Articles
Welcome to KMF’s News Articles. Here we list the various news items relating to health and safety which we hope you will find both interesting and informative.
Five Steps to Risk Assessment
What is a Risk Assessment
A risk assessment is simply a careful examination of what, in your work, could cause harm to people, so that you can weigh up whether you have taken enough precautions or should do more to prevent harm. Workers and others have a right to be protected from harm caused by a failure to take reasonable control measures.
Accidents and ill health can ruin lives and affect your business too if output is lost, machinery is damaged, insurance costs increase or you have to go to court. You are legally required to assess the risks in your workplace so that you put in place a plan to control the risks.
How to assess the risk in your workplace
Step 1: Identify the hazards
Step 2: Decide who might be harmed and how
Step 3: Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions
Step 4: Record your findings and implement them
Step 5: Review your assessment and update if necessary
When thinking about your risk assessment, remember:
1. a hazard is anything that may cause harm, such as chemicals, electricty, working from
ladders, an open drawer etc;
2. the risk is the chance, high or low, that somebody could be harmed by these and other
hazards, together with an indication of how serious the harm could be.
For the full leaflet " 5 Steps to Risk Assessment please go to 5 Steps to Risk Assessment Asthma
In 2000 HSE estimated that between 1500 and 3000 people develop occupational asthma rising to 7000 cases a year if you include asthma made worse by work (work-related asthma)
Statistics released by HSE in 2008 indicate that the number of cases has fallen in recent years but occupational asthma is still a major concern.
The cost to society is estimated to be up to £1.1 billion over 10 years.
Asthma can ruin lives. Some sufferers become so disabled they cannot work again
For further information please click on hse web page http://www.hse.gov.uk/asthma/index.htm
Myth of the Month:
It's OK to get a general handyman to work on gas appliances.
The reality Gas and cowboys don't mix! Anyone who is employed to work on gas appliances must be listed on the Gas Safe Register. If the person you're using isn't registered then they might not be safe and they are also breaking the law. Incorrectly fitted or badly repaired gas appliances can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, gas leaks, fires and explosions. By using a Gas Safe engineer, you can make sure that they're qualified to do the work safely - just check the back of their ID card!
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