Materials such as Asbestos, Arsenic, Chromium and Nickel can all contribute towards lung cancer, and mesothelioma in thousands of people each year. Trade persons who work/ have worked in close proximity to these hazardous materials are at higher risk of developing lung issues later on in life.

November is lung cancer awareness month and we want to tell you how you can help prevent lung related diseases while at work.

 1) Understand what a hazardous material is- How would you find out if the materials you are working with are hazardous.

• Check the label if the product has one. Any hazards will be identified via a red warning logo with an icon that will tell you the hazard associated with that product such as, corrosive, risk to health, flammable etc.
• Check if a product is hazardous is by requesting and studying the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) this will outline all information on the product, ranging from how to store it, to how it should be handled.

2)Understand the route of exposure- Have a full understanding of how the hazardous material can get into your body, this can be by inhalation, ingestion or through your skin.

3) COSHH Risk Assessments and Method Statements - Control of substances hazardous to health, a COSHH Risk Assessment is in place to provide information on the hazardous materials you may be working with and what effect they have, should you come into contact with them. It should outline what the substance is, who it is supplied by, how to use it, the persons at risk, and the routes of exposure. The risk assessment part of the documents is to provide you with the correct working methods to help lower the associated risk. It should outline where the works are taking place, what the work involves- such as working with hazardous materials, and it should identify the hazards associated with the work. Risk assessments and method statements should detail the control measures that need to be implemented and adhered to, to lower the risk of disease and injury to any workers, public or other site operatives.

4) RPE- Respiratory Protective Equipment. RPE is almost always a necessary control measure when working with hazardous materials but it shouldn’t be a case of “wear the mask and the risk is gone”. The first control measure is to (if possible) eliminate the hazard. By removing the hazard all together you will eliminate the risk of injury/ill health. We know that in many cases the risk can’t always be eliminated so respiratory protective equipment used as one of the control measures. There are two types of RPE used when protecting yourself from potential lung issues from hazardous substances; 

• Respirator (filtering device) – uses filters to remove contaminants in the workplace air, there are two main types:

1. Non-powered respirators – rely on the wearer’s breathing to draw air through the filter
2. Powered respirators – use a motor to pass air through the filter to give a supply of clean air to the wearer

• Breathing apparatus (BA) – needs a supply of breathing-quality air from an independent source (e.g. air cylinder or air compressor)

Both respirators and BA are available in a range of different styles, which can be put into two main groups:

1. Tight-fitting facepieces (often referred to as masks) - rely on having a good seal with the wearer’s face. These are available as both non-powered and powered respirators and BA. Examples are filtering facepieces, half and full-face masks.
2. Loose-fitting facepieces – rely on enough clean air being provided to the wearer to prevent contaminant leaking in (only available as powered respirators or BA). Examples are hoods helmets, visors, blouses and suits. Information taken from HSE

5) Face Fit Testing, when using respiratory protective equipment is it paramount that you are face fit tested. Face Fit testing is a way of ensuring the equipment you are using is fitting you correctly and reducing the risk of hazardous vapours, dusts and fibres getting into your body. When face fit testing is carried out you will go through a series of exercises such as reading and walking on the spot whilst wearing the equipment.

We offer face fit testing at our offices for only £40 per person ex vat. Testing usually takes 20-30 minutes and you will be provided with a certificate on completion. We offer a large variety of testing masks, so we are able to find one that is both suitable and comfortable to the wearer.

Should you wish to book, call Kath on 01405 752440.

www.mnagrouplimited.com

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Yesterday marked World Mental Health Day (WMHD) which is designed to raise awareness of mental health issues.

We wanted to touch on the subject of mental health issues in the workplace as it is often overlooked and not recognised.

Mental health still has a social stigma attached to it that contributes to people not talking about their mental health issues, as they fear discrimination and negatives affects, both at work and in their personal lives.

Mental health is common, affecting thousands of people through the UK, with 1 in 4 people experiencing a mental health problem at some point in their life. For many of us work is a major part of our lives where we spend a large proportion of our time.

There are various reasons why we need to understand and recognise the signs of mental health as they have a huge impact on the workplace.  We need to understand what characteristics are associated with mental health issues and how to spot them as a individuals may not willingly open up about their issues;

A few signs to look for are:

• Increased number in sick days
• Mood swings and or erratic behaviour
• Uncharacteristic tendencies
• Poor productivity
• Little to no engagement with staff or peers
• Punctuality

Stress within the workplace is one of the biggest triggers for mental health issues. Stress management should be looked at and reviewed regularly to understand how staff are coping with workloads, deadlines and other work tasks. Stress Awareness training is a great way of understanding what to look for and how to deal with the stress of employees within the workplace.

Our Stress Awareness training course shows you how to take positive steps to prevent stress; it looks at how to stay in control when the pressure is mounting and highlights the tell-tale signs to help you recognise problems before they become serious.

Our course provides strategies to put in place to prevent pressure getting out of control - suggesting ways to change daily routines and learned behaviours to allow a better and more productive working life.

Find our Stress Awareness Training Course HERE

There are other factors which can contribute to mental health issues, such as bereavement, divorce, health scares, financial worry, and poor working relationships etc. but as an employer you can do your bit by knowing what to look for, talking to people and having a plan in place to help with any issues relating to mental health by implementing a Wellness Action Plan.

A wellness action plan is designed to help employers and employees share what keeps them well at work and understand what may trigger mental health issues. It should be in place to improve wellbeing and support the recovery of issues in employees.  Wellness Action Plan guides can be found at mind.org.uk

It’s okay, not to be okay. #timetochange

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Jayne and Kath continue their training walking almost half a marathon in the torrential rain in preparation for the 26.2 mile walk for the Moonwalk London on the 11th May 2019 in aid of Breast Cancer. 

As a team at MNA we constantly strive to do our bit for charity and we would like to ask if you would help us to reach our sponsorship goal of £400 for the WalkTheWalk Breast Cancer Charity.

We have a sponsorship page where any donations will be greatly appreciated as this is a charity close to our hearts.

https://moonwalklondon2019.everydayhero.com/uk/team-mna

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Remember, Remember the 5^th of November, gunpowder, treason and plot!

It's that time of year again where we wrap up warm to see the fireworks and the old favourites of bonfire toffee and parkin are out for us all to sample.

We want to give you some top tips to keep you safe this bonfire night, so that your friends and family can enjoy the show, whether that be at home or at an organised event.

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Special offer: World Day for Health and Safety at Work discounts available.

With World Day for Health and Safety at Work taking place later this week, on 28 April, there’s no better time to invest a little effort and money in ensuring that your employees are adequately protected. In 2016/17, work-related ill health and injury cost businesses in the UK £14.9 billion and 31.2 million lost working days. Disturbingly, during the same period, 137 people were killed at work and, according to the Labour Force Survey, 609,000 people were injured.

By investing just a little time and money, you could save your business a lot in the long-run, as well as giving yourself and your employees' peace of mind.

Figures from 2016/17 indicate that 1.3 million people in the UK suffer from a work-related illness, with stress, depression and anxiety (40%) and musculoskeletal disorders (39%) cited as the main causes. Thankfully, there are simple steps that you can take to minimise the risk of you employees being affected by these and other common causes of work-related illness and injury. It may be as easy as dusting off your health and safety policies to review and refresh them, or investing in some user-friendly, low cost training for your employees.

To give you a helping hand, this week we’re offering a ten per cent discount on two of our most popular training courses - Health and Safety Essentials and Health and Safety for Managers. 

To get your discount, visit the product pages for either of our online courses below and  enter discount code H&S10 at the checkout!

Health and Safety for Managers can be found HERE

Health and Safety Essentials can be found HERE

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