17 March RCS and Construction Cancer Risk Construction Cancer Risk – Respirable Crystalline Silica Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is a serious problem in some industries, particularly the construction industry. The cancer burden study of the number of deaths from lung cancer associated with exposure to RCS shows there are about 600 deaths per year, with about 500 of these deaths occurring from exposure … Read More
16 March New Guidance for Spa Pools The HSE has produced new guidance for spa pools Spa pools and similar are a recognised source of diseases caused by infectious agents, including the organism that causes legionnaires’ disease, primarily Legionella pneumpohila. There have been several reported of outbreaks linked to spa pools in leisure centres, hotels, holiday homes, on cruise ships and on … Read More
15 March Section 40 HASAWA Innocent until proven guilty? Or Section 40 HASAWA? One point that I cover on certain Health and Safety Training courses is Section 40 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (Section 40 HASAWA). We are generally of the opinion that we are innocent until proven guilty. In the case of Health and … Read More
15 March Construction Safety – Fall from Height leads to £400k fine Construction sites continue to have problems managing work at height. The construction company Kier Construction Limited has recently been fined £400k after a worker fell from height. The Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard how a worker (JM) was installing plywood boards covering holes on the third floor of a building at a construction site in Uxbridge … Read More
13 March Construction Safety – Solar powered, Cooled Helmets Construction Safety is always under review, though not often in a positive way. Here is something new and interesting: a solar powered cooled safety helmet for construction workers. According to press sources, an innovative cooled helmet has been designed and developed by researchers in Qatar has the potential to reduce the skin temperature of construction workers by … Read More
7 March Unlimited fines in the Magistrates’ Court There have been some recent changes in the sentencing arrangements for Health and Safety Offences. The current position is that for offences committed on and after the 12th March 2015 the maximum penalty in the magistrates’ court is an unlimited fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both. In the Crown … Read More
24 February HSE Fee for Intervention Scheme – Update, February 2017 The HSE Fee for Intervention Scheme has been in operation since October 2012. This scheme has been unpopular with many people in industry (especially those who have to pay it) and also with some enforcement officers. The current rate that the HSE charge is £129 per hour. If your business is inspected by the HSE and found to … Read More
23 February Workplace Ill Health Workplace ill health is now receiving more focus. The UK has made great strides in reducing the number of workplace deaths due to safety. It has not been so effective in dealing with health. The HSE are now focusing increasingly on health issues in the workplace. For many years the UK has had an enviable … Read More
13 February HAVS Prevention HAVS Prevention – It is the employer’s responsibility to protect workers against HAVS and carpal tunnel syndrome. The employee can assist be being active in asking questions, such as: if the job could be done in a different way without using vibrating tools and machines. If this cannot happen: Introduce the use of suitable low-vibration tools. … Read More
13 February HAVS Management HAVS Management Failure Before looking at how to control Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), let’s look at a recent court case. A ground engineering company, Keller Limited, has been fined after a worker was diagnosed with severe hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Cheltenham Magistrates heard how the employee working at the company’s earth retaining division, known as Phi … Read More