Week Commencing 12/02/2024 – In The News

£2.15m fine following recycling worker fatality HSE inspector Stephen Garner explains the background to a fatal accident at a paper recycling plant. On 30 January 2020, 32-year-old Dean Atkinson was returning from the employee welfare cabins to his workstation on the picking line at Ward Recycling’s paper recycling plant in County Durham, England. Dean needed […]

Updates to First aid at work: Guidance on regulations (L74)

This blog breaks down the changes made in the most recent update to first aid at work guidance. These updates do not change what is required to comply with the law. Mental Health The updates to the guidance emphasise employers’ responsibilities to take account of employees’ mental health when conducting their first aid needs assessment. […]

Week Commencing 05/02/2024 – In The News

Wood dust failures lands £15k fine A manufacturing company has been fined £15,000 after exposing its own workers to wood dust and failing to comply with two improvement notices. Wood dust can cause serious and often irreversible health problems, including sino-nasal cancer, asthma and dermatitis. Employers have a legal responsibility to prevent or adequately control […]

Week Commencing 22/01/2024 – In The News

Hospital staff left with life-changing conditions Workers at Bio Decontamination Limited attended Scarborough Hospital on 18 September 2019 after being hired to carry out the decontamination of the Aspen ward. The company used ionised hydrogen peroxide to decontaminate the rooms in the ward. They failed to appropriately seal the rooms, meaning the ionised hydrogen peroxide […]

Safety Spotlight: Mental Health Awareness & Healthy Living

As part of January’s Hazard of the Month, Wellbeing, we’re highlighting two key areas: Mental Health Awareness and Healthy Living. Mental Health Awareness More than 17.9 million working days were lost in the last year due to stress, anxiety, or depression, with stress being the leading cause for sick days in the UK. All employers are required by […]

Week Commencing 04/12/2023 – In The News

Keep workers stay safe and warm, urges HSE Great Britain’s workplace regulator, the Health and Safety Executive, is stressing the importance of protecting workers during the cold weather. It comes as the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for ice and snow for parts of the UK. John Rowe, head of operational strategy said, “We’re calling […]

Fire Warden Role and Responsibilities

While fire safety is a communal responsibility in the workplace, fire wardens have specific duties to carry out both in their day-to-day role, and in the case of a fire. They are appointed by responsible persons in the business to assist them in meeting their legal fire safety obligations. Keep reading to learn more: Is […]

Week Commencing 20/11/2023 – In The News

Time to tackle “plague” of work accidents and ill health, says new IOSH President The new President of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is calling on the profession to challenge itself to develop new ways of tackling the “unacceptably high” number of work-related deaths, fatalities and ill health.   With an estimated […]

Week Commencing 13/11/2023 – In The News

Lighthouse Charity pioneers bold path for prisoners The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity is pioneering an innovative programme designed to reintegrate prisoners into the workforce and help bridge the longstanding skills gap in the construction sector. The pilot project at Cardiff Prison embraces the support of the Lighthouse Charity, GLA Group and Central Group to offer […]

Week Commencing 06/11/2023 – In The News

RED backs calls for increased van driver training Red Corporate Driver Training has backed calls from an influential road safety lobby for increased training requirements for van drivers. The European Transport Safety Council has written to MEPs asking for an extension to the use of Certificates of Professional Competence (CPCs) to van drivers, creating a […]