European safe maintenance drive launches in Britain
Maintenance is integral to running a safe and reliable operation; and good planning and having the right skills and tools to do the job will minimize the risk to workers and the public in any maintenance task. This is the message behind a new European initiative launched in Britain last week.
It is estimated that between 25 and 30% of all manufacturing industry deaths in Britain result from maintenance activity, with common causes of fatalities and major injuries including falls from height and failure to properly isolate machinery so that it restarts while being worked on.
Many of these incidents are entirely preventable, and the initiative aims to raise awareness among businesses and their workers and to help them implement simple solutions.
The European Healthy Workplaces Campaign on Safe Maintenance 2010–2011 is co-ordinated by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), and is being taken forward in Britain by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) along with organizations representing employers, workers and other interested bodies, including the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
The British drive includes a new ‘one stop shop’ safe maintenance section of the HSE website. It features a quick and easy checklist to assess how good current maintenance practices are and offers pointers on how to improve. Free downloadable fact sheets, posters, and information on how organizations can get involved, are also available.
Delivering the keynote speech at a launch event in London, HSE chair Judith Hackitt, said: ‘Maintenance work is often seen simply as a disruption to normal service, but it is fundamental to the integrity of every system and to the health and safety of workers and the public. Workers are often under pressure to complete jobs quickly, but there is no excuse for putting themselves and others in danger by taking short cuts.
‘All organizations, irrespective of their size and purpose, need to take the opportunity to look at how they plan and manage maintenance to see if improvements could be made. With planning and the right skills it can be done efficiently and will lead to increased production and better service delivery.’
It is estimated that between 25 and 30% of all manufacturing industry deaths in Britain result from maintenance activity, with common causes of fatalities and major injuries including falls from height and failure to properly isolate machinery so that it restarts while being worked on.
Many of these incidents are entirely preventable, and the initiative aims to raise awareness among businesses and their workers and to help them implement simple solutions.
The European Healthy Workplaces Campaign on Safe Maintenance 2010–2011 is co-ordinated by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), and is being taken forward in Britain by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) along with organizations representing employers, workers and other interested bodies, including the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
The British drive includes a new ‘one stop shop’ safe maintenance section of the HSE website. It features a quick and easy checklist to assess how good current maintenance practices are and offers pointers on how to improve. Free downloadable fact sheets, posters, and information on how organizations can get involved, are also available.
Delivering the keynote speech at a launch event in London, HSE chair Judith Hackitt, said: ‘Maintenance work is often seen simply as a disruption to normal service, but it is fundamental to the integrity of every system and to the health and safety of workers and the public. Workers are often under pressure to complete jobs quickly, but there is no excuse for putting themselves and others in danger by taking short cuts.
‘All organizations, irrespective of their size and purpose, need to take the opportunity to look at how they plan and manage maintenance to see if improvements could be made. With planning and the right skills it can be done efficiently and will lead to increased production and better service delivery.’
