A Hole Lot of Trouble – Keep Your Excavation Trenches Safe!
Excavation Safety for your Business He’d been told the water had been cut off. Last month a worker in Moray stood in a 1.3-metre deep excavation trench – not even a very deep one – and happily got to work cutting a section of cast iron water piping. Suddenly, water exploded out of it and …Read the Full Post
Questionable health and safety issues hit the headlines again
Although health and safety will always remain extremely important, it would seem that some officials are still erring too much on the side of caution. Here are some current examples of ‘elf n safety’ apparently overriding common sense. The case of the Devonian hanging baskets Elderly residents of a council-owned block of flats in Bradninch, …Read the Full Post
Warning Issued Over Electric Gate Installations In The UK
Are electric gates the ultimate in convenience or safety? Or are they causing more problems than they’re worth? Proponents of electric gates suggest that they represent a stylish and convenient solution as far as safety is concerned, and that if fitted correctly they represent no danger. The trouble is that, as the latest news story …Read the Full Post
You need more than a first aid box
The frequency of accidents in the work place vary widely according to the type of industry. Construction is statistically far more dangerous to worker health than insurance for instance, primarily because of the risks involved with the working environment. However the same basic rules regarding health and safety and first aid provisions apply to all …Read the Full Post
Based in the West Midlands? How is your Construction site safety?
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced plans to target building sites in the West Midlands in a drive to reduce “death, injury and ill health” in the industry. The campaign is running throughout the month of February and will involve inspectors checking other aspects of employee protection that are often regarded as “less …Read the Full Post
What Should Schools Be Doing About Asbestos?
As the schools prepare for the children to return after the long summer holiday (do I hear a cry of relief from the parents?) I thought it worthwhile to raise a subject that I have touched upon in the past, but this time to focus on the issue specifically from the point of view of …Read the Full Post
Faulty Outdoor Activities Rope Leaves Instructor Paralysed
Accidents in the workplace and in public areas can happen under circumstances that might be considered to be hard to foresee, which is why health and safety inspections and risk assessments need to be so thorough, often considering circumstances and situations which are outside of the normal, expected parameters. However, there are also some situations …Read the Full Post
Is Your Company Fully Prepared For Heat Stress This Summer?
If there’s one thing we British are known for it’s complaining about the weather. For months now the conversations I have heard regarding this seem to have been along the lines of what atrocious weather we’ve had all spring, and will summer ever arrive. Just recently that’s changed, and now we’re all moaning about how …Read the Full Post
The Risk Of Misplaced Trust In Health And Safety
In the world of health and safety there’s no doubt that guards and guard rails are highly important. But there are three types of guards: those which are present and working those which are entirely absent those which are present, deemed to be fine, but which are unfit for purpose. I think that when it …Read the Full Post
The Number One Risk Management Misunderstanding
Health and safety, as we’ve noted in a recent blog post, often gets some bad press. Partly this is down to the fact that risk management can often be misunderstood or misinterpreted. So let’s clear up some of these misconceptions. We live in a risky world. Quiet apart from thirty ton metal presses, scaffolding hundreds …Read the Full Post