There have been over 7000 injuries and 33 deaths in the motor vehicle repair industry over the last 5 years*. Of these, 13 workers in the motor vehicle repair industry were killed when work took place under a vehicle that wasn’t properly supported. Furthermore, since April 2022, HSE has reported another four cases of workers being crushed to death by an incorrectly … Read More
Fire Protection Guidance for Batteries and Electric Vehicle Charging
A selection of new and updated guidance documents have recently been made available by the Fire Protection Association (FPA) covering charging electric vehicles and battery installations, these include: “RE1: Battery Energy Storage Systems – Commercial Lithium-Ion Battery Installations” this provides guidance and risk control recommendations for grid-integrated commercial (non-domestic) battery energy storage systems, for example systems used to store energy … Read More
Updated Guidance on Protecting Buildings from Fire and Sprinkler Maintenance
Updated building fire safety guidance documents have recently been made available from the Fire Protection Association / RISCAuthority, these include: The latest edition of the guide “A to Z of essential principles in the protection of buildings”. This sets out to identify and order aspects of building design and construction that can be strengthened to protect property and business against … Read More
Managing Trees Safely
Two employers recently received significant fines after children were killed or seriously injured by falling trees on their property. In the first case Newcastle City Council were fined £280,000 after an incident on 25th September 2020 in which a tree in poor condition in a school playground, fell causing the death of a six year old girl. In the second … Read More
New Guidance for Supporting Employees with Disabilities and Long-term Health Issues
Statistics show that despite record high levels of employment in the UK currently there is still a significant disability employment gap and disabled people are twice as likely to fall out of work once gaining work. The HSE has published new guidance to help employers support their disabled staff and those with long-term health conditions. The guidance is primarily aimed … Read More
Working Minds Campaign Anniversary
The HSE launched their Working Minds campaign in November 2021 in response to a worsening of employee’s health during the pandemic. To mark the first anniversary of the campaign the HSE have announced that since starting the campaign the number of partners has more than doubled reaching 1000 signed up champions with the most recent additions being the Institution for … Read More
Freight Container Hazards
A report by the HSE relating to potentially hazardous atmospheres within storage containers arriving at ports and distribution centres across Britain demonstrated concerns that workers were entering the confined space of freight containers without proper controls due to a failure of the industry to recognise containers as confined spaces. The report is based on research at six ports and two … Read More
PIB Group acquires Emprocom Ltd
PIB Group Ltd (‘PIB’) has acquired health and safety specialists Emprocom Ltd (‘Emprocom’), who bring complementary services and expertise to the Group’s risk management proposition. Based in Lincolnshire and servicing clients across further afield across the East Midlands, Emprocom will form part of the PIB Risk Management division. The two businesses enjoy an existing relationship, which has led to the … Read More
Changes to Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor Regulations
The carriage of some goods can involve particular hazards e.g. due to their chemical properties, explosive nature, flammability or danger to the environment. The carriage of such goods is governed by specific legislation such as the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations which require carriage to be carried out in accordance with the rules set … Read More
Launching the Road Safety Investigation Branch
The Government has announced plans to recruit a new specialised team to form a new independent body known as the Road Safety Investigation Branch (RSIB) that will investigate road collisions on a wide scale. The decision to launch the RSIB follows a public consultation where significant support was shown for the establishment of such a body came during public consultation. … Read More