| Reducing risks of head injury |
Description
Analysis of safety statistics at Maltby Works over a three year period revealed that there had been 19 accidents involving injuries to the head either through contact with a fixed item or a falling/moving object. Further analysis revealed that 14 of these accidents had occurred when operatives were working behind guarded areas, primarily when undertaking essential maintenance work. The common cause of injury was hitting one’s head on fixed equipment when moving from a crouched to a standing position. Further analysis confirmed that the activities being undertaken behind the guarded areas were essential. Appropriate steps had already been taken to minimise the need to work in these areas and to restrict access to them.
Marshalls’ solution was to introduce a new policy making it a mandatory requirement for all employees to wear bump caps when working behind a guarded area.
Benefits
• No incidents of head injuries since June 2011
• Reduced level of risk for operatives working behind guarded area
• Bump caps increasingly worn by employees in other parts of the works
• Low cost but effective solution to eliminate high risk factor at the works.
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