Plant hire tragedy highlights need for better reporting systems
Release date: 27/05/2008
'We are currently in a dangerous culture where health and safety is suffering from being knocked for being 'overly cautious', run by single-minded individuals whose one purpose is to disable rather than enable'; said Andy McDonald Managing Director of Knowledge Online this week. 'With this reputation, the risk is that some companies and their employees could let their health and safety standards slip with the adage that it wont happen to me.'
Last week the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) warned plant hire companies(1) to make sure vehicles they supply are supplied in a safe condition after a company was prosecuted for hiring out an excavator without suitable rollover protection, and for failing to carry out pre and post-hire checks on equipment and hirers.
It was found that rollover protection had previously been fitted to the machine, but was absent at the time of hire. A number of other issues arose from the investigation that included the revelation that the company did not conduct any pre-hire checks on its machinery except for fuel, oil and water checks. It also failed to provide demonstration to the man injured on how to operate the machinery at time of delivery or to provide written instructions, safety procedures or operating manual for the excavator.
Andy continues 'One answer is to create a bespoke form loaded onto a PDA for companies to run through before, at the time of delivery and after hire. This makes the whole reporting process an easy and integral part of the business, with reports that are easy to complete and download to a system which distributes them instantly.'
Following a successful launch, E-SAFE 100, a bespoke reporting and auditing software could be the answer for an industry which critically needs to address its health and safety issues. E-SAFE 100 dramatically reduces the amount of manual reporting by capturing data electronically and downloading it to Knowledge Onlines business information management system for monitoring and analysis. The software is loaded onto a handheld PDA and taken with the appropriate field representative, whether it be for health and safety, quality, environment or property audits.
Findings are entered directly into the handheld. E-SAFE 100 records it and creates a database of reports which can be emailed to the relevant people. If the report is not carried out it sends an alert up the chain. The system flags and resolves issues, preventing accidents or inefficiencies. This new and efficient software conducts real-time analysis that is ideal to check compliance based performance, carry out inspections, measure for best practice and allow for the automated escalation of an alert if necessary. Whether a business works out of one location or across many premises, E-SAFE 100 can seriously help improve audits and inspections.
For more information about E-SAFE 100 visit www.knowledgeonline.net
-ENDS-
(1) The press release from the HSE can be found at www.hse.org
Notes to editor:
Knowledge Online was founded in 1999 by the Pettifer Group to address a critical gap in the health and safety marketplace to allow companies to take control of the identification of risks and non-conformance before accidents and injuries take place.
The privately owned Pettifer Group was formed in 1955, and is a major force in property development, construction, consultancy and web based applications, employing over 300 staff and operating throughout the UK.
Pettifer Group subsidiary companies operate from London (Clerkenwell and Mayfair), Birmingham (City Centre and Wythall), Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow and include leading construction management company, pcm management, health and safety adviser, pcm safety, property developer, Pettifer Estates, contractor, Pettifer Construction, technology company, Knowledge Online, and cost, project and management consultants, clarus consulting.
Knowledge Online won Product of the Year 2006/7 at the Construction Computing Awards and Pettifer Construction was Highly Commended at the Effective IT Awards for its use of E-SAFE 100 for snagging and health & safety.
This information is also available on The McOnie Agency website.
To download the accompanying HIGH RES image, please click on the link:
click here
Please wait a few minutes until the photo appears, then follow instructions from no. 4 below.
Alternatively, go to www.mconieagency.com,
1. Roll your mouse over to “press releases”, then drop down to Knowledge Online and click.
2. Find the press release intro with chosen photo or type in Examination into the keyword search.
3. Click “more” to bring up the whole press release.
4. To download the hi-res photo to your desktop, right click the link and choose “Save link to disc” or “Save Target As….”
5. Open the photo in your chosen application and convert to CMYK for printing.
If you need any help or would like a high res image emailed to you, please contact Lynda Hughes
This image is the property of Knowledge Online and is solely to illustrate the text within this press release. Use of this image for any other purpose is prohibited.