Fundamental shake up due to stress findings
Following the inquest after the death of a headteacher in January 2023, the Department for Education has announced that they are changing the way in which they grade schools. The old-style single headline grades are being done away with, and instead, from September 2025, “school report cards” will be introduced.
With over 17 million working days lost every year as a result of depression, anxiety and stress, UK businesses lose around £28 billion. Addressing stress can alleviate the pressure of this on your business.
Whilst the stress of OFSTED was found to be a causing factor in the head teacher’s death, it acts as a reminder to all industries that although work needs to be done, work-related stress is a factor that should be taken seriously. No job is worth someone’s life.
All workplaces can make a difference to their employees by addressing their stress management policy if necessary. We are on hand to tailor a stress management policy for your workplace to provide managers with support, advice and tools to effectively manage work-related stress.
Here at the Health and Safety Dept, we offer a variety of courses to help your business be proactive when it comes to work-related stress, including: stress awareness training, mental health awareness training for managers and mental health awareness training.
Give our health and safety experts a call today, and we will help your business identify and act upon the major risk factors that can influence stress for your employees.
Tree safety
As enchanting as the changing autumn leaves can be, we mustn’t overlook the risks that the change of season in autumn poses to safety, especially when it comes to trees.
Earlier this year an East Sussex forestry body was fined several thousand pounds after it was found culpable of breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. This came after a couple were struck by a falling tree in the Ashdown Forest, resulting in one of them suffering a traumatic brain injury.
The HSE found that the forestry body had not taken appropriate precautions when felling, which should have included posting warning signs and using barriers and banksmen to secure the area where the tree was being felled.
You do not need to be a forestry body to have a responsibility for trees. If you have trees on your site, make sure you know what to do and take the appropriate steps. We can help your business put the systems in place to control risks from trees to your employees, contractors and members of the public, give us a call today to get started.
Is your business hosting a bonfire and firework display?
With November 5th fast approaching, the nation will look forward (or not) to countless firework and bonfire displays. As you’d imagine, if you are hosting a bonfire bash at your premises, or organising one for your community, health and safety is paramount. Here are some starting considerations…
When purchasing fireworks for your display, they must be marked as CE compliant. The CE classification has replaced the old British Standards BS7114 of garden (Category 2) and display (Category 3) fireworks. It is now illegal for retailers to sell fireworks classified under the old BS7114 standards.
Most shops only have permission to sell fireworks between certain dates around major festivals, including Bonfire Night, New Year, Diwali and Chinese New Year. At all other times you must go to specially licensed shops. You should only purchase from reputable dealers.
When planning your event, remember that fireworks cannot be let off between 11pm and 7am except on Bonfire Night (5th November) when the cut off is extended to midnight, or on New Year’s Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year when this is extended even further to 1am.
The HSE also provides guidance on displays. Whether you are hosting a community or corporate event, you can light a display yourself provided it only contains fireworks in categories 1, 2 and 3. Any use of category 4 fireworks may only be used by professional firework display operators.
Whilst public liability insurance is not required by health and safety law, if you are manufacturing or storing explosives (including fireworks) you may wish to take out public liability insurance. This is also often a condition of membership to many professional bodies and trade associations.
If you are a professional display operator using category F4 fireworks, T2 theatrical pyrotechnics or P2 pyrotechnic articles you are required by product safety law to have public liability insurance in place covering their use.
If your display also includes a bonfire then you should:
- Check the structure is sound and does not have small children or animals inside it before lighting it.
- Never use paraffin or petrol to light the fire.
- Have only one person responsible for lighting the fire. They should wear suitable clothing that is made of a low-flammable material, particularly their outerwear.
- Make sure that the person lighting the fire, and any helpers know what to do in the event of a burn injury or clothing catching fire.
As with all elements of health and safety, a thorough risk assessment should be carried out to, where reasonably practicable, identify and eliminate the risks that could occur. Where this is not possible, the risks should be mitigated. Get in touch today to make sure that your business is lighting the way when it comes to health and safety this Bonfire Night.
Working from height – it’s not just workers at risk
In 2019, an 81-year-old man fell to his death in his own home. This was after a construction company had been completing building work and left a hole unguarded in the bathroom. This is a stark reminder that working from height health and safety law is applicable to workers but also is there to protect members of the public.
In September, the aforementioned construction company was found guilty of breaching Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and ordered to pay a fine and court costs totalling £200,000.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the building company had not properly trained its employees and as a result they had failed to adequately secure the hole. The company had also not undertaken a suitable risk assessment, and no method statement for the work involved had been completed.
The HSE has stringent rules for working at height which adheres to Work at Height Regulations 2005 (WAHR). All working at height work should be properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people. If you need help in your business to observe these regulations or to discuss risk assessments and method statements then contact The Health & Safety Dept today to get started.
Bullying & Harassment and Sexual Harassment Awareness courses
You may have read that the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act came into force on 1st October, and has cracked down on sexual harassment in the workplace.
The new law requires you to be methodical in your processes for recording your actions as an employer to keep staff safe. While there is a strong HR aspect to complying with this law, there is a health and safety angle too, as it involves risk to your employees.
One way in which you can make a start with this is through staff training. Here at the Health & Safety Dept we pride ourselves on delivering the support that you need. Join us for our Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Work in-person training session. The first running of this will be on 24th October but look out for future offerings.
This two-and-a-half-hour course is formulated to help managers understand your legal position and how to prevent and address sexual harassment in the workplace. It will cover important topics such as:
- Identifying harassment
- Understanding your responsibilities
- Creating a respectful work environment
- Reporting procedures
- How to protect your employees and your business from claim
Book today to learn how to create a safe and inclusive workplace for all staff.
We also have a range of eLearning courses that support your business when it comes to bullying and harassment as well as sexual harassment issues. Give us a call or find our full list of courses here, or if you need bespoke help in this area.
