Hot topics

MPA has published the digital version of the ‘Sharing good practice guide 2024’. The Guide provides a unique summary of the best entries from the 2024 MPA Health and Safety Awards, including the following:

• The 8 Topic Awards
• The John Crabbe Trophy
• The Sir Frank Davies Award
• The Eurobitume Award
• ‘The Fatal 6’ Award
• The MPA Special Award
• The Young Leader Award
• Individual Recognition Awards – 21 Nominations

Each entry includes a direct link to a short video that highlights the health and safety issues addressed by the entry and the benefits that have been delivered.

The Guide is an ideal way to quickly review these outstanding innovations in health, safety and wellbeing and to identify those entries that could be adapted or implemented within workplaces to make it safer for all.

To coincide with the launch of the Guide, MPA is pleased to confirm that it will shortly be inviting submissions for the MPA Health and Safety Awards 2026. The award event will be held in July 2026.

TIME TO TALK DAY – 6^th FEBRUARY

MPA is committed to backing this day dedicated to doing what we can to ensure everyone gets comfortable with and starts talking about #mentalhealth, also taking time to check in with family, friends, colleagues and communities.

@Time to Talk Day is run by @Mind and @Rethink Mental Illness, in partnership with @Co-op and delivered by @See Me with @SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health), @Inspire and @Time to Change Wales.

Last year’s Day revealed that nearly two thirds of the UK public put on a brave face to avoid talking about their mental health. And nearly half of us are less likely to open up as we don't want to worry others in already difficult times.

But talking openly and honestly can be the first step towards better mental health for everyone. It can reduce stigma and help people feel comfortable enough to seek help when they need it.

Explore the Time to Talk Day website (https://timetotalkday.co.uk/) for a whole range of ideas and resources which can help start the conversation in your workplace and download this resource pack: https://timetotalkday.co.uk/download-a-pack/#74-58-activities

The @Health & Safety Executive Talking Toolkit provides guidance on having conversations about work-related stress. It can be downloaded here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/assets/docs/talking-toolkit-construction.pdf

Please use the next 2 minutes to view this video – it could help you prevent a serious injury or fatality on your site.

• The video summarises the vital health and safety information that is free, constantly updated and easily searchable via Safequarry.com
• This website brings together content that is relevant to all products sectors within the mineral products industry.
• This crucial H&S information has been provided by industry operators, MPA, QNJAC, HSE, NePSi and many others.

 The Health and Safety Hub for the mineral products industry.

We are all ‘Safer by Sharing’ and learning from others.

Please share the link with your colleagues

Please find attached a special MPA Health and Safety Bulletin that is a celebration of the recent MPA Health and Safety Awards 2024.

The bulletin includes direct links to the videos of the winning entries, tabulated to assist in reviewing.

It may be that one or more of these videos could provide a useful way of introducing a discussion around a particular activity or hazard as part of a safety discussion /toolbox talk you might be planning in the New Year. 

The real benefit from the MPA Health and Safety Awards is achieved by ensuring that the ideas and innovations featured are shared as widely as possible across the mineral products industry. By learning about both the good practices and incidents / HiPos experienced by others we can adapt are own operations to make them safer for all, we are all Safer by Sharing.

Please take the opportunity to review this bulletin and share it with others as appropriate.

LPG Forklift Fires Briefing Report 

A report of the findings of an HSE investigation into a series of LPG forklift truck fires that occurred in GB in 2022-4.

Follow link to report - HSE Briefing

Contaminated LPG from one refinery has been gumming up the vaporiser units on fork lift trucks. If the operator continues to turn the engine in an attempt to start it, there is a build-up of unburnt fuel which could eventually cause a fire/explosion.

Italmecc Air Box 2100 Water Backed Booth LEV System. Product Safety Report:

Follow link to notice - Italmecc Air Box 2100 (2412-0024) - GOV.UK

Below is a summary but please see the notice for full details -

Hazard:

The product presents a high risk to health as it is not supplied with adequate instructions for installation, specifically, the requirement for ducting extracted air to outside. This is of particular concern when used to control dust generated by processing materials containing respirable crystalline silica (RCS).

Corrective action:

Italmecc S.R.L. have stopped supply in GB until the machine instructions are updated and brought into compliance. Users of these machines should ensure that they are ducted to outside when used to control exposure to substances hazardous to health, or use other equally effective measures.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) – Action Required to meet 31^st December 2025 Deadline

You can find more information by visiting the Guidance published by the Environment Agency and last updated in December 2022 – PCBs registration, disposal, labelling

The pdf, which can be downloaded by clicking on the title at the start of this Hot Topic, is an example of one company's briefing on its approach to the review and disposal of equipment containing Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs).

It provides background information on PCBs, identifies the type of electrical equipment where they are likely to be present and outlines an action plan and internal process to meet the deadline of 31st December 2025 for their disposal.

'Safe Stop'

Six separate ‘runaway incidents’ in 2024 highlight the importance of drivers ensuring that they follow “Safe Stop” procedures to prevent fatalities, serious injury and damage to property.

Tragically, one of these incidents did result in a fatality, any of the other incidents had the potential to have a similar outcome.

MPA urges members to ensure 'Safe Stop' procedures are in place for all employee and contract drivers, appropriate checks and training is in place.  See pdf for more information

The Sleep Charity is focusing on workplace sleep with its #SleepforSafety campaign and relaunch of its Sleep Charter.

A report highlights following key statistics;  

• 9 in 10 cite that they currently have problems sleeping

• Sleep deprivation costs the economy £40bn a year and over 200,000 working days lost

• Almost 60% have experienced their attention span being negatively affected by a bad night’s sleep more than once

• One in six crashes resulting in death and injury on motorways and A roads are fatigue related

• The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reports that fatigue contributes to around 20% of accidents in the workplace

The charity has produced a resource pack for organisations wishing to raise awareness of the importance of sleep, this includes a range of free resources and outlines initiatives that can be taken by organisations to promote good sleep. DOWNLOAD SUPPORT PACK

The charities vision to raise the profile of sleep as a major factor for health and wellbeing and to ensure that sleep becomes a key issue on the Public Health Agenda. If you’re a business or organisation please consider pledging your support to the Charter for Sleep Equality

Please support World Drowning Prevention Day by sharing some life saving water safety messages with colleagues, friends and family. It is important that everyone understands what to do if they see someone in trouble in water or if you find yourself in trouble.

More accidental drownings occur at inland waters such as canals, rivers, lakes, reservoirs and other water filled voids like disused quarries than at the coast. Often people who drown never intended to be in the water but have fallen in whilst engaged in activities close to the waters edge.

Key drowning statistics across the UK and communities:

• Males continue to over represent, with 83% of accidental fatalities.
• Everyday activities, such as walking and running, accounted for 48% of accidental fatalities.
• 63% of accidental fatalities happened at inland waters.
• Recreational activities accounted for 44% of accidental fatalities.

If you see someone in trouble in water 'Call, Tell, Throw'

• The water is a lovely place to spend time, but we all need to know how to stay safe. Know what to do in an emergency - #CallTellThrow https://respectthewater.com/

If you are in trouble in water ' Float to Live'

• #FLOATTOLIVE: Research by @RNLI highlighted that 36% of people did not know what to do if they were in trouble in water. Please help raise awareness of this life saving technique 'Float to Live' by sharing it with others. Visit https://rnli.org/safety/float Video: @RNLI

Based upon feedback shared by several MPA members, including information about a very serious accident overseas which sadly resulted in a fatality, MPA would like to draw to the attention of members to a potential issue with elevated walkways and platforms. (See more details in Safequarry Incident Alert)

Anecdotally, MPA has been informed of other similar incidents that have had serious potential and have resulted in relatively minor injuries, but could easily have resulted in a serious injury or death. (Corrosion can also affect structural integrity and corrosion can be hidden by spillage, for example).

As a matter of urgency, MPA members are advised to routinely inspect and report on the condition of elevated walkways and platforms to ensure that these potentially unsafe conditions do not exist within their own operations. MPA members are also encouraged to notify MPA of any adverse findings that may help others and keep this as a live issue and prevent further incidents.

We are grateful to members who have drawn these issues to our attention in the spirit of Safer By Sharing. Incident alerts and High Potential Incidents can be notified to MPA

By E mail to;

• Colin.mew@mineralproducts.org
• Chris.leese@mineralproducts.org 
• David.yelland@mineralproducts.org

Or directly via Safequarry https://www.safequarry.com/home/incident-alerts.aspx

We are all Safer By Sharing

Burlington Stone have produced a training video for their operatives on the safe use of black powder in quarries. The video was produced following a consultation with HSE on their training.  

The 17 minute video shows the different factors considered whilst drilling holes in the slate blocks and how the blasts are prepared.

View video