An estimated 555,000 non-fatal injuries to workers were self-reported in 2017/18, with 144 workplace fatalities recorded over the same period. If we step away for a moment from the enormous personal and emotional side of having an employee injured or killed, for a small business this loss of manpower can lead to a significant drop in productivity and output. Perhaps more significantly, workplace injuries can lead to litigation which could result in irreparable reputational damage, financial penalties and even a prison sentence, if you as an employer were found to be at fault.
The risk of employee injury is obviously much greater with outdoor work and so if you’re an employer in this sector, an understanding of the law is absolutely imperative.
In this guide, we’ll look at the official Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Guidance on how to make your work environment safer for your employees through the proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), as well as the regulations and laws involved.
Risk Assessment
The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 197 (HASAWA) covers an employer’s responsibility to conduct risk assessment, especially in cases of outdoor work. When done right, this would minimise the possibility of your workers and the public from getting hurt on-site.
When conducting risk assessments, you should:
- Identify workplace hazards, especially those that are specific to the tasks at hand (e.g. temperature, working at height, etc.). Walk around the area or ask employees to pinpoint any blind spots.
- Decide who is at risk and the extent of this risk, based on the hazards you’ve identified (e.g. public, workers, people with disabilities, etc.).
- Evaluate the risks and how you’ll prevent these from happening (e.g. proper use of PPE). Start from the most serious risk then down to the least likely to happen. Provide short and long-term solutions for each.
- Record your findings using the HSE’s risk assessment template, then implement your solutions.
- Update your assessment whenever necessary.
Workplace Training
As business owner, you’re also bound by Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 to provide workplace training and supervision to make sure employees are safe at work, especially for those in high-risk environments. If you don’t have the background to provide this training, you need to appoint an employee (or more) to take the lead or hire a health and safety consultant. The HSE provided guidelines on choosing the right specialist to do this job.
These training sessions should be attended by employees, managers/supervisors, contractors (especially those who are unfamiliar with your working environment), and of course, yourself as the owner.
When creating a training programme, review your current situation and decide which areas you require training, which risks you need to prioritise, the method you’re going to employ, and the resources you’ll provide. It would also be wise to educate the employees about common medical malpractices that may hinder their insurance claim process. Need further information? You can click for more here.
Afterwards, you’ll need to measure the effectiveness of the programme.
Personal Protective Equipment and the Law
The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations (1992) is the legal foundation for the use and maintenance of PPE to be followed by every business.
It states that employers must provide the necessary PPE to their employees without any additional cost, in order to ensure their health and safety especially after all other means of eliminating or reducing environmental hazards have been exhausted.
“PPE” is defined as equipment that workers wear or use to protect themselves in environments that put their health at risk. All equipment to be used should also be CE (Conformité Européenne) certified or European Union (EN) certified, with the CE marking immediately apparent on every piece of PPE you will be providing.
Regulations for Each Type of PPE
PPE is generally categorised by which area of the body they protect, although the specific product to use varies, depending on the kind of job they are used for. It’s important that each PPE item fits the user properly, as ill-fitting PPE compromises the security it provides, can cause additional hazards, and can discourage the employee from wearing it.
- Eye Protection
Employees in an outdoor work environment are at risk of various hazards to the eyes such as dust particles, flying debris, chemical splashes, and vapours. This is why they are required to use safety glasses or goggles, visors, face shields, and other PPE.
Certification for this kind of equipment has to be compliant to BS EN 1731 or BS EN 166. As the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) notes, “Make sure the eye protection chosen has the right combination of impact/dust/splash/molten metal eye protection for the task and fits the user properly.”
- Ear Protection
Extreme noise in outdoor work is a given when using power tools or heavy machinery, and it can be easy to dismiss as a nuisance that comes with the job. However, prolonged exposure to loud noises can severely damage the ears, especially without any PPE but even with insufficient ear protection. This can lead to the employee themselves becoming a safety hazard, when their situational awareness fails due to hearing problems.
Equip your workers with earmuffs, earplugs, and canal caps that comply with BS EN 352. These should have a simplified noise reduction (SNR) rating between 20 and 30 decibels (dB) and it is your responsibility to assess the level of protection required and equip your workers accordingly.
The HSE points out that you should “provide the right hearing protectors for the type of work, and make sure workers know how to fit them. Choose protectors that reduce noise to an acceptable level, while allowing for safety and communication.”
- Head Protection
Falling objects can be one of the greatest potential dangers to outdoor workers, sometimes proving fatal if they are not wearing proper headgear. Helmets are also critical to protect labourers working at height in the event of a fall.
Depending on the kind of outdoor work your employees are doing, you should be looking to supply hard hats, bump caps, or safety helmets to BS EN 397, BS EN 812, BS EN 14052, or BS EN 12492 certification as appropriate.
According to the HSE, “Some safety helmets incorporate or can be fitted with specially-designed eye or hearing protection. Don’t forget neck protection, eg scarves for use during welding. Replace head protection if it is damaged.”
- Hand and Arm Protection
Your workers’ hands and arms risk getting cut, punctured, hit, shocked, and exposed to extreme temperatures while working outdoors. Prolonged exposure to vibration also comes with the constant use of power tools, which can lead to Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS).
PPE gloves should have the general BS EN 420 certification, but there are numerous other BS EN regulation PPE that you should account for, depending on the type of outdoor work your employees do. BS EN 381-7 gloves, for instance, are necessary for chainsaw operation.
The HSE notes that workers should “avoid gloves when operating machines such as bench drills where the gloves might get caught.” Moreover, there are materials that chemicals can quickly penetrate, so you should be careful during PPE selection. Refer to HSE’s skin at work website for more detailed information.
The HSE also pointed out that “barrier creams are unreliable and are no substitute for proper PPE. Wearing gloves for long periods can make the skin hot and sweaty, leading to skin problems. Using separate cotton inner gloves can help prevent this.”
- Foot and Leg Protection
Heavy loads, slippery ground, and environmental hazards such as chemicals and electricity, are all risks that outdoor workers may be exposed to.
Get sturdy, steel-toecap boots for protection from falling objects. Wellington boots are a potential solution for water and chemical resistance, with strong grip soles to help prevent slips on muddy or slippery ground. More specialist protection will be required for specific hazards such as chainsaw protective boots for chainsaw operators.
Consider any necessary leg protection such as hivis trousers, waterproof trousers or chainsaw trousers.
For safety toecap boots, look for footwear with EN ISO 20345. Chainsaw boots require EN ISO 17249, gaiters need to comply with EN 381-9, while chainsaw trousers require EN 381-5 certification.
As the HSE notes, “Footwear can have a variety of sole patterns and materials to help prevent slips in different conditions, including oil- or chemical-resistant soles. It can also be anti-static, electrically conductive or thermally insulating. Appropriate footwear should be selected for the risks identified.”
- Whole Body Protection
Weather conditions, exposure to water and chemicals, and general hazards that come with using tools pose a safety risk to your outdoor workers.
Overalls, coveralls and aprons all come under the heading of whole-body clothing or PPE items. There are various EN numbers relating to whole body PPE depending on the necessary compliance – for example the protection may need to armoured, thermal, chemical resistant, specially treated for elemental resistance – depending on the job.
The HSE further adds, “The choice of materials includes flame-retardant, anti-static, chain mail, chemically impermeable, and high-visibility. Don’t forget other protection, like safety harnesses or life jackets.”
- High-visibility clothing
Busy environments like highways, constructions areas, or airports put workers at risk of accidents or fatalities. This risk further increases when they are on night duty. High-visibility – known also as hivis or hi-viz – clothing helps protect workers from accidents by dramatically increasing worker visibility and making them discernible from the background.
When choosing hi-viz clothing, consider the ambient and lighting provided by the workplace, as some environments may affect this PPE (e.g. snow, fog). HV waistcoats are often all that’s needed, but in cases where moving vehicles are involved, your worker is best suited with full-body HV.
Day-glo or fluorescent yellow are often the go-to colours, but retroreflective materials should be added in poor lighting conditions or darkness. According to the HSE, “As a rule, the darker the conditions or worksite, the greater the amount of HV clothing required.”
HV clothing should be compliant to BS EN 471 regulations.
Working in Extreme Temperatures
Working outdoors in extreme temperatures can severely impact an employee’s health, be it in the short or the long-term. Given that the UK experienced one of the greatest heat-waves on record during mid-2018, this is something we should be increasingly prepared for.
In hot environments, the HSE encourages rescheduling tasks away from the hottest hours of the day (11am to 3pm). Provide shaded areas where employees can take breaks, and allow them to have more frequent rests. Hydration is critical, as well as sunscreens and protective equipment. During training, teach employees to recognise the signs of heat stress.
According to the HSE, there are over 50,000 new cases of skin cancer in the UK every year. If you have employees with features that make them prone to skin cancer (e.g. fair/freckled skin, lots of moles, red/fair hair, etc.), take extra care to make sure that they are adequately protected when working outdoors.
Working in cold environments also requires the proper PPE. You should also provide facilities to help workers warm up, allow them to take more frequent breaks, and provide warm fluids on-site such as hot drinks or soup. You should also train them to recognise the signs of cold stress.
Working at Height
It’s not uncommon for outdoor work to require working at height. With falls from a height being the leading cause of workplace fatalities, it’s critical that the appropriate PPE is used in such conditions. Just as important, is the need to regularly inspect and maintain PPE.
Access equipment (e.g. work platforms, ladders, ropes), as well as fall prevention equipment (e.g. scaffolding, safety nets, soft landing systems), provide extra protection to workers. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 covers everything the law demands from employers who require employees to work in this kind of environment.
Prioritise Health and Safety by Staying Compliant
As a small business owner with limited resources, your workers’ health and safety are of the utmost importance. Outdoor work exposes them to greater hazards that ultimately put your business at risk. While it may seem like a taxing investment, acquiring the correct PPE and following industry regulations will keep your workforce secure and satisfied, while saving you from great financial costs and legal trouble.
This guide serves only as a primer to PPE, so it’s best to consult an occupational safety expert and/or a health and safety attorney for complete compliance with the law and total protection for your workers.
