Health and safety news and updates

safety4business produces this completely free monthly update on health and safety news for distribution to selected clients. The update is not intended to be comprehensive, as that would clearly involve a very long and unwieldy communication. Instead, it aims to identify the most relevant items, providing you with the option to investigate further if needed.

We hope you find the news and update both interesting and effective in helping you to keep abreast of what is happening in the world of health and safety.

News

Looking for Certificated Basic Health and Safety Training?

If you are looking for a certificated foundation level e-learning training pack, perhaps designed to form part of an employee induction programme, then The safety4business course ‘An Introduction to Health and Safety at Work’ could be your answer.
The course, which can be completed in around 40 minutes, has recently been awarded the Royal Institute of Public Health (RIPH) Certificate of Quality and Merit meaning that it has met the quality standards required by the Institute to qualify for recognition.

UK Workforce Urged to Check Hearing

Around 4,000,000 people in the UK are losing their hearing and are failing to do anything about it. As a consequence, the RNID and TUC are encouraging the UK's 28 million workers to make use of the charity's Breaking the Sound Barrier hearing test over the telephone. Employers are also being urged to encourage staff to take the five minute check either in a quiet place at work or at home. At mainline train stations across the country thousands of workers will be given postcards with the telephone hearing check number asking, 'Do you want to hear more?'
The check takes less than 5 minutes and the website lists the solutions that are available in the event of the test revealing a hearing loss.
The sound check can be accessed by calling 0845 600 55 55.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

"Many older workers are struggling to get by at work either because they are too ashamed to admit to their hearing loss or because they have no idea what to do about it. Many may also be reluctant to advertise it for fear that their employers may treat them less favourably as a result. But good bosses know that it makes sense to do all they can to help employees be as productive as possible at work and so most will I'm sure be keen for their staff to take RNID's hearing check."

Work Foundation critical of government's health and work strategy

The Work Foundation has published a new report,Healthy work: Productive workplaces, which states that the Government's healthy workplaces strategy is flawed, lacking cohesion and carries little prospect of making an impact on the real issues affecting health and productivity.
The authors cite HSE's work on Stress Management Standards as an example of a case involving 'several different Government agencies and social partners who too often don’t work together'. It suggests that the HSE should work more with social partners to help smaller companies in particular improve their job design and management skills.

Dealing with Stress
UK health education charity Developing Patient Partnerships has launched a ‘Dealing With Stress’ campaign to help people deal more effectively with stress in their lives and avoid the effects of depression and anxiety which accompany it.
A report published by the charity, reveals that confusion exists about what stress is:
68% think it is simply having a ‘bad day’
57% think it is having too much to do
64% believe wrongly that stress itself is an ‘illness’
In addition:
41% feel work helps them deal with their stress
63% would not consider taking time off work if they were stressed
25% would be unlikely to admit to being stressed and take time off because of worry about what their managers would think
Only 23% would discuss their concerns with their manager
Only 15% would speak to their occupational health department.
The report also provides tips on tackling domestic and workplace stress, and shows what employers can do to support their staff in dealing with it.

Long Hours Ruling Alarm bell for Stress Claims
Employers have been warned to pay more attention to staff hours after a landmark ruling opened the floodgates for compensation claims linked to stress.
Pub company Six Continents Retail (now Mitchells & Butlers) lost its appeal in October against the award of money to a former employee who collapsed from stress.
Mark Hone, who was working an 82- to 92-hour week when he collapsed at work, had said to his employer that he felt tired, but had not made an official complaint.
In previous cases, this would not have been enough to win the verdict, but the judge said the hours he was working represented a "cry for help", and his employer was culpable.

Learn more about handling stress at work with safety4business course ‘Handling Stress at Work – A Guide for Managers and Staff’’

Legislation Update

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 Delayed The Government is to bring an Order before Parliament, under article 52 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, to amend the start date of the new fire safety regime for England and Wales. The original start date was 1st April 2006, but the delay will allow business and fire safety specialists more time to prepare for the new regulations which will affect all non-domestic premises in England and Wales.
Scotland's new, and separate, fire safety regime is now expected to come into force in October 2006 at the earliest.
A Government spokesperson said:
"During the passage of the Order it was of concern to the House that business and enforcers should have adequate time to familiarise themselves with the new regime and the guidance that will accompany it and that the coming into force date should, so far as practicable, be timed to coincide as closely as possible with reform of fire safety laws in Scotland. Despite extensive work with stakeholders it is clear that all the guidance documents will not be ready for a full 12 week gap between publication and coming into force on 1 April 2006.
In the light of the commitments we have given to the House and our commitment to ensuring this reform is properly backed, we have therefore concluded that the coming into force of the substantive provisions of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order should be put back."
In preparation for the new regulations, a number of bodies, including The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the London Fire Service and the Buildings Research Establishment, are publicising the new arrangements and/or offering to undertake fire risk assessments or provide training on becoming an assessor.
More information on guidance for the new regime is available at http://www.firesafetyguides.odpm.gov.uk .

HSE Update

New HSE Websites
Better Business Campaign
The HSE Better Business Campaign has been launched with a dedicated website where the case for achieving financial savings and better productivity through adopting improved health and safety practices is explained. Key steps in the management of health and safety are also covered.

HSE Leaflets, Books and Guidance
Safety-Related Systems
A draft guidance publication, Managing competence for safety-related systems, has been produced for consultation by the Health and Safety Executive, the Institution of Electrical Engineers and the British Computer Society.
Safety-related systems are a combination of hardware, electronics, software and people that together acts to ensure safety.
The guidance will be of direct relevance to companies and organisations who have responsibility for creating and operating a competence management system for the functional safety of safety-related systems.
Green Waste Health Issues
The Health and Safety Executive has published a 'best practice' advisory leaflet for managers, supervisors and operators working with recyclable vegetation, so-called ‘green waste’, in the waste management and recycling industries.
Green waste collection - health issues, produced in consultation with the Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum, deals with controlling the health risks associated with the activity. Such risks include:
Green waste dust
Leptospirosis
Tetanus
Botulism
Pasteurella multocida
Pesticide and insecticide residues
Forklift Guidance
The HSE has published a Guidance on non-integrated working platforms on forklifts. The guidance is not compulsory, but enables employers to comply with the law.
The RIDDOR Incident Contact Centre
A revised version of the leaflet The RIDDOR Incident Contact Centre has been issued by the Health and Safety Executive explaining how to use the Centre.
The Centre is a ‘one-stop’ reporting service for work-related health and safety incidents.

In Court

Poor Risk Management
RDJ Colloids Limited have been fined £17,500, with costs of £7,500, at Maidstone Crown Court after pleading guilty to breaching of S.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
The charge resulted from the death of a 31-year-old employee who was electrocuted when overhead power cables discharged through him as he operated a hedge trimmer too close to the cables.
A Health and Safety Executive investigation established that safety management on site was of a poor standard, with the accident resulting from a failure to carry out any risk assessments or provide guidance or supervision to contractors. HSE stated that the man worked without the benefit of a safe system of work which would have been the product of sensible risk management and HSE advice.
Failed to Guard Machinery
The Amtico Company Limited of Coventry has been fined £40,000 plus costs of £8,567at Warwick Crown Court after pleading guilty to a breach of S.2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
During December 2004 a machine operative was drawn into in-running nip rollers at the pre-embossing station of a laminator machine as he was threading a piece of PVC in between 2 rollers. An investigation by HSE officials established that a fixed guard for the machine had never been put in place.
The company was subsequently accused of failing to take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.
Transport Safety Failings
A 55-year-old employee of Short Brothers (Plant) Ltd. of Port Talbot lost his life when a dump truck he was driving overturned. The truck was laden with red-hot slag which ignited escaping fuel to cause a fire that engulfed both the vehicle and its operator.
The vehicle was found to be in an unfit condition through inadequate maintenance, had ineffective brakes and was overloaded. In addition, no effective risk assessments had been conducted for the operation.
The company, which pleaded guilty, was fined £100,000, with costs of £42,000, at Cardiff Crown Court for breaching s. 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act

Note: The information contained within this document is intended as a summary of selected items of health and safety news and information. As such, it is not offered or intended as complete, exhaustive and accurate reporting of such news and information. Safety4business accepts no responsibility for the completeness of the information, and no liability for actions resulting from it.