Author: Editor

Fire extinguishers are an integral component of day to day live. Whether in the workplace, schools, hospitals or even just in the home, extinguishers provide an essential safety measure against the outbreak of fire. There are many different types of fires which can start and therefore corresponding extinguishers. It can be confusing as to which device is required for which situation. The following is a quick how-to guide on all of the different fire extinguishers you may need and when to use them.

Fire extinguishers are categorised according to colour and these colours will be visible on the device itself, signalling to users what type of fire it should be used for.

Red

Extinguishers in the red category utilise water which includes standard water, water spray and water dry mist varieties. Typically, water extinguishers are designed for use with organic materials such as wood, paper and textiles. Water should never be used to tackle electrical or cooking oil fires for obvious reasons. Water based extinguishers are also unsuitable for fires which are caused by flammable liquids, gases or metals.

A recent addition to the water range is the water mist extinguisher which differs to standard water devices in that it can actually be used on electrical and cooking oil fires as well as on flammable gas and liquid fires.

Blue

The blue category includes both standard powder extinguishers and dry powder extinguishers. Standard powder extinguishes can be used on organic materials, flammable gases and liquids. These devices can even be used on electrical fires but aren’t as effective as their CO2 counterparts and can cause damage to electrical equipment.

Dry powder extinguishers offer the same benefits as the standard devices but with the added benefit of being able to tackle specialist fires such as those which involve lithium, sodium, aluminium or magnesium.

Cream

Extinguishers which are labelled as cream utilise foam and have been designed for use on organic solids and flammable liquids. Foam extinguishers can technically be utilised on electrical fires and will be safer than water but it is recommended that users spray from at least a metre away.

Black

CO2 extinguishers are categorised as black and are mainly used for electrical fires and for this reason are standard issue within office environments. It should be noted that CO2 extinguishers can also be used to tackle flammable liquid fires such as those which involve petrol or propane.

Yellow

Wet chemical extinguishers are categorised as yellow and have been designed for use on cooking oil fires. These devices are particularly useful as no other type of extinguishers are recommended for use on cooking oil fires. With this in mind, wet chemical extinguishers are ideal for kitchen and cooking environments as well as within the home.

It is worth noting that wet chemical extinguishers can also be used on fires with organic materials.

Fire Blankets

Not technically an extinguisher, fire blankets are still incredibly useful and often found in a wide range of environments. The blankets are manufactured using a specialist material and can be used for solid and liquid fires as well as cooking oil fires.

Fire blankets are also suitable for situations where a person’s clothing is on fire and can be wrapped around them in order to extinguish the blaze.

Fires are unexpected and dangerous and knowing which extinguisher to use can mean the difference between life and death. Using the wrong equipment is not only ineffective but can even cause some fires to spread and become larger. Understanding this colour coded system will allow people to install the most suitable extinguisher within a specific environment and use it, should the worst happen.

Cardiac arrests kill hundreds of thousands of people each and every year. With the majority of incidents happening outside of a hospital environment, many people do not receive the prompt and professional care they require in order to recover. On average, an ambulance takes up to eight minutes to reach a victim but by this time the chances of survival have dropped significantly. This doesn’t have to be the case as the use of a defibrillator on the scene can greatly improve results. In fact, the use of a defibrillator and CPR within the first 5 minutes can improve survival rates from 6% to a staggering 74%.

Cardiac arrests are often confused with heart attacks but are a completely different disorder. Whilst a heart attack usually involves a blockage or heart disease, a cardiac arrest involves the heart losing its rhythm. Defibrillators work by sensing whether a victim is suffering from an arrest and if so will apply a controlled electric shock in order to re-establish the rhythm. The devices themselves are either completely or semi-automatic and no training is needed prior to using them.

You may be forgiven for assuming that cardiac arrests are unique to older people but this just isn’t the case. 12 people under the age of 35 die every week due to this problem and unbelievably, 270 children die every year after having a cardiac arrest at school. Although defibrillators are compulsory within many different public locations such as shopping centres and train stations, this isn’t the case within schools. In fact, it has been estimated that only 80 schools around the country have access to this life saving device.

The charity group SADS are campaigning for the passing of a law that would mean it would be compulsory for every school to have access to a defibrillator. Although this idea is supported by many MPs it is still yet to pass into law. With this in mind, campaigners are educating school officials and parents alike in the hope that they will make the decision to purchase a defibrillator for their school. The device itself costs £1,500 which pales into the comparison when compared with similar medical equipment and is a small price to pay when considering the potential benefits.

Easy to use and relatively cheap, it is likely that defibrillators will be available in all public places in the future. After all, it is said that nobody should be more than two minutes away from one of these devices at any one time.

All businesses are required by law to carry out risk assessments in their working environment.  This can seem a bit daunting but the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) offers a great deal of help for small and medium-sized businesses, all available on-line.   If you have fewer than five employees, you are not required to write anything down. But must still undertake regular assessments.  You will find example risk assessments applying to a wide range of businesses at

http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/casestudies/index.htm.  These you can use as guidelines and see how other businesses have carried out their assessments.

Let’s first look more closely at what constitutes a hazard.  The term hazard covers anything that carries the potential for harm. This would include chemicals, electricity, working at height, awkwardly placed furniture and unsecured flooring.  This is far from an exclusive list, so look at everything from a Health and Safety point of view.

A risk is best defined as the chance that anybody could be harmed by identified hazards.  You will need to assess the chance of risk, from low to high, as well as how serious the harm might be.

One important thing to keep in mind at all times is that risk assessments should be carried out regularly and particularly if conditions change within the workplace (for example, new equipment, altered premises, etc).

You don’t have to be a Health and Safety specialist to complete effective risk assessments that will help ensure the safety of your employees, customers and visitors.  The simplest thing is to divide the task into five steps.

Step One

• What are the potential risks in your workplace? Approach the environment with an open mind and observe and note anything that could harm people. Think about the potential causes of accidents and illness.  You are looking here for real risks – things that are most likely to happen. Balance these against any control measures you already have in place.

Step Two

• Have a good think about who might suffer from potential harm and how this could occur. This is important because different risks effect people differently.  For example, consider if any staff or customers are disabled, are more prone to slips and trips or if there are children in the environment.

Step Three

• Once you have evaluated the risks you then need to come up with effective control measures. Factor in the controls you have in place already and decide if further measures are needed.

Step Four

• You need to document your risk assessment thoroughly, being sure to include measures that need to be taken to minimise the potential for harm. Note that if you have fewer than five employees, you are not required to write anything down.

Step Five

• Once the assessment is undertaken it should be regularly reviewed and updated.
• Be sure to include the following in your risk assessment:
  • Each identified hazard.  For example, necessary office supplies might be stored out of easy reach of some employees.
  • Who is likely to suffer and how that might happen? In this instance an employee might pull over a chair to reach the supplies, overbalance and fall off.
  • What controls are already in place?  Perhaps a safety step ladder is available in the store room.
  • Could you do anything more to reduce the chance of risk? Move items needed on a regular basis to a lower level and make sure the step ladder to readily available.
  • Who is responsible for carrying out the action.
  • When the action should be completed.

As mentioned, the HSE has provided several aids which can be easily found on the internet.  Further, you will find advice on controlling risks in the work environment at http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/controlling-risks.htm.

Regular comprehensive Risk Assessments are a vital tool to ensure the safety of all in the work environment.  But an assessment is not worth anything if it is not acted upon.  Both you and your staff must be diligent in following risk control measures.

Psychosocial risks within the workplace are caused by unmanageable and excessive workloads, a lack of clarity concerning work roles and the consequent conflicting demands, poor communication and poor management, particularly with regard to organisational changes.  Such factors lead to negative psychological, physical and social outcomes, one of the most significant of which is work-related stress.  This is a very real concern in the work environment, with research by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work showing that up to five times more accidents occur when employees are working under pressure. Across Europe a staggering £98.7 billion of lost productivity results a year.

It is clear that psychosocial risks and, in particular, work-related stress are significant factors However, although 79% of companies in Europe have concerns, less than 30% have procedures in place to deal with the problem.

The first step in managing psychosocial risks is learning how to identify its presence in the workplace.  The most important thing to remember is that the problem is not a personal or individual fault, but rather a distinctly organisational issue.  A stimulating and supportive work environment is beneficial, one which makes unreasonable demands is not.  When presented with a situation that is overwhelming, the body’s reaction is stress.  This can include emotional and cognitive issues, unwelcome changes in behaviour, as well as both physical and mental ill health.

Be aware of the warning signs.  Emotional changes can include anxiety and fatigue as well as deterioration of workers’ relationships with colleagues.  If an employee is seen to be having increasing difficulty with concentration and making decisions, this is another potential alarm bell.  Watch out for significant changes in behaviour.  If an employee lapses into poor time-keeping or becomes careless or even aggressive, this may be due to work-related stress and should be immediately investigated to find the cause.  An increased amount of time off work is another sign to look out for, as both physical and mental ill health, such as depression, sleeplessness, stomach problems and back pain, can be caused by stress.

Once you have identified psychosocial risks in the work environment, you can take positive action to address the situation.

• Make sure that, whilst being challenging and stimulating, employees’ workloads are not excessive and that they feel they have control over their tasks.  A key part of this is giving employees a chance to ‘own’ their roles by being able to make suggestions and decisions relative to their capabilities.
• Unacceptable behaviours, such as bullying or harassment, lead to stress.  These factors may be coming from management or other workers.  Identify the source and put measures in place to stop such behaviour.  It is more than common than you might think, with almost 60% of workers across Europe stating this as a cause of stress at work.
• A further 72% of workers have concerns regarding job security.  Do everything possible to foster job security – offer full information and communication where necessary and, once again, involve staff in plans regarding reorganisation and other significant organisational changes.
• Workers seen to be having difficulty in successfully combining work and home commitments may feel under stress and need management support.

It is the job of management to look out for and handle work-related stress and other psychosocial risks.  Be sure that you, your managers and team leaders are aware of the warning signs and know how to handle problems once identified.  Remember that psychosocial problems at work are always an organisational issue, and management should be ever-vigilant to spot and handle any such problems.

• When do I need to do a risk assessment?
• What should I include in my risk assessment?
• Who should my risk assessment cover?
• What do I need to record?
• What does ‘reasonably practicable’ mean?
• What is a hierarchy of control?
• Is risk assessment a legal requirement?
• What do I need to do in terms of fire safety?
• Who is responsible for doing a risk assessment?
• What training/qualifications do I need to do a risk assessment?
• Who do I involve in a risk assessment?
• How do I prioritise the actions from my risk assessment?
• What are significant risks?
• When should I review my risk assessment?
• What should I do if one of my employees’ circumstances change?
• What responsibilities do my employees have?
• What should I do if I share my workplace with other employers?
• What are risk matrices?
• How long do I need to keep my risk assessment for?

When do I need to do a risk assessment?

Assessments are required prior to the completion of any work which could involve risk, for example injury. However, it is worth noting that this only applies to employers and self-employed individuals.

What should I include in my risk assessment?

It is important to include information on all significant risks within your business and the individuals they can affect. You should also include details on the current controls in place and further controls which are required. The assessment should show that all eventualities have been considered and therefore the work in question can go ahead with little to no risk involved.

Who should my risk assessment cover?

Your assessment should acknowledge any individuals who could be at risk from your business. These should include not only workers directly involved with the high risk activity but also those who may be affected indirectly. Special consideration should be given to older and younger individuals, migrant workers, new or expectant mothers and people with disabilities.

What do I need to record?

All of the relevant information should be recorded, this includes the risks involved, your current controls and further controls required. You should also provide information on individual or groups of employees who are particularly at risk.

It is worth pointing out that this only applies to businesses which employ five or more people.

What does ‘reasonably practicable’ mean?

This term describes the idea of comparing the level of risk involved with the resources required to deal with this risk, e.g. time, money etc. Although the removal of risk is obviously paramount there should be a reasonable balance between these two factors.

What is a hierarchy of control?

When attempting to reduce a risk there are specific control methods which should be employed. These methods should be utilised in a particular order and you should only move onto the next control when the risk is still prevalent, hence hierarchy. In order, these controls include elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls and finally, personal protective clothes and equipment.

Is risk assessment a legal requirement?

Completing a risk assessment is a legal requirement for every employer and self-employed individual. However, as already discussed this only applies to those with five or more employees.

What do I need to do in terms of fire safety?

According to the Fire Safety Order of 2005 and under part 3 of the Fire Act (Scotland), employers and building owners are required to complete and maintain a fire safety risk assessment. This includes considering every aspect of fire safety, from structural damage to loss of life. Furthermore, this can be incorporated into the overall risk assessment for your business or can be completed separately.

Who is responsible for doing a risk assessment?

As a business owner or self-employed person, you are responsible for the risk assessment- whether you complete it or not. Therefore it’s incredibly important that your assessment is completed by somebody who understands all of the aspects involved.

What training/qualifications do I need to do a risk assessment?

Other than a full understanding of the task at hand, there are no specific qualifications or training required. If you are finding any aspects of the assessment troubling there is help out there, including the HSE website and of course ourselves.

Who do I involve in a risk assessment?

With a working knowledge of your business and its day to day running, your employees can provide useful information on the potential risks involved.

How do I prioritise the actions from my risk assessment?

Many businesses will have to deal with a number of different risks and these should be prioritised according to how serious each risk is. For example a risk of serious injury should prioritised before other aspects within your business.

What are significant risks?

Significant risks are just that, anything which poses a real threat to health and safety. These may vary from business to business but they should be relatively easy to recognise.

When should I review my risk assessment?

A review of your risk assessment is required if it’s no longer valid or if there has been a change within your business. This may include the introduction of new equipment, substances or even new employees.

What should I do if one of my employees’ circumstances change?

This may require you to review and amend your risk assessment in order to accommodate these changes. The health and safety of your employees is paramount and this may involve adapting their workload to their particular circumstances. Changes to look out for include employees who have become pregnant, undergone surgery or become disabled.

What responsibilities do my employees have?

Health and safety represents a cooperation between yourself and your employees. As well as looking after themselves and fellow workers, employees should comply with legislation, complete any relevant training and follow any instructions which have been provided. It is also important for employees to provide information on any potential risks or controls which have failed.

What should I do if I share my workplace with other employers?

This situation requires cooperation and communication between you and the fellow employer or self-employed individual. Both parties should discuss the specific risks within their own businesses and how these could affect the other employer.

What are risk matrices?

Risk matrices are tools which can help employers to ascertain which risks should receive the highest priority. Basically, risks with the highest potential severity of harm and the highest likelihood of harm occurring should be prioritised. Risk matrices aren’t mandatory but some employers may find them useful.

How long do I need to keep my risk assessment for?

Your risk assessment records should be kept for as long as they are relevant. If you are required to change your risk assessment for whatever reason then they can be replaced with the updated records.