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Health and Safety News

Occupational health and safety news and guidance

Blog posts : "safety topic"

Health and safety in the construction industry

Photo shows a construction site

It is a marvel when you get to see tall skyscrapers which are the end products of months or years construction work. The final building looks amazing especially the outer glass panels that reflect the blue sky. Furthermore, occupants get to have the best view of the city’s skyline every single d…

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Chemical safety PPE - top to toe

Photo shows a woman handling a chemical and wearing safety glasses

Working with chemicals can obviously be dangerous. As careful as you may be, accidents do happen. However, with the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) you can mitigate the risk of harm. There are a wealth of different elements of PPE designed to protect against chemical hazards and know…

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Eight steps to becoming a safer driver

Photo shows a woman driving a car

The number of people on the road in the UK is rising, but according to government statistics, the rate of accidents is increasing even faster. That means it is important for us to take steps to become safer in our cars. Here are eight steps to follow to become a better driver.

  1. Adopt a bett…

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Health and safety in the Tattoo Parlour

Photo show a tattoo parlour

Tattoos have always been popular, but in recent years’ tattoos have become less of a taboo and moved more into the mainstream, with 1 in 5 adults in the UK having a tattoo. A study has also shown that 1 in 10 people with a tattoo experienced problems with their tattoo, including swelling, itchin…

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4 essential safety tips for operating a cherry picker

Photo shows a worker using a cherry picker to work at heightCherry pickers – also known variously as elevated work platforms, basket cranes or man lifts – are movable access platforms that can be extremely useful for working at height. Mounted onto a truck, these machines provide high level access for many commercial applications including maintenance and cl…

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Best practice chemical storage in the workplace

Photo shows a chemical storage systemChemical safety is a primary workplace safety concern for many organisations. To control the exposure of employees to chemicals in the workplace, particular efforts need to be made to ensure chemicals are safely stored and handled. Even commonly used substances in the workplace such as ammonia, benz…

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How dangerous is workplace fatigue?

Photo shows a man in a suit sleeping by an alarm clockExhausted employees are bad for business, and today's employers are paying the price. Although workplace fatigue can be just as dangerous as drinking on the job, it's surprisingly common in many modern industries. Today in the United Kingdom, for example, at least 3.5 million people work irregular h…

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The evolution of personal protective equipment

Photo shows a worker wearing personal protective equipment and clothingIt could be argued that the first Ghostbusters movie, released in 1984, is one of the greatest films of all time; it stars Bill Murray and has a brilliant theme tune. The movie also transcends the cinema screen and provides insight into environmental law and policy with regard to Personal Protective…

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The office: the dangers of un-serviced equipment

Photo shows an engineer testing equipmentWe’ve all seen the little green “Service by” sticker on the electrical equipment in and around the office, and let’s be honest, how many of those dates on the equipment have come and gone?

When anyone comes to work, we place utter trust in the employer to provide us with a safe environmen…

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Keep your home safe from electrical fires

Photo shows a burning buildingAmong the top fears when it comes to keeping you and your family safe at home is the possibility of an outbreak of fire. Although rare and on the most part being able to be avoided, when fire does strike, it is a menacing sight and leaves thousands of people each year heartbroken, injured or even wo…

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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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The benefits of online first aid training

Photo shows a man using a laptop at homeWhile children will all receive first aid training at school, it is important that adults are also first aid trained. Whether you have never received any training at all, or your existent knowledge is out of date, bridging that skills gap has become easier than ever with online e-learning courses. T…

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New Links

Some recent additions to HealthSafetyNews.co.uk include a link to Lab Safety 101 on the main links page and to Earthworks-Jobs on the safety jobs page.

Lab Safety 101 is an excellent resource, aimed at students, which provides an introduction to general lab safety; safety advice for working with …

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Eliminate burns in the workplace

Photo shows a chef in a hot kitchenBurns are often overlooked as a workplace-related injury, but occur by the thousands each year and in several occupational fields. While burn injuries are less common than slip and fall injuries or sprains and strains, according to a study conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administrati…

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Fire Safety: Foam Vs. Dry Powder Fire Extinguishers

Click for full size image of the fire extinguisher colour codeA fire extinguisher is one of the most important pieces of fire safety equipment you can have in your car, home, or place of work. What is vital to know is that different extinguishers work on different types of fires. 

Unfortunately, all fire extinguishers are red, making it difficult to decip…

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Safety at Height: Ladders Vs. Scaffold Towers

Photo shows a woman using a ladder incorrectly for DIYIn the UK every single year there are accidents related to falling from height that could and should have been avoided. In total, between 2013 and 2014 there were nearly 3,000 incidents where employees were injured from falls from height. Of that figure, 39 people died; that’s 39 people whose lives …

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Training in first aid – how companies can make their work environment safer

Photo shows a first aid kitIt’s a sad fact that accidents, injuries, and illnesses can take place in the workplace. For this reason, many countries have adopted a law ensuring that workers have access to a well-stocked first aid kit and facilities alongside an actual response system that provides an established proced…

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Musculoskeletal Disorders - 5 ways an employer can cut down on absences

Photo shows a man with back painMusculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) were responsible for the loss of more than 8,000,000 UK working days in 2013/14. So how could employers improve to get some of these days back in the future?

These statistics were published by the Office for National Statistics, who also revealed that more…

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6 key requirements of an on-line health and safety management system

Photo shows a woman using a computerAre you looking to make managing your business's health & safety compliance an easier, more efficient process? Maybe you're a risk assessor who is looking to the benefits of an electronic system? We all know technology can revolutionise so why shouldn't the legal compliance industry benefit from the…

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Chessington fined £150,000 for four-year-old girl's injuries

Photo shows the gap in a fence where the four-year-old girl fellChessington World of Adventures has been sentenced for safety failings that led to a four-year-old girl suffering life-changing head injuries when she fell from a raised walkway while queuing for a ride.

The youngster, from Kent, fell nearly four metres while waiting in line for the Tomb Blaster ri…

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20 Blog Posts