IOSH EDINBURGH BRANCH

Minutes of 173rd Edinburgh Branch Meeting

Craighouse Campus, Napier University, Edinburgh – Thursday 8 June 2006 - 130pm

Sederunt: I M Murray J Hooker J Davis B Morris J Robertson J Hamilton G Dick L Young B Bertram N Kelly P Veitch J Little A Curran J Battler D Forfar I Sinclair I Munro A Polhill J Donnelly N Doherty C McClade K Shaw N Olliver D Morrice T Ambler A Bell D Gillespie A Diment C Sparling B Anderson A Green M Downer F Young A A Pittendreigh T Mellon M Grimmer K Lloyd M Bancroft P Brunton I Craig R Weir R Lovering R Brydon G Foggo G MacNab S McMorland M Johnstone J Fenton R Innes D Sinclair T Graveson R McLean L Crichton J Hepburn J Green R Butler M Powell M Powell S Wilson C Shiels J P Fish T Stockdale C Pender

Apologies: Simon Heesom, Derek Cawkwell, Andy Sharman, Russell Brownlie, Allan Dick, Alastair Baily

1. Chair: Marion Johnstone took the Chair and outlined the Safety arrangements (Fire) and reminded people to switch off Mobiles

2. Minutes of previous meeting April 2006

• Receipt – anyone who hadn’t received their minutes should speak to the Secretary.

• Accuracy: Proposer – L Young; Seconder – J Davis. Agreed a true record.

• Matters arising not on the Agenda - none

3 Correspondence – Job Spot

• the Quality Register’

GROUP HEAD OF SAFETY:

The company is a leading supplier of electricity in the UK, having a mix of nuclear and coal power plants. Em: tt@qualityregister.co.uk t: 01246 582113 f: 01246 583530

• RISK MANAGER

The Gleneagles Hotel: Friday 16th June, 2006 to : Judy Donald, Personnel & Training Department, The Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder, Perthshire. PH3 1NF or e-mail to Gleneagles.personnel@gleneagles,com

3 Correspondence - HQ

Membership

Branch: 825

Chartered Fellows -17; Fellows - 5;

Chartered Members - 162;

Members - 216; Graduates - 15;

Technician Members - 288;

Affiliates + Retired - 122.

4. Group Reports

• Branch Education Development Officer – Liz Young – reported that NEBOSH Fire Risk Assessment Certificate Courses were now becoming available including one from Napier University.

• Groups

PUBLIC SERVICES: Marion Johnstone gave details of the next National safety Symposium and outlined the speakers.

FIRE RISK MANAGEMENT: Dave Sinclair outlined the speakers and topics at the next nextworking meeting on 12 July at Sunderland. Those interested contact kat.arno@iosh.co.uk

CONSTRUCTION: Allan Dick was attending the Construction Group meeting at the Grange that day and would report in September.

ENVIRONMENT: Julian Davis reported on discussions with the Institute of Waste Management which would result in a tie-up between IOSH and IWM under the auspices of the EG.

• Forth & Tay District: regretfully their site vist to the landfill site had to be cancelled at short notice since the HSE had decided to turn up on that same day.

5. Members Items

• Secretary’s Sipper Golf Tournament: held on 2 June at Haddington. Andrew Finnie (last year’s winner) was winner this time also – he was congratulated.

• Ann Diment co-opted on to Exec as Events Secretary.

• Scottish Borders Safety Forum has been wound up – incorporated in the Borders Construction Industry Forum - enquiries@bcif.org.uk, www.bcif.org.uk

• Garry Foggo: Scottish Widdows: a mini H & S conference/convention for the network of 90 or so Health and Safety Designated Managers at Scottish Widows. DMs are normally line managers who have been trained and have day to day H & S responsibility for the business unit they work in. Hoping to organise on a "menu" basis so that DMs can come along when they can manage and at specific times when there is a topic on of particular interest to them. Any branch member interested in coming along to do a short section at the conference (CPD points at the very least!). Looking for items that would be relevant to office based working. No fixed dates yet: late June early July.

• Vibration: following discussion at last meeting two websites were suggested – the first is free, the second commercial.

http://www.operc.com/pages/havtecwelcome.asp

http://www.invc.co.uk/

Subsequently a third one (also free) was suggested.

http://www.hsfb.co.uk/Downloads/Mark_Sutton/HAVS_Levels_Database.xls

Would be useful for members using these to give feedback as to accuracy and usefulness.

6. Guest Speaker

Noise at Work Regulations and strategies for complying with it - ANDY WATSON M.Sc, MIOA, MREHIS.

Our speaker today was Andy Watson from Acoustic Consultancy Services in Glasgow. He has been involved with assessments in the transportation, motorway and motor sports sectors for a number of years.

How is industry coping?

Andy started the debate by throwing out some questions

How is it in your company?
Have you been affected by the changes?
Have you got the new guidelines?
Have you acted upon them?
Do you understand the changes (other than just the technicalities)?

Apparently there is little impact yet and Andy enthusiastically encouraged those with noise issues to get the new guidelines as it will effectively be a bible for noise at work.

New regulations.

Came into force on April 6^th 2006 except in the entertainment industry (including discos, bars and pubs where live music is being played) where the old NAWRegs will continue to apply to this sector until 2008.

What are the main changes?

The change in action levels
The introduction of new limit value.
A change in emphasis – from just purely assessments to having a strategy to control noise at work (action plans and programmes).

Risk assessment to establish what needs to be done (not as an end in itself)
Controls known to work should be implemented (good practice, industry standards).
Hearing protection in its place
Supporting systems in place (maintenance, training, health surveillance).

The essence is…Less “process”, more action

· Process of assessment should not inhibit action to control risks

· Why quantify exposure if risks are clear and solutions known? – this is fine from an HSE point of view but lawyers may need to know figures in a court case

· HSE themselves are producing new ‘tools’ and guidance to encourage rapid risk identification and decision making (with examples).

New Action & Limit Values

Action levels have come down and a new peak level has now been imposed

· Lower Exposure Action Values - L_EP,d of 80 dB, L_Cpeak of 135 dB

· Upper Exposure Action Values - L_EP,d of 85 dB, L_Cpeak of 137 dB

· Exposure Limit Values (ELVs) - L_EP,d of 87 dB, LCpeak of 140 dB - employers are breaking the law if employees are exposed to figures higher than this averaged over an 8 hour day

· ELVs taking account of hearing protection

Exposure spreadsheet/ calculator (on HSE website)

http://www.hse.gov.uk/noise/calculator.htm

Example in a noisy area.

· Source levels at LA 100dB.

· Upper exposure action level L_EP,d 85dB.

How long before an employee reaches this level?- 15 minutes

– so you’ve got to do something about it.

It’s all about control of risks

· General duty to reduce risks to the lowest level reasonably practicable

Should aim for control by technical / organisational means
Good practice/industry standards/known solutions (regardless of exposure but ‘so far as is reasonably practicable).
If solutions identified, stop assessing, start controlling with a hierarchy of controls:

o Change work to eliminate or reduce exposure

o Choose equipment emitting least noise

o Design & layout of workstations

o Training etc. for correct use (PPE, operating equipment)

o Reduction by technical measures

o Maintenance (remember machines get older or worn)

o Time shifting.

Hearing protectors

· Not a long-term solution

· Can be used whilst other controls are being investigated & developed

· Acceptable where despite all reasonably practicable controls, exposures remain above UEAV (L_EP,d of 85 dB, L_Cpeak of 137 dB)

If you’ve got to use them then:

· Select according to protection, comfort, user preference, environment, work activity

· Use a “mean – 2 standard deviations” calculation – change in HSE guidance, up from 1

· Guard against over-protection (no more than 15 dB below UEAV for steady noise)

Limit of exposure at the ear (The Limit values)

Exposure Limit Values take account of effect of hearing protection and having done an assessment are

· Not a target for hearing protection performance

· May be an issue for very high exposures

· Duty to control exposures at the UEAV, and to reduce risks generally, takes precedence.

Health surveillance (NEW!)

· Required, for practical purposes, where UEAV exceeded

· Usual health surveillance duties apply (record keeping, medical referral)

· Not a control measure, but a check that controls are working – feedback

· Expensive? Effective control to reduce exposures could reduce cost

Apparently the legislators now believe they need to do more than expecting the NHS to cope with the effects of noise. But you do need to be aware of both the Data Protection Act and the Freedom of Information Act especially in the way you present the trends or results

Other things

· “Weekly exposure” allowed (instead of daily) – could be helpful where patterns of exposure vary.

· Derogation from use of hearing protection where this would cause greater risks – but there appears to be some doubt whether this could be proved

· Music & entertainment sectors extra two years to comply (2008) - But should start moving towards compliance now

Weekly exposure - L_EP,w

· Can be used where daily levels vary considerably

· Probably a difference of at least 5dB higher on one or two days per week.

· Or where the working week is three days or fewer.

_·Table in the Guidance to calculate L_EP,w

SUMMARY

· Lower action levels for daily exposure.

· Important new upper limit value. (87db over 8 hr period including ear protection)