Health and Safety News

Why Reversing Remains the Greatest Risk in Workplace Transport

17-February

forklift truck warning sign Despite decades of evolution in site management, reversing remains one of the most lethal manoeuvres on industrial sites. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), around 25% of all workplace transport fatalities occur while a vehicle is moving in reverse. This represents the most concentrated area of risk on any site - yet these incidents remain entirely preventable.

In 2026, the legal reality of these risks is stark. Courts increasingly view reversing fatalities as a systemic failure to manage risk, often resulting in fines indexed to company turnover that can exceed £1 million. However, the true weight of these incidents lies in the human cost.

HSE’s cost model estimates the human cost of a workplace fatality at around £1.6 million per case in the latest data. No financial valuation, however, can fully reflect the impact on the individual, their family, colleagues, or the lasting damage to organisational trust and reputation.

Landmark Lessons from Five Workplace Fatalities

The following five cases, each involving a workplace fatality and totalling over £5.9 million in penalties, demonstrate why reversing risks demands a shift away from passive controls and towards a culture of active protection.

1. Failure to Supervise Segregation

Case: Biffa Waste Services Ltd - Fined £2.48 million

James Tabiri (57) was killed by a reversing skip wagon while crossing a weighbridge.

The finding: Workers routinely ignored concrete barriers to save time. The HSE identified a ‘casual attitude’ to safety because no one was actively supervising compliance on the ground.

The lesson: Passive controls like concrete blocks cannot alert management when they are being bypassed. Regulation 5 requires robust monitoring. Active technology provides real-time dat…

Posted in Guidance

Common PPE Compliance Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

11-December

Most workplaces try to stay on top of PPE, but little slips still happen. It might be a piece of kit that has seen better days or a step someone meant to take but forgot. Over time these small things can add up. A few practical habits go a long way in keeping people protected.

Relying on One Size Fits All PPE

A box of gloves. A stack of helmets. A shelf of vests. It can feel like enough. But workers do not all face the same risks, and PPE needs shift from task to task.

A common pattern is using a single type of protective eyewear or hearing protection for everyone, even though certain jobs call for higher grade kit.

How to avoid it:

Have a quick look at each job on its own instead of grabbing whatever is nearby. The gear should suit the task. Eye protection, tougher gloves, splash aprons, all of it works better when it matches what people are actually doing.

Poor Fit and Comfort Issues

Badly fitting kit is a common problem. If a boot slides around or a jacket keeps slipping, people tend to adjust it constantly or stop bothering altogether. A mask that never sits right can give the idea of protection without actually offering much.

How to avoid it:

Make fit testing part of your routine. Ask staff for feedback. A well fitted hard hat or secure pair of safety boots feels normal once in place, which means workers keep them on without thinking about it.

Forgetting About Maintenance

Many items lose strength far earlier than expected. Gloves fray. Helmets weaken in heat. Ear defenders lose tension. PPE that looks fine from a distance may offer far less protection than it did on day one.

How to avoid it:

Set simple check points. Inspect gear weekly. When something looks worn, swap it out as soon as you notice. It is easier t…

Posted in Accident

Careers in occupational safety and health

02-December

Health and safety is one of those careers people often “discover” rather than set out for from day one. That’s certainly true for me. Before stepping into this field, I’d done a bit of everything—bar work, delivery driving, ducting installation, marshalling at Glastonbury Festival, shifts in factories and warehouses, and even serving in the armed forces. At one point, I was juggling multiple part-time jobs just to keep things moving.

What I didn’t realise at the time was that all of those experiences were quietly giving me a foundation that would later turn out to be perfect for a career in health and safety: seeing how different workplaces operate, noticing what feels safe (and what definitely doesn’t), and understanding how people behave when things get busy, messy, or unpredictable.

How I Got Into Health and Safety

My path became more focused when I completed a degree in Environmental Health. That opened the door to more formal learning, including NEBOSH qualifications and various specialist courses. Since graduating and moving into health and safety roles full-time, I’ve continued building on that foundation with sector-specific training—working safely with cryogenic gases, laser safety, Radiation Supervisor training, Biological Safety Officer training, fire risk assessment, lead auditing, and more.

The learning really never stops in this field. And honestly, that’s part of what keeps it interesting. There’s always new technology, new guidance, and new ways of thinking about risk.

What Health and Safety Professionals Actually Do

Health and safety roles can look very different from one workplace to another, but the essence of the job stays pretty constant: you’re there to spot risks, help people work safely, and make sure the organisation is meeting…

Posted in Commentary

Tags job career safety health environment quality security

Safer, Smarter, Faster: The Top Three Benefits of Electronic Permit to Work Systems

22-May

Introduction
Effective work permit management is essential for maintaining safety, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency. Traditional paper-based Permit to Work (PTW) systems can be slow, inefficient, easily mislaid, and prone to error, contributing to serious safety risks.

A 2017 study published in the Chemical Engineering Transactions Journal found that permit system failures were a contributing factor in approximately 7% of over 600 process safety incidents recorded between 1990 and 2015. (Yan, C. K., Siong, P. H., Kidam, K., Ali, M. W., Hassim, M. H., Kamaruddin, M. J., & Kamarden, H. (2017). Contribution of Permit to Work to Process Safety Accident in the Chemical Process Industry. Chemical Engineering Transactions, 56, 883–888.)

To overcome these challenges, a growing number of organisations are turning to electronic Permit to Work (ePTW) systems to enhance visibility, streamline coordination, and strengthen safety practices. This article outlines three major benefits of adopting an ePTW system, with IAMTech’s iPermit serving as a case study.

1. Centralised Dashboards for Better Oversight

A core benefit of ePTW systems is centralised control. User Home Screens can provide a real-time overview of all active permits on-site through intuitive dashboards.

With iPermit, users benefit from an interactive ribbon tool that simplifies navigation. It allows them to organise and locate permits with ease, helping teams monitor progress from issue to completion without relying on outdated physical documents.

This centralisation enhances collaboration, reduces administrative effort, and speeds up response times, allowing personnel to focus on safety and execution.

2. Safer Management of Simultaneous Operations (SIMOPS)

Overlapping permitted work in the sa…

Posted in Guidance