Health and Safety Executive authorises Crown Censure of His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service following radon exposure at HMP Dartmoor
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has today notified His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) of its intention to issue a Crown Censure following an investigation into radon exposure at HMP Dartmoor in Devon. The investigation found that HMPPS failed to adequately manage radon exposure at the prison.
The Health and Safety Executive was first notified by HMPPS of suspected overexposure in February 2023. Subsequent monitoring confirmed that radon concentrations in areas of the prison, including prisoner accommodation, resulted in prisoners and staff being exposed to radiation levels above the legal limit.
HSE’s investigation concluded both prisoners and staff had been exposed to radon significantly above the specified dose limits for a prolonged period of time.
Read more on the HSE website.
Employers urged to reduce driving risks
Driving for work remains the single biggest cause of work-related deaths and injuries in Britain, prompting renewed calls for employers to strengthen road safety policies and procedures.
The warning comes as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), through its Scottish Occupational Road Safety Alliance (ScORSA) project funded by Transport Scotland, publishes a new best practice guide aimed at reducing occupational road risk.
According to RoSPA, more than five million people regularly drive as part of their job, while millions more travel for work-related meetings and commuting journeys each day. Research highlighted in the new Managing Occupational Road Risk – ScORSA Best Practice Guide found that around one in three fatal crashes on Britain’s roads involves someone driving for work.
Learn more on the HSM website.
HSE says no dry cutting of engineered stone ahead of inspection crackdown
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has today announced a major package of measures to protect workers from the dangers of engineered stone dust, including silicosis, a deadly-but-preventable lung disease caused by breathing in silica dust released during stone cutting.
The package includes the publication of new guidance making clear that dry cutting of engineered stone is unacceptable and that water suppression techniques, already used by many industry leaders, are how businesses should meet the legal requirement.
The guidance, launched ahead of this week’s Stone & Surfaces Show of industry leaders and tradespeople, will be backed-up by a nationwide inspection programme. Over the next 12 months, HSE inspectors will conduct more than 1,000 visits to fabricators across Great Britain, with enforcement action taken against those failing to meet the required standards. The first inspections are already underway.
More on the guidance on the HSE website.
Work taking toll on mental health, IOSH finds
Two in five professionals say they often experience challenges with their mental health as a result of their work or working life, according to new findings released by Institution of Occupational Safety and Health this Mental Health Awareness Week (11–17 May).
The organisation revealed the results of a recent LinkedIn poll which asked respondents: “Thinking about your work or working life, how often do you experience challenges with your mental health?”
The poll found that 40 per cent of respondents said they “often” experience mental health challenges linked to work. A further 29 per cent said they experience difficulties “sometimes”, meaning almost seven in ten professionals reported work-related mental health concerns to some degree.
Read more on the research on the HSM website.
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