Sorry I've not posted for over a week, folks - I've been busy having fun. Yep - Easter weekend provided me with lots of fun things to do, so I was too busy to post. But fear not - I'm back now, back in the world of health and safety. And what a world it is.
I received an interesting email from my boss this morning (while I was sniffling on my hanky in bed, I hasten to add) asking if I was interested in a story. The story in question was regarding the House of Lords' decision on work-related suicides.
Now I am well aware it's not a nice subject, but let's face it - health and safety is full of workplace deaths, falls from height, crushes by machinery - we are all immune to it now. Or are we?
It's your job to ensure such things do not happen, and I am sure you are very good at doing so. Obviously the likes of such websites as www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk helps you do your job more efficiently (nice plug, thanks) but doesn't it frustrate you to constantly read about companies that don't adhere to policies, the very policies we are all striving to embrace and promote? Tell me!
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
Monday, 17 March 2008
Dame Carol Black's 'occupational health service'
I spent this morning at the launch of the health review by Dame Carol Black, entitled Review of the health of Britain's working age population: working for a healthier tomorrow.
From where I was sitting, there doesn't seem to much to get excited about, although the research is interesting and proposals sensible, it will probably take the Government a good few years to sit on thos recommendations before actually doing anything about them.
Therefore, it's up to you health and safety professionals to continue doing what you're best at, keeping your workers healthy and safe.
From where I was sitting, there doesn't seem to much to get excited about, although the research is interesting and proposals sensible, it will probably take the Government a good few years to sit on thos recommendations before actually doing anything about them.
Therefore, it's up to you health and safety professionals to continue doing what you're best at, keeping your workers healthy and safe.
Thursday, 13 March 2008
How not to work on a roof!
IIRSM member Roger Rustom kindly sent me these images of workers on a roof adjacent to his offices.
Roger, sitting in his Safety Department offices, couldn't just watch these men blatantly risk their lives and do nothing. So he contacted the HSE, who told them that they could and should not do anything and that they would write to the people concerned.
Will a letter (by the time it gets to them) really make a difference to men who so blatantly put their lives at risk and employers who are obviously condoning their actions?
Roger also has the whole incident on film and will be using it to educate his employees and contractors.
If you would like to send me photos of safety blunders, email me.
Roger, sitting in his Safety Department offices, couldn't just watch these men blatantly risk their lives and do nothing. So he contacted the HSE, who told them that they could and should not do anything and that they would write to the people concerned.
Will a letter (by the time it gets to them) really make a difference to men who so blatantly put their lives at risk and employers who are obviously condoning their actions?
Roger also has the whole incident on film and will be using it to educate his employees and contractors.
If you would like to send me photos of safety blunders, email me.
Monday, 10 March 2008
Online forum
Last week we held our first roundtable teleconference. Selected IIRSM members were invited to call in and discuss various topics high on the health and safety agenda in order to generate some good old fashioned debate - and they didn't disappoint.
Topics covered included CDM - how have the revised Regs bedded down? and what impact the new Corporate Manslaughter Act may have on industry. Recent stories in the press provided food for thought, and the profile of our industry certainly generated a welcome discussion. To read the forum threads in full, click here.
A write-up of the forum is also included in the April edition of the IIRSM Newsletter.
For details of our next teleconference, email me. All HSW subscribers and IIRSM members are welcome.
Topics covered included CDM - how have the revised Regs bedded down? and what impact the new Corporate Manslaughter Act may have on industry. Recent stories in the press provided food for thought, and the profile of our industry certainly generated a welcome discussion. To read the forum threads in full, click here.
A write-up of the forum is also included in the April edition of the IIRSM Newsletter.
For details of our next teleconference, email me. All HSW subscribers and IIRSM members are welcome.
Thursday, 21 February 2008
Old arguments ... new debate?
The recent death of 12-year-old Hayden Waller has reminded of a debate that occured among IIRSM members during 2007. Hayden's pal slipped while trekking on a school trip in southern Austria, and Hayden attempted to help him, falling to his death.
Hayden, a 12-year-old school boy, died trying to save another child.
Rewind to the death of Jordon Lyon, who drowned in May 2007 in a pond after trying to save his step-sister when they got into diffulties. Another child who died trying to save someone else. The subsequent inquest into the 10-year-old's death prompted calls to scrap Police Community Support Officers, as it revealed that they "just stood by and watched".
So, if a small child is willing to risk his life to help another human being in distress, why didn't the PCSOs? Lack of training? Or should they not be required to risk their lives, as thousands of regular police officers do every day?
Far be it for me to drag up old arguments, but I thought it worth mentioning.
Return to HealthandSafetyProfessional.co.uk
Hayden, a 12-year-old school boy, died trying to save another child.
Rewind to the death of Jordon Lyon, who drowned in May 2007 in a pond after trying to save his step-sister when they got into diffulties. Another child who died trying to save someone else. The subsequent inquest into the 10-year-old's death prompted calls to scrap Police Community Support Officers, as it revealed that they "just stood by and watched".
So, if a small child is willing to risk his life to help another human being in distress, why didn't the PCSOs? Lack of training? Or should they not be required to risk their lives, as thousands of regular police officers do every day?
Far be it for me to drag up old arguments, but I thought it worth mentioning.
Return to HealthandSafetyProfessional.co.uk
Monday, 18 February 2008
Long hours = stress
This Friday (22 February) is Work Your Proper Hours Day. The aim of the day is to get the average person who does unpaid overtime to just do their normal hours on this day and reflect on how well (or badly) they are balancing their life.
Scarily, nearly five million people in the UK regularly do unpaid overtime, giving their employers an average £4,955 of free work a year. But it's not just about the money. As a health and safety professional you are undoubtedly aware that long hours are not good for us!
Long working hours are bad for work-life balance, health, productivity and safety. In the UK we have reached epidemic levels. And overwork is definitely making us sick - a DTI survey found one in five men (19 per cent) had visited the doctor because of stress, rising to one quarter (23 per cent) of over 40s.
I for one will certainly be taking advantage of the promotion to work my proper hours in the hope I will enter the weekend far less stressed than I usually do ... I hope you do too!
Do you think campaigns such as Work Your Proper Hours Day help to alleviate stress in the workplace, therefore making it safer and healthier? Why not start the debate in our discussion forum?
Scarily, nearly five million people in the UK regularly do unpaid overtime, giving their employers an average £4,955 of free work a year. But it's not just about the money. As a health and safety professional you are undoubtedly aware that long hours are not good for us!
Long working hours are bad for work-life balance, health, productivity and safety. In the UK we have reached epidemic levels. And overwork is definitely making us sick - a DTI survey found one in five men (19 per cent) had visited the doctor because of stress, rising to one quarter (23 per cent) of over 40s.
I for one will certainly be taking advantage of the promotion to work my proper hours in the hope I will enter the weekend far less stressed than I usually do ... I hope you do too!
Do you think campaigns such as Work Your Proper Hours Day help to alleviate stress in the workplace, therefore making it safer and healthier? Why not start the debate in our discussion forum?
Wednesday, 13 February 2008
An alarming trend
The Samaritans released a survey recently, which revealed that one in four people have suffered workplace bullying: an incredibly worrying statistic.
Young employees (18-24 years) are most vulnerable to stress, with 38 per cent feeling less likely than all other age groups to talk openly to their managers and 57per cent unable to talk to colleagues. Forty-eight per cent are more likely to be bullied by clients and customers whereas over half of other age groups reported being bullied by their managers.
Managing workplace bullying is an increasing challenge for employers. It is a serious health and safety issue that every employee and every company should be aware of.
A good anti-bullying policy and some company-wide workshops are invaluable to ensure that everyone understands and gets the message.
How do you manage workplace bullying? Click here to tell us.
Young employees (18-24 years) are most vulnerable to stress, with 38 per cent feeling less likely than all other age groups to talk openly to their managers and 57per cent unable to talk to colleagues. Forty-eight per cent are more likely to be bullied by clients and customers whereas over half of other age groups reported being bullied by their managers.
Managing workplace bullying is an increasing challenge for employers. It is a serious health and safety issue that every employee and every company should be aware of.
A good anti-bullying policy and some company-wide workshops are invaluable to ensure that everyone understands and gets the message.
How do you manage workplace bullying? Click here to tell us.
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
The bigger picture
Last month I wrote an article for the IIRSM Newsletter on the recruitment policies of the Armed Forces.
The story came in response to a recently published report, which assessed whether potential soldiers are provided with an accurate and full description of a forces career, including the risks, found that a misleading picture is created.
One member wrote to me asking that we remember the bigger picture. "The Army, just like any other organisation, has to recruit and you cannot expect it to achieve this by stating too many negatives," he said.
Does this negative publicity simply feed the appetites of those who do not really appreciate or understand? Share your views in our discussion forums.
The story came in response to a recently published report, which assessed whether potential soldiers are provided with an accurate and full description of a forces career, including the risks, found that a misleading picture is created.
One member wrote to me asking that we remember the bigger picture. "The Army, just like any other organisation, has to recruit and you cannot expect it to achieve this by stating too many negatives," he said.
Does this negative publicity simply feed the appetites of those who do not really appreciate or understand? Share your views in our discussion forums.
Monday, 28 January 2008
Construction deaths hit 50
The fatal fall of a scaffolder last week has seen the provisional total of construction deaths rise to 50 in 2007/08.
The unnamed man was working on the Ferrara Quay housing development in Swansea when the accident happened last Tuesday. He was taken to hospital but later died.
Nick Blundell, UCATT Regional Secretary for the Wales and South West, commented that this latest death underlines the dangerous nature of construction. "While it is alomost impossible to make the industry entirely safe, construction employers in general could be doing far more to make sites safer," he said.
Do you work in construction? Post your thoughts on our discussion forums by clicking here.
Click here to return to HealthandSafetyProfessional.co.uk
The unnamed man was working on the Ferrara Quay housing development in Swansea when the accident happened last Tuesday. He was taken to hospital but later died.
Nick Blundell, UCATT Regional Secretary for the Wales and South West, commented that this latest death underlines the dangerous nature of construction. "While it is alomost impossible to make the industry entirely safe, construction employers in general could be doing far more to make sites safer," he said.
Do you work in construction? Post your thoughts on our discussion forums by clicking here.
Click here to return to HealthandSafetyProfessional.co.uk
Monday, 21 January 2008
20 killed in China
A gas explosion in an illegal mine in northern China has killed at least 20 people, according Xinhua news agency.
China's coal mines are the world's most dangerous, with more than 3,000 deaths reported every year. Although the Chinese government has introduced legislation aimed at cracking down on illegal or unsafe mines, mine owners and local officials are frequently accused of ignoring regulations in search of greater profits.
China's industrial and economical advancements are amazing, however, its industrial safety seems to be severly lacking. But acceptable OSH standards in the working place are basic human rights.
What do other readers think? What should the Government be doing to improve safety in China's workplaces? Click here to start a thread in our discussion forums.
To return to HealthandSafetyProfessional.co.uk, click here.
China's coal mines are the world's most dangerous, with more than 3,000 deaths reported every year. Although the Chinese government has introduced legislation aimed at cracking down on illegal or unsafe mines, mine owners and local officials are frequently accused of ignoring regulations in search of greater profits.
China's industrial and economical advancements are amazing, however, its industrial safety seems to be severly lacking. But acceptable OSH standards in the working place are basic human rights.
What do other readers think? What should the Government be doing to improve safety in China's workplaces? Click here to start a thread in our discussion forums.
To return to HealthandSafetyProfessional.co.uk, click here.
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