Health_&_Safety_Cost_Benefit_Analysis_of_a_S

Candidate to produce a written report to management outlining any proposals for new work places, equipment, processes and activities in order to identify and evaluate the hazards of the health and safety of the employees and others who may be affected. The report should include the cost benefit to the organisation. Introduction This report has been produced as a result of a workplace inspection that has been carried out. Only negative findings have been included. It will highlight any health & safety deficiencies discovered and the proposals for rectification of the deficiencies. The proposals will identify new work places, equipment, processes and activities that will reduce the hazards to employees and others who may be affected. The report will also include a cost benefit analysis and a recommended time scale for the actions based upon risk ranking. Findings 1. High risk operations. Removal of RB211 jet engine from compressor house. Supplies of all gases and electricity have been isolated. There are two missing signs from the inlet manifold and main fuse panel that should confirm this. At present the lock, tag and try system only conforms to the lock and try elements. The exclusion zone is inadequate in that it is incomplete in two places. 2. Signs, Posters, Hoardings, Fencing, Security. Apart from the signs mentioned above, there are concerns over security, The airlock gates are decommissioned and as such the only control over site entry is the security guard who tends to sit in the security cabin, reliant on others to inform him that they are entering site. 3. Scaffolding, edge protection, ladders The Scafftag was inspected. It expires on 26/08/2012. There are some end caps missing from transoms. 4. Vehicle routes, Pedestrian access and egress All routes and pedestrian access/egress inspected. Materials poorly stored blocking footpath in zone 6. 5. Plant, Tools All plant in good condition. Daily and weekly inspection sheets completed. New 9 tonne dumper delivered but quarantined until spark arrestor fitted. 6. PPE / RPE Fireproof overalls showing signs of wear and tear. 7. Welfare Arrangements Yet again the welfare bins are overflowing despite appointment of an operative to manage this. 8. Waste storage areas Cross contamination of different waste streams is still an issue. All on site are aware of the requirements so it is probably a case of laziness. 9. Hazardous material (fuel / chemical) storage areas Night time security has had to fill their generators during the night. They are not signed on to the refuelling procedure, are not trained in spill response procedures and it is not part of their duties. 10. Wash areas (i.e., vehicle / plant wash down & concrete washout areas) Concrete wash out skip supplied after the previous one was taken away, is unacceptable due to holes in the base. 11. Site tidiness, Fire Precautions In general housekeeping is good. Fire extinguishers are being removed from the fire trolleys to enable hot works to be carried out. They are not being returned to the trolley. 12. Other There are four operatives currently rubbing down the pallisade fence prior to painting. These men spend all day on this task. This creates various problems. The men become bored and demotivated. Much of their time is spent on their knees on the concrete sill. This causes painful knees and may lead to back problems. Action plan (including recommendations, cost benefit analysis and time scale). Item 1. It is imperative in a high risk operation such as this that the key elements of the permit to work system are carried out correctly. Should the necessary isolations not be carried out correctly the results could be anywhere from a costly delay e.g. hire of crane and low loader, road closures, personnel to serious damage to the compressor itself. Recommendation: The permit issuer has been removed from this duty immediately. The permit issuer should be removed from the Issuers register until he is re-trained and passes the qualification exam. The cost of the course is approximately £1300. The potential costs should the permit fail as outlined above range from £4000 to £5000 for delays to tens of thousands of pounds for compressor repairs. A full investigation is being carried out by senior health & safety management. An interim safety alert should be issued to all compressor stations outlining the incident details and emphasising the requirements of the permit to work system. Action: Immediate Item2. It is a client requirement that the security of the compressor station is not compromised. During inclement weather the security guard sits in the security cabin and has no direct view of the station entrance. Should the station security be compromised, the client is likely to stop the works at a cost estimated to be in the tens of thousands of pounds dependant on the length of the stoppage. Recommendation: Rotate the security cabin 90 degrees using the telehandler to ensure that the cabin window gives a clear view of the station entrance. The cost of this is negligible. Action: Immediate Item 3. The scafftag is due to expire on 26/08/2012. There is a system in place for ensuring that all scafftags are inspected daily. No action required Item4. Materials are poorly stored in zone 6, blocking footpath access. Poor storage and placement of materials can contribute to slips, trips and falls. Recommendation: Carry out a toolbox talk on good housekeeping and storage of materials. The cost is negligible as toolbox talks are carried out twice a week as standard. The benefit is potentially a reduction in minor accidents with the associated costs. Action: Within 48 hours Item5. A 9 tonne dumper was delivered to site from the hirer without a spark arrestor fitted. The plant has to sit in quarantine until this equipment is fitted as no diesel plant is allowed on the station without it. Recommendation: Buying department should issue an instruction to the hire company to fit spark arrestors prior to delivery. The cost is negligible as the equipment must be fitted anyway. The benefit is a lack of delays on site due to quarantined plant. Action: Within 7 days Item6. Overalls are showing signs of wear and tear. It is a contractual requirement that all overalls must be flameproof and in good condition. Recommendation: Carry a stock of overalls on site to replace worn or damaged ones. The cost is not an issue as it is only the timing of the purchase that would change. The client carries out regular audits of PPE. Audit scores are directly related to Key Performance Indicators and therefore to financial benefits. Action: Within 7 days Item 7. Bins are overflowing in the welfare areas. Recommendation: Despite numerous efforts to ensure that the sub-contractor maintains standards in the welfare areas, these problems occur regularly. Recommendation: Employ a cleaner to empty the bins and back charge the sub-contractor. Again this is part of the clients’ audits and directly linked to KPIs. Action: Within 7 days Item8. Cross contamination of waste streams is still occurring despite numerous reminders and toolbox talks. This is another item that is audited and therefore related to KPIs. Recommendation: Instruct the sub-contractor to sort through the waste, ensuring that is all in the correct streams. This should be done at their cost. Action: Within 7 days Item9. Night time security is having to fill the security cabin generators with diesel. They are not trained to do so, nor are they insured to carry out this work as it is not part of their designated duties. Recommendation: Instruct the sub-contractor to fill the security generators on a daily basis as part of the daily fuelling of plant. The cost will be minimal as it only takes a few minutes. The potential cost if there is an accident or diesel spillage would be much higher. Action: Immediate Item 10. Concrete wash out skips have holes in them. Due to the extremely alkaline nature of the water in wash out skips, it is essential that they do not leak. Recommendation: The buying department should contact the skip company and instruct them on the quality of the skips required on site or we will use a different company. There is no cost to this action. A leaking skip has the potential for a major incident should the leak enter a nearby stream. Action: Within 7 days as the present skip is adequate and will not be changed for approximately 14 days. Item11. Fire extinguishers are not being returned to fire trolleys after use. Recommendation: Supply additional extinguishers to the stores for use only on hot works. These would have to be signed out as part of the hot works permit. The cost would be less than £100. The benefit would be twofold. Extinguishers would be available on the trolleys in case of a fire. The client also audits fire equipment and this is again directly related to KPIs. Action: Within 7 days. Item12. 4 men are rubbing down the paintwork on the palisade fencing. Two of the men are joiners. This is not a good use of their time as we are paying a tradesman to do a labourers task. They become demotivated very quickly as they do not have to think about their work and they are unused to repetitive work such as this. Recommendation: Instruct the sub-contractor to rotate all men on this task so that they do not spend all day on this job. In addition inform the sub-contractor that we shall not be paying for joiners to carry out labouring tasks. If they use joiners for this task we shall only pay labourers rates. Instruct them to supply knee pads for use when kneeling on concrete and issue face fitted dust masks to operatives on this task. Collect paint samples for analysis for lead content. The older coats of paint may be up to 40 years old. This will cost in the region of £200 but is something we must carry out to ensure that the men do not become contaminated with lead. Should they do so we could possibly face compensation claims and the additional hidden costs of compensation events. Action: Immediate Conclusion Apart from item 1, the majority of items identified in this report can be closed out in a very short time and importantly they can also be actioned at minimal or no cost to the company, with numerous items relating to KPIs, suppliers or sub-contractors.