Head teacher health & safety briefing

1. Head teacher health & safety briefing Contractors New Mothers & Pregnant Women Stress 16th March 2006

2. Safety management standard for controlling contractorsDavid Kempson

3. Safety management standard for controlling contractorsincluding the safety management standards for:- Construction, design & engineering projects- Permit to work

4. Contractors City Council: • Contractors working nearby school access ramp • Manhole cover removed • Partially sighted pupil fell into hole. • Sustained serious leg injuries • Estimated overall cost to council £100K ? (disruption, investigation, communication, meetings, potential claims etc.)

5. What is a contractor? • Any person or organisation, external or internal to the Council who provides you with a service. • Often direct labour in the form of building / plant installation, maintenance or repairs • Includes other services supplied e.g. provision of transport

6. Contractor standards • There is a joint H&S responsibility between council ‘clients’ and contractors • Where different organisations share a workplace, (temporary or permanent), both shall cooperate with the other to coordinate any necessary H&S arrangements • No contract work to commence until safety method statements / risk assessments received and evaluated • Contractors to display identification at all times when on site NB for brevity, not all standards are described in full

7. Contractor standards • Certain types of construction, engineering and all demolition works requires compliance with CDM Regulations (See Safe management of construction, design and engineering projects SMS) • Certain types of high risk activities shall require a formal written safe system of work to be in place. (See Safe management of permit to work SMS) • ‘Job registration’ will be undertaken for all building related / construction type work • NB for brevity, not all standards are described in full

8. Planning and achieving the SMS • In practice, risk assessments for contract work must consider the hazards and risks associated with the tasks involved and the impact on the people at the location. • When appointing contractors…… - Select from approved list - Carry out your initial risk assessment - Request contractor safety method statement - Evaluate / discuss / amend / agree - Site / location induction - Job registration - Monitor throughout duration of work

9. CDM Standards • Determine whether any works fall under the Construction (Design and Management) regulations – flowchart tabled • Head teachers to appoint a contact person for projects • Anyone who gives input to the specification of a project will be classed as a designer • The client will appoint competent designer, planning supervisor, principal contractor and provide the planning supervisor with information to include in a pre-tender health and safety plan • Before the project starts make sure that a construction phase health and safety plan is in place • Ensure the HSE are notified of the project where necessary • At the end of the project keep the health and safety file NB for brevity, not all standards are described in full

10. Permit-to-Work (PTW) A PTW system is a formal written system used to control certain types of work that are potentially hazardous by ensuring a safe system of work is identified and adhered to.

11. PTW Standards Certain types of work shall only be undertaken following the completion of a PTW by an authorised person(s) prior to its commencement: • Confined Space Entry; • Hot Work • Isolation of services, e.g. electricity • Excavations • Demolition NB for brevity, not all standards are described in full

12. Training • Supervising Health & Safety (CIEH) • Managing Safely in Schools (IOSH) • Risk Assessment (CIEH)

13. New Mothers & Pregnant Women

14. Background • 350,000 women continue to work during pregnancy • 69% return to work soon after giving birth • Year 2001 out of 1,434 potential tribunal cases involving pregnancy/maternity related discrimination 1,387 involved some breach of H&S

15. DEFINITIONS • A worker who is pregnant • A worker who has given birth in the previous six months • A worker who is breastfeeding

16. Legislation Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations • Risk assessment to be undertaken in respect of all employees • Consider specifically risks to new mothers and pregnant women • Do what is reasonably practicable to control those risks • Carried out when employee advises employer in writing they are pregnant

17. New Mothers & Pregnant Women SMS • Risk assessment will be conducted for all new mothers and pregnant women • If there is a significant risk steps will be taken to reduce the risk • Risk assessments will be reviewed monthly • Provide area for pregnant women / breastfeeding workers to rest • Provide an area where breastfeeding mothers can express and store breast milk securely

18. Risk Assessment Consider • Risks to females of child bearing age • Risks to mother • Risks to unborn child • Risks to child of a woman who is breastfeeding

19. Areas to consider in risk assessment Exposure to Physical Agents • Movements and posture- nature, duration, frequency tasks- pace, intensity, variety of work- patterns of working time and rest breaks- ergonomic factors, working environment- suitability, adaptability work equipment

20. Other Physical Agents • Manual Handling • Shocks and Vibrations • Noise • Radiation (ionising & non-ionising) Exposure to Biological Agents • Infectious Diseases Exposure to Chemical Agents • Toxic chemicals • Mercury, lead, carbon monoxide • Pesticides

21. Working Conditions Facilities Resting Facility Hygiene Facilities Storage Facilities Mental & Physical fatigue Occupational Stress Passive Smoking Temperature Working Alone Work related violence

22. If risk is identified and cannot be avoided by preventative and protective measures Employer must: • Temporarily adjust working conditions and/or hours of work if it is reasonable to do so and would avoid the risks If this cannot be done • Identify and offer suitable alternative work if any is available. (must also be subject to risk assessment)

23. If that is not feasible • Suspend her from work for as long as necessary to protect her safety and health or that of her child (Full pay) Risk Assessment should be kept under review TRAINING Risk Assessment (CIEH) Managing Safely (IOSH)

24. Stress Lorenzo Visentin

25. Why bother? • About half a million UK employees experience work related stress that makes them ill • Up to 5 million UK employees feel ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ stressed by work • 12.8 million working days were lost to stress, anxiety or depression in 2004/5

26. Stress • Walsall’s Stress SMS – a definition • Pressure – drives us to succeed (eustress) • Stress – when pressure exceeds our individual ability to cope (distress) • HSE stress management standards • Demands • Control • Support • Role • Relationships • Change • Stress survey work • Stress risk assessment

27. Support services • Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) (PPC) • Teacherline (from Teacher Support Network) • Virtual CAB • Face-to-face counselling • All available 24 hours on: 08000 28 28 50 • Plus: • Critical incident debriefing (at your cost) • Occupational Health • Proposal for HT psychology support service • Headspace • Occupational Health Psychology

28. Next steps • Training • Foundation Cert. in Stress Awareness (CIEH) ½ day • Assertiveness • Time management • Managing personal stress • Domestic violence • Proposal for Foundation Cert. in Conflict Management (ICM) • Consider stress survey work, which will lead into • Stress risk assessment and reduction plan

29. Thank you for your attention Any questions