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Safe Maintenance
Saves time >> Saves Money >>Saves Lives
What is Maintenance?
Maintenance is carried out on buildings, plant, equipment and vehicles to enable it to perform the function required of it..
These five basic rules for safe maintenance provide common principles applicable to all industry sectos and tasks:
1. Planning
2. Making the work area safe
3. Using the appropriate equipment
4. Working as planned
5. Final Check
Antrim Borough Council’s Environmental Health Team, in partnership with the Health and Safety Executive NI (HSENI) and all councils across Northern Ireland, plan to launch a safe maintenance campaign that will crack down on poorly planned workplace maintenance that has the potential to kill and injure.
Too often, setting out to fix or repair machinery or plant can lead to needless death and injury. Indeed, during the past year, 30% of all workplace fatalities were related to maintenance activities. Maintenance can take many forms and involve working at height or using hazardous chemicals. It should never be approached lightly but carefully planned. In the final analysis, safe maintenance saves time, saves money and saves lives.
The campaign’s message will be reinforced during inspections by both the Council and HSENI. Particular emphasis will be given to exposure to asbestos, working at heights and locking out machinery. Seminars, guidance materials and an interactive on-line tool, all designed to encourage safe maintenance practices, will support this message.
Welcoming the new campaign, HSENI Deputy Chief Executive Bryan Monson said, “Safe maintenance requires an organisation to have both good leadership and a competent workforce. This is a fundamental and integral element of a healthy and safe system of work in any and every place of work. Good maintenance really does save an organisation time, money and most importantly, saves lives”.
Paula Coleman, Senior Environmental Health Officer, Antrim Borough Council added, “This joint campaign aims to reduce the number of workers who are being hurt or are experiencing ill health as a consequence of inadequate and unsafe maintenance activities. In partnership with HSENI, we will continue to promote the message that safe maintenance saves time, saves money and saves lives.”
For further information on safe maintenance in the workplace please contact the Environmental Health team T. 028 9446 3113, the HSENI Helpline on 0800 0320 121 or visit www.hseni.gov.uk/safemaintenance
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