PE02/001 Working safely in an engineering environment 1.

What are the roles and responsibilities of your self and others under the health and safety at work act 1974 and other current legislation? My roles as an employee are to abide by all rules and regulations such as correct PPE when on the shop floor, lock out and isolation procedures when working on any machine or piece of equipment and I must also report any accidents or near misses under RIDDOR. As an employee I must take care of myself and others around that are affected by my work routines. 2. What are the specific regulations and safe working practices and procedures that apply to your work activities? Regulations such as the electricity at work regulations, the control of noise at work regulation, the personal protective equipment at work regulation, and the manual handling operations regulation all apply to my work activities. 3. What are the warning signs for the main groups of hazardous substances defined by the classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous substances regulation? The name of the chemical and appropriate labels that are usually bright orange / red, with symbols such as toxic, harmful of irritant, corrosive, flammable, environmental hazard, explosive and oxidizing. 4. How do you locate the relevant health and safety information for your tasks? Machine manuals include regulations regarding the machinery, codes and regulations are also posted up on the wall in the canteen. 5. What are the sources of expert assistance when help is needed? There are always experienced engineers on site, if there is a problem with i.e. a machine that know one can rectify, than contacts and email addresses for the manufactures are used. 6. What constitutes a hazard in the work place? A machine or piece of equipment that is a potential threat to the health and safety of any employee. Warning signs include sparks, irregular noise, leaks, loss of pressure etc. 7. What are your responsibilities for dealing with hazards and reducing risks in the workplace? Any practical procedures that interfere with any machines or equipment require a risk assessment or a drawing if a move is required. Any accidents or near misses are

reported, spillages or any over hazards are isolated and resurrected as quickly as possibly. 8. What are the risks associated with your working environment? Allot of tools and equipment is used within the company and it is very easy for an employee to leave a tool lying around of even a spillage is spotted and the employee has gone to get a mop and wet sign but has to leave the spillage unattended. Same with the tools the raw materials could easily be misplaced and contribute towards a hazard. Allot of power is at hand on site so theres always the risk of electrocution, there is racking in the stores so falling objects are a risk too. 9. What sources of information should you use to check safety requirements and procedures? There are codes of practice and work regulations posted up in the office and the canteen, any other legislation can either be looked up in a folder or on the computer system. 10. What are the control measures that can be used to eliminate / reduce the hazard? Lock out and isolation procedures for power, air and water flow are used. All the machines are fitted with safe guards and light curtains so the machine will not function if a guard is off or a light curtain is breached. On the newer machines, the main control box cannot be opened unless the main power switch is off otherwise the door will not open. Also PPE is a must on the shop floor over wise I may receive a disciplinary. 11. What are the first aid facilities that exist within your work area and within the organisation in general? There is a generous number of first aid boxes positioned around both the buildings on the shop floor and in the offices. 12. What procedures must be followed in the case of accidents involving injury? Do not move the injured person unless they need to be in the emergency position, isolate any power or machinery, and have a first aider visually examine the person until paramedics arrive. Who ever is 1st aider on the scene or a witness must fill in the accident report log. (RIDDOR) 13. What constitutes dangerous occurrences and hazardous malfunctions? A machine or piece of equipment that creates a potential danger or near miss of an employee, a malfunction is the most common cause of this, anything from a faulty wire to a loss screw can create this. 14. Why must dangerous occurrences and hazardous malfunctions be reported even when no-none was injured?

All dangerous occurrences must be reported to make other employees aware of the potential danger of that machine, and to allow an engineer to inspect and test a machine to prevent an injury actually occurring. 15. What are the procedures for sounding the emergency alarms, the evacuation procedures and escape routes to be used? Emergency stop any machine, sound alarm, calmly leave the building to the assembly point using the nearest safe fire exit and take a register of everyone. 16. Why is it important to report your presence at the appropriate assembly point? So that every one present that day is known to be safe and not still in the building in the event of an emergency. 17. What is your organisational policy with regard to a fire fighting procedure? Any small fire may be tackled by the appropriate fire equipment only if the person is trained to us and does not put there self at risk. 18. What are the common causes of fire and what can you do to help prevent them? Most fires are related to flammable products exposed to high temperatures, flammable substances should be kept away from any heat producing equipment or machinery and stored in a cool and stable area. 19. What personal protective equipment (PPE) and protective clothing is available for your areas of activity? There are safety goggles in various locations, I wear safety boots whilst on the production floor, and polythene suits are available when required as is hi-vis jackets. Ear protection is near specific equipment such as sonic welders and high temperature resistant gloves are stored near all machines that use heated tools. 20. Why must you observe all personal protection and hygiene procedures at all times? Warning signs are there for a reason, any employee that doesnt abide by the rules will be disciplined before they injure themselves. 21. How do you act responsibly within the working environment? I abide by all rules, I do not distract any one that is operating a machine or fixing one. I do not eat or drink on the production floor 22. What are the correct methods of manually handling and moving loads? Assess the lift area and movement path and never lift anything that is too heavy or bulky for one person.

23. How do you manually lift and carry loads safely and correctly? When lifting you should always bend your knees while keeping a straight back, never overreach or lift overhead. For higher levels of storage a lifter of some sort should be used so that the person can load the object at waist height. 24. What manual and mechanical lifting and moving aids are available? Pump trucks, hoists and a forklift. 25. How should you maintain good housekeeping arrangements? Daily housekeeping is essential to maintain a safe working environment which includes tidiness, regularly emptying waste, correct storage of tools and raw materials and clear walkways. 26. How do you maintain access and egress (exits)? Set a Clear walk limit that means nothing can be stacked beyond the marked lines. 27. When should you act on your initiative and when should you seek help and advice from others? I should only act on my own initiative when it does not pose a threat to myself or others. When a potential danger could be possible I would then seek help. 28. Who should you report to in the event of problems that you cannot resolve? When I cannot resolve a problem confidently I should report to either an experienced engineer or my manager.