Research by law firm Clyde & Co. has shown that the number of company directors prosecuted by HSE in the year to 31 March 2016 more than trebled from 15 to 46 persons. In the same period the number of employees prosecuted has fallen from 10 persons to just 1. According to the research of…
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Health in construction is a big issue and HSE are pushing hard to get the message out to clients of all sizes that health in construction is a very high risk. The latest figures show that as many as 100 staff per week die from ill health causes through their job – and that’s just…
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In a move which we suspected might come to pass some years ago it has been announced that health and safety enforcement may change for smaller businesses. During July 2016 the HSE ran a consultation on health and safety enforcement allocation. Chiefly, it looked at the role of the local authorities. A range of options…
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We’ve carried out many monitoring programmes which have involved exposure to styrene vapour over the past 20 or so years. The substance is in common use and because of this businesses and their staff can sometimes become too familiar with the substance and fail to take adequate precautions. We also have heard staff assuring us…
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Many clients who have members of the public visiting their premises have acted in good faith to put in place socket protectors (think schools, medical practices, car showrooms and similar). You’re probably thinking that its a good idea and we would have been inclined to agree but research findings over recent years have led to…
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One of the key things people learn on their first safety courses are key phrases used in health and safety. We, like all professions, are awash with different phrases and acronyms and one of those is ITIS (as in healthandsafetyitis – a condition which can affect us all as some point on another). However, the…
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The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations are still raising a huge amount of questions, especially amongst those with new safety duties – designers / architects / structural engineers. We would strongly encourage you to take the time to get some solid guidance which comes (in part) right from the HSE themselves through our Principal Designers…
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Have you ever wondered what actually goes on behind those locked doors at a trial for health and safety offences? Now is your chance to see who gets blamed for what and why and how they get sentenced – a real eye opener for all of us and something worth seeing or perhaps encouraging your…
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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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