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Market Report: Health & Safety pt2 Hand arm vibration, noise & dust Complete solutions An independent hirer in Hull is winning business by offering dedicated HAV advice and training. Alan Guthrie reports. Since its foundation in June 2004, offering customers comprehensive advice in HAV and other Health & Safety issues has been at the heart of Complete Hire Services. The single-depot business in Hull was established by Managing Director Peter Houldridge, who, having been in hire for 18 years, decided to set out on his own. “At the last count there were 17 other hire companies operating in Hull, and we decided to differentiate ourselves by focusing on new Health & Safety legislation and its consequences,” he states. “From day one we spoke to customers about issues like HAV but usually got blank looks. We decided to provide the fullest support we could with advice and training, offering a total package of equipment and backup.” Peter Houldridge has completed the HAV Risk Assessment and Management course delivered by the Industrial Noise and Vibration Centre, which is recognised by the Institution of Occupational Health. “We have devised HAV training courses for operators describing, in lay terms, the requirements of the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations (CVWR) and how they affect tool selection and usage. We also offer training for supervisors and managers, explaining risk assessment procedures and suggesting solutions that do not affect productivity. Template workbooks and other record-keeping aids can also be provided. This helps employers comply with Section 8 of the CVWR concerning training requirements.” Equipment purchases for the fleet take account of factors such as HAV, weight, noise and emissions. “We decided to source as much hand-held equipment as we could from suppliers who were addressing these issues, as well as offering reliability and the fullest backup,” states Peter Houldridge. “This has led to us forming strong partnerships with companies like Hilti, Wacker and Partner.” All equipment is labelled with the manufacturers’ quoted vibration figures, together with a points value relating to the amount of HAV an operator would be exposed to in a 15-minute period. “This enables usage to be broken down more manageably, so that supervisors and operators can evaluate daily exposure more easily, especially when working with different tools for different periods,” contends Peter Houldridge. A total of less than 100 points equates to a value below the 2.5m/s2 action value stipulated in the CVWR; a figure from 100-400 means health surveillance must be implemented, but falls within the 5m/s2 daily limit value; and more than 400 is above the limit value of permitted usage. “One local civil engineering company has used our management system for eight months and finds it easy to monitor operators’ exposure to HAV. They are also maintaining productivity. Generally, larger organisations have responded more quickly to this initiative. However, smaller companies are now approaching us, after having been appointed as sub-contractors to bigger organisations and realising their obligations.” Complete
Hire
Services,
which
is
working
towards
the
ISO
9002
quality
standard,
offers
training
on
other
Health
&
Safety
matters,
including
manual
handling,
abrasive
wheels
and
mobile
tower
erection.
“Legislation
must
be
viewed
positively,”
states
Peter
Houldridge,
who
is
a
member
of
the
“We are pro-actively differentiating ourselves from our competition and our approach is winning and retaining customers. Construction is a fickle market with some people selecting equipment purely on price. But we are providing valuable extras that give reassurance and build long-term business partnerships.” • T
01482
878889 Executive Hire News › Archives › April 2006 › Market Report › Complete solutions
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