Safety Tours and Inspections

Health & Safety Office Ron Knuszka

www.swansea.ac.uk
Safety Officer
 Objectives

¾ To be able to apply University Procedure

¾ To understand the difference between Safety
Tours and Safety inspections
¾ To understand the methodologies for hazard
identification and associated Risk Assessment
¾ To be able to identify Hazards and recommend
appropriate remedial action (controls)

Health & Safety Office

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 Content
ƒ Why do it?
ƒ What is the difference between a Safety Tour
and a Safety Inspection?
ƒ What are our Procedures?
ƒ Hazards Identification (Practical)
ƒ Assessment of Risk
ƒ Identification of Control Measures

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 Why do it?

3 main reasons why:

ƒ To identify failings in the health
& safety management systems
ƒ To identify non-compliance
ƒ To improve performance

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 Two methods to manage H & S

1. Proactive
• Risk based approached
• Seek out hazards
• Observe non-compliance
• Eliminate these BEFORE they occur

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 Two methods to manage H & S (continued)

2. REACTIVE
Use collected data to learn from
mistakes and prevent recurrence
e.g. accidents / ill-health statistics

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 Hazard and Risk

¾ Hazard : something with the potential to cause harm

¾ Risk : the result of harm being realised

Risk Assessment:
- quantified by the Likelihood X Severity
(Ref: Workbook - Risk Assessment Matrix)

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 Hazard and Risk Spotting Exercise - Practical

WORKSHOP
1. On the worksheet provided identify and list 10 hazards that
you can spot.
2. Using the risk rating matrix / table provided ‘score’ each of
the hazards.
3. Alongside each of the hazards that you have identified briefly
describe the control measures required to reduce or eliminate
the risk to a manageable / acceptable (safer) level.

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 Hazard & Risk

Health & Safety Office

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 Hazard and Risk Spotting Exercise - Practical

OFFICE
1. On the worksheet provided identify and list 10 hazards that
you can spot.
2. Using the risk rating matrix / table provided ‘score’ each of
the hazards.
3. Alongside each of the hazards that you have identified briefly
describe the control measures required to reduce or eliminate
the risk to a manageable / acceptable (safer) level.

Health & Safety Office

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Health & Safety Office
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 Practical Revisited - What hazards did we see?
¾ Workplace: Floors, walls, ceilings, housekeeping
¾ Fire: blocked exits, wedged open fire doors,
¾ Working At Height: falling, type of work, frequency, ladders
¾ Machinery: moving parts, safety guards, entrapment, serv / maint
¾ Tools: worn, damaged, blunt, incorrect use,
¾ Electrical: PAT carried out, shock, overloading, inappropriate use
¾ Workstations: RA carried out, poorly set up, physical conditions
¾ Handling: incorrect technique, repetitive actions, equipment
¾ Chemicals: MSDS available, storage, security, ventilation, PPE

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 BREAK

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 Types of Inspections

¾ Introductory – new equipment or installations

¾ Statutory – pressure systems, LEV’s, lifting equipment
¾ External – Insurers, consultants, audits, HSE, Audit
¾ Scheduled – Senior Management Inspection, Safety
Office Audit /Inspection
¾ Tour – local / line management
¾ Continuous – day to day by everyone

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 What’s the difference
¾ Safety Inspections (Internal)
- are formal scheduled events
- inspection teams include Senior Managers, H&S Coordinators,
TU Safety Representatives and local line managers

¾ Safety Tours (Internal)

- less formal, sometimes scheduled and undertaken by line
managers with or without involvement of the H & S Coordinator
- Inspections have a broader scope than tours and are undertaken
less frequently

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 What’s the difference (continued)
¾ Safety Inspection Reports
- Findings must be reported to the Head of School/College/
Department for action.
- Made available to the TU Safety Representatives upon request.
- Made available to Safety Office during their Audit / Inspection
¾ Safety Tours
- Reports are to be held within the section
- To be made available for both internal inspections and for the
Safety Office Audit or Inspection

Health & Safety Office

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 What’s the same?

¾ Inspections and Tours are both used to identify

potential risks in the workplace.

¾ Both types:
‰ Are looking for hazards and non-compliance in the
management of health and safety
‰ recommend and implement improved control
measures

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 COMMON HAZARDS IN THE WORKPLACE

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 LABORATORY / WORKSHOP

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 LABORATORY / WORKSHOP

Health & Safety Office

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 LABORATORY / WORKSHOP

Health & Safety Office

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 LABORATORY / WORKSHOP

Health & Safety Office

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 LABORATORY / WORKSHOP

Health & Safety Office

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 LABORATORY / WORKSHOP

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 LABORATORY / WORKSHOP

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 Other areas

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 Other areas

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 Control Measures
¾ Planning: What to inspect, when, what team
¾ Qualifications: knowledge of statutory requirements,
performance standards, risk assessments, safe systems of work,
local activities, previous findings, the ability to ask questions
¾ Competency:
... someone who possesses sufficient knowledge, experience and
skills ...
... someone who knows what they are looking for and can
recognise it when they see it ...

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 Control Measures – Competency (Continued)
S-K–A–T–E
¾ S = Skilled in the task
¾ K = Knowledge of the task and of relevant rules and
regulations applicable to that task
¾ A = Attitude, as in following the rules and carrying out the
task safely as possible
¾ T = Trained in all aspects of carrying out the task safely
¾ E = Experience. Not just in carrying out the task but its
implication on other areas.

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 Carrying out an inspection
¾ Use a check list
¾ Ask questions
¾ Make notes
¾ Provide feed back
¾ Check Risk Assessments:
* are defined procedures being followed
* are required control measures being used
* note - and correct – where possible any unsafe behaviour or
conditions

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 Checklist
¾ Environment: lighting, temperature, noise, dust
¾ Substances: COSHH, toxic, flammable, dust, carcinogenic
¾ Equipment: tools, machinery, computers
¾ Electrical: cables, damage, testing, extensions
¾ Materials: handling, lifting equipment, trolleys
¾ Waste: storage, disposal, handling, containers
¾ First Aid: boxes, location signs up to date, numbers
¾ Fire Alarms: signs, extinguishers, wardens, awareness

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 Checklist (Continued)

¾ Welfare: washing, toilets ,space, cleanliness

¾ Access: signs, doors, lifts, walkways, ladders, security
¾ Radiation: laser, microwave,
¾ People: aggression, safe working, competence

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 Checklist - general pointers

¾ Try to phrase the questions that the ‘correct’ answers are

all positive
¾ This allows for a quick analysis of the completed checklist
as you only need to scan for ‘no’ answers
¾ The mixing of positive / negative answer questions can
result in a greater number of false positives or false
negative responses

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 Where to next?

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 Safety Tours & Inspections

Any questions

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 Summary

¾ Now be able to apply University Procedure

¾ Be able to understand the difference between
Safety Tours and Safety Inspections
¾ To understand the methodologies for hazard
identification and associated Risk Assessment
¾ To be able to identify Hazards and recommend
appropriate remedial action (controls)

Health & Safety Office

www.swansea.ac.uk
 THE END

Health & Safety Office

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