JULY/AUGUST 2021 SAFETY, HEALTH AND WELLBEING IN THE WORLD OF WORK

WINNING
C O L L A B O R AT E / I N F L U E N C E / E N H A N C E

WAYS
Building the right OSH
culture for a successful and
sustainable athletes’ village

COLLABORATE INFLUENCE ENHANCE

Scrapping unsafe practices Prevent injury when How to conduct an accident
in shipbreaking working at extreme height investigation interview

Cover_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 1 17/06/2021 12:40

 
 #'  &  -#  '-  .

/ '  

   

  
    

$  %#  &"  #'" 

( )&   "# ' "# *
 #'" +  "#  ,  * "  





  ! "# 



p02.IOSH_JulAug21.indd 2 16/06/2021 11:10

 WELCOME

Full
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF

steam
The Institution of Occupational Safety
and Health (IOSH) is the world’s leading
professional body for people responsible
for safety and health in the workplace.
ahead
Published by Redactive Publishing Ltd
s I prepare to take on the The world has of course changed
Level 5, 78 Chamber Street, London E1 8BL
+44 (0) 20 7880 6200

EDITOR
Emma Godfrey
emma.godfrey@ioshmagazine.com
A role of IOSH chief executive
at the beginning of August,
it’s not surprising that
people are asking me what my aims are.
significantly over the past 18 months.
The pandemic has had a major impact
on how people live and work.
But what hasn’t changed is IOSH’s
DEPUTY EDITOR My answer is simple: to build on what unwavering commitment to supporting
Katie Smith has been achieved over the past few years. our members. From the outset of the
CONTENT SUB-EDITOR A huge amount of progress has pandemic, we have provided guidance
James Hundleby
been made through the WORK 2022 and support to help members manage
D I G I TA L E D I TO R
Kellie Mundell strategy. I genuinely believe we have the risks faced by their businesses, and
kellie.mundell@ioshmagazine.com enhanced the OSH profession and I’ve been blown away by the approach of
LEAD DESIGNER grown our influence around the world. staff and volunteers to create resources
Carrie Bremner
This has been achieved under the such as reading material and webinars.
PICTURE RESEARCHER
Akin Falope leadership of Bev Messinger, with This guidance has been updated
ADVERTISING support from the Board of Trustees, to respond to changes in advice from
Display sales +44 (0) 20 7880 7613 Council, presidential team, all governments and health authorities, and
ioshdisplay@redactive.co.uk
Recruitment sales +44 (0) 20 7880 7662 other volunteers and members we will continue to ensure we are right
ioshjobs@redactive.co.uk and IOSH’s staff. behind our members.
PRODUCTION This year has signalled a change There are many more challenges that
Rachel Young +44 (0) 20 7880 6209
rachel.young@redactive.co.uk
in leadership. However, that does lie ahead of us in the years to come but,
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR not signal a change in direction. as I discuss in my interview in this issue
Aaron Nicholls I am determined we continue the (page 42), within every challenge lies
Redactive aims to provide authoritative and accurate great work that has been achieved an opportunity.
information at all times. Its publications are, however, for
guidance only and are not an official information source. and continue to make the world a This makes it a very exciting time
The inclusion of advertisements and inserts within IOSH safer and healthier place to work. for me to move into the chief executive
magazine and ioshmagazine.com does not constitute an
endorsement of the organisation or its products/services One of the priorities will be the role, but also for those working in the
by IOSH or Redactive. All advertisements must adhere to
the British Code of Advertising Practice. development and then implementation OSH field, whether they are seasoned
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted
of the new strategy, which will professionals or just starting out in
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical
or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the
succeed WORK 2022 next year. their health and safety careers.
publisher and editor.
On that note, I hope to continue
For changes to your address, please contact IOSH
membership team on membership@iosh.com or the work to ensure a pipeline of new

0116 257 3198.
ISSN 2396-7447 © IOSH 2021
IOSH magazine is printed by
ISO 14001 certified printers.
Printed by Warners Midlands
plc, The Maltings, Manor Lane,
Bourne, PE10 9PH
I AM DETERMINED
professionals. It is a profession that
offers great flexibility in where and how
WE CONTINUE THE you work, and one that makes a real
difference to people’s lives.
GREAT WORK THAT
HAS BEEN ACHIEVED Vanessa Harwood-Whitcher
DIRECTOR OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

IOSH MAGAZINE 3

3 Welcome_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 3 17/06/2021 12:40

 JULY/AUGUST 2021

Contents SA F E T Y, H EA LT H A N D W EL L BEI N G I N T H E W O R L D OF W O R K

UPDATE
7

10
NEWS

IOSH NEWS
56
THE TRUTH IS IN THERE
12 NEWS ANALYSIS
Official figures could soon reveal
How do you know
that the last year has been a low when someone is lying?
point for agricultural safety, so
where do we go from here?
Accident investigator
Andy Farrall on
16 DID YOU KNOW..?
All the stats and data from IOSH’s
the tell-tale signs
efforts to keep members informed when conducting an
during a year of COVID upheaval investigative interview
18 LEGAL

20 PROSECUTIONS

4 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM

4-5 Contents_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 4 16/06/2021 09:58

 CONTENTS

60
E N HAN C E
60 MEGA PROJECTS
Too big to fail
What skills do IOSH members
need to move a mega project
forward? And are those skills
different at successive stages
of construction?

C O LLA B O RATE I N FLUE N C E 66 COMPETENCY

30 LONG COVID
In it for the long haul
While vaccinations are going
some way to control the spread
of COVID-19, those who have
had the disease – and who
continue to feel its effects
– need special consideration
34 SHIPBREAKING
Turning the tide
The ship recycling industry
is one of the most dangerous
businesses in the world, both
in terms of immediate risk and
potential long-term health. So
why are attempts to improve it
seemingly slow?
39 OPINION
The wider view
Our latest online content including
a video to complement the article
FRAMEWORK
42 INTERVIEW Removing the blinkers
Above and beyond James Carter explains how
New chief executive Vanessa the competency framework
Harwood-Whitcher explains has helped him in the frantic,
her plans and priorities as she disruptive world of retail
moves IOSH forwards
68 MEMBER INTERVIEW
46 EXTREME HEIGHTS Flying high
High stakes Incredibly, for Karen Godfrey,
Falls from height are still killing maternity leave seemed like
workers, but those working at the perfect time to attain
the highest of heights might be Chartered status
best prepared for the risks
70 FUTURE LEADER
50 REMOTE WORKING Sam Smith
Anything goes His background as a fireman
How can employers tackle the has stood him in great stead
issues of isolation, anxiety and managing hundreds of tonnes
stress caused by lone working? of flammable products
72 BACK TO BASICS
Step by step
We look at the core issue

22
above on shipbreaking and a of working at height and
webinar on data-driven excellence managing associated risks

74 TALKING SHOP
C OV E R FE ATU RE Playing our part
Major events Four experts give their views
We look at the safety issues on human capital and the
that have to be addressed United Nations Sustainable
to build – and run – a global Development Goals
sports village

IOSH MAGAZINE 5

4-5 Contents_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 5 17/06/2021 12:41

 ISO 45001
Take control of your Health and Safety Legal Compliance
See what Pegasus can do for your business

The Pegasus service delivers mulঞlingual, mulঞ-jurisdicঞonal, customised legal registers to

enable your on-going compliance with management standards, regulaঞons and legislaঞon.

10,000 8,000 50+ 40+

Documents Members Analysts Countries

Talk to us Trusted partner

To discuss your requirements with a member of our team get in touch: CerঞCed to:
+44(0)2032874646 ISO 45001:2018
ISO 14001:2015
info@pegasuslegalregister.com ISO 9001:2015
www.PegasusLegalRegister.com ISO 27001:2017

PegasusIOSH.indd 3
p06.IOSH_JulAug21.indd 6 25/02/2020
16/06/2021 11:45
11:11
 Update WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS ISSUE

Reskilling the workforce post-COVID P9 | The deadly threat of asbestos hasn’t gone away P10 | Safety systems in one of the most
IN THIS
hazardous sectors – agriculture – are ripe for change P12 | Engagement with IOSH: your views on how we did P16 | Non-profit
S E CT I O N firm has hand-arm vibration penalties slashed P18 | Site boss jailed for failing to report accident leading to leg amputation P20

Long working hours

1 linked to global rise in

stroke and heart disease
Working for too many hours
contributed to 745,000 deaths from stroke
and ischaemic heart disease in 2016,
according to a study by the World Health
Organization (WHO) and the International
Labour Organization (ILO).
The joint research is the first global analysis
to examine the burdens of ischaemic heart
disease and stroke attributable to exposure
to long hours of work. The global deaths
represent a 29% increase since 2000.
Drawing on data from 194 countries, the
WHO and ILO estimated that the number of
deaths from heart disease increased by 42%
between 2000 and 2016 as a result of working
at least 55 hours a week. For strokes, the
number of deaths rose by 19%.
PHOTOG RAPHY: GETT Y

For more, visit ioshmagazine.com/

who-working-hours

IOSH MAGAZINE 7

7 News_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 7 16/06/2021 09:59

 These unique
Performance
programs are priced at
Excellence in Safety,
£235
Enter INSPIRE to
Health and Wellbeing
receive your 20% New IOSH Certificated
discount.
Online Programs
Behavioural Science for Leadership
1
in Safety
Performance Psychology for Safety
2
and Health Professionals

Start these innovative new programs online now,

Six engaging and or ask us about our blended learning options for
groups of 8 or more.
thought-provoking
behaviouralsafetyservices.com/our-ecourses/
modules. Online
learning platform;
interactive and Developed by Darren Sutton,
easy to use. MSc Performance Psych, FInstLM.

4329 BSST - 120x190mm advert re-brand_AW.indd 1 01/02/2021 16:47

p08.IOSH_JulAug21.indd 8 16/06/2021 11:14


Top tips
2
3
to ensure
training and
competence
post-COVID
It’s inevitable that training and
competence may have suffered
where people have been out of the
workplace for some time and have
had to assume new responsibilities
because of restructuring, or where
focus has shifted due to COVID.
DAC Beachcroft’s new legal director
Rhian Greaves offers her advice on
how to reskill your workforce.
Go to ioshmagazine.com/
covid-training-competence
4
M A S K-REF USI NG DEL I VERY DRI VER
‘ FA I R LY DI SMI SSED’, TRI BUNAL RULES
A lorry driver who was sacked
after refusing to wear a face mask
inside his cab on a client’s site was
PHOTOGRAPHY: CHESH IRE FIRE AND RE SCUE S ERVICE
fairly dismissed, a judge has ruled. The
case is believed to be the first time a
tribunal has ruled on face mask refusal.
Get the full story at ioshmagazine.com/delivery-driver-mask
9 News_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 9
Manslaughter
charges dropped
over Bosley Mill blast
Owner and director of Wood
Treatment Ltd George Boden and
the firm itself have been cleared of
gross negligence manslaughter and
corporate manslaughter after a blast
in 2015 that killed four workers.
The Bosley Mill explosion killed
Dorothy Bailey, 62, Derek William
Barks, 51, Derek Moore, 62, and Jason
Shingler, 38. The cause of the fire is
not known, but was thought to have
involved an explosion of wood dust.
Sentencing of Boden in relation
to health and safety offences he
pleaded guilty to is expected soon.
Read more at ioshmagazine.
com/bosley-charges-dropped
NEWS
GRENFELL
5 INQUIRY
TMO scored one out of
five in external audit
Kensington and Chelsea Tenant
Management Organisation (TMO) spent four years
trying to clear a backlog of fire risk assessment
actions, the Grenfell Tower inquiry was told
recently. The evidence session revealed that the
TMO spent 2013 to 2017 trying to clear a backlog
of fire risk assessment actions, and that its in-house
maintenance arm was scored one out of five on
health and safety training in an external audit.
Visit ioshmagazine.com/grenfell-tmo
6
STAFF CON CERNED W I T H B UI L D I N G
VEN T ILAT ION , PO L L R EV EA LS
The risk of airborne coronavirus
transmission could be a barrier to a
return to work for a third of workers,
according to a study. The survey of
2000 adults, carried out by Rentokil
Initial, suggested that 30% would like
to see assurances on their building’s
indoor air quality.
See ioshmagazine.com/rentokil-ventilation
7
Negligence claim dismissed for
officer injured ‘dismounting’
a moving police van
A former police officer who fell out of a police van
pursuing robbery suspects has had her claim for
personal injuries dismissed.
The officer leaving the vehicle was fully aware of
the risk and accepted she had to employ a dynamic
risk assessment and decide when it was safe to leave
the van. It was not an accident that could only be
explained by negligence, a judge ruled.
Go to ioshmagazine.com/galvin-thames-valley
IOSH MAGAZINE 9
16/06/2021 09:59
 UPDATE
H E A LT H T H RE AT
Asbestos remains
a deadly threat,
IOSH warns
usinesses must do
B more to protect
workers from
exposure to
asbestos, IOSH has warned.
The call for action comes as
it’s estimated the material kills
more than 230,000 people per
year globally – far exceeding the
previous estimate of 107,000.
Despite being banned in
55 countries, asbestos is still
widely used, IOSH noted.
The International Journal
of Environmental Research
and Public Health, which first
H E LP F O R M EM BERS
Pain relief for ‘Molly’ from IOSH fund
The story of a member suffering
from chronic neck pain has
highlighted the support and
relief afforded by the IOSH
Benevolent Fund.
WHO? A Chartered Member for
15 years, ‘Molly’ worked from
home as a corporate health
and safety consultant, but her
condition meant she needed a
break every quarter of an hour.
WHAT? After learning about
the fund, Molly submitted an
application late last year.
10 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
10-11 News_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 10
published the estimate, also
reported that more than two
million tons of asbestos is
consumed annually.
And with 125 million
people thought to be
exposed to asbestos at
work every year, deadly
respiratory health impacts
are predicted for generations
to come, particularly in
developing countries.
When launching the asbestos
phase of its No Time to Lose
campaign in 2018, IOSH
revealed a third of respondents
THE RESULT: The funding she
requested was granted, and
within a month Molly was able
in a survey of tradespeople
never checked the asbestos
register before starting work
on a new site – with half of
those not even knowing there
is an asbestos register.
Almost one in five said if
they discovered asbestos, they
wouldn’t be clear about how
to act.
IOSH hopes its partnership
with the Asbestos Disease
Awareness Organization
to invest in the equipment
she needed to work more
comfortably: a sit/stand desk,
a chair and keyboard tray.
NOW? Molly is now able to
work for a full hour before
will raise awareness and
encourage more people to
take precautions.
To read more on this
story, go to bit.ly/
asbestos-legacy-warning
For our story on shipbreaking,
in which hazardous substances
are endangering lives in
countries including India,
Bangladesh and Pakistan,
turn to page 34.
needing a break, thanks to
being able to vary her posture
more easily.
WHAT MOLLY SAID: ‘Without
doubt, this has been a real boost
to my mental health, as well as
my career. I would have carried
on without the support I got
from the fund, but it would have
taken me a long time before
I could’ve afforded to buy the
items I needed to make my
workstation more comfortable.’
Find out more about the
IOSH Benevolent Fund at
bit.ly/iosh-benevolent-fund
16/06/2021 10:00

F E LLOW S
Record
number
celebrate IOSH
Fellowships
WHAT? IOSH has confirmed
awarding a record number
of Chartered Fellowships in
the 15-month period up to
31 March 2021.
HOW MANY? A total of 65
members have achieved this
level during this period. That is
almost double the number of
passes in the equivalent period
from 2019 to 2020, IOSH said.
WHAT IS IT? Maria O’Malley,
head of membership engagement
and development at IOSH, said:
‘Fellowships are only awarded to
Chartered Members of at least
five years’ standing who have
gone “above and beyond” and
are committed to developing
themselves and others.’
WHAT IT MEANS: New Fellow
Fiona Perrin, senior health and safety
adviser for Homes for Haringey, said:
‘Becoming a Fellow was a massive
deal for me – it has been great to
be recognised by one of the global
leaders in safety and health.’
Meet the new 65 at
bit.ly/iosh-new-fellowships
CA R E E R P U LSE
GUIDANCE TOOL
ADDED TO IOSH
CAREERS PACKAGE
A new tool allowing members to
assess their employability has been
PHOTOG RAPHY: ISTOCK
launched by IOSH.
WHAT? Career Pulse is a user-
friendly tool that aims to provide
clear information to members about
10-11 News_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 11
IOSH NEWS
IN SPIRAT ION
65
members have achieved
Chartered Fellowships
between January 2020
Youngest
female ever
and March 2021
gains IOSH
how they can take the next step
Chartered
in their career.
HOW? It asks users to self-assess membership
against several criteria, which allows
the hub to build a personalised IOSH congratulates an OSH
learning path. professional who recently became its
WHERE? It is the latest addition youngest female Chartered Member.
to IOSH’s Career Hub, which Alice Jones, 23, put her success down
includes a CV and cover letter
to hard work, mentoring and updating
builder, an interview simulator
her knowledge through IOSH webinars
and e-learning content.
and resources.
To access the Career Pulse,
She also juggles
log into MyIOSH and
two jobs: supporting
then into the Career Hub at
bit.ly/iosh-career-hub clients of a health and
safety consultancy
across the UK and
consulting at Formula
MEMBERSHIP UPDATES E races worldwide.
Wrexham-born
IOSH welcomes Alice, who set her
new Fellows and sights on Chartered
status when starting out in her OSH
Chartered Members career five years ago, said: ‘Being
IOSH has congratulated 10 members CMIOSH is a massive achievement.
who became Chartered Fellows in It feels surreal.’
April and May. And her IOSH ambitions don’t stop
The successful members are Jean here. Having been elected to the North
Rhodes, Susannah McIntosh, Steven Wales branch committee, Alice aims to
Mah, Mark Jenkins, Helen Tapley-
Taylor, Leanie Du Toit, David Cant,
become a Chartered Fellow by the time
she’s 30.
Anthony Kenna, Yvette Moffatt and
Kenneth Brown.
For another inspiring Chartered status
journey, turn to our member interview
Chartered Fellowship is the
pinnacle of the OSH profession. on page 68.
Meanwhile, many other members
successfully attained CMIOSH status Read more about Alice’s
over the same period. story and becoming
For a full list of those who a Chartered Member at
achieved CMIOSH status, bit.ly/iosh-chartered-success
visit iosh.com/newchartered
IOSH MAGAZINE 11
16/06/2021 10:00
 UPDATE

n April this year, 21-year-old

I farmer Caroline Rennie was

found dead in a field in
Aberdeenshire following an
accident with a tractor and seed drill. This
tragic fatality, which is being investigated by
the GB Health and Safety Executive (HSE),
reminds us why agriculture, forestry and
fishing is the most dangerous sector to work
in, with a rate of fatal injury 18 times higher
than the average rate across all industries.
However, in 2019-20, the number of deaths
fell to an all-time low: 21. Cautiously welcomed
by industry commentators, the HSE figures
hinted that progress in growing a positive
safety culture across one of Britain’s most hard-
to-reach industries was bearing fruit.
But an article in Farmers Weekly in April
suggests that the 2020-21 statistics, due in
mid-July, could be one of the worst in 25
years, with as many as 50 deaths recorded.
This will be a depressing development, not
least because relentless HSE compliance
visits and cross-industry campaigns had
steadily brought the death toll down.

Back to basics
As Alan Plom, rural safety expert, notes, the 20
safety message clearly hasn’t got through MINS
because the leading causes of accidents

Bitter
– workplace transport, falls from height and
handling livestock – haven’t changed.
‘We have said, countless times, if farmers
followed the various UK regulators’ guidance,
there wouldn’t be any fatalities because they

harvest
all start with risk assessments and cover
all the basics,’ he says. ‘People don’t find
innovative ways to kill themselves – it’s
the same causes.’
It is for this reason that the Farm Safety
Foundation’s annual Farm Safety Week,
from 19 to 23 July, will go back to basics.
Agriculture is one of the most hazardous
‘There needs to be a fundamental industries in the world. On the eve of the release
re-examination of risk and how farmers of the latest GB figures, OSH professionals are
are perceiving it,’ says Stephanie Berkeley,
the foundation’s manager. bracing for a spike in fatalities in an industry
A reassessment is important because the renowned for its under-reporting.
risks can change daily. Farmers are extremely
capable at juggling multiple demands, but
tasks often need to be completed within WORDS NICK WARBURTON

12 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM

12-14 News Analysis_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 12 17/06/2021 12:41


short timeframes, and the person working
the farm is reliant on themselves to
meet these deadlines. This can foster
complacency and risky behaviours.
‘Farmers are facing so many unique
stressors – the weather, market fluctuations
for produce and time constraints during
harvesting,’ says Stephanie. ‘They are also
isolated, often working 16-hour days and
maybe not speaking to another human for
long periods.’
HSE principal inspector Wayne Owen
says: ‘Although the industry accounts for
around 1% of the GB workforce, it accounts
for 20% of worker deaths.’
Using ‘segmentation’ research carried
out by technology solutions firm Insight,
the HSE categorises farmers in four
groups: planners, pragmatists, risk-takers
and ‘the unclear’, so that its interventions
are more effective.
12-14 News Analysis_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 13
NEWS ANALYSIS
The regulator runs agricultural HARM ON T HE FA R M
compliance events (ACEs), and some of the
farmers receive a follow-up visit to confirm Ripe for
what they have learned. As the risk-takers
and the unclear are responsible for the
change
highest proportion of accidents, they have
500
become the main focus of ACEs. However,
during lockdown, face-to-face contact with
farmers hasn’t always been possible.
Tina Morgan CMIOSH, chair of IOSH’s deaths, and 150,000 non-
Rural Industries Group, says COVID-19’s fatal accidents, each year
impact on the availability of ‘sufficient on average in the EU
workers who are competent, confident
and qualified to do the work’ could be
one of the factors behind the rise in
fatal notifications.
133
suicides were registered
Then there is the virus’s impact on in GB in 2019 for those
training provision. ‘Trainers and OSH working in farming and
professionals would normally go and help agriculture-related trades
farmers to write risk assessments, deliver
training and help them with employee
inductions but they haven’t been able to
get out,’ she adds.
Unreported world
During the lockdown, farmers, who were
classed as essential workers, carried on as
usual. Unfortunately, support services such
88%
of farmers under the age of
40 rank poor mental health
as machinery and equipment inspectors/
as biggest hidden problem
repairers weren’t always available, facing farmers today
which could have contributed to some
of the related accidents, says Tina. ‘It is
inexcusable to go out with a vehicle or use
equipment that is not fit for purpose, but
there is some sympathy when other service
21
agricultural fatalities
providers haven’t been there.’ in GB in 2019-20
However, UK agriculture is not alone
in topping the most hazardous industries
table. In Europe and around the world,
there is a similarly poor health and
safety record.
The European Agency for Safety and
Health at Work’s (EU-OSHA) 2020 The International Social Security
Review of the future of agriculture and Association (ISSA) ranks agriculture as
occupational safety and health reveals one of the three most hazardous in the
that over the past 10 years, the EU’s global economy, while the International
agriculture and forestry sector has Labour Organization (ILO) estimates
accounted for around 500 deaths, and that, worldwide, the sector accounts for
150,000 non-fatal accidents, each year around 330,000 fatal accidents every year.
(see Resources, overleaf ). However, the real figure is much higher
IOSH MAGAZINE 13
17/06/2021 12:41
 UPDATE

due to wide-scale under-reporting. The

number of deaths in the EU could be four
times higher than the published data,
according to research cited in the EU-
OSHA report.
The reporting of fatalities and accidents
to the EU’s reporting system Eurostat is
not mandatory for the self-employed, who
make up the majority of the agricultural
workforce. It also excludes irregular
or temporary workers, retirees and
family members.
‘I know of a case where the ambulance
service called the police who then notified
the HSE,’ says Tina. ‘Had that not
happened in this way, the accident
would not have been reported because
it was a family member.’

Farmers listen to farmers

Internationally, it is a similar picture. To
raise awareness of the risks and promote
effective management and control, the
ILO produced an agricultural safety code
of practice in 2011 (see Resources).
More recently, ISSA has published two
guides to support its Vision Zero strategy.
RESOURCES
The international body’s promotion of good
practices and innovative solutions will be
highlighted in ‘Safety Culture in Farming:
Growing from generation to generation’, a
special symposium at the World Congress
on Safety and Health at Work’s online
conference on 20 to 23 September.
Alan represented IOSH and spoke at
ISSA’s conference on agricultural safety
in Cordoba, Spain, in 2019, when the
guides were launched. He welcomes the
principles behind the Vision Zero strategy,
but argues that more effective ways to
communicate and influence farmers ‘in
the field’ are needed. ‘The trouble is that
many farmers have zero vision, certainly
of the consequences,’ he says.
‘Farmers are not a homogenous group.
Managers and OSH professionals have got
to improve their effectiveness and get the
messages over in the right way.’
Alan would like to see funding to
translate the HSE’s Insight research
The HSE’s What a good
farm looks like outlines best
practice: bit.ly/HSE-good-farm
EU-OSHA’s Review of the
future of agriculture and
occupational safety and
health: bit.ly/EU-OSHA-
future-agriculture
ILO agricultural safety code
of practice: bit.ly/ILO-
agriculture-safety
‘Safety Culture in Farming’, a
special symposium online on
20 to 23 September: bit.ly/
ISSA-farming-safety-culture
Dr Amy Irwin at Aberdeen
University has researched
behavioural analysis and
farmers’ attitudes towards
risk and safety: bit.ly/
Aberdeen-farmer-risk
behind the HSE’s categorisation of farmers
into a tool that OSH professionals could
use to influence different audiences.
He also recommends research carried
out by Dr Amy Irwin at Aberdeen
University on behavioural analysis and
farmers’ attitudes to risk (see Resources).
Tina Morgan has been speaking to
Lantra, one of the leading awarding bodies
for land-based industries in the UK and
the Republic of Ireland, as it currently
delivers the HSE’s ACEs.
‘We should have farm mentors where
a farmer who has been proven to have a
successful farm with good practices and a
positive attitude to safety can work with
other farmers,’ she says. ‘There should
be a funded nationwide farm mentoring
scheme where farmers can contact
identified mentors to help them with
farm safety. Farmers listen to farmers.’
Ploughing different furrows
Tina also commends the approach taken
by the Irish-based farm safety educational
platform AgriKids, which targets young
children, and adds that agriculture health

14 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM

12-14 News Analysis_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 14 17/06/2021 12:42


and safety should be
part of the curriculum
in all rural schools.
She would also like
to see farm safety
embedded into courses
at agricultural colleges:
‘That’s where the OSH
professionals need
to be looking to get
their influence.’
IOSH supports the
Vision Zero strategy
but Tina says there
needs to be complete buy-in from every
part of the industry. She would welcome
an all-party parliamentary group on
agriculture fatalities to focus minds.
‘With the best will in the world,
everybody has been working separately
and individually to push change and
it’s not making a big enough difference,’
she says. ‘It needs to be a full approach,
from manufacturers to suppliers, from
trainers to consultants and through to
enforcement. Advice is important but it
needs to be enforced.’
PHOTOG RAPHY: GE TTY / SHUTTE RSTOCK / ALAMY
As with the wider population, mental
wellbeing has risen in prominence
as an issue and exacerbated by the
current pandemic.
In February, the Farm Safety Foundation
(also known as Yellow Wellies) launched its
fourth annual Mind Your Head campaign
12-14 News Analysis_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 15
to raise awareness of mental ill health.
The event was timely as recent statistics
revealed there had been 133 suicides in
Great Britain in 2019 relating to those
working in farming and agriculture-
related trades.
You are the liability
The foundation has undertaken research
over the past six years, polling 450 young
farmers on their views.
‘Two years ago, 80% said that mental
ill health was the biggest hidden danger
in farming but that’s jumped to 88%,’
says Stephanie, who has
penned The Little Book
of Minding Your Head
to raise awareness.
‘Eighty-five per cent
have said there is a link
between mental health and
farm safety. You have got
to understand that if you
are not in the right head
space when you are about
to do a job, then it’s not the
machinery that is the most
dangerous, it’s you that is
the liability.’
Farm safety has no
borders and new innovation approaches
with an international reach can be
invaluable to help spread good practice.
Elizabeth Creed, farm safety consultant
and vice-chair of IOSH’s Rural Industries
Group, came up with one such idea that
she launched on Twitter in April.
Designed to change attitudes and save
lives, #FarmSafetyHour is a weekly, one-
hour discussion forum that has a reach
of 1.8 million international followers,
including in Australasia and West Africa.
Engagement levels have been so high
that Elizabeth is planning a newsletter
and website.
‘Although there have been some great
campaign weeks and farmers do take a lot
from them, it’s very easy to fall back into
what they’ve always been doing,’ she says
on the idea behind Farm Safety Hour.
NEWS ANALYSIS
TOP EIGHT
Killers in
agriculture
Transport accidents
1 (being run over or
vehicles overturning)
Falls from height (through
2 roofs, from trees)
Being struck by falling or
3 moving objects (machinery,
buildings, bales, tree trunks)
Drowning (in slurry tanks,
4 grain silos, water reservoirs)
Handling livestock (attacked
5 or crushed by animals,
zoonotic diseases)
Contact with machinery
6 (unguarded moving parts)
Entrapments (under
7 collapsed structures,
DIY building)
8 Electricity
‘Even if they don’t have any time in the
week to think about safety, they know
that at 7.30pm every Thursday, there’s
something on Twitter all year long that
they can dip into. They can take what’s
discussed and look at how they can
implement it in their business.’
The anticipated spike in fatalities in
the HSE’s forthcoming annual statistics
is a reminder that the sector cannot
afford to take its eye off the ball. Despite
pandemic restrictions, a concerted effort
by all stakeholders is critical to reverse
the upswing in deaths and to reiterate the
importance of safe working practices.
IOSH MAGAZINE 15
16/06/2021 10:01
 UPDATE

TOP TOPICS
DEDICATED H&S INCLUDED
Seeing our members TECHNICAL LINE COVID
through one of the
profession’s most
challenging years
has driven us at
2768calls were
received in 2020
Employment
law
RIDDOR

Training
IOSH. Here’s how
you’ve been
engaging with
us over the last VIRTUAL MEETINGS AND WEBINARS
12 months
and more.
From March 2020 to March 2021, 417 branch meetings
and webinars were held with a total of 32,033 attendees

In 32,033
touch 17,500 A total of 43 group events
were also held, with:
registrations

with
you
We’ve hosted 30 free More than
COVID-19 webinars,
visits to the IOSH
seeing:
43 , 000
registrations
284,000 website’s COVID-19
pages since March 2020

16 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM

16-17 infographic_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 16 16/06/2021 10:01

 DID YOU KNOW..?

CAREER HUB
Our Career Hub was launched in
May 2020 to support members
through the pandemic. It saw:
3097 active users

47,698
activities completed
14,239
logins

HOTTEST TOPICS

Teamworking Personal brand

Mentoring
Managem
Management Self-awareness 1152
relationships built

Communication
1337
mentees
TOP
REQUESTED
COMPETENCIES
registered OSH management systems
Being the trusted adviser
Strategy development

897
mentors
Influencing
Personal responsibilities
and accountabilities

SOCIAL A HU
MEDIA for GE T
From March 2020 to May
this year, our 319 COVID
tes engag
jus ting t ing w HAN
campaign posts received:
t dr ime
op s ith
us . Any us as
a li
ne feedb we na
K YO
at C ack vig
SC@ is a ate
ios lway throu
h.c
U
om s wel gh th
com ese
10,576 1374 7987 e,

clicks RTs/shares likes

IOSH MAGAZINE 17

16-17 infographic_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 17 17/06/2021 12:42

 UPDATE
U K CA S E LAW
Hand-arm vibration
case penalties cut
for non-profit firm
Places for People Homes successfully reduced its fine
by showing how vulnerable people would suffer.
n 2019, the GB Health and
I Safety Executive (HSE)
prosecuted Places for People
Homes under the Health and
Safety at Work Act after five employees
suffered from hand-arm vibration
syndrome and/or carpal tunnel syndrome,
resulting from their work. Places for
People Homes was found guilty of failing
to ensure the health, safety and welfare
of its employees. It was fined £600,000
and ordered to pay £13,995 in prosecution
costs. Places for People Homes appealed
against the fine.
Places for People Homes is a not-for-
profit organisation that manages and
provides affordable social housing, as well
as undertaking improvements to properties
and organised social initiatives that aim
to support vulnerable people.
In deciding the original fine, the judge
applied the sentencing guidelines for
health and safety offences. The judge
said the company’s turnover significantly
exceeded the £50m threshold for large
companies ‘by five or six times’. This led the
trial judge to increase the starting amount
for the fine from £1m to £2m. With
no aggravating factors and substantial
mitigation, the original fine was reduced
to £1.25m. To balance the effect this would
have on the people who benefit from the
18 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
18-19 Cedrec_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 18
RV
FOR PLACES
HOM PEOPL
ES [2 E
021]
organisation, the judge reduced this to
£900,000. Finally, because Places for
People Homes submitted an early guilty
plea, the fine was reduced by a third,
leading to the final amount of £600,000.
Places for People Homes’ appeal was
based on three main points: the judge had
wrongly adjusted the starting point for
the fine based on the size of its turnover;
the judge should have taken into account
the organisation was a not-for-profit
and invested its money back into the
organisation; and the judge had failed to
make a sufficient enough reduction in the
fine to reflect the impact it would have on
its vulnerable beneficiaries.
The appeal judge said the original trial
judge was right to put an initial uplift in
the starting fine to £2m. From here the
judge could consider mitigating factors,
which included no previous convictions,
a good health and safety record and
measures to remedy the issue before HSE
inspection to prevent recurrence, at a cost
of £600,000. The judge said the reduction
in fine to £1.25m based on mitigation
measures was adequate.
On the second ground of appeal
regarding funds, the appeal judge said
this was to be considered in profitability
of the organisation in the next step of
the sentencing fine.
The judge said not
enough allowance
was made to
reflect the impact
of the fine on the
beneficiaries of the
appellant’s activities
The final ground of appeal, which
focused on the impact of the fine on the
organisation’s vulnerable beneficiaries, was
key in this case. The appeal judge said not
enough allowance was made to reflect the
impact of the fine on the beneficiaries of
the appellant’s activities. Places for People
Homes was in a comparable position to
a charity, and it was clear the potential
PHOTOG RAPHY: ISTOCK / SHUTTE RSTOCK
beneficiaries of its activities would
suffer more from a larger fine than the
organisation itself.
Consequently, the appeal was allowed
and the judge issued a more appropriate
fine of £400,000.
17/06/2021 12:43

This sponsored content has been provided by
Cedrec Information Systems, available at cedrec.com
LEGISLATION, GUIDANCE AND CONSULTATION
DANGEROUS GOODS
Emergency Action
Code List 2021
The National Chemical
Emergency Centre has
published the new
Dangerous Goods Emergency
Action Codes (EAC) list, in
conjunction with the UK
Home Office. This new version
supersedes the 2019 EAC
list and is mandatory from
1 July 2021. EACs, sometimes
referred to as Hazchem
codes, are used by emergency
services to inform their
response in incidents involving
dangerous goods. Duty
holders under the Carriage
of Dangerous Goods and Use
of Transportable Pressure
Equipment Regulations must
use the EAC list 2021 to
ensure they apply appropriate
EACs when moving
dangerous goods.
cedr.ec/7m2
BIOCIDAL PRODUCTS
Expiry dates for
renewals of active
substances extended
The GB Health and Safety
Executive (HSE) has agreed
with the decision taken to
extend the approval expiry
dates for a series of active
substances until 24 July 2023.
This decision has been taken
because approval of these
substances is likely to expire
before a decision has been
taken on its renewal, through
18-19 Cedrec_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 19
no fault of the applicant. The
substances covered by this
extension are propiconazole,
metofluthrin, sulfuryl
fluoride, alphachloralose,
aluminium phosphide
releasing phosphine,
boric acid and disodium
tetraborate pentahydrate.
cedr.ec/7m6
O F F S HORE
Competent authority
changes name
The Offshore Safety Directive
Regulator (OSDR) is changing
its name to the Offshore
Major Accident Regulator
(OMAR). Set up in 2015,
the OSDR oversaw safety
in the UK’s offshore sector
as required under Directive
2013/30/EU on offshore oil
and gas operations. Now the
UK has left the EU there is no
requirement to follow that
directive, and consequently
they will remove the reference
in the regulator’s title. The
duties undertaken by OMAR
won’t change, and they will
maintain the same legal
obligations under UK law that
implemented the requirements
of the EU Directive.
cedr.ec/7m4
V E HI CL E REPA IR
Safe Motor
Vehicle Repair
and Maintenance
The Health and Safety
Authority for the Republic
LEGAL
of Ireland has published
a new information sheet
aimed at those working in
motor vehicle repair and
E X P LOSIV ES
maintenance. This type
of work is classed as high-
New licensing
risk, with some activities handbook
undertaken in this field The GB HSE has produced
carrying a risk of severe injury guidance for its staff that
or death. The guidance covers
covers key tasks and technical
the main causes of injury measures that they would be
and ill health in this work, expected to consider when
along with advice on proper processing applications for
vehicle maintenance risk licences granted under the
management. It also identifies Explosives Regulations 2014,
many practical control that aren’t ‘fixed’ rule licences.
measures that can be taken to
Although predominantly
reduce the risks to workers.
aimed at HSE employees,
cedr.ec/7m3 it is useful guidance for
applicants for a new or varied
explosives licence.
cedr.ec/7m1
AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
New European policy
brief on agriculture
and forestry
challenges
The European Agency for
Safety and Health at Work
(EU-OSHA) has published
a new policy brief focused
on serious challenges to
occupational safety and
health in the agricultural and
forestry industry. This sector
is one of the most dangerous
in Europe, with many
ASBE STOS
serious accidents involving
Consultation on
machinery, vehicles and
asbestos regulations
livestock as well as risks from
The GB HSE is undertaking a
exposure to vibrations, noise
consultation on the Control
and chemicals. The brief looks
of Asbestos Regulations 2012.
at the traditional risks that
This will inform the second
dominate this sector and also
post-implementation review
considers emerging risks from
things like stress, pesticides
of these regulations, and
ensure legislation continues
and zoonotic diseases.
to meet its objectives.
cedr.ec/7mt cedr.ec/7om
IOSH MAGAZINE 19
16/06/2021 10:02
 UPDATE
S U RRE Y
Builder jailed for
failing to report
leg amputation
Who? A site boss has been jailed for six
months for failing to report a serious
incident in which a worker had to have
his leg amputated.
Where? On 8 January 2019, Simon
Lewis was clearing a site in New
Malden, Surrey, with an excavator so
that a new house could be built. The
vehicle tipped while digging and it
crushed his leg, resulting in amputation.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court was
told that Lewis had requested a three-
tonne model but a smaller, 1.7-tonne
excavator was provided, and he was
pressured to use it.
Why? Site manager Paul Adams failed
to investigate and report the incident
to the GB Health and Safety Executive
(HSE) as required under RIDDOR.
20 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
20-21 Prosecutions_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 20
The HSE was only able to start an
investigation more than eight months
later when the victim complained. By
this time crucial evidence relating to the
cause of the incident was unobtainable
and the work was almost completed.
There was no health and safety-
related documentation and there was
no employers’ insurance cover for
Lewis to claim against. Adams had not
obtained any health and safety-related
training during his 50 years in the
construction industry.
What? Adams pleaded guilty to a
breach of Regulation 3(1) of RIDDOR.
He was jailed for 24 weeks and ordered
to pay costs of £2033.
Read more about the case at
ioshmagazine.com/paul-adams
NEWCASTLE
RAIL OPERATOR
FINED £1.5M OVER
WORKER’S FATAL
ELECTROCUTION
THE CASE
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR)
has prosecuted Metro operator
Nexus after a worker was killed.
John Bell was electrocuted at
the company’s South Gosforth
depot in July 2014 while working
on high-voltage overhead lines,
after grabbing a live wire that he
believed was isolated from the
power supply.
THE INVESTIGATION
Investigators found safety-critical
procedures were ignored and
lessons were not learned despite
Bell’s death, putting people at risk
for a substantial period thereafter.
‘Nexus’ working practices were
poor and continued so for a long
time,’ said Ian Prosser CBE, HM
chief inspector of railways at ORR.
‘This meant Nexus did not have
the right measures in place to
assess whether the Metro was
being maintained safely.’
IN COURT
At Newcastle-upon-Tyne Crown
Court, Nexus agreed the failures
involved were a significant cause
of the death of its employee.
The company was fined £1.5m
P HOTOGRAPHY: S HUT TERSTOCK
and ordered to pay £172,390
in costs.
Read more about the case at
ioshmagazine.com/nexus-john-bell
16/06/2021 10:03

ESSEX
Pub owner jailed
for boy’s garden
electrocution death
What’s the story? A pub
landlord has been handed a
nine-year prison sentence for
gross negligence manslaughter
after a child was electrocuted
at his premises.
What happened?
Harvey Tyrell, 7,
died from an
electric shock
after he touched a
defective lighting
fixture at the King
Harold pub in Romford,
Essex, on 11 September 2018.
What did the investigation
reveal? An investigation found
that while playing with a
friend in the garden at the pub,
Harvey had sat on a light and
touched a railing causing an
electric shock that proved fatal.
Landlord David Bearman
often undertook electrical
jobs at the pub, including the
garden lighting. He would
also use friends and family to
complete work, including his
brother-in-law Colin Naylor.
Naylor, an electrician by trade,
had installed the lighting
around the edge of the garden.
Investigators discovered
that the pub had its last full
health and safety checks in
2009, in which there were
electrical defects listed,
20-21 Prosecutions_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 21
PROSECUTIONS
A ROUN D T HE G LOBE
£1M FINE AND
TWO JAILED OVER
VIADUCT COLLAPSE
WHO? Kim Peow (OKP)
Contractors has been handed
a $1m fine over the 2017
Pan-Island Expressway viaduct collapse in
Singapore that left one worker dead and 10
injured. Two of its senior employees, project
director Yee Chee Keong and project engineer
Wong Kiew Hai, were jailed for 13 months
and 11 months respectively.
WHAT? The firm and the two employees were
found guilty of recklessly endangering workers
after failing to call for all work to be stopped
when cracks on crucial brackets of the viaduct,
which was under construction, were spotted.
They also obstructed the course of justice by
deleting messages and photographs relating
to the accident and lying to the authorities.
including issues WHY? The technical cause of the collapse
with wiring, was the failure of the temporary corbels
cabling and no supporting the superstructure.
current electrical test
certificate for the premises.
An illegal unmetered electrical
supply was also found.
STEEL FIRM FINED
What happened in court? The
$275,000 OVER
court was told the metal casing LEG AMPUTATION
of the light Harvey touched was WHO? A steel plate-cutting company
live with electricity, and the full in New Zealand has been ordered
distribution board serving the to pay $275,000 after a worker’s leg
hts was not earthed.
garden lights was crushed by a 2289kg package of
rman, 73
Bearman, 73, was sentenced steel, resulting in amputation.
to nine yyears in prison for gross
HOW? The victim was moving the
neglig ughter and
negligence manslaughter steel to a laser cutter using his body
abs tricity. Naylor,
abstracting electricity. weight to counterbalance the load. As he
74 ntenced to 12
74, was also sentenced lowered the heavy end of the package to
m
months in prison on for failing the ground, it slipped out of the strop.
to discharge a duty under der the
WHY? A WorkSafe investigation found that
Health and Safety at Work Act. although CNC Profile Cutting Services had
H evious acquitted
He was previously d of health and safety documentation, it was
gr gligence manslaughter.
gross negligence outdated, generalised and did not include a
safe system of work document for the method
Read moree about the case at being used. There was too much reliance on
ioshmagazine.com/
hmag on-the-job training and instruction to manage
-bearm
david-bearman hazards, the regulator said.
IOSH MAGAZINE 21
16/06/2021 10:03
 C OVER STO RY

25
MINS

E IT TAKES
ver since the first Summer Games in
1896, the Olympics have been much
more than an international sports
competition. Their importance
in promoting unity, cooperation
and global understanding cannot

A VILLAGE
be overstated. Holding an international
sporting event of this magnitude can
profoundly change host cities, leaving them
a valuable legacy, with benefits linked to
socioeconomic growth, cultural influence
and, in some cases, long-term sustainable
urban development.
And at the heart of the Games, World
Cups and every other major sporting event,
the athletes’ (or sports) village represents a
The athletes’ village sits at the heart
home-from-home for participants, a place
to prepare for competing and a forum for
of every global sporting event. But
cultural exchange.
Building a successful village that
building these temporary cities against
adequately responds to athletes’ needs is
central to the success of any international
the clock requires a robust OSH culture.
competition. As with all large projects
WORDS LÉ A SU RUGU E I LLUSTRATIO N ARUNAS KACINSKAS

22 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM

22-27 Cover feature_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 22 16/06/2021 10:52


of this nature, many stakeholders from
the construction industry are involved in
commissioning, designing, developing,
building and delivering apartments
for the athletes alongside other on-site
facilities. Clinical and occupational health
professionals, and hostelry and security
staff also play a key role in the management
of the village.
Commissioning and development
‘Building an athletes’ village is very different
from building a touristic complex,’ says
Dr Mark Robinson, associate professor in
organisational psychology at the University
of Leeds. ‘It’s essentially building a small
city with temporary transport links, sports
grounds, accommodation, and with all
the different actors usually involved in
construction, urban planning – but also
security and hospitality – having to work
together to tight schedules.’
22-27 Cover feature_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 23
Since developing a sports village is
such a complex endeavour, specific
health and safety risks need to be
properly assessed before the project
starts. Different issues will arise
depending on the overall health and
safety culture of the host country, but
also on aspects such as the climate
and whether existing venues are being
repurposed or construction is starting
from scratch. From World Cup venues
in the Qatar desert to an Olympic
park in east London, the starkly
different requirements will be
reflected in the health and safety
measures that are implemented.
But regardless of the project,
robust health and safety protocols
SAFET Y CULT URE
Checklist
for success
The GB Health and Safety Executive
reported on the instillation of a strong
safety culture during the construction of
the London Olympic Park and village in
2012. What are these tips for success?
1 Set safety as a priority and integrate
into companies and contractors from
the outset.
2 Ensure the entire supply chain is
culturally aligned, with consistent
commitment to OSH standards.
3 Engage tier 1 contractors to develop
their own good practice and drive
their own performance.
4 Management should be visible,
approachable and lead by example.
5 Use credible champions and incentives
to encourage positive behaviours,
such as donating money to charity for
observations submitted.
SPORTS VILLAGES
need to be in place for its different
phases – construction, operation and
decommissioning. ‘The stakeholder
management will be the same in principle
for any large international event,’ says
Simon Garrett, managing director at
X-Venture Global Risk Solutions.
‘At corporate level, this requires a
strong policy and risk assessment-based
approach that takes into account the
unique context of the event. The key
stakeholders need to be accredited as
competent with regard to health and
safety and then this is verified by the
organisers to create safety plans – one of
which would be for the athletes’ village.’
The project must also be infused
with a robust health and safety culture
6 Create regular opportunities for
workers to discuss health, welfare,
safety and environmental issues with
managers and ensure agreed actions
are followed through.
7 Develop risk assessments following a
structured process, with involvement
from appropriately experienced workers
who are familiar with the work tasks
being assessed.
8 Develop a variety of reporting
methods, communicate these
to workers and consider ways of
refreshing the methods adopted to
keep their importance at the forefront
of workers’ minds.
9 Devote time and resources to
enable workers to develop strong,
positive, working relationships, and take
responsibility for their own and others
health and safety.
10 Begin planning of work early to
ensure resources (human and
equipment) are agreed and allocated
prior to the project start date and to
ensure enough time is allocated to
complete the work safely.
IOSH MAGAZINE 23
17/06/2021 12:44
 C OVER STO RY
from the design phase. While the UK’s
Construction (Design and Management)
Regulations 2015 place duties on
designers to consider the health and safety
implications of their designs in relation
to the construction, use and maintenance
of structures, a recent IOSH report (see
Resources) suggests the majority fail
to recognise the impact on health and
safety they can have – and that can be
especially problematic in the context of an
international sporting event.
Early engagement with design teams
and further training on OSH awareness for
designers and architects are good practices
to implement if health risks are to be more
effectively ironed out before they reach
construction sites.
Smooth runnings
During the event, promoting a culture
of health and safety within the village is
imperative. The services commissioned
by the organiser should keep the wellbeing
of athletes in mind at all times.
‘Running the accommodation
– temporary or otherwise – essentially
becomes a building service contract,’
explains Simon. ‘Security and fire safety are
paramount. Unlike an accommodation block
in a university, one of the biggest factors that
needs to be taken into account is the fact
that all the occupants will be in unfamiliar
surroundings, without necessarily a good
24 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
22-27 Cover feature_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 24
RESOURCES
IOSH report – Improving
designers’ knowledge of hazards:
bit.ly/IOSH-designer-hazards
HSE report, Occupational health
provision on the Olympic Park
and athletes’ village: bit.ly/
HSE-Olympic-village-OH
HSE report, Safety culture
on the Olympic Park: bit.ly/
HSE-Olympic-safety-culture
BWI report – The dark side of the
Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics:
bit.ly/BWI-Tokyo-dark-side
ENR article, London Olympics
construction is safest in recent
times: bit.ly/ENR-London-
Olympics-safety
IOSH funded research –
Talk the talk – walk the walk:
bit.ly/IOSH-Olympic-Park-safety-
and-communications
command of English, so key information
and signage needs to take this into account.’
Accommodation that allows the athletes
to rest – and therefore perform at their
best – should be factored in to the running
as well as the design of the village. ‘Sleep
is of paramount importance for athletes
in a competition; people are flying from
different time zones, so they need time
to adjust and recover from jet lag,’ says
Mark. ‘You need to make sure you have
adequate soundproofing and curtains
that can block out daylight.’
Specific organisational aspects – such
as the timing of when different sports
disciplines will compete – also need to
be considered. For instance, allocating
apartments to a team that will compete
early in the competition in the same area
as a team who will compete later in the
competition could be problematic, as the
former group may want to relax just as
the latter will need to focus.
Facilities management
As with all events of this magnitude,
challenges can arise – the site is a unique
and untried construction, while the teams
providing different on-site services may
not have worked together and may be from
a wide range of nations. Even so, there
is little room for error: despite workers
constructing up to the last minute, with no
‘old hands’ to learn from, and little chance
of ironing out snags before ‘going live’,
athletes will still expect everything to work
seamlessly from the moment they arrive.
‘In any given village, some things are
bound to go wrong and it’s impossible
16/06/2021 10:53

to test everything in advance,’ agrees
Tony Sainsbury, London 2012 village
general manager, who was in charge of
the athletes’ village master planning and
operational delivery. ‘During Sydney’s
[2000] Olympics, for example, we
discovered that we had water cascading into
the car parks during a full security check,
just as the athletes were about to arrive. You
have to deal with it and have good teams in
place to respond, because there’s no way to
test everything in advance and make sure
everything will go right.’
Strong communication between
all stakeholders is crucial – which
includes good collaboration between
the staff working on-site and the teams’
managers. As Simon points out: ‘Primary
responsibility for the athletes’ welfare rests
with the team management and the chef
de mission for each team. They know the
needs of their individual athletes.
‘There have been many occasions in the
past when teams had to make decisions
even before travelling, such as with the Zika
virus in Brazil. Presumably, the same will
apply this year in Tokyo. The hosts have to
supply the facilities to ensure this can be
properly managed.’
Welfare and sustainability
With events as visible and popular as the
Olympics, the success of health and safety
22-27 Cover feature_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 25
strategies depends not only on protecting
workers from injuries and death but
also on promoting a culture of wellbeing
that permeates all stages of the project
and beyond.
But this is not always the case in practice.
A 2019 BWI report (see Resources), which
was published after a delegation visited
Tokyo, suggested poor working conditions
and diminished labour rights were
commonplace during the construction of
the 2020 Olympic village. According to
the study, migrant workers in particular
were reported as having to work in poor
conditions and ‘left to do only menial tasks,
OSH INVOLVEMENT
Lessons from
London 2012
The construction of the London Olympic
Park and Village is widely viewed as one
of the safest projects in the history of
the Olympics, with no fatalities reported
(although some media reports have
disputed that claim).
While the exact model may not
be replicable on all future projects
– including the construction of future
villages – some elements such as
engagement with managers and
workers on-site could be transferred
across the industry, and/or appropriately
scaled for more modest budgets.
The input of a dedicated team of
OSH professionals can be essential
for success, as the commissioning and
build of London 2012’s Olympic Park
suggests (see Resources, left). Here,
an OSH service was set up as part of a
commitment to protecting the health
and safety of workers on the build.
As shown by a HSE report, OSH
PHOTOG RAPHY: G ETTY
professionals worked in an integrated
way to prevent and treat occupational
ill health and promote healthy
SPORTS VILLAGES
behaviours, taking part in senior
management meetings to hear about
specific health and safety challenges.
Having both prevention and clinical
services on-site can be helpful. This
may mean employing occupational
health nurses and physicians to procure
health services for workers, including
pre-employment and safety-critical
medical checks, health surveillance and
on-site emergency services – as well as
occupational hygienists, who are skilled
in the recognition of hazards and the
evaluation and control of risks.
The London team developed a ‘health
like safety’ approach; the aim of which
was to integrate good practice into day-
to-day working by using existing safety
management tools, such as near-miss
reporting and maturity matrices, as the
basis for tools to target health risks.
The most successful projects are those
where OSH professionals and managers
on-site interact, include workers in their
decisions around health and safety
policies, and listen to their concerns.
IOSH MAGAZINE 25
17/06/2021 12:44
 C OVER STO RY

three times because no real

planning had been done to
take into account the risk of
earthquakes or the potential
discovery of an archaeological
site,’ Tony explains. ‘It
ended up being more than
20km [12.43mi] away from
the city, in the middle of the
K E Y STATS countryside, and post-Games,
it ended up vandalised,
with a dislocated and
Park life impoverished community.
London’s East Village comprised
such as handling
raw materials’. FINDING THE RIGHT ‘If you decide on the
village’s location [once

3300
apartments,
Key to the legacy of
a sports village is the
degree to which health
and safety strategies
integrate elements of
LOCATION TO
AVOID HAZARDS
AND ENSURE THE
you’ve been named as host]
without having done all the
preliminary work to identify
what will work in terms of
viability, sustainability and

17,320
beds
sustainability. This
requires a clear vision
for what the village
VIABILITY OF THE
PROJECT IN THE
long-term development for
the city, you are in trouble,’
says Tony.

LONG TERM IS KEY

5500
and sports venues are
to become once the
event is over – or how
and a food hall with capacity
it will be decommissioned.
for more than 5000 athletes at a time In Tokyo, the Olympic village for the
delayed 2020 Games has been constructed
from 40,000 pieces of sustainable wood that
The eyes of the world
are, quite literally, on the
construction, use and afterlife
of Olympic villages. Delays, accidents and
deaths lead news bulletins, and spiralling
budgets and zombie Olympic villages
become shorthand for poor planning and

30,000
people worked on the
London Olympic Park
can then be taken down after the event. And
Japanese company Airweave has supplied
modular cardboard beds and recyclable
mattresses for athletes. Even medals will be
made from gold, silver and bronze harvested
sustainability. Too many slip-ups can make
headlines around the world and damage
national pride. But, as seen in Barcelona
and London, by deeply embedding good
health and safety practice, instilling a
and Village over
its lifetime from electronic devices. strong safety culture and putting future use
Finding the right location to avoid hazards at the heart of projects, the construction
The three biggest hazards faced and ensure the viability of the project in of Olympic villages can be sustainable
in OSH on the London site were: the long term is also key. ‘The location and successful.
Manual handling of the Athens village was moved around
Dust and airborne particles
Repetitive tasks in
awkward positions

3675
occupational health briefings were
carried out across 26 contractors

26 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM

22-27 Cover feature_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 26 16/06/2021 10:53

 “Life is like
a box of “
omelettes

NCONDIT
With a Cirrus Research Sound Meter,
U I
LY
O
P

NA
SIM

you’ll never mishear again.

L

Mama always used to say, if you want to measure sound you

can’t afford take any chances. Because if it’s not 100% right,
then it’s wrong.

Which is why at Cirrus Research, we pride ourselves on

designing and creating sound measuring equipment that is
DOZD\VDFFXUDWHQRPDWWHUZKDW,QIDFWZHèUHVRFRQĆGHQW
in their performance that they come with a market leading
15-year guarantee.

Choose a Cirrus Research sound meter and you’ll know

what you’re going to get – results you can trust every time.

Find out more at www.cirrusresearch.co.uk

p27.IOSH_JulAug21.indd
Cirrus Research FP.indd 127 16/06/2021 15:38
03/06/2021 11:15
 A proven management tool to help keep
track, allocate and improve efficiency

How we can help

• Information at a glance Special Offer
• Keep track of current and up and coming System only
projects easily
• Improve your departments performance
£95.00
inc 200 T Cards
• Manage resources more efficiently + P&P and VAT
• Standard or tailor made
0002
PLANT NAME

NEF. AR01S
00MIS
/ HAZARD
REF.
NEAR MISS

REB PORT
/ HAZARD
C REF.
0003 Other Standard boards include:
REBPORT
RE
PLANT NAM
E
RD C A
AZA
S/H A LOCATION
A
ORT
R MIS B C
NEA
REP
NEAR
PLAN
T NA
ME LOCATIO
N

PERSON
TAKING
RESPON
SIBILIT N
MISS /
ACTIO ZARD
HA
• Maintenance
Y FOR

Requests
BRIEF DESCR ESTIMA ACTION
IPTION OF NEAR MISS TED COM
TION / HAZARD PLE TION DAT
LOCA MISS / HAZA
RD
E
OF NEAR DETAIL
OF
CRIPTION ACTION
BRIEF DES TAKEN
RD
HAZA

BRIEF
DESCRIP
TION
OF NE
SS /
AR MI
• Continuous
Improvement
• Staff In/out
DATE
TIME
TIME
REPORTED
BY
DATE SHIFT
SHIFT
TIME SUGGESTION
SHIFT

• Weekly Planners
S FOR IMPRO
REP ORTED BY VEMEN T
MENT
IMPROVE
DATE TIONS FOR
SUGGES
ED BY T
REPO
RT EMEN
PROV
R IM
NS FO
ESTIO
SUGG

IFICANT
A = CRITICAL ICANTY PART OR SIGN
(LIKELIHOODSIGNIF BOD
OF OF
LOSS
YOR FAT L

tel 01732 871 417 web www.tcardsdirect.com

A Culture Building Initiative

See your culture ‫ܫ‬ourish with Thrive. To ‫ܪ‬nd

out more, order our new brochure now.

m. (0044) 0792 191 4099

e. Michael@securushealthandsafety.co.uk

“The best way to predict the future, is

to create it.”
Peter Drucker

p28.IOSH_JulAug21.indd 28 16/06/2021 11:17

 Collaborate
SUPPORTING A SHARED VISION OF A SAFE AND HEALTHY WORLD OF WORK

While countries around the world are having some success in bringing COVID-19 infections under control, the considerations for
IN THIS
those who have Long Covid are still being discovered P30 | Shipbreaking is a dirty and dangerous business in some of the world’s
S E CT I O N poorest areas – and attempts to reform it are stuck at ‘dead slow’ P34 | The wider view: webinars, podcasts and reading lists P39

SH I PBREAK I NG

ON THE
SCRAPHEAP
P34
PHOTOG RAPHY: GETT Y

IOSH MAGAZINE 29

29 Collab sec opner_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 29 16/06/2021 10:03

 C O LLA B O RATE

20
MINS

IN IT FOR
THE LONG
HAUL
30 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM

30-33 Long Covid_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 30 16/06/2021 10:04


Vaccination may be winning
the war against the pandemic
in some countries, but for those
with Long Covid, the fight is only
just beginning. How does it affect
people, who are at risk, and how can
OSH professionals help sufferers
return to work? Dr Karen Michell
answers these questions and more.
L
ong Covid, also known as
Long-haul Covid or post-
acute sequelae of COVID, is
a syndrome characterised by
diverse symptoms in those
who have tested positive for
infection with SARS-Cov-2,
and who still experience
symptoms after 28 days. It is
estimated that it affects 10%
of people who contract COVID-19 (Office
for National Statistics (ONS), 2020).
The UK’s NICE guideline gives two
definitions of Long Covid: ongoing
symptomatic COVID-19 for people who
still have symptoms four to 12 weeks after
the start of acute symptoms, and post-
COVID-19 syndrome for people who have
symptoms more than 12 weeks after the
start of acute symptoms (Venkatesan,
N OT G ETT I NG BET TE R
What we know about Long Covid so far
While the precise duration of Long Covid
is not known, many people may suffer
from it for at least 12 weeks
30-33 Long Covid_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 31
2021). Long Covid
symptoms are diverse,
affecting multiple systems
in the body (respiratory,
cardiovascular, nervous
system, musculoskeletal).
Commonly reported
symptoms include fatigue,
shortness of breath,
muscle pains, chest pain,
cognitive impairment
(‘brain fog’), headache and
psychological disorders
such as depression and post-traumatic stress
disorder (Scherlinger et al, 2021; Sudre et al,
2020). Symptoms reflect systemic damage to
the body rather than active infection. Patients
describe exhaustion from simple daily
activities and a devastating impact on their
lives. The diverse nature of the symptoms
means multiple strategies are required to
address sufferers’ health and social needs.
Who gets Long Covid
and what are the risks?
It is not only those who were hospitalised
with severe COVID-19 who develop Long
Covid – even people with mild cases report
symptoms weeks and months later. However,
it is more likely in those with pre-existing
health conditions such as diabetes, asthma
or hypertension, those aged over 50,
those with a high body mass index, and
In the UK,
Long Covid is
more prevalent
in females
Long Covid affects
than men
10% of people who
contract COVID
LONG COVID
women (Chand and Meshram, 2021).
Another predictive factor is the number
of symptoms the sufferer experiences. In
cases where five or more symptoms were
experienced in the first week of COVID-19
infection, the person was significantly
more likely to develop Long Covid (Sudre
et al, 2020; Tenforde et al, 2020). The
scale of the health and economic problem
is evident when the duration and diversity
of presentations are considered in relation
to the number of positive cases. As of 25
May 2021, the World Health Organization
reported 167,011,807 confirmed cases of
COVID-19 globally (WHO, 2021). If 10%
of cases progress to Long Covid, more
than 16 million people will suffer the
condition. In the UK alone, it is estimated
that 1.1 million people are suffering varying
degrees of Long Covid (ONS, 2021).
How to manage Long Covid
The key to managing Long Covid is
understanding that this is a debilitating
and evolving condition. Our understanding
of it will improve with research, and as we
gain insights from patients’ experiences.
Healthcare is based on rehabilitation
and symptom management aligned to
medical guidelines and government
policies. Multiple body systems may be
affected, requiring an adaptive approach.
Treatment requires a multidisciplinary
In the UK, as many as 1.1 million
people may be suffering varying
degrees of Long Covid
IOSH MAGAZINE 31
17/06/2021 12:45
 C O LLA B O RATE

team including clinicians, physiotherapists, Is Long Covid an

occupational therapists, psychologists,
social workers, safety practitioners and
occupational health (OH) professionals. A
worker’s health may vary from one day to
the next as symptoms progress or resolve,
and particular attention should be given
to workers with cardiac, respiratory or
neurological symptoms that do not improve.
The OSH professional needs to be aware
of changes reported by workers who are
also patients. UK NICE guidelines detail
protocols to assist health professionals
caring for people with Long Covid
(Venkatesan, 2021), and OH organisations
have developed guidelines to assist OH
practitioners and managers with return-to-
work (RTW) processes. In the UK the NHS
has established 69 Long Covid clinics to
address the health needs of these patients.
RE S O URCES
IOSH resources:
iosh.com/coronavirus
NHS, Supporting your
recovery after COVID-19:
yourCOVIDrecovery.nhs.uk
NICE Long Covid guidelines:
nice.org.uk/guidance/ng188
Faculty of Occupational
Medicine, Guidance for
healthcare professionals on
return to work for patients
with long-COVID: bit.ly/FOM-
long-covid-guidance
Society of Occupational
Medicine, COVID-19 return
to work guide for managers:
bit.ly/SOM-RTW-guide
Long Covid Support:
longcovid.org
occupational disease?
To be termed an occupational disease,
the health outcome must have a causative
link to exposure in the workplace. Health
workers who contract COVID-19 after
treating a COVID-positive patient will be
assessed as having contracted the disease
as a direct consequence of their work. If
they progress to Long Covid, it would be
deemed a continuation of the COVID-19
and thus occupational. A person may
argue that they acquired COVID-19 from
a co-worker and so have an occupational
disease. The difference is that you may
have come across this same person in a
supermarket queue and it would not be a
consequence of your work.
More important than determining if
COVID-19 is occupational are efforts
to prevent the virus spreading, through
effective infection prevention and control
measures. Co-workers may be concerned
they will catch Long Covid from a sufferer
who has returned to work. Typically, a
person with COVID-19 is infectious for
10 days, and has a fever and persistent
new cough. The majority of Long Covid
patients test negative for the virus, despite
symptoms, and are not infectious.
Returning to work
For many workers it is not a case of
returning to work after Long Covid but
with Long Covid, especially in countries
lacking strong social security systems and
where COVID-19 is both an economic and
a health issue. In some cases, survival is
dependent on ability to work. A US-based
survey reported that 35% of COVID-
positive patients had not returned to work
14 to 21 days after testing positive, with the
highest rate of no return reported in those
aged 50 and over (Tenforde et al, 2020).
In another study (Alwan, 2021), 75% of
those with Long Covid said it affected
their work, and 60% reported taking
time off because of ill health. The
significance for OSH professionals is
the potential for prolonged absence
and the possible need to provide
supportive and adaptive RTW
processes. RTW may be complicated
and require an individualised approach
to accommodate a worker’s capabilities
in relation to their job specifications.
A worker whose job requires manual
labour and who is experiencing fatigue
and shortness of breath will tire easily
and not cope with their job’s physical
demands. An office worker may have
to give constant attention to detail
while suffering from headaches and
brain fog. A worker with a respiratory
deficit may be unable to wear a
respirator while working in their
usual dusty environment, and have to
be transferred to another job profile
where the need to wear a respirator
is not a concern. Or you may have to
manage a worker with more than one
systemic effect of COVID-19, making
these scenarios even more challenging.

32 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM

30-33 Long Covid_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 32 16/06/2021 10:04

 LONG COVID

TABLE 1

Control measures to mitigate

exposure to COVID-19
Personal protective
Engineering controls Administrative controls
equipment (PPE)
Physical barriers Preventing entry of sick workers Correct masks/
Proper ventilation Hygiene and PPE training for staff respirators
Using disposable tools Reducing staff hours Eye protection
and instruments Restricting staff gatherings Gloves
Work from home/flexible Special clothing
working hours (aprons, visors)
Vaccination
Rapid lateral flow testing
Continuous cleaning
Disinfection

In all of these cases, workers are unable
to cope with their job for different reasons,
showing the need for an individualised
approach. Success will be based on a
planned, coordinated response, addressing
physical and cognitive limitations, sickness
absence and presenteeism.
The OSH role
Work is good for physical and mental
health, and a worker does not need to
be 100% fit to be able to work (Faculty
of Occupational Medicine (FOM) of the
Royal College of Physicians, 2021). OSH
professionals are obliged to facilitate a
timely but safe RTW for employees to
retain their skills within the workforce.
Considerations given to a worker’s return
in the context of Long Covid must be
consistent with those in normal
circumstances: risk driven and
based on the hierarchy of control
(examples highlighted in Table 1).
PHOTOG RAPHY: ISTOCK
of their ability to assume normal work based
on the disease’s impact on their health.
Symptoms affecting functionality and the
ability to cope at work include shortness
of breath, fatigue, brain fog and chest pain
(FOM, 2021). An OH practitioner is best
suited to assist with this assessment and, if
given an accurate job specification, will be
able to advise on adaptations required.
A key issue is the inclusion of the line
manager, who is responsible for the
day-to-day safety and health of workers
under their control, as well as a decision-
maker. Ask the worker for suggestions on
adjustments such as working from home,
flexible or reduced hours and assistive
equipment. Address mental health issues
by listening to their concerns and fears,
and providing realistic reassurances and
advice. Case management must be based
THE KEY TO MANAGING
on the worker’s ability rather than their
inability, with a focus on activities that
can be performed and taking into account
the impact and duration of the activity.
This is particularly relevant in safety-
critical tasks, where lapses in energy levels
and/or concentration may be disastrous.
Reallocation to tasks with reduced working
hours, the ability to sit on the job, and
more frequent rest breaks may be required.
Workers will experience highs and lows,
and may need to be monitored from day to
day to accommodate these transitions.
What next?
COVID-19’s impact has been massive,
and continues through the effects of Long
Covid. As an emerging syndrome, it is still
unclear how long it will take workers to
recover, and OSH professionals could be
managing workers with Long Covid for
years. Successful integration of sufferers
into the workplace requires a coordinated

The most significant aspect of

the RTW process for those with
LONG COVID IS and collaborative approach between safety
and health professionals, at the centre of
Long Covid will be the assessment UNDERSTANDING which is the worker’s wellbeing.

THAT THIS IS A Dr Karen Michell is an IOSH researcher.

DEBILITATING AND To access the references for this article,
EVOLVING CONDITION visit ioshmagazine.com/long-covid

IOSH MAGAZINE 33

30-33 Long Covid_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 33 16/06/2021 10:04

 C O LLA B O RATE

20
MINS

M
ohammed Ibrahim is just WORDS STEVE SMETHURST
one of the many victims
of ship recycling, also

TURNING
known as ‘shipbreaking’.
The 35-year-old fitter at
Khawja shipbreaking yard
in Chattogram, Bangladesh, was killed
on 25 December 2020 when he was hit

THE TIDE
by a piece of iron when dismantling
the bulk-carrier Stellar Hermes. It’s
only five years since 29 people died in a
series of explosions on board the former
supertanker Aces in what is considered
the worst disaster in the history of global
shipbreaking. A further 59 suffered
severe injuries.
Breaking of large vessels, often many
years old, not only exposes the workforce The ship-recycling industry has long been under
to a range of hazardous materials but pressure to reform health and safety. Now, it seems
can also release toxic and carcinogenic
compounds into the environment: the
that slow progress is finally being made to reduce
environmental and human impacts of the number of deaths and serious injuries.
shipbreaking can be significant.
You could write a book about what is least 11 workers lost their lives at South set up to coordinate the activities of
needed to reform OSH in shipbreaking Asian shipbreaking yards in the past six environmental, human rights and labour
– in fact, the International Labour months alone. This isn’t unusual. Since rights organisations interested in ship
Organization did just that in 2004, 2009, almost 7000 large vessels have been recycling. She tells IOSH magazine that
with its 223-page code of practice. The beached in South Asia, and more than 400 approximately 90% of world tonnage is
big question is, why has progress been people have died while working on them. broken down on only three beaches, in
seemingly so slow? Pakistan (Gadani), India (Alang) and
Based on underground information Self-interest rules Bangladesh (Chattogram).
and local newspaper reports, the NGO Ingvild Jenssen is executive director Shipbreaking Platform reports that
Shipbreaking Platform claims that at and founder of Shipbreaking Platform, Turkish ship recyclers – the main

34 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM

34-37 Sea Scrap_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 34 17/06/2021 12:46


alternative if looking for yards that meet
international standards – ‘have continued
to improve practices, including aligning
the legal framework with international
environmental conventions’. Furthermore,
the yards have ‘opened their doors to
independent researchers, consultants
and experts’. However, even in Turkey,
concerns remain about the high accident
rates and low awareness of occupational
diseases at the Aliaga yards.
And so, while Turkey’s ship recycling
yards meet European standards, it costs
the ship owners significantly more to
recycle there, and the main market for
recycled steel is in South Asia. As such,
most large ships at the end of their lives
are sailed to one of these beaches and
aimed at the sand. Once beached, they
are dismantled using blowtorches, usually
with a minimum of PPE, training or
safety protocols.
The oily sand of the ship graveyards
provides employment for thousands.
It’s been likened to a gold rush for the
local population, most of whom willingly
accept that a job that might kill them
is better than the alternatives. A large
ship can keep 500 people in work for
six months, and the money generated by
shipbreaking feeds many more mouths
in downstream industries, from steel
rolling to scrapyards.
The International Maritime
Organization’s (IMO) Hong Kong
PHOTOG RAPHY: GET TY / ALAMY / RS R
Convention (HKC) established minimum
standards for the industry in 2009, but
it has never entered into force. Ingvild
explains: ‘The parties asked to implement
this law are the flag states and the
34-37 Sea Scrap_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 35
SUSTAIN ABILIT Y IN OSH
The IOSH perspective
‘There’s a fundamental
right to work in a safe
and healthy environment
– and there’s very
little protection in ship
recycling [in South Asia],’
says IOSH head of health and safety
Ruth Wilkinson. ‘IOSH encourages
a holistic approach to preventing
deaths due to occupational injuries
through multifaceted governmental
and corporate prevention strategies,’
she says.
The way ships are recycled ties in
with a new IOSH campaign around
human capital and sustainability,
VESSELS OFTEN HAVE
FALSE INVENTORIES
OF HAZARDOUS
MATERIALS, CLAIMING
THEY ARE TOXIN-FREE
recycling states. Flags such as Comoros, St
Kitts & Nevis and Tuvalu are particularly
popular at end of life and well known for
their poor implementation of maritime
legislation. So where is the capacity or
interest in implementing or stringently
interpreting the convention?’
Even so, many consultancies have issued
shipbreaking yards with ‘statements of
compliance’ with the HKC, suggesting that
things are improving. ‘The convention
sets extremely low standards,’ says Ingvild.
‘Ninety of the yards in Alang have a
statement and some have been audited
several times by the European Commission,
but none have been approved because there
SHIPBREAKING
which considers people and the OSH
considerations and contribution to
sustainable development.
‘It’s important we identify hazards
and consider risks holistically,’ says
Ruth, ‘from the design stage, to the
build, then usage, end of life and
disposal with “people” at the centre.
‘Thinking about sustainability
reporting, are large organisations
considering and disclosing information
on social aspects, such as workforce and
human capital? We need that circular
thinking and action as human and social
factors can interface with environmental
factors and economic outcomes.’
are still considerable problems, especially
related to downstream waste management
and the lack of a hospital in the vicinity of
the yards in case of a serious accident.’
Flags of convenience
Even without the HKC, the EU Waste
Shipment Regulation, the Basel Convention
and many national laws ban the export
of end-of-life ships containing asbestos
and other toxic materials to non-OECD
countries, yet most still find their way to
South Asia.
The process that leads them there
is far from transparent. ‘These vessels
typically pass through cash buyers, who
are basically scrap dealers,’ says Ingvild.
‘They reregister them to new owners,
often anonymous postbox companies,
then reflag the vessels to typically black-
or grey-listed flags.’
Compounding this, in a joint
investigation with the UK’s Finance
Uncovered, the Daily Star newspaper
in Bangladesh has discovered that
IOSH MAGAZINE 35
16/06/2021 10:05
 C O LLA B O RATE
URGENT ACTION REQUIRED
No Time to
Lose: asbestos
IOSH continues to call for urgent action
to tackle the huge global toll from
work-related exposure to asbestos,
which is estimated to cause more than
230,000 work-related deaths each year.
One of the issues that goes under the
radar in shipbreaking is the amount of
hazardous materials on board. Asbestos
is common on older vessels, but also in
newbuilds in the gaskets, for example.
All types of asbestos fibres are
potentially harmful and IOSH
believes that risk awareness and
risk management principles should
be embedded throughout national
administrations, education and
training systems worldwide, and in
organisations, to track and manage
this hazard.
It may take decades for exposure
to lead to an asbestos-related disease,
so it can be challenging to secure
individual, corporate and national
action on asbestos.
For free, practical resources, visit
IOSH’s No Time to Lose campaign at
notimetolose.org.uk/free-resources/
asbestos-pack-taster
36 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
34-37 Sea Scrap_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 36
vessels often have
false inventories
of hazardous
materials, claiming
that the vessels
are toxin-free.
‘These false
documents are
made by the
cash buyers,’ says
Ingvild. ‘The lack
of transparency,
and the inability
to hold companies
to account when
you don’t know
who’s behind it, makes it extremely
challenging for the authorities in
India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
‘If you sell to a facility in Turkey or
the EU,’ says Ingvild, ‘you can make
a business transaction directly with
the facility. So these cash buyers are
inherently linked to the beaching
method and to the worst yards, and
any attempts to say otherwise is
greenwash, because their business
model depends on the continued
use of these facilities.’
Moving in the right direction
Not surprisingly, this view is disputed
by the cash buyers. Dr Nikos Mikelis,
who led the development of the
HKC for the IMO and is now a
non-executive director at GMS, the
largest cash buyer of end-of-life
vessels. He maintains that it is a
‘reasonable expectation that the HKC
will enter force within the next few
years’. He adds that Shipbreaking
Platform has shown ‘a total lack of
knowledge and interest to learn how
shipping and ship recycling work. It
is a “self-appointed judge”,’ he says.
Furthermore, he says its campaigns
are ‘more often than not, impractical
or unworkable’.
Simon Christopher Bergulf,
regulatory affairs director at global
container company Maersk, agrees
the market for ship recycling is still
‘dominated by substandard labour and
environmental practices unchanged
for decades’. He feels the onus is on
the shipping and the ship-recycling
industries to change this.
‘We urge our peers in the industry
to show leadership to change the
industry, becoming a driving force
for safe and responsible, global ship-
recycling practices,’ he says.
Ingvild can see progress: the
Bangladesh and Indian governments
recently banned the entry of mercury-
laden floating storage and offloading
tankers, for example, but doesn’t share
Simon’s confidence in the industry
leading change. She says: ‘There’s
more awareness within enforcement
authorities on the circumvention of
international waste law. We’re seeing
several criminal investigations.
‘Another opportunity lies within
the new European Green Deal
and the circular economy. There is
engagement from pension funds, and
large shipping banks are laying down
demands in their loan agreements
with shipping companies.’
She acknowledges that some yards
have concreted secondary cutting
zones, that there are more cranes
and more hard hats. ‘But the primary
cutting of the vessel is still conducted
in the intertidal zone,’ she notes.
So what can the OSH profession
do to help clean up ship recycling
standards globally?
ALMOST 7000 LARGE
VESSELS HAVE BEEN
BEACHED IN SOUTH
ASIA, AND MORE THAN
400 PEOPLE HAVE DIED
WORKING ON THEM
17/06/2021 12:46

D E M O LI T I O N S AL ES
Large vessel delivery locations
The countries – mostly located in South Asia – that handle the vast majority of the
world’s end-of-life shipbreaking and scrappage. The figures below are the total
number of ships delivered to these respective countries between 2012 and 2021.
29
TURKEY/EU
318
24
OT H E R S
PAK I STAN
627BAN GLADESH
490
I NDI A
‘I’d like to see organisations such as
IOSH be more vocal on best practice
and all the legislation that UK shipping
companies need to follow when taking
vessels apart – something that’s impossible
to achieve when operating on a tidal
beach,’ says Ingvild.
She also believes there’s an important
role for OSH professionals around raising
awareness of the hazards on vessels
and the effects they can have on human
health. She says: ‘These risks are being
transferred to shipbreaking workers
in developing countries. It’s high time
double standards are curbed – and that
risks related to hazardous wastes are
managed where standards can guarantee
best practice.’
With regard to South Asian yards, Simon
adds: ‘OSH professionals need to engage
locally and secure a presence throughout
the dismantling to maintain high standards
based on the stakeholders they represent
and the stipulated requirements.’
34-37 Sea Scrap_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 37
263
CHIN A
P U T T I N G R I G H T PAST W R O N G S
Maersk takes
the initiative
Global container company Maersk
developed further its Responsible Ship
Recycling Standard in 2016. This was the
year that the North Sea Producer, which
was part-owned by Maersk, was sold
for scrap on a redployment basis to cash
buyer GMS.
Unknown to Maersk, it eventually
landed at Chattogram (formerly
Chittagong) in Bangladesh. The case is
under investigation. Once this came to
light, Maersk apologised profusely and
announced tightened procedures to
minimise financial incentives for buyers
to recycle irresponsibly.
SHIPBREAKING
THE VOYAGES OF MARCO POLO
The cruise ship Marco Polo –
belonging to UK-based Cruise &
Maritime Voyages, which entered
administration in 2020 – was sold
at auction to an offshore company,
HighSeas Ltd, for around £2m. After
the sale, it was allowed to leave UK
waters on the condition it would be
used for further trading. HighSeas
said the ship would be used as a
floating hotel in Dubai. However,
‘the intended buyers refused to take
delivery’ and after the change of
ownership, the vessel was sold as
scrap for £4m and headed for Alang.
Marco Polo is believed to contain
high amounts of asbestos.
Since then, Maersk has worked with
six yards and recycled 14 vessels in Alang
with no serious safety or environmental
incidents. Positive changes also include:
More than 35 external HSE audits
from Class Lloyd’s Register
More than 20 environment
monitoring programmes and robust
hazardous materials handling and
disposal systems
More than 30 code-of-conduct audits
to verify compliance with laws on
labour and human rights, including
building ILO-compliant dormitories
for 1200 workers.
IOSH MAGAZINE 37
17/06/2021 12:46
 Are you looking
to keep your OSH
knowledge and
skills up-to-date?

Our Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses

will help you do just that.

Covering a variety of areas, they will give you the tools

and resources to ensure you learn, develop and exceed
in your career.

Search for ‘CPD courses’ at iosh.com and keep yourself updated

p38.IOSH_JulAug21.indd 38 16/06/2021 11:29


The wider view
WHAT’S NEW?
Watch: dangers
of shipbreaking
Our latest video exposes the reality of one of the most
dangerous businesses in the world: shipbreaking. Since
2009, almost 7000 large vessels have been beached in
Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, and more than 400 people
have died while working on them. Our article on page 34
of this issue investigates the industry’s seemingly slow
progress to reduce the number of deaths and injuries, and
our new video looks at what OSH professionals can do to
help clean up ship recycling standards globally.
ioshmagazine.com/videos
READING LIST
A personal touch in response to the pandemic
As home-working comes to an end for many, and workforces
begin to transition back to the office, we spoke to commercial
explosives and blasting specialist EPC-UK to find out how it
responded to the pandemic, which included a carefully
thought-out communications strategy to keep all employees
on message, plus individualised return-to-work support
for vulnerable employees.
ioshmagazine.com/covid/epc
Ferrovial’s silver lining
If supporting employees’ mental health was a
low priority for some employers pre-pandemic,
then the disruption of the past 18 months
may bring about the sort of change health
and safety professionals have been advocating
for years. That is the view of Benjamin
Legg, global health, safety and
wellbeing director at Ferrovial,
who believes the pandemic has
ILLUSTRATION: SHUTT ERSTOCK
reminded organisations of the
value of their people.
ioshmagazine.com/
covid/ferrovial
39 Wider View_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 39
OPINION
IOSH INTERACTIVE
WEBINARS
IOSH magazine has delivered two more webinars recently.
Leveraging mobile for health and safety
operational continuity
In partnership with Intelex, this webinar focused on how to
leverage mobile for health and safety operational continuity.
Lauren Charbon, senior product marketing manager at Intelex,
guided attendees through mobile environment, health and
safety (EHS) best practices and explained how to use mobile
technology to increase agility, engagement and efficiency
across EHS programmes.
The journey to data-driven excellence
Our webinar in partnership with EcoOnline saw a panel of
experts consider the journey to data-driven safety excellence.
Declan McLogan, director of safety, health, environment and
quality at McAleer & Rushe, and Darragh Geoghegan, CEO
and co-founder at Engage EHS, were joined by IOSH head of
health and safety Ruth Wilkinson to discuss the challenges
with data collection and management for effective health and
safety governance, best practice solutions to facilitate staff
engagement for participation-led OSH management, and
technology’s role in enriching data.
Watch both webinars on demand and add to your
CPD record at ioshmagazine.com/webinars
PODCAST
Latest episode now streaming
In the latest episode of our podcast, ‘In conversation with
the OSH profession’, we discuss lone workers – including the
difficulties that companies have faced looking after home
workers during the pandemic. Don Cameron, CEO of StaySafe,
explains the grey areas in lone worker legislation and how
advice differs internationally. Don also talks about how
organisations can ensure that staff actually use lone worker
solutions to protect themselves, and offers practical tips on
assessing risks and creating lone worker policies.
Listen at ioshmagazine.com/podcast
IOSH MAGAZINE 39
16/06/2021 10:06
 ABOVE
AND
BEYOND
SETTING THE STANDARD
FOR THE UK SCAFFOLDING
INDUSTRY SINCE 1945

NATIONAL ACCESS AND

SCAFFOLDING CONFEDERATION
WWW.NASC.ORG.UK

NEED TO KNOW MORE

ABOUT SCAFFOLDING?
CISRS SCAFFOLDING
AWARENESS COURSE
IDEAL FOR SCAFFOLDING END USERS & THOSE NEEDING A GREATER
The recognised UK scaffolding
APPRECIATION OF GENERAL SCAFFOLDING REQUIREMENTS qualification for over 50 years

BOOK TODAY: WWW.CISRS.ORG.UK/TRAININGCENTRES

p40.IOSH_JulAug21.indd 40 16/06/2021 11:30

 Influence
EMPOWERING HEALTH AND SAFETY PROFESSIONALS AROUND THE WORLD

New IOSH chief executive Vanessa Harwood-Whitcher looks to the future with her plans and priorities P42 | Working at extreme
IN THIS
heights might look exceptionally risky, but the real danger arises when managers fail to adopt the mindset where any height
S E CT I O N poses a risk P46 | Remote working requires greater attention to worker wellbeing – so what do employers need to know? P50

EXTREME HEIGHTS

A long way
to go
P46
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY

IOSH MAGAZINE 41

41 Influence Sec opener_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 41 16/06/2021 10:07

 I NFLU ENC E

F
or Vanessa Harwood-Whitcher, every
challenge represents an opportunity.
And for those in the OSH profession,
there will be plenty of opportunities
in the years to come.
‘We are ready for it,’ says Vanessa.
‘And we will respond. We need to stretch the
boundaries of what we do now.’
At the beginning of August, Vanessa
succeeds Bev Messinger as IOSH chief
executive. Planning for the change in
leadership to ensure a smooth transition
has been underway for some time now, and
Vanessa is keen to ensure members continue
to be fully supported throughout her tenure.
Uncertainty and changes in the business
landscape, accelerated by the COVID-19

WORDS MARCUS BOOCOCK

Vanessa Harwood-
Whitcher becomes chief
executive of IOSH on
1 August. We spoke
with her about the plans
to take IOSH forward.

Above
and
beyond
42 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM

42-44 Interview_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 42 17/06/2021 12:47


VANESSA’S CV
A life in
professional
services
2017-2021
Director of professional
services, IOSH
2013-2017
Director of learning,
Association of
Corporate Treasurers
2012-2013
Chief operating officer and
interim chief executive,
Association of MBAs
2010-2012
Managing director, Celodus Ltd
2005-2010
Director of corporate services,
Chartered Institute of
Purchasing and Supply
2003-2005
New Technology Institute
centre manager, Coventry
University
2001-2003
Product development
manager, Chartered
Management Institute
1999-2001
learndirect development
manager, University
for Industry
1993-1999
Economic Development,
Education and Adult Learning
project management,
Greater Peterborough
Chamber of Commerce,
Training and Enterprise
42-44 Interview_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 43
pandemic, are among those challenges
facing OSH professionals that can be
turned into opportunities.
‘Think about where people work, the
design of workplaces and the type of work
people are doing,’ she says. ‘These things
were always going to change, but they have
been brought forward by the pandemic. As
a profession, we have to adapt and focus
on how we can support these changes.’
But there is much more, says Vanessa.
‘We are also facing changes brought about
by technology, including the use of artificial
intelligence in organisations. We need to
understand the implications of humans
interacting with different machines. There
are big macro issues to consider, particularly
in countries with ageing demographics.
Whether for political or business reasons,
people are staying in work longer, but
this means there are more considerations
around managing chronic illnesses or
mental health problems.
‘And we have a societal change in terms
of public attitudes to sustainability and the
importance of doing good ethical business.
Pulling these together, we need to stretch
the boundaries of the profession, looking
beyond being purist OSH professionals to
much broader roles.’
Evolution, not revolution
Vanessa has already been closely involved
in the developments within the OSH
profession and at IOSH itself in recent
years, having served as director of
professional services since 2017.
Among her priorities in her new role will
be supporting the Board of Trustees, Council
and presidential team with the development
of IOSH’s new five-year strategy to succeed
WORK 2022. Once agreed, she will be
responsible for its delivery.
Vanessa says the fact she is becoming
chief executive as an internal appointee
will play a significant role in helping with
continuity – and she says her focus is very
INTERVIEW
much around ‘evolution, not revolution’.
‘The advantage of coming into the role
as an internal is that I’m already party to
development around the new strategy,’
she said. ‘So much success has come from
WORK 2022. We’re now seen as a hugely
credible operator on a global stage, our
influence has increased substantially,
we have clear professional standards
and pathways for members, and the
voice of the profession is being heard
loud and clear in the boardroom, as
well as with investors and regulators.
‘All of this, added to the pandemic
situation and the focus on health, safety
and wellbeing as businesses recover,
means IOSH is in a supremely strong
position to continue to influence on a
global stage.’
Vanessa believes her time overseeing
IOSH’s professional services, coupled
with her previous experience at other
professional bodies – including a spell as
interim chief executive at the Association
of MBAs – means she knows exactly
what it takes for a professional body
to be successful.
‘I started my management career
early, just three years after completing
my first degree, when I took on a general
management role in a small charity
that focused on providing educational
opportunities in the local community.
It was at this point that I got the bug
for learning and this extended to seeing
others develop.
‘This passion took me into the
world of professional bodies, and I’ve
held senior roles involving education
and qualification activities, running
commercial subsidiaries and policy and
research, as well as my current role at
IOSH. This breadth of experience has
helped me understand what a good
professional body looks like, and I’m
delighted to be able to bring this into
my new role.
IOSH MAGAZINE 43
16/06/2021 10:07
 I NFLU ENC E
‘I have also run a small business, where I
was the person responsible for OSH. This
role really taught me the importance of
OSH and I absolutely share our members’
determination to make sure people are
protected at work.’
Big steps forward
Vanessa adds that she has been able to
learn a huge amount from Bev, someone
A I M I N G TO D EL I VER
Three top
priorities
1 NEW STRATEGY
DEVELOPMENT
My role is to support the Board
of Trustees, the presidential team
and Council in shaping our next
strategy, to ensure we continue
the success of WORK 2022.
2 STRATEGY
IMPLEMENTATION
Once the strategy is agreed, my
role really kicks in, to work with
IOSH’s senior leadership team,
other colleagues throughout the
business and our volunteers to
implement the strategy, ensuring
there are clear delivery plans
in place.
3 POSITIVE WORKING
ENVIRONMENT
Life has changed because of the
pandemic and we have learned
new ways of doing things, both
internally and through our
volunteers’ network. One of the
great learning points has been
how agile we can be, something
I’m determined we continue
to demonstrate.
44 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
42-44 Interview_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 44
she describes as ‘an inspirational leader’
and is determined to continue to put people
at the heart of IOSH as she takes over as
chief executive.
As part of this drive, she is keen to ensure
that equality, diversity and inclusion is at
the core of how the Institution operates.
It is a guiding principle of the development
of the new strategy.
‘For IOSH as an employer, for our
membership and the wider profession,
it’s so important that we have an inclusive
approach,’ said Vanessa. ‘I don’t like lip
service to be paid to important areas like
this; I want to get it right into the fabric
of how we do things. It will take time
to achieve this, but as an employer and
a professional body we must allow an
environment where people can bring
their whole selves to work. It is absolutely
right that IOSH drives this agenda.’
With continuing to facilitate a positive
working environment high on Vanessa’s
priority list, she pinpoints the four
principles of ‘modern agile’ – make people
awesome, make safety a prerequisite,
experiment and learn rapidly, and deliver
value continuously – as something the
organisation can strive towards.
Achieving this, she says, can help IOSH
continue to deliver for its members as they
move forward and start to make the most
of the opportunities that lie ahead.
Returning to those opportunities, in the
more immediate term the key one for OSH
professionals is to ensure what they do is
front and centre within their organisations
and in the minds of senior leaders – and she
urges members to be bold and demonstrate
DID YOU KN OW?
Vanessa once shared a red carpet
with the queen of Bhutan. While
working for another professional
body, she helped develop new
regulations and an educational
programme and made several
trips there.
On one of those trips, she found
herself on the same flight as the
queen, who was returning from a
shopping trip in Thailand.
Vanessa recalls: ‘As I followed her
off the plane, the steps were covered
in red carpet, which stretched across
the tarmac and into the airport. I
thought ‘I can’t get off the plane
now’ but I was waved down the steps,
so I followed her in the entourage all
the way through the airport.’
what they bring to their employers.
‘OSH has always been crucial to the
success of any organisation,’ she says.
‘But, as they focus on their recovery from
COVID-19, protecting people is what is
likely keeping senior leaders awake at
night. So, there is an opportunity for OSH
professionals to demonstrate how they can
be trusted advisers and enablers, ones who
can cope with the demands and changes
being faced by businesses.’
As someone who takes great pride and
job satisfaction in seeing people develop
themselves, Vanessa is looking forward to
continuing to witness this among IOSH’s
staff and its members and describes her
appointment as chief executive as one of
her proudest achievements.
‘I enjoy helping people go on to bigger
and better things,’ she said. ‘It’s all down
to them but being able to make a difference
in someone’s life is incredibly satisfying.’
16/06/2021 10:07
 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

WORKING AT HEIGHT

Under-estimating the
DOVRH΍HFWLYHLQLWVDSSOLFDWLRQ
3HRSOHZLOODOZD\VWDNHWKHSDWKRI
OHDVWUHVLVWDQFHVRWKHHDVLHUWKH

risk, over-estimating
HTXLSPHQWLVWRXVHWKHKLJKHUWKH
UDWHRIFRPSOLDQFHDQGWKHIHZHU
LQFLGHQWV

the urgency
$LU'HFNLVDQLQȵDWDEOHDLUFXVKLRQ
WKDWQRWRQO\UHGXFHVWKHKHLJKWRI
WKHIDOOEXWVRIWHQVWKHODQGLQJDQG
UHGXFHVWKHIRUFHFRQVLGHUDEO\WR
OHVVWKDQWKHJDVUHTXLUHGE\
Ȇ$VRO
Ȇ$VROH
HWU
WUDG
DGHU
HUK
KDV DVE
EHH
HHQ
QȴQȴQHGHG which surround them every day. 3$6ΖWLVTXLFNDQGHDV\WR
DIWH
DI WHU
UD
DVX
VXE
EFR
FRQW
QWUD UDFW
FWRU
RUI
IHO
HOO
OȴY
ȴYH
H Over a period of time, the impact of GHSOR\WDNLQJMXVWVHFRQGVWRLQȵDWH
metr
me tres
es tthr
hrou
ough
gh a sskyky llig
ight
ht o ont
nto
oa the original message will wane and HDFKXQLW)OH[LEOHDQGLQWHUOLQNLQJ
FRQF
FR QFUH
UHWH
WHȵ
ȵRR
RRUȇ
Uȇ it is a challenge to keep awareness $LUGHFNLVDOVRVXLWDEOHZKHUH
high. FRQYHQWLRQDOV\VWHPVDUHGLɝFXOWWR
‘Worki
‘Wor king ng aatt he
heig
ight
ht b
bre
reac
ache
hess
incr
in crea
ease se b
byy 84
84%
% on ccononst
stru
ruct
ctio
ionn Awareness will not be always GHSOR\
VLWH
VL WHV
Vȇȇ%X
%XLO
LOGL
GLQJ
QJ6
6DI
DIHW
HW\
\*U
*URX
RXS
S%
%6*
6* 100% - and it is in these moments,
the moments that are often not
Headlines such as these still even recalled after the event, that
appear far too often in the press. attention drifts and accidents
There were 40 fatalities during the
2019/20 period and the HSE report
happen. 84% 47%
that nearly half of all construction ...O
.. .Ove
ver-
r-es
esti
tima
mati
ting
ng tthe
he u
urg
rgen
ency
cy
related accidents were related to A construction site is an
falls from height, so why after years environment of deadlines. At the incr
increa
ease
se iin
n th
thee of a
all
ll ccon
onst
stru
ruct
ctio
ion
n
of publicity and education do the very least the weather causes number
numb er o
off wo
workrkin
ing
g acci
ac cide
dentntss we
were
re
statistics tell such a depressing deadlines to drift backwards and at h
hei
eigh
ghtt br
breaeach
ches
es fall
fallss fr
from
om h hei
eigh
ghtt
story? sites are always playing catch-up. As
a result, everything is always urgent.
Under-estimating the risk…
This is another reason for lack of $LU'HFNLVPDQRHXYUDEOHLQXVHDQG
We are used to the force of gravity, compliance. HDV\WRWUDQVSRUWDQGVWRUHΖWLV
it is after all what keeps our feet on LQȵDWHGDWWKHSRLQWRIXVHXQLWV
the ground, but when that is not the 7KHUHLVDOZD\VDWUDGHR΍EHWZHHQ
ȴWRQRQHSDOOHWZKLFKFRYHUVDQ
case gravity causes us to accelerate speed of execution and the risk
DUHDRIP2RQFHLQȵDWHG
downwards at an increasing rate involved. If everything could be
of 9.8 metres/sec/sec. That means foreseen and everything went 7KHSURGXFWLVGHVLJQHGWHVWHGDQG
that after 1 second you are traveling according to plan then risk could be PDQXIDFWXUHGLQWKH8.$LU'HFNLV
at 9.8 metres/sec but after two entirely planned out of the building DOZD\VLQVWRFNDQGLVDYDLODEOHIRU
seconds you are traveling at 19.6 sequence, and that certainly is the VDPHGD\GHVSDWFK
metres/second. That is a speed of direction of travel of the modern
43.88 mph. Scary in a car, potentially building process. However, there are $LUEDJVVKRXOGEHYLHZHGDVSDUWRI
deadly in freefall. DQLQȴQLWHQXPEHURILQWHUUXSWLRQV DQRYHUDOOIDOOVIURPKHLJKWFRQWURO
and unforeseen events where we VWUDWHJ\
Familiarity with the danger reduces are forced to adjust.
the perceived risk. A construction /HDUQPRUHDERXW$LU'HFNDW
site is an inherently dangerous What serves us best on those
ZZZ
ZZ ZDL
DLUG
UGHF
HFNV
NVDI
DIHW
HW\
\FR
FRP
P
SODFHDQGLWLVYHU\GLɝFXOWWRNHHS occasions is equipment which is
everyone sensitive to the threats both rapid and easy to deploy and HQTX
HQ TXLU
LULH
LHV#
V#DL
DLUG
UGHF
HFNV
NVDI
DIHW
HW\
\FR
FRP
P

p45.IOSH_JulAug21.indd 45 16/06/2021 11:31

 I NFLU ENC E

15
MINS

Ve orke hil par

w at w pre
ry rs e t ed
th ing

ta ki he is
be

ll c lle e w
s

on d e xtr ha
str ve em t p
e

uc ry e h re
tio ye e ve
k
ns ar. igh nts
ar Bu t is it.
es te w
a
til xp ha
t
ls
ee erts t ki
in
s
g arg ls,
SH
RU

h
C

ue
TER

l
E
D SP
OR

g
W

i A
s the construction industry starts to
rebound in the UK, buildings will

H
be heading upwards rather than
outwards. According to a report by
New London Architecture, there are
525 buildings with 20 floors or more
planned for London alone. OSH professionals
will be increasingly facing the problem of how
to consistently operate safely at height.
‘Some people seem to struggle with what
work at height actually is,’ says Ray Cooke,
health and safety adviser to the No Falls
Foundation charity (nofallsfoundation.
org) and former head of the GB
Health and Safety Executive’s
(HSE) Construction Sector
Safety Team. ‘Reporting of
injuries [RIDDOR] used to
distinguish between low
and high falls, and many
seemed to think that
low falls somehow
did not pose any

46 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM

46-48 Height_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 46 16/06/2021 10:08


significant risk. That was false thinking.
Work at height applies to situations where
a person could fall any distance liable to
cause personal injury [Work at Height
Regulations 2005], and the measures set
out in the regulations must be followed.’
How differences in height impact
working conditions are important to
recognise, he argues, because all too often
at-height assessments typically default to
‘height’ as a catch-all concept, creating
complacency and a failure to think clearly
about risk. ‘Training alone isn’t enough.
The specifics of the task, the equipment
and the systems of work must all be
considered too.’
Redefining risk
HSE figures bear out the risks: falls
from height comprised around a quarter
of fatal accidents at work last year. Of
the 111 fatalities in 2019-20, falls from
height caused the most deaths – 29. This
figure may be down on the 40 fatalities
from height that occurred during 2018-
19, but Ray says the numbers are still
shockingly high. ‘Height may be the
headline, but in my experience,’ he says,
‘injury or death at height is always the
result of poor management, planning or
organisation. How we talk about height
needs rephrasing more as a management
and planning issue rather than one purely
about equipment.’
Experts agree on some common safety
omissions – for example assessments
undertaken for on-site details without
specific visits. Objects falling from height
can often be forgotten, while options on
how to rescue people in trouble can also
Death at height is
always the result of
P HOTOGRAPHY: G ETTY / ALAMY
poor management,
planning or
organisation
46-48 Height_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 47
be overlooked. This includes
whether there is access for rescue
services, and if emergency services
have the equipment needed – local
fire brigades didn’t have long
enough ladders at the Grenfell
Tower disaster, for instance.
It’s with thorough planning that
surprises can be avoided. ‘We have
a clear system for designing out
risk, where we have eight “gates”
and you can’t move to the next
without adequately completing
the one you’re currently on,’ says
John Dowling CMIOSH, the
newly appointed health, safety,
environment and sustainability
director at Balfour Beatty. ‘We have
to be assiduous writing down what
we think all the challenges are, assessing
a project each time on its own merits, and
not thinking we can cut and paste from
something similar we’ve done before.
‘Even when we return to a familiar
building, we have to factor in new
variables, such as dilapidation, and new
environmental factors, such as the weather.’
High-rise mindset
‘The whole area of at-height work needs
constant attention,’ argues Malcolm Shiels
CFIOSH, chair of IOSH Construction
Group, and framework safety, health and
environment manager at Costain Group.
‘There’s still a case of needing to get the
EXTREME HEIGHTS
CASE STU DY
Head for
heights
Peter Cullen, GKR
Scaffolding, says:
We are ambassadors for
designing out risk, ensuring
that working at height risks
are eliminated or minimised.
At Battersea Power
Station, we constructed
hanging scaffold for the
iconic wash towers at ground level and
then crane-lifted them into place. We
fabricated a specific lifting beam and
lifted a complete scaffold onto the north
wall to reduce working at height and
minimise handling components at height.
We have a strong legacy finding
practical safety solutions from working
on the Shard in London. There, GKR
developed the ‘Elimin8’ fitting, which we
use to tether materials to eliminate the
risk of them falling from height. We also
introduced a 100% tool tethering policy
and issued Petzl climbing hard hats with
chin straps as standard PPE. This has since
become our industry standard.
basics right – for instance whether there
are steps that can be taken to not be at
height at all, such as using extendable tools
– but also if there are policies to minimise
how far someone falls if a fall happens.’
He continues: ‘The key is assessing for
risk, not height. At Costain we operate a lot
on bridges and gantries – two to six metres
[6.56ft to 19.69ft] tall. But while we have
the right evaluations in place, what’s more
concerning is some SMEs, who don’t
often have systems or resources to assist
on health and safety. In these cases, they
often just want to get on with the job and
go home safely. A better culture of accident
prevention is still needed there.’
IOSH MAGAZINE 47
16/06/2021 10:08
 I NFLU ENC E
It’s a mindset Peter Cullen CMIOSH,
health and safety director at GKR
Scaffolding, shares. ‘We see more near
misses and incidents in terms of slips,
trips and falls at lower level at GKR,
despite the fact we have worked on
the highest buildings in the UK. So I
often talk about the ‘high-rise mindset’ for
all jobs.’ He adds: ‘At ground level and four
metres [13.12ft] up on a pavement gantry,
complacency can set in. This is where the
potential for incidents is higher.’
If workers on Balfour Beatty-run
projects identify anything they think
has changed from the brief they are
encouraged to stop, evaluate and return
at a later date. John says empowering
staff to call out any on-site risk is a vital
part of at-height safety management.
GKR and Balfour Beatty also have a
360-degree review of all projects, where
lessons are discussed and written back into
best practice, with Balfour Beatty bringing
in OSH professionals to sit in on these
meetings. Peter adds: ‘We’ve done a lot of
work building psychological safety within
C O N ST R U CT ION FATAL I TI ES
Deadly projects
60
The number of deaths
recorded building the
World Trade Center
20
The number of
workers who
died building the
Brooklyn Bridge
48 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
46-48 Height_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 48
teams so that our people can speak up
without fear of blame, reprisals or not
being listened to.
‘A blame culture suffocates learning.
Near misses go unreported, and we miss
the opportunity to prevent an incident or
find a better way of working.’
Technology advantages
But where there are exciting moves is
in innovation. Technology is making
planning much easier. ‘We worked on
the North Bridge in Edinburgh, which
presented us with the issue of accounting
for pedestrians and cars underneath,’
says John. ‘In 3D and even 4D, we can
zoom in, and this gives us a fantastic
1
Officially there was just one
fatality during the building of the
Burj Khalifa in Dubai. However
workplace injuries and fatalities in
the United Arab Emirates are ‘poorly
documented’, according to Human
Rights Watch
11
The number of
workers who died
building the Golden
Gate Bridge
16
The number of workers
who died building the
Sydney Harbour Bridge
way of visualising potential at-height
work issues.’
Drones, says Ray, are much cheaper
and more effective now, and can even
determine whether at-height work by a
human is even needed at all. ‘Sometimes
the best planning is to determine that no
at-height work is even needed,’ he says.
Peter adds: ‘Good technology delivers
an advantage. We have been able to
recreate scenarios that would be dangerous
to recreate in real life to deliver the
physiological reaction that traditional
training simply couldn’t.’
Could more be done? Of course.
Working at height, vigilance will always
prevent more accidents. But with planning,
reviewing and learning from each project,
height should be something that is as
everyday as working at ground level.
For step-by-step guidance on working
from height, turn to page 72.
DESIGN IN G IN S A F ET Y
Dos and don’ts
Think about every eventuality:
Leave no stone unturned.
Proper planning prevents
poor performance.
Learn from last time: But don’t
be complacent. A thorough
review should provide action
plans for the next at-height job.
Don’t copy and paste: Each new
job will have its own unique
hazards. The height might be
similar, but the dangers will
be different.
Don’t assume your safety gear
will save you: Most accidents
and loss or life are caused not by
faulty equipment but by failure
to plan properly.
17/06/2021 12:48
 Introducing the
3M™ DBI-SALA®
Flexiguard™
Modular Jib
System.

Learn More

The next level of jib versatility.

The new 3M™ DBI SALA® Flexiguard™ Modular Jib System is a fall
@B?D53D9?>CICD5=D81D31>253?>ɥ7EB549>1=E<D9DE45?6G1ICD?
create a versatile and highly portable overhead anchorage solution.
+33(0)4 83 58 08 08
www.3m.co.uk/FallProtection informationfallprotection@mmm.com

3M and 3M Science Applied to Life are trademarks of 3M Company. Capital Safety and DBI-SALA is a trademark of D B Industries, LLC. Protecta is a trademark of Capital Safety Group EMEA

23444 3M HMT Flexiguard IOSH

p49.IOSH_JulAug21.indd 49 Ad_AW.indd 1 02/06/2021 11:34
16/06/2021 17:17
 I NFLU ENC E
Remote working will remain a permanent fixture of
work life, writes Nicole Vazquez. Employers should be
prepared to tackle the challenges of isolation, stress
and anxiety lone workers can face.
Anywhere
goes
F
or many years, digital
connectivity has meant that
businesses and workers could
embrace the freedom of remote
working, but lack of preparation
for the dramatic change brought
about by lockdowns left many workers
in the UK feeling ill-equipped for
lone working. Many businesses failed
to recognise the challenges for staff
and lacked the knowledge or skills to
manage their teams at a distance. In a
survey of 700,000 employees worldwide
by Leesman, UK businesses proved
to be some of the least well prepared
for mass home working last year (see
Resources, overleaf ).
Many businesses faced challenges
including inexperienced staff, inadequate
infrastructure and a lack of procedures
in place to manage the risks to their
staff and organisation. And yet, as
UK businesses open their doors once
again, remote working is likely to
continue for many.
Nearly all of the UK’s 50 biggest
employers have said they do not
plan to bring staff back to the office
50 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
50-52 Lone workers_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 50
15
MINS
full-time, according to a BBC survey
(see overleaf ). Remote working has
undoubtedly shown significant benefits,
not least of which are financial savings
for businesses, flexibility for workers
and environmental gains for the planet.
The past year has shown us that once
systems are in place it is possible for
remote teams to stay connected and
productive at a distance. Lockdown
experience backs up research from
Bloom et al (2015) that showed that
working from home is more productive
by 13%. However, businesses need to
consider far more than productivity and
it should be remembered that Bloom’s
research and the government mandate
to work from home were both intended
to be temporary.
Lone or remote workers
The GB Health and Safety Executive
(HSE) defines a lone worker as
‘someone who works by themselves
without close or direct supervision’.
Call it blended, flexible, hybrid,
location-independent, distributed
or agile, it equates to the same thing
16/06/2021 10:09
 REMOTE WORKING

NOT WORKING OUT

Troubles at home
Why a remote location may not always
be conducive to work:
Some remote workers may not have ideal
home lives and find allowing access to
their private space (via virtual meetings)
to co-workers and bosses uncomfortable.
Young workers who still live with parents
may find themselves cocooned in their
childhood bedroom for most of the time.
Parents with children at home may find it
difficult to switch focus between parent
and worker (even when there is another
carer around).
Where both partners work from home
there may be friction over competing
demands of time and space.
People who live alone may have no human
interactions for many days at a time.
Without clear boundaries (of time and
location), it may be difficult to know
when to switch off when workloads are
heavy or where workers feel the pressure
to be ‘on’ all the time.
Issues with broadband or phone signal
can impact on remote workers’ ability to
communicate and increases stress levels.

– people working in isolation without the
psychological and physical support of their
colleagues. This needs to be recognised
and then proactively addressed if
businesses are to continue with the remote
working model in the longer term.
Typically, lone workers are split into
three main categories: those who work at
base alone (office, retail, warehouse and
so on), those who work alone remotely in
the community (including other people’s
homes) and those who work from home.
For the first time, in its 2020 revised
guidance on protecting lone workers, the
HSE specifically recognises home workers,
and calls upon employers to
consider the negative impact
that lone working can have
on work-related stress levels,
mental health and wellbeing
as well as the risks of work-
50%
related violence.
Almost half of
PHOTOGRAPHY: ISTOCK / GETT Y
work, there is the backlash from the
pandemic to be considered. Service users
may have higher levels of stress, frustration
or anger over cuts to services during the
pandemic. It is likely that service users
may still be cautious (or even fearful) about
letting professionals into their homes. These
emotions can lead to triggers for aggression,
verbal abuse or even physical violence.
It’s not just the service users that are
feeling reticent about visits. Recently,
workers from a public service provider
have reported to Worthwhile Training
that they have their own fears about
re-engaging with the public. They
are concerned about
continuing COVID controls,
apprehensive about workloads
and worried about their own
skills fading. ‘I feel like I have
forgotten how to manage
difficult situations when face
to face with frustrated and

What are the risks? employees across the angry people,’ one worker
As social workers, housing globe will continue said. ‘I’m really out of practice
officers, utilities workers and to work remotely – what before felt relatively
the like reinstate community after COVID-19 easy, now feels scary.’ Workers

IOSH MAGAZINE 51

50-52 Lone workers_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 51 17/06/2021 12:48

 I NFLU ENC E
may be out of practice when it comes
to interactions, and this can have an
impact on both confidence and ability.
Working in the community when
based at home may mean that risk
information prior to engaging with
service users is not communicated.
And if an incident occurs, it is less
likely that there will be immediate
support available, leading to increased
psychological impact.
Missing the office
Many home workers miss social
interaction, which can lead to feelings
of isolation, a lack of connection with
their peers and detrimental impacts
on mental wellbeing.
For some workers, home can be a
place of mental, physical, or emotional
abuse. Work provides an escape, and
can be one of the few places survivors
of domestic abuse feel safe to speak out.
If organisations are to make working
from home permanent, this is an area
that must be addressed.
Workers with mental health
conditions may not fare well if working
from home full-time. For some, the
structure of getting up and getting out
RE S O U RCES
Leesman survey on measuring remote
working: bit.ly/Leesman-index
BBC article on no full-time
return to the office for many:
bit.ly/BBC-big-50-survey
Bloom et al. (2015) Does working
from home work? Evidence from a
Chinese experiment: bit.ly/Bloom-
home-working
HSE guidance, Protecting lone workers
– how to manage the risks of working
alone: bit.ly/HSE-lone-workers
52 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
50-52 Lone workers_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 52
WORKING WELL
Steps to
support
remote into the world is positive for their
workers mental wellbeing. The clear divide
and ‘changing state’ between work
If organisations want to reap and home can be positive for those
the benefits of remote working
with anxiety or depression. A lack of
long term, they need to consider
choice and social interactions may
the actions that can be taken to
protect staff.
exacerbate conditions, and employers
need to take responsibility for how
Engage with workers to explore the changes to working practices have
1 remote working practices that will
an impact.
work for both the business and
As well as considering the stresses
its employees. Putting in place
of working from home (see Steps
structures that design in flexibility
and offer choice for workers are
to support remote workers), ensure
more likely to work long term. that community-based teams can
offload and share experiences in
Consider having workspaces
2 person regularly.
available for those where working
If people are new to remote working
from home simply doesn’t
or colleagues have not been in client-
work. Bloom et al’s research
demonstrated the value of
facing situations for some time, they
allowing a choice of workplace. may not have or may be out of practice
using the behavioural skills required
Consider systems that ask people
3 to manage difficult or aggressive
to report how they are feeling and
situations. Businesses need to ensure
coping. If handled in an accessible,
these risks are controlled. Workshop
inclusive and non-judgemental
way, this may offer opportunities training on conflict avoidance and
for those struggling with domestic conflict management skills can offer
abuse or mental health issues to opportunities for sharing concerns and
seek support. practising skills in a safe environment.
Provide managers with appropriate
If remote working is to be successful
4 training on how to spot potential
long term, now is the time to review
risk assessments, consider and
signs of team members struggling
implement any modifications to
and equip them with the skills to
your existing controls, set out new
have appropriate conversations
about mental health, stress systems and procedures and rebuild
and wellbeing. the knowledge and confidence of your
Put in systems to record the
employees and managers.
5 feedback and levels of concern, so
that you can monitor and make Nicole Vazquez is director at
changes before a crisis occurs (both professional training and coaching
for individuals and the business). company Worthwhile Training.
16/06/2021 10:09
 3URWHFW\RXUORQHZRUNHUV
ZKHUHYHUWKH\DUH

4XLFNO\DQGHDVLO\ORFDWHHPSOR\HHVLQ
DQHPHUJHQF\DQGVHQGLPPHGLDWHKHOS
ZLWKRXUORQHZRUNHUDSSVROXWLRQV

7U\IRUIUHH
ZZZVWD\VDIHDSSFRPRU
FDOOXVRQ

Havsco developed the first personal Hand Arm Vibration

dosimeter, which measures and records the actual
vibration exposure at the point where the vibrations
enter the hand, when using power tools. No reliance on
inconsistent NBOVGBDUVSFShT data, irrespective of which
tools are used, how they are used or what they are used
for, the HAVSense dosimeter measures real exposure
with no programming or changing data when swapping
between tools. No guesswork, calculations or time
recording, just simple HAV exposure measurements.

Measure personal exposure from tools, tasks, processes

or even products, empowering you with real exposure
data entirely to suit your operations and requirements.

Contact us for a free, no obligation demonstration at

your location.

HAVSco Ltd - 01692 400635 - tech@havsco.co.uk - www.havsco.co.uk

p53.IOSH_JulAug21.indd 53 16/06/2021 11:35

 100% 5 star
A@ordable onsite workplace courses reviews
& returning
customers

WHAT WE OFFER
• First Aid at Work
• Emergency First Aid
• Paediatric First Aid
• Mental Health Awareness
• Fire Risk Assessments
• Manual Handling
• Safeguarding Children & More...

“The Best First Aid Course Ever!”

Turbine Surface Technology

www.purpleumbrellatraining.co.uk | sam@purpleumbrellatraining.com | 07939557753

p54.IOSH_JulAug21.indd 54 16/06/2021 11:37

 Enhance
DEVELOPING THE SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES OF ALL OSH PROFESSIONALS

Finding the truth – how to conduct an investigative interview P56 | Managing construction mega projects P60 | The competency
IN THIS
framework in action – in the retail sector P66 | Karen Godfrey on gaining Chartered status on maternity leave P68 | Future Leader
S E CT I O N Sam Smith on the parallels of fire safety and OSH P70 | Back to basics: working at height P72 | Talking shop: human capital P74

P60

CON ST RUCT ION

GOING
MEGA
PHOTOGRAP HY: TIDE WAY

IOSH MAGAZINE 55

55 enhance sec opener_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 55 16/06/2021 10:14

 ENHA NC E

C HIDE
ontrary to popular belief, the aim of
an accident investigation interview
is not to find out who is guilty and
who can be blamed: it is to discover
the truth. Once that is known, measures

AND
can be put in place to stop the accident
happening again.
Unlike a management interview, where
the manager drives things forward, an
accident investigation interview has totally
different dynamics. Because the interviewee

SEEK
might have something to hide – they might
have done something wrong, they might be
protecting a friend – there is the potential
for a hidden agenda.
That means the manager could be the one
under scrutiny, even if they don’t realise it.
The interviewee will listen very carefully to Andy Farrall CMIOSH,
what is being asked and to what is not being
asked. They will focus on how the interviewer
health and safety accident
responds to things. And they will even see if investigator, explains how to
the interview can be manipulated. conduct an effective accident
But, with a careful approach, the
interviewer can still keep the upper hand.
investigation interview.

Opening gambits INTERVIEW MATT LAMY

You can’t blindly go into an interview and
hope for the best – you’ll miss half the
15
important information. You’ve got to plan MINS
where you’re going and how you’re going to

56 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM

56-58 Investigative_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 56 16/06/2021 10:14

 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION

get there. And be prepared

for surprises on the way.
The interview room must be
somewhere quiet. Police interview
rooms are quite spartan for a reason:
you don’t want anything to distract
the interviewee, you want them to
concentrate solely on the interview.
Whether you use a desk or two chairs
next to each other depends on the
situation. Police will put children or
somebody who has been assaulted in a
comfortable room rather than an office,
and there is an argument that putting
a desk between you is a psychological
barrier. But a more formal setting
also concentrates the interviewee’s
mind, especially useful if you suspect
somebody is a potential offender.
Have ready access to any documents
you might need: training records,
service schedules, emails. You don’t
want to get to a crucial part of the
interview and say you need to go to
find a form – you want the flow of the
interview to continue.
Body language
Put the interviewee at ease, ask if
they want a drink and check they’re
comfortable. Outline what the interview
is about, so they’re as relaxed as possible.
You should make mental notes: what
is their tone of voice like, do they look
you in the eye, are they nervous, are
they shuffling, or are they relaxed and
confident? That gives you a baseline
regarding their normal behaviour.
As you question the interviewee,
watch their reactions. You may find
that someone suddenly won’t look you
in the eye after a particular question.
On its own, that is not an indication of
PHOTOG RAPHY: ISTOCK / SHUTT ERSTOCK
interest to you. So take
COMMON MISTAKES
notes out of sequence.
If the interviewee
Playing the long game says something really
interesting, do nothing,
A classic mistake is to say: know all about it, there’s no
carry on as if you know
‘I know all about this. point me being here, I’m off all about it. Only when
I’ve got all the witnesses, for a cup of tea. they say something totally
you can just come clean.’ Note taking is important, innocuous later, pretend
A frightened person will but it can also be a that’s interesting while
admit it but somebody who giveaway. Scribbling actually writing down
has got all their wits about furiously indicates they notes from the answer
them will say, well, if you are saying something of three questions before.
guarantee there’s something going on, interviewees – that will give them an
but it is a sign of something to follow up. excuse to leave the room and rethink.
Be aware that you might be under
The right length scrutiny in the interview – the
Interviews can go on for as long as interviewee may be trying to steer you
is necessary, but be realistic. You in the direction they want to go. If you
don’t want to stop if you’re almost say, ‘I didn’t know that, tell me more,’
at the crucial point and somebody is you’re showing an area where you
struggling to dodge your questions. have – apparently – little knowledge
But you also have to think ahead. If and they can decide which direction
for some reason an interviewee is later to point you. However, sometimes it
dismissed from their job, they might might suit the investigator’s position
claim that it was an unfair dismissal to feign ignorance to see what the
following an oppressive interview interviewee does. It’s verbal chess.
where they were questioned for five
hours and never let out. Conversation management
So give them a break, but try not to
let them go for a walkabout where they
can gather their wits. Politely offer them
1 Interviewee stage. The subject tells
their story in their own time and
without interruptions. If they drift off
a coffee or a sandwich in the interview topic, bring them back gently, but let
room and, of course, let them go to the them talk. As they speak, make noises
loo, but keep the impetus going. to indicate you are actively listening
and they should carry on. The more
Dynamics they talk, the more information they
Take it steady, don’t rush in and reveal, so keep them talking.
don’t be overawed. Have only one
interviewer – any more can be 2 Investigator stage. Ask questions
in order to clarify any points that

lying. So look for clusters with two or
three anomalies all happening at the
same time. For example, they are no
longer looking you in the eye, there’s
a significant change in voice, and now
they’re crossing their arms. It’s not a
overpowering and you may end
up working at cross purposes.
I recommend using a softly-softly
approach. Rather than saying the
interviewee isn’t being clear, be
apologetic and say it’s your own fault
but you can’t quite follow. Don’t offend
aren’t clear, but don’t challenge. You’re
just trying to get details, although even
that will give interviewees problems
if they’re lying because liars generally
don’t have very detailed backstories.
But at this stage, you’re just confirming
what’s being said.

IOSH MAGAZINE 57

56-58 Investigative_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 57 16/06/2021 10:15

 ENHA NC E
3 Challenge stage. Does the story hold
up, does it make sense? If so, you say
thank you and take a statement. If not,
move on to the challenge stage.
Politely pointing out where details
don’t match up means the lying
interviewee now has a problem. They’ve
got to try and patch up any cracks with
another lie, that lie has got to fit in with
what they’ve already said, and they’ve
got to do it all while they’re talking to
you. That’s what’s called cognitive load.
The more challenges you put in, the
more they’ve got to lie, and the more
complicated it becomes for them.
Liar psychology
Sometimes untruths could be an honest
mistake by the witness. Normally, people
correct themselves and slightly adjust
what they remember as it all becomes
clearer. One indicator of a liar is that
they can recite the story top to bottom
with no mistakes.
This approach to lying is what I call
linear sequencing. What you need to
do is disrupt the sequence. Ask them
to go through it but don’t start at the
beginning: start in the middle and then
go to the beginning, or the end. Bounce
all over the place asking them questions
because this will send their cognitive
load through the roof.
Another option is to ask them to tell the
story in reverse, starting with the incident
and working backwards. You could
explain that people remember more detail
this way, so you’re not trying to trap them.
But if they’re lying, it will show.
Questions and answers
If the person wants to mislead you, they
will say whatever is convenient. And if
58 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
56-58 Investigative_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 58
T HE RIGHT SKILLS
Interviewing
competencies
Health and safety increasingly
emphasises using the ‘soft’ skills
found in IOSH’s competency
framework, and never are these
more necessary than in accident
investigation
interviews.
However,
the mix of
competencies
involved
in accident
investigations
can sometimes be slightly different
to those required for ‘routine’
management interviews.
For example, while management
interviews are often underpinned
by competencies such as problem
solving, communication and
working with others, effective
accident investigation interviews
will also benefit from skills such
as incident investigation, health
and safety competence, self-
awareness and active listening.
Any competent health and safety
manager should be able to
achieve this – but it requires them
to refocus and be aware of the
potentially unusual circumstances
they may face.
they just want to get the interview over
with, they’ll say whatever they think you
want to hear. So rather than asking ‘Did
you see Fred driving the forklift truck?’
you should ask ‘Did you see who was
driving the forklift truck?’ If they answer
‘Yes’ you should ask ‘If you did, can you
identify them?’ If they answer ‘No’ to the
first question move on to something else.
After the interview, you may need to
take a statement. A common mistake is
to ask the witness to write this. It ends
up being short and leaves out the detail.
During the interview, you should
have covered all the important relevant
details: date, time, setting, where the
witness was, what happened, who was
involved, what injuries there were, who
reacted, what they did, and so on. All
those details must go in the statement.
Seeking specialist help
Most health and safety officers – unless
they’ve done training with the Institute
of Industrial Accident Investigators
– can go slightly adrift with accident
investigations. In the case of a serious
accident – especially one that could lead
to significant legal proceedings – it could
be worth bringing in a health and safety
accident investigation specialist.
In the case of interviews, outside
specialists also have no prior history
with anybody involved. They are simply
there to independently find out what
happened. This, after all, is the whole
point of the investigation.
To read the full interview, go to
ioshmagazine.com/andy-farrall/
accident-investigation and for a review of
Andy’s book on the subject by IOSH’s head of
advice and practice Duncan Spencer CFIOSH,
visit ioshmagazine.com/book-review/
investigative-interviewing. For more on
Andy, visit managementandsafety.co.uk
16/06/2021 10:15
 Modern occupational
safety and health
professionals need to have
an understanding of how
their knowledge applies in
a business context

Our Level 3 Certificate in Safety and Health for

Business will equip you with everything you need
to start your career on the right foot.

Let your career take off!

Visit iosh.com/safetyandhealthforbusiness
*Available as e-learning

p59.IOSH_JulAug21.indd 59 16/06/2021 11:38

 ENHA NC E

T
oday, OSH professionals need
far more than technical expertise
and safety knowledge. But which
capabilities and attributes are
crucial to work successfully on mega
construction projects, to move them
forward from conception to completion,
and from policy to practice?

Tideway project
The Tideway tunnel is a £4bn construction
project under the River Thames in London.
The seven-metre-diameter [22.97ft],
25km-long [15.5mi] sewer will prevent
millions of tonnes of raw sewage spilling
into the river every year, and is being built
by three joint ventures (representing eight
major construction companies) and their
complex supply chains. The project began
in 2016, with tunnelling starting two years
later. Completion is due in 2025.
Construction is a challenging sector for
OSH because of the project-based nature
of the work, and a culture driven by tight
deadlines and low profits (typically about
2%). There is an onus on high-visibility
projects such as Tideway to demonstrate 20
MINS
the highest standards of OSH.
Between 2016 and 2019, Loughborough
University, part-funded by IOSH, worked

TOO BIG
alongside Tideway to understand how
OSH practices unfold on mega projects.
As researchers interviewed key individuals
and observed meetings, a frequent topic
of discussion was the required skills,
capabilities and even personalities

TO FAIL
exhibited by OSH professionals. It
was clear that their roles could differ
substantially from other parts of the
sector in terms of job scope and scale,
with added challenges arising from the
size of the OSH team and the complexity
of the mega project delivery model.
Alistair Gibb, Wendy Jones and Eleanor
From ‘visionary’ to ‘delivery’ Harvey discuss moving mega construction
A key finding from the research was the way
in which OSH leadership changes as a mega
projects forward – what knowledge and
project moves forward. Common qualities skills do OSH professionals need?
were ascribed to those leading OSH at all
stages of the project, including being able

60 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM

60 Tideway_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 60 16/06/2021 10:17

 MEGA PROJECTS

focusing on policy and

procedures; and the ‘OSH
doers’, who came later,
who were more pragmatic
and collaborative.
‘Maybe it’s why I only
ever get involved in a job
when it gets into construction
because I am not the type
of person that wants to be
at pre-construction, writing
works information and
pushing paper around,’
one said.
‘Within a year those
same people move onto
MANY CHARACTERISTICS another job, because they’re
not delivery-focused, they’re not on the
ARE IMPORTANT AT ground when we need to get it done now

ALL PHASES OF A rather than talk about it… when it gets to

delivery it’s a different set of characters,’
MEGA PROJECT: BEING said another.
Despite these distinctions, many
PERSUASIVE, FLEXIBLE, characteristics are important at all phases

ABLE TO ENGENDER of a mega project: being persuasive, flexible,

TRUST AND INNOVATIVE
to delegate and being business-minded.
Beyond this, there were distinctions drawn
as interviewees described a shift from a
need to be strategic and visionary to the
importance of being delivery-focused.
Leaders in the early stages, according to
interviewees, considered the legacy of the
project right from the start: they had to
be ambitious, creative, risk-taking – even
eccentric. They also needed to sell their
ideas to others. This creative approach
enabled bold innovation on Tideway, in line
with the expectation that the project should
be ‘transformational’ and drive change in
the whole sector. An example of this is the
introduction of EPIC, a one-day, actor-led
PHOTOG RAPHY: TIDEWAY
‘Without him [a senior OSH leader] and
his drive, this would not have happened,’
one of those involved said. ‘We touted this
idea out to other people… and they said no.
And when he heard us, he said yes.’
For those leading OSH later, as
construction got under way, interviewees
described different characteristics. Good
leaders at this stage were described as
confident, focused, authoritative and
disciplined. It was also important that they
could defend and support the OSH team,
and be optimistic and collaborative.
Change over time was also reported
for OSH professionals in other roles on
the project. Many interviewees drew a
able to engender trust and innovative: one
interviewee talked about the importance
of being able to ‘spin many plates’.
It is also important that the distinction
between different phases is not taken as
absolute, otherwise there is a risk that the
‘planners’ will never stay on a project long
enough to see the impact of their decisions
– and the ‘doers’ will miss opportunities to
drive good policies and practices, based on
what they have learned.
Technical scope
Regardless of the stage of the project,
a high level of expert OSH knowledge
is needed for those working on mega
projects due to the breadth of activities and
innovative techniques and designs. This
could include oversight of topics outside
of OSH: interviewees on Tideway described

induction event for everyone working on distinction between the ‘OSH planners’, how their role at different times had
the project, where delegates are exposed who were best suited to the early stages encompassed security, quality, facilities,
to a ‘real-life’ scenario involving a fatal of the project, doing the preparation and onboarding and environment.
accident on a construction site. groundwork in an office environment, Specific hazards arising from the nature

IOSH MAGAZINE 61

60 Tideway_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 61 16/06/2021 10:17

 This Meter
Measures Noise.
Simply. No fuss.
Just our easy to use software
for compliant reports and our
amazing personal service.

Contact us to find out how we can

simply help you.
sales@pulsarinstruments.com +44 (0)1723 339715

www.pulsarinstruments.com

p62.IOSH_JulAug21.indd
Pulsar FP.indd 1 62 16/06/2021 12:31
04/06/2021 11:39

of the project included tunnelling and the
interface with the marine environment.
OSH professionals were mostly allocated
by location rather than by specialism,
and had to become knowledgeable about
these in addition to dealing with the more
common OSH construction hazards such
as fire safety, working from height and the
use of heavy lifting equipment.
Tunnelling brings with it many health
hazards – silica dust from sprayed
concrete in tunnel linings, diesel fumes
from the use of locomotives underground,
and noise exposures from the use of heavy
machinery, often in confined areas.
As the management of health hazards
in construction has generally lagged
behind those of safety, not all OSH
professionals have high expertise in
these areas, and work on Tideway
pushed the boundaries of their technical
knowledge. These included a requirement
for shift workers in tunnels to work for
no longer than 10 hours a day, and the
use of management tools such as the
health impact frequency rate to drive
improved health management practices.
Many adopted this new learning
enthusiastically, but also acknowledged
their limited expertise and benefited from
working alongside occupational hygienists
and occupational health advisers embedded
on the project.
‘We have hygienists looking at the
hand-arm vibration syndrome monitoring
regime or the noise levels, or the noise
protection zones, or the dust management.
Traditionally in construction, the health
60 Tideway_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 63
and safety guys
probably wouldn’t
really know a great
deal about it,’ one
contributor said.
Developing this knowledge and
cascading it to the wider construction
sector is an important priority in the
same way that good safety practices have
‘trickled down’ from flagship projects
to small- and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) in the past 10 to 20 years.
Interventions on Tideway and other
major projects to support development
of good occupational health practices in
the supply chain (for example, through
the use of occupational health maturity
matrices) are helping with this, but an
increased health content in industry OSH
courses might also be a useful approach.
RESOURCES
Hugh Maxwell on reframing
your vision with the
competency framework:
bit.ly/iosh-reframing-your-vision
Tideway: ‘On the tools’ article:
ioshmagazine.com/tideway-tools
Journal paper on ‘Raising the
bar for occupational health
management in construction’:
bit.ly/raising-the-bar-in-construction
MEGA PROJECTS
The new
OSH role
The size and scope
of Tideway meant
that many OSH
professionals were
working in strategic
roles, and had to
step back from
the details. Many
also had roles that
focused largely on
assurance: setting
OSH standards for others to follow and
assessing them. Practitioners employed by
Tideway ensured that the joint ventures
were working safely; those employed by
the joint ventures oversaw the practices
of the SMEs in their supply chain. Some
found this less hands-on role more
difficult. It will be a new working style
for those who are used to being responsible
for implementing good OSH practices.
‘I have to be a bit harder. It doesn’t feel
natural for me personally, because I’m a
helpful guy, but in this role I’m Tideway
and we’re absolutely assurance,’ one
respondent said.
However, there was also recognition of
the positive impact that could be achieved
when an OSH professional was skilled in
this assurance role: ‘He works with us and
he is trying to both push us to improve, but
at the same time understand the blockers
and deal with them.’
OSH management on mega projects
can involve unfamiliar commercial tasks.
On Tideway, many central functions
such as security, occupational health
provision and some training services were
contracted out, so that specifying and
overseeing contracts was the responsibility
of OSH professionals. Procuring new
PPE and workwear was a particular
challenge, having to balance health and
safety factors (such as conspicuity and
thermal comfort), diversity (designs were
IOSH MAGAZINE 63
16/06/2021 10:17
 ENHA NC E
developed to fit women as well as men, and
included adaptations for Muslim women)
and company brand, with Tideway’s
visual identity. The participation of OSH
professionals in purchasing decisions
is critical, but they are often either not
included or not adequately skilled. It is
important that practitioners have the skills
to get involved in procurement, including
learning the language to influence others
involved in the decision-making.
Interact, engage, deliver
Many interviewees talked about the
importance of communicating effectively.
They spoke most enthusiastically about
engaging with and influencing frontline
workers. They were keen to use their skills
on-site, conducting briefings and training
sessions, and also to create opportunities
to gather the views of the workforce.
It was also identified that not all OSH
professionals are expert in these areas.
‘The confidence and the ability to
engage… if you haven’t got that you are
going to lose people in places during the
induction. You have to have that ability to
interact, deliver and present to a workforce
and keep them engaged,’ one said.
These skills, while important for all
OSH professionals, are perhaps even more
critical in construction where there are
short timeframes, rapid turnover of the
workforce, and pockets of resistance to
good OSH practice from those who hold
onto an image of the sector as ‘macho’ and
dangerous. Some
found it frustrating
that they had less
direct involvement THE BEST OUTCOMES
with the workforce
than in the past,
ARE FROM DIVERSITY: A
and emphasised MIX OF PERSONALITIES,
the importance
of keeping their SKILLS AND EXPERTISE...
visibility and
relationships on-
THE RIGHT PEOPLE ARE
site, even if their IN THE RIGHT ROLE AT
core duties
lay elsewhere. THE RIGHT TIME
64 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
60 Tideway_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 64
The complexity of the delivery model
meant that communication with peers
was also key. Forty or more OSH
professionals could be working on the
project at any one time, in the central
offices or on-site, as OSH generalists or
specialists. Collaboration and relationship
building were therefore essential.
‘I think [the three of us] work as kind
of one function, we’re a support function.
Obviously we have different employment
lines, but we’re working for the good of the
project. And it’s whether the project teams
choose to take that advice or not,’ one
interviewee said.
The importance of influencing those
outside of OSH was recognised by one or
two, but was not as widely mentioned as
working with peers or engaging with the
workforce, suggesting that there may be
a bigger skills
gap in this area.
One interviewee
commented: ‘You
see with main
companies they
do leadership
programmes and
give it to project
managers. I say:
“Why are you not
upskilling the
health and safety
professionals?”
Because if they
have assertive and
influencing skills, they
will be able to influence
the procurement,
they’ll be able to
influence the directors.
Without those skills,
what’s the point?’
The benefits
of diversity
A great advantage
of mega projects is
the scope for a team
approach. There are
many opportunities to learn from others
and see good practice in the planning and
in action. The best outcomes are from
diversity: a mix of personalities, skills
and expertise, ensuring that the right
people are in the right role at the right
time. OSH professionals on Tideway came
from a range of backgrounds: those who
had come ‘from the tools’, with excellent
practical knowledge and credibility
with the workforce; new graduates,
with good flexibility, willingness to
learn and high ambition; and ex-military,
with experience of organising, leading
and influencing.
Nevertheless, this research has
highlighted some areas where OSH
professionals may need training to
be most effective in these roles.
Technical knowledge will remain
important, and increased knowledge
of health hazard management is
critical for many. However, this is
of little value without the broader
skills to support it. To be effective,
OSH professionals must engage
and influence the workforce, and
speak the language of the business.
Alistair Gibb is a professor of construction
engineering management at Loughborough
University. Wendy Jones and Eleanor
Harvey are both research associates at
Loughborough University.
16/06/2021 10:17
 RE C RU IT MEN T

SAFETY, HEALTH AND WELLBEING IN THE WORLD OF WORK

Strategic Health and Safety Business Partner

Salary: £60-£70K + Excellent pension as well as offering a true
worklife balance
OFFICIAL
MAGAZINE OF Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
Job ID: 32906

Would you like to be a part of the historical change happening

in Jersey? In 2018 the Government set out a long-term vision
to modernise and improve the Islands public services. The ‘One
Government’ reform aims to improve the quality, efficiency,
44,000+ effectiveness and value for money for islanders.
AUDIENCE This is a new and strategic role that sits at the heart of government,
it requires an experienced and inspirational person to lead the
corporate Health and Safety assurance team as they embark on a
multiyear improvement programme across the organisation.
This is an exciting role for a natural collaborator who has significant
experience in H&S. The launch of the new H&S strategy, policy

ADVERTISE WITH IOSH MAGAZINE and action plan provides a great opportunity to influence how this
is delivered, ensuring they minimise risk and exceed their legal
obligations.

GET YOUR ORGANISATION NOTICED, This is a strategic role overseeing auditing and assurance and
continuing the development of their strategies and management
RAISE YOUR PROFILE systems.

AND EXTEND YOUR REACH To apply, please visit:

www.ioshjobs.com/job/5449425/strategic-health-and-safety-
T E L : +44 (0) 20 7880 7613 E M A I L : IOSH-display@redactive.co.uk business-partner-/

p65.IOSH_JulAug21.indd 65 16/06/2021 12:21

 ENHA NC E
10
MINS
INTERVIEW MATT LAMY
Chartered Member James Carter explains
how the IOSH competency framework has
helped him navigate the fast-paced world of
retail safety during the pandemic.
REMOVING
THE BLINKERS
J
ames Carter CMIOSH’s LinkedIn
page reads like a who’s who of UK
supermarket brands, with stints at
the Co-op, Asda and most recently
Marks & Spencer. But looking back, he
is well aware of just what he didn’t know
when he started.
‘When I began my career, I was
really focused on the technical aspects,’
James says. ‘I was always focused on
chasing the next qualification. But,
actually, all the other areas around the
core and behavioural competencies are
equally important.
‘So it’s interesting to reflect on where
I’ve been and what I’ve done. This job
is all about how people see and work
alongside risk. Some people can tolerate
risk, others are averse. For me, it’s a
question of understanding why that is.’
Collaboration is key
The question of risk perception has never
been more apparent than over the last
year as we have all had to readdress our
personal approach to health and safety
in light of COVID-19. But for James, the
professional challenges were clear.
66 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
66-67 Comp framework_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 66
‘The leadership and management core
competencies are important, too. How you
act and behave is crucial to how you get the
people around you to buy into the process.
As a safety lead, you can’t deliver your
strategy on your own – you need full buy-in
across the entire business. When eyes aren’t
on them, are they going along with what
we expect?’
Different strokes
James moved to Marks & Spencer in
November 2020 to become its network
health and safety manager in clothing
and home logistics. Immediately after his
arrival, he turned to the IOSH competency
framework to help find his feet.
‘In a new role, you can use the
competency framework to assess where
the business is and work with it. I have
come to understand where we are and
‘The priority for me has been keeping what the strategy is for us as both a
colleagues and customers safe,’ he business and as a specific site. I wanted
says. ‘A large part of that has been to know what the business wants to
keeping up to speed with guidance
and collaborating with both internal
stakeholders and external agencies. You
also need to stay attuned to the public’s
understanding. You can very quickly
be left behind, and that’s when risk
develops, so you have to make sure that
safety always remains part and parcel of
the plan and on the agenda. Part of that
comes with being consulted, and in turn
consulting others along the journey.’
For James, the key competencies
required to fulfil his job during this
period have been the behavioural
competency of collaboration and the
core competencies of stakeholder
management and strategy development.
‘Strategy is absolutely crucial to
me – I’m a big believer in building the
plan and making sure it’s fair,’ he says.
‘You must have a clear idea of how we
can develop and move forward, and
understand who we want to tie into our
journey, and make sure that everyone is
fully aware of the expectations involved.’
17/06/2021 12:49

achieve, not just in terms of safety-related
performance but in business-related
performance too.’
Such a challenge isn’t entirely new for
him. Even within a single business, James
has seen how strategy and the competencies
I O S H C OM PETENCY
FRAMEWORK
The IOSH competency framework
has been designed to help OSH
professionals build capability and
keep pace with rapid change
in the workplace. It’s a useful
reference tool for recruiting and
developing individuals or a team.
To find out more, visit iosh.com/
PHOTOGRAPHY: ISTOCK
my-iosh/competency-framework
66-67 Comp framework_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 67
required to achieve it can vary from
department to department.
‘The Midcounties Co-op was a very broad
business, including retail, childcare and
funeralcare,’ he says. ‘Across those different
areas, people’s opinion of safety can differ
significantly. In childcare, the whole business
is risk averse because of child protection
requirements. But in funeralcare and
masonry sites, they saw risk differently. By
using the competency framework, I could
understand the factors that underpin all of
that, and how people understand the message
differently in different sectors, so stakeholder
management was key.
‘One thing I’m always mindful of as a safety
professional is, when I’m walking through an
operation, I have to put my safety lens to the
back of my mind and understand what the
operation looks like from the perspective of
the operators involved. It’s the same in return
– operators will look at an operation with
the focus on the operation itself. I have to
work with them to remove those blinkers
and ensure they keep the safety perspective
in mind alongside the operation.
‘Even in the fast-paced world of retail, it’s
all to do with how you talk about safety. Safety
isn’t a stick to beat
people with. Safety is a
value. If you operate
a business that is
safe and people
buy into that and
understand that,
then you are going to
thrive. We shouldn’t
be standing on
a podium and
dictating; we
should listen
and help people
engage so that
everybody is
involved in
the process.’
COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK
JAMES’S ADVICE
‘Don’t be
daunted’
While James firmly believes
the IOSH competency framework
has had a hugely positive effect
on his career, he’s also aware
that young safety professionals
who look at all 69 competencies
could be overawed. ‘I’ve never
been shy to try to understand
where I am on that journey, and
there are certain aspects I’d like
to address.
‘One of the draws into
my new role is the focus on
sustainability and making
sure things are progressing
as they should
be, especially
in the case of
human capital
considerations.’
James has one
message: don’t
be daunted. ‘Take
a step back and
look through all the areas of
the competency framework
– the technical, core and
behavioural competencies –
then break them down and
think about where your focus
is going to be. That will help to
support your own professional
performance and also help you
to progress in your own areas
of development.
‘Addressing the competency
framework can’t be done in five
minutes – you need to invest
some time to get the most out
of it. Read through it and use
it as a tool for guidance. It’s a
document that won’t only make
you successful in safety – it’ll also
make you successful in business.’
IOSH MAGAZINE 67
16/06/2021 10:18
 ENHA NC E
FLYING
HIGH
Achieving Chartered status
during maternity leave was just
one among many impressive
achievements for Karen Godfrey
– safety, health and environment
manager at Morgan Sindall
Construction (Yorkshire and
North East).
INTERVIEW JOCELYN DORRELL
68 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
68-67 Member interview_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 68
A
passionate advocate for raising
female representation in her
profession and industry – she’s
an IOSH mentor and a member
of the Women in Health and Safety Group
– Karen’s CV includes some impressive
achievements. Not only did she gain IOSH
Chartered status while on maternity leave
with her first child in 2012, but in 2018
she was named Best Woman in Health
and Safety at the Women in Construction
and Engineering Awards, a pivotal moment
for her professionally and personally.
‘I was completely shocked when I won,’
she recalls. ‘It was a complete game changer
for me, a real watershed. In my opinion,
women often aren’t good at shouting about
what they’ve done, but pulling together the
submission for the award made me realise
that actually I’d achieved a lot. I’m now
much more likely to put myself forward
and try things I’m uncertain about.’
It’s this confidence that Karen hopes to
nurture in women entering the profession,
alongside her belief that health and safety
professionals should be strategic enablers,
working within senior management teams
rather than alongside them.
Strategic skills
It was a module on the Health and Safety
at Work Act in Karen’s master’s degree in
management and business law that sparked
her interest in health and safety. She
wrote her dissertation on corporate killing
legislation – specifically its effects on the
construction and rail industries – which
helped secure her first job: a graduate
health and safety role at Balfour Beatty
Rail. She has since worked for a number
of tier 1 contractors, including Mansell
Construction Services, as a safety, health
environment and quality (SHEQ) adviser,
manager and auditor.
‘The first project I worked on was
Heathrow Terminal 5, so I couldn’t have
asked for a better start!’ she says. ‘But with
a project so large, you couldn’t see the real
impact you were having. I moved to the rail
industry, but it is so highly regulated that
16/06/2021 10:19

I didn’t feel I could influence things as
much as I wanted, so I moved back into
construction. It was a risk, but it worked
out really well.’
Gaining experience in SHEQ across
national and regional projects has been
important in building a career, she says,
adding that the skills OSH professionals
develop are easily transferable to a variety
of roles and disciplines.
‘This is why the IOSH competency
framework is a breath of fresh air. It’s
rounded: it talks about wider skills on a
strategic level, because as safety and health
professionals we should be strategic.’
Communication, communication,
communication
While Karen’s career path may be a less
well-trodden one for women, she has
had ‘no negative experiences or
discrimination whatsoever’ in a
male-dominated environment.
‘I’ve never had a problem getting my
voice heard. The key thing is how you
communicate with people. As long as
you’re speaking on the same level as
the person in front of you, there isn’t a
problem. Possibly I’ve been lucky, but
you have to be a certain sort of character
to want to work in construction. It’s not
for everyone, female or male.’
Karen is keen to see more women
joining both the OSH profession and the
construction industry – and not just in
the more traditional HR or admin roles.
‘What’s clear is that behavioural safety
C H A RT ERED MEMBERSH I P
OF IOSH
If you need advice about Chartered
membership or changing membership
categories, call 0116 257 2198 or
email the IOSH membership team at
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY
professional.development@iosh.com
68-67 Member interview_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 69
MEMBER INTERVIEW KAREN GODFREY
KAREN ’S T I PS
BEHAVIOURAL SAFETY
IS BECOMING MORE For gaining
IMPORTANT: PEOPLE Chartered
ARE MORE TUNED INTO status
THE IMPORTANCE OF Set yourself a deadline
Reach out to your IOSH
COMMUNICATION branch for support
Seek the help of a mentor,
through IOSH or colleagues
Use IOSH resources as much
is becoming more important: people are
as possible
much more tuned into the importance of It can seem daunting but
communication. And construction is great once you’ve started the
for communication: I talk to different sorts process, it gets easier
of people every day.’ Have confidence: if you think
you’re ready, you’re ready!
Women supporting women
Karen cites being named Best Woman in
Health and Safety as one of her proudest APPLYIN G F O R JO B S
achievements, not least because the
nomination for the award came from Karen’s
an area director she worked alongside
who wanted her strategic contribution advice for
to be recognised. women
Another significant achievement was
returning to work after the birth of her Be confident in your skills
first child with Chartered status under Think about how your
her belt. ‘On reflection, it was really broad experience fits the
job specification: you can
important to me to go back to work with
demonstrate skills and
Chartered status. I was quite anxious
experience in lots of
to come back full-time – but having
different ways from work
Chartered status gave me confidence life and general life
and showed commitment.’ The technical aspects of
Karen is now working towards IOSH a job are only one part
Fellowship. As with her Chartered status, of the picture: softer skills
she has put a deadline on it – something are crucial, too
she recommends others do: ‘Make You don’t need to know
someone hold you to account for it! In my everything right now
case, I’m being supported by the Women in – you can learn.
Health and Safety CFIOSH support group,
set up by Lindsay Sedwards.’
In future, Karen is keen to promote
mental health and wellbeing in construction
– she is about to deliver her first training children and a full-time career is the
course as a qualified mental health first aid ‘greatest challenge’, she says, but the
instructor – and to continue to champion key is ‘being present in the moment,
women in health and safety and in resisting guilt about what you’re not
construction. Balancing the needs of three doing, and being kind to yourself.’
IOSH MAGAZINE 69
16/06/2021 10:19
 ENHA NC E
Q&A
SAM SMITH,
BEIERSDORF
Sam Smith CMIOSH explains how his first
career in the fire service prepared him
for a health and safety role looking after
Beiersdorf ’s potentially volatile aerosols
and flammable personal care products.
What prompted you to
move from the fire service
to skincare?
I joined the fire service when I was
19. They were some of the best days
of my life, but I wanted more. I looked
at where else I could use my skills,
and fire safety and health and safety
go together very well.
How has your old role
equipped you for your
current role?
In the fire service, you’re putting
yourself in all sorts of unexpected
70 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
70-71 Future Leader_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 70
and dangerous positions and you have
to make split-second decisions that
can save or cost lives. You have to be
a problem-solver, too.
Empowering people and leadership
is a big part of my job as well. I often
use stories from my time in the fire
service, where I attended industrial
accidents that used similar processes to
my current site. If change is suggested,
there is a tendency for people to say
there’s no need, or the disaster will
never happen, but I can tell people in
a very watered-down way where the
unexpected did happen and how I
17/06/2021 12:49
 FUTURE LEADER SAM SMITH

have experienced it. That has helped
me to influence change.
What is involved in your
current role?
The main part of my role is at
Beiersdorf ’s warehouse in Birmingham,
which is an upper-tier COMAH (Control
of Major Accident Hazards) site because
we store huge amounts of aerosols and
flammable liquids for cosmetic products.
There are tens of millions of cans – 800
tonnes of aerosols and 200 tonnes of
flammable liquids. The primary concern
is risk mitigation of a fire or an explosion
at the site, because that would be a
major incident.
The secondary hazard is workplace
traffic. We have external traffic with
heavy goods vehicles in the yard, and
internal traffic with maybe 25 forklift
trucks driving around the place at any
one time. We’ve had to further open up
areas and work on behavioural training
so that staff give at least a couple of
metres [6.56ft] between forklifts.
And then there’s the combination of
the two dangers. The biggest single risk
of a fire at our site is an aerosol can being
run over by a forklift truck. It only needs
one can to fall off a pallet and a truck to
drive over it, and that can be the ignition
source that begins the chain reaction.
What challenges do you
face daily and how do
you overcome them?
The biggest issues are behavioural
challenges and a reluctance to change.
People might have worked in a job all
their adult lives, and to have someone
come in who is as young as their
children, telling them how to drive
a forklift or telling them how to do
PHOTOG RAPHY: G ETTY / ALAMY
The biggest thing I’ve learnt is to
involve people in change. Even if I know
what I need to achieve, I will involve the
operators and ask them how they think
this will work, and how we can make it
better. At that point they will happily
change things.
TOP TAKEAWAYS
You are also currently in your
final year of study for a BEng What is your
in fire safety engineering
– how do you manage studying
best piece
and working full-time? of advice
It’s extremely tricky. Not only is the
subject matter very, very technical and
for people
mathematical, but the work/life balance starting their
is hard. I thought doing the degree
would mean just going to university
OSH careers?
for eight weeks a year, but it’s almost
like having a second full-time job. Don’t try to take on too much.
1 When I go on LinkedIn, I get the
Why did you choose hazardous impression that many people are
taking on too much: they might be
substances and fire safety
studying for four qualifications at
– both among the more high-
once, for example. You need to learn
risk areas of OSH – as your
things in manageable chunks and
professional interests? then apply them to real-life scenarios
I just have a love for all things fire – I’m if you can.
obsessed with it, and my friends and
Don’t rush things. I was lucky that
family laugh at me about it all the time. 2 I could become a Chartered safety
I never switch off from it. I thought I
practitioner at 27 but you’ve got
knew a lot about explosions and fire
to be careful not to beat yourself
behaviour from my time in the fire up if you’re not at the level you
service, but when I started this degree want to be at yet. Take it slowly,
I realised I knew nothing. We’re down understand what you learn and apply
to looking at the molecular structure of it practically if you can – until you
flames and smoke. There have been a lot do something in real life, you don’t
of disasters across the world, and I would know how it works properly.
like to be able to contribute to preventing
them in future.
What does the future hold for
Future Leaders in OSH?
We’re going to need to adapt to change have to spend a long time understanding
in terms of technology, robotics and how these things work as they become

something, a lot of them think: ‘Well,
what do you know? I’ve being doing
this job longer than you’ve been alive
and I’m okay.’
artificial intelligence. On one hand,
we’re making the workplace safer, but
on the other, a robot can come along
and just pick someone up and send
them across the warehouse without
even thinking about it. So we’re going to
more advanced.
Read more about Sam’s experiences
online – the full interview is on the IOSH
magazine website. Go to ioshmagazine.com/
future-leader-sam-smith

IOSH MAGAZINE 71

70-71 Future Leader_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 71 17/06/2021 12:50

 ENHA NC E
1
Define it
Drawing on the GB Health and
available to download
Safety Executive’s definition,
IOSH defines work at height as
follows: Working in any place
where a person could fall a
distance liable to cause personal
injury. This can be above or below
ground level. Work at height also
covers places where objects could be
dropped onto and injure a person
(or persons) below.
Examples include working:
On a flat roof
From a ladder
Near or adjacent to
fragile materials
At ground level, adjacent
to an open excavation
From scaffolding
From access equipment
Anywhere else where there
is a risk of falling.
2
Identify
physical hazards
The main hazards in working
at height are either workers
or objects falling from height.
Identifying these hazards is key
to correctly assessing the risks of
working at height. There are many
causes of these hazards, including:
Unsafe, faulty or poor design
of access equipment, including
harnesses and lanyards
Unprotected edges of roofs
and services, including fragile
roofs, unprotected openings
and excavations
Siting of access equipment: for
example, unstable surfaces and
covers of sewer access points not
able to support the weight of
access equipment
Weather conditions that relate
to hazards, such as lightning
(to which people working at
72 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
72-73 Back to Basics_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 72
The full introductory
guide to working height can be more exposed), or that
at height will be contribute to a person or objects
from iosh.com later falling from height
this year Thermal effects: for example,
embrittlement of metal ladders
in very cold weather
Unintended use of access equipment
Carrying or moving heavy
loads at height
Zoonoses and animal interaction
Geological activity: earthquakes,
landslides, floods
Interaction with other machinery
Workplace transport
Poor planning and organising of
work-at-height activities
Not providing a safe system of work
and ensuring it is followed.
3
Identify
BACK TO BASICS personal hazards
These include:
Workers’ attitudes and behaviours
STEP
Medical conditions and disabilities
Young workers
Lone workers
Workers with insufficient or
inadequate information, training,
BY
instruction or supervision.
4
Conduct risk assessment
As with any risk assessment, those
for working at height are usually
STEP
undertaken using this five-step process:
1 Identify the hazards
2 Who can be harmed and how?
In a new series
exploring core OSH 3 Assess the risk
topics and your
Decide on what controls are
role in ensuring 4 needed. Reassess the risks
their risks are well
Record significant findings,
managed, we look at 5 communicate them and review
working at height. assessment as necessary
16/06/2021 10:20
 BACK TO BASICS

Risk rating

Stop
Hazards can be identified by 5 5 10 15 20 25 20-25 Stop activity and take
workplace inspections or by methods immediate action
such as ‘what if ’ or task analysis. Urgent action
Any existing control measures Take immediate action and
4 4 8 12 16 20 15-16
should be considered. Risk stop activity if necessary. Maintain
existing controls rigorously
assessments can be either qualitative
Action
(an educated opinion) or quantitative Increasing consequences 3 3 6 9 12 15 8-12
Improve within specified timescale
(using measurement and calculations).
Monitor
A risk assessment can be used to 2 2 4 6 8 10 3-6 Look to improve at next review
estimate the impact of the risk, based or if there is significant change
on its likelihood and consequence No action
(risk = likelihood × consequence). An 1 1 2 3 4 5 1-2 No further action, but ensure controls
example is shown below. are maintained and reviewed
1 2 3 4 5

Increasing likelihood

Risk assessments are recorded on templates like this

What is the Who might be Existing risk Risk rating Additional New risk rating
hazard? harmed and how? control measures controls (residual risk)

5
Implement controls The selection of work equipment linked to the hierarchy of control
Once work-at-height hazards
are identified and assessed,
they need to be eliminated or
controlled. Good practice within
ELIMINATE Eliminate the height hazard by avoiding work at
height if you can. If you don’t need to go up there,
don’t! For example, by assembly at ground level.
OSH is to use a hierarchy of control
(HOC) to choose the appropriate Work equipment Group control measures Personal control measures
control measures for each hazard.
Edge protection systems,
Desirable

HOC is a method of prioritising Total restraint system,

barriers, scaffolding,
controls to reduce risks – from most single-user MEWP, platform
Isolates the height guardrails, multi-user
(podium) ladder,
effective to least (this might be a hazard Mobile Elevating Work
mobile guarding system,
Platform (MEWP),
result of a risk-cost analysis). man cages
safety mesh
The diagram to the right,
from Workplace New Zealand,
Minimises height and Work positioning systems,
highlights the different control Safety nets at high level,
the consequence of the industrial rope access,
remote soft landing system
measures for working at height, height hazard fail arrest system
linked to the corresponding
hierarchy of control category.
Minimises the Safety nets at low level
Life jackets,
consequence of the (<6m [19.69ft]), remote
Undesirable

For training courses on risk inflating air suits

height hazard soft landing systems
assessment, go to iosh.com/
managingsafely and iosh.com/
managingoccupationalhealth Minimises through Trestles, hop-up Ladders,
management controls trestles, platforms stepladders, stilts
andwellbeing

IOSH MAGAZINE 73

72-73 Back to Basics_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 73 16/06/2021 10:20

 TA LK I NG S H O P HUMAN CAPITAL

EMMA LARKINS CMIOSH SAMANTHA MEPHAM CMIOSH

Consultant and tutor, The Bradley Group Partner, health and safety, Rider Levett Bucknall
Investing in people through Without human capital, businesses are unlikely
training, mentoring and support to be sustainable. As OSH’s fundamental priority
will help the UN achieve its SDGs is to protect people, its interest is understandable
of good health and wellbeing, quality but the use of human capital to create a better
education, and decent work and economic future goes beyond those attempting to keep
growth. Knowing more about OSH risks, people healthy, safe and well. Businesses need
and developing good risk-aware habits, to consider it holistically and encourage buy-
could help businesses achieve higher in from all: the board driving collaborative
standards of health and safety. This will strategies, human resources investing
improve productivity because they will be in training, internal sustainability
driven more by consensus than demand. teams using their knowledge to
Everyone has a role to play in translating educate, and procurement ensuring
this within our business, from having suppliers apply the same
more open and challenging principles within their

PLAYING
conversations between the own workforce. We all
professional staff to giving have our part to play in the
more knowledge and help protection of our people and
to support staff. our planet.

OUR PART
Four industry leaders explain the
JOHN OSH human capital implications AMY
MCNAMEE for business set out in the UN’s
Sustainable Development
GOLDSBROUGH
CMIOSH CMIOSH
Co-founder and principal Goals (SDGs). Regional health and safety
consultant at Ravensdale Health, manager (North West), Unite Students
Safety & Wellbeing Within the SDGs, wellbeing stands
As many industries and businesses are rarely out as it’s such a large part of our industry
proactive in adopting long-term undefined strategies now, particularly considering our experiences
such as the UN’s SDGs, many organisations will tick the in 2020. Ensuring our teams and colleagues are
boxes that clients require. As industry is often reliant on coping has become part of our daily check-ins with
legislation, insurance requirements or media focus to drive each other. The benefits of this are felt throughout
change, recent events have demonstrated that, in times the business, and key collaboration colleagues
of real crisis, society and industry rely upon the goodwill would include finance, HR and operations.
and compassion of many people. Senior leadership teams, HR would be particularly beneficial in
particularly HR and business development departments, the creation and roll-out of inclusive
will need to define, develop and clearly communicate the wellbeing programmes that go beyond
organisation’s direction, while also investing to cultivate standalone initiatives.
the economic and social value their people bring.

How have you translated the OSH perspective of human capital in the
HAVE YOUR SAY… UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for your business? Let us know. TWE E T: @ I O S Hma ga zi n e

74 JULY/AUGUST 2021 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM

74 Talking Shop_July-August 2021_IOSH.indd 74 16/06/2021 10:20

 'XVWDQG1RLVH0RQLWRULQJ6ROXWLRQV
$LU6DPSOLQJ3XPSV 1RLVH'RVLPHWHUV

‡ +LJK0HGLXP /RZ)ORZSXPSV ‡ 'HGLFDWHGVRIWZDUHIRUGDWD

DQDO\VLVPRQLWRULQJDQGUHSRUWLQJ
‡ :LUHOHVVGDWDWUDQVPLVVLRQ
‡ 6LPXOWDQHRXVO\PHDVXUHVDOO
‡ 6LPSOHWRRSHUDWH  ZRUNSODFHSDUDPHWHUV

‡ ,3UXJJHGGHVLJQV
‡ ,QWULQVLFDOO\VDIH

‡ 5HPRWHRSHUDWLRQ FRQWURO
‡

0RWLRQVHQVRUWRYDOLGDWH
PHDVXUHPHQWV

6RXQG/HYHO0HWHU
‡ 0HDVXUHVRFFXSDWLRQDODQGHQYLURQPHQWDOSDUDPHWHUV

‡ 6LPSOHRSHUDWLRQ

‡ $XGLRUHFRUGLQJ

‡ )UHTXHQF\DQDO\VLV

‡ 7LPHKLVWRU\VWRUDJHZLWKODUJHPHPRU\

5HJHQW+RXVH:ROVHOH\5RDG.HPSVWRQ%HGIRUG0.-<8.
7 
( LQIR#FDVHOODVROXWLRQVFRP
FDVHOODVROXWLRQVFRP

p75.IOSH_JulAug21.indd
Casella FP.indd 1 75 16/06/2021 17:33
10/06/2021 11:56
 THE UK’S FLAGSHIP
EVENT FOR
HEALTH & SAFETY
1000+ PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS
LIVE DEMOS & WORKSHOPS
CPD ACCREDITED CONTENT

ONE PASS, SIX EVENTS

REGISTER FOR YOUR FREE TICKET WWW.HEALTHANDSAFETYEVENT.CO.UK

OFFICIAL MEDIA PARTNER: CO-LOCATED WITH

H&S Event 2021 210x270mm.indd

p76.IOSH_JulAug21.indd 76 1 4/8/21 9:59
16/06/2021 AM
12:09