Last week two Safety Alerts were issued which relate to recent incidents in the UK involving contractors. In one case the injured person was placed on restricted duties because of her injuries, while the other necessitated medical treatment. (The Safety Alerts can be found in the download section of UK News website:  UK Safety Alerts 22.07.2021 (723 downloads)  if you need them).

When discussing the Alerts with your teams, in the first incident (contractor trips and falls), please highlight the importance effective management of change and traffic management; traffic and pedestrian routes should be clear and physically segregated where possible.

In addition, there should be designated parking areas for mobile plant / equipment, away from traffic and pedestrian routes.  Where pedestrian routes have to cross open areas, they should be kept short and clear.

The second incident (falling knife causes puncture wound) illustrates the importance of taking the time to STOP and THINK and Look After Each Other.  Specifically, it also highlights the importance of communicating CEMEX requirements to contractors… in this case the prohibition on fixed bladed knives.  Retractable safety knives, such as the one in this short video, have helped us significantly reduce this type of injury which was common only a few years ago, video link: Safety knife MARTOR SECUPRO 625 product video GB – Bing video

Please review these incidents with your teams as appropriate and display them on relevant noticeboards.