Back to Basics: What can employers do to support staff during heatwaves?
This guide provides useful information regarding employers responsibilities to protect their workforce during extreme heat, as well as some useful tips to help safeguard them. Legislation and Guidance Legally, there is no maximum temperature requirement for workplaces. However, temperatures in indoor workplaces are covered by the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which require […]
Back to Basics: DSE
The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 were established to help improve the safety of all employees who regularly use DSE as a significant part of their normal work (daily, for continuous periods of an hour or more). This isn’t just limited to desktop PC’s, it also covers work with tablets, smartphones, laptops […]
Back to Basics: Manual Handling
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, require employers to avoid, assess and reduce the risk of injury from manual handling. These laws apply to any work which involves lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling or carrying. At high level, these regulations state employers should: Workers have duties too. They should: If you operate in a sector where […]
Back to basics: Fire Safety
What you need to do as an employer to remain compliant The responsibility of fire safety falls can fall upon many shoulders, from dedicated fire marshals to employers to landlords/building owners. Ultimately, as an employer, you need to ensure the property you work in is a fire-safe environment, and that sufficient procedures have been carried […]
Back to Basics: Creating a Permit to Work
What is a permit to work? A permit to work system is a formal recorded process used to control work that is identified as potentially hazardous. It is also a means of communication between site/installation management, plant supervisors and operators and those who carry out the hazardous work. Unlike a risk assessment, a permit to […]
8 Reasons Why Employees Avoid Reporting Near-Misses
Why is the underreporting of hazards and near-misses so common in work environments? To prevent workplace accidents and minimise risks, every company has a duty of care to its employees to have health and safety policies and ensure everyone complies with the rules and regulations in place. Yet no matter how comprehensive health and safety […]
Back to Basics: Working at Height
Working at height remains the number one cause of fatal accidents in the workplace and worryingly, 13 out of the 48 prosecution updates published by the HSE so far this year involved Working at height scenarios. Statistics from the HSE’s 2019/20 RIDDOR show that 29 workers died last year due to falls from height, making […]
