The Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety set up following the tragic Grenfell Tower fire made various recommendations for improving the regulatory regime covering safety for high rise buildings. The Government has now launched a consultation on proposals as to how the system of building regulations will be improved. Under the new proposals 5 duty holders (client, principal … Read More
CALL FOR EVIDENCE ON FIRE SAFETY REGULATION
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 regulates fire safety in non-domestic premises such as workplaces and the common parts of residential buildings. These regulations cover such matters as fire risk assessment, duties to take general fire safety precautions, consult with and provide fire safety information, instruction and training for employees, fire detection, emergency exits etc. In conjunction with the … Read More
NEW GUIDANCE: WORKING PLATFORMS FOR CONSTRUCTION PLANT
The Temporary Works Forum (TWF), a not for profit company, has published a good practice guide for the design of granular working platforms for construction plant. Construction sites often involve the use of various types of plant which will need to travel around and operate from different locations on site. Granular platforms are temporary structures, consisting of compacted granular fill, … Read More
Shift work and increased rates of cancer
Over the years there have been a number of reports suggesting a link between shift work and increased rates of cancer, in particular breast cancer in women. One theory that has been proposed is that light at night supresses the production of the hormone melatonin which is known to have anti-carcinogenic properties. Potentially reducing the body’s ability to fight emerging … Read More
Hot and Bothered – Can I Stop Working?
With record temperatures predicted for western Europe and the summer holidays not yet begun temperature in the workplace can be a hot topic. While regulations do state that “During working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable” in the UK there is no set maximum temperature for a workplace and the regulation does not apply to … Read More
UPDATING THE CONSTRUCTION HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT TEST
CITB, the Construction Industry Training Board, have announced that with effect from 26th June 2019 there will be a significant update to the Health, Safety and Environment test to better reflect the range of day to day tasks and responsibilities on site. The test was introduced in 2001 as a way for construction workers to show they can be safe … Read More
Noise – A note worthy appeal
While many of the articles you will find here look at health and safety regulations from the point of view of enforcement by the authorities, failures in complying with regulations are often cited in claims for compensation when someone has been injured at work. Previously we have reported on a compensation claim by a musician against the Royal Opera House … Read More
High rise fire safety in Scotland
The Scottish Government has launched a consultation exercise to gather information and views on proposed actions to strengthen fire safety for people who live in high rise buildings. Following the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017 the Scottish Government began a review of the fire safety regime for high rise domestic buildings in Scotland. A report was published in December 2018 … Read More
What are the HSE’s plans?
The HSE recently launched their business plan for 2019/2020, this sets out what their key areas of work will be for the coming year. Naturally the HSE has an overall objective to improve workplace health and safety, the business plan provides some extra detail as to how they intend to achieve this. Putting the “health” into health and safety the … Read More
Who will answer your fire alarm?
Individual fire authorities are responsible for creating appropriate strategies for their own area. With limited resources and many calls on those resources fire authorities have to make difficult decisions about how they allocate those resources. Sometimes those decisions can be controversial, response to fire alarms is sometimes a sensitive area. The latest figures from the Home Office show that 40% … Read More