Face to face - A healthy attitude01 March 2004

When Maureen Kingman began her career as a factory inspector for the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) 25 years ago, the health and safety picture in factories was quite different from that seen today. "Back then, there were some machines that were responsible for huge numbers of accidents, but modern guarding techniques have virtually solved those problems. Power presses, for example, accounted for many accidents," she says. "They still continue to [contribute to accidents], but the numbers have dwindled quite considerably, Things have improved dramatically: fatal accident numbers are now around two-thirds of the number when I started inspecting in the late 1970s."

Equally, some issues that inspectors deal with now simply weren't around a quarter of a century ago. "Obviously there's new technology and integrated equipment. There are now huge factories, which start with waste paper at one end and a finished product at the other. Things have got bigger and more concentrated."

But, Kingman adds, it's not just the equipment that has changed - inspectors have seen a change of emphasis since her career began: "Back then, we were very much focused on safety rather than health, and I think that emphasis has switched. We are now regularly tackling health issues like stress or manual handling." This change of focus constitutes quite a change to the inspector's role: a safety issue is work-related, whereas a health issue may or may not be entirely work-related. "It is a challenge for us, but one that we're keen to tackle." Indeed, better targeting of HSE resources is a key theme within the Health & Safety Commission's new strategy for improving workplace health and safety to 2010 and beyond (see Newsdesk, page 3). So how might inspectors' roles change under the new strategy?

"We will reduce our contacts with those industries which are demonstrably managing their risks, so that we can concentrate on areas of poor performance," she says, adding that this may be poor-performing companies or whole sectors. She explains, for example, that within manufacturing, the scrap and waste recycling and woodworking industries are second and third in the list of industries with the most major accidents (mining being the top one). "So we're planning to devote a great deal of resource there to get those figures down, within woodworking, for example, manual handling accidents form the majority, but also machinery accounts for about 16% of accidents - the manufacturing average is about 10%."

But the new HSC strategy brings wider implications for the business community as a whole - including plant engineers. The HSC wants to drive the whole workforce to play a bigger role in health and safety: "We have to get greater involvement from workers: the people best placed and who know most about health and safety issues in their companies are the people that work in them," says Kingman. "I know from my experience as an inspector that the sorts of companies that are successful in managing health and safety are successful companies."

What makes them stand out, she says, is the way they involve and engage with their employees. By way of example, she describes a paper mill she visited: "The first line managers and team leaders really had ownership of the systems of work, If they could see an opportunity for improvement, they would discuss it among themselves and were given the facilities to do this." If the suggested improvement was deemed feasible, everyone involved would have to agree it. The procedures would then be changed, with the involvement of management, and everybody would be trained in the new way of working.

"There really was a feeling of ownership, It was proactive and demonstrated a very good health and safety culture."

And she adds: "Involving people at the sharp end is important: they are a great untapped resource in many companies."

Buy-in from both the senior management and shopfloor is crucial: "You do need commitment at the highest level for anything to work within a company but, at the same time, that commitment has to be seen - it's what people do and what they're seen to be doing, not just what they say."

But there are more specific challenges for plant engineers: plant and machinery continue to kill and maim people. Last year, for example, 19 people were killed by coming into contact with moving machinery and just under 1,400 suffered major injury. "But that is an underestimate of the problems because people also die or get seriously injured falling off pieces of plant or trying to gain access to it," she points out. "They also suffer musculoskeletal problems because of poorly designed plant being sited in confined spaces. As inspectors, we continually come across plant that's been tucked away in restricted spaces without any real thought as to how it's going to be maintained, or how you're going to change heavy parts."

The reasons why people and machines continue to meet with disastrous consequences are not new: "It's the same old things such as failure to isolate machinery, for example. People think, 'I'll just be quick, it won't take long to do this', and nine times out of 10 they may get away with it, but on the one occasion they won't."

She recognises that a plant engineer has wider responsibilities these days: "Quite often he/she will be responsible for kit the company doesn't own, which brings its own health and safety issues, such as different sets of legislation which they have to apply. Also, engineers have to know so much more now, not just about engineering issues, but control systems, IT, remote diagnostic techniques and other things that just weren't around 10-15 years ago."

Kingman believes that institutions can play a greater role in the industrial health and safety landscape. They have, she says, "an important role in securing and promoting greater competence, which I think is the key to better performance. We could work together to better prepare and develop people - their members - for their health and safety roles." They can also help in disseminating information to future members, by pushing to get health and safety management into the curriculum, either for undergraduates or for those studying for vocational qualifications. "It's very important for future generations that they have a better awareness of risk management techniques."

Another way institutions can help is by promoting safer behaviour among members. Kingman cites the Institution of Electrical Engineers: it has established non-statutory regulations which have gained widespread acceptance. "And I think other institutions could have a similar role in establishing codes of safe conduct for their members, The important thing is the enforcing authorities - HSE and local authorities - can't do it all by themselves. In the past we've probably tried to shoulder too much responsibility for this, in fact. As part of the new strategy, we have to involve the whole health and safety system - everybody who has a voice, we want to hear it."

A particularly difficult task for HSE in the future will be to overcome companies' reluctance to seek advice - the strategy document recognises that many companies are fearful of contacting HSE, especially small and medium-sized enterprises. Is it a tough balancing act for HSE to wield both the carrot and the stick? "Yes, but we have to accept that is the case," she says. "Rather than just telling people not to be afraid and to come to us, we have to do something to enable them to get access to good authoritative advice without that fear. We'd rather they have the advice and guidance than a visit from an inspector." She admits that it's not yet clear how this can be achieved, but plans are being worked on and a new approach will be rolled out in September.

So while the HSC strategy will mean changes at all levels within industry, new approaches will be phased in as procedures are agreed. In the meantime, Kingman stresses there are important matters for plant engineers to consider right now. "It's key that they specify plant that has health and safety designed in, not as a bolt-on extra which has often been the case in the past. Plant should not only be guarded for the people that have to operate it, but designed in such a way that takes account of how it's going to be maintained and how blockages are going to be cleared - even taking account of other issues like ergonomics and noise, since the new noise regulations will come into effect in 2006 to reduce the levels to which people can be safely exposed. "It's not just about guards: plant should be designed to deal with the totality of health and safety," she concludes.

SOE

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