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
The Health and Safety Executive issue electrical safety alert following fire
The HSE have issued a safety alert concerning high capacity electrical capacitors in industrial equipment. The alert follows investigations into a fire in 2018 that occurred in an industrial uninterruptable power supply system manufactured by Vertiv Infrastructure (previously known as Emerson / Chloride). The cause of the fire was traced to the dangerous failure of an ICAR branded capacitor. industrial … Read More
147 WORKERS FATALLY INJURED
The latest statistics just released by the HSE show that in the year 2018 to 2019 147 workers were killed as a result of accidents at work. The most common cause of fatal injury was falls from height accounting for 410 deaths, being struck by a moving vehicle resulted in 30 fatalities. Other common types of fatal accident included struck … Read More
GARDENING, GROUNDS KEEPING, HORTICULTURE – ARE YOU CONTROLLING YOUR VIBRATION RISKS?
Frequent, regular and prolonged exposure to vibration through the hands and arms can cause permanent ill health. Conditions associated with exposure to vibration include hand-arm vibration syndrome and carpal tunnel syndrome. Sufferers can experience tingling and numbness in the fingers, pain, a loss of strength in the hands and an inability to do fine work. Some examples of sources exposure … Read More
OLD TYRE CONSULTATION LAUNCHED
Concerns have been raised about the safety of older tyres especially when used on heavier vehicles. Earlier this year we reported that the Department for Transport was planning to consult on legislation to make it illegal for buses, coaches, heavy goods vehicles and mini-buses to run with a tyre aged 10 years or over. This consultation has now been launched. … 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