Collapsed 'Greenock' Backless IPS Sorting Frame

[TrueBlueTerrier]

LTB 900/12 Royal Mail - Collapsed 'Greenock' Backless IPS Sorting Frame - Serious Structural Failure & Near Miss:

No. 900/12
Ref C16/12
Date: 5 December 2012
To: All Postal Branches,
Dear Colleagues
Royal Mail - Collapsed 'Greenock' Backless IPS Sorting Frame - Serious Structural Failure & Near Miss:


This LTB is being issued further to my urgent communication to Area Safety Representatives via Regional Health and Safety Forum Secretaries on Monday 3rd December requesting urgent Safety Inspections be carried out on all Sorting Frames following the collapse of as new type 'Greenock' Flat Fronted, Backless IPS sorting frame at Croydon DO.


The New Delivery Methods Programme, Indoor Work Method Improvement Principles has seen the introduction of new IPS arrangements, using backless letters/flat sorting frame fittings, where space permits, and associated portering arrangements using trolleys to keep people sorting and minimise movement. On Monday morning 3rd December 2012, one of these Frames collapsed. Fortunately neither the staff member working at the frame or nearby staff were injured in what was a 'near-miss'.
Our urgent advice to ASRs extended to requesting that ALL types of Sorting Frames be urgently inspected, 'Greenock' Backless Sorting Frames, Standard Box Fitting Sorting Frames and RM 2000 Prep Sorting Frames - as the Health, Safety & Environment Department is also aware of reports of badly assembled RM 2000 Fittings, which has been previously raised with Royal Mail. With the agreed addition of 5th and 6th Wings to RM 2000's it is even more important to ensure the these frames have been put together in a structurally safe and fit for purpose condition and that they do not have vital structural components missing such as bolts missing or support legs, struts, braces, cross members missing which are required to reinforce and make safe the under-chassis and work area structure. There have been several reported incidents of Frames put together with plastic "Bag Ties/Cable Ties" which is not acceptable to Royal Mail HQ or
CWU HQ!
The incident in question occurred at Croydon DO on Monday morning, 3rd December, whereby a Flat Fronted C4, Greenock IPS backless sorting frame collapsed whilst in use. The CWU Area Safety Representative (Croydon & Sutton) attended the incident immediately and contacted the CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department from where Royal Mail HQ Delivery and Safety Directors teams were alerted and a Joint investigation was immediately initiated.


Within the Royal Mail Croydon site there are three Delivery Offices; Croydon DO, South Croydon DO and Thornton Heath DO, all of which have the Greenock IPS backless sorting frames.
It was established that the frame concerned was not struck prior to its collapse and the frame was not overloaded, having only around 100 mail items spread over the whole of the 54 box fitting when the incident occurred. A member of staff was sorting on the frame in question when it buckled under, bent over and collapsed to the floor! The frame in question was repaired that morning by Romec Engineers, passed fit for purpose and ready to use by Royal Mail Management and the CWU ASR, before being returned to service.
The joint Inspection then turned attention to the other Greenock sorting frames on site to see if there was site wide installation defects similar to that which led to the frame collapsing. The findings are listed below:

No frames were bolted together, although there are very long runs or lines on frames, with the exception of the 8 frames used by Thornton Heath DO which were bolted together.
A number of frames were found to have the supporting cross member on the frame table missing.
Bolts that affix the table legs to the table in many cases were missing. There should be 4 Bolts on each leg. However many of the frames on site had only 3 Bolts installed and in some cases only 2 Bolts were installed. As a result Several of the legs of the frame tables were "splaying" or "toeing" out because of the missing bolts and so a lack of robust fixing/support.
Many Frames were fixed together using bag ties/cable ties.
The Wooden rub strip was not installed on any of the frames on site.
The End panels were not installed on any of the frames on site.

In summary, the conclusion was that frame collapse was caused by the incorrect or poor installation and assembly of the sorting frame, primarily not enough bolts securing the legs to the sorting frame table.
It was confirmed that the Greenock IPS backless sorting frames at Croydon had in fact been assembled and installed by a firm of sub-contractors (a reputable, well-know construction company) and not Romec Ltd in this case. Royal mail will be taking up the issue of poor workmanship and leaving the sorting frames in an unsafe condition with the sub-contractor company concerned.
Following the incident and joint Inspection, Royal Mail contacted Romec and Romec engineers were called in to the Croydon site to inspect all the frames with immediate focus given to the inspection of the table legs and remedial action to ensure that 4 bolts are affixed to every leg so ensuring frame stability. It was agreed that this work would be followed up with the following further work:-

Bolting all frames together,
Removing all cable ties/bag ties,
Affixing end panels,
Affixing wooden rub strips,
Ensure all frame/table cross members are fitted.

A frame by frame report on faults found was completed by Romec Ltd and provided to Royal Mail with the remedial work to be completed in 48 hours. Both Royal Mail and our CWU ASR were then satisfied that all frames on site were safe to use.
Key issues identified were that:-
· Not all nuts/bolts had been fitted to the leg structures,
· Not all fittings had been bolted together when in a line,
· Support Bars/Cross Members missing on some frames/benches.


A quick safety guide as to what the fittings should look like and the Safety issues found on the Frames in the Croydon DO incident unit are attached to this LTB.

It is important that all Sorting Frames in all Delivery Offices are Inspected and faults corrected where necessary, Royal Mail and CWU HQ want to be sure that all Sorting Frames across the country are given a proactive check to ensure that and Frames with similar problems are resolved without delay.

As a matter of urgency all Regions (Safety Directors and Delivery Directors) have been requested to arrange for Delivery Offices within their respective Areas/Regions/Geographies who have had either Backless 'Greenock'
Frames or Standard 'Greenock' Frames installed to take the following URGENT action:

Using the attached "quick safety guide" carry out a visual inspection of all Greenock Sorting Frame fittings to ensure that none of the faults identified in the Croydon DO/incident unit are present.
If problems are identified, Delivery Offices should log an immediate call with the Helpdesk to arrange for a Romec Engineer to attend and inspect/rectify the faults found.
Similarly if other faults on 'Greenock' Sorting Frames (Backless or Standard), or any other Sorting Frames (RM 2000, Box Fittings etc) within the office, are identified with assembly, construction or other structural faults - again the Delivery Office should log a call with the Helpdesk to arrange for Romec attendance and remedial work.
Where faults are identified, details should be forwarded to Paul R Riddle by email so that Royal Mail HQ can maintain a record of the faults to identify any trends and problem suppliers. This will be further discussed with the CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department.

A list of those units that have been supplied with "Greenock" Sorting Frames is attached for your information. However any DOs that obtained them pre-IWM (Indoor Work Methods) programme will not be on the list but all
Sorting Frames should be inspected just the same.


Clearly, the 'Greenock' IPS Frames at Croydon DO were not assembled correctly and safely when installed from new by the Sub-Contractors concerned. There are however a number of other situations and factors that can potentially have an impact on the structural safety of Sorting Frames in DOs, both IPS Frames and RM 2000 Prep Frames. For example, when sorting frames are moved following revisions or DO layout changes, When DO mergers or Office moves to new locations take place, all of which may result in Sorting Frames being poorly dismantled and unsafely re-assembled if not risk managed sufficiently and if Frames are not reassembled by competent people and not Safety checked/Quality checked on completion.
Additionally, CWU/HQ Postal Department has recently agreed the use of additional (5th & 6th) wings on RM 2000 prep sorting frames, following an ergonomic study, in a joint initiative to regularise the current hap-hazard approach to Prep Frame configuration and assembly, brought about by Longer spans, Delivery Point Growth and need for packet storage, leading to frequent demands for larger Prep frames. Again it is imperative that all sorting frames undergo Safety Inspections as it is evident that many Frames are not in a safe condition and as such not compliant with the Provision and Use of Work Regulations 1998 (PUWER).


Recent revision activity predominantly due to the introduction of new delivery methods has seen a growth in the number 'Greenock' Backless Sorting Frames in DOs and increased delivery points on Delivery Rounds has led to a greater demand for larger RM2000 Prep Sorting Frames, which in turn has also led to a significant number of Delivery Offices across the country developing potentially unsafe Prep frame configurations outside of the standard size and construction.


A number of reports have been received from ASRs, which have been subsequently raised with Royal Mail in relation to poorly constructed and poorly extended Frames in breach of the Provision and Use of Work Regulations 1998 (PUWER). As an example of this, following the urgent circulation of the information regarding the IPS frame collapse in Croydon DO, the CWU Area Safety Representative (Darlington), promptly carried out an urgent Safety Inspections of all Sorting Frames at Richmond (North Yorkshire) DO on 4 December 2012 and found 26 RM 2000 Prep Frame Fittings and 1 Backless IPS Fitting with missing bolts, rendering them unsafe. The missing bolts were primarily from the front support legs and in some cases both legs had bolts missing. The ASR concluded that if the frames had been suffered an impact or been bumped into, then the whole Sorting Frame could have collapsed forward with serious consequences for those working nearby. Appropriate urgent action was taken by the DOM to make safe the Sorting Frames with Romec Ltd Engineers called in the check all bolts and fixings for safety. The conclusion was that the sorting frame fittings had been moved by Contractors, engaged to undertake the work but had been left in an unsafe condition. New Shelving in the Callers Office had also been poorly constructed and left in a very unstable condition, on the verge of collapse.
In the same way as the above reports on Croydon DO and Richmond (Nth Yorks) DO identified IPS Box Frames and RM2000 Vertical Slot Prep Frames held together with bag ties/cable ties and missing crucial fixing bolts or Support Struts/Cross Members, rendering the frames potentially unsafe and unstable, a number of Safety Reps have contacted the Health, Safety & Environment Department to report Fittings found in a similar condition. It is important that both basic Frame configurations plus the extended versions, new and old are constructed safely and competently by trained Engineers and Romec have approved components and kit available to them to ensure that all frames are constructed to a safe, sound and robust standard.
The work methods used when installing new Fittings or making changes to the location of Fittings clearly need adequate risk assessment, controls, monitoring and safety checks when completed to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of the workforce.
The Health, Safety & Environment Department has been in constant liason with Royal Mail Operations HQ and have agreed the necessary follow up monitoring activity as well as issuing parallel communications to Branches/ASRs, stressing the need for Safety checks on all Sorting Frames.


It has also been agreed with Royal Mail that DSMs and DOMs should liaise locally with ASRs/WSRs where possible to carry out checks jointly.


Any Management queries, concerns or problems should be directed to Mark Hogger Delivery Transformation Tel: 07885429282 or Email: mark.hoggar@royalmail.com or Peter Richardson Delivery Revision Assets Tel: 07702669081 or E-mail: Peter.e.richardson@royalmail.co.uk
All CWU Enquiries should be directed to Dave Joyce, CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department. Tel: 0208 971 7365/7308 or Email: djoyce@cwu.org. Address as above.
I would like to acknowledge the prompt actions of CWU Area Safety Reps:- Phil Boyle CWU Area Safety Representative (Croydon & Sutton), Ian Stevenson CWU Area Safety Representative (Darlington) and Paul Fenton CWU Area Safety Representative (South & East Thames Amal),


The Health and Safety Legislation:
Health and Safety At Work Act 1974

S2 States that It is the duty of every employer to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of all his/her employees, providing a safe place and safe system of work, safe plant and equipment, regularly maintained, safe access and egress, safe handling, storage and transport of articles and substances, Provision of information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure health and safety at work of his employees.


PUWER 1998 (Provision of Use and Work Equipment Regulations)
The Regulations require employers to ensure that equipment provided at work is safe and suitable for use, maintained in a safe condition, inspected, used only by those informed, instructed and training.

Attachments:


1. Croydon Collapsed Backless Frame ppt Photos.
2. Greenock frame installation safety check guide.
3. Excel File - List of Delivery Offices supplied with 'Greenock' Flat Fronted, Backless & Standard IPS sorting frames.
4. Croydon Collapsed Backless Frame Report.
5. RM Safety Notice - Greenock Frame Installation Incident.
6. Romec 'Method Statement' Sorting Frame Moves and Installations for 'Backless C4 Greenock Frames.
Yours Sincerely


Dave Joyce
CWU National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

[TrueBlueTerrier]

RMC Cant add attachment as too large but download original LTB and look at the pictures - never mind Murphys' Rules - I think he put these frames together.

Bolts missing, frames not joined together and when they were it was only by tie wraps.

A World Class Murphy.

[Lounge Lizard]

Doesn't Dave Joyce realise that a circular of well under 2300 words might get read by some members ?

[watdeadlyone]

Looks Like World Class Mail is an even bigger joke than it looks like on paper. A blatent disregard of the posties safety get again

[DB1100]

I wish I had been standing by it.

[k979aaa]

Pictures would be nice

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Pictures would be nice

sorry to self quote but

RMC Cant add attachment as too large but download original LTB and look at the pictures - never mind Murphys' Rules - I think he put these frames together.

Bolts missing, frames not joined together and when they were it was only by tie wraps.

A World Class Murphy.

[fishtank]

Pictures would be nice

[bunkerland]

Pictures would be nice

Or a video of it maybe,could of sent it in to.....You've Been Framed!