The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 is the law that requires employers to control substances that are hazardous to health.
As a company, Aegis is committed to providing ongoing development programmes to ensure our staff always hold the appropriate knowledge and skills in an ever-changing regulatory landscape.
You might remember that, back in July 2015, Aegis became one of the very first companies in the country to gain Association for Project Safety (APS) accreditation as a Registered Practice for both CDM Principal Designer and Principal Designer Advisor services.
Earlier this year two companies – both the client and the contractor – were prosecuted for the same incident of asbestos disturbance. It’s an important case to be aware of to ensure you don’t find yourself in a similar situation.
Aegis’ working relationship with BAE Systems has spanned almost two decades, and we’re now applying our extensive expertise to three new projects.
The HSE has been focusing very heavily on the hazards arising from stone cutting, in line with its increased emphasis on health issues in construction.
The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) has announced changes to one of the cards it issues. Given that CSCS has become the industry standard, it’s likely this will affect a large number of people.
Many of you involved in construction will be interested in the following useful information notes and guidance changes.
Institute of Engineering and Technology Wiring Regulations (17th Edition)
The first is an Amendment to Regulation 521.11.201 of the IET Wiring Regulations, first published in January 2015. The amendment details a new requirement for supports to wiring systems in escape routes to be fire resistant. The reason for this is that non-metallic cable trunking or other non-metallic means of support can fail when subject to either direct flame or hot products of combustion. This may lead to wiring systems hanging across access or egress routes to a point that they hinder evacuation and firefighting activities. In recent years a number of firefighters have died as a result of being entangled in this way.
Full guidance from the EIT on the new regulation can be found here.
Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE)
The second information note is from the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) concerning paving slabs. It sounds quite a dull topic, but the ubiquitous nature of paving slabs in construction projects mean it’s important that designers understand the health and safety issues involved. The information note, which can be found here, highlights these.
If designers can better understand the issues around buildability then we can continue to reduce the health related injuries we encounter in the construction industry.
National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC)
NASC, the trade body for scaffolders, has re-issued its guidance on preventing falls. Even if you are not directly involved with scaffolding, the document could be useful to you.
Although the guidance is described as “industry good practice”, it is used by enforcing authorities to check the suitability of safety arrangements on site, so it should be regarded as compulsory. The 50-page document is a comprehensive guide to a wide range of scaffolding structures and is filled with simple illustrations, so you don’t need to be a scaffolder to understand it. It has sections on:
Whatever your role on a project, you can use the document to check if scaffolders are working safely. It’s free to download here.
For more information on any of the amendments and guidance discussed above, speak to one of our team on 01772 736522 or email admin@aegis-services-ltd.co.uk
The changes introduced in the CDM 2015 regulations are an important milestone in the health and safety journey of the construction industry, according to the HSE’s chief inspector of construction.
Last time we wrote to you we issued guidance that the HSE was targeting sites where refurbishment work is being carried out in order to identify any unsafe working practices. The initiative has now finished so here’s a summary of how it went.