Working outdoors during the winter months can present risk to those who are unprepared. Icy conditions can be extremely hazardous for pedestrians and very challenging for drivers of moving vehicles and plant, working near to water in freezing temperatures requires extra care to ensure that ice patches are not created by work activities, and snow can greatly increase dangers. If … Read More
SAFE WINTER DRIVING
Driving is one of the most dangerous activities we undertake and we often do it without thinking about it. Most of us will have at some point arrived at our destination and not been able to remember parts of the journey. We treat driving as second nature and yet over 1000 people die in vehicle accidents each year. Whilst at … Read More
DEALING WITH SNOW AND ICE
It is sometimes claimed that you will be held responsible if you attempt to clear ice or snow beyond your boundaries and someone slips over. However, it is unlikely that you will be sued or held responsible if you take care, clear the snow or ice carefully, make a proper attempt to improve the situation and don’t do anything silly. … Read More
COVID UPDATE: ENGLAND MOVES TO PLAN B
In response to the Omicron variant the Government has announced a number of changes to current covid safety regulations and guidance. Full details of the new regulations and guidance were not available at the time of writing, but are expected to be published shortly. In the meantime in summary: From Friday 10th December there will be a legal requirement for … Read More
Face Coverings In England
Alongside tighter controls on international travel, following the discovery of the Omicron Covid-19 variant, from 4:00am today (30th November 2021) the government has reintroduced the compulsory wearing of face coverings in a number of settings in England. Areas where face coverings must now be worn include: Shops and enclosed shopping centres. Banks, building societies, credit unions, Post Offices and similar … Read More
End of SSP COVID-19 rebate scheme
The government brought the Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme to an end on Thursday 30 September 2021. If you’re eligible for a rebate you have until Friday 31 December 2021 to apply via the online service. To reclaim SSP you must: Have already paid your employee’s sick pay Claim for an employee who’s eligible for sick pay due to … Read More
CHANGES TO TOWING LICENCE REQUIREMENTS FOR CARS AND VANS
Currently, depending on when you passed your car driving licence test, you may have needed to pass an additional towing test, if you wanted to use your car (or a van under 3500kg) to tow a trailer with a maximum authorised mass (MAM) over 750kg. As part of the Government’s plans to tackle the shortage of lorry drivers, by creating … Read More
UPDATED HIGHWAY CODE LAUNCHED
In September the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency announced the introduction of a number of changes to the Highway Code. There are 33 changes and amendments to existing rules, most of which are intended to give clearer advice for example making sure that road users understand that: reduced speed limits may apply when towing emergency areas on motorways are not … Read More
COVID SHIELDING GUIDANCE ENDS
Earlier during the Covid-19 pandemic the government advised those who were considered to be clinically extremely vulnerable to “shield”. This involved placing some quite severe restrictions on the lives of those individuals which could lead to social isolation and, while offering protection from infection, for some this had a significant impact on their lives and their mental and physical wellbeing. … Read More
CIRCUIT BREAKER SAFETY ALERT
The HSE have issued a safety alert following fire and explosion caused by the failure of a high voltage circuit breaker. High and Low voltage circuit breakers are required to operate at high speed to disconnect electrical faults with a high degree of reliability from the associated electrical system. To ensure the required performance is retained it is vital that … Read More