Mandatory sight tests for drivers over 70 considered
The Association of Optometrists and The College of Optometrists have welcomed the move that will be the most significant shake-up of driving laws in a decade.
Mandatory sight tests for drivers over the age of 70 could be included as part of an overhaul of driving laws in the new road safety strategy, set to be published in the autumn.
Responding to the move, Adam Sampson, chief executive of the Association of Optometrists (AOP) said: “We welcome the potential changes to driving laws in England and Wales that will tighten up vision standards, as a long-overdue step toward modernising road safety.”
Read more on the HSM website.
Building firm fined after employee killed by collapsing wall in Bath
A building company has been fined after an employee was crushed to death when a 1.8m high retaining wall collapsed onto him.
Gary Anstey, 57, from Bristol, was working for H. Mealing & Sons Limited at a construction site at a school in Bath when the incident happened on 19 March 2019.
An investigation by the Health Safety Executive (HSE) found that H. Mealing & Sons Limited failed to properly plan and supervise the construction of the retaining wall at Swainswick School. This led to it becoming unstable when a large load of aggregate was placed against the incomplete wall which was not supported.
HSE guidance Temporary Works – HSE requires that any temporary structure must be designed and installed to withstand any loads placed against it and that it is used in accordance with its design. This includes ensuring appropriately trained operatives are provided with a suitable written design and plan to install to ensure the structure remains stable.
For more on the incident visit the HSE website.
New BSI standard to address gaps in PPE fit
Practical guidance designed to ensure employers across all sectors provide staff with personal protective equipment (PPE) that fits, regardless of gender, ethnicity, body shape, age, or disability, has been issued in a long-awaited move designed to help struggling sectors retained skilled workers and ultimately enhance people’s safety at work.
The Provision of Inclusive Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Guide (BS 30417), freely available to support accessibility, aims to address the longstanding issue of ill-fitting PPE. Traditionally designed around the ‘average man,’ PPE often falls short in meeting the needs of today’s diverse workforce.
Published by BSI in its capacity as the UK national standards body, its release comes as new research shows that 46% of British women who have been supplied PPE or uniform have been supplied something that doesn’t fit. In industries ranging from construction and healthcare to policing, poor fit isn’t just an inconvenience, it can pose serious safety risks, threaten long-term health, or drive skilled professionals out of sectors already struggling with labour shortage.
Learn more on the HSM website.
Construction company fined after child injured by falling cast iron soil pipe
A construction company and its director have been fined after being found guilty of safety breaches that resulted in a five-year-old child being injured by a falling cast iron pipe.
Sage Homes Limited and its director were convicted on Monday 4 August 2025, at Southampton Crown Court, for failing to properly assess a foreseeable risk.
The incident occurred on 20 July 2021, during building work on an extension to a house in Totton – a few seconds’ walk from a local primary school. A cast iron pipe fell onto a passing child striking him on the head and fracturing his skull.
The base of the pipe had been broken away by the builder some days before to allow him to excavate into the concrete floor. When a TV cable was freed from the pipe, the top two sections of pipe, weighing over 45kg, fell across the pavement. The cast iron pipe was estimated to date from the 1930s, and both the pipe and the fixings were corroded.
Visit the HSE website to read more.
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