Major Projects Delivery Hub
Safety, health and environmental briefing
January 2013
Health and safety function
Current work in the hub
Work continues on the
development of raising the bar
documents in respect of the
following topics:
• Manual handling
• Occupational health
• Avoidance of buried services
• Communication of risk
Current raising the bar guidance
documents are available on the
Highways Agency website:
http://www.highways.gov.uk/ourroad-network/safety/major-projects-delivery-hub-health-safetyaction-group/
Zero carriageway crossings
Health and safety toolkit item
number 0329 – this document
details a five point plan to
eliminate the need to cross live
carriageways thus improving the
safety of our traffic management
personnel and the road user.
The full suite of health and safety
toolkit ideas are also available on
the highways Agency website:
http://www.highways.gov.uk/
specialist-information/highwaysagency-toolkits/health-and-safety-toolkit/
Health and safety workshop
The Major Projects health and
safety best practice workshop
is scheduled for 7 March 2013
at the Birmingham Box
project offices.
Presenters include
representatives from the
Delivery Partners and the
Health and Safety Executive.
There are a limited number of
places available. If you wish to
attend please contact us at:
DeliveryHubInbox@highways.gsi.
gov.uk
CAT scanning equipment
It has been identified
that some hire
companies have
been issuing
calibration
certification
for CAT
equipment
which has been in contravention
of the manufacturer’s guidelines.
Please be aware that the
periodic calibration and testing
of CAT scan equipment should
be carried out by an approved
body. If in doubt, check with the
manufacturer.
Telehandler incident
An accident occurred recently
where an operative was adjusting
the forks on a loadall type
telehandler. The brick guard
pivoted forward hitting the
operative’s hard hat. Fortunately
the operative did not sustain any
injuries, but the outcome could
have been much worse.
Send your best practice, alerts and news to DeliveryHubinbox@highways.gsi.gov.uk
1
Root cause - the front parts
of the two rectangular brackets
of the brick guard had broken
off and thus no means of
preventing the brick guard from
pivoting forward.
Lessons - Ensure that the
rectangular stops on the brick
guard are included on the
driver’s daily checks of the
telehandler. Report any defects
immediately.
Consider if the brick guard is
required for your site operations
– if not, remove it from service.
Major Projects Delivery Hub
Safety, health and environmental briefing
January 2013
Roadworker safety
Novovirus
A series of emotive safety
messages have been produced
for broadcasting on local radio
stations. They are targeted at
HGV drivers who pose a risk to
The Health Protection Agency
has announced that cases of the
winter vomiting bug are
significantly higher than this time
last year.
our workforce.
The messages are offered to
all RoWSaF members and road
safety organisations to use as
they wish.
Symptoms include a sudden
onset of vomiting and/or
diarrhoea. Some people may
have a temperature, headache
and stomach cramps.
To prevent the virus from
spreading further, it is advisable:
• to wash hands frequently;
• not to share towels and
flannels; and
• to disinfect any surfaces
that an infected person
has touched.
Full details are available on the
ROWSAF website
http://rowsaf.org.uk
Those who have been ill with
suspected norovirus are advised
not to return to work until at least
two days after the symptoms
have stopped.
For further advice visit: http://
www.hpa.org.uk/HPAwebHome/
GPS mast failure
A plant operative was in the process of mounting/dismounting a GPS
receiver box that sits high up on a support mast on his dozer. He lost
his footing and he fell, resulting in a lost time injury.
As a consequence, the manufacturer was commissioned to adapt
the GPS mounting head to allow safe mounting and dismounting from
ground level.
This modification has successfully de-risked the process.
New Highways Agency standard
The Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) has been updated
with a new standard for safety risk assessment on the strategic road
network GD 04/12. This standard updates and clarifies requirements
and guidance for addressing safety risks. It introduces the concept
of ‘trade off’ and describes how safety risk tolerance can be used to
optimally balance safety risk between affected populations.
http://www.dft.gov.uk/ha/standards/dmrb/vol0/section2.htm
Send your best practice, alerts and news to DeliveryHubinbox@highways.gsi.gov.uk
© Crown copyright 2013. You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or
medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence,
visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/
or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU,
or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.
This document is also available on our website at www.highways.gov.uk
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