Any H & S guru's on here?

[gav0994]

As some of you may know, I volunteer at our local heritage industrial railway. Im fairly new there as a volunteer, but I am also one of a small handful of us that has a good, solid engineering background and knowledge. I have been co-opted into assisting the group Secretary with updating and implementing a much improved and robust health and safety regime. At the monent I am 100% confident that if the HSE walked into the site, they would shut us immediately. I have a fairly long list of things that need rectifying and upgrading within the main workshop to bring the place up to an acceptable H&S level. Most of the issues are fairly basic in terms of rectifying thankfully.

I have, in the past written risk assessments and method of work statements whilst in the army. What I am looking for is anyone that could sort me out with some generic risk assessment and method of work form layouts so I can get things moving.

Any help is much appreciated.

 

[daleyd]

@Parm is the man to ask


@Parm - do you know anyone who knows anything about H&S?

 

[DaveB]

Look on the HSE website.
They can be very helpful.

 

[Batfastard]

http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/risk-assessment-and-policy-template.doc
I'm just doing this at college

 

[Parm]

@Parm is the man to ask


@Parm - do you know anyone who knows anything about H&S?

Nope, I know nothing

But I do have a tip of the day. When the tyre changing monkeys break your wheel nut key all H&S goes out of the window

 

[Parm]

As some of you may know, I volunteer at our local heritage industrial railway. Im fairly new there as a volunteer, but I am also one of a small handful of us that has a good, solid engineering background and knowledge. I have been co-opted into assisting the group Secretary with updating and implementing a much improved and robust health and safety regime. At the monent I am 100% confident that if the HSE walked into the site, they would shut us immediately. I have a fairly long list of things that need rectifying and upgrading within the main workshop to bring the place up to an acceptable H&S level. Most of the issues are fairly basic in terms of rectifying thankfully.

I have, in the past written risk assessments and method of work statements whilst in the army. What I am looking for is anyone that could sort me out with some generic risk assessment and method of work form layouts so I can get things moving.

Any help is much appreciated.

Drop me a PM and we can take things from there. As you probably know I work for the HSE

 

[Welderpaul]

As some of you may know, I volunteer at our local heritage industrial railway. Im fairly new there as a volunteer, but I am also one of a small handful of us that has a good, solid engineering background and knowledge. I have been co-opted into assisting the group Secretary with updating and implementing a much improved and robust health and safety regime. At the monent I am 100% confident that if the HSE walked into the site, they would shut us immediately. I have a fairly long list of things that need rectifying and upgrading within the main workshop to bring the place up to an acceptable H&S level. Most of the issues are fairly basic in terms of rectifying thankfully.

I have, in the past written risk assessments and method of work statements whilst in the army. What I am looking for is anyone that could sort me out with some generic risk assessment and method of work form layouts so I can get things moving.

Any help is much appreciated.

Whilst risk assessments and method statements are all part of the things that need to be in place by law, and are useful tools in managing H&S, if things are that bad that, the first step, rather than lock yourself away and write a load of documents, i'd walk round the place with a note pad and make a list of all the urgent things that need resolving and/or improving. Put the basic stuff right that are likely to hurt someone as a matter of priority, then deal with the paperwork side afterwards.

Just a thought - i don't know your set up, but i'd 'firefight' the main issues first.

 

[gav0994]

Whilst risk assessments and method statements are all part of the things that need to be in place by law, and are useful tools in managing H&S, if things are that bad that, the first step, rather than lock yourself away and write a load of documents, i'd walk round the place with a note pad and make a list of all the urgent things that need resolving and/or improving. Put the basic stuff right that are likely to hurt someone as a matter of priority, then deal with the paperwork side afterwards.

Just a thought - i don't know your set up, but i'd 'firefight' the main issues first.

Hi Paul,

I thought the same way as you re the walk round with a notepad and get a list of what needs sorted. I plan to do this on Saturday. Alot of what needs done is all fairly basic stuff and we'll be able to get it sorted pretty quickly. The short story is that almost all the volunteer workforce have been there for years and mostly retired now and have got complacent with the way things have been done. I think if the board give the go ahead most of the immediate issues can be resolved with little expenditure - most likely under £1000. All the rest will cost a few weekends of folk giving up their time.

 

[Welderpaul]

Hi Paul,

I thought the same way as you re the walk round with a notepad and get a list of what needs sorted. I plan to do this on Saturday. Alot of what needs done is all fairly basic stuff and we'll be able to get it sorted pretty quickly. The short story is that almost all the volunteer workforce have been there for years and mostly retired now and have got complacent with the way things have been done. I think if the board give the go ahead most of the immediate issues can be resolved with little expenditure - most likely under £1000. All the rest will cost a few weekends of folk giving up their time.

H&S doesn't typically 'cost' much to do - the hard bit is changing peoples mindsets especially if they are old miserable 'always done it this way' blokes Good luck!
The excuse that 'there is no money for H&S' won't wash with HSE.

 

[gav0994]

H&S doesn't typically 'cost' much to do - the hard bit is changing peoples mindsets especially if they are old miserable 'always done it this way' blokes Good luck!
The excuse that 'there is no money for H&S' won't wash with HSE.

Aye, the old ways aren't always the best way! I hope to have the list of "problems" done on Saturday and once I've consulted with the group Secretary I'll start implementing the quick fixes and get the easy risk assessments done for the most common tasks we do in the workshop.

 

[Parm]

Whilst risk assessments and method statements are all part of the things that need to be in place by law, and are useful tools in managing H&S, if things are that bad that, the first step, rather than lock yourself away and write a load of documents, i'd walk round the place with a note pad and make a list of all the urgent things that need resolving and/or improving. Put the basic stuff right that are likely to hurt someone as a matter of priority, then deal with the paperwork side afterwards.

Just a thought - i don't know your set up, but i'd 'firefight' the main issues first.

Proper sensible advice, do a walk round survey first, prioritise and then start fixing problems before generating any paper. A plan is vitally important

 

[gav0994]

Thanks for the advice so far guys

@Parm has kindly offered to discuss things over the phone tomorrow and point me in the right direction.

 

[AdrianH]

Dam you!!!! You have reminded me I need to contact the HSE, mutter, mutter mutter.

Adrian

 

[cianh91]

As said getting people to follow H&S is the hard part .
We’ve all paperwork side done all safety features up to spec all equipment is up to standard no problems in that way ..
machines have large signs sayin not to operate without proper training yet as soon as you turn around someone with no permission is there using it answer is always sure iv done this a 100times .
If you want to send an idea of machines or tools you have I might be able to help with a general statement for them we have a large variety of equipment in the workshop

 

[MCKDAVID]

saw this on a sign recently, "if you think HSE's expensive, try doing it without it, see how much it costs then".

 

[winchman]

As said getting people to follow H&S is the hard part .
We’ve all paperwork side done all safety features up to spec all equipment is up to standard no problems in that way ..
machines have large signs sayin not to operate without proper training yet as soon as you turn around someone with no permission is there using it answer is always sure iv done this a 100times .

"A sign and no more is no defence in law"
There is a whole host of stuff you can do to stop people (We have FLT's with keys, passwords on machines etc)
The answer is manage the people if they do it discipline them as once they keep on doing it and you do nothing about it they can then in the event of an accident claim you gave Tacit approval as you are fully aware of the practice and choose to do nothing about it.
https://thelawdictionary.org/tacit/
If I was in charge I would have each on at the first stage disciplinary for using equipment they are not allowed or trained to use

 

[slim_boy_fat]

If I was in charge I would have each on at the first stage disciplinary for using equipment they are not allowed or trained to use

A little more difficult when dealing with volunteers? I'd assume they'd just walk......

 

[chris y]

Hello gav0994
When you get on top of it would you mind letting us all know a few points about the kind of things that were a concern and very briefly what you did about them.
I think its a subject that interests a lot of us and its good to hear the experience of others.

Its especially interesting with input from Parm, I didn't know you worked for the HSE, I haven't been paying attention.

 

[DaveB]

A little more difficult when dealing with volunteers? I'd assume they'd just walk......

Personally I'd rather they walk away than get someone else hurt or worse.

 

[winchman]

A little more difficult when dealing with volunteers? I'd assume they'd just walk......

This is the line they have to toe or it could be you or the Responsible person who ends up in court, in my experience I would sooner them walk than cause me no end of trouble, just have a read of the prosecutions on the HSE website