HSE inspections tackling exposure to flour dust in bakeries
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is carrying out a series of inspections at large bakeries across Great Britain from January 2026.
Inspectors will check that employers are properly protecting workers from the dangers of dusty ingredients including flour dust.
Exposure to certain dusty ingredients can lead to occupational asthma, a serious and potentially life-changing condition, with flour dust being one of the most common causes of occupational asthma in Great Britain. Exposure to other dusty ingredients, such as bread improver enzymes, can also cause respiratory sensitisation.
Read more on the HSE website.
‘James Bond’ builder who threatened HSE inspectors found guilty
A builder who threatened inspectors from Britain’s workplace regulator and told them his name was James Bond has been fined.
David Robert Lane, 59, was the site manager of an extensive cottage refurbishment in Staffordshire when unsafe work caught the attention of two inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The pair had been carrying out routine inspections in the Rugeley area on 11 February 2025 when they saw two people on the site accessing a roof from the bucket of an excavator.
Clearly identifying the practice to be unsafe, the inspectors decided they had to stop and take action.
For more on the incident visit the HSE website.
Burnout issues highlight urgent need for action
IOSH is urging employers to take decisive, preventive action on workplace stress, as new data shows almost two in five (39 per cent) young adults aged 18–24 took time off work due to burnout in the past year.
The findings, published in Mental Health UK’s latest Burnout Report, reveal persistently high stress levels across the UK workforce, with 91 per cent of all respondents reporting high or extreme stress in the last 12 months. Young workers are being disproportionately affected, with isolation at work, fears of redundancy and rising workloads identified as key pressure points.
Learn more on the HSM website.
IOSH helps shape European move on asbestos risk
Policy experts at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) have secured key changes to new European Commission (European Union) guidelines for managing asbestos-related health and safety risks at work.
Late last month, the Commission adopted new guidelines aimed at supporting national authorities, employers and workers to manage risks related to workplace exposure to asbestos. The guidance was developed after extensive consultation with stakeholders, with IOSH stepping forward to feed into the discussions and the proposed draft guidance.
Asbestos is the biggest cause of occupational cancer, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives a year worldwide. It remains a major global challenge to both occupational health and public health. IOSH believes it must be addressed through improved public policy and occupational safety and health (OSH) management.
For more on the guidelines visit the HSM website.
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