One of my guilty secrets this year has been watching the eight series of Inspector George Gently. As you doubtless know, it’s set in the North East of England [where I grew up] at a time when I was just a small boy. As well as being a great drama it shines a light on the prevailing attitudes of the … Read More
HSE-related Parliamentary Questions
The current parliamentary session has seen some interesting written questions from MPs and members of the House of Lords related to health and safety. Most, as you would expect, relate to some aspect of Covid-19 response while others shine a welcome light on other issues. Here’s a selection: Question from Seema Malhotra (Feltham and Heston) (8th June 2020) “To ask … Read More
Is Global Asbestos Awareness Week Still Relevant Given Covid-19?
Absolutely it is. 5,500 people die every year in the UK alone from diseases caused by exposure to asbestos. Worldwide, 742,000 die every year from work-related cancers including those caused by exposure to asbestos. Are these asbestos-related deaths in the UK just the result of legacy exposures? Or, only caused by fly-by-night operators cutting corners? No, and no. The NHS alone has … Read More
2020 Health and Safety Webinar Series
Following is the 2020 schedule for our ongoing series of health and safety webinars. Mark your calendars as appropriate. You can access/register for past/upcoming webinars via the left sidebar of this page. 12th March – Contractor Compliance, Needs Vision not Hindsight As technology advancements and global political and macro-economic trends continue to impact the worker landscape, so we’re already seeing … Read More
Toxic Schools
The recent political landscape in the UK has left some/many(?) wondering if our political classes are really capable of making and managing the changes needed to help us prosper and keep us safe. This latest election campaign has often represented a drunken brawl in the street among candidates purporting to stand on a law and order ticket. Feel free to … Read More
e-permits Modular Solution
e-permits is the UK’s first and leading web-based permit to work software and work authorisation system. The past year has seen its continued modularisation to enable new clients to absorb value in line with available budget and implementation resources. This post describes this new e-permits modular solution in detail. It consists of 4 Core Modules plus additional Functional Modules to … Read More
Global Asbestos Awareness Week April 1-7, 2019
It’s Global Asbestos Awareness Week incorporating the 15th International Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference running in Washington DC from April 5-7. We’ve commented extensively in the past on the issues surrounding asbestos in our society and this dreadful material has even become the cause of legal action alleging that Johnson & Johnson “knew for decades that its iconic baby powder … Read More
Taking Action to Prevent Exposure to Asbestos
In our review of UK health and safety in 2018 we highlighted the increased profile that mental health has seen in the workplace and the importance to both the employee and the business of good employee mental health. On the flip side, little has fundamentally changed in the treatment of asbestos in our public buildings. Darren Payne of Rhodor the … Read More
Asbestos – Out with the Old, and in with the (er) Old
And so it continues. 2018 has begun with three high profile stories on exposing employees and contractors to asbestos fibres and the associated seeming disregard for safety. Firstly, SSE Hornsea Ltd were fined £300K after 13 employees and contractors were exposed to asbestos fibres after 3 of them performed routine mechanical maintenance on a compressed air distribution system. HSE Inspector … Read More
Asbestos in UK Schools
Here are two figures that should alarm everyone: Asbestos kills over 5,500 people a year in the UK (according to the government) Up to 83 percent of schools contain asbestos (according to a government survey) There is an obvious question that comes to mind when you look at these two figures – what is being done about asbestos in schools? … Read More
How e-permits Helps Prevent Asbestos Exposure
We’ve devoted a significant amount of space on this blog trying to maintain focus on preventing asbestos exposure for facilities workers, as well as everyone else who can come into contact with asbestos going about their day-to-day activities in our schools, hospitals and any other pre-2000 building. We’ve touched on how e-permits helps prevent asbestos exposure and how we’ve now … Read More
Asbestos in UK Public Buildings – It’s Killing Us!
The Government acknowledges that buildings in the UK, including public buildings, contain asbestos. It also acknowledges that thousands of people a year die from asbestos-related diseases. However, exactly how big is the problem and what is the Government and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) doing about it? According to the HSE, any building built or refurbished before 2000 may … Read More
Study Claims Asbestos Substitute Kills Too!
That and other asbestos stories in this news round up of all things asbestos… The presence of asbestos in our schools and other public buildings continues to make the news. At least the local, if not the national news. Two schools were closed in Shefford, Bedfordshire this week due to an asbestos risk arising from the demolition of the old … Read More
UK Health & Safety – Now Will They Take It Seriously?
What a dreadful week for those who lived and died in Grenfell Tower, their families, their friends, the community of North Kensington, the city of London and UK health & safety. Those of us who work in health & safety and likely you, the reader, don’t need reminding of the importance of health & safety, it’s what gets us out … Read More
Help Us Fight Exposure to Asbestos
Global Asbestos Awareness Week 2017 has long passed but we’re determined to keep awareness high all year round and to do all we can to prevent exposure to asbestos. As we reported a couple of weeks ago and with immediate effect, we are no longer making the asbestos module a chargeable, optional extra for e-permits. The module is now bundled … Read More
Asbestos Module – Now Bundled!
We have written much and commented more on reducing the exposure to asbestos since the 2017 Global Asbestos Awareness Week at the beginning of April. Indeed, if we can make headway with recommendations we made following the Post Implementation Review of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 then the UK will become a much safer place to go about our … Read More
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