Recent bad weather has seen flooding in a number of areas bringing with it various risks such as drowning, structures and trees collapsing, mudslides, pedestrians and vehicles being swept away by flood water, etc. While certain risks may be reduced when the water recedes others remain, if your workplace is affected by flooding it is important that any recovery and … Read More
DISTRACTIONS ON THE ROAD: CHANGES TO MOBILE PHONE RULES
Driving a vehicle is a hazardous task exposing the driver, any passengers, pedestrians and others in the vicinity to a number of risks as such it is important that drivers are able to concentrate on the task in hand. In a modern vehicle there are often a number of devices that could cause a distraction if not used sensibly. While … Read More
CARRYING OUT A VEHICLE WALK ROUND SAFETY CHECK
Carrying out simple checks before a vehicle is used can be an effective way of spotting potentially dangerous issues or defects before vehicles are used and ensuring that vehicles are in good working condition. For operators of commercial vehicles making sure that drivers carry out and record daily walk round checks of their vehicles can be a requirement of the … Read More
DRINKING, DRIVING AND OCCUPATIONAL ROAD SAFETY
The Department for Transport recently published their final estimates for reported road casualties in Great Britain involving illegal alcohol levels in 2017. These final figures show a reduction in the total number of accidents involving drink drivers, (down to 5,700 from 6,070 in 2016) and a reduction in the total number of casualties (down to 8,600 from 9,040 in 2016). … Read More
PLANNING FOR SAFE AUTOMATED DRIVING SYSTEMS
While fully self driving vehicles are not yet a common feature on our roads an increasing amount of driver assistance technology is being fitted to vehicles, including driving aids such as collision avoidance systems, parking assist, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warnings, etc. While assisting the driver all these systems require the driver to remain alert and in control at … Read More
DON’T BE A PAIN IN THE NECK – GET THE CONVERSATION STARTED
The term musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) is used to cover injury, damage or other disorders affecting the joints or other tissues in the limbs and back Work related musculoskeletal disorders are a significant problem. Figures from the HSE show that 469,000 workers were suffering from work-related MSDs (new or longstanding) in 2017/18 leading to a total of 6.6 million working days … Read More
IS YOUR EMPLOYEE’S HEALTH YOUR BUSINESS?
It is estimated that around 12.7 million working-age people in the UK have a long-term health condition including around 7.6 million disabled people. In a typical year, around 1.4 million working-age people have at least one sickness absence lasting four weeks or longer, while most people successfully return to work after a period of long-term sickness absence, disabled people are … Read More
DON’T LET YOUR VEHICLE BE USED AS A WEAPON
In recent years there have been a number of cases around the world where commercial vehicles have been used as a weapon to injure and kill people. The Department for Transport has now published guidance for drivers and vehicle operators to protect against this threat. The guidance is broken down into three key areas: security culture, measures such as pre-employment … Read More
LOOK OUT, LOOK UP CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED
Overhead powerlines are often uninsulated and may be carrying electricity at voltages up to 400kV, if a conductive item such as a scaffold pole, machine arm, ladder etc touches a powerline electricity will be conducted through it to earth. Anyone touching the item is at risk of receiving a serious or even fatal electric shock. It is not always necessary … Read More
Highway Code updated – mind that red X
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency have updated rule 258 of the Highway code to reflect recent changes in legislation affecting lane closures on SMART motorways. A signal showing a red “X” and flashing red lights indicates that a lane is closed, for example because a vehicle has broken down in that lane and has not been able to reach … Read More