Port Skills and Safety

Report of 12th Meeting, 5 February 2016, JCB -Staffordshire

PSS MATTERS

PSSG 124 REPORT OF MEETING

Members are invited to read the attached report and appendices of the 124th meeting of the Port Skills and Safety Group held on 5 February 2016 and held in Staffordshire and hosted by JCB. Meeting attendees heard presentations on environmental safety; information on Safety Climate Tools; as well as updates from the HSE; 2014 Accident Stat and organisation updates from PSS.

Enc: Report for 124th PSSG Meeting

Signed by the Chairman .............................................................................................

PAUL JOHNSON

Date: 5 May 2016

Report for 124th PSSG Meeting 5 February 2016

SESSION 1: Opened with JCB showing a video of one of their new pieces of equipment and their working relationship with Solent Stevedores

SESSION 2:The Chair welcomed delegates to the 124th PSSG meeting and thanked JCB for the pre-meeting tour of the JCB Story Exhibition, the arrangements at the Hoar Cross Hotel and for hosting the meeting at their head office in Rocester.

SESSION 3:HSE UPDATE

VINCENT JOYCE

New Strategy - Vince informed the meeting that a revised HSE Strategy has been launched. A consultation is in process and a conversation is going on to try and engage with all duty holders. Key aims for the new Strategy are:

• Acting together – promoting broader ownership of health and safety• Tackling ill health - highlighting and tackling the costs of work-related ill health• Managing risk well – simplifying risk management and helping businesses to grow• Supporting small employers – providing SMEs with simple advice so that they know

what they have to do• Keeping pace with change - anticipating and tackling new health and safety challenges• Sharing success - promoting and sharing the benefits of UK’s health and safety system

globally

For further information

www.hse.gov.uk/strategy/ or join the conversation #HelpGBworkwell

Leadership & Worker Engagement - HSL have undertaken some research on behalf of HSE looking at the Ports Industry and they produced a Report with recommendations. A tri-partied working group has been formed with HSE, PSS and Unite the Union to put a framework together for the Industry. A Statement of Intent and the Research Report is expected to be published later

in February 2016. A supporting Guidance document is currently being drafted. HSE are looking for commitment from senior management to take this on board and help the Industry deliver and improve health and safety in the workplace.

DSHAR - Consultations on a proposal to replace the DSHAR with new shorter regulations, and a shorter ACOP ended on 23 December 2015. All the comments have been analysed and an agreement will be sought from the HSE Board and Ministers for a revised set of Regulations and ACOP which will take effect, subject to agreement, on 1 October 2016.

Freight Containers (Safety Convention) Regs 1984 - This consultation invites views on HSE’s proposals to amend the Freight Containers (Safety Convention) Regulations 1984. The proposed changes give effect to the amendments made to the International Convention for Safe Containers 1972 and introduce changes to the Safety Approval Plate and additional safety tests. The proposed new regulations will be known as Freight Containers (Safety Convention) (Amended) Regulations 2016. The Consultation began on 18 January 2016 and ends on 26 February 2016. http://www.hse.gov.uk/consult/condocs/cd278

Estates Excellence - Estates Excellence is part of a response to the HSE strategy document The Health and Safety of Great Britain, published in June 2009. It was piloted in six locations across the south east of England during 2009-11 and launched on a national basis in 2012. It aims to bring together business owners, commercial landlords, and expert partners to improve health and safety in the workplace by providing free information, advice, training and support to SMEs within a specific location, raising awareness and stimulate improvements to reduce accidents, ill health and other risks.

Committing Construction to a Healthier Future - Vince explained that a Construction Industry Summit took place in January 2016 to raise more awareness about health including mental health after a similar Summit held in 2000 successfully drew attention around the needs for safety. Vince went on to explain that 1 in 6 people suffer from mental health issues and that because of the stigmas that surround it, many do not receive the support that they need. Vince asked if the Ports Industry were raising the same amount of awareness for health as it has for safety.

Richard Steele said that he would cover this topic in his session when asked if mental health issues should be picked up by PSS

Sentencing Guidelines - The Guidelines came into force in England on 1 February 2016 and will apply to all offences sentenced on or after this date irrespective of when the offence was committed or when the defendant pleaded guilty. It also applies to all HSWA s2/s3/s7/s36/s37 and the Health and Safety Regs.

Vince concluded his session with a few recent prosecutions

HSE’s presentation is available to download from the PSS website Link

SESSION 4:ACCIDENT STATS 2014

RICHARD STEELE, PSS

Richard informed the meeting that 33 organisations had declared zero Lost Time Injuries (LTI) in 2014. They tended to be those with fewer (average of 45) employees. Between them, they accounted for 1484 employees or 9% of the direct employees for whom LTI were reported.

Richard summarised the findings of the report for accidents where a person was injured and unable to return to normal duties for at least one day/shift and up through the RIDDOR 2013 reporting categories. A more detailed report will be published shortly.

The data range collected for 2014 was significantly expanded from over previous years with additional data not previously collected before (marked as “NEW” below).

• No direct port employee fatalities in 2014. Sadly, three ship’s crew died on board the MV Suntis in May 2014 and there had been 1 direct employee fatality in February 2015.

• Over-3-day and RIDDOR Accident Incidence Rate - Direct, Indirect Employees and Third Parties combined = 1.74 (5.9% down on 2013) (per 100 direct employees)

• Long term trend continues downward• Total of 407 injuries reported comprising: 44 Specified Injuries (30 in 2013), 256 Over-3-

Day accidents (269 in 2013) and [NEW] 107 Lost time injuries of 1, 2 or 3 days duration• 12 Dangerous Occurrences (24 in 2013) and 2 Industrial Diseases (2 in 2013) were

reported • [NEW] 317 lost time injuries of 1 day or more - Direct Employees only • [NEW] 90 lost time injuries of 1 day or more - Indirect Employees and Third Parties

combined • [NEW] Over-3-day and RIDDOR Accident Incidence Rate - Direct Employees only -

1.38 • [NEW] 10.16 Lost Time Injuries to Direct Employees - per million hours worked • Of 256 Over-3-Day incidents, 174 were significant enough that the individual was still

unable to carry out their normal duties after seven days• Top 4 accident locations, in order: Ships; Quayside; Cargo Handling Equipment;

Engineering Works and Stores. These accounted for 54% of all injuries reported• 53% all reported accidents occurred on ‘Ship and Craft’ and ‘Quays’• Container ships remain the most likely vessels on which to have an accident• RoRo, Bulk and ‘Other’ ship types saw a decrease in reported accidents against 2013• Top 5 accident categories: Slips Trips and Falls (31%); Hit by a Moving, Flying, Falling

Object (14%); Driving Related (14%); Manual Handling (13%); and Hit Something Fixed or Stationary (7.5%). The same categories as 2013 although a slightly amended order

• [NEW] 29% of injuries involved Ankle/Knee/Leg/Hip and 19% back injuries

• [NEW] 29% of injuries were reported as Sprains/Twists; 24% Bruising/Contusion; 13% fractures or chips

• [NEW] An average of 28 days’ work was lost for each Direct Employees LTI. The lowest quartile of incidents lost 4 days or less. 50% of incidents resulted in more than 9 days being lost

Reported injuries:

• about half reported Specified injuries happened to non-direct employees• other LTI durations 73-94% happened to direct employees• 10.6 LTI per million hours worked• Highest rate reported was in container working and Stevedoring (inc. people provision)

Locations all LTI in 2014 - The top named locations for accidents are led by Ship and Craft at 26%. Quay and Cargo Handling equipment account for a similar percentage when added together. This is similar to 2013, when only reportable injuries were considered.

For 2014 “Engineering works and stores” and “Roadways” each figure far more highly than 2013

The significant majority of all reportable accidents occurring in traditional port operational areas: on ships and on quays has not substantially changed for years. However with increased data available in 2014 and going forward this will bear further analysis

• people working on ships, quays and handling equipment are most likely to have an injury in a port

• container ship work gives rise to most of the reported ship board accidents

Days lost for direct employees 2014

• people are most likely to be injured through: Slip/trip/fall, Driving, Lifting/Handling, being Hit by an object

• people are likely to be off work for longest if they have a fall from height or driving injury

• 9348 working days lost in 2014• 24.2 days lost per injury on average• A monthly breakdown of accidents was introduced in 2008 to look for trends across the

year. This has been continued to date. In 2013 it was stated that it was still difficult to draw any conclusions from the data because the relatively low industry accident rate limits statistically reliable conclusions. With the exception of 2009 there had been no indication of consistent trends.

• A new analysis of LTIFR (Lost Time Injuries per Million Hours worked) has been introduced. This will be more robust and useful as the time range extends. The

calculation is based on Hours worked per annum divided equally into months. Therefore seasonal fluctuations in the directly employed workforce will distort the chart. In months where the directly employed workforce is higher than average the LTIFR will be overstated and vice-versa

Richard’s presentation is available to download from the PSS website Link

SESSION 5:PAUL DARNBROUGH, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR ENVIRO CENTRE

Gave a presentation on environmental safety and compliance and how they affect the port

SESSION 6:PSS MEMBER UPDATE

RICHARD STEELE, PSS

ALERTS AND INCIDENTS

Peter Wilkinson advised of a recent fatality where a shunt diver was killed whilst discharging a load of rice.

Dave Jones provided details on a HSE Investigation outcomes on a fatal incident that occurred in Hartlepool in 2012 involving a banksman. Dave wanted to raise awareness of manufacturers’ testing certification and standards are correct for the job and risk assessment controls are in place. A lengthy discussion took place with regards to this incident.

Link Hartlepool Fatality - September 2012

Richard followed up by informing the room of recent safety alerts and incidents including;

• HSL Report R1069: RGV Runaways - Link Coupling/uncoupling of HGVs research report• Hook Loader Skip Lorry - The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) issued an urgent

warning to owners and operators of hook loader skip lorries primarily used in the waste disposal/recycling and construction sectors. This follows an incident where the rear beam of hook loader skip lorry collapsed without warning during maintenance work beneath the rear beam.

Owners and operators of hook loader skip lorries are advised to have their vehicles assessed to see if the there is a risk of sudden collapse of the rear beam when the beams are in the raised position. Adequate precautions to ensure safety during the assessment must be in place. Owners and operators should ensure that the equipment is adequately supported by suitably rated props or stands while carrying out any work beneath/alongside the rear beam while in the tipping position and ensure warning signs are in place on the truck to alert of the danger.

The HSA also advises that it is the duty of the operator to understand how the hydraulic controls operate on the vehicle. All such controls must be marked with appropriate pictograms to clearly indicate the various hydraulic movements. Link Hook Loader Skip Lorry

PROSECUTIONS

• Sentencing Guidelines - It appears that the new sentencing guidelines due to be implemented in the next few months are being transitioned in now. 

The new guidelines allow for much higher fines.  The degree of failure by the company will significantly affect fines and the amount will take into account company Turnover (international turnover for multinationals).   

• Safe Use of Powered Capstans during Mooring - A recent judgement following an incident with a powered Capstan resulted in a the size of the fine more than four times the amount for a fatal fall in a port judgement in November 2015. Richard drew attention to some of the factors identified by the HSE Failings claimed by HSE include:

failed to suitably identify and control risk associated with the use of powered capstans consequently, the system of work was unsafe instruction, training and supervision were inadequate inadequate audit and monitoring of safety failure to suitably heed warnings raised by workers prior to the incident

The fine was for £1.8million

Link http://press.hse.gov.uk/2016/port-operator-fined-after-worker-injured-by-capstan/

Because of the degree of engagement with the preceding topics Richard ran out of time to discuss the remained of his presentation, but has provided detailed Post Meeting Notes that cover the rest of his presentation

Richard’s presentation is available to download from the PSS website Link

SESSION 7:MEASURING THE SAFETY CLIMATE OF UK PORTS

JENNIFER WEBSTER, HEALTH & SAFETY LABORATORIES

Jennifer Webster provided a recap on HSL’s Port Findings and also information on Safety Climate Tool. She talked about the HSE’s research into the leadership and engagement at 6 ports across the UK, before taking the meeting through some of their approaches. Link

SESSION 8:SAFETY UPDATE

SARAH LEMON, PSS

Sarah informed the meeting that she would be putting information on the CD278 - Consultation on the Freight Containers (Safety Convention) (Amendment) Regulations 2016 on to the PSS website

Link CD278 - Consultation on the Freight Containers (Safety Convention) (Amendment) Regulations 2016

DSHAR Consultation – Consultation ended in December 2015, however there are still some issues with Part III of DSHAR - Marking and Navigation of Vessels, and whether this should be revoked or not. Sarah explained that a majority of the working group were against revocation, but there were a couple of submissions put in, that were For revocation.

Hayley Ford relayed a message from Pierre de Cruz, HSE thanking members for their views and stating that he would make a final recommendation to the HSE Board when they meet in March.

Sarah thanked members for responding to the consultation.

Brand Survey – Sarah wound up her meeting by asking members for their views on some potential PSS logos

Sarah’s presentation is available to download from the PSS website Link

SESSION 9:AOBRetirements: Martin Hiscock from Solent Stevedores was presented with a retirement card and gift. Members of the Port Skills and Safety Group were also informed that Mike Powell, Dover Harbour Board would also be retiring shortly. Mike will be presented with his retirement card and gift at a later date.

Health and Safety Leadership Charter: one of the topics under discussion at the H&S Leadership tripartite group was a potential draft Charter that PSS subscribers could be invited to sign up to. A draft was passed around the room (see appendix 2) and Richard asked if there were any issues raised by such a proposal. The room could see no concerns with the proposal as it stood.

The next meeting was announced for 5 May 2016, Islay, Scotland and will be hosted by CalMac Ferries

The Chairman thanked JCB again for hosting and brought the meeting to a close

Appendix 1 Topics not covered from Session 6 – Member updateHEALTH AND SAFETY

Fumigation and Arklow Meadow - On 5 December 2012, a fumigated cargo of maize was being discharged from the general cargo vessel Arklow Meadow in Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland when it became apparent that the fumigant was still active; fumigant retainers that had been removed from the cargo holds started to smoke.

Cargo operations were immediately stopped and Arklow Meadow’s crew were evacuated to the quayside. The local fire brigade was quickly on the scene and established a 50 metre cordon around the vessel. Houses and retail premises surrounding the port area were also evacuated by the police as a precautionary measure. Eight of Arklow Meadow’s 11 crew, and a stevedore who had potentially been exposed to phosphine gas, were taken to hospital for observation and decontamination.

A total of 89 fumigant retainers were recovered from the vessel and shore areas, leaving 21 fumigant retainers unaccounted for. The recovered retainers were neutralised by immersing them in water. It took 5 days for the level of phosphine gas in the vessel’s cargo holds to reduce to a safe level.

The MAIB investigation identified that:

• The fumigant compound (aluminium phosphide) had probably remained active due to its tight packaging and the relatively low humidity in the cargo holds during the vessel’s voyage from the Ukraine.

• Although the levels of phosphine gas in the atmosphere at the tops of the cargo holds had been assessed to have been safe, the fumigant retainers were not removed from on top of the maize cargo before cargo operations were started.

• On-board procedures for the carriage of fumigated cargoes were scant and the instructions provided by the fumigator in the Ukraine were not followed.

• Although Warrenpoint Harbour Authority reacted quickly, the port had not developed procedures or emergency plans dealing specifically with the potential hazards associated with fumigants.

• A recommendation has been made to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency aimed at improving the guidance available regarding the carriage of fumigated cargoes.

• A recommendation has also been made to the British Ports Association and the United Kingdom Major Ports Group to help ensure that all UK ports have procedures and emergency plans in place when dealing with fumigated cargoes.

Fumigation - HSG251 Health and safety guidance for employers and technicians carrying out fumigation operations was updated in 2015. www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg251.pdfIn particular, paragraphs 21-35 and 37-47 (pp23-25) address some specific aspects of fumigation on vessels and freight containers respectively

Another change that may affect ports is the addition is the requirement for “fumigators and fumigators-in-charge” to be demonstrably competent. Professional users of pesticides are

“required to hold a specified certificate of competence from 26 November 2015” see also the MAIB investigation report into the Arklow Meadow: release of phosphine gas (December 2012) https://www.gov.uk/ maib -reports/release-of-phosphine-gas-during- discharg …

The guidance is primarily for employers and fumigators/fumigation technicians (including the self-employed) to help them comply with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) when carrying out fumigation activities, both traditional pest control (invertebrate fumigation) and within the laboratory and biosecurity sectors. It will also be useful to their safety representatives.

It outlines the real risks and describes the law that applies to fumigation operations. There is specific advice on procedures common to all fumigation operations, including the use of monitoring equipment, personal protective equipment and respiratory protective equipment, health surveillance and first aid.

In addition, there is advice on precautions for specific fumigation environments, alternative fumigation technologies, the health effects associated with certain fumigants and other legislation which applies to fumigation.

This edition updates references to legislation and links to further guidance. It also gives a clearer explanation of what action to take and why.

Container Gross Mass Verification Tolerances – the minutes from 14 January and 22 March meetings are now available at the PSS web site: http://www.portskillsandsafety.co.uk/news/2016/04/tolerances_for_container_handling_weighing_equipment_confirmed_by_mca

Update of BS 7121-1:2016 Code of practice for safe use of cranes - Part 1: GeneralBS 7121-1 is the essential standard for those planning and carrying out lifting operations with cranes in the UK. 

What is BS 7121-1:2016? 

BS 7121-1 gives recommendations for the safe use of cranes permanently or temporarily installed in a work environment.

BS 7121-1 covers the following for lifting operations:

• Safe systems of work selection• Erection and dismantling• Maintenance• Inspection• Thorough examination• Operation• Planning and management 

BS 7121-1 provides guidance on complying with the requirements of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment 1998 and the Provision and use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. This standard is also used by Health and Safety Executive and Courts as an indication of good practice. 

BS 7121-1 standard isn’t applicable to the use of cranes for bungee jumping or similar entertainment activities and for the use of cranes as a part of a fully automated storage or production system. 

What’s new on BS 7121-1:2016?

BS 7121-1 was fully revised to:

Reflect changes introduced on other parts of BS 7121 series

Reflect the changes in the application of risk based planning to lifting operations

If this standard failed to reflect the changes since the last revision then those planning and carrying out lifting operations with cranes would be without authoritative guidance to comply with the requirements of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment 1998 and the Provision and use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. Which would lead to an increase of accidents, injuries and fatalities during the set-up, use and maintenance of cranes. 

Person Baskets – Crane LiftThere has been an enquiry about safe wind speed when lifting personnel in personnel baskets.

ISO 12480-1:1997 Cranes - Safe use which specifies the same value as BS 7121-1:2016.

The point about a limiting wind speed is to avoid the suspended basket and its occupants being blown about, making it difficult for the crane driver to control the load. 7m/s equates to a dynamic wind pressure of 30N/m2 (approximately 3kg/m2) which should not have a significant effect on the basket, however wind pressure increases with the square of the wind speed so a doubling of wind speed increases the wind pressure by a factor of four. Consequently a small increase in wind speed has a significant effect on wind pressure and movement of the suspended basket.

Guidance given in BS Codes of Practice is generally taken by the Courts as a suitable means of complying with the law, however employers can choose to do something else if they have carried out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment and implemented a safe system of work. Your member could choose to use a higher limiting wind speed value, providing they are prepared to justify it in Court

FIRE PREVENTION PLANS

BPA/UKMPG Environment Meeting 16 Sep 2015. 

• Fire Prevention Plans – update from the Environment Agency - Howard Leberman (EA) dialled into the meeting. He explained that many dockside storage Fire Prevention Plan (FPP) applications were still in the pipeline. FPP guidance published on 15 March 2015 was still extant.  A panel had been set up to review all FPPs accompanying new applications. A high proportion of applications have been rejected to date.  EA encouraged operators to discuss existing activities with EA local officers, so that those activities could continue.

EA would be deciding whether or how to change the existing guidelines by the end of the year.  If the changes are only cosmetic, there won’t be a public consultation.  If changes are

likely to be significant they will consult industry, including the trade associations.  There has already been some slippage in the process, so that may affect the time frame.  Supplementary technical guidance will accompany the main document for both internal use by EA officers and external customers.  The internal advice could be made available on request – it will set out where flexibility might be possible.

Ten applications had been received from ports, of which six had already been rejected.  Of those, some of the problems relate to dockside storage.  Many rejections are the result of applicants deviating from the guidance.

The Chairman emphasised the importance of this issue for the ports industry and requested further feedback on the time frame for the revisions to the guidance, as things developed.  Mr Leberman agreed to come back to the Group on this.

Action: EA to provide feedback on time frame.

The Guidance is currently under review: https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/portal/ho/ep/fpp/review? Closing Date: 4 March 2016.  The UKMPG and BPA Environment Working Group members have been asked to coordinate any response through that group, so your organisations may already be making progress… BUT if your organisations are not already liaising with BPA/UKMPG and you want to put in a response… please let us know and we can coordinate any responses overall.  

Notes:

Environment Agency Fire Prevention Plans – Guidance (March 2015) sets standards for storing combustible wastes at permitted sites

The guidance doesn’t replace statutory requirements under local acts of parliament, Regulatory Reform (fire safety) Order 2005 etc.

Although it is called ‘guidance’, you need to follow this guidance if your permit says you must have a fire prevention plan or if you need to submit one as part of your permit application.  You can implement your own standards but must be able to prove that they are as good as or better than EA’s

The standards must be in your working plan or management system and implemented on your site. If they are not, the Environment Agency may take enforcement action.

The guidance covers areas such as: likelihood of fire; impact from emissions during/after a fire on local people, critical infrastructure and environment; resources required by the EA and other emergency responders during an incident; post incident clean-up and remediation costs

The guidance applies to all combustible materials including: • paper or cardboard • plastics • rubber (natural or synthetic, whole tyres, baled tyres, tyre shred, crumb and fibre) • wood (planks, boards, sawdust, shavings, logs, firewood or chips, or wood joined to form crates, pallets, casks or barrels) • fragmentiser waste (from processing end of life vehicles, plastics and metal wastes from materials recovery facilities) • rags and textiles • scrap metals • refuse derived fuel (RDF) and solid derived fuel • waste electrical and electronic equipment

such as fridges, computers and televisions containing combustible materials such as plastic • compost and plant material • biomass

 

APPRENTICESHIP LEVY

Key Points:The Apprenticeship Levy will come into force from April 2017. The levy rate has been set at 0.5% of an employer’s paybill. It will be paid through PAYE. The levy will cover all employers, regardless of sector, but will be paid by around 2% of the largest employers only – those with paybills over £3m. Many of the details remain to be decided, and Government has promised to consult on them.

The Chancellors Speech:As expected the rate will be 0.5%. It will be 0.5% “of an employer’s paybill” – so firms with better paid employees will contribute more. The Government has, however, chosen a lower limit for the definition of ‘large employer’ than expected. Instead of the common definition of 250 employees or £250m turnover, it has set the levy to include all employers with paybills over £3m – a much lower threshold than expected. In order to avoid the problems which would otherwise arise for companies near the £3m threshold, “every employer will receive a £15,000 allowance to offset against the levy” – i.e. just like an income tax allowance, the levy will kick in only when the employer’s levy bill is over a minimum threshold, in this case £15,000. The effect is that no company with a paybill less than £3m will pay the levy.

BIS helpfully provides two worked examples:

A: The large employer

• Employer of 250 employees, each with a gross salary of £20,000:• Paybill: 250 x £20,000 = £5,000,000• Levy sum: 0.5% x £5,000,000 = £25,000• Allowance: £25,000 – £15,000 = £10,000 annual levy payment

B: The small employer

• Employer of 100 employees, each with a gross salary of £20,000 would pay:• Paybill: 100 x £20,000 = £2,000,000• Levy sum: 0.5% x £2,000,000 = £10,000• Allowance: £10,000 – £15,000 = £0 annual levy payment

What other questions are still to be answered?

• how the Government will define payroll – what about employees paid offshore?• how and when funds will flow through the system• how long employers have to use the funds in their apprenticeship accounts before they lose

them. (The debate appears to be around whether ‘two years’ is right or not)• how ‘top ups’ might work (ie funds redistributed from the pool of unspent levy monies)• what to do about quality assurance of providers – and employers• how online administration – the ‘Digital Apprenticeship Service’ – will work• how the levy will work outside England

TRAILBLAZER APPRENTICESHIPS

Trailblazer Apprenticeships: a briefing

The Government has initiated two major changes with apprenticeships: From April 2017 all companies with a payroll over £3m pa will have to pay the levy. See the MSA Briefing for a summary. It is setting new, more demanding, requirements for statutory apprenticeships – ie those it approves and supports. Groups designing these new standards (you) are called Trailblazers.

The main features of those new requirements in (2) are these:

• employers are in the driving seat, defining the standard you want to see a successful apprentice reach in a particular occupation you do that by agreeing a definition of that Standard on two pages, stating what skills, knowledge and behaviours you want a successful apprentice to demonstrate

• you also specify an Assessment Plan, which sets out how you will know that an apprentice has met the standards you have set, and how you will be sure that standards are met and applied fairly and reliably for every apprentice

the Government will approve those two documents, and the Business Department (BIS) sets requirements (‘Guidance for Trailblazers’, 79pp) for them to ensure that apprenticeships across the whole economy are good enough to merit Government support, notably:

• apprenticeships must last at least a year• apprenticeships should provide a broad grounding in an occupation, not just a job• Standards must be designed by a broad range of employers in an industry, including small

firms (<50 employees), and you must show you have consulted before reaching your conclusions

• apprenticeships must include English and Maths, and you should consider digital skills• apprentices should be graded at the end, with at least one step above pass• the end-point assessment must be done independently of both employers and training

providers

Government subsidy to you for your apprentices will come to you direct, so you can then buy what external training you want – reversing the current pattern which puts funding through training providers

Government will allocate your Standard to one of five ‘caps’ (£2000, £3000, £6000, £8000 and £18000), which set the maximum amount of Government subsidy each apprentices will attract. They will tell you your provisional allocation when they approve your draft Standard, and ask you to complete a spreadsheet which they use in determining that allocation.

• at least a year• broad grounding in an occupation, not just a job• designed by broad range of employers, inc. small firms• must show you have consulted• must include English & Maths• at least two grades possible in end assessment • end-point assessment must be done independently of employers and training providers• Government will allocate each Standard to one of five ‘funding caps’ (£2000, £3000, £6000,

£8000 & £18000)

PSS MATTERS

Meeting with Dr Richard Judge, Chief Exec HSE - An initial meeting is scheduled between Steve Abraham (HPUK) PSS Chair and Dr Judge in London on 7 December 2015. This is intended to lay the ground work for subsequent high level exchange. At the December meeting, Steve Abraham will invite Dr Judge to meet with the rest of the PSS Management Committee (which includes current BPA chair and deputy) for wider discussion.

Safety Technical Expertise on PSS Management Committee - Michelle Tilley ABP Director, Quality & Compliance who heads up ABP’s health and safety function and is a Fellow of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has joined the committee.

PSS Incorporation – Company Ltd by Guarantee - UKMPG Board meeting on 12 May formally requested that PSS become a limited company in order to allow PSS to continue to provide advice and guidance whilst limiting any liability of the joint venture partners, UKMPG and BPA. A proposal to turn PSS into a Company Ltd by Guarantee was approved by the PSS Management Committee on 8 September 2015, subject to BPA Council and UKMPG Board approval. BPA Council ratified the decision on 9 September. As UKMPG Board had already approved incorporation in May, the work commenced with Bond Dickinson LLP contracted to provide legal services. For the purposes of the formation of the company, the two ‘members’ will be UKMPG and BPA. The ‘subscribers’ are all of the organisations that pay a fee to PSS for services.

Articles of Association, a transfer agreement (transferring assets and liabilities from UKMPG/BPA to the new entity) and employee TUPE transfer documentation have been drafted. A core group of four directors has been identified from the existing PSS Management Committee to handle the formal aspects relating to the Company Ltd by Guarantee status. The directors include the UKMPG and BPA Chief Executives to ensure that the two trade associations’ interests continue to be met. The larger management committee will remain and continue to provide strategic direction for PSS. All directors will remain on the Management Committee. From the point of view of day to day operations and service levels to subscribers, incorporation is not expected to make a material difference.

HSE - help Britain work well - Around 13,000 deaths each year from work-related lung disease and cancer are estimated to have been caused by past exposure, primarily to chemicals and dusts, at work.

An estimated 1.2 million people who worked in 2014/15 were suffering from an illness they believed was caused or made worse by work. 516,000 of these were new cases which started in the year (LFS).

Around 80% of the new work-related conditions in 2014/15 were musculoskeletal disorders or stress, depression or anxiety (LFS).

New cases of self-reported work-related illness, and specifically musculoskeletal disorders, generally fell between 2001/02 and 2011/12. In 2014/15, the estimated levels were similar to the corresponding figures for 2011/12 and 2013/14 (no ill health data was collected in 2012/13) (LFS).

An estimated 1980 new cases of work-related ill health seen in general practice clinics were reported by 146 of the 218 GPs who took part in the reporting in 2014. The majority of the cases were work-related musculoskeletal disorders (47%) and mental ill health (34%) (THOR-GP).

Appendix 2 Health and Safety Leadership Working Group – Draft Charter1. be open and honest about health and safety and foster a shared sense of commitment

amongst my colleagues 2. provide adequate resources for health and safety 3. be prepared to have a discussion about production and safety and reach the appropriate

balance 4. make health and safety a key item on meeting agendas 5. visit the workplace regularly and engage directly with the workforce 6. be approachable, listen to concerns and create opportunities for health and safety

conversations where we can discuss any issue in a sensible way 7. make safety part of my everyday language, seek opportunities to praise colleagues for good

performance and coach those who need further help 8. lead by example: I will always wear my PPE, always sign in and out of the workplace and

follow all of the safety procedures whilst I am there 9. never turn a blind eye to poor health and safety practice and will always take effective action

to put things right before I leave 10. attend safety committees and be involved in accident investigations 11. set health and safety KPIs and ensure that safety is part of my assessment of the

performance of my direct reports 12. will make sure that when a colleague raises a safety concern they will always receive an

appropriate answer and where necessary ensure that action is taken. 13. create an open culture where colleagues are encouraged to report near misses and engage

in accident investigations 14. always look for opportunities to check that our risk control measures are adequate 15. always consult and act in a timely way