Current Health and Safety Team News
The documents below appear in Adobe® Acrobat® (PDF) format. In order to view them you will need to have Acrobat Reader installed. (Those with visual impairments may wish to investigate Access Adobe, which provides tools and information to help make PDF files more accessible.) European health and safety week (22 - 26 October 2007)
This year's European Week campaign 'Lighten the Load' and
HSE's 'Better
Backs' campaign is dedicated to musculoskeletal disorders
(MSDs).
At any one time more than a million people suffer from MSDs including back pain and Upper Limb Disorders (ULDs). That's enough people to fill the new Wembley Stadium 11 times over.
You have a staggering 80% chance of developing low back pain at some point in your life. It may come as a surprise to learn that a prolonged period of bed rest may do more harm than good. That's why experts are now prescribing an active lifestyle as the best answer to backache in all but the most severe cases.
Everyone can do something to help minimise the risks of MSDs and reduce their impact. The 'Better backs' exercise routine can be completed every day, without access to specialist equipment or a personal trainer. Try it for yourself.
More information on european health
and safety week is available.
Focus on work- related dermatitis
Dermatitis is a debilitating skin disease which affects up to
70% of hairdressers. In fact, hairdressers are
17 times more likely to develop dermatitis than any other group of
workers. Symptoms include painful, dry, flaking,
inflamed skin.
In February 2007 the Health and Safety team are running a
campaign aimed at improving health and safety in hairdressing
premises. All hairdressing businesses are
invited to attend a free half day seminar on
22nd February at Peterborough
United football ground. A buffet lunch will be provided.
The session will include speakers from the
HSE occupational health specialist team, the National Hairdressers
Federation and Peterborough City Council. As
well as dermatitis, the event will look at other relevant health
and safety issues. To book a place please call 747474 and ask for the Safety
Team, or email eppsadmin@peterborough.gov.uk.
Falls from Height and Asbestos Training
In June 2006 the Safety Team, in conjunction with the
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Speedy Hire Centres
(Southern) Ltd ran a successful falls from height and asbestos
awareness training event for local businesses.
Presenters from the HSE and Speedy Hire gave talks on the Work
at Height Regulations 2005 and the Control of Asbestos at Work
Regulations 2002. In addition, Speedy Hire
Centres (Southern) Ltd provided a demonstration of practical
solutions for working at height safely, including the latest
equipment on the market.
Attendees included Electrical and plumbing engineers,
facilities managers, building contractors, roofing companies and
decorators. In the prize draw, Mr T R Wells of
Geo Adams & Son, a member of the Peterborough Health and 
Safety Club won an anti slip ladder device,
kindly donated by Speedy Hire Centres (Southern)
Ltd.
Safety Club won an anti slip ladder device,
kindly donated by Speedy Hire Centres (Southern)
Ltd. Falls from height and asbestos are currently priority areas
for health and safety enforcement officers. Over
the next few months Peterborough City Council and Health and Safety
Executive inspectors will be visiting companies in this area to
check compliance. Any business found not
adequately controlling these risks may be
subject to enforcement action.
A free information pack on these topics is available upon
request from the Safety team, contact details can be found at the
bottom of this page.
The Peterborough Pilot Project
Next time you visit a local garage to get your
car repaired, you can feel a little bit safer.
The Council are running a national pilot scheme giving them
responsibility for safety issues in motor vehicle repair
workshops. This work has previously been
performed by Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
inspectors. The switch in responsibilities
matches national policies to encourage closer cooperation between
the HSE and local authority health and safety officers, so that
limited resources can be targeted at priority sectors.
The aim of the project is to ensure that
serious risks to employees are properly controlled and by reducing
the incidence of accidents and ill health, to help improve
the health, safety and well being of the
citizens of Peterborough.
This will be achieved by offering the businesses health and safety
guidance and through effective enforcement where
appropriate.
The city council environmental health team
undertook specialised training and 'shadowed' colleagues from the
HSE before taking on the new
responsibilities.
Lead Authority with Thomas Cook
Peterborough City Council are working in
partnership with Thomas Cook by acting as their
'lead authority' for workplace health and safety issues in the
retail sector.
The initiative is part of a national Lead
Authority Partnership Scheme designed to promote consistency in
health and safety practice within companies that have multiple
outlets. Local authority health and safety
officers across the country are now able to liaise with the
Peterborough team to monitor safety procedures at 600 Thomas Cook
retail premises employing a workforce of more than 6000.
Working with the Fire Service
Shops in Peterborough are a safer place to be
following a joint initiative between Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue
Service and the Health and Safety team.
Spot checks have been conducted by the two
authorities to ensure that fire exits are kept clear and walkways
are free from obstructions. Companies that
disregard health and safety requirements are ordered to remove
excessive stock from the premises or face the prospect of being
served with enforcement notices preventing access to areas of the
premises.
Slips and Trips Campaign
Slips and trips account for 47% of major
work related injuries to employees and 24% of
over 3 day injuries. Every year approximately 11
000 major injuries occur as a result of a slip or trip and this is
especially important in the food industry because they occur
4 times more often than in other
industries. It is estimated to cost industry
£512 million per year. Slips
and trips are no laughing matter.
The Safety Team prioritise this important
issue during all routine inspections and investigate all reportable
accidents that are attributable to a slip or a trip
incident. For further information about how to prevent slips
and trips contact the safety team or visit the HSE web site.
(727 KB, 2 pages)
Preventing slips and
trips at work - available from the Health and Safety
Executive (170 KB, 10 pages)
Enforcement Policy Consultation
Are you happy with the way that health and
safety is enforced in Peterborough?
The health and safety team are currently
consulting businesses, employees, members of the public and safety
representatives on the updated health and safety enforcement
policy. The document outlines how officers enforce health and
safety legislation in Peterborough and it sets out the general
approach that enforcement officers will follow.
The policy describes how the principles of proportionality,
consistency, helpfulness, openness, and targeting of resources will
be incorporated into actions, such as serving formal notices and
prosecution.
(89 KB, 14 pages)
Contact Details
Contact the Health and Safety team.