How many machines do you have responsibility for? When was the last time you safely carried out a function test to prove the safety devices were in place and operated correctly? There have been several recent prosecutions of companies for accident to employees where the safety control devices have either been removed or over ridden.…
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E-Cigs: smoking or non-smoking?
Smoking or non-smoking? Or maybe the more appropriate question to consider for the increasing popular use of “electronic cigarettes” would be: Are electronic cigarettes considered the same as smoking normal cigarettes? An estimated 1.3 million people in the UK use e-cigarettes which were designed to help smokers quit. Smoking rates have fallen to their lowest…
View PostChanges to Food Allergens Regulation
The way in which allergens are labelled on pre-packed foods is changing because of new regulations. The Food Information for Consumers Regulation (EU FIC), which is due to come into force in December 2014, introduces the requirements for food businesses to provide information about the allergenic ingredients used in any food that they sell or…
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May 30, 2014
Beware of the picnic trip
Search for that picnic hamper you put away last year give it a good clean. Check and clean the plates and cups check on the thermos flask is still keeping the water hot. It’s a lovely day and what better way to spend your time than loading up the car and setting off to the…
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April 29, 2014
The right person for the right job
Summer is here and it’s time to get started on all those home improvement projects you’ve had planned over winter. You may be thinking about extending your house, refurbishing your kitchen or bathroom or even having your garden landscaped. But how do you select the right contractor for the job? You can save a lot…
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April 24, 2014
Paying the price for poor health & safety
Are you breaking health and safety laws? Did you know that you could be charged if the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has to intervene because of poor health and safety practices? The HSE will charge you for any time and effort spent on investigating, correcting problems and taking enforcement action. What is fee for…
View PostMarch 28, 2014
Driving posture: A cause of long term pain
Every day, millions of people travel to and from work by car or drive around all day in lorries or trucks for their jobs. For some, driving is the primary means of transport for journeys to and from work, also for some driving a motorised road vehicle is their job, for example truck drivers, bus…
View PostIntroducing…the new Health and Work Service
A new government initiative, aimed at reducing sickness absence in the workplace, will soon be up and running. The Health and Work Service, available in England, Scotland and Wales, is designed to address the problem of the million a year employees who are off work for over four weeks, which costs employers around £9bn annually…
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February 28, 2014
Builder could be jailed for serious safety failings
A Lincoln builder has been handed a four-month suspended prison sentence after a bricklayer fell three metres from faulty scaffolding, breaking his back in three places. Robert Wilkin, 70, of Lincoln, was left paralysed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life following the incident at a warehouse…
View PostSpring and summer safety tips
The days are getting longer and the clocks will soon go forward, so it’s time to dust off those spring and summer gardening tools. Hopefully, it will be a pleasant warm one after all the rain and flooding people have suffered should it be a very sunny one remember sun protection for out door working.…
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February 11, 2014
Emergency safety announcement – Dangerous work platforms
An emergency safety alert has been issued after a mobile elevating work platform overturned at its maximum height, killing the operator. Emerging findings from Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigations have found that there may be a serious fault with ‘Genie Z135/70 Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWP)’ owing to incorrect measurements. Owners and users of…
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January 30, 2014
HSE clamps down on risks from harmful substances
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Construction Division is cracking down on poor management of risks from harmful substances. Heather Bryant, the HSE’s Chief Construction Inspector has said that employers in the construction industry have lost their way when it comes to protecting employees and others from the effects of harmful substances. There is a…
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