Welcome Guest! The IOSH forums are a free resource to both members and non-members. Login or register to use them

Postings made by forum users are personal opinions. IOSH is not responsible for the content or accuracy of any of the information contained in forum postings. Please carefully consider any advice you receive.

Notification

Icon
Error

Options
Go to last post Go to first unread
Tobias.Ford  
#1 Posted : 04 February 2019 04:45:20(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
Tobias.Ford

Hi there,

Does anyone know or are they able to point to relevant legislation on this topic.  Particularly if there is any legislation, COP, or standards that cover whether neck lanyards are required to have a snap point in them?

If anyone has experience on this in Australia - that would be even better.

thanks

Tobias

corrinaevans  
#2 Posted : 04 February 2019 07:41:29(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
corrinaevans

Hi Tobias,

In the NHS we have lanyards with break points to prevent our patients/visitors from strangling our staff . In the UK this is covered by the Health and Safety at Work Act (providing a safe work environment) which of course is then backed up by the management regs which require us to risk assess the safety of NHS staff, the lanyards with break points being one of many control measures.

Personally I like to think our staff can go home safe.

Hope this helps a bit.

Corrina

Tobias.Ford  
#3 Posted : 04 February 2019 22:54:03(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
Tobias.Ford

Hi Corrina and thanks.

That's the path I was hoping to go and essentially if there is a risk of the Lanyard being used against the worker then the clip provides a control to help mitigate the grapple.  

I don't know if there is a specific standard that relates to this and yet with a risk management approach it makes good sense.

Thanks!

Tobias

jdc1975@hotmail.co.uk  
#4 Posted : 05 February 2019 07:52:09(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
jdc1975@hotmail.co.uk

Hi,

The core issue here is about having a suitable and sufficient risk assessment in the workplace. If your staff use lanyard, then it is important to at least have some consideration on how it affects the work they do including their safety. One of such considerations is that the lanyards could potentially be used to harm them by either stragulation or even as a means of forcibly restraining your workers. 

If that is the case as evident in the UK, you will need to consider either alternatives to lanyards or substituting them with one that cannot be used adversely against your staff.

You are on the right path, just consider the workers, the work they do, the environment they work in, and the equipment you provide them to work with.

Kind regards,

Jermaine 

A Kurdziel  
#5 Posted : 05 February 2019 10:59:18(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
A Kurdziel

Tobias-specific laws for specific issues is not how Health and Safety works in the UK. The governor is not going to set rules about lanyards or what sort of Hi-Viz people need to wear etc. Instead they set a goal “to ensure employees Health, Safety and Welfare” and leave it to employers to prove that they are doing everything reasonably practical to achieve this goal through a process of risk assessment.  If your staff have to wear lanyards and use work equipment it is a foreseeable risk that the lanyard might get tangled up with the work equipment.  The employer has to come up with the solution to best manage this. It could be to supplier workers with easy-break lanyards or, to replace the lanyard with something that does not entangle or to modify the work equipment to remove the tangle risk etc.

DaveBridle  
#6 Posted : 05 February 2019 12:44:32(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
DaveBridle

Agree with AK on his reponse.  Slightly off topic in relation to the original post, but still regarding use of lanyards.

Have been made aware that an organisation has now instructed staff to remove their lanyards and the ID badge holder whilst undertaking driving activites.

Following a recent incident a member of staff suffered a serious internal injury when involved in a road traffic collision.  The internal passenger safety device (drivers airbag) was activated forcing the rigid plastic ID card holder, that was connected to the lanyard and being worn, into the drivers chest with significant force from the device activation.

hilary  
#7 Posted : 05 February 2019 12:57:58(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
hilary

There is also the possibility that a lanyard could get caught in rotating machinery and garrote the operator - not a pretty sight.

nic168  
#8 Posted : 05 February 2019 16:36:16(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
nic168

 I have seen them get caught in the shredder, the snap fastener worked.

this led to a recomendation that ID passess were worn on the belt, fine if you have decent eyesight. Not so good for me as I had to lpeer at  peoples groins to see if they were legit.

Acorns  
#9 Posted : 05 February 2019 20:27:59(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Acorns

On the OP, can we remove the need for a lanyard?  In many buildings the only access control is the main entrance, so continued wearing is eliminated.  If the main entrance is secure then the necessity to wear and display the lanyard is reducd.  If the main entrance has poor security then the lanyards do little anyway.  I might explore other proximity dongles and devices at the same time which may remove the lanyard. I've only seen a few, but I like the idea of having 2 snap points on the  lanyard.  Typically the snap point is at the back of the users neck, so it only snaps when there is resistance and that resistance only occurs when the wearers head/face is up against the entanglement!      

Roundtuit  
#10 Posted : 06 February 2019 09:50:06(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

I am with AcornsConsult on this one - why are the lanyards being worn?

Models of id passes include safey pin fasteners, belt hooks, lever clips, belt hooks with a self retracting cord

It was the realm of movies but many door access / employee clocking systems now look to biometrics and particularly finger print readers eliminating the need for cards, passes and fobs

And if you really want to infringe upon your employees - implanted RFID chip

Roundtuit  
#11 Posted : 06 February 2019 09:50:06(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

I am with AcornsConsult on this one - why are the lanyards being worn?

Models of id passes include safey pin fasteners, belt hooks, lever clips, belt hooks with a self retracting cord

It was the realm of movies but many door access / employee clocking systems now look to biometrics and particularly finger print readers eliminating the need for cards, passes and fobs

And if you really want to infringe upon your employees - implanted RFID chip

Users browsing this topic
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.