This handbook has been produced to outline how the potential hazards associated with work at height activities can be either eliminated or mitigated. Based on the hierarchy of control, the handbook provides ‘clear, simple and smart’ guidance for those managing Work at Height.

An introduction is provided for each element of the hierarchy of control, along with examples of good practice and questions every site should be asking. The guidance should be considered when conducting a risk assessment and conducting a work at height safety review. The handbook is designed for use by managers, employees, and contractors within the mineral products industry. Please share it within your organisation.

This guidance note aims to help ensure best practice. It will be regularly revised to reflect new innovations which further control risk, e.g. from ideas generated by the annual QPA H&S Awards. It is intended that in future developments the scope also will be widened. It is recommended that sites have clear signage at their entrances and at their weighbridges that reinforce the message that climbing onto loaded vehicles is prohibited. A number of industry activities are considered and a hierarchy of control measures described which if applied will significantly reduce the falls from height risk.

Based upon feedback shared by several MPA members, including information about a very serious accident overseas which sadly resulted in a fatality, MPA would like to draw to the attention of members to a potential issue with elevated walkways and platforms. (See more details in Safequarry Incident Alert)

Anecdotally, MPA has been informed of other similar incidents that have had serious potential and have resulted in relatively minor injuries, but could easily have resulted in a serious injury or death. (Corrosion can also affect structural integrity and corrosion can be hidden by spillage, for example).

As a matter of urgency, MPA members are advised to routinely inspect and report on the condition of elevated walkways and platforms to ensure that these potentially unsafe conditions do not exist within their own operations. MPA members are also encouraged to notify MPA of any adverse findings that may help others and keep this as a live issue and prevent further incidents.

We are grateful to members who have drawn these issues to our attention in the spirit of Safer By Sharing. Incident alerts and High Potential Incidents can be notified to MPA

By E mail to;

• Colin.mew@mineralproducts.org
• Chris.leese@mineralproducts.org 
• David.yelland@mineralproducts.org

Or directly via Safequarry https://www.safequarry.com/home/incident-alerts.aspx

We are all Safer By Sharing

HSE has issued the a safety bulletin on unsafe use of polymer floor grating systems in the offshore sector. Whilst the alert relates to the off shore industries many elements are relevant to the mineral products industry.

Floor gratings are used extensively within the minerals industry for process plant flooring and access walkways. The bulletin serves as a useful general reminder that any floor gratings, whether made of polymer or metal should be installed in accordance with the OEM guidance and included within inspection programmes to ensure that they remain, secure and free from damage and corrosion

Operators should ensure that there are up to date risk assessments and safe systems of work in place for inspecting and maintaining floors and ensuring appropriate safety measures are in place when floors are lifted.

From HSE alert

Duty holders and employers should identify all areas of grating systems across installations and workplaces, and carry out a suitable and sufficient review to ensure they are safe to use.

Safety critical areas such as escape routes should be prioritised.

Please follow this link to the HSE alert 

The fourth edition of the Code of Practice for the Safe Installation of Precast Concrete Flooring and Associated Components launched by the Precast Flooring Federation on 30th November 2017

The poor management and sub-standard quality of ships’ rope ladders are putting the lives of marine pilots at risk, according to new findings by the MAIB.

Please follow link to further information and see pdf of an APB poster produced to provide guidance on this issue

The Building Products Delivery Working Group (BPDWG) is a UK committee of manufacturers, logistics & transport companies and regulators (HSE). The aim of the BPDWG is to aid in developing best practice in the Building Products Supply Industry for loading, moving and unloading goods safely. As a recent initiative, the committee examined ways of eliminating or reducing the risks of working at height associated with the use of load security techniques in the UK. This document reports the findings of that study. The intent is to illustrate what equipment and methods are available and offer a general insight into their capability and limitations. This may assist in determining what equipment or methods may best suit a company’s needs based on a suitable assessment of risks to health and safety and taking into account the environment in which the equipment is to be used and relevant economic factors. This does not detract from the need to comply with current legislation.