As part of an EU initiative, the Health & Safety Executive is helping promote workplace safety by encouraging an integrated and structured approach to maintenance, highlighting the risks during maintenance and repair work and how to avoid them.
 
It is estimated that between 25% and 30% of all manufacturing industry deaths in Britain result from maintenance activity, with common causes of fatalities and major injuries including falls from height, falls of heavy objects, disturbing asbestos, isolation and ‘lock off’ arrangements and, in some cases, permits to work.
 
The British campaign includes a 'one stop shop' safe maintenance section of the HSE website, which features a checklist to assess how good current maintenance practices are and pointers on how to improve.
 
The HSE also emphasises that it is essential that both in-house and contracted maintenance staff are properly briefed and understand the site they are working on, its established processes and all safety procedures.
 
HSE Chair, Judith Hackitt, said:
 
“Maintenance work is often seen simply as a disruption to normal service, but it is fundamental to the integrity of every system and to the health and safety of workers and the public.
 
“All organisations, irrespective of their size and purpose, need to take the opportunity to look at how they plan and manage maintenance to see if improvements could be made. With planning and the right skills it can be done efficiently and will lead to increased production and better service delivery.”

Francis Clark has offices in Exeter, Plymouth, Salisbury, Taunton, Tavistock, Torquay and Truro. Francis Clark is the winner of the ‘Auditor of the Year - Mid Tier’ in the National Financial Directors’ Excellence Awards 2011, and LexisNexis Best General Tax Practice Award 2009. More information is available by logging on at our Online Information Centre