Revitalising Health and Safety

The Government and the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) are committed to improving standards and reducing injuries and ill health arising from work activities. In June 2000 the Revitalising Health and Safety (RHS) strategy was launched to raise the profile of health and safety at work.

The RHS strategy aims to achieve a number of challenging targets by 2010 including:

• reduction in the number of working days lost due to accidents and ill health by 30%
• reduction in the incidence of ill health by 20%
• reduction in the number of accidents by 10%

As part of the RHS agenda the HSC has identified a number of priority topics for action. These are:

• musculoskeletal disorders (eg back injuries from lifting/carrying heavy/awkward objects such as engines, gear boxes, commercial vehicle wheels/tyres, gas cylinders)
• slips and trips (eg on uneven/slippery floors; failure to promptly clean up oil/water spills; poor housekeeping)
• falls from height (eg from ladders, raised storage areas, tops of commercial vehicles or into vehicle inspection pits)
• workplace transport (eg movement of vehicles inside/outside /around premises; parking of vehicles unbraked/unchocked)
• occupational stress

HSE’s Field Operations Directorate (FOD) has identified the following three further priority topics for inspectors to address during workplace inspections:

• occupational asthma (eg spraying isocyanate/2-pack paints)
• hand-arm vibration (eg use of hand-held portable power tools)
• noise (eg compressor and use of pneumatic tools)

HSE’s Manufacturing Sector and MVR Forum initiatives

The HSE’s Manufacturing Sector and the MVR Health and Safety Forum (MVR Forum) assist and encourage any initiatives that support any of the above HSE/FOD initiatives. More information on what HSE is doing to tackle the key issues can be found on HSE Revitalising Health and Safety (RHS). For case studies of real incidents in MVR which support the RHS and other initiatives see MVR From Experience.

HSE’s Manufacturing Sector has the following additional priorities:

• Preventing vehicles falling off two-post vehicle lifts not fitted with arm-locking devices [PDF 38KB]
• Reducing exposure to isocyanates in 2-pack paints -
  • see leaflet INDG388 [100KB] and also
  • Guidance sheets on the use of isocyanates in MVR - Available from the COSHH Essentials web site
• Reduction in petrol fires/explosions from mishandling of petrol -
  
  • see leaflet INDG331 [169KB]
• Eliminating use of petrol/ thinners to light rubbish fires
• Raising awareness of dangers of carrying out ‘hot work’ on diesel fuel tanks
• Alerting employees of the dangers of starting up vehicles in gear and with the handbrake OFF

For further information on the above issues see MVR from experience and MVR what’s new