• Question: What are your health and saftey precautions?

    Asked by keira to Andy, Bill, Grant, Kayleigh, Rain on 13 Mar 2012. This question was also asked by igotangryand, crf150.
    • Photo: Andrew Hearn

      Andrew Hearn answered on 12 Mar 2012:

      I think that is a really good question Keira – something that most people probably don’t think of, or take for granted!

      We have to do some one or two day courses here on site every two or so years, to keep us up to date on the latest precautions such as lifting and pushing heavy equipment, how we use the testing labs (like not having cables all over the floor, keeping dangerous things away from people accidentally knocking them over). There’s also an online questionnaire that we have to complete each year, little things we have to show that we understand such as not doing computer work every so and so to give our eyes and wrists a break, and how to sit properly on our chairs! I also did some fire extinguisher training a number of years ago – that was voluntary though.

    • Photo: Rain Irshad

      Rain Irshad answered on 13 Mar 2012:

      Ooh, there are lots, depending on what particular thing I’m working on. Laser work involves safety glasses to stop your eyeballs exploding – but the annoying thing is, the thing that makes the glasses work sometimes also stops you from seeing the laser!

      Working with cold stuff like liquid nitrogen means goggles and gloves too, so you don’t freezer-burn bits off. Radiation testing usually involves thick metal screens. My favourite is the four-page questionnaire I have to fill in every year to make sure my desk and chair aren’t dangerous…

    • Photo: Kayleigh Messer

      Kayleigh Messer answered on 13 Mar 2012:

      hmm that is an interesting question – I haven’t really thought about much. At work I am a fire marshal so I went on a fire extinguisher course and if there is a fire I have to make sure everyone leaves the office quickly. Otherwise it’s mainly common sense – don’t leave bags in the walkways of the office and watch where you’re walking! People working in different areas will have specific precautions to take.

    • Photo: Bill Price

      Bill Price answered on 22 Mar 2012:

      Safety is a big deal in the construction industry. It is number one on board meeting agendas and we do a lot of training and investment. WSP is very active in promoting safety and for example we add safety and risk notes to all our drawings. The Shard is a great example of a safe job and there have been only minor incidents on the site during construction.

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