11 February Work at Height – a picture paints a 1000 words There have been a series of health and safety failure through poor work at height pictures “doing the rounds” – I have put some of these together to show you what people actually do. As far as I know, these are real situations. Good luck with the incident investigation if anything goes wrong here. Not … Read More
10 February Fire Safety – the things we see (Part 3) People often under estimate the benefits of Passive Fire Safety measures. The real benefit of these systems is that (as the name suggests) they are passive – they do not have to do anything to be effective. A fire alarm has to work to alert people, it has to sound – it is not part … Read More
10 February Fire Safety – the things we see (Part 2) Oddly, people seem to be far too happy to have a high fire loading in their premises. The following pictures are just some simple examples of instances where too much rubbish is being stored. Solution? Get a skip in! A shop refurbishment in progress (or an arsonist’s delight). Read More
9 February Fire Safety – the things we see (Part 1 of several) I thought it was about time I shared some of the pictures of things that I have seen while done a fire safety visit. It must be said that some of these picture make you wonder about what passes through the minds of employers! Most employers are significantly better than the pictures below may have … Read More
5 February Adequate records for Health and Safety Health and safety documentation within businesses varies from bureaucratic nightmares that no one will ever read or use to total non existence. Somewhere in the middle is sensible, concise documentation that can clearly be understood and used. Apart from being a useful management tool, good health and safety documentation will support a defence in law … Read More
5 February Third party Accreditation schemes There are many third party accreditation schemes that are used by a wide range of organisations. There is no legal requirement for the third party accreditation of health and safety performance of a company as part of the procurement process. Many suppliers and their (potential) clients choose to use the services of a third party … Read More
4 February Environmental Health and a man for all seasons Peter Phillips is one of our consultants and has been working over in County Antrim since the start of November on a substantial project. While over there, he was tasked with writing some articles for the blog site. This is one such article – it is a long one! Environmental health is not boring but … Read More
30 January Do you know how to use a fire extinguisher? Recent news stories have shown just how devastating a fire can be. If you do not know how to use the fire fighting equipment that is provided in the workplace, now is the time to learn. Do not wait until it is too late. Many people can provide you with a suitable training session, including … Read More
19 December Ladder association announces biggest ‘idiot’ The Ladder Association has announced the winner of its “Idiots on a ladder” campaign. With over 30% of the vote the winning picture showed a worker reaching up to the top of a chimney with a gaping fall directly below him. Not only could the fall have killed him, but one commenter pointed out that … Read More
20 November HSE could lose more than half the fees it recovers to the treasury The Fee for Intervention (FFI) scheme is now in full operation, and has been since 1st October 2012. However it now appears that the HSE won’t be keeping the full amount recovered under the scheme, with the top layer being skimmed off by the treasury. The Health & Safety Executive will keep £10 million of … Read More