Tolley's Workplace Accident Handbook

462 Pages·2007·2.58 MB·English

by  Mark Tyler

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Tolley’s Workplace Accident
Handbook
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Tolley’s Workplace
Accident Handbook
Second edition
Editor
Mark Tyler
Dr Olivia Carlton,Greg Gordon, Alexander Green, Amanda Jenkins,
Kajal Sharma,Lauren Thomas and Hannah Wilson
AMSTERDAM• BOSTON• HEIDELBERG• LONDON• NEWYORK• OXFORD
PARIS• SANDIEGO• SANFRANCISCO• SINGAPORE• SYDNEY• TOKYO
Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier
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Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier
Linacre House,Jordan Hill,Oxford OX2 8DP,UK
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First published in 2003
Second edition 2007
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Contents
Foreword xiii
Acknowledgments xv
Contributors xvii
1 Introduction – Mark Tyler 1
Rationales for management focus on accidents 1
Trends and targets 2
Risk management 7
The cost of accidents 8
Learning from bad experiences 10
Insurance and benefits 11
Rehabilitation 12
Accountability or compensation culture? 13
2 Accident causation – Lauren Thomas 17
Definitions and terminology 17
Dictionary and technical definitions 17
Health and Safety Executive definitions 19
Near misses, incidents and accidents 19
Accident outcomes 21
Accidents and chance 22
Accident phases 24
Early theories of accident causation 24
Domino theories of accident causation 24
Accident proneness and accident liability 26
Human error 29
To err is human 29
Types of human error 29
Error promoting conditions 34
Human error in safety critical industries 35
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Contents
Organisational accidents 37
The “Swiss cheese” model 37
Amelioration and redemption 43
System accidents 46
Organisational resilience 47
Conclusions 48
3 Compliance with legislation – Mark Tyler and Hannah Wilson 53
Introduction 53
Overview of health and safety law 53
Legislation 53
Authoritative sources of guidance on legislation 57
Common law duties 61
Liability insurance 65
When insurance is required 65
Insurance cover and prohibited conditions 65
Transfers of undertakings 66
Employers who have ceased trading 67
Records of insurance policies 67
Accident and emergency management 68
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations
1999 (MHSWR) 68
Legal requirement for procedures for serious and imminent
danger and danger areas 75
Identification of relevant dangers 76
Establishment of procedures 77
Contact with external services 79
Specific regulations requiring emergency planning 80
Fire protection 83
Additional fire precautions requirements 92
First aid 92
Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 92
Other Regulations addressing the provision of first aid 95
Can first aid personnel have personal liabilities? 95
Legal compliance checklist 96
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Contents
4 First aid – Amanda Jenkins 99
The rationale behind first aid requirements 99
What is first aid? 99
Why is it important? 100
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, Approved
Code of Practice and Guidance L74 (referred to hereafter as
ACoP L74) 104
Offshore, operations, diving and other first aid requirements 107
Appointing people 108
Basic minimum legal requirements 108
Multi-site requirements 110
Self-employed 111
Making appointments 113
Overview of training courses 113
Refreshers and re-qualification 117
Facilities and equipment 117
First aid rooms 117
What first aid equipment should be provided? 118
Keeping records of first aid administration 122
Informing employees of arrangements 123
First aid for the care of the public 124
Specific guidance on first aid for the public 126
Childcare and education services 128
Policy review and the future of first aid course structures 131
Introducing a one-day emergency first aid course 133
Introducing a shorter first aid at work course 133
Introducing annual refresher training 133
The role of appointed persons 135
Sources of further information on first aid at work 135
Legal compliance checklist 135
5 Legal aspects of reporting and investigating accidents –
Mark Tyler 137
Introduction 137
Obligations on workers to report accidents and dangerous situations 138
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Contents
Notification of accidents by employees 138
Employees’ duties to highlight dangers 142
Duties on employers and others to notify and report accidents 143
RIDDOR 143
Responsible persons 148
Duty to notify and/or report events 148
RIDDOR record-keeping requirements 157
Defence in proceedings for breach of RIDDOR 158
Other reporting requirements 159
Notification of accidents to insurers 159
Internal notification of accidents, etc. 160
Safety representatives’ information and inspection 162
Evaluation and investigation of accidents 163
Investigations and confidentiality 163
Employer’s duty to re-evaluate risk assessments 165
Health surveillance: retention of health records and
confidentiality 166
Rights of access and disclosure of accident records and
related information 169
Individuals’ rights 170
Safety representatives and consultation 170
Disclosure in civil proceedings 172
Legal compliance checklist 172
6 Formal accident investigations – Mark Tyler,Alexander Green,
Greg Gordon 175
Introduction 175
Health and safety inspectors’ investigatory powers 176
Entry onto premises 176
Production and copying of documents 178
Questioning witnesses and other persons 178
Ancillary powers 179
Enforcement notices 182
Prohibition notices 183
Improvement notices 183
Appeals against enforcement notices 183
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Contents
Overlapping police investigations in fatal accident cases 186
Powers of the HSC to direct investigations and inquiries 187
Special reports 187
Formal inquiries 191
Coroners’ inquests (England and Wales) 191
Role of coroner’s court 191
Inquest proceedings: some common questions 193
Fatal accident inquiries (Scotland) 200
Powers of the sheriff court and the Procurator Fiscal
to require evidence and witnesses 201
Holding the inquiry 202
Verdicts 205
Facing health and safety investigations: checklist 206
7 Rehabilitation of the injured worker and managing
the people aspects of an accident – Dr Olivia Carlton 209
General introduction 209
Rehabilitation in the employment context 210
Immediate aftermath of an accident 212
What does emotional first aid involve? 213
First few days after the accident 214
Communications with the injured person(s) 214
Communications with colleagues of the injured person(s)
and all the workforce 214
The management of the injured person 215
The injured person(s) is off sick 215
The injured person(s) can return to work 216
After the return to work 218
The injured person(s) cannot return to work 218
The legal aspects of dismissal 219
Communication with the workforce 226
Compensation claims and the Rehabilitation Code 226
Conclusion 228
Checklist for planning to return to work 228
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