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Posts Tagged ‘Workstation Safety Plus’
- Cardinus Risk Management team will show conference and exhibition visitors how effective risk management can save money and improve productivity
- March 15-16 event at ExCel London will be ‘biggest and best conference to date’
VISITORS to this year’s IOSH conference and exhibition will see first hand how award-winning risk management products from Cardinus can reduce their health and safety costs, increase productivity and improve staff morale.
Cardinus Risk Management professionals will be on the Cardinus stand at DEF15, providing free consultations and advice to visitors. There will be demonstrations of Cardinus products and systems throughout the event, which takes place at ExCel London on March 15 and 16, 2011.
Using ergonomics to beat the downturn economy
If you asked a room full of British newspaper journalists, “what is the opposite of fun and adventure?” I bet most of them would say “health and safety”.
This can be quite depressing for the health and safety professional, whose main objective is to prevent workplace injuries and allow employees to continue to enjoy fun and adventure for many years to come.
I think it’s ironic that one of our leading driver trainers spends his weekends driving a racing car and that a Cardinus ergonomics consultant is a keen climber. We have seen cases where poor health and safety at work has led to people denied these pleasures for the rest of their lives. At Cardinus we believe health and safety supports fun and adventure.
Virgin Atlantic even makes the safety briefing sexy!
The unfortunate consequence of the stories written by that room full of journalists is that they undermine some of the impressive benefits a well-managed health and safety programme can bring. Companies with a positive attitude to health and safety tend to have a highly motivated workforce and they are more likely to be healthier. Health, motivation and positivity contribute enormously to fun and adventure.
Every good executive will tell you that they also contribute enormously to profit.
A comfortable employee will be much more productive that one who is in pain or fatigued. They will make fewer mistakes and take less sickness absence. Ergonomics can not only avoid costly injuries and court cases, but also can increase productivity and add real shareholder value. The same arguments can be made for good occupational road risk, manual handling, environmental programmes, too. In today’s financial climate safe, healthy, comfortable employees could be the difference between a positive balance sheet and a negative one.
The real opposite of ‘fun’ and ‘adventure’
Injury, discomfort and ill health are the true enemies of freedom and enjoyment, and we do see evidence of this kind of suffering in the workplace. It’s the goal of health and safety professionals like Cardinus to minimise or remove these risks.
There are, unfortunately, many risks associated with computer use, including work-related upper limb disorders (WRULDs) and musculoskeletal injuries.
WRULDs are soft tissue injuries that affect the muscles, tendons and nerves of the hands, arms, shoulders and neck. Musculoskeletal injuries are disorders of the bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and other soft tissues of the body. The disorders may develop over time as the result of cumulative repetitive stress or awkward movements that wear down the musculoskeletal system.
These conditions are not new. Throughout history a variety of conditions have been associated with occupations that require long bouts of repetitive movements. Some are well known: tennis elbow and writer’s cramp, for example. But what about housemaid’s knee, trigger finger and dog handler’s elbow? These conditions still affect today’s workplaces.
The same technology that helps us to work more efficiently, smarter and more quickly is to blame. When we used old-fashioned typewriters, we took regular micro-breaks to return the carriage every few seconds. This relieved the strain of repetition just enough, but the action has disappeared thanks to computers.
Telephones gave us the ability to communicate without walking to our colleagues in the next room or just across the floor; email has exacerbated this. Nowadays instant messaging means we don’t even have to speak to our colleagues on the next desk. The result is an increase in discomfort and a greater risk of ergonomic injuries.
- Outsourcing of H&S provision will continue to grow
- Companies will start to see cost savings and cost avoidance if out sourcing is managed properly
CARDINUS Risk Management has revealed its health and safety predictions for the new year with a warning to companies outsourcing their H&S provision.
According to a senior Cardinus executive, there are risks involved with outsourcing health and safety and getting it wrong could mean long term reputational damage.
Jon Abbott, managing director of ergonomics and safety at Cardinus, said, “With the economy continuing to flounder, more organisations will begin to outsource their H&S provision. This can be a dangerous approach if not properly thought through. Issues that are not considered high-risk may not get the attention they need, so accidents may happen because companies have taken their eye off the ball. Any damage to a company’s reputation caused in the short term could take years to mend.
“Companies that outsource for compliance reasons forget about the positive effects of health and safety. All the behaviour change cost savings, cost avoidance and productivity improvements may be lost as a result of a poorly-managed outsourcing programme.”
Companies considering the decision to outsource their health and safety provision should look to established companies with proven expertise and a trusted reputation. For more information about Cardinus Risk Management and its wide range of products and services, call 020 7469 0200, email info@cardinus.com or visit www.cardinus.com.
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Cardinus directors, experts and consultants are available for interview and quotes on industry issues. The full range of Cardinus consultancy services can be seen on its website, www.cardinus.com or you can telephone 0207 469 0200 (UK) 1-866-966-3420 (US).
About Cardinus
Cardinus is a member company of THB Group plc and provides online injury reduction solutions and risk management within the safety, fleet and property sectors.
Established in 1995, Cardinus has an enviable track record of working with government and leading blue chip organizations. Cardinus provides solutions to customers across the United Kingdom, the US and worldwide. Solutions include ‘Workstation Safety Plus’ a software solution designed to reduce the risks associated with using DSE and ergonomics; a comprehensive fleet risk solution that combines in-vehicle driver training with online self-assessment; property solutions including fire risk surveys, asbestos assessment and a range of e-learning courses. Cardinus Environmental provides a range of services, including Environmental Essentials.
Cardinus Risk Management Limited, Phoenix House, Cantelupe Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 3BE. Cardinus Risk Management Limited, 10 Flag Business Exchange, Vicarage Farm Road, Peterborough, Cambs PE1 5SL. For further information please call Cardinus Risk Management Limited on 020 7469 0200 or email info@cardinus.com
- Specialist information for specific business sectors at sme.cardinus.com
- Advice on ergonomics, fire safety and manual handling and much more
SMALL and medium-sized businesses in all industry sectors can now access one of the most comprehensive online risk management resources ever created, according to Cardinus Risk Management.
The website at sme.cardinus.com contains an enormous repository of free guidelines, reports, checklists and forms, policy advice and white papers. To make this valuable information easy to find, some sections are dedicated to specific trades. For example, there are risk management guidelines for painters and decorators as well as help and advice for owners of cafés and restaurants.
There is also a large collection of documents designed to help risk manage more generic operations, such as warehousing, retailing and general office environments. Guides to fire safety, ergonomics and manual handling are also free to view and download.
- Common Sense report aims to ‘change perception and reduce bureaucracy’
- Industry welcomes opportunity to engage as thought leaders
Lord Young of Graffham, adviser to the government on health and safety, has defined ‘common sense’ as used in the title of his recent report Common Sense, Common Safety.
After speaking to insurance, legal and health and safety professionals in the Great Hall at the Chartered Institute of Insurers on October 25, Lord Young took questions from the floor. When he was asked by an audience member to define common sense, Lord Young said, “It’s something that you yourself would think. You know it when you see it. It is the things that you would normally do.”
- Health and safety forum places filled in days
- Industry keen to engage with Lord Young after positive response to his report
LORD Young of Graffham will speak to a packed Great Hall at the Chartered Institute of Insurers on Monday October 25, following the publication of his report into health and safety culture in the UK.
Industry leaders will gather to hear Lord Young, Gerald Forlin QC and David Smith, managing director of Zurich Insurance UK Broker Division at the event, organised by Cardinus Risk Management, in conjunction with International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM).
Audience members will have the opportunity to debate Lord Young’s report, Common Sense, Common Safety, which was published on October 15. All seats at the event were filled within a week of invitations being sent out, such is the interest in Lord Young’s proposals.
Prime minister David Cameron, writing in the foreword to the report, said, “Lord Young has come forward with a wide range of far reaching proposals which this government fully supports… Now we need to act on this report and I am delighted that Lord Young has agreed to remain as my advisor on these important issues; to work with departments and all those with an interest in seeing his recommendations put into effect.”
- Registered safety practitioner to lead Cardinus consultancy division
- Versatile professional started in construction; now experienced across all sectors and disciplines
CARDINUS Risk Management has appointed Mark Preston as head of its health and safety consultancy.
Mark is a registered safety practitioner with more than 20 years’ experience in health, safety and environment management. He started his career in 1987 with the construction company McNicholas and was director of HS&E there until 2002.
Between 2002 and 2007, Mark was director of quality, safety and environment at Carey Group plc where he introduced initiatives that resulted in dramatic reductions in accident rates at the civil engineering, building and demolition group.
Since 2007 Mark has advised a large number of high-profile international corporations. His consultancy work has included the development of systems, auditing, training and strategic advice to senior management in organisations including: BMW, AB World Foods, Eversheds, Microsoft, Air Canada, Thames Water, EA Sports and the New York Stock Exchange.
Mark Preston BA, CMIOSH, MAPS is a member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management, the Association for Project Safety and the American Society of Safety Engineers. He has qualifications across the entire range of health, safety and environmental disciplines.
- New Cardinus service maintains compliance at lowest possible cost
- Multiple levels of intervention ensure appropriate response
TO help organisations with depleted resources manage their display screen equipment (DSE) risk, Cardinus Risk Management has launched a fully managed DSE service.
The innovative Cardinus managed DSE programme is designed to mitigate employee risk at the earliest opportunity – when costs can be kept to an absolute minimum. The service is particularly useful for organisations that might have seen budget cuts and reductions to administration resources.
Jon Abbott, managing director – ergonomics and safety, at Cardinus Risk Management, said, “Cardinus has always listened very closely to its customers and our Client Services team meets every few days to discuss new ways of helping them. It was very clear that an affordable managed solution would be a great new service to offer companies that want to keep both their risk exposure and their costs to a minimum.
Cardinus provides comprehensive DSE solutions that really work. Workstation Safety Plus, is award-winning software is designed to help businesses comply with their DSE Regulations. It provides employees with DSE assessment and training that adapts to their individual needs. In fact over 98% of employees find Workstation Safety Plus an effective product to manage their DSE risk.
