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Legal
2018 and beyond
I do hope all our members have had an enjoyable Christmas and New Year. At Head Of ce we are now looking forward to the start of our new nancial year at the beginning of February. We have a great many developments planned for 2018 and I hope that these will greatly enhance the membership experience for you all.
We have a project underway to update the way we manage your data. The current computer software system is limited in its functionality and information we can store and hold; the updated database will enable the NAS to offer more bene ts directly to all members and af liates.
With changes to the data protection legislation early in 2018, along with the membership bene t improvements, it is ever more important that the Society ensures that we are able to offer methods to manage your data in a safe and compliant way. This will certainly assist with ongoing bene ts that the Society may offer to you in the future.
There is a great deal of work ahead to ensure the system we implement is capable of more. To this end it is important that
we receive all af liate details electronically, ideally on an Excel spreadsheet (other electronic formats will be accepted) including full contact details and email addresses. You can include plot numbers or other speci c information for your association, which we will endeavour to include as we build the system. This will also assist with the ‘Allotmenteers Liability Insurance’ available from March/April 2018. Further information is available in the centre pages.
We have building work starting at Head Of ce during January, weather dependant. This will give us much needed extra oor space
in the boardroom for meetings and a further training schedule; also this will extend our stockroom to allow us to hold a wider range of resources and show kit.
With regards to our promotion and protection work for allotments we have further meetings planned in the early part of the year with the Department of Communities and Local Government in relation to endeavouring to have allotments created within all the developments of the new Garden villages and Garden Towns.
We now have two projects underway for the creation of new sites, one with BT and the other with Network Rail. The Management Committee had a presentation from BT at the end of November and as a result we are looking forward to further sites being released throughout England during spring 2018. Network Rail have 40 potential sites throughout England, Wales and some in Scotland.
We are bringing another six new lea ets on board for 2018 and have a “Living and Growing” theme for the year ahead which will be incorporated in all NAS Show Stands throughout the country and also for National Allotments week in August.
This year’s NAS AGM will be held at Wyboston Lakes near
St Neots in Bedfordshire. We will have the business session in
the morning and a range of workshops for delegates to rotate around in the afternoon. We have negotiated an excellent rate for accommodation and have arranged a tour around Audley End on Sunday 3rd June. Please complete your delegate form enclosed with the magazine and join us for the 2018 AGM.
Liz Bunting, Legal and Operations Manager
CHANGES FOR RODENT BAITS – MARCH 2018
Changes are coming into force via the European Chemical Agency. Assessments have revealed some health issues may occur when higher concentrations of rodent baits are used by the general public.
The new legislation comes into force on 1st March 2018 and reduces the maximum level of active ingredient from 0.005% to 0.003% (50 parts per million ppm to 30ppm).
The pack sizes are also changing along with active concentrations, so that all amateur / consumer baits will have a maximum pack size. Bait blocks will be subject to a maximum
pack size of 300g for rats and 150g for mice, and grain, pasta or pellet baits will be subject to a maximum pack size of 150g for rats and 100g for mice. This is so that there is a great distinction between professional and amateur products. It also helps prevent people buying and storing huge quantities of bait which could be dangerous for the environment.
These new requirements only apply to anticoagulant baits. Traps and fast-acting mouse killers are not affected by these changes and will continue as they are.
Please see Rentokil’s guide to secure baiting www.thinkwildlife.org
Legionnaires’ disease – understanding the health risks
What is Legionnaires’ disease?
Legionnaires’ disease is a potentially fatal pneumonia caused by legionella bacteria. It is the most well-known and serious form of a group of diseases known as legionellosis. Other similar (but usually less serious) conditions include Pontiac fever and Lochgoilhead fever.
Infection is caused by breathing in small droplets of water contaminated by the bacteria. The disease cannot be passed from one person to another.
Everyone is potentially susceptible to infection, but some people are at higher risk, e.g. those over 45 years of age, smokers, heavy drinkers, those suffering from chronic respiratory or kidney disease, and people whose immune system is impaired.
Where are legionella bacteria found?
Legionella bacteria are common in natural water courses such as rivers and ponds. Since legionella are widespread in the environment, they may contaminate and grow in other water systems such as cooling towers and hot and cold water services.
They survive low temperatures and thrive at temperatures between 20-45°C if the conditions are right, e.g. if a supply of nutrients is present such as rust, sludge, scale, algae and other bacteria. They are killed by high temperatures.
What are the duties under the law?
Under general health and safety law, you have to consider the risks from legionella. As a person in control of premises as a self-managed site or a landlord, you must:
• identify and assess sources of risk
• prepare a scheme or course of action for preventing and
controlling the risk
• implement and manage the scheme by appointing a person
to be managerially responsible
• keep records and check that what has been done is effective
Assessing the risk
The risk assessment is your responsibility as the person in control
of the premises. You may be able to carry out the assessment yourself; if not, you should call on help and advice from within your own organisation or, if this is not available, from outside sources, e.g. consultancies.
You need to nd out if your water systems (including the equipment associated with the system such as pumps, heat exchangers, showers etc.) are likely to create a risk.
Ask yourself the following:
Are conditions present which will encourage bacteria to multiply? E.g. is the water temperature between 20-45°C?
Is it possible that water droplets will be produced? If so, could they be dispersed over a wide area? E.g. consider showers and aerosols from cooling towers.
Is it likely that anyone particularly susceptible will come into contact with the contaminated water droplets?
Further detailed guidance can be obtained from the Health and Safety Executive – www.hse.gov.uk
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