This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Established by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the HSE was officially launched on 1st January 1975 under its first Director General, John Locke. In April of 1975, new legal duties were introduced for employers, the self-employed, and employees, with the HSE responsible for … Read More

According to research conducted by the Association of British Insurers, a total of £585 million was paid out for weather-related damage to people’s homes and possessions in 2024. This is a record high compared to the £485 million paid out in 2023. By the end of 2024, there had been a total of 7 consecutive quarters in which weather-related claims … Read More

It is a well-established principle of equality legislation that employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to support disabled workers.   What is reasonable will depend on the particular circumstances but could include measures such as: Finding a different way to do something, such as providing training in a different way, allowing extra time for certain tasks or considering … Read More

Individuals, households, businesses and other organisations all have a duty of care to take reasonable steps to ensure that their waste is disposed of responsibly.   Similar to the way that most households have separate collections for different types of domestic waste, new regulations coming into effect in England at the end of March 2025 will require most workplaces to … Read More

During winter storms in the UK, trees pose significant risks, particularly to commercial properties. High winds and heavy snowfall can weaken branches, potentially leading to breakage or entire tree falls that may damage buildings, vehicles, and infrastructure, as well as pose a risk to life.   According to the Health and Safety Executive, the combination of severe weather and poor … Read More

The Door & Hardware Federation (DHF), together with the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI), has published an updated code of practice for the selection of building hardware for use on fire-resisting and escape door assemblies and door sets.   The term door hardware covers a wide range of door fittings, such as hinges, door-closing devices, locks and latches, door bolts, … Read More

The British Compressed Gases Association (BCGA) recently published an updated edition of their Code of Practice covering “The Safe Use of Individual Portable or Mobile Cylinder Gas Supply Equipment”.   The code covers safe use of gas supplied in either single cylinders or bundles of cylinders, e.g., oxygen, acetylene, helium, nitrogen, LPG, etc. Topics covered include: Cylinder storage, transportation, and … Read More

The Environment Agency recently published updated assessments of the national flood and coastal erosion risks in England. With improvements in data modelling and technology, these represent a significant update from the previous assessments produced in 2018 and 2017, respectively.   The new assessments show that 3,500 properties are expected to be in areas at risk of coastal erosion in the … Read More

On 8th November 2024, Cheshire East Council was fined £500,000 after Christopher Hall was killed by a falling tree limb on 28th August 2020 while walking his dog.   HSE investigations found that another limb had previously fallen from the same tree in September 2019; however, the council had not taken action to assess whether the tree posed future risks … Read More