Additionally, the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, applies more specifically to the use of electricity within the workplace from electrical supplies to the use of electrical equipment. This legislation places a joint responsibility on employers, employees and contractors to ensure equipment is correctly installed, used and maintained.

What are the causes of electricity-related injuries in an office environment?

Electrical appliances that are inadequately installed and maintained, faulty wiring, overloaded sockets, using frayed extension cables and operating equipment near to water or with wet hands, can all contribute to electrical injuries.  

A simple checklist will help you and your employees understand the Do’s and Don’ts of electrical safety.

Employers duties in relation to Electrical Safety at work:

• Ensure electrical equipment is suitable for the purpose it is intended.
• Ensure equipment has undergone all necessary safety checks before use.
• Ensure equipment is safely installed and regularly maintained by a qualified engineer.
• Ensure that all live parts of electrical equipment are inaccessible during operation.
• Provide all employees with adequate training and information on electrical safety.

Employees duties in relation to Electrical Safety at work:

• Switch off appliances when not in use and at the end of the day.
• Never force a plug into a socket if it doesn’t fit.
• Never run long cables across busy work areas.  This will minimise falls and prevent cables from fraying.
• Never operate an electrical appliance with wet hands.
• If working in front of an electrical panel, maintain a distance of at least 3 feet.
• Never use equipment that gives off a strange odour or noise.
• Never overload an electrical socket.
• Never use frayed cables.
• Always report equipment which is not working correctly to your line manager or Health and Safety representative.
• Undergo training course on electrical safety.

How can VinciWorks help?

VinciWorks’ RoSPA-certified course delivers short, interactive health and safety training units that are customised to the specific office the user works in, including a section on electrical equipment and the dangers associated with its use. The online course explores common causes of electrical-related accidents – including faulty appliances and damaged or overloaded sockets, plugs and cables – and provides guidance on how to check for potential hazards and minimise the risk of accidents.

The course highlights key actions that can be taken to reduce accidents, including regular risk assessment and risk control management, using experts to install electrical equipment, and the benefits of regular maintenance and safety testing. It also provides advice on how to treat an electrical-related injury and outlines the steps to take if an accident does happen.

As with all our courses, our health and safety course can be fully customised to reflect the needs of your organisation and industry. This means that you can communicate specific messages and offer training that addresses particular issues that you might face. A designated course administrator can use our integrated authoring tool to edit the text and images within the course, and link to organisation-specific documentation, all at no extra cost.

Fleet Safety can play a part in accident reduction

According to the Department of Transport, 1,770 people were killed in road traffic accidents in 2018, with 165,100 casualties of with injuries all levels of severity. Although road safety is improving, with vehicle technology and advances in road engineering being contributing factors, poor driving behaviour still causes accidents and shatters lives. What role does fleet safety need to play in reducing this further?

For organisations whose workforce drive to business appointments, whether in a company vehicle or private car, poor road safety can have huge financial and reputational implications not to mention, costly legal fees. Driving during the working day is possibly one of the riskiest activities an employee will undertake.

So, how can you protect your drivers and your organisation’s motoring budget?

As employers, you have a legal, moral and social responsibility to improve driver safety, hence improving the safety of your employees and the general public.  Managing road risk can also have positive financial benefits.  For example, road traffic accidents can cost your organisation increased insurance premiums, lost productivity and revenue, damaged stock and possible sick leave.  Reducing accidents by raising awareness can thus, improve your business’ motoring budget.

Implementing a straightforward Driving Policy is paramount.  Your policy should be produced in consultation with managers and your health and safety officer. Furthermore, your company policy must include your organisation’s health and safety statement.

It should be communicated to and agreed by your workforce. When rolling out your policy to employees, it is important to ensure that you have a robust audit trail of who has read and agreed with the policy. It is also important to show that employees have understood the policy. WorkWize from Vinciworks can fully automate this process, pushing the policy out to employees to sign off using a digital signature. WorkWize also includes a test on the policy to prove understanding. This is all reported back in a comprehensive Compliance dashboard.

Procedures and guidance should be available in an employee’s handbook, providing information on vehicle safety and maintenance, journey planning, a mobile phone policy, an alcohol and drugs policy and advice on the use of satellite navigation devices. Additionally, procedures on what to do in the event of an accident should be included with all relevant reporting forms and line manager contact details.

Rolling out a system of driver assessment and training is an effective way of demonstrating the importance of road safety and highlights how different behaviours can contribute to road accidents.

VinciWorks offer an Online Driver Safety Training course designed to highlight how driver behaviour can impact road safety, for themselves and for other drivers. The online course explains how accidents can be caused by how the driver behaves, including failing to observe rules of the road, not paying enough attention or being distracted. It details the responsibilities each driver has each time they use a public highway and covers the legal requirements within the UK for ensuring that vehicles are roadworthy.

The course can be fully customised to meet the needs of your organisation. A designated course administrator can edit the text and images within the course, and link to organisation-specific documentation, all at no extra cost.

Looking for in-depth and engaging health and safety training? Explore our comprehensive eLearning library and try any of our courses for free. 

CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation.  CPR is an emergency procedure that combines chest compression often with artificial ventilation.  It is used to provide oxygenated blood to reach the brain, heart and other organs in someone whose heart and breathing have stopped and until emergency services arrive.

Coronary Heart Disease remains the number 1 killer in the UK.  Every 7 minutes someone in the UK will have a heart attack. 25,000 new cases of heart failure are diagnosed every year and 1 million men and nearly 500,000 women are living with the after-effects of a heart attack. According to the British Heart Foundation, every year 30,000 people in the UK have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, but the survival rate is less than 1 in 10.   These UK statistics send a powerful message about the importance of knowing what to do in an emergency and being able to perform CPR.

CPR by itself will not restart the heart, but CPR Training can ‘buy time’ for the emergency medical services to reach the scene. Effective CPR more than doubles the chance of someone surviving a cardiac arrest.

Would you recognise the signs of someone having a heart attack or cardiac arrest?  And, more importantly, would you know what to do? Without some CPR Training, the chances are you won’t.

Cardiac arrest can strike anyone, young or old, at any time. Imagine a situation where a work colleague is taken ill.  Acting quickly and correctly could mean the difference between life and death.  Any working environment should have adequately trained individuals who are able to perform this life-saving technique.

So, what do your staff need to know and where can you find quality information?

The VinciWorks CPR Essentials eLearning course, effectively delivers the information needed to ensure your employees can recognize the key signs in an emergency situation.  

Using animated demonstrations, the course explains how to check for signs of breathing, perform chest compressions and the correct use of a defibrillator. Additionally, it covers the separate recommended techniques to use on infants and children and how to place a casualty in the recovery position. This course has been designed to be performed alongside a practical, hands -on assessment.  

Like all our courses, this VinciWorks CPR Essentials eLearning course can be tailored to meet the needs of your organization. A designated course administrator can edit the text and images within the course, and link to organization-specific documentation, all at no extra cost.

Looking for in-depth and engaging health and safety training? Explore our comprehensive eLearning library and try any of our courses for free. 

COSHH Explained: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health

Every year, thousands of workers are made ill by exposure to hazardous substance. These illnesses range widely from lung cancer to skin disease, costing millions of pounds to society and industry.

What Does COSHH Stand For?

COSHH stands for the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (2002) employers are required to control their employees’ exposure to chemicals and other substances that are harmful to health and therefore, reduce or prevent illness.  

By following these COSHH regulations, your organisation will help retain fit and healthy employees and ensure the financial health of your business.  

Hazardous substances can come in many forms and exposure can occur via inhalation, skin contact, by other routes including the transferring of chemicals by unwashed hands and through eating and smoking. Dust particles and splashes of caustic fluid can cause severe eye irritation.

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COSHH in the workplace: When Was COSHH Introduced?

COSHH developed as key part of health and safety practice for a number of reasons. Initially, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 was the primary piece of legislation that outlined the dual role that employers and employees play in maintaining workplace safety. Although the HSWA addresses hazardous substances in the workplace, it does so broadly, and does not go in detail about its management. As a result, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations came in to effect in 2002  in order to place specific focus on the dangers associated with hazardous substances, and the steps that employers and employees should take to manage and reduce risk.

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What Does COSHH Cover?

A number of hazardous substances and are governed

• Chemicals
• Products containing chemicals
• Fumes
• Dusts
• Vapours
• Mists
• Nanotechnology
• Gases and asphyxiating gases and
• Biological agents (germs). If the packaging has any of the hazard symbols then it is classed as a hazardous substance.
• Germs that cause disease such as leptospirosis or legionnaires disease and germs used in laboratories.

The regulations, however, do not cover asbestos, lead or radioactive substances. These are covered under their own, specific legislation.

The most common hazards will depend on your business/industry type.  If you operate within a woodwork factory, metal finishers or a quarry, exposure to hazardous dust particles and fumes can cause lung disease, dermatitis and asthma. Additionally, materials such as flour and wood dust can ignite and potentially explode.

Everyday substances that can cause harm are all around us, both at work and at home.  Are you aware that some glue, ink, detergent and beauty products all hold hidden dangers? Used correctly however, according to the manufacturer’s instructions and in line with current regulations, they are unlikely to cause harm to health.  

There is therefore, a very real need for all employers to understand how to assess their individual businesses and the substances used by their workforce.  Risk assessments and control measures should be implemented to reduce potential exposure.

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COSHH Explained: What Can You Do?

Guidance on Control of Substances Hazardous to Health can be found by visiting the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website.

Online COSHH training courses are an excellent way of raising awareness among your workforce. The VinciWorks Hazardous Substances (COSHH) online course highlights the key responsibilities that employers and their workforce have in relation to hazardous substances and COSHH in the workplace. The online course explains what hazardous substances are, explores substance classification and hazard classification symbols, both old and new, along with the importance of labelling and safety data sheets.

The course outlines how hazardous substances can impact on human health, how they enter the body, symptoms and specific health conditions. It also details actions to take to control the risks from hazardous substances, such as the use of personal protective equipment, and ways to deal with accidents and emergencies.

As with all the VinciWorks courses, the Hazardous Substances (COSHH) eLearning course can be tailored to your needs, meaning that your employers can learn about substances and responses that are specific to your organisation. A designated course administrator can edit the text and images within the course using our integrated authoring tool, and link to organisation-specific documentation, all at no extra cost.

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Asbestos Awareness is a phrase we have all heard, but do we really know what it is?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral which has been used as a construction material for thousands of years. However, it was the Industrial Revolution that put asbestos to commercial use, specifically due to its wide range of properties.  Asbestos is non-flammable, flexible, durable and malleable, being used as insulators for turbines, steam engines, boilers and electrical generators.  Additionally, asbestos was used as a commodity for building, binding and strengthening.

By the 1970s, asbestos was an important ingredient in concrete and even used in the manufacture of automobile clutches.  The consumption of asbestos across the developing world reached its height during this time and mining became an expanding business in a response to the world’s increasing appetite.

So why is Asbestos so dangerous?

In the last forty years or so, severe health risks have been identified and linked to, the inhalation of asbestos fibres.  When asbestos is disturbed, fibres are released into the air,  if inhaled, these fibres can cause a spectrum of serious, sometimes fatal lung diseases.

Asbestosis can cause scarring of lung tissue, leading to long term breathing complications; mesothelioma is an asbestos related cancer that can affect the lungs, abdomen and heart. As asbestos related diseases can take years to develop and despite being banned as a building material in the late 1990s and an EU – wide ban since 2005, new cases are still being reported. In the UK alone, asbestos still causes approximately 5000 deaths a year.

Who should take an Asbestos Awareness Course?

According to current regulations (The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012), all employers have a legal duty to provide information, instruction and training to any employees who are likely to be exposed to Asbestos Containing Material (ACMs) as part of their work. As a result, Asbestos awareness training is suitable for all employees at any level within an organisation.

Taking these precautions could avoid lengthy, expensive legal compensation and save lives!

Tradespersons

According to the  Health and Safety Executive  (HSE), asbestos kills 20 tradesmen every week.  It is, therefore, important that self-employed individuals, contractors and workers are appropriately trained, can protect themselves, and avoid putting others at risk of exposure. These include demolition and construction workers, general maintenance staff, electricians, plumbers, gas fitters, roofers and plasterers.

Licensed Contractors

Where employees are undertaking higher risk work with asbestos, employers must hold a licence granted by the HSE before commencing any work with asbestos material. Licensed Contractors should have an in depth understanding of asbestos and its dangers and know how to safely remove and dispose of asbestos material.

Building Owners

If you are a building owner, and/or are responsible for the maintenance or repair of non-domestic premises, you have a duty of care to manage any asbestos in that building.

This duty covers all non-domestic premises including industrial and commercial buildings such as factories, warehouses, offices and shops.  Public buildings such as hospitals, schools and leisure centres are also included in this duty.

Although the duty to manage asbestos does not extend to private domestic buildings, it is relevant to communal areas of multi-occupancy premises such as flats.

As a duty holder, what do you need to know?

It is your responsibility to find out if asbestos is present in your building. Once this has been established, the location, condition and type of asbestos must be recorded and risk assessed. Any identified risks should be managed and monitored by way of an action plan. These plans should be made available to any tradesperson working at your premises.

Members of the public.

If undisturbed and in good condition, asbestos is unlikely to cause harm. However, it would be wise that homeowners and tenants are aware of asbestos and where to go for advice if needed. Further information and guidance can be found at the Health and Safety Executive.

What training do you need and where to find it?

The type of training you require will ultimately depend on your level of involvement with and potential exposure to Asbestos material.

VinciWorks offer a UKATA (Category A) Asbestos Awareness Certified eLearning Course.  This two hour course is an essential prerequisite for any Tradesperson who is likely to come into contact with ACMs and has been certified by the United Kingdom Asbestos Training Association (UKATA). This modular course provides an in-depth range of key topics including all relevant requirements: The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, Regulation 10, and the Approved Code of Practice L143 second edition, Managing and Working with Materials Containing Asbestos.

Successful completion of the VinciWorks UKATA Category A Certified Online Asbestos Awareness Course will provide users with the knowledge needed to identify the presence of asbestos, the different types of asbestos, the health risks associated with exposure to asbestos material and highlight the importance of safe working practices.

Request a FREE TRIAL of WorkWize, our award-winning Learning Management System.

Health and safety management for residential, commercial and retail properties is an area of critical importance. Issues such as fire safety, asbestos management, water safety and electrical safety, can all result in damaging incidents that can have serious effects on the health and safety of residents and the image and financial success of the property management company.