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Risk Assessment on Seagulls

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Toasterinthebath
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Risk Assessment on Seagulls

Post by Toasterinthebath »

Morning All,

Bit of a strange one but here it go's!

I have arrived at the office this morning to be greeted with a chain of emails requesting that a risk assessment is done into seagulls at one of our sites dive bombing the staff. Now the staff wear the correct PPE which of course we all know seagulls hate bright coloured objects. Staff are now refusing to do the duties required due to the seagulls dive bombing at site.

Anyone any recommendations into this? Spoke to the local council about pest control but informed its that time of year not a chance.

Thanks
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Re: Risk Assessment on Seagulls

Post by Messy »

Sorry, my professionalism slipped when I read this as I did smile!! :roll:

Are they dive bombing across the site, or just in certain places? I am thinking that some gulls can get pretty angry if they think their nests/young are under threat. If they are attacking in defined areas, maybe removing their nests (assuming the breed is not protected) may be the answer

Good luck with this one!!
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Re: Risk Assessment on Seagulls

Post by Alexis »

Morning SD. :wave:

Finding the source of food and eliminating this would be the first thing to look for. However, if they are already nesting, it may be a bit of cart before the horse now.

There are bird people with a Hawk whom you can hire to scare the seagulls away, but once again, you have to watch for the Legislation (the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981) on this protected species and their eggs and hatchlings. https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildl ... yside-act/

Some good suggestions in this thread within the IOSH forums. http://forum.iosh.co.uk/posts/t62210-Seagull-attacks I especially like the suggestion of sprinklers?

Good luck.
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Re: Risk Assessment on Seagulls

Post by bernicarey »

Removing the nests is not a practical option as almost all Gulls are protected.
See RSPB site here: https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/community/wildl ... 08328.aspx
Highlights of the page:
The legal ins and outs of gull nest - or chick, heaven forbid - removal are quite complex, and the fact that the law is different for the two regular roof nesting species, the herring and lesser black-backed gull, whose chicks look practically identical....

However it sometimes looks in urban and suburban areas, gull numbers are declining in the UK - so much so that herring gull is now red-listed with somewhere around 60% population decline, and all other gull species are amber listed because of somewhat smaller but still worrying levels of population decline....

Those clauses in the Wildlife and Countryside Act that allow gull nests removed to protect public health do also stipulate that such methods can only be used if non-lethal methods have been tried and failed, and that the threat to public health is great enough to warrant such extreme action....

...a specific one-off licence from Defra or one of the devolved environment departments is needed before lethal action can be resorted to,
Depending on what your site is (as you haven't mentioned it), at the NEC and Exel Expos this year, I've seen a company that produces a laser scarer which comes in mobile and permanently installed systems. I think this was them, but there's probably a few manufacturers/sellers out there.
if your site is permanent like a factory rather than a Construction Site, it might be your long term solution.
https://birdcontrolgroup.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5fkixXNDVQ
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Re: Risk Assessment on Seagulls

Post by Toasterinthebath »

Thank you for your responses.

This is a vacant property which we conduct weekly ad-hoc checks of the building.
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Re: Risk Assessment on Seagulls

Post by bernicarey »

if it's a vacant property, I assume it's either derelict or your people are going up on the roof, patrolling the grounds or similar.
In which case, why is
Now the staff wear the correct PPE which of course we all know seagulls hate bright coloured objects.
in place.

Hi Viz is not a mandated uniform it's PPE which is last on the hierarchy. If there's nobody else involved, no vehicles etc, why is 'bright colours' a factor?

If you think the gulls are simply attacking because of the HiViz then ditch it, it's not serving any purpose unless there's another reason you haven't told us.
One summer many years ago I was in charge of a team dispatching an aircraft for a flying display, we were next to a corn field just outside the perimeter fence and were getting covered in literally 1,000s of little black beetles who thought we were corn!
I ordered the Hi Viz removed to ensure the aircraft was launched safely without distraction of bugs having risk assessed the likelihood of vehicle and aircraft movements in the very small area we were operating from.
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Re: Risk Assessment on Seagulls

Post by stephen1974 »

Can you put anti-bird measures up on where they are perching?
Having worked at a site with this exact problem *death by seagull, its one of the more unusual risk assessments I have done.

All I could really advise given our situation was
- Don't allow people to eat outside
- Don't allow people to congregate outside.
- Have anti perch spike things install along the roof edge where they gathered
- Employ a pest control service to manage the system. They can install what they call 'proofing', closing off nests, perch spikes, using hawks and as a last resort, killing them off.

I have had to do first aid on seagull strikes. They can be a menace.
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Re: Risk Assessment on Seagulls

Post by Jack Kane »

I'm a bit late into this post, catching up and the seagulls might have finished nesting but we have managed to just about fix the issue using a set of loudspeakers playing distress calls from seagulls being attacked by birds of prey. It's a bit annoying for people in the offices sometimes as it sounds like Jurassic Park! It's also a bit distressing to hear if you're an animal lover, but at least it prevents lethal action now.

There's also the usual deterrents like spikes, moving nests at the right time etc.

We still see one or two dive bombers when the chicks are roaming around the car parks just before they are ready to fly.

Another simple solution is to have an umbrella (folded away), broom, mop etc and holding above your head when likely to be dive bombed. It won't stop them getting a bit close, but it will stop them actually hitting your head.
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Re: Risk Assessment on Seagulls

Post by WillPool »

Like Jack, I am late to this thread.

The town I live in has terrible problems with gulls.

A lot of businesses have kites flying that are shaped like birds of prey, this seems to keep them away from there premises, these include two premises which were the food source for the birds a famous burger take-a-way and also a waste management/recycling yard.

A cheap option that willkeep them away from the immediate vicinity but only if there is a breezr to keep them airborne.

The burger place has it erected on a 3 metre whip-like antenna which keeps it above the roof level and away from them.

Hope this helps

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