The pressure to reduce UK plant
downtime is threatening health and
safety during maintenance,
according to 34% of maintenance
professionals in a study of 176
maintenance engineers and
managers by MAINTEC, a show
dedicated to industrial maintenance
and asset management, which takes
place from 5-7 March at the NEC,
Birmingham (preview page 16).

The study suggests that while
health and safety is a big priority for
85% of organisations, with 63%
saying is couldn’t be any more
important, it is coming under
pressure. The drive to reduce plant
downtime is a key factor with over a
third believing this is compromising
UK companies’ health and safety in
general, and a significant 23%, saying
it is an issue in their own companies.

A further 24% say maintenance is a
source of many accidents because
unrealistic time pressures are placed
on projects. The recession is cited,
with 11% arguing that cuts are
compromising health and safety.

Although time pressure is a key
issue, according to 47% of the
maintenance engineers studied,
maintenance is hazardous in the first
place because it is often outside the
normal routine; 34% say it is because
it involves outside contractors who
operate to different standards while
24% feel it’s because their own staff
don’t have a health and safety
mindset or, according to 21%, that
they cut corners.

When thinking of the places they
have worked, those surveyed report
that some of the biggest practical risks
have been falls from height,
disturbing asbestos, heavy falling
objects and failing to follow isolation
procedures.