ChemRegs Newsletter – June 2021

Action Mesothelioma Day

This Friday, 2 July, is Action Mesothelioma Day (shortened to Action Meso Day).

This is a virtual event aimed at raising awareness about the risks of asbestos exposure, which can lead to the deadly cancer, mesothelioma. The event is part of the #ActionMeso campaign to raise awareness of mesothelioma and the dangers of asbestos.

#ActionMeso has two clear goals:
1. Make every person in the UK aware of mesothelioma and the dangers of asbestos
2. Eradicate mesothelioma and asbestos: Promote the Mesothelioma Patient Charter to healthcare providers, the Government and employers as the action they are expected to take.

The UK has the world’s highest incidence of mesothelioma with more than 2,700 people diagnosed each year, and this number is increasing. The rising number of patients is directly linked to the UK’s continued import and use of asbestos into the late 1990s.

In the past this was seen as an old man’s disease. Today, many young people are being diagnosed and it is hoped through events like this no more families are faced with the nightmare of mesothelioma.

Friday’s virtual event is being held from 12.30pm to 1.30pm (BST) and will be introduced by broadcaster, academic and peritoneal mesothelioma patient Kate Williams. The event will also include panel discussions, clinical trials updates and interesting facts and insights for anyone new to mesothelioma.

Delegates will also hear from people who suffer with mesothelioma, including Mavis Nye, who was exposed to asbestos when washing her husband Ray’s work clothes.

As part of the event, people are being asked to print out a ‘My Action Board’ and write what they are going to do to take action on mesothelioma and then share it with everyone by turning on their camera and holding up their My Action Board. The aim is to end the event with a “sea of action” on screen.

The event is free and you can register here.

Other News

New MSD Online Assessment Tool

HSE is demonstrating a new tool to assess musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). It is an all-in-one digital solution that is being developed to support the existing manual handling assessment charts (the MAC tool).

Employers and safety representatives can use the MSD tool to easily assess the risks posed by physical, strenuous activities. The assessor can then understand, interpret, categorise and communicate the level of risk.

The new tool has been designed to simplify the process of completing each assessment, with a logical step by step approach, saving assessors time in populating the results manually.

This is the latest tool in the range from the HSE and combines the popular MSD assessment guides MAC, ART and RAPP by transforming them into an all-in-one digital solution.

The tool also includes:

• The option to tailor and set demographics to fit your company structure
• The use of a bespoke mobile app to complete the assessments offline
• An easy to use and fully GDPR compliant system that stores all tasks and assessments completed
• Comprehensive report for the whole organisation so you can identify priority areas

You can register for the live webinar demonstration of the MSD tool on Thursday 8 July at 11.00am here

New Guidance on Ladder Safety

HSE and the Ladder Association have come together to release two new ladder safety guidance documents, including revised industry guidance INDG 455 ‘Safe use of ladders and stepladders: A brief guide’.

The guidance is aimed at those responsible for the safety of ladder users, including safety professionals, site managers, company directors and users themselves.

The new guidance will be introduced at a live webinar ‘Ladder safety today: new guidance for employers’ on 15 July at 10.30am.

Via the webinar, the speakers from both organisations will introduce the guidance and walk through the key steps to preventing ladder accidents in the workplace, including how to select (and maintain) safe equipment and ensure all workers are competent.

A live question and answer session will follow the presentation.

Attendees will get an exclusive first look at the HSE’s new ladder safety webpages and be asked to contribute their feedback before they go live to the public. They’ll also receive an electronic copy of the Ladder Association’s updated Code of Practice.

The speakers include Gail Hounslea, Chairman of the Ladder Association, who will host the presentation, and Paul Cook from the HSE, who will speak about the importance of industry guidance, as well as ladder safety experts.

To find out more and/or register for the webinar, visit here

For more information on anything in this Newsletter, please contact us at info@chemregs.co.uk