The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has released provisional energy production and consumption statistics for the year of 2016.

Primary energy production rose by 1.4% per cent above that achieved in 2015 due to rises in oil and gas output. Energy production in 2016 was marginally above the levels of 2012. Renewables energy production rose by 2.3%, with an increase in bioenergy output and nuclear output up 2.0%. Production of coal fell by 51%, to a new record low, due to the closure of all large deep mines, and the remaining mines producing less coal as they come to the end of their operational life. In the last five years coal output has declined by 77%. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-energy-statistics-2016-provisional-data

Risk assessment of pushing and pulling (RAPP) tool.   This tool aids the identification of high-risk pushing and pulling operations and check the effectiveness of any risk-reduction measures.

Two types of pulling and pushing operations can be assessed using this tool:

moving loads on wheeled equipment, such as hand trolleys, pump trucks, carts or wheelbarrows; moving loads without wheels, which might involve actions such as dragging/sliding, churning (pivoting and rolling) and rolling.

For each type of assessment there is a flow chart, an assessment guide and a score sheet. The flow charts provide an overview of the risk factors and assessment process, while the assessment guides provide information to help determine the level of risk for each factor.  http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg478.pdf.  This document may also be found in the guidance section of the Simplifi-Solutions website.

HSE reports that an operator’s finger was crushed between packs of concrete blocks on a conveyor when the light curtains failed.  The employee’s task was to hand label packs of concrete blocks at the end of a production line. The work station was protected by light barriers which are intended to prevent the conveyor starting up when someone was in the area.

Whilst applying a label the conveyor started up and a pack moved forward trapping and crushing his finger. Subsequent investigation found that the curtains were not safety rated and were ‘fooled’ by the strip on the high visibility PPE worn by the employee, which reflected the beam back to the receiving sensor.