GROUP MEETING
Wednesday 6 March 2019
On the morning of the Group meeting we received the news that the speaker had been taken into hospital, fortunately he did forward his presentation to Bill Leigh, the chairman.
At the meeting we completed our normal business with the President, Karl Mearns, chairing the meeting.
The main announcement centred on the number of entries we had received for this year’s awards. During the Executive Committee meeting this morning it was decided to amalgamate all the safety performance awards into one and leaving the other four the same.
Barry Clinch gave his normal light hearted look at the latest court cases and publications from the HSE. One of the main points of interest was on the Welding Bulletin (see below) the HSE circulated that we in turn sent to all members.
As the advertised speaker was not available Bill Leigh stepped in and gave a very interesting talk of the Secret Killer Asbestos. The talk centred around the types of asbestos, what it can be found in, where it can be found and what precautions need to be taken when dealing with its removal and disposal.
The next event is the FIRE Seminar which will be held on 10 April and is free to all members. Non-member will be charged £5 that is refundable if they join the Group. It will start with registration from 12noon, with the inclusive buffet lunch being served at 12:15. The seminar with commence at 13:00. Further details will be distributed and posted on the website nearer the date.
Welding Fume: HSE’s Enforcement of improved control
standards
HSE has issued a recent Safety Alert; ‘Change in Enforcement Expectations for Mild Steel welding’.
“There is new scientific evidence from the International Agency for Research on Cancer that exposure to mild steel welding fume can cause lung cancer and possibly kidney cancer in humans.
The Workplace Health Expert Committee has endorsed the reclassification of mild steel welding fume as a human carcinogen.”
This news has been widely disseminated, including an article by IOSH urging employers to ensure workers are protected from cancer-causing welding fumes as enforcement of raised control standards takes effect.
Related to this, Kate Jones (Biological Monitoring team) and HSE colleagues from the Inspectorate and Chemicals Regulation attended a recent meeting of the International Institute of Welding Health & Safety Committee, which was held at TWI Ltd.
Kate gave an overview of the occupational survey currently underway looking at hexavalent chromium exposures in welding, electroplating and surface coating. The study is part of a large European project, HBM4EU. We are still seeking volunteer workplaces so if you think you can help, please contact Kate directly.
John McAlinden (HSE Specialist Inspector) described the changes in HSE’s approach to welding activities, resulting from the IARC evaluation and HSE’s Safety Alert; more information on the standards that inspectors will expect can be found here.
Interested in joining HOHSG?
Why not come along to our next meeting on Wednesday 6th March from 1:00pm, talk to other members and listen to the speaker before making up your mind.
A message to member
- The HSE RSS feed isn’t available any longer but you can view the very latest HSE prosecutions here.
