Archive for March, 2011
30/03/2011
Olympic Lessons – Prevent falls during off-loading of vehicles
HSE is publishing this series of short case studies to promote some of the new and practical solutions used to manage health, safety and welfare during construction of the London 2012 projects to help inspire further ideas to deal with hazards and manage risk. Background A multi storey car park was constructed on the Olympic [...]
28/03/2011
New online directory to increase confidence in health & safety advice
A new online directory to help businesses find a health and safety consultant that they can trust to give sensible, expert advice has been launched. More than 1,600 highly qualified consultants in the UK have signed up to the online Occupational Safety and Health Consultants Register (OSHCR). It has been created to increase employers’ confidence [...]
25/03/2011
Safety watchdog declares construction sites unsafe in parts of Yorkshire & the Humber
Ten construction sites in parts of South Yorkshire & the Humber were so dangerous that workers lives were being put at risk according to inspectors who visited them during February and March. In an initiative aimed at reducing deaths and injuries, inspectors from the HSE targeted 52 refurbishment sites involving 75 contractors. Ten were found [...]
25/03/2011
Firms urged to prepare for crisis
A new survey by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has found that fewer than half of firms in the private sector are prepared to deal with unexpected problems such as extreme weather or cyber attacks, putting businesses at risk due to their lack of organisation. Nearly two-thirds of the over 1,000 managers questioned said their [...]
22/03/2011
Poor jobs ‘can affect well-being’
Research has suggested that government policies should also consider the quality of people’s working life, as a poor job could affect a person’s well-being. The Australian National University study shows that a huge workload, poor pay and a lack of security could be as harmful to mental health as being unemployed. The report added that [...]
20/03/2011
2012 may see flexible working hours
Flexible working could be permitted by a third of large firms so staff can watch the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In a survey, as many as 32% of businesses said they would be happy for staff to take time out to watch live events and make up hours at the start or end of the [...]
11/03/2011
Site manager sentenced after worker exposed to asbestos
A construction site manager has been sentenced after directing a bricklayer to demolish a wall that contained asbestos, which put him at serious risk. The site manager was supervising a refurbishment; a full site survey for asbestos had been carried out, but the site manager failed to check the warnings it gave and instructed a [...]
10/03/2011
FREE working at height film!!
Here’s a great video for those involved in working at height who carry out building and plant maintenance activities. It aims to make you aware of the steps that should be taken to ensure the work is carried out safely and to demonstrate a number of different types of access equipment in use. http://www.hse.gov.uk/falls/video/index.htm
09/03/2011
Get Out Of Jail Free
February 2010 was certainly a significant month in the world of health and safety after Cotswold Geotechnical were fined £385,000 for corporate manslaughter – despite the fact that the MD only had four employees and is suffering from cancer – for more information on this case, click on my link – http://spectrumrisk.co.uk/1061/health-safety-news/harsh-lessons-a-poor-decision-to-ignore-the-rules-leads-to-a-huge-fine/ The enormity of [...]
04/03/2011
Mesothelioma video – The human face of an asbestos epidemic
Mesothelioma is an incurable asbestos cancer. Asbestos remains Britain’s biggest workplace killer. More people die from asbestos related disease each year than on Britain’s road, yet there is little government funding for medical research. Last year in Britain about 2000 people died from mesothelioma, this trend is still rising. This video (Produced by Forum of [...]
