Rank: Forum user
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I am Health and Safety Rep on the railway based in a train maintenance shed.
Undertakings: Train Maintenance, shunting, heavy and light cleaning of trains. Issue: Cleaners, mop trains at oustations and have done so for the last decade. Trains that stable within said shed, only get a basic little pick and a brush. New manager has been employed and has started asking the cleaners to mop trains within the shed (8 of them). This has been raised to me as an issue by the cleaners.
After watching their current system and reviewing the risk assessment here are my findings: 1) Risk assessment very basic/brief and doesnt mention any controls for the problems I am going to mention
2) Access and egress from trains is via gantry (id estimate around 12 feet). Should the cleaners be carrying a mop bucket up these steps in the first instance?
3) Potential to spill water on the gantry making it more hazardous for next worker?
4) Carrying the bucket up the steps creates ergonomic issues. The steps dont seem wide enough and only just accomodate the bulkiness of the mop bucket. This is causing staff to look very awkward in carrying the bucket up the steps, often using 2 hands to carry bucket infront of them (no 3 point of contact)
5) Just basic manual handling issues. The mop bucket is filled up to different levels depending on the worker. This creates different weights and centre of gravity not to mention the bulkiness of the product.
6) Cleaners sometimes working on the train alongside fitters. Would this cause a COSHH issue? the cleaners wear correct PPE depending on the cleaning chemical used, whilst the fitters just carry on with the day to day job unaware of the chemical we are using causing them not to wear correct ppe etc etc
I am due to speak to the manager involved but dont want this too sound like a mission to get the cleaners to have an easier time via less work. Any further arguments I could use or maybe even solutions I can offer.....
Any advice appreciated
Steve Galloway Edited by user 28 November 2018 20:10:30(UTC)
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Rank: Super forum user
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Steve, these tasks on the face of it are relatively low risk and not uncommon for other industries. There may be a better, safer and possibly more productive way of going about cleaning rolling stock. I think your best strategy is to ask for the RAs to be reviewed via your local manager stating you have some concerns with the current RAs and methods of working.
Have there been any accidents which you can highlight?
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Rank: Super forum user
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If there is a change in the activity - you mention "mopping in the shed" as opposed to previous arrangements - the Risk Assessments etc. should be reviewed as a matter of course Existing documentation would be based upon practice, materials and persons at the time of writing and would not reflect any significant change in circumstances e.g. persons present which you are correct in highlighting
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Rank: Super forum user
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If there is a change in the activity - you mention "mopping in the shed" as opposed to previous arrangements - the Risk Assessments etc. should be reviewed as a matter of course Existing documentation would be based upon practice, materials and persons at the time of writing and would not reflect any significant change in circumstances e.g. persons present which you are correct in highlighting
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