IOSH looks into safety procedures in the carriage of dangerous substances

While accident at work compensation claims can involve all kinds of workers in all kinds of jobs, some workers are more likely to be injured in workplace accidents than others. Frequently, there are strict regulations relating to dangerous jobs, and many companies have safety professionals in-house so they can deal with these hazards and protect their workforce.

However, people who transport hazardous goods for the retail sector can be under-protected. This workplace task is not exceptionally common within the industry; so many retailers do not use safety professionals to prevent accident at work compensation claims involving these workers.

In recent years, personal injury solicitors and health and safety professionals have received a number of reports of incidents where dangerous goods led to serious problems during transit. Some of the factors that can lead to accident at work compensation claims among these employees include road traffic accident claims, spillage, fire, chemical burns, explosions and environmental damage.

IOSH comments on ways to improve dangerous good transit safety

IOSH Retail and Distribution Group representative Astrid van der Burg said there are a range of things employers can do to improve the safety of delivery workers. Following her recommendations could see retailers dealing with fewer accidents at work compensation claims and enjoying a happier, healthier and more productive workforce.

She suggested that employers:

Brief these employees well
Ensure employees understand what goods they are distributing
Ensure employees know how to handle the goods should something go wrong during the delivery
Provide employees with appropriate training
Open up communication lines throughout the supply chain
Provide these employees with information and support

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Recently, the IOSH’s Retail and Distribution Group established a ‘Dangerous Goods Forum’, which contains safety professionals from several different major organisations, including DHL and Wincanton. It is hoped that this forum will raise awareness of some of the problems relating to the transportation of dangerous goods, allowing different companies and organisations to collaborate with each other and reach a solution to common problems.

Currently, there are two different regulations relating to transporting hazardous goods – these are the ‘Accord European relative au transport international des merchandises dangerousness par route (ADR)’ and ‘The Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations (CDG)’. These regulations do not just protect employees – members of the public, members of the emergency services, consigners and carriers are all protected by these regulations. Anyone involved in the transport of dangerous goods has duties as a result of these regulations and must know how to minimise or eliminate the risk of accidents and how to effectively respond to problems.

Personal injury solicitors have seen how catastrophic the consequences can be when these duties are ignored.

IOSH slams ‘jobs worth’s for hijacking health and safety

Jobs worth’s have hijacked the good name of health and safety, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) claimed, following the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE’s) expose into report received by its Myth Busters Challenge Panel.

Managers and other officials are preventing the public from conducting a variety of activities due to a range of concerns that have no relation to health and safety regulations, the IOSH said. These concerns may be the fear of personal injury compensation claims, such as personal injury claims, a lack of funds, the details of their insurance policies or overall insurance costs.

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Dr Luise Cassie, executive director of policy for the IOSH, said that among the over 200 reports the HSE panel received, many are unrelated to protecting people’s health and safety.

She said reporting problems to the panel is important for any member of the public who is concerned that an activity or event has been banned for reasons relating to health and safety.

“Real health and safety” relates to preventing workplace injuries and illnesses and saving people’s lives, and it is important for people to recognise the value of this, she said.

Health and safety is proportionate and sensible, but is regularly used as an excuse for businesses or employers to hide behind. Ms Vassie said she hopes the HSE’s initiative helps Brits to tell the difference between proper and improper health and safety decisions.

Health and safety myths

While workplace safety should work to prevent accident at work compensation claims, the HSE received many reports about incidents that had nothing to do with doing so. These include preventing London Underground cleaners from wearing woolly hats in cold weather, and a company refusing to serve fried eggs to a customer who wanted a full English breakfast because of an alleged concern about the risk of a pan fire. An airline company based in Great Britain also did not serve boiled sweets to passengers whose ears had popped to prevent them suffering from ear-ache and invoked health and safety as its excuse, while a woman at a racecourse had her parasol confiscated but was told she could have it back if it started to rain.

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Taylor Watson is a blogger who works alongside a team of accident at work compensation. She has had his work published across a huge range of different platforms and media. She has previously worked as a content writer and a journalist.