The HMICFRS (Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services) is currently carrying out an inspection of all 45 fire and rescue services in England. This is the first independent inspection in 12 years and is focussing on how effective and efficient the fire and rescue service at keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks … Read More
Happy Birthday Safety Squirrel
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) recently announced that their road safety mascot, Tufty, has reached his 65th birthday. Originally created in 1953 Tufty has helped to spread safety messages to millions of children. At their height in 1972 there were over 2 million “Tufty Club” members and 24,500 registered clubs. While he may not have been … Read More
Food Manufacturing Inspection Initiative Launched
The HSE have announced that between January and March 2019 their inspectors will be targeting food manufactures. There are two particular issues that inspectors will be concentrating on. The first area of concern is the controls manufacturers have in place to protect workers from occupational asthma as a result of exposure to flour dust. Exposure to flour dust is estimated … Read More
Controlling The Hazards of Welding Fume
In 2015 BOHS, the Chartered Society for Worker Health Protection, in conjunction with the HSE and a number of other bodies launched an initiative called Breath Freely. This initiative aims to reduce occupational lung disease in the UK by raising awareness and providing tools to help employers identify and control the risks. The initiative was initially targeted at the construction … Read More
Carbon Steel Safety Alert
Following investigations into an incident in the USE in 2010 where the shell of a heat exchanger ruptured catastrophically, killing seven workers, the HSE have issued a safety alert aimed at the chemical processing and production and general manufacturing sectors. The safety alert concerns the use of carbon steel in applications involving hydrogen (as either a gas or a liquid, … Read More
Liability For Undisclosed Disabilities?
If an employee fails to disclose their disability to you, can they later claim that they’ve been directly discriminated against? Mr Mutombo-Mpania (M) applied for a job with Angard (A), a firm which provides casual workers to Royal Mail Group (RMG). M stated that he was not disabled on his application form and didn’t disclose any disability on his health … Read More
Fake Reference Costs Employee £4,725
An employee has been ordered to pay his employer £4,725 after he provided a fictitious reference, using the name of a Star Wars Character. Damages from employee It is not often that we see tribunal ruling where the employee is ordered to pay their employer damages. However, this is exactly what happened in Francis-McGann v West Atlantic UK ltd 2018. … Read More
EU Employee Status Post Brexit
For months there has been uncertainty over the employment status of EU citizens in the UK in the immediate aftermath of Brexit. The Government has now given some guidance on this issue. At the beginning of November 2018, after months of speculation, the Government confirmed its future plans in relations to the employment status of EU nationals following Brexit. This … Read More
Disciplinary Procedure and Witness Statements
An employee has been accused of serious misconduct. You’ve taken witness statements from several colleagues who say that they “didn’t see anything” should you disclose them to the accused? When an employee is accused of wrongdoing, your starting point is to conduct a full and reasonable investigation, including obtaining written statements from all possible witnesses to the employees’ action. They … Read More
New duty to publish family friendly policies
In October 2018 it was reported that the government is considering forcing employers to publish their parental leave and pay policies. How likely is this to happen and will you be affected? Transparent policy The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has confirmed that it’s considering whether there should be a legal duty imposed on employers to openly … Read More