‘Bullying risk’ should be assessed by bosses

The risk of bullying in the workplace should be assessed by employers, one expert has said.
A risk assessment should be conducted to discover whether remarks when made in jest are still upsetting to some employees, employment law specialist Peter Done told online resource ProfessionalBroking.co.uk.
He warned: “Should you receive a complaint, take the accusation seriously and [...]

Lorry crashes into works boss … minutes after his health and safety lecture

A BUILDING works boss delivered a health and safety talk to his team – then suffered two broken ribs when a lorry crashed into his cherry picker.
James Kadiri reckons he was inches from serious injury after the vehicle crashed into his picker while he was suspended 20 feet above the ground.
The impact smashed his cradle [...]

CDM regs on the small screen

DVD launched to explain health and safety regulations to design professionals
Almost one year to the day of the launch of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007, the first of a series of films addressing health and safety at the design stage has been launched.
The DVDs, produced by Construction Industry Publications, are aimed at architects [...]

Factory fined over electrician’s injuries

FIRM which employs people from Scarborough has been fined £8,000 after a worker sustained flash burns during a training exercise.
Grampian County Pork Ltd, which took over the Malton Bacon Factory from Unigate in October 2001, had admitted breaching health and safety regulations.
Scarborough Magistrates’ Court heard John Ellingworth, a service team electrician, injured his face [...]

Safety fear may stop town-centre flats plans

scheme to build hundreds of flats in Northampton town centre, which has been more than two years in the planning, could be thrown into jeopardy because officials did not check whether it was safe to build next to a gasometer.
The Freeschool Street scheme, involving flats and a public square near St Peter’s Way, was [...]

Safety expert raises Mound concerns

A health and safety expert has complained a digger restoring Oxford’s Castle Mound was working precariously on its slopes.
Nigel Spawton, of GBS Architects in Becket Street, which provides health and safety advice to construction firms, snapped a picture of the digger working on the £150,000 project to repair landslips on the ancient monument.
Full story here

Fire destroys Edinburgh construction site – VIDEO

A seven-storey block of apartments under construction in Edinburgh was almost completely destroyed in a spectacular fire over the weekend.
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Chemical leak scare at Alloa Academy

TWO science teachers were taken to hospital after toxic fumes leaked into the corridors of a local school.
Chloroform gas spilled into Alloa Academy when two technicians opened the door to a chemical storage unit on Wednesday afternoon.
The teachers started having problems breathing and were led away to Stirling Royal Infirmary in an ambulance.
The council [...]

Mobile IT responds to Corporate Manslaughter Act

UK businesses are looking to increase their investment in mobile technology to stay compliant with the latest piece of legislation to take health and safety responsibilities beyond the workplace.
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Company matters: Keep your health and safety obligations in mind when expanding a firm

This week’s expert is Jennifer Clarke, an associate solicitor in the litigation and dispute resolution department of LK Shields solicitors in Dublin.
QUESTION
I own a small company, but have plans to expand, and I am keen to implement all the proper structures as my business grows. Can you advise me on my obligations in relation to [...]

Fatter kids force bigger classroom desks

WALES’ obesity crisis is forcing schools to order larger and stronger furniture to cope with fatter children.
Fears of growing class sizes are not just confined to pupil numbers, with teachers worried that desks and chairs are not up to the task of seating a generation which is getting bigger and bigger.
Figures show that 22 per [...]

Injuries to health workers cost NHS £235m

Injuries to doctors, nurses and other health workers have cost the National Health Service nearly a quarter of a billion pounds, new figures have revealed.
Number of complaints against the NHS soars
Figures from the Health and Safety Executive show health workers suffered more than 24,000 serious injuries in three years.
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New Charter strikes Gold

Commitment to health and safety at work has won New Charter the coveted Gold award from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).
RoSPA is one of the world’s leading health and safety organisations. To win this award, New Charter had to show a first-class safety management system, and evidence of a consistently [...]

Government makes employee health a priority

Speaking earlier this month, Health Secretary Alan Johnson insisted that all organisations must make employee well being a priority in order to achieve a healthy and committed workforce.
The Health Secretary considers that,
“Helping people to stay healthy and well at work improves staff morale as well as productivity, yet there is a lack of clarity about [...]

5 in 10 companies are not prepared for the corporate manslaughter act

54% of employers are not aware of the details regarding the Corporate Manslaughter Act
- 89% of employers do not fully understand the repercussions of the Manslaughter Act
- 74% of those questioned have yet to review their safety policies in regards to the new legislation
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