News and insight
Chemical company fined £3m after the release of toxic vapour cloud on two separate occasions
A chemical company has been sentenced after one worker was killed and another left with life-changing injuries when they were overcome by a toxic vapour cloud. A little over 16 months later there was another incident involving the same toxic chemical.
Kelly Mansfield
The importance of being fair
The observance of World Values Day in October has raised greater awareness of the importance of good values – not just as individuals but as teams and managers in the workplace.
Jamie Robinson
Reducing Accidents at Work
Accidents and similar incidents at work always seem to come attached with the ‘not in my workplace’ attitude. Even if one hasn’t occurred in your workplace as of late, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t occurring elsewhere.
Jane Patching
Ten top tips to ensure the safety of employees during the summer months
School holidays are just around the corner, along with the hot weather (we hope). The traditional summer silly season will soon be upon us, but while we remain in the workplace, the hot weather does raise safety and wellness issues to consider, and highlights actions that need to be taken.
Kate Gardner
CDM 2015, are you “competent” to work in construction?
6 October sees the implementation of every aspect of CDM 2015 to construction in the UK, without exception. The underlying emphasis by HSE in its goal to secure health and safety in construction is to ensure everyone at every level, and whatever the task, is “competent”.
Kate Gardner
ISO 14001:2015 Final Draft is published
The Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) of ISO 14001:2015 has now been published. This is the final stage in the revision journey and organisations can be confident that the information contained in the FDIS will be in line with the final version of the Standard which is expected in September 2015.
Lee Calver
Do you know the employment rights of employees working abroad?
We are increasingly in a mobile world where staff move from one country to another as part of their normal working life; where international assignments are becoming the ‘norm’; and where employers need to be aware of which legislation and jurisdictions cover these staff on such appointments.
Kelly Mansfield
Employee motivation ‘key to productivity’
A global study in 2013 revealed that only 13% of employees worldwide are engaged at work. The 142-country study on the ‘State of the Global Workforce’ found that the majority of workers across the world (63%) are “not engaged”, meaning they lack motivation and are less likely to invest discretionary efforts in organisational goals or outcomes.
Kate Gardner
Health and safety trends in the manufacturing industry
Manufacturing can be a dangerous business, it is one of the industries with the most workplace injuries and fatalities. It accounts for only 10% of the UK workforce, yet is responsible for almost 20% of the injuries.
Kate Gardner
Is your country the safest place to work?
Last week, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published new figures showing that Britain continues to be one of the safest places to work in Europe, but warned that too many workers are still being injured or made ill by work.