Health and Safety at work

Fire alarms are tested every Monday at 0900hrs, you are not required to leave the campus to assemble at the designated fire assembly points unless directed by the college staff at this time.  

In case of a fire alarm (other than the fire alarm test) you must evacuate the campus including the workshops to make your way to two designated fire assembly point. Two fire assembly points for the Riverside Campus are (1) rear of the engineering workshop building within the car park, and (2) Clyde Walkway just outside the Marine Skills Centre. You must evacuate the campus using the nearest exit.  Safety signs will clearly guide you to this. Leave all material possessions behind to avoid delay.

You should also familiarise yourself with the 'break glass' points closest to working area, in the event of an emergency they should trigger the fire alarm. 

Fires can be caused by a number of things, such as untidy work spaces, carelessness, faulty wiring, explosions and welding etc. For a fire to occur, three things are needed.

• Heat

• Fuel

• Oxygen

In the event of a fire do not try to tackle it. Exit the building safely, gather at your muster point, and await the fire brigade.

A risk assessment is a careful examination of what, for a specific task or working area, could cause harm to people. This allows precautions to be put in place to prevent any accidents occurring. A risk assessment protects the workers and business whilst aiding in compliance with the law. Not all risks can be eliminated but should be have processes in place to reduce the risks and their severity.

There are 5 steps to assess the risks within a work place using a risk assessment;

1. Identify the hazards.

2. Decide who might be harmed and how.

3. Evaluate the risks and decide on appropriate precautions.

4. Record your findings and implement them.

5. Review your assessment and update if necessary.

What is a hazard – A hazard is anything that may cause harm – such as electricity, working from heights etc.

What is a risk – A risk is the likelihood, high or low, that somebody could be harmed by an associated hazard, together with the severity of how serious the harm could be.

A risk assessment has been carried out for all areas and all tasks being complete within the workshop. These risk assessments are available for all to see and will be posted in each area. These risk assessments are constantly reviewed, so any issues you may have please highlight them immediately to your lecturer to ensure it is dealt with promptly.

Your lecturer will go through the risk assessments at the beginning of each unit being complete.

The HSE provide guidance on manual handling is contained within the  Manual Handling Operation Regulations 1992.

Manual handling is any transporting or supporting of a load (including lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving thereof) by hand or bodily force.

The regulations are in place to;

• Avoid the need for hazardous manual handling, “so far as is reasonably practicable”.

• Assess the risk of injury from any hazardous manual handling that can’t be avoided.

• Reduce the risk of injury from manual handling, “so far as is reasonably practicable”.

As part of your course you will receive manual handling training, in the meantime it is important when lifting equipment to keep your knees shoulder width apart, one slightly in front of the other, keep your back straight and keep arms close to your body with a tight grip of whatever you are lifting. Please do not to lift items above what you can manage comfortably. The college have equipment to aid with lifting and moving of materials so please ask the lecturer in charge if you require additional support.

Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, or LOLER, applies to any organisation which requires the use of lifting equipment. Lifting equipment is any working equipment used for lifting or lowering loads.

Where you undertake lifting operations involving lifting equipment you must:

• plan them properly

• use people who are sufficiently competent

• supervise them appropriately

• to ensure that they are carried out in a safe manner

If any lifting is required within the college, please seek help from lecturer.

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, or PUWER, places duties on people and companies who own, operate or have control over work equipment

PUWER requires that equipment provided for use at work is:

• suitable for the intended use

• safe for use, maintained in a safe condition and inspected to ensure it is correctly installed and does not subsequently deteriorate

• used only by people who have received adequate information, instruction and training

• accompanied by suitable health and safety measures, such as protective devices and controls. These will normally include guarding, emergency stop devices, adequate means of isolation from sources of energy, clearly visible markings and warning devices

• used in accordance with specific requirements, for mobile work equipment and power presses

The staff here at City of Glasgow College with ensure any equipment being worked on is maintained and suitable for intended use. However, it is still useful to know this information going forward.

Within the workshop, in general you will not be required to wear ear protection. Although, the lecturer may advise ear protection is worn for certain tasks. If you feel you would like to wear ear protection at certain points throughout the practical courses then please ask.

The full text of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations (2005) and the full text of the Noise at Work Regulations (1989) can be viewed online.

When completing any electrical units, it is important to pay attention to the Electricity at Work Regulations (1989). The main focus of this document, is when working on any electrical equipment you must ensure it is dead (not carrying any electrical current) and cannot be switched back on by anyone while working on it. 

During these units we will ensure competency and understanding before starting work as well as going more in depth than this brief induction. 

To ensure safe isolation of equipment the following steps must be adhered to:

1. Identify the equipment to be worked on

2. Obtain a permit to work on said equipment and permission to isolate.

3. Switch off equipment from isolator or miniature circuit breaker etc and lock off.

4. Apply relevant danger notices with details of isolation.

5. Prove voltage testing equipment is operational and free from damage.

6. Test circuit is dead.

7. Re-check the voltage testing equipment.

8. Carry out the work agreed on the permit.

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (2013), also known as RIDDOR, gives guidance on the reporting of on incidents while in the workplace.

Any accident/incident that is connected to work and results in a person being off work for over three days must be reported to the HSE within ten days. All injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences should also be recorded and reported appropriately. Including:

Major Injuries:

• A major injury is anything which results in possibly Broken Bones, Amputation or loss of sight.

Minor Injuries:

• A minor injury is something which results in a cut, fractured fingers or severe bruising and/or does not keep an operative off work.

Near Miss:

• A near miss is an unplanned event that does not cause injury or ill health, but could do so. This is vitally important in control and minimising the risks which could cause accidents in the future.

Reportable Disease:

• Skin Diseases like Occupational Dermatitis, Skin Cancer.

• Lung diseases such as: Occupational Asthma, Asbestosis.

• Infections such as: Hepatitis, Tuberculosis, Tetanus.

• Things like Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome and White Finger.

City of Glasgow College will share the responsibility with yourself in endeavouring to prevent injury and accident in the Engineering Workshop. Should you be involved in an incident that has caused injury, either major or minor, it is vital that this is immediately raised to your lecturer. It is also important that any near miss is reported to allow for safety reviews to be carreid out.