The North Wales Contractors Group is a sub-group of the North Wales Working Well Together Group. The aim of the group is to provide free information, events and knowledge to the smaller builders & contractors in North Wales to help improve their standards. The members of the group give up their valuable time to participate to make the group work. We hold regular planning meetings to discuss future events and ways we can help businesses to ensure compliance with regulatory and group member standards.
Members
Wynne Construction
Colin Proffit-Jones – HSEQ Manager
Peter Yates – HSEQ Support
Glyn Hughes – HSEQ Consultant
Watkin Jones Group
Miles Littlewood – Health, Safety & Environmental Director
Paul Christopherson – Senior Health & Safety Advisor
Elis Mottershead-Crawford – Health & Safety Support
North Wales WWT Group
The North Wales Working Well Together Group (NWWWT) was set up in 2004 to provide help for the industry, from the industry.
The group has attracted members from across the industry spectrum and includes representatives from local construction and civil engineering companies, as well as local government, training organisations and suppliers based in North Wales. We deliver a range of free health and safety events each year, mainly focussing on the needs of small and medium contractors, but we are always looking for new ideas.
A variety of events (with HSE support) have been organised since the group was first set up, where members have been able to share their knowledge and give smaller contractors the opportunity to find out about the latest developments in improving health and safety. Previous events have included Health and Safety Awareness days, Designer Awareness days, Occupational Health days, and Corporate manslaughter events.
Click on the following link to access the North Wales Working Well Together Page
Video Tool Box Talks
Future Events
Future Event Dates (All will be held at Watkin Jones Office on St. Asaph Business Park – 10am to 2pm) – FREE Event and a lunch buffet will be provided.
Check back here on a regular basis for the topics for each event:
If you would like to get involved with any events, please e-mail: nwcontractorgroup@gmail.com
Information
CDM Regulations 2015
The latest version of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations was released in April 2015. The CDM Regulations 2015 states that for every construction / building project (which also includes work on domestic properties) a Construction Phase Plan must be in place.
Click here for more information: www.cdmplan.co.uk
Sentencing Guidelines
Sentencing Guidelines for ALL H&S offences were introduced in February 2016 which removed the limit / cap on fines in the Magistrates’ Court. There have been some astronomical fines already issued in the last year. If you ever wonder why Principal / Main Contractors are more strict these days, this is why!
Find out more by clicking the following link: Sentencing Guidelines
Training
Regulation 15(7) of the CDM Regulations 2015 states “A contractor must not employ or appoint a person to work on a construction site unless that person has, or is in the process of obtaining, the necessary skills, knowledge, training and experience to carry out the tasks allocated to that person in a manner that secures the health and safety of any person working on the construction site”
Having CSCS Cards or Equivalent is a good method to prove training.
Contact our training partner for more details: Shorecliffe Training
Working at Height
Falls from Heights are still the biggest killer in the UK’s construction sector and work that involves people leaving the ground needs to be planned meticulously.
Failure to conduct risk assessments and introduce adequate safety measures can have fatal consequences.
Jason Anker’s Youtube video will bring home the consequences of getting it wrong: Jason Anker
More info can be obtained from the HSE: HSE Working at Height
Asbestos
Construction workers in the UK are among a high-risk group, primarily because asbestos was so prevalent for so long in the country’s older buildings and residences. Structures erected or renovated prior to 2000 are likely to contain asbestos.
Occupations at a high risk from asbestos exposure include Carpenters, Joiners, Plumbers, Electricians, HVAC Engineers, Plasterers, Roofing Contractors, Demolition Crews, Painters and Maintenance Workers.
For more info on asbestos, visit the HSE page: HSE Asbestos
Asbestos Essential Guides: www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/essentials
Silica Dust
Silica is a natural substance found in most rocks, sand and clay and in products such as bricks and concrete. In the workplace these materials create dust when they are cut, sanded, carved etc. Some of this dust may be fine enough to breathe deeply into your lungs and cause harm to your health.
By breathing silica dust, you could develop lung diseases like Silicosis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or Lung Cancer.
This is a great Youtube video to visually explain: Silica Dust
HSE Publication (INDG463): Control of Exposure to Silica Dust
Face Fit Testing
Where Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) is used, it must be able to provide adequate protection for individual wearers. RPE can’t protect the wearer if it leaks. A major cause of leaks is poor fit – tight-fitting facepieces need to fit the wearer’s face to be effective.
As people come in all sorts of shapes and sizes it is unlikely that one particular type or size of RPE facepiece will fit everyone. Fit testing will ensure that the equipment selected is suitable for the wearer.
JSP have put together a video explaining the test: Face Fit Testing
Manual Handling
Manual handling injuries are part of a wider group of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The term ‘musculoskeletal disorders’ covers any injury, damage or disorder of the joints or other tissues in the upper / lower limbs or the back.
Statistics from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) indicate that MSD cases, including those caused by manual handling, account for more than a third of all work-related illnesses reported each year to the enforcing authorities.
More information on Manual Handling can be found here: Manual Handling
Overhead Services
Accidental contact with live overhead power lines kills people and causes many serious injuries every year. People are also harmed when a person or object gets too close to a line and a flashover occurs. Work involving high vehicles or long equipment is particularly high risk.
In Construction the following vehicles / equipment is particularly high risk – Lorry mounted cranes (such as HIABs), Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWP’s), scaffold poles, tipper vehicles, cranes, ladders.
More information can be found here: Overhead Power Lines
Overhead Power Lines: HSE Guidance Note GS6
Underground Services
When underground cables are damaged, people can be killed and injured by electric shock, electrical arcs (causing an explosion), and flames. This often results in severe burns to hands, face and body, even if protective clothing is being worn. Damage can be caused when a cable is:
- cut through by a sharp object such as the point of a tool; or
- crushed by a heavy object or powerful machine.
Cables that have been previously damaged but left unreported and unrepaired can cause incidents.
More information can be found here: Underground Services
Danger from Underground Services: HSE Guidance HSG47
Links
Health & Safety Executive (HSE):
http://www.hse.gov.uk
Working Well Together Group (WWT):
http://wwt.uk.com/
CDM Plan (One Stop solution for all CDM Regulations 2015 Compliance):
http://www.cdmplan.co.uk
Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH):
http://www.iosh.co.uk/
Working Together to Beat Occupational Cancer:
http://www.notimetolose.org.uk/
Construction Enquirer (News articles on construction issues including H&S prosecution cases):
http://www.constructionenquirer.com/
The Ladder Association:
https://ladderassociation.org.uk/
PASMA (Mobile Access Towers):
https://www.pasma.co.uk/
IPAF (International Powered Access Federation):
http://www.ipaf.org/
Natural Resources Wales (NRW):
http://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/
THROUGHOUT OUR SITE YOU WILL FIND LINKS TO EXTERNAL WEBSITES. ALTHOUGH WE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ENSURE THESE LINKS ARE ACCURATE, UP TO DATE AND RELEVANT, THE NORTH WALES CONTRACTORS GROUP CANNOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR PAGES MAINTAINED BY EXTERNAL PROVIDERS.
If you come across any external links that don’t work, we would be grateful if you could report them to the web administration team: nwcontractorgroup@gmail.com
Contact
Glyn Hughes – Eryri Consulting Limited
Tel: 07796 932068
Steve Hickey – K&C Construction
Tel: 07958 675733
e-mail: nwcontractorgroup@gmail.com
