The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued updated guidance to help employers protect their staff from work-related violence and aggression. Britain’s health and safety watchdog has refreshed the guidance as reported incidents of work-related violence and aggression have risen in recent years – numbering 688,000 in 2019-20. They say that experiencing violence and...
HSE campaign tackles work-related stress
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched its Working Minds campaign to help employers and workers prevent work-related stress. Britain’s health and safety watchdog is working with a number of partners, including IOSH, ACAS and Mind, to bring together a range of tools and support to help people tackle work-related stress and promote...
Firms urged to refocus on asbestos dangers
As we mark Global Asbestos Awareness Week, businesses and tradespeople are being urged to refocus on the dangers posed by the deadly fibres. Major health and safety bodies are urging tradespeople and employers to reflect on how they manage the risks posed by asbestos during their work. Global Asbestos Awareness Week Global Asbestos Awareness...
Skills for Care are #CelebratingSocialCare this April
This month, we’re joining Skills for Care in Celebrating Social Care and recognising the vital work carried out by the sector. The national workforce development charity is celebrating the remarkable people who work in social care and is encouraging others to join in their celebrations throughout April. They want to shine the spotlight on...
Firm fined £2.3m for risk of ‘death to multiple casualties’
A company has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and fined £2.3 million after unsafe working practices meant there was a risk of “serious injury or death to multiple casualties.” Exolum Pipeline System Ltd, formerly known as CLH Pipeline System (CLH-PS) Ltd, is a major pipeline transportation company based in London....
Take action this Stress Awareness Month
April is Stress Awareness Month, and this year the theme is all about taking action. Spearheaded by the Stress Management Society, Stress Awareness Month has been held every April since 1992 in a bid to raise awareness of the causes, negative effects and effective treatments for stress. Stress can be defined as the experience...
IOSH calls for coordinated focus on mental health in the workplace
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has called for a coordinated response to boost mental health in the workplace. The world’s largest occupational safety and health (OSH) body has responded to a European Commission consultation, saying that more effective leadership and governance frameworks are required to help improve mental health in the...
What is the future for health and safety law in the UK?
Many existing regulations could disappear from UK health and safety law at the end of this year if the Retained EU Law (REUL) Bill is approved in its current guise. The Bill, being dubbed the ‘EU Bonfire’ or ‘Sunset’ Bill, could lead to over 4,000 laws being amended, repealed or replaced by the end...
IOSH calls for better support for disabled workers
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has called for improved practices and better support to enable disabled workers to work. IOSH have spoken out after an MP called on the government to do more to ensure that people with disabilities can work from home as part of its bid to tackle labour...
HSE launches new campaign for asbestos awareness
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched its new campaign to improve asbestos awareness for people working in the construction industry. The Asbestos & You campaign will target all tradespeople but will particularly focus on younger workers in trades who have recently joined the industry in order to improve knowledge about the risks...
NSPCC: online child abuse risks becoming ‘normalised’
The NSPCC has called for effective action to be written into the Online Safety Bill as “alarming” new data reveals a 66% increase in child abuse image offences recorded by UK police forces in the past 5 years. Data obtained from a Freedom of Information Request (FOIR) has revealed that over 30,000 crimes involving...
NSPCC campaign tackles ‘heart-breaking’ loneliness
The NSPCC has launched a new campaign to tackle the “heart-breaking” loneliness experienced by children and young people across the country. The ‘Day in the Lonely’ campaign uses day-in-the-life style videos to illustrate how three young people experience loneliness. The videos, based on real-life calls received by Childline, are designed to encourage children to...
Plans to reform SEND support
The government has announced new plans to reform support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England. Plans announced by the Department for Education, which aim to improve SEND support and the alternative provision system, include earlier diagnoses and a commitment to build 33 more special free schools....
Six figure fine for health board that failed to follow safe working practices
A health board has been fined six figures after a patient died while being treated in hospital as a result of care that fell “below the required standards.” NHS Highland was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for failing to follow safe working practices in relation to the death of 78-year-old Colin...
New framework for supporting LGBTQ+ people in later life
Skills for Care have released a new learning framework to help care workers support LGBTQ+ people in later life. Commissioned and funded by Skills for Care, the new framework has been developed by the “innovative partnership” of Dr Trish Hafford-Letchfield of the University of Strathclyde and the Pride in Ageing programme at the LGBT...