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Health and Safety News

Occupational health and safety news and guidance

Blog posts : "Commentary"

Understanding Common Workplace Hazards

In today's fast-paced work environment, ensuring safety is paramount for both employees and employers. Workplace hazards can pose significant risks, leading to accidents, injuries, and even fatalities. Understanding the common hazards present in various work environments is essential for fostering a…

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How Health and Safety Can Increase Profitability: A Comprehensive Guide

image shows someone wearing PPE standing in front of a profit and loss chartIn today's fast-paced business landscape, the connection between health and safety and overall profitability has become increasingly evident. Prioritising the well-being of your employees, customers, and stakeholders not only aligns with ethical responsibilities but also provides other significant f…

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How health and safety has changed since the last coronation

a photo of The Mall, leading to Buckingham PalaceSince the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (which took place in 1953) there have been significant advancements in health and safety practices and regulations in various sectors, including:

Workplace safety: In the UK, the Health and Safety at Work Act was introduced in 1974, which sets out the…

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Don Quixote delivers a health and safety induction (just for fun!)

[The employees of a medieval castle gather in the courtyard, where they are greeted by their new safety instructor, a flamboyant knight in shining armour.]

Instructor: "Greetings, fellow knights and ladies! I am Don Quixote, and I have been tasked with the important duty of teaching you the ways …

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Mr Darcy gives a health and safety induction (just for fun!)

[The scene opens with Mr. Darcy standing before a group of new employees at his grand estate, Pemberley. He looks stern and serious as he begins his lecture.]

Mr. Darcy: "Good day, ladies and gentlemen. It is with great importance that I address you today regarding the health and safety of our es…

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The curious culture of handwashing around the world

Photo shows handwashing or bathing

In the western world, we take for granted access to soap and the hygiene education responsible for our daily handwashing regime. A combination of globalisation and healthcare are driving the interest in handwashing culture around the world, with encouragement to adopt the western approach, espec…

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The implications of leaving the EU on health and safety in Britain

Since the introduction of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, workplace health and safety regulations have steadily developed into the set of laws, regulations and standards we have today.

Furthermore, many of the regulations and standards British companies have to adhere to have come from Eu…

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Hygiene standards in UK restaurants

Owners of restaurants, bar food businesses and fast food outlets have a responsibility to their customers to adhere to the highest of food hygiene standards. This should be a given for all providers of food, but time and again we see that numerous outlets across the UK are abysmally short of accepta…

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How does H&S legislation compare across Europe?

Despite the European Union having a solid framework covering health and safety regulations at work, actual legislation and how it is enforced varies significantly between European countries.

Various bodies and people are held accountable differently in different countries, and some might appear t…

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How would the EU Referendum affect the safety of British business?

Photo shows the flag of the European UnionBy the end of 2017, the UK will decide either to remain a member of the European Union (EU) or to leave it and either of these results will have a huge impact on the safety of British businesses. Depending on your political opinion, the EU are either a gateway to a greater international voice or an …

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Free asbestos awareness workshops in Lancashire

Free workshops are being run across Lancashire to help small businesses better prevent the risk of exposure to asbestos.

Construction companies and small businesses are invited to attend one of six free half day events so they are aware of how they can avoid work that may disturb asbestos. This w…

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Male workers 20 times more likely than females to die at work

Photo shows a woman wearing personal protective equipmentAccording to a recent data analysis from health and safety consultants Arinite, between the years of 2009 and 2014 male workers were more than 20 times as likely as females to suffer a fatality whilst at work.

In 2013/14 alone, 85 male workers died on the job compared to just four women. Of those…

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Improving fire prevention in the home

Photo shows firefighters tackling a house fireFire prevention is very important to all homeowners both inside and outside of the home. More than 3,500 people are killed in house fires every year in America and over 18,000 are injured due to lack of preparation or improper maintenance of fire-preventing materials and tools (Source: USFA).

Insta…

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Five ways to beat the workplace summer blues

picture of  jet leaving with holiday makersThe summer season is fast approaching. The nation's sun-seeking employees are already eager to wrap up their tasks and handover over to colleagues for anything up to three weeks. 

For those left behind, these departures signal additional workloads. Staff who remain in the office or on site will be…

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What are the benefits of NEBOSH & IOSH accreditation?

cleaningThe commercial cleaning sector offers your business a wide variety of options for all of your maintenance and cleaning needs, so rooting out the best choice from the crowd can be a difficult process. Many will provide great deals on regularly scheduled contract cleans, or graffiti removal or janitor…

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If you’re going to smoke, do it safely

smokingWith No Smoking Day coming up (March 13th 2013), the internet is bound to be flooded with articles that stress the health risks of both smoking and being exposed to second hand smoke.

But last year’s government statistics shed light on another worrying issue.

According 2011 – 2012 statistics, sm…

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The story of Honda and health and safety

first aid kitGuest post by: Ingunn Bjøru

An employee, Cesar Santos, literally gave his bosses two fingers recently at Honda in Swindon, but he probably didn’t enjoy the experience as much as he may have hoped.  Whilst using an emery cloth to clean some equipment, his bosses were pressing him to complete the ta…

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Workplace injuries cause 27 million working day loss in 2011/2012

Workplace injuries cause 27 million working day loss in 2011/2012Workplace injury and work-related illness led to the loss of 27 million working days in 2011/2012, new figures have revealed. According to statistics published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) towards the end of 2012, 173 people were killed while at work, and 111,000 other injuries suffered …

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Why your business will benefit from a competent person service and health and safety support

According to the HSE (Health and Safety Executive), in the working year 2010/11, 1.2 million people were suffering from a work related illness. 26.4 million working days were lost due to work related illness and workplace injury.

It is the legal responsibility of every employer to make sure that…

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Lack of first aid knowledge ‘as dangerous as cancer’

A campaign launched recently showed that 140,000 people every year die in situations that could have been prevented had there been a trained first aider there. Indeed, that’s the same amount of deaths as caused by cancer.

The hard-hitting TV adverts were first run during prime time TV, showin…

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20 Blog Posts