Health & Safety Updates April 2019

10 Apr

RIDDOR Update

The HSE’s RIDDOR forms have been refreshed and moved to a more modern platform to improve user experience. However, reporting requirements remain unchanged.

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) requires employers, the self-employed and people in control of work premises (the Responsible Person) to report certain serious workplace accidents, occupational diseases and specified dangerous occurrences (near misses).

These reports simply let the relevant enforcing authority know that an incident has occurred so they can identify where and how risks arise, and whether they need to be investigated. This allows the enforcing authorities to prioritise their work, helping dutyholders understand what they need to do to manage risk in the workplace.

For guidance on what and how to report, please click here.

Forms relating to Occupational Diseases, Dangerous Gas Fitting, Dangerous Occurrences, Dangerous Occurrences Offshore and Injuries Offshore forms have now launched. The final two forms relating to Flammable Gas Incidents and Injuries will go live by the end of April.

HSE Safety Alert – Platform Lifts

The HSE has issued a safety alert in relation to Platform Lifts (vertical lifting platforms or lifts for people with impaired mobility).

Platform lifts, such as traditional passenger lifts, provide access between floors and are hydraulically, or electrically powered. Usually, they operate over two to three floors and typically rely on hold to run operation and operate at slower speeds than conventional passenger lifts.

The safety alert was issued after the HSE became aware of a number of incidents involving tampering with safety devices, inappropriate maintenance of door switches or unlocking zone bypass switches during maintenance. Combined with deterioration of the doors and their hinges, landing doors have opened when the platform/lift car is not at that landing.

This resulted in people potentially accessing the lift well when the lifting platform was not at the same floor level/landing. This has resulted in members of the public or workers falling down the open lift well or becoming trapped beneath a descending platform.

For further information, please contact our Health & Safety team on 02920 853794 or at lauren.hill@thomas-carroll.co.uk.