Category: Health and Safety

There are almost as many theories about the causes of accidents as there are definitions of what constitutes an accident. It is difficult to determine if any of these theories has had a profound impact on accident prevention. Personal blame This is probably the earliest of the derived theories and is still commonly found in […]

Children under the age of 5 are at the greatest risk so remember lots of those hazards may not present a risk to you and me, but to a child this could be a completely different story – one without a happy ending. From an adult perspective, those over 75yrs are at greatest risk of […]

Due to the pandemic, more and more people have been working fully or partly from home, with employers still obliged to ensure their employee’s health, safety and welfare even when they are away from their normal place of work and working from home. We have all become familiar with the employer’s obligations to ensure a […]

Two companies have been fined after a worker sustained serious injuries by falling approximately three metres through a hole cut into a floor during the refurbishment of a property at in Aldeburgh, Suffolk. Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard how on 27 July 2017, an employee was working as a dry liner for R&B Plastering Limited, who […]

One of the innovations of the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 was the introduction of a new absolute requirement not only for the employer to provide personal protective equipment, but also for this to be provided free of charge. This obligation is supported by more specific requirements which appear in the Personal […]

A roofer was fatally injured when he fell six metres whilst working on a replacement roof at a property in Kirkdale, Liverpool. Liverpool Crown Court heard how, on 22 May 2017, the roofer was completing snagging work on a replacement roof. The worker had accessed a part of the old roof made of fragile asbestos […]

Headline Figures Below are some of the key workplace health and safety figures from 2019/2020. 1.6 million working people suffering from a work-related illness 2,446 mesothelioma deaths due to past asbestos exposures (2018) 111 workers killed at work 693,000 working people sustain an injury at work according to the Labour Force Survey 65,427 injuries to […]

A sawmill company has been fined after a worker was fatally injured when a lift conveyor collapsed on top of him. Hereford Crown Court heard how, on 20 December 2017, two employees were working below a lift conveyor at Pontrilas sawmill in Hereford to remove wood debris. The machine had been experiencing a fault, which […]

The Health and Safety Executive defines lone workers as those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision. Lone working is prohibited in some work situations and activities where regulation specifies requirements for supervision, assistance or accompanied working if work is hazardous or involves certain categories of workers. Lone working can bring additional risk, […]

Health and safety inspectors across Great Britain will be targeting construction firms to check that their health standards are up to scratch during a month-long inspection initiative, starting on Monday 5 October 2020. This is the fourth health-focused initiative of its kind. As in previous years, inspections will focus on respiratory risks and occupational lung […]