Ammara Aslam
12ANC
Application of health and safety legislation in scientific organisations
Batley girls high school is in place for education and the science department is in place for
students studying science and so teachers and students can carry out practical experiments
in a safe environment.Cummins distribute and manufacture engines , filtration and power
generation products. Cummins and batley high school girls science department both have
hazards in their workplaces, however since cummins is much larger compared to batley girls
high school science department they have more hazards. A hazard is something that can
cause potential harm. Cummins and batley girls high school hazards include explosive
atmosphere, electrical hazards , working at height, lone working,working with vehicles, noise
and sensitisers. They both have specific legislation in order to reduce the risk of hazards.
“The control of major accident hazards (COMAH) 2015” is a legislation put in place to advise
science organisations on what measures to take when handling dangerous substances to
reduce the risk of major accidents as they can cause severe injury to humans or damage to
the environment. This legislation applies to both batley girls science department and
cummins because they both use dangerous substances and have hazards in the
workplace.3,5
Explosive atmospheres can be formed with the air and gases, vapours, dusts and mist which
is a hazard in both batley girls high school science department and cummins. “The
dangerous substances and explosive atmosphere regulations 2002 (DSEAR)” requires
employers to control the risks to safety from substances corrosive to metals, from fires and
from explosions. Employers such as teachers in batley girls science department have health
and safety measures to control risks such as getting gas appliances checked and that they
have adequate ventilation, switching gas taps off after use,any spillages should also be
cleaned and dried as they could be flammable, bunsen burners flame should be yellow if not
in use to prevent anything catching fire and hand sanitisers are outside of the science labs
as the sanitizer contains ethanol which is flammable. Cummins have large quantities of
petrol and diesel this is a hazard as it can set fire or explode therefore, Cummins employees
should also take health and safety measures such as reducing the amount of dangerous
substances used to a minimum , they also may have ventilation and keep incompatible
substances apart to help reduce the risk.To assess the probability of a flammable
atmosphere forming and its duration a hazardous area classification should be carried out,
these areas are classified into zones on how high the chance of an explosive atmosphere
forming is. Batley girls high school should carry out risk assessments to find out where there
are hazardous areas in the workplace and then zones may be assigned to those hazardous
areas.2
Both environments have electrical hazards as they both work with electricity which can
severely injure people or even kill, it can also damage property. An example of an electric
hazard is getting electric shock and burns from touching live parts. Cummins works with
electrically powered equipment therefore they should take health and safety measures to
prevent those potential hazards such as checking equipment is suitable for how it's going to
be used and that electrical supply is safe, they should not have water near sockets because
if it spills and gets into sockets there is a risk of a fire occurring and they should not use
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, Ammara Aslam
12ANC
damaged tools or equipment. in Batley girls high school science department students and
staff work near electric such as sockets this is a hazard because if water get in them it poses
a fire risk and also an electrocution hazard, they may also work with electricity if they are
doing practical work, for example if they are making an electric circuit so they should also
take health and safety measures such as thoroughly planning and using suitable equipment
and work standards to reduce the risk of injury. Damaged electrical cords should be replaced
immediately and water should not be near sockets .Cummins and batley girls high school
should carry out a risk assessment to see what could go wrong and the precautions they
should take. Working away from electrical wiring as much as possible lowers the risk. If there
are live electrical circuits there should be danger notices and it should be recognisable
where it is safe.This hazard is covered in the health and safety at work act 1974 which both
cummins and batley girls high school comply with.4,6,10,11
Working at height is a big cause of major injuries and fatalities, many of which fall through
fragile surfaces or ladders. cummins work at height so there should be controlled measures
such as carrying out a risk assessment to determine the most appropriate safety measures
to prevent falls occurring and avoiding work at height all together ,distance and
consequences of a fall should be minimized. To reduce the risk employees may wear safety
harnesses.The work should be done by people with the right experience and knowledge, it
should also be planned out and supervised. The right equipment should also be used. A fall
protection safety plan should be written. In batley girls high school work at height is
supervised and planned, it is also carried out by people with the right skills this reduces the
risk of people getting injured for example falling The work at height regulations 2005 covers
this and prevents deaths and injuries from falling at height.
The risks with lone working are always higher as there is no direct supervision. Teachers at
batley girls high school science department may lone work if they are working in a classroom
or anywhere alone, or if science technicians come during school holidays to check up on the
labs and also at Cummins people lone work a lot more therefore the risks should be
considered such as mental health or wellbeing, their medical suitability to work alone and
also the workplace itself. Under “management of health and safety at work regulations”, risks
must be managed for lone workers, thinking about what hazards may harm them and who
would be involved. In both batley girls school and cummins It is a risk to work alone because
there are potential hazards, if an accident happens there may not be anyone to report the
incident or help the person. The health and safety measures are that any incident with lone
workers should be responded to, they should also be monitored, trained and supervised.1,7
Health and safety precautions need to be used when using vehicles at work as there are
potential hazards such as pedestrians getting injured by vehicles, loads falling off of vehicles
and people getting hit by objects falling and vehicles turning over. Since Cummins do
deliveries and transport chemicals and flammable substances such as petrol and diesel they
are at risk from hazards which are risks from using lifting equipment and manual handling
injuries and also if hazardous loads are spilled this causes a fire and health risk. Cummins
should take health and safety measures such as planning safe traffic routes and avoiding
dangerous areas, risks can also be reduced by speed limits, ensuring loads are safely
secured and vehicles are not overloaded. Batley girls high school also takes health and
safety measures, employees should ask for assistance if they think they may result in injury,
they also ensure lifting equipment is available to help prevent manual handling injury.
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