A healthy work environment is one that supports employees’ physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. While safety compliance is an essential part of this, workplace health also extends to culture, comfort, and day-to-day habits of the workforce. What is a healthy work environment? A healthy work environment is somewhere people can do their jobs safely, feel […]
Substance misuse is the unsafe or inappropriate use of alcohol, illegal drugs, or prescription and over-the-counter medication. It can affect a person’s health, behaviour, work, relationships, and safety, and may continue even when it causes harm. In the workplace, drug and alcohol misuse can lead to lateness, absenteeism, reduced productivity, and a greater risk of […]
New and expectant mothers are a particularly vulnerable group who may be affected by health and safety risks at work. As a result, there are a number of statutory instruments such as the Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1999, the Employments Rights Act 1996, Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and the Equality […]
Evacuation plans are required by law to ensure that everybody knows what to do in the case of an emergency. It is important that your plans are specific to your workplace and take all potential factors into account. What are some evacuation hazards? Evacuation hazards should hopefully be rare events and may be location dependent. […]
Working alone can increase the risk to the health and safety of any employee due to a lack of supervision and longer response times to potential emergencies. In an industry like transportation, where workers already have a high risk profile, lone working can exacerbate existing risks and introduce new ones. What are the risk for […]
Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, employers must manage the risk to lone workers. One of the key risks that affect lone workers is violence – defined by the HSE as ‘any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work’. Keep reading to […]
By law, employers are required to plan, manage and monitor the use of hazardous substances. An important aspect of this duty is ensuring that substances are handles and stored in line with risk assessments and legislation. What are the main substances covered by COSHH? COSHH covers many forms of substances that are hazardous to health. […]
Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) are designed to provide a safe work platform for temporary work at height to prevent falls. It is vital that the most appropriate MEWP is selected for the job, and that related hazards are identified and controlled. What are the hazards of MEWPs? MEWPs are an excellent solution for working […]
Many companies use contractors for specialist tasks that their own employees are unable to carry out. This could involve working on critical process plant and equipment or carrying out non-routine activities where there is a greater potential for harm if their work is not properly managed. So, how can you act responsibly to ensure that […]
Construction work naturally comes with many risks to health and safety, and control measures are heavily focused on physical hazards to counter this. However, it is important to remember the role stress plays in health and safety challenges faced by those in the construction industry. In the UK 22.1 million Working days lost due to […]