New guidance for cutting paving - ..as from may 6th 2008

[Tony McC]

Brew Cabin Irregulars will probably be aware that I've been involved with a HSE-led initiative to change the culture regarding how we cut paving in this country. In essence, we want to see an end to the nonsense of using a cut-off saw to spew out voluminous clouds of dangerous dust while protected (allegedly) by a 10p dust mask that's been under the passenger seat in the Tranny Van since before Xmas, and simultaneously showering nearby workmates, passers-by and the walls of the conservatory with the damned dust.

From now on, you MUST use water suppression whenever you cut concrete or sandstone paving. If possible, avoid saw cutting - use a splitter.

The fuller story can be found on the news page for this week.

This is not some nutty edict from do-gooders. This is simple common sense intended to make our trade a safer place to work, and to ensure we don't end up like so many of the miners, wasting each afternoon supping half a mild in the labour club in between sucking on an oxygen tank because their lungs are buggered with dust.

[lutonlagerlout]

i wonder does this apply to house bricks?
i often have to tooth bwk with a stihl,and when i tried to use the water attachment the mess was unbelievable (due to high speed and the horizontal nature of the cutting)
outlaw toothings maybe
i bought one of these a couple of year back but its so slow its practically stop,plus the vibration is terrible
interesting to find out
LLL

[Tony McC]

I would hazard guess that similar, but not the same, guidance has been issued for vertical masonry.

There has been guidance on using saws to cut paving for umpteen years, but it's been poorly understood and lacked active promotion, The new guidance is intended to give the subject new prominence.

If there was pre-existing guidance for cutting paving, it's a safe bet there is something similar for bricks and blocks.

[lutonlagerlout]

anyone else tried the arbortech as160?
a snip at £700 grrrrr
LLL

[matt h]

someone should inforn the bs*ds cutting the curbs in Farehanm town centre.. clouds of dust and totally disregarding the public shopping there chewing on the airbourne grit!

[matt h]

Dislexia getting the better of me..Fareham centre that was.

[matt h]

anyone else tried the arbortech as160?
a snip at £700 grrrrr
LLL

very neat but slow, only hire them when I need them though as cant afford the shillings

[lutonlagerlout]

anyone else tried the arbortech as160?
a snip at £700 grrrrr
LLL

very neat but slow, only hire them when I need them though as cant afford the shillings

neither can i matt but was assured it was like a knife through butter,more like a butter knife through granite
LLL

[Tony McC]

The completed version of the DVD Toolkit is now available from HSE, but there are limited numbers.

Anyone wanting to view the FollyWood blockbuster video we produced as part of the initiative can view it on this page of the main website.

[seanandruby]

Had to tell my mate at work off because he was cutting into a manhole ring by the side of a busy st without any water suppresion. i got the pump and connected it up for him, job done. 2 hours later the same lad was at it again, dust clouds all over the place. when i ranted at him all i got was a shoulder shrug. my firm is one of the largest construction companies going, yet we still havent had a toolbox talk, or been shown the video. i puchased a copy with a load of leaflets ( plus the free markers ) and intend to bring it up at the next meeting on safety. lads in the underground car park are still grinding off snots, grout loss joints etc with just a mask on and their faces covered in concrete dust. :p

[SFLandscape]

I have just got a clipper block paving cutter ( which is not very good by the way ) and does not come with anyway of connecting water,

err whats the answer or in the bin with it.

[dig dug dan]

the clowns doing the M1 widening near me are cutting without any water, and all the dust is going into the main carriageway

If they are not sticking to the rule, i fail to see why we should!!

[seanandruby]

the clowns doing the M1 widening near me are cutting without any water, and all the dust is going into the main carriageway

If they are not sticking to the rule, i fail to see why we should!!

the message doesnt seem to have got through yet.
apart from cutting, the jack hammers throw up a load of dust.
i gave my office safety meeting a load of leaflets and the dvd weeks ago. But all they done was put them in a drawer. ???

[Tony McC]

There was a review meeting in the middle of September and we're reasonably pleased with how things have gone to date. We never expected 100% compliance, or anywhere near it, in so short a time, but it is re-assuring to learn that groups such as MCG (Major Contractors' Group), CECA (Civil Engineering Contractors' Association), Highways Agency, Hire Association Europe and more are all supporting and enforcing the new guidelines. The stakeholder committee is aware that there is limited awareness amongst 'white van man' contractors and even term contractors, so our efforts over the coming months will focus more on these hard-to-reach groups.

Input from Brew Cabin Irregulars is incredibly useful. It gives us a great indication of 'penetration', so when someone reports that the contractors on the M1 job aren't playing by the rules, the HA can send a reminder to the main contractor to "have a word" with the lads on the tools. Even small incidents, such as spotting a driveway contractor using water suppression when we all know six months ago there'd have been a cloud of choking dust spreading across the neighbourhood, is useful feedback because it gives us a sense of how well, or how poorly, the message is getting across.

So keep that feedback coming in, please!

[GB_Groundworks]

went out today and balfour beatty are on chesterfield road in sheffield working saw 2 guys cutting the tarmac with ts400s with no dust suppression, no masks, no googles. clouds of dust being thrown up.