AnnualReport and Statement of Accounts 1 APRIL 2013 – 31 MARCH 2014 Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland Annual Report and Statement of Accounts For the year ended 31 March 2014 Laid before the Northern Ireland Assembly under paragraph 19 (3) of Schedule 2 of the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment 1 July 2014 © Crown copyright 2014 You may re-use this information (excluding logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence v.2. To view this licence visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/2/ or email: [email protected] Where we have identified any third party copyright information, you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. This publication is also available at http://www.hseni.gov.uk Any enquiries regarding this document should be sent to us at Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland, 83 Ladas Drive, Belfast, BT6 9FR, Northern Ireland; Email: [email protected] Annual Report 2013–2014 The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) Our Values • We value people as our most important resource. • We are committed to ensuring exemplary standards of health and safety for everyone. • We are committed to equal opportunity, openness, respect for individual differences and a workplace free from harassment. • We foster an environment that encourages personal development allowing everyone to reach his, or her, full potential. • We believe in a team approach to work with everyone feeling involved, valued and supported. • We value commitment, motivation, enthusiasm, innovation and creativity. • We strive for professionalism, quality and excellence in all that we do. Annual Report 2013–2014 1 2 Key Facts and Figures for 2013/14 Key trends in work-related • involved over 3,600 pupils from 95 injuries are as follows: primary schools in its Child Safety on Farms Poster competition and • fatalities down by 47% to 10, distributed over 38,500 copies of the compared to 19 in the previous year; calendar produced from the winning entries; • fatalities in the agriculture sector down by 67% to four, compared to • delivered two campaigns on gas 11 in the previous year; safety, one aimed at raising public awareness of the risk of carbon • 433 major injuries, almost identical to monoxide and a second aimed at last year but down 17% since a five advising the public on the need year peak in 2010/11;1 and to check that gas installers are • all reportable injuries down 4% on registered with the Gas Safe Register last year to 2,472, and down 17% scheme; since a five year peak in 2010/11.2 3 • delivered the final year of a Safe Maintenance campaign and also During the year, HSENI: delivered a Workplace Transport initiative in partnership with the • facilitated the Farm Safety District Councils; Partnership and developed the next phase of the Farm Safety Action Plan; • delivered 94 health and safety presentations to 2,600 young people • delivered a major multi-media farm under its SafeStart initiative; ii safety campaign, which was co­ sponsored by DARD and supported • distributed 10,150 copies of its new by the farming industry; “Be safe when you start” booklet aimed at young people entering • undertook over 1,000 advisory farm the world of work for the first time visits and delivered over 35 farm and over; safety presentations; • completed 17 successful • reached over 12,200 children in 93 prosecutions, which saw fines rural primary schools with its Be totalling just over £300,000 as well as Aware Kids farm safety messages; a two year prison sentence in relation • produced two new farm safety DVDs to a conviction for manslaughter by (“Dangerous Playgrounds” for 4-8 gross negligence; year olds and “Farm safe” for 8-11 • achieved UKAS Accreditation for its year olds); Scientific Services unit; 1 Based on provisional figures for 2013/14 2 Based on provisional figures for 2013/14 3 HSENI Corporate Plan four year target is to achieve a 10% reduction in the number of reportable work-related injuries by 2014/15, based on the 2010/11 figure of 2,975. Annual Report 2013–2014 3 Key Facts and Figures for 2013/14 • delivered over 6,350 inspections and served over 117 formal enforcement notices; • delivered 325 mentoring visits to start-up and existing small businesses; • declared Carmen Biagioni of UNISON the winner of the Health and Safety Representative’s Award for 2013; • dealt with over 2,200 reportable work-related injuries and over 720 complaints about alleged unsatisfactory working conditions and activities; • prepared five sets of Regulations and initiated consultations on 12 regulations and Approved Codes of Practice; • submitted an Annual Equality Report to the Equality Commission; • organised 12 key events which attracted some 800 participants; • held or attended over 550 promotional events including seminars, lectures, workshops and presentations; • distributed over 307,500 free publications giving health and safety advice; • dealt with 3,630 calls for information via its freephone Helpline, including 1,340 requests dealt with by its Duty Inspector; and • enabled website visitors to download over 179,000 publication files. 4 Annual Report 2013–2014 Contents HSENI – Our Values 1 Key Facts and Figures for 2013/14 3 FOREWORD 6 STRATEGIC REPORT 9 Performance 13 Communications 23 Health and Safety Works NI 27 SafeStart-NI 30 Recognising Excellence Programme 33 Partnership with District Councils 35 Workplace Health 38 Agriculture 44 Construction 48 Extractive Industries 50 General Manufacturing 53 Health, Social Care and Education 55 Major Hazards and Gas Safety 59 Major Investigation Team 61 Public Sector 63 Transport 66 Health and Safety at Work Legislation 69 Administration 71 Statistics 78 Directors’ Report 85 Remuneration Report 88 Statement of Accounts 95 Appendix 1: HSENI Organisation Structure 134 Appendix 2: Fatal Injuries 135 Appendix 3: Prosecutions 137 Annual Report 2013–2014 5 Foreword We are pleased to present HSENI’s Staff from HSENI also undertook 1,000 fifteenth Annual Report and Statement advisory farm visits and delivered over of Accounts. 35 farm safety presentations to a wide range of audiences at events across This year again saw HSENI focus much Northern Ireland during the year. We are of its attention and resources on farm pleased to note that the overall health safety as a result of an increasing trend and safety standards appear to have in work-related farm fatalities in recent improved and that the number of years. The organisations which make work-related fatalities in the industry up the HSENI led Farm Safety dropped to four compared to 11 in the Partnership 4 have made a major previous year, a reduction of 67%. contribution towards raising awareness of the main health and safety issues Recognising the vulnerability of children facing the farming industry and ensured on farms, HSENI also delivered its farm that important messages and advice safety programme to over 12,200 children was distributed across the industry. The in 93 rural primary schools, produced Partnership also developed a second two new farm safety DVDs (“Dangerous Farm Safety Action Plan which was Playgrounds” for 4-8 year olds and “Farm launched on 7th April 2014. safe” for 8-11 year olds), ran a safety poster competition and produced and HSENI delivered a major multi-media distributed an “Avoid harm on the farm” farm safety campaign during the year, 2014 farm safety calendar to 38,500 which was co-sponsored by the families in rural areas. Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and supported by all Overall, the total number of all work- partners. The campaign included a related fatalities, including those within thought provoking TV advert majoring areas that are the responsibility of local on the consequences of a fall from councils, was 10 in 2013/14 compared height as well as radio and newspaper to 19 in the previous year, representing adverts focusing on the four main a 47% reduction. The most notable dangers on farms: Slurry, Animals, Falls reduction occurred in the agriculture and Equipment (SAFE). Campaign sector, which saw a fall from 11 to analysis has indicated that 96% of four work-related fatalities, a reduction farmers sampled have seen the of 67%. campaign and an encouraging change in perceptions was noted, with 93% of The continuing downward trend of all respondents stating that they identified reportable work-related injuries is with the content and aimed to change encouraging with a fall of 4% on last their daily practice as a result. year and a reduction of 17% since 2010/11, based on the provisional figures for 2013/14. 4 The Partnership comprises the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI), the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ulster Farmers’ Union, NFU Mutual, the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster and the Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers Association. It is chaired by the Chairman of HSENI and its aim is to increase awareness of farm safety and to reduce work-related fatalities and injuries on farms. 6 Annual Report 2013–2014 This is particularly encouraging given Overall, under the SafeStart-NI initiative, that HSENI’s four year target set in its 94 health and safety presentations were Corporate Plan for 2011-15 is to delivered to over 2,600 young people in achieve a 10% reduction in all Northern Ireland during 2013/14. reportable injuries based on the 2010/11 figure of 2,975. During 2013/14, HSENI’s frontline work continued to be dominated by investigating During the year, HSENI also continued a number of significant workplace to reinforce important public safety incidents resulting in deaths and serious messages around carbon monoxide injuries, and dealing with a continuing and gas safety.