Editorial

HAIX UK Sales Manager Simon Ash discusses investing in high-quality footwear creates better choices for the environment.

Every year, around 149 million pairs of shoes are thrown into landfills in the UK. As footwear is manufactured, transported, worn and discarded at a rapid pace, the impact spreads far beyond the environment. Fast-paced supply chains often rely on cheaper materials and manufacturing processes that are outsourced overseas, resulting in a commodity-driven process that causes social and environmental damage.   

Consumers, non-governmental organisations, governments and other stakeholders are ramping up the pressure for businesses to commit to supply chain transparency and ethical production across a broad spectrum of industries. However, in the world of workwear, there still needs to be a fundamental shift from solely encouraging ethical procurement of well-designed and superior-quality boots to considering both this and the maintenance and repair of the shoes.   

Partnerships like the one HAIX has with the Boot Repair Company can generate working relationships that complement both customers and the environment by minimizing workwear’s social and environmental impacts.  

The Boot Repair Company, formed from two family businesses with over 120 years of experience, specialises in repairing boots made for fire, police, ambulance and other emergency services workers. All HAIX boots are manufactured in Europe which meets socially responsible guidelines, thoroughly designed using considered material choices and construction methods to withstand multiple terrains, environments, and activities that will provide years of protection and use Of the services available, repairs such as a full resole can double the enduring life expectancy of HAIX footwear, further  preserving the investment and quality of the PPE.  

The Boot Repair Company’s Director, Tom Forbes, suggests that, “Regularly inspecting safety boots is particularly important for emergency service workers to avoid unnecessary injury. However, while a sole will become worn with use, a nicely broken-in upper can escape virtually unscathed and have tons of life left in it. We’ve found that HAIX boots can be re-soled around three times because the thick upper leather is so strong. The timeframe for a repair will depend on occupation, the job hazards encountered, how often the boots are worn, and even the wearer’s size and weight.   

Ultimately, good boots are like old comrades. We take pride in knowing that we can minimise waste and help more people keep their footwear for longer.”  

To help achieve a circular footwear economy, we need an industry-wide shift to make ethical workwear maintenance as important as ethical procurement practices. Businesses are required to maintain their premises, equipment and company vehicles, to a high standard, with all of these being highly considered choices. Why does this not extend to their footwear?

For safety boots, there is a business case as well as an environmental case for investing in high quality, durable footwear that wearers will get many years out of, and subsequently be able to access boot repairs to extend the life even further. Footwear that is also made as durable as possible means that wearers can minimise waste and organisations can buy better, not buy more.   

Using high-quality materials can extend the life of footwear and encourage prolonged use. HAIX shoes are put through their paces to ensure that they exceed the minimum standards as much as possible, including undergoing a series of over 100 material and quality assurance tests, replicating the day-to-day challenges of wearers, who spend most of their time on their feet. Setting this high standard for footwear results in boots that are higher quality, and last longer.  

www.haix.co.uk

With an increasing volume of substandard products on the market, the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) has issued a handy checklist to help specifiers and users check whether personal protective equipment (PPE) is fit for purpose.

BSIF analysis carried out last year showed that much of the PPE on the market fails to match up to the advertised protection.  

It completed tests on 127 non-member products, which included checking their compliance with relevant standards and testing whether they perform as claimed. Only 18 (15%) of these products were fully compliant. This means 108 products (85%) failed to meet the regulatory criteria, many of which are still for sale to unsuspecting users. 

The findings around non-member products contrast with the results of tests on products supplied by BSIF Registered Safety Suppliers, whose products are tested annually as part of the scheme’s audit process. Of 387 tests completed on Registered Safety Suppliers’ products, 332 (86%) passed immediately, and of the 55 (14%) that initially did not meet the test criteria, all issues were subsequently resolved.

The new BSIF PPE checklist has been created to help specifiers and users ensure that PPE complies with the law and conforms to PPE Regulation 2016/425. It presents a series of questions to ask when purchasing PPE, which are divided into sections for ease of use: Product Markings, Required Documentation, Product Condition, and Storage.  

Examples of questions included in the checklist are: 

• Does the PPE have a UKCA, UKNI or CE Mark applied to it?
• Was the PPE issued with User Instructions included?
• Is there a Declaration of Conformity with the PPE
• Is the PPE clean, undamaged and suitable for use?
• Was the PPE stored correctly, according to the User Instructions?

If any questions present cause for concern, users are advised to seek support and guidance from their company’s health & safety advisor and the manufacturer of the PPE. The BSIF can also provide general guidance.

BSIF CEO Alan Murray says: “This checklist is a reminder that while anyone can sell safety, you shouldn’t buy safety from just anyone. Failing to check your PPE is fit for purpose could leave you or your employees, for whom you have a duty of care, vulnerable and unprotected, and also expose your organisation to the risk of prosecution. The easiest way to check your PPE is compliant is by only buying from a Registered Safety Supplier.”  

The checklist can be downloaded for free at: Check-your-PPE.pdf (bsif.co.uk) 

 The BSIF also offers an‘Is it Genuine – Certification Checklist’ that provides further advice on how to check if the supporting documentation for your PPE is genuine and what to do if you are concerned. It can be downloaded at https://www.bsif.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Is-it-Genuine-2023.pdf

Providing your workforce with a hard hat they can be proud of isn’t just a nice to have, but essential to operating a safe site.  

But beyond choosing a hard-hat that is high quality, comfortable and with a low profile and modern design, you can improve them further by taking advantage of MSA’s hard hat branding. 

How does branding improve safety on site? 

We know that the safest helmet is the one that workers are going to wear and unifying your employees with a sense of pride and cohesiveness, by providing a branded hard-hat, dramatically improves the use of PPE and people’swillingness to look after their kit.  

Beyond that, however, there are some important benefits to customising the hard hat your workforce are using. 

Managing a busy project site can be challenging, with dozens or even hundreds of workers and sub-contractors.  It’s important to remember that many of these workers may be relative strangers and unfamiliar with an organisation’s procedures and rules.  Customising your hard hats, using different colours and artwork, provides a reminder of people’sroles and responsibilities while on site. 

Other safety features can be added on, including retro-fitted stickers, that enhance the visibility of the workers, and name badges, to enhance security on site and to ensure it is restricted to those that should have access. You can also use it to promote potentially life-saving safety messages and reminders.  

Furthermore, in an increasingly competitive market, customisation, including the printing of companies’ logos, is an invaluable marketing tool, enabling companies to stand out from the crowd.  It can also unify workforces and foster a greater sense of collective teamwork and pride.  

Experts you can rely on

Having decided that helmet customisation is a valuable tool for your company, here are some things to consider when branding up your hard hats:

Working with MSA’s Let’s Logo service, we make life simple for customers, offering

Ordering from MSA you get all this, and our best-in-class helmets.  We know that comfort and fit aren’t nice to haves, but essential to safe site operation.  That’s because we’ve been protecting lives for over 100 years.  

Our team is here to help make purchasing high quality, customised hard hats, quick and hassle-free.  And, if you’re using a safety helmet from another brand, for a limited time we are offering a free front logo if you make the switch to us. 

Visitmsasafety.com/customhardhatsto experience the benefits of hard-hat customisation for yourself.

BSIF CEO Alan Murray explains why 2023 will see a greater focus on product safety, including increased scrutiny on the safety and compliance of goods sold by third-party sellers on online marketplaces. 

The UK has always had a reputation for stringent product safety standards but with constant innovation and the rise of e-commerce many markets have become increasingly hard to regulate.

PPE is a case in point. The COVID pandemic highlighted how quickly substandard and potentially dangerous products can find their way onto the market with reports suggesting billions of pounds of public money were ultimately wasted on unusable PPE.

Unfortunately substandard PPE isn’t just a COVID problem. Unacceptable products have been finding their way on to UK marketplaces prior to COVID and continue to do so today.

This is illustrated by the BSIF’s latest analysis. As well as auditing the BSIF membership annually to verify their compliance and competence, we test a selection of PPE from non-BSIF members. Between December 2021 and December 2022, a total of 118 non-member products were tested. Only 15 (13%) of these products passed the test, with the results for five of the products still pending. This means 98 products (83%) failed to meet the test's criteria, many of which are still available and being sold to unsuspecting users.

These findings are in contrast with products supplied by BSIF Registered Safety Suppliers who are committed to only selling certified PPE and trading honestly and ethically

What’s changing?

2023 will see the introduction of a new post-EU Product Safety Framework which will help to strengthen the rules around the sale of products including PPE. Timings for publication of the framework are still to be confirmed, but there will be a strong focus on improving the safety and compliance of goods sold by third-party sellers on online marketplaces. We expect to see stricter responsibilities for online vendors and harsher penalties for those who fail to comply.

At the same time, the Environmental, Social & Corporate Governance (ESG) agenda is having a growing impact. Companies looking to strengthen their ESG performance are closely scrutinising the credentials of their suppliers and choosing only to work with responsible companies. When it comes to buying PPE and safety equipment, many buyers now realise that specifying the BSIF’s Registered Safety Supplier Scheme is the easiest way to ensure they are only dealing with suppliers who are compliant, competent and trustworthy.

It’s therefore no surprise that we saw a significant number of public and private sector organisations mandate the Registered Safety Supplier Scheme for their supply chains in 2022. As the focus on products safety sharpens in 2023 we expect that number to increase.

For a full list of Registered Safety Suppliers, visit: https://www.registeredsafetysupplierscheme.co.uk/

BSIF CEO Alan Murray explains why 2023 will see a greater focus on product safety, including increased scrutiny on the safety and compliance of goods sold by third-party sellers on online marketplaces. 

The UK has always had a reputation for stringent product safety standards but with constant innovation and the rise of e-commerce many markets have become increasingly hard to regulate.

PPE is a case in point. The COVID pandemic highlighted how quickly substandard and potentially dangerous products can find their way onto the market with reports suggesting billions of pounds of public money were ultimately wasted on unusable PPE.

Unfortunately substandard PPE isn’t just a COVID problem. Unacceptable products have been finding their way on to UK marketplaces prior to COVID and continue to do so today.

This is illustrated by the BSIF’s latest analysis. As well as auditing the BSIF membership annually to verify their compliance and competence, we test a selection of PPE from non-BSIF members. Between December 2021 and December 2022, a total of 118 non-member products were tested. Only 15 (13%) of these products passed the test, with the results for five of the products still pending. This means 98 products (83%) failed to meet the test's criteria, many of which are still available and being sold to unsuspecting users.

These findings are in contrast with products supplied by BSIF Registered Safety Suppliers who are committed to only selling certified PPE and trading honestly and ethically

What’s changing?

2023 will see the introduction of a new post-EU Product Safety Framework which will help to strengthen the rules around the sale of products including PPE. Timings for publication of the framework are still to be confirmed, but there will be a strong focus on improving the safety and compliance of goods sold by third-party sellers on online marketplaces. We expect to see stricter responsibilities for online vendors and harsher penalties for those who fail to comply.

At the same time, the Environmental, Social & Corporate Governance (ESG) agenda is having a growing impact. Companies looking to strengthen their ESG performance are closely scrutinising the credentials of their suppliers and choosing only to work with responsible companies. When it comes to buying PPE and safety equipment, many buyers now realise that specifying the BSIF’s Registered Safety Supplier Scheme is the easiest way to ensure they are only dealing with suppliers who are compliant, competent and trustworthy.

It’s therefore no surprise that we saw a significant number of public and private sector organisations mandate the Registered Safety Supplier Scheme for their supply chains in 2022. As the focus on products safety sharpens in 2023 we expect that number to increase.

For a full list of Registered Safety Suppliers, visit: https://www.registeredsafetysupplierscheme.co.uk/

When it comes to fall protection PPE (personal protective equipment), is compliance with legal standards enough? Alfonso Fernandez of MSA Safety explains why it pays to go the extra mile when protecting your employees.

PPE standards make a vital contribution to safety at work, by legally enforcing a reasonable level of quality and capability for all products. However, they do have limitations. For example, can they cover every possible workplace scenario, keep up with rapid changes taking place in industry, and adapt quickly enough to take recent PPE innovations into account?

Certification and standards processes in fall protection PPE

To understand these issues, we should first consider the process for certification. All fall protection PPE needs to be legally certified. New products are independently tested and quality-checked by an accredited third party known as a ‘notified body’. The standards against which PPE is assessed are decided, in the case of fall protection, by a committee of specialists in this area.

Every five years, the committee decides whether to continue with the same certification standards for another five years or to update them. In practice, a standard typically lasts for ten years. Some standards may stay in place for 15 or 20 years. In that time, there is scope for many things to change in the workplace and the PPE market.

When updated standards are introduced, employers are allowed to continue using older PPE which was bought when previous standards applied, provided they follow the manufacturer’s instructions. They will still be complying with legislation, but they should think carefully about whether a newer product will be safer for their teams.

While legal standards may change slowly or not at all, constant developments and breakthroughs are being made by fall protection PPE manufacturers in terms of new technologies, materials and designs. In addition to improving safety, these advances bring practical and productivity advantages. To benefit from these, and to maintain safety as their highest priority, buyers should not always wait for the law to change before upgrading their PPE. At all times, they should seek to be more than just compliant.

Making the decision easier when choosing the right fall protection PPE

For many businesses and PPE buyers, there is no lack of willingness to comply, and more, with fall protection legislation. Their problem is with the complexity of the rules, the quantity of documentation, and the difficulty in fully understanding what it all means for real-life applications. Any change in standards can add to the confusion. Meanwhile, they may feel bewildered by the information and choices offered by competing PPE suppliers.

As a result, businesses might find it difficult to know whether they are compliant, whether new PPE would be beneficial, and what PPE products would best meet their needs. Insufficient knowledge, biased advice, or misinformation from others with an incomplete understanding of the issues, can lead to indecision or wrong decisions.

Thankfully, there are good sources of information on evolving legislation and innovations in fall protection PPE, if you know where to look. Trade associations, training agencies and health and safety organisations, for instance, can help to keep you up to date. Look out, in addition, for webinars and seminars on fall protection. It’s also well worth finding PPE suppliers who you feel you can trustfor impartial guidance on whether and how to upgrade. Amongst other support, MSA provides easy-to-understand fact sheets and publications on the key issues to aid awareness.

Capacity choices

One good example of an area with potential for misunderstanding is load capacity limits. The current EU standard for a body harness, which is an essential piece of fall protection PPE, is 100 kg. The user himself or herself may weigh under 100 kg, but we also need to consider the additional weight of heavy tools and other PPE. For this reason, MSA certifies its harnesses to 140 kg. 

If the harnesses used by a business are several years old, they are likely to be certified to 100 kg. Their owner may be unaware that harnesses with the added safety factor of a 140 kg limit are now available and may therefore see no reason to upgrade. 

When an old harness reaches the end of its service life, the owner will compare potential replacement products. Presented with two harnesses, both of which comply with the EU standard, he or she might logically choose the lower-priced product without looking for differencesin load capacity.

MSA’s other fall protection PPE products are similarly certified to 140 kg rather than the EU standard of 100 kg. They include fall arrest systems, such as self-retracting lifelines (SRLs). The same load capacity limit is applied to MSA temporary horizontal lifelines, tripodsandother anchorages. Clearly, all parts of a fall protection system need to have the same load capacity if weak links are to be avoided.

MSA provides clear and simple information with each product and system to help users understand how it should be used and in what circumstances. Crucially, this includes warnings on situations in which the load weight or other factors will make its use unsafe.

Time is money

A key gain to be made from upgrading fall protection PPE is savings in time. Every minute spent on activities other than the job in hand amounts to lost productivity. Donning, set-up, inspection and maintenance of PPE all take time. Any design improvement which reduces that lost time can be seen as an ongoing operational cost saver.Viewed from a different angle, any design improvement which makes safety procedures quicker and easier to perform helps ensure theyare alwayscarried out properly.

Correct use of a fall protection system is complicated by the interaction of its component parts. It may consist of, for instance, a harness, an SRL and a temporary horizontal lifeline. Each has a different set of features and functions, as well as its own certification. Each also has a user manual. Combining these elements optimally for each specific set of application circumstances can involve a lot of reading. 

To simplify this process, MSA is now producing user-friendly system guidance, including charts with pre-calculated values, drawing together information from the separate manuals.This time-saving aid is available, for example, with MSA’s latest temporary horizontal lifeline.

The same product also illustrates how good design can save time on the physical setting up of a system. It can be deployed by a single worker, aided by its inbuilt, toolless locking and tensioning mechanisms. For absolute certainty, coloured indicators confirm when the device has been correctly locked and tensioned. The whole process is 75% faster than that of traditional cable systems.

A further bonus of clear guidance and simple procedures is that new users can learn to use a system very quickly. This saves on training time and budgets.

In addition, good design can simplify and speed up daily, pre-shift, annual and other periodic equipment checks and inspections. Combined with robust construction, it can also reduce servicing needs and downtime. MSA has developed quick maintenance procedures which allow some products to be routinely serviced in the field, rather than sent to a workshop.

Feelgood factors

The way PPE looks and feels is another area in which constant improvements are being made. The importance of these aspects must never be underestimated. Does the appearance of the harness and other PPE items worn by the worker make him or her feel awkward and self-conscious? Or has it been designed to make the wearer look and feel professional? Is it comfortable to wear, or is the user limited and distracted by it?

If the user doesn’t like wearing the item, there’s a risk that he or she will avoid using it – at least occasionally – and choose to work without protection. If its use causes discomfort or restriction of movement, the worker’s ability to carry out tasks effectively and safely may be compromised.

An important and worrying issue in this respect is that traditional PPE designs often fail to cater for the diversity of users. Workers’ sizes and body shapes vary greatly. There are also fundamental differences between men and women in terms of PPE design needs. 

Arecent PPE survey1by the trade union Prospect highlighted this problem. It found, for instance, that 44.7% of female respondents but just 15.3% of male respondents reported poor-fitting overalls.This is just one simple example of a much wider difficulty which designers of fall protection and other PPE are working to address.

When comparing PPE products, you should think about the whole user experience felt by your employees – both shortterm and longterm. Does the PPE give a positive feeling, visually, ergonomically and comfort-wise? Does it help the wearer to do his or her job well? Do its design and operating features save time for the worker? 

Is compliance enough?

Any consideration of fall protection measures should include a recognition that falling from heights is industry’s biggest cause of fatal accidents2 for workers. 

Your fall protection PPE may be compliant, but does it have sufficient load capacity? Does it in any way hinder your workers and their productivity? Are they happy to wear it or are they sometimes tempted to skip its use? Could it be more robust? Is hanging on to your existing PPE, when improved products may now be available, a false economy?

MSA’s designers and engineers continue to push the boundaries of PPE durability and performance. The company regularly introduces new time-saving features, along with improvements in ergonomics, comfort and style. The result is a product range that does much more than comply with the latest legal standards – aimed at employers for whom safety is truly a priority.

To find out more, click here.

The new Alpha Sentinel range protects against some of the most dangerous respiratory hazards found in the workplace

The UK’s largest PPE manufacturer, Globus Group, has launched a new range of face masks to protect workers against extremely hazardous substances found in the workplace. The new design provides improved comfort and fit to help encourage good PPE compliance.  

Prolonged exposure to hazardous substances over an extended period is known to be extremely harmful, with workers in the manufacturing industry at particularly high risk. It is estimated that each year an average of 33,000 workers suffer from illness caused or made worse by their current or most recent job in manufacturing^[i].

The Alpha Sentinel range has been designed for superior fit and comfort for workers, especially those wearing the masks for long periods of time. Lead Product Designer Josh Moffat said, “When it came to designing the Alpha Sentinel range we really tried to prioritise the end-user. We know that workers are often wearing these masks for long periods of time, and so focusing on comfort and fit means that they are more likely to be worn correctly and workers can be confident that they are getting the right protection.

He continued, “Looking beyond fit and comfort, we know that another big reason for PPE non-compliance is masks getting too hot, so we have designed our unique large exhalation valve to minimise heat and moisture build-up. We really believe that the design innovations we have been able to make with the Alpha Sentinel masks are going to make a huge difference to the workers using these products every day.” 

The Alpha Sentinel range comes with a range of changeable filters to protect against solid particulates, liquid particulates, gases, and vapours, and are suitable for use in a wide variety of industry settings. 

The Alpha Sentinel full and half face masks are the first Globus product range to be designed and manufactured entirely in the UK. Globus has committed to manufacturing as many of its products as possible in the UK.

www.globusgroup.com

“In 2019, 1,082 workers per 100,000 were diagnosed with a work-related, respiratory condition many of which could have been prevented by a properly fitted mask,” says Mark Smith, technical director of Simon Safety who is also an accredited face fit tester. “Ten years earlier (1999), that number was 3,418 so we’ve come a long way but 1,082 per thousand is still too many. The majority of those workers work in hazardous engineering environments.

“Whichever way you look at it, that number is unacceptable. It’s criminal that lives are still being lost and compromised by people’s work. It’s criminal that our health service is having to treat patients who have been made sick by their work. And it’s criminal that some employers are still not taking their responsibilities seriously enough and may end up in prison for that negligence,” says Mark Smith.

HSE now on the face mask case

During Covid, the Health & Safety Executive visited circa 1,700 engineering businesses and gained a deep insight into the state of UK engineering sector’s health and safety.

Given how much attention face masks were given thanks to the Covid pandemic, you would think that people who use masks professionally would know how to wear them but that’s not the case from what the HSE saw in the engineering frontline.

More often than not, the HSE inspectors saw people wearing masks which weren’t the right size, weren’t the right fit, leaked all around, didn’t take into consideration both facial hair and how long they were being worn.

Engineers - and those responsible for their safety – thought it was OK to wear a mask for an entire job, no matter how long that job took ie several hours. A mask’s effectiveness decays fast once it becomes water-logged with condensation after prolonged wear. Masks need to be regularly refreshed to work efficiently.

Why so many masks are wrong

“There’s a hierarchy of control and respiratory control is at the bottom of that list, which means that your mask and other PPE is your last line of defence,” says Mark Smith of Simon Safety, which is a registered member of the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) and the Registered Safety Suppliers Scheme (RSSS).

“As soon as a toxin is inhaled, it’s in your system because that’s how breathing works.

“And if a mask doesn’t fit someone’s face - and we’re all different – it’s never going to protect you.”

Getting masks fit for purpose

In a Hazardous Engineering Solutions exclusive, Simon Safety shares a simple guide to help you stay safe – both employee and employer – if you follow four steps:

• Get the right mask.
• Fit the mask and train.
• Maintain the mask.
• Regularly review.

Step 1: Get the right mask

The right mask is the mask you’ve identified which meets your needs through a risk assessment.

Type of mask:

• Disposable half masks.
• Reusable half mask.
• Full face masks.
• Powered air purifying respirators (PAPR).
• Breathing apparatus.

What’s right for the worker and their:

• Type of task.
• Face shape.
• Physical build.
• Facial features eg scars/warts.
• Facial hair (only certain equipment will work with beards).

Does the mask need to work with:

• Prescription spectacles (it’s the employer’s responsibility to ensure the operator’s spectacles fit inside the mask).
• Eye protection.
• Ear defenders.
• Helmet/other head protection.

When several vulnerabilities need PPE – e.g. eyes, ears, head and respiratory – combined protection is best because it’s easier and faster to use which aids productivity. Where a combination of different items of PPE is used, it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that the combination is effective.

What’s right for the work environment:

• Duration of task e.g. how long will the task take? If the task involves wearing a close-fitting mask, the worker should take a break at least every hour. Different PPE is needed for day or night operation and inside or outside.
• Work rate - does the task involve movement/perspiration? That may mean the mask could loosen over time.
• Nature of the toxins – eg they may be flammable, explosive, aerosol, vapour, dust etc.

Your compliance obligations:

1. Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
2. Fit testing is referred to in HSG53 – the HSE’s guide for employers to know (pages 19/20) and table 20 lists what type of mask employees need to wear.
3. Fit testing brochure INDG479 – describes the methods you should use unless you have a process that’s as good or better. If you’re deviating from this guidance, you’ll need to prove good or better practice, which can be tricky so it’s usually best to stick to INDG479.

Step 2:  Fit the mask and train

A competent person must conduct the fit test.

Find out exactly how the HSE defines ‘competent’ on their website. It’s easier to prove that someone’s incompetent than to prove they are competent.

The HSE and the BSIF (British Safety Industry Federation) define ‘competence’ as an individual fit tester that has been accredited to the Fit2Fit scheme. Accredited testers have proven an extensive knowledge of respiratory protective equipment in conjunction with demonstrating a high level of competence in one or more of the accepted fit testing methods.

Quantitative test methods – eg in a lab test chamber or using a portable device, how effective is the mask at filtering contaminants? Does the performance comfortably exceed the minimum expected pass rate?

Qualitative test – eg wearing the mask under a testing hood, can you discern bitter vs sweet smell?

Step 3: Maintain the mask

• Every time you use it, check it over.
• Before every use, perform a ‘fit check’ as shown during your formal fit test.
• Closely inspect and keep a written record of the check at least once every month.

Step 4: Regularly review the mask and its fit

• A competent person must conduct tests.
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Appropriate frequency: when a person’s face changes eg due to significant weight gain/loss or significant dental work.
• Recorded appropriately for the candidate’s training / HR records.
• Remind everyone of best practice of properly fitting masks on notice boards so malpractice can be called out.
• Review every one to two years to ensure all protection is suitable for the people and the environment.

Conclusion

In 2024, the Health & Safety at Work Act will be 50 years old.

The appeal from Mark Smith from Simon Safety: “We must all continue to learn from our mistakes if we’re to cut work-related respiratory illness and death in the hazardous engineering industry.

“Independent and authoritative research suggests if your average DIYer breathes in a small amount of spray-paint, two weekends a year, it might have no detrimental impact. But if you’re doing that every working day, it has a cumulative effect. Slow and incremental daily doses often lead to debilitating chronic, long-term health conditions or can be killers and contribute to premature death,” says Mark Smith of Simon Safety.

“Today’s filtering technology means respiratory masks efficiently trap and protect your lungs from the smallest particles providing they fit correctly.

“The mistakes made in the past – such as the tragedy of asbestos – were due to ignorance. But we now know better. The internet puts all the appropriate information at our fingertips. It’s criminal not to act on it,” says Mark

“If you’re concerned about face masks or other piece of PPE call 01646 600750 or visit Simon Safety’s website. Take advantage of our expertise and let’s make 2024 a reason for celebration of how far we’ve come rather than regret.”

“In 2019, 1,082 workers per 100,000 were diagnosed with a work-related, respiratory condition many of which could have been prevented by a properly fitted mask,” says Mark Smith, technical director of Simon Safety who is also an accredited face fit tester. “Ten years earlier (1999), that number was 3,418 so we’ve come a long way but 1,082 per thousand is still too many. The majority of those workers work in hazardous engineering environments.

“Whichever way you look at it, that number is unacceptable. It’s criminal that lives are still being lost and compromised by people’s work. It’s criminal that our health service is having to treat patients who have been made sick by their work. And it’s criminal that some employers are still not taking their responsibilities seriously enough and may end up in prison for that negligence,” says Mark Smith.

HSE now on the face mask case

During Covid, the Health & Safety Executive visited circa 1,700 engineering businesses and gained a deep insight into the state of UK engineering sector’s health and safety.

Given how much attention face masks were given thanks to the Covid pandemic, you would think that people who use masks professionally would know how to wear them but that’s not the case from what the HSE saw in the engineering frontline.

More often than not, the HSE inspectors saw people wearing masks which weren’t the right size, weren’t the right fit, leaked all around, didn’t take into consideration both facial hair and how long they were being worn.

Engineers - and those responsible for their safety – thought it was OK to wear a mask for an entire job, no matter how long that job took ie several hours. A mask’s effectiveness decays fast once it becomes water-logged with condensation after prolonged wear. Masks need to be regularly refreshed to work efficiently.

Why so many masks are wrong

“There’s a hierarchy of control and respiratory control is at the bottom of that list, which means that your mask and other PPE is your last line of defence,” says Mark Smith of Simon Safety, which is a registered member of the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) and the Registered Safety Suppliers Scheme (RSSS).

“As soon as a toxin is inhaled, it’s in your system because that’s how breathing works.

“And if a mask doesn’t fit someone’s face - and we’re all different – it’s never going to protect you.”

Getting masks fit for purpose

In a Hazardous Engineering Solutions exclusive, Simon Safety shares a simple guide to help you stay safe – both employee and employer – if you follow four steps:

• Get the right mask.
• Fit the mask and train.
• Maintain the mask.
• Regularly review.

Step 1: Get the right mask

The right mask is the mask you’ve identified which meets your needs through a risk assessment.

Type of mask:

• Disposable half masks.
• Reusable half mask.
• Full face masks.
• Powered air purifying respirators (PAPR).
• Breathing apparatus.

What’s right for the worker and their:

• Type of task.
• Face shape.
• Physical build.
• Facial features eg scars/warts.
• Facial hair (only certain equipment will work with beards).

Does the mask need to work with:

• Prescription spectacles (it’s the employer’s responsibility to ensure the operator’s spectacles fit inside the mask).
• Eye protection.
• Ear defenders.
• Helmet/other head protection.

When several vulnerabilities need PPE – e.g. eyes, ears, head and respiratory – combined protection is best because it’s easier and faster to use which aids productivity. Where a combination of different items of PPE is used, it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that the combination is effective.

What’s right for the work environment:

• Duration of task e.g. how long will the task take? If the task involves wearing a close-fitting mask, the worker should take a break at least every hour. Different PPE is needed for day or night operation and inside or outside.
• Work rate - does the task involve movement/perspiration? That may mean the mask could loosen over time.
• Nature of the toxins – eg they may be flammable, explosive, aerosol, vapour, dust etc.

Your compliance obligations:

1. Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
2. Fit testing is referred to in HSG53 – the HSE’s guide for employers to know (pages 19/20) and table 20 lists what type of mask employees need to wear.
3. Fit testing brochure INDG479 – describes the methods you should use unless you have a process that’s as good or better. If you’re deviating from this guidance, you’ll need to prove good or better practice, which can be tricky so it’s usually best to stick to INDG479.

Step 2:  Fit the mask and train

A competent person must conduct the fit test.

Find out exactly how the HSE defines ‘competent’ on their website. It’s easier to prove that someone’s incompetent than to prove they are competent.

The HSE and the BSIF (British Safety Industry Federation) define ‘competence’ as an individual fit tester that has been accredited to the Fit2Fit scheme. Accredited testers have proven an extensive knowledge of respiratory protective equipment in conjunction with demonstrating a high level of competence in one or more of the accepted fit testing methods.

Quantitative test methods – eg in a lab test chamber or using a portable device, how effective is the mask at filtering contaminants? Does the performance comfortably exceed the minimum expected pass rate?

Qualitative test – eg wearing the mask under a testing hood, can you discern bitter vs sweet smell?

Step 3: Maintain the mask

• Every time you use it, check it over.
• Before every use, perform a ‘fit check’ as shown during your formal fit test.
• Closely inspect and keep a written record of the check at least once every month.

Step 4: Regularly review the mask and its fit

• A competent person must conduct tests.
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Appropriate frequency: when a person’s face changes eg due to significant weight gain/loss or significant dental work.
• Recorded appropriately for the candidate’s training / HR records.
• Remind everyone of best practice of properly fitting masks on notice boards so malpractice can be called out.
• Review every one to two years to ensure all protection is suitable for the people and the environment.

Conclusion

In 2024, the Health & Safety at Work Act will be 50 years old.

The appeal from Mark Smith from Simon Safety: “We must all continue to learn from our mistakes if we’re to cut work-related respiratory illness and death in the hazardous engineering industry.

“Independent and authoritative research suggests if your average DIYer breathes in a small amount of spray-paint, two weekends a year, it might have no detrimental impact. But if you’re doing that every working day, it has a cumulative effect. Slow and incremental daily doses often lead to debilitating chronic, long-term health conditions or can be killers and contribute to premature death,” says Mark Smith of Simon Safety.

“Today’s filtering technology means respiratory masks efficiently trap and protect your lungs from the smallest particles providing they fit correctly.

“The mistakes made in the past – such as the tragedy of asbestos – were due to ignorance. But we now know better. The internet puts all the appropriate information at our fingertips. It’s criminal not to act on it,” says Mark

“If you’re concerned about face masks or other piece of PPE call 01646 600750 or visit Simon Safety’s website. Take advantage of our expertise and let’s make 2024 a reason for celebration of how far we’ve come rather than regret.”

“In 2019, 1,082 workers per 100,000 were diagnosed with a work-related, respiratory condition many of which could have been prevented by a properly fitted mask,” says Mark Smith, technical director of Simon Safety who is also an accredited face fit tester. “Ten years earlier (1999), that number was 3,418 so we’ve come a long way but 1,082 per thousand is still too many. The majority of those workers work in hazardous engineering environments.

“Whichever way you look at it, that number is unacceptable. It’s criminal that lives are still being lost and compromised by people’s work. It’s criminal that our health service is having to treat patients who have been made sick by their work. And it’s criminal that some employers are still not taking their responsibilities seriously enough and may end up in prison for that negligence,” says Mark Smith.

HSE now on the face mask case

During Covid, the Health & Safety Executive visited circa 1,700 engineering businesses and gained a deep insight into the state of UK engineering sector’s health and safety.

Given how much attention face masks were given thanks to the Covid pandemic, you would think that people who use masks professionally would know how to wear them but that’s not the case from what the HSE saw in the engineering frontline.

More often than not, the HSE inspectors saw people wearing masks which weren’t the right size, weren’t the right fit, leaked all around, didn’t take into consideration both facial hair and how long they were being worn.

Engineers - and those responsible for their safety – thought it was OK to wear a mask for an entire job, no matter how long that job took ie several hours. A mask’s effectiveness decays fast once it becomes water-logged with condensation after prolonged wear. Masks need to be regularly refreshed to work efficiently.

Why so many masks are wrong

“There’s a hierarchy of control and respiratory control is at the bottom of that list, which means that your mask and other PPE is your last line of defence,” says Mark Smith of Simon Safety, which is a registered member of the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) and the Registered Safety Suppliers Scheme (RSSS).

“As soon as a toxin is inhaled, it’s in your system because that’s how breathing works.

“And if a mask doesn’t fit someone’s face - and we’re all different – it’s never going to protect you.”

Getting masks fit for purpose

In a Hazardous Engineering Solutions exclusive, Simon Safety shares a simple guide to help you stay safe – both employee and employer – if you follow four steps:

• Get the right mask.
• Fit the mask and train.
• Maintain the mask.
• Regularly review.

Step 1: Get the right mask

The right mask is the mask you’ve identified which meets your needs through a risk assessment.

Type of mask:

• Disposable half masks.
• Reusable half mask.
• Full face masks.
• Powered air purifying respirators (PAPR).
• Breathing apparatus.

What’s right for the worker and their:

• Type of task.
• Face shape.
• Physical build.
• Facial features eg scars/warts.
• Facial hair (only certain equipment will work with beards).

Does the mask need to work with:

• Prescription spectacles (it’s the employer’s responsibility to ensure the operator’s spectacles fit inside the mask).
• Eye protection.
• Ear defenders.
• Helmet/other head protection.

When several vulnerabilities need PPE – e.g. eyes, ears, head and respiratory – combined protection is best because it’s easier and faster to use which aids productivity. Where a combination of different items of PPE is used, it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that the combination is effective.

What’s right for the work environment:

• Duration of task e.g. how long will the task take? If the task involves wearing a close-fitting mask, the worker should take a break at least every hour. Different PPE is needed for day or night operation and inside or outside.
• Work rate - does the task involve movement/perspiration? That may mean the mask could loosen over time.
• Nature of the toxins – eg they may be flammable, explosive, aerosol, vapour, dust etc.

Your compliance obligations:

1. Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
2. Fit testing is referred to in HSG53 – the HSE’s guide for employers to know (pages 19/20) and table 20 lists what type of mask employees need to wear.
3. Fit testing brochure INDG479 – describes the methods you should use unless you have a process that’s as good or better. If you’re deviating from this guidance, you’ll need to prove good or better practice, which can be tricky so it’s usually best to stick to INDG479.

Step 2:  Fit the mask and train

A competent person must conduct the fit test.

Find out exactly how the HSE defines ‘competent’ on their website. It’s easier to prove that someone’s incompetent than to prove they are competent.

The HSE and the BSIF (British Safety Industry Federation) define ‘competence’ as an individual fit tester that has been accredited to the Fit2Fit scheme. Accredited testers have proven an extensive knowledge of respiratory protective equipment in conjunction with demonstrating a high level of competence in one or more of the accepted fit testing methods.

Quantitative test methods – eg in a lab test chamber or using a portable device, how effective is the mask at filtering contaminants? Does the performance comfortably exceed the minimum expected pass rate?

Qualitative test – eg wearing the mask under a testing hood, can you discern bitter vs sweet smell?

Step 3: Maintain the mask

• Every time you use it, check it over.
• Before every use, perform a ‘fit check’ as shown during your formal fit test.
• Closely inspect and keep a written record of the check at least once every month.

Step 4: Regularly review the mask and its fit

• A competent person must conduct tests.
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Appropriate frequency: when a person’s face changes eg due to significant weight gain/loss or significant dental work.
• Recorded appropriately for the candidate’s training / HR records.
• Remind everyone of best practice of properly fitting masks on notice boards so malpractice can be called out.
• Review every one to two years to ensure all protection is suitable for the people and the environment.

Conclusion

In 2024, the Health & Safety at Work Act will be 50 years old.

The appeal from Mark Smith from Simon Safety: “We must all continue to learn from our mistakes if we’re to cut work-related respiratory illness and death in the hazardous engineering industry.

“Independent and authoritative research suggests if your average DIYer breathes in a small amount of spray-paint, two weekends a year, it might have no detrimental impact. But if you’re doing that every working day, it has a cumulative effect. Slow and incremental daily doses often lead to debilitating chronic, long-term health conditions or can be killers and contribute to premature death,” says Mark Smith of Simon Safety.

“Today’s filtering technology means respiratory masks efficiently trap and protect your lungs from the smallest particles providing they fit correctly.

“The mistakes made in the past – such as the tragedy of asbestos – were due to ignorance. But we now know better. The internet puts all the appropriate information at our fingertips. It’s criminal not to act on it,” says Mark

“If you’re concerned about face masks or other piece of PPE call 01646 600750 or visit Simon Safety’s website. Take advantage of our expertise and let’s make 2024 a reason for celebration of how far we’ve come rather than regret.”