BPF H&S Committee visit HSE

The British Plastics Federation’s Industrial Health & Safety Committee enjoyed a rare opportunity to visit the HSE’s Science and Research Centre in Buxton last week. The Committee was treated to a tour of their labs where they carry out meticulous investigations into all incidents resulting in fatalities. HSE also delivered talks on RIDDOR reporting, the role of their inspectors and what they look for when on site, PACE, and their research on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in H&S and how it's being used by industry.

UK Government’s policy on AI is set by Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and is pro-innovation and opportunity focussed. While not introducing wide-ranging AI specific legislation there is a focus on enabling safe and trusted AI through regulation, the use of AI in where it impacts on health and safety in workplaces is within HSE’s remit.

The HSE’s research found a high level of AI use in manufacturing however stopped short of evaluating whether the AI technologies were appropriate in the applications. But they have identified benefits in the use of AI and some risks.

Benefits

• AI used with other technologies to remove workers from hazardous areas
• AI technology designed to improve health and safety

Risks

• Deskilling of workforce
• Human/machine interactions causing physical injury
• Algorithmic management increasing worker stress
• Poor training data meaning AI is not robust and can fail in new situations
• Lack of human oversight
• Security breaches causing loss of control

More work will be carried out by the HSE and updates from the BPF will follow.

The Industrial H&S Committee had a condensed version of their regular meeting, which included an update on their work to update the HSE’s safety sheets for the plastics industry and information on isocyanates which are used in a number of construction products including polyurethane paints, coatings, foams, glues and flooring. Certain tasks, such as spraying, can produce very high exposure and HSE are targeting sites where this may be a concern.

If you wish to know more about the BPF’s Industrial H&S Commttiee, contact [email protected]