Viewing entries by
Colm Campbell

Transition of Occupational First Aid to FAR

Transition of Occupational First Aid to FAR

National Safety Centre are pleased to announce, that as a recognised PHECC Institution, we are now approved to offer FAR courses. 

The Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC), since the 1st November 2016, are the appointed statutory body to administer the training of First Aid Response (FAR) practitioners and assess First Aid Response Instructors, by the Health and Safety Authority.

All existing Occupational First Aid Instructors must attend a Recognition of Prior Learning Course to become a PHECC FAR Instructor. This operation will take a few months to complete.

Both OFA and FAR Instructors can deliver QQI OFA courses and PHECC FAR courses until the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) announce the changeover date to PHECC FAR courses this year.

Please note both OFA and FAR courses have dual recognition until the HSA, PHECC and QQI agree a transition date. Eventually, the PHECC FAR course will be the only recognised qualification. We will keep you posted when the date is announced. 

The table below details the changesfrom the QQI OFA course to the PHECC FAR course. 

Transition of Occupational First Aid to FAR

CALL

(Call Save) 1850 234 600

+353 18225963

E-MAIL

info@nationalsafetycentre.com

SOCIAL

 

RELATED TRAINING COURSES

We will keep you informed of the date when the changeover
from OFA to FAR will be mandatory.

If you require any more information, please contact us.

New Woodworking, Abrasive Wheels and Abrasive Blasting Regulations Announced

New regulations on woodworking machines, abrasive wheels and abrasive blasting of surfaces have been published today and will come into force on July 1st.

The new regulations are being brought into force as part of the General Application Regulations. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2016 (SI 36/2016) introduce three new parts and two new schedules to the General Application Regulations:

Part 11: Woodworking Machines
Part 12: Abrasive Wheels
Part 13: Abrasive Blasting of Surfaces
Schedule 13: Woodworking Machines
Schedule 14: Training and Instruction.     

The new regulations repeal the following:

  • Factories (Woodworking Machinery) Regulations 1972 (SI 203/1972)
  • Factories (Abrasive Blasting of Surfaces) Regulations 1974 (SI 357/1974)
  • Safety in Industry (Abrasive Wheels) Regulations 1982 (SI 30/1982).


WOODWORKING MACHINES REGULATIONS

The new regulations include definitions and cover space around machines, guarding and protection, maintenance of machines, dust, circular sawing machines, band sawing machines, planing machines and vertical spindle machines. The full list of machines is set out in schedule 13.  There are provisions on training, instruction and information.

ABRASIVE WHEELS REGULATIONS

The new regulations include definitions. The regulations apply to the use of any abrasive wheel for grinding or cutting at a place of work. The regulations deal with the use of abrasive wheels, speed of revolution, mounting of abrasive wheels and guarding and rests for workplaces and flanges. Schedule 14 deals with training and instruction.

ABRASIVE BLASTING OF SURFACES REGULATIONS

Again the regulations include definitions. The regulations apply to all places of work in which blasting is done, with the exception of blasting enclosures for cleaning of castings, , enclosures, blasting apparatus and ventilating plant. The regulations provide for the provision of blasting apparatus, enclosures, ventilating plant. The regulations include rules on the prohibition of silica, the protection of employees and other persons and also of persons under 18.

Following the enactment of the new regulations, the General Application Regulations will in future be cited as the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Regulations 2007 to 2016. Both the HSA and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation are to be congratulated on bringing in the regulations as part of the General Application Regulations. It is a welcome easing of the administrative burden, without impacting on the protection of workers.  

The regulations are available to download on the Department’s website here

Source: Health & Safety Review

Abrasive Wheels Regulations Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2016 (SI 36/2016)


CALL

(Call Save) 1850 234 600

+353 18225963

E-MAIL

info@nationalsafetycentre.com

SOCIAL

 

Related Training Courses

In the News - Coroner's Court rules death by misadventure caused by lack of safety procedures

On October 28th 2011 Stephen Bayfield lost his life at work in Dublin Port after he was crushed by a wheel of a large slow moving crane.

The Dublin Coroner’s Court heard how there were no safety systems in place for crane drivers crossing the cargo area. It was known among staff that the environment was unsafe but everyone 'just got on with it'.  

Since the terrible tragedy, a number of safe systems have since been put in place such as defined and fenced off pathways, a designated changeover area for the cranes and radios for the drivers to communicate.

The court also recommended that a risk assessment be revised regularly and asked for a safety representative to be appointed to deal with staff safety issues on site.

Source - Irish Times

Coroner's Court

Online Course Payment Goes Live

Safe. Secure. Instant.

As part of our continuous website improvement programme and our drive to make booking and using our services friction free, we're delighted to announce we can now offer online booking and payment on our public training courses.

Online Payment

CALL

(Call Save) 1850 234 600

+353 18225963

E-MAIL

info@nationalsafetycentre.com

SOCIAL

Judgement Summary: Employer Did Not Provide Adequate Training

A supermarket worker, who injured her back while loading a trolley, was awarded damages of €85,000 by the High Court recently.

Delivering judgment, Mr Justice Anthony Barr said the worker was required in the course of her work as a shop assistant to fetch a large number of boxes from a storeroom. The boxes weighed between 13kg and 15kg and contained a number of suitcases of varying sizes.

Summarising the injured worker’s evidence, the judge said she stated that on the day of the accident, the boxes in the storeroom were stacked above her head height and she had to knock them off the top of the pile and let them fall to the ground before putting them on a trolley. She filled one trolley, but suffered a back injury while loading a second trolley.

There was, the judge said, a dispute between the parties on whether the worker had any manual handling training on the day of her induction with the supermarket. Saying that the worker struck him as a truthful witness, he noted she said she was given a tour of the premises, given a uniform and told to sign a record card.

She had not, Mr Justice Barr said, received adequate training in respect of the duties of her employment. A demonstration with a box of A4 paper was not remotely comparable to the lifting exercise the worker had to do in the course of her work. Also he said there was no proper follow up to the training. If there had been, the supermarket would have known that the worker was using an incorrect and dangerous method of lifting. This should, he said, have been spotted and corrected.

Assessing damages, the judge said the injured worker has fairly constant pain in her back. He awarded her €80,000 in general damages for her injuries (€60,000 for past pain and suffering and €20,000 for future). He awarded a further €5,000 for agreed specials, bringing the total award to €85,000.

The award for general damages is noteworthy in that the top figure provided for in the Book of Quantum for a back injury with significant ongoing consequences is €69,700. At €80,000, the award is over €10,000 above the maximum provided for in the Book of Quantum. The judge did not mention the Book of Quantum in his judgment. He granted a stay in the event of an appeal, provided that the employer paid out €20,000 immediately. (Meus v Dunnes Stores: High Court, Dublin, December 2014)

Source: Health & Safety Review

CALL

(Call Save) 1850 234 600

+353 18225963

E-MAIL

info@nationalsafetycentre.com

SOCIAL

 

MANUAL HANDLING TRAINING 

National Safety Centre offer the following manual handling training courses.  Select course for further information.