Safety Bulletin March 2012 UPM Tilhill launches Step Change In Safety The January Safety Bulletin provided you with the initial information about the Step Change In Safety programme. This is an important new safety programme from UPM and the Tilhill official launch commenced on 5th March 2012 with a briefing from me to all Managers. n A lot of work has already been put into the programme both corporately and at a local level in Tilhill. UPM has laid out its minimum standards on many topics. Regardless of local laws these standards represent the minimum that must be applied wherever UPM works in the world. Where local law or practices already exceed these standards then the local practice will take precedence. This is creating the UPM way of working safely. Our Safety Team have been hard at work examining these standards and judging how our existing practices match up to them. We now have a good understanding of where we have gaps and are creating an action plan to fill these gaps which will be ready by June of this year. Much of this work has already been initiated with Insist On Safety which means we already comply with many of the standards, but there is more we can and need to do in order to improve and comply. We must not be complacent. Some UPM Standards do require us to up our game in certain areas. I welcome this stimulus to challenge our practices and learn from others within UPM. Our own Safety Team are working with many other colleagues in UPM to share best practice and agree common ways of working. Step Change In Safety will not replace Insist On Safety as our strapline, but it is complimentary and supportive of this existing work. As we start to implement the changes required in the action plan over the next few months, we will keep you briefed through the Safety Bulletin and provide you with any training sessions that are necessary. Inevitably, there are some immediate changes that I must ask you to give your attention to, namely, reporting: We now have strict timescales on reporting accidents to others within the UPM Corporation. You and we must get all accidents logged onto QPulse within 24 hours of them happening. If they are obviously going to be lost time accidents, then you must phone Fatal and Serious Accidents Jussi Pesonen must be phoned and initial notification report ready in 12 hours. High Risk Incidents Initial notification report ready in 12 hours. Lost Time Accidents Initial report ready in 72 hours. Chris Pike immediately, or as soon as practically possible. Step Change In Safety is an important programme for UPM. Jussi Pesonen, our CEO, has put his personal support to this programme. We have to recognise we have done a lot of work in recent years on safety, but our safety record is only average compared to other parts of UPM. We clearly have room for significant improvement and I ask you all to commit to Step Change In Safety, as I and the Board already have. We can improve our safety performance if we continue to Insist On Safety. Steve Lavery Managing Director CONTENTS Lyme disease............2 Alertness to danger....... 3 Leptospirosis............3 Does Granddad need a certificate of competence for spraying?............4
NEWS Lyme disease Recent 26th March 1st April 2012 marks Tick Bite Prevention week. This is a good opportunity to remind ourselves of the risks of Ticks and Lyme Disease. The disease is named after the village of Old Lyme, Connecticut in the USA, where a number of cases were identified in 1975. n Lyme disease is transmitted via the bite of an infected tick and can lead to serious complications including damage to the nervous system, joints, heart and other tissues. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in the UK. Lyme disease hotspots in the UK are: Exmoor, the New Forest, the South Downs, parts of Wiltshire and Berkshire, Thetford Forest, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Moors and the Scottish Highlands. Lyme disease can affect multiple body systems and produce a range of symptoms. Not all patients with Lyme disease will have all symptoms, and many of the symptoms are not specific to Lyme disease. The usual incubation period from infection to the onset of symptoms is a few days to a few weeks but can be much longer. Generally, the first sign of infection is a circular rash. This rash usually appears within 3 to 30 days of infection. The rash often has a characteristic bull s-eye appearance, with a central red spot surrounded by clear skin that is ringed by an expanding red rash. However, not everyone one presents with the rash, or it can be hidden under hair or in an inaccessible place. Rashes can also vary from the classic bull s-eye. Along with the rash, a person may experience flu-like symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, headache, and muscle aches. Left untreated, symptoms of the initial illness may go away on their own. But in some people, the infection can spread to other parts of the body. If you do suspect you have contracted Lyme disease you should visit your GP and ask to be tested and treated with antibiotics. Take a copy of the information leaflet for GPs with you. Copies of this can be obtained from your district office. Early treatment with antibiotics can be very effective in treatment. If you see a suspicious rash, then take a photo in case it goes down before seeing your GP. There s no sure-fire way to avoid getting Lyme disease. But you can minimise your risk by being Tick Aware. Take precautions such as using an insect repellent, wearing trousers tucked into socks (or wearing gaiters) and long-sleeved clothing to cover all areas of exposed skin. Regularly inspect for ticks and carefully remove any you may find. Pets are also vulnerable to Lyme disease and tick-control products can be prescribed by your vet. Over recent years there has been an increased incidence of Lymes disease in the UK. There are a number of factors that may have led to this. There is also a growing awareness of Lymes disease contracted from urban areas. Tick sampling by scientists has shown that ticks infected with Borrelia bacteria can be found in many areas, including the London parks. A case of urbanacquired Lyme Disease would often be overlooked by doctors simply because the patient didn t report a countryside visit in an acknowledged hot spot. Birds, hedgehogs and squirrels, domestic dogs and cats, can all carry ticks and all visit urban gardens. Given our working environment, we must all be aware of the risks. Please read the information provided to you by the company and remain Tick Aware. increased risks could be due to a number of probable factors: An increasing number of residential and business estates are encroaching on rural surroundings. A greater number of people are involved in outdoor recreational and sporting pursuits which take them into tick habitat. Climate change has resulted in milder winters. Ticks, which are active at temperatures as low as 3.5 C, have more opportunity to feed and breed. Another result of climate change has been an extended growing season for vegetation. This has increased the number of some of the tick s host species, which in turn means more available hosts for the ticks. A reduction in certain practices such as sheep dipping, moorland burning and bracken control have allowed large numbers of ticks to survive. Dipped sheep act as a mop for ticks, which die when they come into contact with the treated fleece. Moorland burning and bracken control kills ticks that are present in the vegetation. Following the EU ban of the herbicide Asulam at the end of 2011, bracken spread is expected to increase, providing even more suitable habitats for ticks. Do the Tick Check Ticks prefer warm, moist, dark areas of the body. 1. Check the whole body. It may be helpful to have someone else inspect areas that are hard to see, or if you are alone use a mirror. 2. Preferred areas include: Hidden in: belly button, around or in the ear, hairline and scalp. Parts that bend: back of knee, elbow, between fingers and toes, underarms. Pressure points where clothing presses against skin: underwear elastic, belts, collar. 2 SAFETY BULLETIN
NEWS Alertness to danger Potential lives were saved during February by our Near Miss reports and their resultant actions. n The Near Miss reports included trees with serious disease adjacent to work areas. Trees left hung up by wind or previous operations and a tipper lorry about to tip near overhead power lines. All of these have been involved in fatal accidents within our industry in the past. Spotting these issues and taking action may have saved another fatal accident. That is another family saved from the traumatic loss of a loved one. We must all remain alert to these unsafe conditions and unsafe acts. Report the unsafe conditions so that they can be made safe and stop unsafe acts. Take Time To Care about others and discuss the unsafe acts and agree safe ways to complete the tasks in hand. Unfortunately, one such incident wasn t avoided when an operator was walking along a roadside verge. The operator was walking along to deal with trees that had been planted but had not taken. They had walked along the verge on previous occasions. This time, two iron covers had fallen into the pit they covered. This left a large uncovered area. The operator had not spotted this as he walked along and fell into the hole. Fortunately the pit was not very deep or filled with water, otherwise the outcome could have been much worse. 1. Remain alert at all times, even before and after your main tasks. Injuries often occur during preparation and finishing work. 2. Never walk past an unsafe condition. Take immediate action to prevent any harm and phone your manager if you need further assistance. 3. Stop others you see working unsafely and discuss the problem and agree a safe method to finish the task. 4. If you are stopped, be open minded. The other person may have had to pluck up courage to stop you and they haven t done it for their own good. Leptospirosis A recent suspected case of Leptospirosis thankfully proved to be negative, but the worry for us and the individual does serve as a reminder of this disease we are often faced with at work. n If you are working on sites where you may come into contact with surfaces, vegetation and water that may have been contaminated with rat urine you should be briefed on the Leptospirosis Tool Box Talk (TT/65) and be issued the Leptospirosis card. The disease can develop several weeks after contact with contaminated water and presents symptoms similar to flu. You should present the Leptospirosis card should you seek medical attention. Elsewhere in this bulletin we speak of early stages of Lyme disease being similar to flu as well. This highlights the importance of seeking medical attention if you feel your symptoms are a result of being exposed to the risk of either Leptospirosis or Lyme disease. 1. Cover all exposed cuts and abrasions with a waterproof plaster before starting work. 2. Avoid rubbing nose, mouth or eyes with unwashed hands. 3. Wash hands before eating, drinking and smoking. Do not eat, drink or smoke in an area at risk of being contaminated. 4. If you break the skin surface while at work, wash thoroughly. 5. After work, wash hands and forearms thoroughly and remove contaminated clothing. 6. If you develop flu like symptoms, visit your GP and present the Leptospirosis information card. SAFETY BULLETIN 3
NEWS Does Granddad need a certificate of competence for spraying? During discussions with a potential new subcontractor, the contractor explained to our manager that he believed that he was able to spray under grandfather rights and so did not need a certificate of competence (COC). n We made it clear to him that he had misunderstood the position and we clarified this as follows. Below is the wording that HSE use on this topic. Anyone who uses a professional pesticide product in the course of their business or employment, may not use that pesticide, or give instruction to others on their use, unless they have received adequate instruction, training and guidance in their correct use. In addition, users of pesticides must hold a Certificate of Competence if using a pesticide if they : Were born after 31 December 1964; or Are providing a commercial service e.g. contactors or anyone spraying on land that is not his or his employers. Anyone who is required to hold a Certificate of Competence can only use pesticides without a Certificate if they are supervised by someone who does hold a certificate. Obtaining a Certificate of Competence is the best way of demonstrating that you are trained to use specific types of equipment, even if under the legislation you are not required to have one. Currently, the recognised Certificate of Competence for the use of pesticides are issued by City and Guilds/NPTC and the Scottish Skills Testing Service. The age related clause is often referred to as grandfather rights. The second clause covers all of our operations. The most important word in the two clauses is the or between them. This means that even if you were born before 31st December 1964, if you are providing a commercial service you still need a certificate of competence. There is one exception to holding the certificate of competence and that is when being supervised by someone who does hold a certificate. In reality this means close supervision e.g. one person monitoring (not spraying) and within sight and sound of two people. To help ensure operators competence we have also been delivering specific training for the use of Eco Plugs, to ensure our operators are specifically trained to apply this product. Due to the relatively low hazard of this Glyphosate application product an operator only requires to hold PA 1 and PA 6D. If you need further information on training, assessment or competency requirements please contact Martin Lennon 07901 514259 or email: martin.lennon@upm.com Below: Ecoplugs being inserted and hammered into place during a training session. These are demonstration plugs and do not contain any chemical. 4 SAFETY BULLETIN
NEWS March 2012 Safety Bulletin briefing I have been personally briefed in the contents of this Safety Bulletin. Please add any questions relating to this briefing or any other health and safety matters you wish to raise: Please add any suggestions on health and safety matters: I have been briefed by: My District is: I understand that I am encouraged to submit comment and contribution from this bulletin. ORIGINAL sheet to be held at District. Send a COPY to: Head of Safety, UPM Tilhill, Birchden Farm, Broadwater Forest Lane, Groombridge, Kent, TN3 9NR. Fax: 01892 860441. SAFETY BULLETIN 5