Whatever industry you work in, 2018 was a year like no other. This was primarily because of Brexit and the uncertainty across all sectors about how it will impact trading and business conditions. That said, there are other things that made 2018 unique including the increasing impact technology is having on workplace health and safety and the noticeable shift in … Read More
Merry Christmas – Be Safe!
The week before Christmas sees most of us winding down with a spirit of goodwill in the office and, hopefully, an extra spring in our step. Of course, many will be ramping up not down and we send our thanks to all those who will be working hard over the Christmas period. This marks the end of the second year … Read More
Overview of Health and Safety in the Water Industry
This is the first in a series of posts arising from research into health and safety in the UK water industry. It’s a high level overview of the issues. Future posts will explore these further and present potential solutions. The water industry in the UK is well-established so it’s not surprising that most companies in it have well-established health and … Read More
Some Clarity on UK Health & Safety Stats vs Other Countries
“The UK consistently has one of the lowest standardised rates of fatal injury across the EU, lower than other large economies and the EU average.” That’s a quote from the 2018 Health and Safety at Work Summary Statistics for Great Britain report published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and discussed last month in our post What To Make … Read More
Is It Time to Consign Paper Permit to Work to the Bin?
This is a transcript of the webinar of the same title and highlights some of the deficiencies with paper-based permit to work processes and introduces the advantages of e-permits in overcoming these deficiencies. Note that as an accurate transcript the language is conversational and not perfect written English. Transcript starts >> Thank you very much indeed for joining the webinar … Read More
What To Make of the 2018 HSE Statistics?
You’re all aware that taking a break at work is likely to cause cancer, right? Or, stated more accurately, those who take breaks at work have a higher incidence of cancer than those who don’t. An indisputable fact? Or, an indisputable statistic? It may even be a contrived example used to illustrate that it’s the context, the narrative, that tells … Read More
How the Growing Self-Employment Trend Reduces the Claim “Burden” on Insurers
In a previous article, we explored the findings of a report that concluded that the UK insurance industry will face a reduced financial burden in the future. This reduced financial burden was due to the anticipated increase in the use of automation technologies, coupled with the growing trend for self-employment and the attendant reduction in the number of claims made … Read More
How the Changing Face of Employment and H&S May Change Business Insurance
The insurance industry and the health and safety industry are inextricably linked. After all, if you have employees based in the UK, you need employers’ liability insurance. If one of your employees suffers a workplace injury, any subsequent claim is likely to go through that insurance. Whether your insurers pay out or not, you may see an increase in your … Read More
Innovation in Health and Safety – Where Will It Come From?
While accident rates are much lower today than they were 20 or 30 years ago, the rate of decline has now flatlined. We could accept this as being the new reality, but that would also mean accepting that people will die and become seriously injured at work in the coming 12 months. Of course, for any health and safety professional, … Read More
Remote and Lone Worker Health and Safety – What You Need to Know
Lone workers make up a significant proportion of the UK workforce and face additional health and safety risks to those working with others. Many of those risks are unique to lone workers and, as with all workers, businesses have a responsibility to protect lone workers from all risks. Remote working may involve small teams as well as lone workers. Having … Read More
What You Need to Know About the New PPE Regulations
New regulations came into force earlier this year governing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). There is a transition period for the new regulations, but when they come into full effect they will replace a directive that is more than 20 years old. In other words, the new PPE regulations represent the biggest change in PPE standards and certification requirements in a … Read More
How is Brexit Likely to Impact UK Health and Safety Regulations?
Brexit has dominated political discourse in the UK for more than two years now and will probably continue to be the main topic of discussion for some years to come. It is a hot topic in the health and safety sector too. The question many are grappling with is how the UK’s health and safety landscape will change post-Brexit. Specifically, … Read More
Risk Assessments – Legal Requirements, Trends, and ISO 45001
Risk assessments are a central component of health and safety in every industry and sector. This is because risk assessments significantly reduce accidents, including accidents that cause deaths or the most serious types of injury. However, it is easy for organisations to become unconsciously complacent (or even deliberately complacent) about conducting risk assessments. In these situations, the process drifts into … Read More
Safety Differently and What It All Boils Down To
Safety Differently is an increasingly used buzzword in the world of health and safety. The concepts it presents are eye-catching but there is a significant issue which even its most ardent proponents accept – there is little definitive and citable research to support claims of its potential. This doesn’t mean we only have theory to go on, however. There are … Read More
An Introduction to Safety Differently
Safety Differently is a concept that is only a few years old, but it is increasingly talked about. We’ve introduced the concept previously and set it against the ‘alternative’ zero harm approach espoused originally by H.W. Heinrich. This post will paint a broader picture of Safety Differently and explore if it really works with the intention of looking at current … Read More
Safety Digitally – What Technology is Available Today?
We’ve previously discussed the role technology can play in breaking through the statistical plateau we’ve seen recently in UK work-related fatality rates. We’ve also discussed how technology can be the impetus to recruit young people into the work of health and safety. So what technology is out there today that can help you ensure your workers are safe at work … Read More
