PRH Project – Update for LA Group Meetings March 2014

PLEASE REFER TO PREVIOUS UPDATE FOR BACKGROUND TO EACH WG ACTIVITIES AND DELIVERABLES

Risk Matrix WG

  • A key development is to move away from using the term ‘matrix’ and ‘matrices’ to a more user friendly term and acronym of HARTs (Health Activity Risk Tables)
  • The initial hazard identifier (see image below) will be known as the HHIT (Health Hazard Identifier Table)
  • This group have been working to finalise the content of the matrices ready for consultation with key contractors and trade associations to ensure controls are relevant and comprehensive with current practices and understanding
  • Breaking out/demolition
  • Drainage system installation
  • Excavation/ground digging
  • Painting
  • Paving/lifting/cutting
  • Piling
  • Road Markings
  • Surface laying - Bitumen
  • A ‘user guide’ has been drafted before consultation to ensure the use and limitations of the HART approach is understood and also how to view and understand the tables.
  • A short document outlining the ‘health risks’ and why they are important for this sector has also been drafted
  • A subgroup has been set up to collate images ready to be dropped into the HARTs once agreed and consulted upon to make the tables more visual
  • The next stage will be to agree the user guide and send the 8 HARTs out to appropriate and targeted bodies from April – May.
  • The group also need to draft a worker template

Health Surveillance and Exposure Monitoring WG

  • The WG have reviewed and updated the flow chart and will provide a short introduction to this (so it could stand alone)
  • The WG have redesigned the ‘image’ of the worker
  • The WG have decided not to expand any of the detail on ‘how’ to undertake health surveillance but have agreed it would be helpful to provide direct links to the guidance available. This would be smart if an electronic document or provided as a list at the end if hard copy
  • Due to feedback that the ‘image’ would beuseful for workers, the group agreed that there could be two slightly different images - one for employers and one for workers. The employer image title will remain part of the main guidance and be titled; Measuring Occupational Health Risks. The worker image will be titled ‘Occupational Health risks’ and the arrows will be labelled 'cause' and 'effect'. The health effects will also be changed to reflect health 'problems' and 'loss of function' for hands and arms (with HAV)
  • The group aim to have a complete guidance document incorporating the image and flow chart ready for the Steering Group meeting on 1st April
  • Due to on going difficulties in sourcing a case study (specifically for paving road and highways work) the WG are hoping to approach the Highways Agency or LAs to support this. The criteria for case studies to support this work is given below;

Criteria to help in constructing a case study on exposure monitoring &/or Health Surveillance for the Paving Road Highway Supply Chain Project

Case Studies should be;

In paving road or highway works setting or related to

Explain exposure monitoring and/or health surveillance scenario

They should convey;

Why – what was the motivation to undertake these checks

What – what was done

How was it managed – how was the information used

Lessons learnt – good/bad

Barriers/opportunities – costs, benefits, effect on workforce, buy in?

Roles & responsibilities – who did what