Our Knowledge Delivered to you

As winter is well and truly here, make sure you stay on your feet with HSE's guidance. With strong winds, heavy rain and low temperatures hitting Britain this week, it is a good time to highlight what a perilous time of year this can be - particularly as slip and trip accidents increase significantly.

During the holiday season, our thoughts turn gratefully to those who have made our success possible during this eventful year. It is in this spirit that we say thank you and best wishes for the holidays and New Year.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published its latest statistics for health and safety at work in Great Britain for 2019/2020.

As an employer, you have a legal duty to protect workers from harm. You should make sure you consider the risk to workers who are particularly vulnerable to coronavirus (COVID-19) and put controls in place to reduce that risk.

Knowing how to recognise hazardous signs for harmful substances and how to control such substances safely is key to protecting workers from harm.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has today released its annual figures for the number of work-related fatalities in 2019/20, as well as the number of people known to have died from the asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma, in 2018.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is carrying out spot checks on businesses that have reopened since the UK went into lockdown.

With many people continuing to work from home during the coronavirus outbreak, it is crucial that employers protect them. Employers have the same health and safety responsibilities for home workers as for any other workers.

Whether your business has been providing essential services throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, you have restarted your business recently or you are looking to restart your business in the near future you must ensure it is COVID-19 secure.

The HSE have recently released guidance in relation to the reporting of cases of Covid-19. You must only make a report under RIDDOR (The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013)

Based on the World Health Organization’s declaration that this is a public health emergency of international concern, the UK Chief Medical Officers have raised the risk to the UK from low to moderate.

The HSE have recently released its updated version of Manual Handling at Work guide. The guide explains the problems associated with manual handling and includes guidance on how to deal with them.

Here at Sound Safety we would like to wish all our readers a Happy and Healthy New Year, however whilst many of us celebrate the arrival of a new year, it can be a difficult period for those with mental ill-health and those who face challenges to their wellbeing in the workplace.

The HSE statistics show that each year, over a million workers are injured or made ill by their work in Great Britain. This can have serious effects on these individuals and their families, as well as employers, government and wider society.

The HSE will be paying particular attention to the site control measures in place to protect workers from occupational lung disease, caused by asbestos, silica, wood and other dusts, whilst carrying out common construction tasks.

The HSE estimate that in the UK there are over 20,000 new cases each year of individuals suffering from some form of breathing or lung condition (Labour Force Survey). Added to that statistics state that around 4,000 people die every year as a result of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD).

There have been a number of high-profile prosecutions recently relating hand arm vibration. A fine of up to £500,000 has been imposed in a recent case of hand arm vibration syndrome. Other cases have resulted in fines of £280,000 in 2016 and £120,000 in 2017. These cases serve as a reminder to all employers and duty holders the need to give consideration to the measures available to control the risks from the use of vibrating tools and equipment.

Many companies work with schools to offer work experience programmes to school pupils in Year 10 and, increasingly, companies are also offering short work experience programmes to students who have completed their GCSEs or who are already in Further Education.

Statistics tell us that at any one time, one in six workers will experience mental health problems such as stress, depression and anxiety. Sadly, in 2017 nearly 6000 people took their own life in the UK with men remaining three times as likely to take their own lives than women.

FFI was designed to recover costs incurred by the HSE during regulatory action against organisations that fail to comply with health and safety law, therefore transferring the financial burden from the taxpayer to the business.

Records of incidents covered by RIDDOR are important. You must keep a record of any accident, occupational disease or dangerous occurrence which requires reporting under RIDDOR; and any other occupational accident causing injuries that result in a worker being away from work or incapacitated for more than three consecutive days (not counting the day of the accident but including any weekends or other rest days).

Inline with the HSE’S ongoing programme to improve occupational health within the UK they have recently released a safety alert announcing that there is new scientific evidence from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which has found that exposure to all welding fume, including mild steel welding fume, can cause lung cancer. There is also limited evidence linked to kidney cancer.

With us now well into the new year, the team at Sound Safety are ready to take on the challenges and opportunities that 2019 will bring.