In May 2013 a petition was handed to the Department of Health demanding better diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease. You may be aware of its existence but many are not but it can present an occupational risk which affects a range of professions and trades with up to 3,000 new cases being reported each…
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We often hear from clients that they would like to simply to protected from prosecution and civil claims. On the face of it, this sounds relatively simple and achievable but reality then bites and we have to explain why no one can guarantee this – not even us! However, a client can often be their…
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Representatives of the waste and recycling sector have agreed a five-point plan for reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured in the industry. The Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) Forum – which includes representatives from the HSE, trade and professional associations, unions, recycling organisations and government bodies – has been working on…
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Both the operating business and the machinery installer have admitted safety failings after a worker had his finger ripped off by an unguarded machine at a factory in Wales. Brian Allen, 53, was working at Ardagh Metal Packaging (UK) Ltd’s factory in Dragon Parc, Merthyr Tydfil, when the incident took place on 25 January 2011.…
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In our recent post we spoke about the way in which the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act was being used against smaller business almost exclusively. We also discussed how the weaknesses present within the Act, in particular the need to identify a controlling mind within the business to hold at fault, made its application…
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If there is one item guaranteed to raise a few eyebrows and the blood pressure of our clients its SSIP contractor approval schemes, contractor questionnaires and PQQ’s (Pre Qualification Questionnaires). Such as CHAS, SMAS, EXOR and Constructionline. We help hundreds of businesses achieve SSIP in at little as 2 days, call Andrea directly on 01453…
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HSE has now confirmed that the ACoP which supports the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 will be removed along with an overhaul of many other ACoPs. ACoPs are acknowledged to set the benchmark against which HSE judges the provisions made by industry and so have been very useful in the past…
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Linked to our recent article on Fee for Intervention (FFI) we have heard that the HSE have been very active again on construction sites, particularly in the London region. In all nearly 2,500 sites were visited and almost all of these were where refurbishment or repair works were in progress. A total of 631 enforcement…
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A new British standard provides key guidance for architects and others involved in design and the CDM process for minimising and controlling residual risk for work at height. Working at height remains the biggest killer in the UK workplace and for that reason anything which helps to address the risks and remove them at the…
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Welfare on construction sites has been an issue very close to the heart of HSE for a number of years and with good reason. A worker on a construction site should be able to expect a reasonable standard of welfare provision. When this comes to exposure to the substances used this becomes even more important and…
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