Page 10 - BOSS Today Issue 5

news, facts, figures and updates...

Health & Safety
Safety fi rst

The HSE is behind a new healthy workplace campaign

The Health & Safety Executive fatalities in Britain are related to ✱ Falls from height – maintenance ✱ Permits for work are essential to
(HSE) has launched a ‘Safe maintenance activities. of the roof, guttering, window ensure that maintenance work
Maintenance Campaign’ in Preventative or proactive cleaners, builders and raised will be conducted safely, and
partnership with the European maintenance, which includes sections of machinery and plant contractors should have a sound
Agency for Safety and Health at Work periodic checks and planned repairs, equipment. Have you asked the safety record.
(EU-OSHA) as part of the ‘Healthy is the opposite of corrective action contractor for his risk assessments
Workplaces European campaign’. or reactive maintenance once an and method statements before The HSE has produced a Safe
This campaign aims to promote equipment failure has occurred work commences? It is too late Maintenance Healthcheck booklet.
safe and healthy workplaces by – and the HSE findings show that when a member of your staff is in
encouraging staff and employers this is usually more hazardous than the ambulance after being struck n FOR A COPY, CONTACT
to produce a structured protocol to scheduled maintenance. Major areas by an item falling from above. JANE MILLER AT THE BPIF
approach workplace maintenance. of concern are: ✱ Isolation and lock-out procedures ON 01924 203339 OR EMAIL
This will definitely be valuable; ✱ Asbestos – do you know where – do you use them? As you may jane.miller@bpif.org.uk.
according to the HSE, 25 – 30 per asbestos may be lurking on your be aware, safe interventions is a HSE ALTERNATIVELY, VISIT
cent of manufacturing industry premises? focus point within the industry. www.bossfederation.co.uk

Environment
The rules of packaging

Are you compliant with the latest regulations?

Does your company handle a manufacturer or a converter or a ✱ secondary providers: packers/ ✱ labels on unwrapped products
packaging of 50 tonnes or more packer/filler etc. Wholesalers have fillers who also supply transport ✱ items such as lolly sticks which
a year and turn over in excess of obligations for any packaging they packaging have no protective function
£2 million? If so, it has to meet import as well as any they add to ✱ service providers: businesses which ✱ straws, cutlery or napkins
the requirements of the Producer goods. hire out packaging such as pallets. provided with a disposable
Responsibility (Packaging Waste) The categories of producer food service container
Regulations 2007. recognised in the packaging “Packaging” is defined as products ✱ envelopes which contain only
If your company meets these chain are: used for the containment, correspondence or an invoice.
criteria, it must register with the ✱ manufacturers of packaging raw protection, handling, delivery and
Environment Agency and record materials such as aluminium presentation of goods as well as There are around 24 official
the volume of packaging handled. sheets or plastic granules sales packaging. This includes compliance schemes; the BPIF/
It will then be obliged to recover a ✱ convertors, including those secondary packaging used to group BOSS can assist you in joining a
percentage of this packaging either who make cardboard boxes or consumer goods at the point of sale scheme and discharging your duties
directly or through a compliance aluminium cans and includes transport packaging under the Producer Responsibility
scheme. Failure to comply with ✱ packers/fillers, for example those such as shrink wrap and pallets. Regulations.
this legislation could mean facing who pack food into cartons
prosecution by the Environment and cans Exclusions include: n FOR MORE INFORMATION
Agency. ✱ retailers, who sell the packaged ✱ products, including products CALL LIAM GARDNER ON
The percentage of packaging that product to the consumer retailed as containers (eg durable 07801 981 333 or EMAIL
you are required to recover depends ✱ importers of packaging and shopping bags), and storage liam.gardner@bpif.org.uk
upon whether you are classified as packaging materials systems

10 BOSS TODAY | October 2010

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