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February freeze causing dangerous conditions for construction workers

  • Weather warning for construction sites in the UK – February freeze on its way
  • 382 deaths in the last 10 years in construction – 89 of those occurred in winter
  • Freezing weather conditions can make construction sites dangerous
  • 48% of winter construction deaths occurred as a result of falling from height
  • 24% of injuries occurred as a result of slips and trips
  • Coldest temperature ever recorded in the UK – 27.2 C

The Met office warns of a February Freeze with 90% of the UK to expect snow and plummeting temperatures. Winter weather has the potential to hit the UK hard, and can cause hazards for construction workers and others working outdoors. Whilst cold stress can have a serious impact on one’s health; wind, freezing rain and ice can make construction sites dangerous and cause an increase in site accidents and injuries.

Because of this, experts at Heat Traders have analysed data to find out how dangerous construction sites can be in the winter months and provide advice of what you can do to prevent injuries or ill health.

According to HSE data, construction is the deadliest industry to work in with 382 deaths in the last 10 years and 64,000 non-fatal injuries to workers each year.

When breaking this down by seasons 89 of those occurred within the winter months raising concerns for employee safety. Of those that died whilst working in construction in the winter months, a huge 48% (the majority) died as a result of falling from a height and 24% injured themselves as a result of slips and trips.

So how can we prevent this from happening and what are the laws regarding working outdoors in the cold?

What is the minimum legal temperature for outdoor workers?

The Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1992 and accompanying Approved Code of Practice set out the required temperatures for working. Indoor workplaces must be at least 16C or 13C where rigorous physical effort is required. However, the rules don’t apply “where it would be impractical to maintain those temperatures”. In other words, there is no legal minimum temperature for working outside.

The regulations recognise it can be very difficult controlling the environment or separating workers from the cold – cranking up the thermostat is not usually an option outdoors!
However, employers do have a duty of care to make sure no one works in unsafe or unhealthy conditions, including cold weather.

What is the coldest temperature ever recorded in the UK?

  1. 10-Jan-82 Braemar East Scotland -27.2 °C
  2. 30-Dec-95 Altnaharra No 2 North Scotland -27.2 °C
  3. 13-Dec-81 Shawbury Midlands -25.2 °C
  4. 13-Jan-79 Carnwath West Scotland -24.6 °C
  5. 20-Jan-84 Grantown-On-Spey East Scotland -23.6 °C
  6. 27-Jan-85 Lagganlia North Scotland -23.4 °C
  7. 13-Jan-87 Caldecott P Sta Midlands -23.3 °C
  8. 08-Jan-10 Altnaharra No 2 North Scotland -22.3 °C
  9. 18-Feb-60 Grantown-On-Spey East Scotland -22.2 °C
  10. 30-Dec-61 Cannich North Scotland -22.2 °C
  11. 18-Jan-63 Braemar East Scotland -22.2 °C

How can winter weather affect my working conditions in Construction?

Cold stress
Cold stress occurs when skin temperature plummets, causing heat to leave the body much faster than normal, and eventually reducing the internal body temperature. When the body is unable to warm itself, serious cold-related illnesses and injuries may occur, and permanent tissue damage and death may result. Trench foot, frostbite and hypothermia are potential hazards if workers are not properly protected from the elements when working outside.

Falls
Falls are one of the most common construction site accidents and they can happen all year round. However, winter weather increases the risk of falls due to ice and wet, slippery surfaces if not treated correctly.

Winter driving accidents
Being on a construction site, it is easy to forget that winter driving rules for the road still apply. Construction vehicles aren’t usually as agile as cars because of their size and weight.

How to prevent accidents on the construction site?

Experts at Heat Traders advise you to follow these measures:

  • Educate your employees about how to work safely when the bad weather hits and what to do to prevent any accidents
  • Shield any areas that could be worst hit by the weather
  • Treat all surfaces to prevent slips and falls
  • Create warm break areas so construction workers can warm up
  • Schedule outside work to be carried out in shorter durations, ensuring employees do not have to face the elements for long periods of time
  • Layer up and use the correct gear (provided by the employer). Ensure no skin is exposed and the body is full insulated
  • Check the site regularly for any new hazards that could have been caused by the bad weather

How to prevent cold stress?

Despite their being no legal minimum temperature in the UK, employers do have a duty of care to make sure no one works in unsafe or unhealthy conditions.

Employers should follow these helpful control measures:

  • Employers should train their workers on how to recognize the environmental and workplace conditions that can lead to cold stress
  • Train employees on how to spot symptoms of cold stress and how to help those who are affected
  • Train employees on how to select proper clothing for cold, wet, and windy conditions
  • Employers must monitor workers physical condition
  • Schedule frequent short breaks in warm dry areas, to allow the body to warm up
  • Schedule work during the warmest part of the day
  • Use the buddy system (work in pairs)
  • Provide warm, sweet beverages. Avoid drinks with alcohol
  • Provide engineering controls such as radiant heaters

A spokesperson at Heat Traders said “Working outside any time of the year can be extremely dangerous. Always make sure employees are safe, helping to reduce onsite injuries or fatalities.”

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Construction workers urged to take extra care on site this winter

With parts of the UK experiencing bitterly cold weather, roof systems manufacturer Marley Eternit is warning outdoor construction workers to take extra care this winter.

Freezing cold temperatures, ice and shorter periods of daylight mean there is a much greater risk of accidents on construction sites during the winter months. As well as the risk of slips and falls, prolonged exposure to the cold can cause construction workers to suffer from more colds, bronchitis, asthma, painful joints and fatigue. In extreme cases, workers outside for long periods, without the right protection, could even suffer hypothermia, frostbite and chilblains.

Katie Prestidge from Marley Eternit comments: “In the UK, there is no legal minimum outdoor working temperature. So, it is important that all construction workers understand the hazards of working in winter and know what precautions to take when cold weather sets in. Builders and contractors must carry out their own thermal risk assessments and take appropriate action to protect their employees.”

The National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) is backing Marley Eternit’s winter safety campaign. Gary Walpole, the NFRC’s Technical and Health & Safety Officer, said “Accident statistics prove that there is an increased risk of personal injury during the winter months. Increased hazards from reduced daylight hours and inclement weather, means precautions need to be taken in advance to protect the wellbeing of our workforce.”

Marley Eternit has put together the following advice to help construction workers stay safe on site this winter:

Site managers and supervisors

Monitor the weather forecast so you can anticipate and be prepared for poor weather conditions

  1. Carry out a risk assessment every day to check that it is safe to work and that conditions haven’t changed. Pay particular to working at height platforms and walkways. Do not work on roofs in icy conditions
  2. If windy, HSE recommends that roofers should check wind speeds with a hand held anemometer and refer to NFRC guidance on roofing in windy conditions*
  3. Make sure workers are trained on winter hazards and ensure they have the appropriate PPE
  4. Limit worker exposure to cold through job rotation and provide plenty of breaks in heated areas with hot drinks available

Site workers

  1. Make sure you are wearing the right PPE and extra clothing suitable for the job and the weather conditions. This usually involves using several layers of clothing, as well as waterproofs or wind resistant fabrics where necessary. Also choose water resistant footwear, with enhanced slip resistance or ice grips if required
  2. Wear gloves when fine manual dexterity is not required and the temperature drops below 4°C
  3. Cold weather increases the risk of hand-arm vibration syndrome, so keep your hands and arms warm when using vibratory equipment such as drills, nails guns and even hand tools, such as hammers
  4. Choose hats that work with safety headgear and don’t compromise any eye or hearing protection
  5. Be aware of the symptoms of cold exposure – heavy shivering, uncomfortable coldness, numbness, aching, severe fatigue, confusion, drowsiness and/or euphoria
  6. With reduced daylight hours, visibility can be a problem, so wear reflective PPE
  7. Take breaks in heated areas and drink plenty of fluids, including water and warm beverages
  8. Report any hazardous areas to the site manager and do not put yourself at risk just to complete a job.
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HSE launches second phase of construction inspection campaign

Construction projects across Britain are being urged to act now to ensure the health and safety of their workers is protected as the second phase of a targeted inspection initiative gets underway this week.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says 43 workers were fatally injured in 2015/16, and an estimated ten times that number died from construction related ill-health, with a further 65,000 self-reported non-fatal injuries.

HSE is now asking every construction contractor, client and designer to ensure they are not adding to this unacceptable toll of harm by failing to manage well-known risks.

In addition to things such as falls from height, the campaign will focus on control of harmful dusts including respirable silica from concrete, brick and stone, asbestos and wood dust, as well as work at height, structural safety, materials handling, good order and welfare provision.

HSE points to the mis-conception that health issues cannot be controlled in construction. It says harmful dust, whether silica or wood, is a serious issue and can be managed effectively with the right design, equipment and training. Health effects may not be immediate, but the ultimate impact on workers and their families can be devastating.

HSE carried out over 2000 inspections during the first phase of the initiative earlier this year with action being taken to address these issues in almost half of visits.

HSE’s Chief Inspector of Construction and Director of Construction Division Peter Baker commented “In phase 1 of this campaign HSE’s inspectors found lots of good examples of small sites working safely and protecting workers health from exposure to harmful dusts, proving it can be done. My message to smaller businesses is don’t wait for an accident or a visit from an HSE inspector – learn from the success of others and act now.

“Nearly half of construction fatal accidents and injuries reported to HSE involved refurbishment work.

“Some small refurbishment sites continue to cut corners and not properly protect their workers resulting in an unacceptable number of deaths and injuries each year.”

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Grenfell fire increases demand for building works

A survey carried out by US recruitment firm Manpower has found that of more than 2,000 UK employers confidence among public sector firms had improved radically in the last three months, in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Participating British businesses were asked how they viewed the jobs market and whether they had plans in the pipeline their workforce over the next 12 months. Those in the UK construction trade reported a net employment outlook of +11% for the final quarter of 2017.

That represents the strongest outlook of any UK sector and a 6% increase on the third quarter.

The Grenfell Tower fire in June spread through cladding on the building which subsequently failed safety tests, claiming at least 80 lives.

Many other public housing projects — predominantly high-rise buildings — have since failed safety tests due to unsafe cladding.

James Hick, managing director for Manpower Group Solutions, said expansion in the UK construction trade was driven by those bids to improve public housing.

Hick commented “Construction hiring often slows in the winter months, but the UK is set to buck the trend this year — our data suggests this could be the strongest fourth quarter for hiring since 2005.

“Some of this work is the urgent testing and repair that is being carried out up and down the country on much of Britain’s public housing stock.

“The state of housing in the country is under the microscope like never before and the need for both building and remedial work have caused demand in the construction industry to shoot up.

“The tough reality lurking beneath all these positive indicators is that these hiring intentions may not come to fruition because of difficulties attracting and retaining skilled employees.”

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Developer fined after failing to safely carry out demolition work

The owner of block of flats was prosecuted after a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspection identified serious safety breaches while it was being demolished.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard that a member of the public raised concerns about the conditions at the site at 60 Pitcairn Road, Mitcham. Selliah Sivaneswaran was the owner of the property, but had failed to make appropriate appointments for the development project. The site had been inspected by HSE in October 2016 and the work halted due to the workers being exposed to a range of risks including exposure to asbestos, falling from height, and fire.

HSE revisited the site on 4 January 2017 and found the work had restarted while the site was still unsafe, despite enforcement notices being served and advice being provided. The demolition continued to be carried out by hand with workers climbing onto the unguarded roof and throwing the debris down. Workers were at risk of falling up to four metres through holes in the floors and partly demolished staircase. No welfare facilities had been provided and there was a significant risk of fire with the workers not being able to escape. The Court heard that two days before the sentencing hearing, HSE had to return to the site and take further action.

The project involved the demolition of the old flats and the construction of four one-bedroom flats and two two-bedroom flats on a site bought for £115,000 in 2001. The Court heard that despite the foreseeably large financial return from the project, Mr. Sivaneswaran put profit before safety and paid cash in hand to untrained workers, did not engage a site manager, and provided none of the legally-required site documentation.

Selliah Sivguru Sivaneswaran of Harlyn Drive, Pinner pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(1) and 4(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM) and was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay £1,421.20 in costs.

HSE inspector Andrew Verrall-Withers commented after the hearing: “Mr. Sivaneswaran was a commercial client as he was carrying out work as part of a business. When he failed to appoint a principal contractor, their duties fell on him.

“Thanks to a member of the public reporting the dangerous conditions HSE was able to take action. It was just good fortune that no one had been killed at the site”.

“Instead of taking the support and advice provided by HSE, Mr. Sivaneswaran continued to let the workers operate in appalling conditions where they were at risk of being killed. He did not even provide them with a WC or washing facilities”.

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Construction company fined following life changing injuries for untrained worker

A construction company has been fined after a worker suffered life changing injuries after falling from scaffolding.

Bristol Magistrates’ Court heard how an employee of R J Scaffolding (Bristol) Limited was in an induced coma for two weeks after falling more than six metres from the scaffolding. The worker suffered several serious injuries including losing the sight in his right eye and five fractures to the skull.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident which occurred on 2 June 2016 found the employee was untrained, the supervisor was unfamiliar with the current expected safety techniques and the appropriate equipment had not been provided to the worker to conduct this work safely.

R J Scaffolding (Bristol) Limited of Central Business Park, Hengrove, Bristol pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The company has been fined £26,000.00 and ordered to pay costs of £1657.76.

Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Ian Whittles said “We want all workers to go home healthy and safe. Those in control of work have a responsibility to ensure safe methods of working are used and to inform, instruct and train their workers in their use.

“If industry recognised safe systems of erecting scaffold had been in place prior to the incident, the life changing injuries sustained by the employee could have been prevented.”

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Fines totalling £1m for construction companies after workers exposed to asbestos

Three companies have been fined a total of more than £1m after workers were exposed to asbestos while refurbishing a school in Waltham Forest.

Southwark Crown Court heard that on 24 July 2012 a worker removed part of a suspended ceiling in one of the ground floor refurbished rooms at St Mary’s school and identified suspect asbestos containing materials. Asbestos fibres were subsequently found in numerous areas in the school.

The court heard that the London Borough of Waltham Forest had a contract with NPS London Limited to manage development and refurbishment of its estate. At the time of the incident the Principal Contractor for the work was Mansell Construction Services (aka Balfour Beatty) and the subcontractor was Squibb Group Limited.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that although an asbestos survey was completed, there were multiple caveats and disclaimers which were not appropriately checked.

Balfour Beatty Regional Construction Limited (previously Mansell Construction Services Limited) of Canary Wharf, London was fined £500,000 and ordered to pay costs of £32,364.84 after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

NPS London Limited, of Business Park Norwich, Norfolk was fined £370,000 and ordered to pay £32,364.84 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Squibb Group Limited, of Stanford Le Hope, Essex was fined £400,000 and ordered to pay costs of £175,000 after being found guilty after a trial of a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Sarah Robinson said “The principal contractor and contractors on site did not review the survey report in detail, and did not take into consideration the multitude of caveats.

“Therefore the work undertaken did not adopt the high standards of control expected for working where there was the potential to expose workers to asbestos.”

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Developer fined after failing to safely carry out demolition work

The owner of block of flats was prosecuted after a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspection identified serious safety breaches while it was being demolished.

Peterlee Magistrates’ Court heard that a member of the public raised concerns about the conditions at the site at 60 Pitcairn Road, Mitcham. Selliah Sivaneswaran was the owner of the property, but had failed to make appropriate appointments for the development project. The site had been inspected by the HSE in October 2016 and the work halted due to the workers being exposed to a range of risks including exposure to asbestos, falling from height, and fire.

The HSE revisited the site on 4 January 2017 and found the work had restarted and the site was still unsafe, despite enforcement Notices being served and advice being provided. The demolition was still being carried out by hand with workers climbing onto the unguarded roof and throwing the debris down. Workers were at risk of falling up to four metres through holes in the floors and partly demolished staircase. No welfare facilities had been provided and there was a significant risk of fire with the workers not being able to escape.

The project involved the demolition of the old flats and the construction of four one-bedroom flats and two two-bedroom flats on a site bought for £115,000 in 2001. The Court heard that despite the foreseeably large financial return from the project, Mr. Sivaneswaran put profit before safety and paid cash in hand to untrained workers, did not engage a site manager and provided none of the legally required site documentation.

Selliah Sivguru Sivaneswaran of Harlyn Drive, Pinner pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(1) and 4(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM) and was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £ 5928.28 in costs.

He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £120.

HSE inspector Andrew Verrall-Withers commented after the hearing “Mr. Sivaneswaran was a commercial client as he was carrying out work as part of a business. When he failed to appoint a principal contractor, their duties fell on him.

“Thanks to a member of the public reporting the dangerous conditions the HSE was able to take action. It was just good fortune that no one had been killed at the site.

“Instead of taking the support and advice provided by the HSE, Mr. Sivaneswaran continued to let the workers operate in appalling conditions where they were at risk of being killed. He did not even provide them with a WC and washing facilities.”

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“Dear Prime Minister,” open letter to government from industry following Grenfell disaster

The UK Government has been urged to scrap its approach to deregulation of health and safety legislation in the light of the Grenfell Tower blaze.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Theresa May, over 70 leading organisations and figures from the UK’s safety and health profession have jointly called for a political sea change in attitude towards health and safety regulation and fire risk management following the tragedy.

The collective has also pressed the Government to complete its review of Part B of the Building Regulations 2010 – the regulations which cover fire safety within and around buildings in England – as a matter of urgency, and to include a focus on improved safety in the forthcoming Parliament.

The letter is signed by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), Park Health & Safety, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and the British Safety Council.

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA), International Institute of Risk & Safety Management (IIRSM), National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH), Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Unite the union have also given it their backing, alongside senior health and safety professionals.

“We believe it is totally unacceptable for residents, members of the public and our emergency services to be exposed to this level of preventable risk in modern-day Britain,” the letter states.

“At this crucial time of national reflection and sorrow, we urge all politicians to re-emphasise the need for effective health and safety regulation and competent fire risk management. These are fundamental to saving lives and sustaining our communities.

“We believe it is vital that this disaster marks a turning point for improved fire safety awareness and wider appreciation that good health and safety is an investment, not a cost.”
In calling on the UK Government to complete its review of Part B of The Building Regulations 2010, the signatories add: “Together, we offer our organisations’ support in undertaking the review – we all have valuable links to experts in this area who can advise on best regulatory outcomes. In the meantime, we welcome the Government’s commitment to act and to implement the interim findings of the forthcoming public inquiry.

“You have it in your power to remove immediately a further risk to people at work and outside of the workplace – unwise deregulation – which threatens public and worker safety.
“We, leaders in health and safety in the UK, call on you to scrap the Government’s approach to health and safety deregulation and think again.”

The open letter, in full, is as follows:

Dear Prime Minister,
There have, understandably, been strong public reactions to the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower and its tragic consequences – the largest civilian loss of life from a single event in the UK since the Hillsborough disaster.

The occupational safety and health community is deeply saddened and disturbed by the Grenfell Tower fire and all the lives it claimed. We believe it is totally unacceptable for residents, members of the public and our emergency services to be exposed to this level of preventable risk in modern-day Britain.

Central Government and the Kensington and Chelsea local authority share responsibility for building standards and their enforcement locally, as well as for the funding and management of the maintenance of social housing. These responsibilities must be backed up with good, essential regulations.

However, for many years, Ministers and others with influence over them have called for, including in health and safety, regulations to be axed as a matter of principle. Arbitrary rules were imposed to establish deregulation of health and safety, such as a requirement to abolish two health and safety regulations (and more recently, three) for any new one adopted.

This mind-set has meant that, even when it was recommended and accepted that mandatory fitting of sprinklers would make homes or schools safer, this was rejected in favour of non-regulatory action. In practice, this approach favours inaction.

Good, well-evidenced and proportionate regulations in health and safety, based on full consultation, are developed and adopted because they save lives and protect people’s health and wellbeing. They are not “burdens on business” but provide essential protection for the public from identifiable risks.

At this crucial time of national reflection and sorrow, we urge all politicians to re-emphasise the need for effective health and safety regulation and competent fire risk management. These are fundamental to saving lives and sustaining our communities.

We believe it is vital that this disaster marks a turning point for improved fire safety awareness and wider appreciation that good health and safety is an investment, not a cost.
We call on the Government to accelerate and confirm the timeframe for completing its review of Part B of The Building Regulations 2010 and to include a focus on improved safety in the forthcoming Parliament.

Together, we offer our organisations’ support in undertaking the review – we all have valuable links to experts in this area who can advise on best regulatory outcomes. In the meantime, we welcome the Government’s commitment to act and to implement the interim findings of the forthcoming public inquiry.

You have it in your power to remove immediately a further risk to people at work and outside of the workplace – unwise deregulation – which threatens public and worker safety.

We, leaders in health and safety in the UK, call on you to scrap the Government’s approach to health and safety deregulation and think again. This could be announced immediately, it does not need to await the results of a public inquiry, and is the least that the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire deserve.

Yours sincerely,

Park Health and Safety
Lawrence Waterman OBE
Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)
Graham Parker, President
Bev Messinger, Chief Executive
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)
Errol Taylor, Acting Chief Executive
British Safety Council
Lynda Armstrong OBE, Chair
Mike Robinson, Chief Executive
Also supported by:
Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH)
Anne Godfrey, Chief Executive
Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA)
Peter Crosland, Civil Engineering Director
International Institute of Risk & Safety Management (IIRSM)
Siobhan Donnelly, President
Phillip Pearson, Chief Executive
National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH)
Teresa Budworth, Chief Executive
Trades Union Congress (TUC)
Hugh Robertson, Senior Health and Safety Officer
Unite the union
Susan Murray, National Health and Safety Adviser

Stephen Asbury CFIOSH
James Barnes BSc (Hons) LFOH
Karen Baxter CMIOSH
Roger Bibbings MBE
Joe Brannigan LLB (hons) DipLP PgDip Construction Law CMIOSH
Melanie Boucher, MSc CMIOSH
David Brown RSP FIIRSM DipNEBOSH MIOSH MILM
Professor Neil Budworth MSc CFIOSH FIIRSM HonFFOM
Dr Tim Carter
Iris Cepero, Editor, Safety Management magazine
Professor John Cherrie PhD CFFOH
Arnold Clements BSc, MSc CMIOSH CEng MEI
Philip J Cullen BSc (Hons) CMIOSH
Declan Davis CMIOSH
Brian Donnachie BA (Hons) CMIOSH
Phil Dyson-Hurrell MIIRSM
Coenraad Fourie
Lisa Fowlie MSc BSc CFIOSH FIIRSM
Shelley Frost BSc (Hons), Post Grad DipOHS, Executive Director – Policy, IOSH
Professor Alistair Gibb PhD CEng MICE MCIOB, Loughborough University
Melodie Gilbert
Dr David Gold PhD CMIOSH, Chair, IOSH Fire Risk Management Group
Robert Hackett
Neil Hancox CMIOSH, Managing Director, Safety Intervention Services
Anne Harris
Cllr Ali Hashem
Andy Hawkes, Deputy President, IIRSM
Angela Hayden CFIOSH
Clinton Horn CFIOSH
Andrew Hoskins MSc CMIOSH FIIRSM PIEMA
Chris Hughes BSc, LTT Consultancy
Ian Hughes MSc BSc (Hons) Cert Ed Dip2OSH SPDipEM CMIOSH
Kelvin Hughes CMIOSH
Dr Roberta Jacobson OBE
Clive Johnson, Council Member, IIRSM
Ann Jones MBE CFIOSH
Wayne Jones, Chair, Cardiff & South East Wales Occupational Health and Safety Group
Wendy Jones
Martin Lovegrove CMIOSH MIIRSM PIEMA
James McDonald BSc CMIOSH MREHIS
Denis Murphy CMIOSH MIIRSM RMaPS
Cllr Caroline Needham
John O’Keeffe CMIOSH
Shirley Parsons MSc CMIOSH
Louise Phillipson
Stu Pollard BSc, PgCert CMIOSH
Ian Rabett CMIOSH
Dylan Roberts
Angela Rudkin Tech IOSH
Mike Salmon MSc, CFIOSH
Jonathan Schifferes MA
Jim Senior CMIOSH
Phil Sidman MIFE, MIFPO
Karl Simons MSc MIoD CMIOSH
Dr Susan Tannahill CMIOSH
Mohammad Torabi BSc MSc MA CMIOSH
Ceiran Trow CMFOH
Graham Twigg MSc CMIOSH PIEMA
Michelle Twigg MSc CMIOSH
Alex Vaughan
Dr Emma Wadsworth, Cardiff University
Professor David Walters, Cardiff University
Louise Ward BSc (Hons) CMIOSH
Selina Woolcott BSc (Hons) DipOHS CMIOSH

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Kee Safety provides safe access with self-closing safety gates

Kee Safety, a global supplier of fall protection equipment and safety railing systems, has launched Kee Gate, a range of self-closing safety gates, which provides industrial workers with a safety solution when working at height and on ground level.

Designed to work both internally and externally, on ladder and stair access points, roof hatches, walkways and roof tops, Kee Gate, ensures maintenance, inspection and warehouse staff can fulfil their job, follow best practices and comply with current safety standards, without putting their safety at risk. Kee Gates are spring loaded so can automatically close behind the user, providing an added level of security and overcoming the potential for human error. This type of system is the preferred solution to chains, bars or sliding tubes, as these traditional forms of protection can lead to a hazardous void, when used incorrectly.

Kee Safety self-closing safety gates are available in galvanised steel and if required can be powder coated in safety yellow. The safety gate is available with standard ‘U’ bolts for fixing to uprights of 33.7, 42.4 and 48.3 mm diameter, enabling the gate to be fixed quickly to existing supporting structures, posts or stringers. An additional fixing pack is provided which allows the gate to be fixed to square, flat or angle uprights. Easy to install on all types of handrails or to retro-fit existing structures, such as galvanised handrails and roof edge protection systems, Kee Gate is 1 metre wide. Designed to be trimmed on-site, this solution saves companies the time and money it takes to fabricate their own gates.

Kee Gate is compliant with the requirements of EN 13374 Class A, EN ISO 14122 Part 3 & Part 4 and is CE marked to EN 1090. The range is also compliant with international standards, meeting OSHA, O.B.C and I.B.C requirements. The system has undergone extensive testing to ensure total reliability of the gates. These include salt spray testing to ASTM B117-11 Neutral solutions over 200 hours to assess the coating’s corrosion resistance, life cycle testing to BS 6375-2:2009 Clause 6.5 – Opening and closing of Gate through 90 degrees 50,000 cycles and Abuse Testing where 9 x 25kg weights were suspended from the gate to test what happens if pressure is applied. This ensures durability, superior corrosion resistance and defence against signs of wear.

For more information, please visit www.keesafety.co.uk.
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