This is your February 2021 Be Safe brief 

There are two versions of the safety brief – a video version and a text version.

Please watch or read the version that you prefer.

Page contents


Video


Text version

This month's brief includes

  • See it, share it
  • Transport for London safety alert
  • Manual handling activity training

See it, share it

Opeyemi Osiyemi, key influencerCongratulations to this month’s See it, share it winner. The award goes to Opiyemi Osiyemi on our Balfour Beatty ITT contract. Another contractor working for London Underground had left their area of the platform dirty so Ossie arranged for his gang to sweep the platform clean including this area before handing back.

Keeping a surface clean to avoid trips and falls is part of looking after each other, and making sure an area is clear before handback is one way to deliver on our promises to our clients – thank you Opi.

Please remember to share observations and good practice – email besafe@vgcgroup.co.uk.

Transport for London safety alert

During engineering hours, staff were working next to live conductor rails without being aware. This is a major hazard. One of the factors which the investigation identified was the documented safe system of work did not identify these live conductor rails.

Whenever you are working on Network Rail or London Underground, always assume all traction rails are live until proven otherwise. If you are not sure, ask the person in charge.

Manual handling activity training

Manual handling trainingRecently, a VGC operative working on one of our projects undertook various manual handling activities. Over the morning his lower back started to hurt. By lunchtime he couldn’t carry on working. We found that he had not had any formal manual handling training.

The original plan was to use a machine to do the lifting, but this was changed at the point of work because the plant was unavailable at the time. 

The operative was diagnosed with a pulled muscle in his lower back and as a result spent several days off work. 

If you are asked to do any manual handling activities, ensure you have the correct training. You need to be briefed on what is expected. If you feel uncomfortable about the activity, stop and raise this with your supervisor.

If the work can’t be carried out as set out in the briefing, you must stop and ask for further instructions. One of our four Be Safe rules is stop work if anything changes. This is to keep everyone safe.

The four Be Safe rules

Please remember our four Be Safe rules: 

  1. Be fit for work 
  2. Get a brief before you start work
  3. Report anything unsafe
  4. Stop work if anything changes

If you have questions about any part of this brief, or want to raise any observations of good practice or things that could be improved, please email besafe@vgcgroup.co.uk or fill in the online form at vgcgroup.co.uk/whistle.