All staff are invited to the Irish Histories drop-in at 1:30pm on Friday 17th January and Monday 20th January which will be taking place in Learning Centre Classroom Two. This is a chance to contribute to the development of stories and characters at the museum in 2025. Many people in the Black Country and at the Museum have Irish heritage, often from those who came to live here in Victorian times, or those who came after the Second World War. This will be a short, fun session to seek ideas, feedback, and stories that we could be telling at BCLM.
Category: Health & Safety
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Safe together at BCLM: Working at height – steps and ladders
Working at height refers to any situation where, without safety measures, a person could fall from a distance which could result in personal injury.
Ladders and step ladders are not banned by “health & safety”, they can provide sensible and practical options for low-risk, short duration tasks as long as a few simple rules are followed.
- Key Principles:
- Consider safer alternatives like scaffold towers or scissor lifts.
- Check equipment condition. Ensure the ladder is not damaged, especially the foot, which prevents slipping.
- Load capacity matters. Ladders are load-bearing, if unsure about their capacity, don’t use them.
- Proper Usage:
- Always secure the ladder (tied off or footed).
- Never use the top step or place ladders on soft, uneven ground.
- Keep ladders away from doorways unless the door is locked or guarded.
- Avoid overreaching, move the ladder instead.
- Do not carry heavy materials while climbing.
- Do’s:
- Wear proper footwear.
- Block access to passersby.
- Maintain the 4:1 ratio and three points of contact.
- Inspect equipment before and after use.
- Report any concerns to a manager.
Following these simple rules helps ensure safe ladder use for low-risk, short-duration tasks.
- Key Principles:
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Display Screen Equipment Update
We have reviewed our Display Screen Equipment (DSE) procedure and want to inform you of an important update. All DSE users (users identified as those using devices or equipment that have a graphic display screen and includes computer screens, display screens, laptops, touch screens and other similar devices) are now required to complete DSE training via iHasco, followed by a workstation assessment. If applicable to your role you will receive an email and link to complete this.
Please ensure that you complete the DSE training on iHasco and submit your workstation assessment to [email protected] by 20 September 2024. This will be an annual requirement moving forward to ensure a safe and healthy working environment.
If you have any questions or need support please email [email protected]
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Safe together at BCLM: Near miss
There are different definitions of the term “near miss”, but the easiest one to understand is “a near miss is an event or situation that could have resulted in injury, damage or loss but did not do so due to chance”. Please take a look at the image above for a graphic explanation.
- Image 2: This is a near miss because the unsafe condition was not identified, an incident happened but no one was injured and it did not get reported.
- Image 3: This is an incident, because the unsafe condition was not identified and the near miss was not reported someone got injured.
When a near miss has been reported it is important to investigate the near miss in an effort to prevent future incidents.
Action 1 – If an unsafe condition has been identified, report it to your line manager so that it can be dealt with (made safe).
Action 2 – All near miss reports to be actioned immediately, i.e. within 24 hours.