As a nation we drove 317bn miles between us last year, whether through commuting to work or doing the shopping. But while most of us are aware of rules around driving safety like speed limits and maintaining our vehicles with regular services, are all of us aware of the new Child Car Seat safety rule…
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January 30, 2017
Driving home safety through safe workplace transport policy
2016 ended badly for one Staffordshire-based logistics company after they received heavy fines following two serious employee injuries in just two days in a story that should drive home the importance of safe workplace transport. Oxford Crown Court heard how on a 39-year-old male employee sustained crush injuries to his left foot when he was…
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December 18, 2016
Getting to grips with changes to Manual Handling guidance
It’s something we do every day at home and work, yet manual handling is the biggest cause of work related injuries in the UK. And if we don’t manage it properly, manual handling can lead to chronic, debilitating disorders including injury and damage of the joints or other tissues in the upper and lower limbs…
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November 28, 2016
New sentencing guidelines focus on potential outcomes of H&S breaches
How have the latest changes to sentencing guidelines affected the outcomes of recent cases and why should business owners shift their focus when managing Health and Safety failures? A recent case involving a care home resident falling down an unprotected stairwell provides a stark reminder of the need to protect against falls from height, specifically…
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November 21, 2016
Managing your team in extreme weather conditions [CHECKLIST]
With forecasters predicting up to four months of stormy weather ahead, Britain could be facing the worst winter in 100 years. Managing your team during a period of disruption can be a challenge, so here’s a quick checklist to make sure you’ve given yourself the best chance of success. With experts EXACTA WEATHER warning Brits…
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November 15, 2016
Slips and trips: six tips for exercising your duty of care on paths and car parks
During autumn and winter months there is increased risk to employees and other pedestrians from slipping and falling whilst walking between buildings or to their cars. Longer nights, less light, fallen leaves, and wet and icy weather are just some of the reasons for this increased risk, so it’s essential that the upkeep of these…
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October 25, 2016
New H&S sentencing guidelines are hitting small businesses hard
11% of ALL prison sentences for H&S offences (since guidelines were first introduced in the Health and Safety at Work Act in 1974) have been handed out in the last eight months to October 2016. In a trend we predicted in our Sentencing Guidelines update webinar earlier in the year (hat tip), recent reports show…
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September 27, 2016
Directors at SME doing time while Alton Towers case reaches conclusion
With Merlin, the owners of Alton Towers, fined £5 million following the Smiler accident in June 2015, the fact that two directors at another business received suspended prison sentences for H&S breaches in the same week may have gone unnoticed. And so might the prosecution of the scrapyard featured in a BBC documentary series. In…
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August 17, 2016
Pokémon Go: gotta catch ‘em all – even on a building site?
Pokémon Go is this year’s biggest craze. The global phenomenon sees people hitting the streets with their phones to capture and train Pokémon in a virtual world, using their surroundings as a platform. The elusive animations can be found just about anywhere, and the game has encouraged hordes of people to get off their sofas…
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July 29, 2016
On your guard: keeping your workplace machinery safe for employees
Whether you operate an industrial plant with heavy-duty equipment, a butcher’s shop with a meat slicer, or a joinery workshop with a laser cutting machine, you need to be aware of the vital systems that will keep your employees safe from moving machinery parts. In 2014/15, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reported 15 fatal…
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July 26, 2016
Is your business doing enough to manage asbestos risks?
A UK car manufacturer has been fined £120,000 for failing to protect workers from the risks of asbestos at one of its sites. The prosecution was brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), who also secured a conviction against a Kent school and building contractor for the same offence in January 2016. It’s no…
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July 18, 2016
Farms – places of work not playgrounds
The six-week school summer holidays can be a source of joy for children and frustration for parents. But 100 years ago, there was no danger of anyone getting bored or struggling to find childcare. School term times, including the long summer break, were developed to coincide with the agricultural calendar. During the summer months, children…
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