Safe and Well

Issue 49 is looks a why getting your road works guarding matters, two things that cut right to it around sharp tools, something to check if you work at height and also more from WasteWarriors – as we have another chance to demonstrate how well we are doing on environmental matters. But first, how does your site measure up…?

ICYMI – Red Alerts…we’ve had three red alerts since last edition. Roadworks Guarding, Using the Silky saw and flat roof access. RAs are targeted so you might not have needed to see them all depending on your role – but they are always at the briefing hub for info.

Issue 49 – August 2017

The importance of safely guarding your worksite…

http://snip.bt.com/safety

Proudly published by the Openreach Health and Safety Team – get in touch @ Safety Direct

Info you need

• “On the road” Glovebox Guide

• Safety at Streetworks Code of Practice (Red Book)

• Roadworks Guarding Risk Assessment Template

These are actual photos of joint boxes that have not been fully guarded, and then worse, been left unattended. Sites left like this are dangerous. Over the last 3 months, we’ve had several serious accidents involving vulnerable people encountering our sites left exactly like this.

Simply put, there’s no excuse for this. Working like this is dangerous. If it was one of your loved ones who’d been injured, how would you feel?

Remember the guarding principles:• Before starting work at site, make sure you’ve enough guards and

associated equipment to protect yourself and all members of the public.• Always setup as per the “On the Road” and “Safety at Streetworks” guides.• Fully guard off open boxes. Never just place 3 guards at either end.

Firstly this isn’t secure and they can fall over. Secondly, it means tools and equipment can become a trip hazard to people walking past.

• Once you’ve setup your site, stand back and look at it and ask yourself “Will somebody using the road or footway from any direction understand exactly what they need to do? Are all my tools and equipment safely in the guarded area?”

• If you have to leave site (if only for a few minutes) the safest thing to do is to replace the lid as you’ve eliminated the hazard. If that’s not practical, visually inspect your site again to make sure it’s fully protected.

Remember the “Just 5 minutes” video next time you’re on-site. Whether you’re on-site for 5 minutes or 5 hours, it only takes seconds to cause an accident.

The Safety & Wellness newsletter for our Field Teams Page 2

Spot the difference – but are they compliant? Have you spotted anything different about the new plastic roadworks barriers – item code 090177?

Safe and Well: Issue 49 August 2017 v1.0http://snip.bt.com/safety

Watch out for easy peelers…Several trainers and new recruits have flagged up that the vertical red line indicator and safe use labels on some new ladder 5Bs are starting to peel off.

Lytes, the manufacturer, are investigating with a faulty batch of sticky labels from their supplier being the likely cause. They’ve fixed that at source but we reckon there are probably other new ladders already out in the field that might also be “easy peelers” from the same batch. Luckily it’s an easy fix if you spot a 'peeler', just let your mobile esiTesters know as they’ve got spare labels.

So keep your eyes peeled for a less than sticky sticky-label on your ladder when doing your checks.

And yes although it’s different to previous kit, yes, it is compliant as confirmed inSafety at Street Works and Road Works - A Code of Practice (red book).

The bottom rail does not require reflectivity as it’s designed to be a tapping rail for visually impaired people. A red/white barrier plank may be used and the code doesn’t specify that red & white stripes are required for the tapping rail in a “pedestrian fencing system”.

So as long as it’s the bottom rail that’s non-reflective, that’s fine. You are fully compliant with the code as long as the rest of your site is also set up correctly.

Existing version

New version

AMS Update Box – two updates for AugustUpdates to the AMS 801 - there’s two new items to check. The first is to check the Stool Folding (S0060). This is because there’s been a number of incidents where various types of stool has failed, causing injuries to colleagues.

You’ll need to check the frame, chain and seat fabric for any kind of damage. If there is, then get a replacement.

The second is the addition of Hand Cleansing (S0061) to check that waterless hand cleanser wipes(I/C 236700) and hand cleansing gel (i/c 211802) are both available. It’s part of good hygiene and health practice to keep hands clean; particularly if you’ve been grubbing around in the UG network –afterall, it’s not the cleanest of places to work.

New check - AMS 834 This is a new AMS check aimed at colleagues who work in the power side of DSLAMs checking power connections, earthing and repair/replacement of batteries.

Download the new check

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More time for Licence To sign-offs but only if youreally need it. Some teams have asked for extra time (but not penalties) to get their review and sign-off done, so to make it fair for all, you’ve now got until end of October. But don’t put-it off if you’re already ahead of the game as there’s bound to be weathery stuff ahead. For help & info go to the Licence To website Deadline: 31/10/17

Cutting straight to the point No.1 The silky saw may be ace at slicing through ivy and other vegetation; it’s also pretty nifty at cutting through fall arrest lanyards and work positioning belts – how long do you reckon it would take? Well, we’ve filmed this to show you the results. It didn’t take long.

Safe and Well: Issue 49 August 2017 v1.0http://snip.bt.com/safety

It takes only one or two strokes of the saw into either item to cause full failure, resulting in the potential of a fall from height which could lead to a serious injury, or even a fatality.

WPB v Silky SawLanyard v Silky Saw

And that’s why it is a mandatory rule that’s in place across the Pole Testing community:

“The Silky Saw MUST only be used whilst working at ground level or in the bucket of a MEWP and MUST NOT EVER be used whilst attached and working on a pole using the Safety Harness, WPB and Lanyard”

Remember:• always carry the Silky Saw in its scabbard / sheathing when not being used• don’t place it unguarded in tool pockets or bags• only use cutting tools provided by Openreach

We are working with the Pole Test community to review how ivy and vegetation gets removed safely and we’ll keep you in the loop. If you’ve any ideas or suggestions as to how we can improve the cutting equipment or processes, let your manager know so they can pass them onto us for consideration.

Don’t take short cuts with your safety – it’s never worth it.

Cutting straight to the point No.2 – thanks to Ben Mitchell (BVH7) for flagging up this one following a nasty injury to one of his engineers.

“Can you highlight to teams that when they are using the HD MCCS insertion tool (i/c 075988) that they need to make sure that the extractor on the SID Quante inserter is fully housed before applying pressure to engage it. Excessive force should not be used if tool struggles to terminate on strips.

My engineer needed an operation to remove the tool from his hand. He’s making a good recovery and was fortunate not to have caught any tendons or major blood vessels”

The Safety & Wellness newsletter for our Field Teams Page 4

Use a microlite as part of your flat roof access work? Then you need to check it urgently – if you’re flat roof trained, are listed as having a microlite on esi-test or a manager of people who are, then you’ll have already seen the recent Red Alert directly. What’s happened: - it’s been highlighted there’s a potential design problem with a particular variant of the ladder microlite, used in conjunction with a ladder 5B to access single storey flat roofs. The problem affects how the microlite attaches to the ladder 5B and could cause instability under certain conditions.

Safe and Well: Issue 49 August 2017 v1.0http://snip.bt.com/safety

What you need to know – we aren’t talking about the standard top end stability device here (i/c 129363); the microlite’s only issued to flat roof access trained people

How to identify the affected Ladder Microlite – there are three different variants of ladder microlite, the recall only applies to the version indicated below:

In addition to measurement differences, the recalled one has two other distinguishing features: a tapered hook (new TW version has standard flush fit) and a “V” shaped bar between the hooks (compared to the straight bar on the original ladder microlite).

If you are in any doubt, check with the Safety Team for advice.

What to do if you identify an affected item - stop using the item immediately. Use the Easy Returns process to arrange collection from your normal stores delivery/collection point for return to Magna Park via BT Transport using i/c 772052 - LADDER FIX MICROLITE BT FLTY. A replacement item can be ordered from TW Engineering via IBuy, using BT item code 129079. Price is £130.35. When completing IBUY requisition, use contract number 8004832 and quote part no. TW3720

Where do you stash that cable reel? When you’re transporting small cable reels, it’s important they’re carried safely. Most have a dedicated area on the van for storage, but others, such as connectorised fibre reels, may not. Please only store them in appropriate locations, and make sure they’re secured to prevent movement whilst you’re driving. Here, a reel is stored in the spare gate guard area.

Don’t resort to stashing items in the vehicle cab. It’s simply not designed for that and could cause an accident!

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Where can I find.. more Safe and Wells, Toolbox Talks, Red Alerts, campaign videos or AMS check help? Safety Direct is the answer. Drop us a line if there’s stuff you’d like to see. And also look at Group’s Health, Safety & Wellbeing newsletter for non engineering topics.

Get Wasted(ucated) – September audits The chance to demonstrate externally how well we are doing on environmental compliance will come around in September when some of our sites will be audited by LRQA. This is important stuff as if we were to lose our ISO14001 certification, this could have an impact on our major business, government contracts, and bids. And of course, it’s the right thing to do.

You can help by making sure you Sort it, Bag it, Bin it when disposing of your BT waste. And here’s a few top tip reminders:

• BT skips are only for BT Waste, don’t sling in your own domestic household waste.

• Loose blue rope must be bagged before being put into a General Waste bin/skip (only if there’s no dedicated Blue rope skip onsite)

• Loose waste cable must be placed in the nearest cable skip, or cable stillage. It doesn’t go into any other bin/skip.

• NTEs, LJUs, old land line phones and any other electrical or electronic equipment must be returned to your nearest stores hub for disposal.

• Don’t park in front of bins/skips as this can stop the waste disposal companies from emptying them

Safe and Well: Issue 49 August 2017 v1.0http://snip.bt.com/safety

Jumper wire returns – you’re now able to label

You let us know that the orange labels that are used as part of the jumper wire returns process weren’t readily available at the stores hubs. Well, that’s now been sorted and all stores hubs have been supplied with a stock of labels. You can order them via Easy Order or at the FSL.

The new number for the labels is I/C 092125.

Need to get in touch about Wasted(ucation) subjects then drop Waste Warriors a line*

• Engineering waste guide (updated)

• BT’s Waste Policy

*WasteWarriors are always chuffed to hear from you even though they can’t actually shift stuff for you. But they will tell you where to go.

• Always lock the gates when leaving site – stops other people flytipping at our sites in addition to general good security practice

Click to watch

Getting it all to stack up on pole stack compliance

Did you know that Pole Stacks are an Openreach asset and therefore their management is the responsibility of the Poling Manager?

Want to find out more? then check out this short video that tells you about Pole Stack Compliance. It includes what should be checked on a regular basis along with general reminders such as:

• All Poles, including old, broken or recovered poles MUST NOT be stored on the ground in any circumstances

• Old, broken, recovered and part poles must have ALL FURNITURE removed and be stored on a stack whilst waiting for collection

Other short waste videos General waste Cable, wood and metal skipsHazardous waste and BT Transport or Stores return are also available.

Need to know more about jumper wire returns? – check the Engineering Waste guide (p5)