C1 - Workplace Welfare Requirements Flashcards
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) regs set out the general standards for?
- Maintenance
- Ventilation
- Temperatures (16C or 13C physical effort)
- Lighting
- Cleanliness
- Room dimensions 11m3 (roof hight up to 3m)
- Floors
- Workplace traffic routes
- Doors and gates
- Stairs, escalators
- Toilets and washing
- Drinking water
- Accommodation for clothing and changing
- Rest facilities
Regulations setting the Provision and maintenance of safe work place
The HSWA (section 2.2D) requires employers to maintain the work place conditions to be safe and without risk.
WHSWR sets out the above in more detail such as:
Maintenance of building, equipment, devices and systems to be provided and maintained in effect working order and good state of repair.
Regular maintenance includes testing, inspection, adjustment, lubrication and cleaning.
Summary for what is Maintenance
Regular servicing, testing, inspections, adjustments, cleaning and lubrication.
Dangerous defects remedied and safely isolated until remedied.
Suitable record of works carried out maintained.
Suitable ppm plan to prevent dangerous failures
Basics rules for Cleanliness
- Workplace and furniture, furnishings and fittings need to be kept clean.
- Surfaces of floors, walls and ceilings of workplaces should be able to be and kept clean.
- Waste materials shouldn’t be allowed to accumulate unless in suitable containers.
- Standards and frequency of cleaning will depend on the use and risk of the workplace.
- Dirt and rubbish not in suitable receptacles should be removed at least daily, more frequently cleaning may be required where hazards are higher.
Workstations and seating should be
Workstations should be:
- Arranged so that each task can be carried out safely and comfortably
- of suitable height
- in easy reach of frequency used controls, equipment and materials, without need for undue bending or stretching
- include seating and access to work station and be suitable for all workers (including those with disabilities)
- sufficiently clear and unobstructed to allow work to be done safely (including manoeuvring and positioning materials and equipment)
- Seating should provide adequate support and adjustments (think DSE)
Windows and transparent doors
Windows and other transparent surfaces should be
- Made of safety materials or protected against breakage.
- Appropriately marked or incorporate features to make them more apparent.
Safety materials are:
- Inherently robust (is polycarbonates or glass blocks)
- Glass that if it breaks, breaks safely
- ordinary glass that is of suitable thickness (see thickness chart)
Provision of safe access and egress
HSWA 2(2)(d) - duty on employers to provide safe place of work (including access and egress).
This means the employer must take account of where the work is being carried out to ensure:
- sufficient traffic routes (with suitable width, headroom)
- Segregation of vehicle and pedestrian
- Not obstructed or in a place likely to be obstructed or a hazard
- Take into account staff with impaired or no sight.
Basic summary of Safety signage
- Only used where they will make a difference
- Local to hazard/ need
- Easy to understand
- use correct standard
- not be used where a more appropriate control measure could be used
- Use suitable pictograms
- use the correct colour and type:
- Red = Prohibition (red border and cross bar)
- Blue = Mandatory (blue background while symbol)
- Yellow = hazard (Yellow triangle black symbol)
- Green = Safe condition (Green and white symbol)
Fire signage can be green (safe condition) or red (fire equipment)
Signage - practical considerations
- installed in an appropriate position
- line of sight
- local to message need
- suitable size
- suitable illumination
- Not overcrowded (sign blindness)
- Made of suitable materials for location and environment
Health and Safety safety Sign regulations
These regulations govern the use of signs and signals in the workplace, below a summary of main points.
- Standardise sign message/ pictograms
- Convey message
- Type ie warning
- illuminated
- hand and acoustic (eg fire
- Spoken communications
- Pipe works
- Road traffic requirements
- Maintaining signage
- Explanation of unfamiliar signs to staff
- Apply to all works and activities
Designing surfaces to reduce slipping
- Surfaces that are likely to get wet or subject to spillages should be of a type that do not become unduly slippery.
- provide effective drainage where floor liable to get wet.
- Slopes should not be steeper than necessary
- Floors around machinery should be slip resistant and kept free from slippery materials or loose items.
- Arrangements in place to deal with snow and ice.
- Holes, bumps or uneven surfaces should be made good as soon as possible.
Floors should be
- Of a suitable grip for the works being carried out (co efficient of friction)
- Robust enough for task being carried out.
- Suitably marked/ coloured to show routes
- provided with suitable drainage to remove water where expected
- be maintained and maintainable
- easy to clean where regular cleaning required
- slopes kept to a minimum
- suitable for tasks being performed ie able to withstand oils
Slip resistance testing
Test is carried out using a pendulum with a standardised rubber heel on a swing arm, the arm drops and measures the coefficient of friction (CoF) as the resistance of the floor stops the heel in a controlled manner (force of heel dropping is constant)
Provides information on the grip of a dry floor and can be done on a wet floor also.
Three bands
High slip = 0 to 24
Moderate = 25 to 35
Low = 36+
Cleaning floors
- plan clean to occur when reduced staff in areas
- Use well maintained equipment
- use the right amount of detergent
- Allow detergent time to break down greases
- dry with dry mop or squeegee to reduce dry time
- spot clean where possible
- use barriers if possible to prevent access to wet floors
- use signs, cones as last resort
How can floors be designed and maintained to reduce slipping
Design
- Sound construction
- Slopes not steeper than necessary
- Surfaces likely to get wet have a surface which does not become unduly slippery
- Have effective drainage if likely to get wet
- floors around machinery have a high PTV rating
Maintenance
* Holes bumps repaired
* Free from uneven surfaces
*
