Page 983 - Xmo Strata - Bulletin Archive

Health, Safety & Environmental Bulletin No 362

14 June 2013

Mandatory Safety Time Out

We all know that installing signage especially when it is located high up and above pedestrian
walkways can not only be dangerous at the time, but failure to follow detailed procedures can place
people at risk many months or even years later.

Earlier this year, we shared a tragic incident where a man was killed by a sign that fell on him in
Camden, London.

Since then, a client has shared with us that they had signage that was fixed by another contractor fell
down because it had insufficient fixings (no one was injured).

An engineer installing a fuel station price sign suffered an impact from the sign resulting in an open
lower leg fracture that required surgery and minor bruising to the face.

A painter has fallen from a shop portico that he was working on without edge protection, resulting in
a head injury requiring several stitches.

A contractor (not sign related) was tragically killed when he fell from a height of 1.21 metres (4 feet)
at Gatwick Airport (details to follow in H&S bulletin 363).

An image contractor fell from an incorrectly built scaffold whilst measuring the dimensions of a
canopy fascia at height (something that we would always do from ground level), resulting in him still
being in an induced coma some two weeks after the incident and requiring two operations to reduce
swelling on the brain.

Only last week, sign installers in the UK were seen by one of our own subcontractors allegedly
smoking on a petrol forecourt and working at height on a MEWP with no gloves, safety glasses, or
safety helmet.

Without wishing to comment on each individual incident, factors that played a part are likely to
include complacency and a lack of control that should normally be present in Health & Safety
management Systems by adopting the POPMAR principle which involves reviewing Policy,
Organisation, Planning, Monitoring, Audit and Review.

We constantly review our procedures in line with the findings of proactive incident reports, having
made 337 changes to our H&S manual, of which 27 have been made in 2013, along with 64
improvements to 11 Safe Systems of Work in the same time period as a direct result of input from our
site operatives.