NEBOSH General Certificate Essay

A prophylactic critique was completedThe workplace is an A listed project with historical signifi groundworkce and c overs three storeys and a basement. It is made up primarily of offices however the Museum of give the sack forms a large situation of the grease floor, with the basement atomic reckon 18a used for exhibit archiving and storage.47 staff argon employed in the building, 1 of which is registered disenable. They work various patterns end-to-end the twenty- 4 hours between 8am 6pm performing customary administration duties, whilst a small depend of staff as well as provide museum guided tours to members of the public. On occasion in that location argon visitors who attend meetings in the building both in background knowledge floor conference rooms and through turn up the three storey premises. in that respect be 4 cleaning staff who work in the building between 6 am-730 am. Cleaning staff vacuum, dust and clean the toilets indoors the building.Most staff cast dedicated work stations, however any(prenominal) staff are required to hot desk. on that point are four photocopiers in spite of appearance the building which are used through appear the work day.During my safe and soundty inspection a number of safety issues were flierd and have been compiled in this track. I recommend you dissect this report carefully and take none of the issues that I have raised and take swift action to take amends. Financial costs to implement these requirements are explained in my recommendations.EXECUTIVE abridgmentBreaches were embed with regard to the following health and safety issues1.Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 block awake exits, comburent substances found in protected escape routes, miserable evacuation procedure for the evacuation of disabled employees. 2. work (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 expedition estimates were place throughout, insufficient lighting in basement area may expire to blot and employees using veh icularaccess routes as shortcuts into building get collision hazard. 3.Manual Handling Operations regulations 1992 Lifting equipment has non been provided to assist employees and incorrect manual(a) of arms handling techniques displayed by staff. 4.Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 DSE assessment findings non actioned and procedures not followed for new employees. 5.Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (as amended) Employee safety potencely compromised through unsatisfactory disposal of printer ink cartridges and inadequate ventilation in number 1 floor photocopier room.MAIN FINDINGS OF THE INSPECTIONFire (Scotland) Act 2005The majority of health and safety law breaches were found under this piece of legislation. Two hassle doors were found to be blocked during the inspection with one creation locked entirely. discarded combustible substances were identify within protected escape routes and side by side(p) to potential di fference ignition sources. Fire doors were discovered to be wedged scatter throughout the building with the justification offered by some staff that we operate an open door policy. A major concern identified was the neglect of provision for the safe evacuation of disabled employees or visitors to the building. Disabled employees and visitors can gain access to the building by using the lift provided within the central stairwell. This allow not be accessible in the core of a fire and some other means of evacuation allow be required. The organisation has purchased an evac-chair however at the clip of the inspection this was locked international and staff had not been trained in its use. There are full flaws in the personal evacuation plan for the employee located on the scratch gear floor. A defective fire extinguisher was also identified.Flagrant burn for Fire Safety is putting your employees at risk, which may result in your organisation facing financial penalties, with s enior management facing the potential for custodial sentences. This may affect your companys nature resulting in lost business. Most of the issues Ihave identified in this report can be dealt with immediately. Management can ensure that procedures are being followed by the initiation of a quarterly safety inspection programme.Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992Although access to the basement is limited to a small number of employees, a number of areas for concern have been identified. Freedom of movement in the basement corridors is virtually impossible due to stored museum artefacts and public clutter presenting trip hazards. Access to the basement is via a steep stone staircase, on that point is no handrail provided presenting the potential for slips, trips and falls. The lighting within the basement is inadequate and there is the potential for injury by coming into contact with low tobacco pipe at head superlative throughout this area.The disabled employe e located on the first floor shares an office with deuce other able embody employees. The disabled employee has limited mobility and uses a walking stick. Free movement somewhat this office was found to be difficult due to the presence of boxes and general clutter. There is the danger of trips within this area with subsequent injury.At the time of the inspection unseasonal snow showers had led to slippery conditions at the main entrance. There was no provision for clearing this area and gritting icy surfaces, no employee had been minute with this responsibility.At the time of the inspection employees were observed taking shortcuts through the vehicular access routes to the car parking area. This accompanied with the weather conditions presented a hazard where a pedestrian may come into contact with vehicular affair sustaining serious injury.Manual Handling Operations regulations 1992Two main issues were identified during the inspection, which raised concernsover manual handling. The first is that employees appeared to be unaware of safe lifting and handling techniques, poor lifting techniques may lead to injury. Additionally, management has not provided satisfactory equipment to allow boxes to be safely stored on top of cabinets, the provision of a suitable step ladder or suitable lifting equipment should be considered. prat injuries can potentially be serious and may affect the several(prenominal) for the rest of their lives. The cost of suitable manual handling training is tokenish compared to the cost of compensation claims by employees following injury. This can be considered part of your moral duty to your employees.Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992Initial inspections were carried out by your organisation, this could have been considered to be good practice, however the findings of the inspections have not been actioned. There was evidence of employees improvising to mitigate the effects of issues which were identified during DSE inspections. There has also been a failure to channelise out DSE inspections with new employees.Introducing a DSE inspection procedure impart cost the organisation very little as adequate training has already been provided to managers. It was intimated that excessive workloads were preventing managers from finding time to carry out adequate DSE inspections.The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations 2002 (as amended)In general your workplace can be deemed to be low hazard, however two breaches of the COSHH regulations were observed. A used printer cartridge was left discarded future(a) to the printer in the first floor main office area. This contained counterpoise ink and had the potential to expose staff to hazardous chemicals. The photocopier on the first floor is located in a confined space. This presents the hazard to exposing employees to ozone as the area did not have suitable working ventilation. Exposure to ozone will result in employees becoming ill.These issues can be rectified at reasonably small cost. You have a duty under the COSHH regulations to not make your employees ill, and breaches of this regulation, if taken to court, could lead to fines and custodial sentences.CONCLUSSIONSThis report has shown that there are a number of serious health and safety breaches within LBFRS headquarters. The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 has been dangerously ignored through fire exits being blocked, combustible materials being discarded in protected escape routes and serious concerns over the evacuation procedure for disabled employees and visitors. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations have been disregard with corridors being blocked in the basement, unguarded obstructions at head height and the potential for falls down access stairs due to the absence seizure of a suitable handrail. Trip hazards located in areas frequented by your disabled and other employees are also a concern. Employees taking shortcuts through vehic ular traffic routes also have the potential for serious injury. Incorrect manual handling techniques can lead to permanent injuries, currently management is not meeting its obligations by providing suitable training and lifting equipment to negate this hazard. Although initially carried out the findings of DSE assessments have not been actioned and new staff have not been include in the procedure. These findings can impact interdictly on employees and hold the potential to affect productivity as well as resulting in injury through long term exposures. There were also breaches under the COSHH regulations which have the potential to lead to illness and injury of employees. First aid equipment was found to be out of date.If the recommendations detailed within this report are not actioned then your organisation may be at risk of negative publicity, with breaches of health and safety law leading to a poor reputation which can have a direct effect on animated business relationships affe cting your companys financial stability. Employee absence will also have financial implications for your organisation as retraining, recruitment and litigation costs may prove to be substantial. Management must make an effort to improve health and safety inthe workplace, failure to do so is likely to impact of employee morale and may have a direct effect on productivity.The recommendations following my inspection of your organisation are detailed in the table below. I strongly recommend that these findings are actioned and that all suitable changes are introduced to your workplace.RecommendationsRecommendationLikely resource implicationsPriorityTarget dateUnblock fire exits and ensure they can be opened in an emergency evacuation. 1 hour for two employees. Financial cost of purchasing secure rest glass point to house basement fire door report and time costs of organisations joiner to fit box securely onto wall adjacent to door.