Health & safety bulletin
Near-Misses Don't Just Happen On-Site!
4th December 2008
Believe it or not, not all near-misses occur on-site!
A near-miss was recently reported by the Xmo Strata tender team while working on a client proposal for site works.
Had the tender been submitted by us and accepted by our customer, it could have caused a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, potentially costing them and us over £7 million in fines.
Near-miss
Xmo Strata was asked as part of a client tender to quote for carrying out minor landscaping work whilst on-site. It was suggested that this should include the trimming of shrubbery and the application of weedkiller.
The tender team had recommended that we source an off-the-shelf weedkiller and provide applicators to reduce the costs as far as possible for the client.
Identification / Investigation
Prior to the submission of the tender, the team carried out a safety 'KEPT' analysis to ensure legislative compliance. This requires that we have Knowledge, Experience, Practical experience and Training to carry out any work on client sites.
Through detailed investigation, we have discovered that the only suitable weedkiller for use on petrol filling stations is a Glycosate Hormone based product. Applicators of this solution must be accredited to C&G National Proficiency Council PA1 - safe handling of pesticides (weedkiller), and PA6 - hand-held applicators. Best practice indicates that supervisors should also be accredited to BASIS, an independent standards and certification scheme serving pesticide, fertiliser and associated matters.
Cause analysis
The above incident has been recorded as a near-miss and the tender proposal was rectified before submission to the client.
On this occasion, as no work was actually carried out there were no substandard actions or conditions recorded. The chief cause of the incident was a lack of knowledge by the tender team.
Action plan
The near-miss has been discussed with the tender team and will be recorded as a Toolbox Talk. It was stressed at this meeting that a 'KEPT' analysis should be carried out on all future tender submissions.
Further information on the legislation can be found along with case studies on the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk