ROUND-UP
In brief
UKMHA underlines importance of
FLT examination after accident
The UK Material Handling
Association, a combined
initiative of MHE industry
bodies BITA and the Fork
Lift Truck Association, has
underlined the importance of
thorough examination following
a forklift accident ruling.
The Health & Safety
Executive successfully
prosecuted the owners of a fencing business
following an accident at their premises in
which an employee died after being crushed
by falling timber. The accident (not pictured)
occurred at PA Fencing Ltd in Bristol in 2017.
The deceased, Roderick McKenzie Hopes, was
working in a yard at the company’s premises
when a telehandler being used to move timber
exceeded its rated capacity and tipped over.
In doing so, the truck toppled on to stacked
timber, which fell on to Hopes, killing him.
An HSE investigation found that the
telehandler was faulty, and
that the safety device used to
ensure lift heights were not
exceeded was inoperative, and
that maintenance had failed
to identify this. In addition,
the investigation found that
the truck operator had not
received full training in how
Picture: UKMHA
to use the truck, and that the machine was
regularly used to lift unsafe loads.
The HSE said the yard supervisor did not
know the machine’s safe limits, and that the
yard had not been laid out to allow the safe
stacking of the timber.
The court was told the investigation
also found that PA Fencing Ltd shared the
telehandler with David Crossman, who owns
a neighbouring farm and rents the yard to PA
Fencing. Neither PA Fencing nor Crossman had
ensured the machine was properly maintained;
nor was it independently thoroughly examined.
HVAC carbon emissions remain low
priority in the boardroom
The carbon emissions of HVAC systems in
energy-intensive manufacturing industries are
seen as a top priority by only 21% of UK senior
management, despite accounting for up to 40%
of a site’s energy consumption.
Research among facilities managers from
across the life sciences, pharmaceutical
and high-tech manufacturing sectors in the
run-up to COP26 revealed that for 79% of
companies, the primary HVAC concern for
senior management is a system’s ability to
deliver thermal comfort, low running costs or
uninterrupted operation.
More than four- fths of those surveyed
(81%) would class their site as e cient, despite
less than a third (31%) admitting to continuously
monitoring a facility’s carbon emissions.
Paul Walsh, general manager EMEA of
building analytics specialists CIM, which
commissioned the research, commented:
“Due to the nature
of the sector and its
ultra-tight cleanroom
controls, once the
temperature, humidity
and di erential
pressures have been
validated, alterations
are rarely made.
“All of this leaves
HVAC costs – and their associated carbon
emissions – at best unregulated and, at worst,
increasing to unnecessary levels. The solution
lies not in extensive capital investment or the
diversi cation of energy sources, but in better
use of building management system (BMS) data,
especially in non-validated areas of a plant.
Identifying and rectifying ine ciencies here can
make signi cant inroads into reversing the overdelivery
of energy.”
UK workers are at risk from
‘sign blindness’ after the COVID-
19 epidemic. Health and safety
solutions provider Seton has joined
forces with top academics and
psychologists to review the risk that
sign blindness poses with many
offi ces reopen and manufacturing
teams returning to full strength
following the end of furlough.
They advise that overexposure to
signage, rules and safety warnings
during the pandemic is likely to
lead to employee complacency.
Europump, the body which
represents 16 national pump
associations in 12 EU member
states as well as the UK and
others, has complained about
recent proposed changes to the
Machinery Directive that would
require third-party conformity
assessment of some machines.
It says: “The proposed
requirement is: unjustifi ed – There
is no evidence that third-party
certifi ed machines are any
safer than those undergoing
internal production control;
disproportionate – The European
Commission’s cost estimation is
largely undervalued as it does
not cover the additional costs of
resources, logistics, planning or the
loss of lead time; uncompetitive
– the increased uncertainty,
the longer time to market and
additional costs will hamper
innovation – disadvantaging SMEs
while creating incentives for larger
companies to move strategic sites
to more supportive regions. This
approach would also prevent
marketing products produced in
small series being made available
on the market.”
Relevant machinery includes
woodworking saws, chainsaws,
press brakes with travel greater
than 6mm and their interlocks,
injection moulding equipment
and their interlocks, underground
locomotives, vehicle servicing
lifts, goods and passenger lifts
with heights of greater than 3m,
compressed-air nail guns, ‘logic
units to ensure safety functions’,
software ensuring safety functions
and roll-over protective structures.
12 www.operationsengineer.org.uk Winter 2021
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