Workplace Safety

We are into the second week of the Health and Safety Executive’s ‘Safer Sites’ Inspection initiative. From the 22nd September to the 17th October the HSE will be carrying out many unannounced inspection visits where refurbishment projects or repair work is being undertaken. What is the ‘Safer Sites’ Initiative? The aim of the project is to highlight the dangers of construction sites and to reduce the number of injuries and deaths that occur by promoting safe practises. The Safer Sites campaign is expected to raise the profile of HSE and the work they do on inspections whilst hopefully making an… Read more

Today we have been looking into the pressures of working in a busy warehouse and the effect this can have on warehouse safety. I think many would agree that when it comes to safety prevention of accidents is the key. However, it is often found that safety procedures are only implemented once an accident has occurred. Firstly, we shall look at the hazards you may be faced with when working in a busy warehouse: The use of forklifts and other warehouse vehicles can be very dangerous and should always be operated with care. Slips and trips are common in warehouses… Read more

Statistics show that British workplaces are among the safest in the world.  Figures are at an all time low as we mark the 40th anniversary of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The number of people who have lost their lives at work has significantly dropped by 85% over the past 40 years. The figures in 1974 totalled at 650 deaths however it is only 133 today. The number of injuries in the workplace has also considerably reduced by 77% over the same 40 year period going from 336,701 to 78,222. These statistics show what an impact of an… Read more

Hearing loss caused by working conditions is entirely preventable by using correct control measures and hearing protection. Yet, 17,000 people in the UK suffer deafness, ringing in the years or other ear conditions as the result of excessive noise at work (HSE). There are many ways of preventing hearing loss or reducing the noise that employees are exposed to. Some control measures to consider are: Quieter machinery or equipment in an attempt to reduce noise exposure to a minimum Introducing engineering controls such as adding material to reduce vibrations from machinery (known as ‘damping’) or fitting silencers Modifying the paths… Read more