Vehicles, Machinery, Noise & Vibration

What does HSE say is the most effective way of making sure pedestrians and vehicles move safely around a workplace?

• AHigh-visibility clothing worn by drivers on site
• BA 5 mph speed limit painted at the site entrances
• CSeparate traffic routes for pedestrians and vehicles✓
• DA loud reversing alarm fitted to every vehicle on site

Answer: Providing separate pedestrian and vehicle traffic routes is the most effective way of ensuring pedestrians and vehicles move safely around a workplace. Where possible a one-way system should also be used, and where full segregation is not possible routes should be clearly marked with barriers and signs. Reversing alarms, high-visibility clothing and speed limits help but do not remove the contact between people and vehicles.

You are walking across the yard and see a lorry starting to reverse into a marked reversing area. What does HSE say you should do?

• AKeep well away from the reversing area until the manoeuvre is over✓
• BWalk behind the lorry quickly while the driver is still going slowly
• CCross close in front of the cab, where the driver is bound to see you
• DStand directly behind the lorry so the driver can see you in the mirror

Answer: Around a quarter of all deaths involving vehicles at work occur as a result of reversing. HSE says people should be kept away from reversing areas and operations, so the safe action is to stay clear until the vehicle has stopped. Walking behind a reversing lorry, standing in its path or cutting in front of the cab all put you where the driver may not see you.

Your supervisor asks you to act as a banksman for a reversing tipper. Which condition does HSE say must be met?

• AYou have driven the same type of tipper, so you understand its blind spots
• BYou have been trained as a banksman and stay visible to the driver throughout✓
• CYou hold a high-visibility flag and move around to wherever you get the best view
• DYou keep in radio contact with the driver from inside the site office

Answer: Banksmen guide drivers and make sure reversing areas are free of pedestrians, and HSE says only trained banksmen should be used. They must be clearly visible to the driver at all times, use a clear and recognised system of signals, and stand in a safe position throughout the reversing operation. Having driven the vehicle is no substitute for training, radio contact from the office means you cannot see the area, and moving around for a better view breaks the safe-position rule.

You drive a forklift in a distribution centre. When does HSE say your daily vehicle safety checks should be carried out?

• AOnly when a warning light comes on during the shift
• BAt the start of every shift, signed off on a list✓
• CAt the end of every shift, once the last load is done
• DOnce a week, when the maintenance team visits the site

Answer: Drivers should be given a list of daily checks to be signed off at the start of each shift, and this should be monitored to make sure the checks are done properly. Daily safety checks by drivers are part of planned preventative maintenance alongside regular inspections based on time or mileage. Checking at the end of the shift, weekly or only after a warning light means faults are found after the vehicle has already been driven.

Which of these is a hazard when you are operating a machine with moving parts?

• ASafety glasses and safety shoes
• BThe manufacturer's instructions kept nearby
• CA clean, tidy and well-lit area around the machine
• DLoose long hair or a dangling neck chain✓

Answer: HSE's machinery don'ts include wearing dangling chains, loose clothing, rings or loose long hair that could get caught up in moving parts. Parts of the body can be drawn into or trapped between rollers, belts and pulley drives, which is why loose items are a hazard. Wearing the protective equipment required for the machine, keeping the area clean, tidy and well lit, and using the machine in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions are all things HSE says you should do.

You arrive for your shift and find a 'DANGER - do not use' tag on the bandsaw, but the machine looks fine. What should you do?

• ARun the saw briefly to test it, then take the tag off if it seems fine
• BTake the tag off yourself, since the saw is clearly working normally
• CUse the saw but keep the tag in your pocket so the next user sees it
• DLeave the saw alone until an authorised person has removed the tag✓

Answer: A machine or appliance with a danger sign or tag attached must not be used. Danger signs should only be removed by an authorised person who is satisfied that the machine or process is now safe, so the fact that it looks fine to you is not enough. Removing the tag, pocketing it or test-running the saw all defeat the warning and could injure you or the next user.

A blockage needs clearing from a conveyor at the recycling plant. Before anyone reaches in, what does HSE say must happen to the conveyor?

• AIt is put into reverse, and the blockage is pushed back out with a long bar
• BIt is switched off and isolated, and locked off if the power could be switched back on✓
• CIt is kept running slowly, and the guard is lifted only for as long as the blockage takes to clear
• DIt is set to its slowest speed, and a colleague stands ready at the emergency stop button

Answer: A machine must be properly switched off, isolated or locked off before any action is taken to remove blockages, clean or adjust it. Lock-off is needed if there is a chance the power could be accidentally switched back on, and any stored energy such as compressed air or hydraulic pressure should be released first. Running the conveyor slowly, relying on a colleague at the emergency stop or reversing it all leave moving parts live while someone works on them.

At what daily or weekly noise exposure must your employer provide hearing protection and set up hearing protection zones?

• A75 dB(A)
• B85 dB(A)✓
• C80 dB(A)
• D87 dB(A)

Answer: Under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, a daily or weekly exposure of 85 dB(A) is the upper exposure action value at which employers must provide hearing protection and hearing protection zones. At the lower value of 80 dB(A) the employer must assess the risk, give information and training, and provide protectors if you ask for them. The exposure limit value of 87 dB(A), taking account of hearing protection, must not be exceeded, and 75 dB(A) is not a value in the Regulations.

You need to walk through an area signed as a hearing protection zone to reach the canteen. What does that sign mean?

• AAccess is restricted and you must wear hearing protection✓
• BThe noise is a nuisance but sits below the action values
• CHearing protection is advised if you stay over an hour
• DEar plugs are available on request from the supervisor

Answer: Hearing protection zones are areas of the workplace where access is restricted and wearing hearing protection is compulsory. Employers must identify these zones where exposure is at or above the upper exposure action value, and protectors must be worn fully (all the time they are needed) and properly (fitted or inserted correctly). The zone is not advisory, is not about plugs being available on request, and marks noise above the action values rather than a harmless nuisance.

You are regularly exposed to noise above the upper exposure action value. How often does HSE say your hearing checks should normally be carried out?

• AEvery year for the first two years, then every three years✓
• BEvery three years for the first six years, then yearly
• CEvery six months for the first year, then every year
• DEvery month for the first year, then every two years

Answer: Health surveillance for noise usually means regular hearing checks, carried out annually for the first two years of being exposed and then at three-yearly intervals. Employers must provide it for employees likely to be frequently exposed above the upper exposure action values, and the checks may need to be more frequent if a hearing problem is detected or the risk is high. Six-monthly, monthly or three-yearly-then-yearly patterns are not what the guidance describes.

After a winter using a road breaker your fingertips go white in the cold and then red and painful as they warm up. What does HSE say this is a symptom of?

• AHand-arm vibration syndrome✓
• BWork-related contact dermatitis
• CCarpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)
• DNoise-induced tinnitus

Answer: Fingers going white (blanching) and becoming red and painful on recovery is a symptom of hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). HAVS also causes tingling and numbness in the fingers and loss of strength in the hands, and HSE says you should recognise and report symptoms because with continued exposure they can become permanent. Carpal tunnel syndrome is the other vibration-related condition but is described by tingling, numbness, pain and weakness rather than blanching; dermatitis is a skin disease and tinnitus is ringing in the ears.

What daily exposure limit value for hand-arm vibration does the law say you must not be exposed above?

• A5 m/s² A(8)✓
• B10 m/s² A(8)
• C0.5 m/s² A(8)
• D2.5 m/s² A(8)

Answer: The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 set a daily exposure limit value of 5 m/s² A(8) for hand-arm vibration, a high risk above which employees should not be exposed. The exposure action value of 2.5 m/s² A(8) is the lower level at which employers must introduce measures to reduce exposure. You can help by using tools as trained to reduce grip force, keeping warm and dry to maintain good blood circulation, and spending less time holding vibrating equipment; 10 m/s² A(8) is not a value in the Regulations, and 0.5 m/s² A(8) is the whole-body vibration action value rather than a hand-arm figure.