6.1M UK managers lack mental health training
New research reveals 6.1m UK workers with line management responsibility are not prepared for conversations about mental health with those they have a duty of care for.
The analysis, completed by health and safety training provider RRC International, found that one in four employees have management accountability, but 71% of them have no mental health training to support the people they look after.
This research into the disconnect between line managers and mental health training comes as data shows that mental ill health is the leading cause of long-term absence and the second most common cause of short-term absence in the workplace.
Read more on the HSM website.
Waste management company prosecuted after worker crushed by excavator
A waste management company in Hampshire has been prosecuted by Britain’s workplace regulator after a man had both legs amputated when he was crushed by a 15-tonne excavator.
The 24-year-old man was working for R W Waste Limited at its yard in Shedfield on 7 November 2023. The excavator, operating in the same yard, reversed over him as he was sorting waste. Both of his lower legs were later amputated and he has been unable to return to work since.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that R W Waste Limited failed to protect workers and other visitors to the site. The company had not put in place suitable arrangements to keep pedestrians safe while vehicles were moving around the yard.
Learn more about the incident on the HSE website.
Tests expose failures in online ‘safety’ shoes
The British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) has released a hard-hitting exposé revealing that several products marketed online as ‘safety shoes’ are failing to meet basic protective standards, potentially leaving workers at risk of severe injury.
Following the publication of the BSIF white paper, Combatting Substandard PPE in the UK, the federation is now releasing a series of striking social media videos. These videos provide a side-by-side comparison between the “indestructible” claims made in online advertisements and the reality of rigorous laboratory testing.
The first video in the series focuses on safety footwear, showcasing popular products marketed as lightweight, comfortable, and indestructible. However, when subjected to official British standards in a controlled laboratory environment, the results were “shocking.”
Visit the HSM website to learn more.
Up to 250,000 women protected from ill-fitting PPE
Up to 250,000 women will now be protected from unsafe working equipment following a GMB campaign.
EDF, JCB, BAE Systems and Bylor are among the companies who have signed up to GMB’s Inclusive PPE Charter.
Women’s Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is often men’s equipment shrunk to a smaller size – referred to as ‘shrink it and pink it’ – which doesn’t fit women’s bodies, is completely unfit for purpose and often dangerous.
As many as 70 per cent of women suffer from ill-fitting protective equipment, with tens of thousands feeling unsafe, embarrassed and scared at work, according to a GMB survey.
Read more on the HSM website.
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