Posts Tagged ‘health and safety at work’
If your company uses agency or temporary workers on short or long term contracts, the company is responsible for making sure that they have had sufficient health, safety and environmental training.
In practice many do not receive enough, if any training. This may be for a number of reasons, not least:
• lack of central control
• an assumption that it is the agency’s responsibility to supply
trained workers
• resource limitations
• time factors
If your company uses agency workers and one gets injured whilst on your premises, you may be liable to prosecution.
There is a simple and cost free solution – HSE Passport
The Chancellor has promised that 84 per cent of health and safety regulation will be scrapped or improved, according to this year’s Budget.
Last year, in its response to the Löfstedt review, the Government said it is committed to reduce health and safety regulation by more than half. The latest figure announced in the Budget takes into account last year’s Red Tape Challenge, which asked the public and business for their suggestions on which laws could be amended, or revoked entirely.
A Treasury spokesperson confirmed to SHP that “167 of the 199 health and safety regulations considered as part of the Red Tape Challenge” will either be withdrawn or improved, although she could not give a more detailed breakdown.
The HSE has also been tasked with putting forward to the European Commission ideas for micro-exemptions, or lighter-touch EU health and safety regulation for SMEs, based on ideas raised by the Red Tape Challenge.
To help businesses make sense of this huge legislative streamlining exercise, the Budget commits the HSE to redesign information on its website this year to distinguish between regulations that impose specific duties on businesses and those that define ‘administrative requirements’, or revoke or amend earlier versions of regulations. Exactly how the HSE intends to make this distinction is unclear at present.
Among the significant legislative changes that had previously been announced by the Government, the Budget highlights amending RIDDOR, by extending to seven days, from three, the period an employee needs to have taken off work before an injury or incident needs to be reported – a change that is due to come into force next month.
The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) is showcasing an introductory health, safety and environmental qualification for people working anywhere in the world in the process industries
The NEBOSH Health, Safety and Environment for the Process Industries qualification has been developed for people who work in the chemical process industries. People who are process operators, technicians and line supervisors.
NEBOSH chief executive Teresa Budworth said: “Safety, health and environmental know-how is a must-have for anyone working in these major hazard industries. Process operators, technicians and line supervisors must all be competent in these areas on order to ensure compliance.”
“International demand for our qualifications has grown rapidly in recent years,” said Teresa Budworth. “We’re now finding that employers across the world, particularly those from hazardous sectors such as the process industries, want their people to understand health, safety and environmental practices far better so that they can raise standards, demonstrate competence and win more business.”
The qualification covers general workplace safety, looking at issues such as risk assessment and control; fire, electrical and transport safety; manual handling and hazardous substances.
The bookmakers which was raided by an armed gang, was fined £10,000 for failing to increase security prior to the attack, despite being told to do so.
Two female workers were opening William Hill, in Fleetwoods Lane, Netherton, on the morning of April 17 last year when a man armed with a knife burst in and ordered the terrified staff to hand over cash. One of the workers suffered a whiplash injury after being dragged to the floor during the attack.
The bookmakers had been visited by Sefton Council health and safety officers months before the raid, who had reported a number of safety concerns. Issues with poor outside lighting, CCTV and an insecure alley running between the bookmakers and a pub next door.
Health and safety specialist tutor at BSI, Tim Sparey, has carried out research into the relative benefits and drawbacks of implementing the occupational health and safety management standard, BS OHSAS 18001.
The core objectives of Sparey’s research were to determine whether the implementation and management of the requirements of BS OHSAS 18001 can improve the health and safety performance within organisations, and whether levels of incidents and risk can be reduced.
A total of 788 UK sites with management systems certified to the 2007 version of the standard was asked to complete a survey, with 131 responding. Some 43 BS OHSAS 18001 assessors also completed the survey.
David Lummis, Chief Executive Officer at the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF), discusses the ongoing changes taking place within the UK’s health and safety industry and questions whether some of these decisions will have a negative impact on the profession!
The UK’s health and safety industry may conjure up a number of thoughts to you – protecting people at work from injury, using safe operating practices to ensure staff safety, protecting your best interests and generating future profits, to name but a few. Alternatively, perhaps you might think of the ‘elf and safety’ jokes that are so frequently touted by the newspapers or the unspecified ‘burden’ that current legislation is alleged to place on organisations. However, whether these thoughts are positive or negative, the fact remains that responsible health and safety practices within an organisation can and do save lives and prevent injuries.
Whatever stance you take, this has probably been swayed by your experiences in the workplace with the health and safety practices installed. You will have witnessed your colleague’s attitudes on the subject – positive or negative – however if a workplace accident occurs, the ‘spotlight’ will of course shine on the negative.
A Cardiff construction site manager has been fined after failing to comply with two safety orders issued to protect workers from injury.
Mr Haider Zaman, 53, trading as Pride Builders, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for ignoring two Improvement Notices served while he was refurbishing two residential properties in the Cathays area of Cardiff.
During an unannounced inspection of the two sites on 1 March 2011, HSE inspectors found sub-standard safety measures in relation to working at height, asbestos safety and structural stability and issued three Prohibition Notices ordering Mr Zaman to cease work immediately.
Two Improvement Notices relating to asbestos safety training and health and safety competence training were subsequently served to Mr Zaman.
Cardiff Magistrates’ Court heard the Improvement Notices served on Mr Zaman gave him until 10 May 2011 to make the necessary improvements. However, on returning to the site a week later HSE inspectors found the notices had not been complied with, and identified further sub-standard control measures for working at height.
Mr Haider Zaman, trading as Pride Builders, of 174 Mackintosh Place, Cardiff pleaded guilty to two breaches of Section 33 (1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He was fined a total of £1,280 and ordered to pay costs of £1,500 as well as a victim surcharge of £15.