health & safety

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 HEALTH & SAFETY ALERT Small Debris Fire Incident What Happened: On Friday 4th August 2017 at Whitechapel, Durward Street Shaft an incident occurred after an operative had carried out hot works using a grinder. After the Fire Watch Persons had departed, smoke was seen coming from an area 10 metres below the work site. The alarm was raised immediately upon discovery and an evacuation of the shaft took place. The fire, a smouldering one tonne bag, was extinguished using a fire extinguisher by site staff. The fire brigade were called and deemed the area safe following an inspection. A point of work briefing for those involved in the grinding had been given prior to the works commencing and the Fire Watch Persons had remained on site for an hour after the grinding was complete. Findings:

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Lack of knowledge of materials below the worksite. Poor housekeeping of redundant materials at lower levels in the shaft. The point of work briefing was considered inadequate as it did not consider checking for combustible materials below the work area. Even though the Fire Watch Persons remained on site after the works they did not identify the smoke/fire.

Actions:

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For all ‘hot works’ ensure point of work briefings recognise the risks in the surrounding area and that Fire Watch Persons are reminded of the possibility of ignition sources remote from the ‘hot works’. When planning hot works at height ensure the area below is considered and free from any combustible materials. Ensure housekeeping in restricted spaces is always maintained and kept to a high standard.

Date: 5th September 2017