Health & Safety – HSE update RIDDOR guidance
While no changes have been made to Regulation itself the guidance on the HSE website has been updated, the intention being to help employers understand how and when they should submit a report under RIDDOR. The changes to the guidance… Health & Safety – Lithium-ion batteries – a consideration in your fire risk assessment?
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are now a ubiquitous feature of our lives and are found in a multitude of items from mobile phones and laptops to portable tools, e-bikes and scooters, mobility aids, and electric vehicles.
Lithium-ion batteries are generally safe… Health & Safety – South London school fined £80,000 over collapse of classroom ceiling
On 29 August 2023, at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Thurlow Educational Trust pleaded guilty to breaching sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The Trust was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay £7,116 in costs after… Health & Safety – Council fined after falling tree killed a six year old girl in her school playground
On 10th January 2023 at South Tyneside Magistrates Court, Newcastle City Council were fined following the death of six year old Ella Henderson. Ella was crushed when a decaying willow tree in her school playground collapsed onto to her during… Health & Safety – Employee successful in claim of disability discrimination against employer who failed to make ‘reasonable adjustment’
An employment tribunal in December 2022 ruled unanimously that an employee working as a disabled employability advisor had been unfairly dismissed for requesting a suitable work chair for them to use at home.
Justin Griffiths claimed that he had been… Health & Safety – Culture Club
Safety culture is an oft-heard expression but what does it mean? The concept of a ‘safety culture’ is a little vague as there is no definitive model, no single recognised international standard, against which an organisation can compare its safety… Health & Safety and Data Protection – HSE and ICO update Covid-19 advice for workplaces
On 31 March 2022, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) updated their advice to workplaces on COVID-19.
It is no longer a requirement for every business to consider Covid-19 in risk assessments or to have specific Covid-19 related measures in… Health & Safety – Changes to the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) regulations
On 6th April 2022, the Personal Protective Equipment at Work (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (PPER 2022) came into force and amend the 1992 Regulations. The types of duties and responsibilities on employers and employees under the prevision iteration of the regulation… Health & Safety – School fined £30,000 after mountain rescue team call out to evacuate pupils
In February 2022 Newcastle Magistrates Court heard that in March 2020 a group of 13 year 10 pupils from a school in Gateshead were on an organised school trip to Helvellyn in the Lake District. The group was led by… Health & Safety – HSE publish their annual statistics
In December the HSE published their 2020 / 21 statistics which cover work-related ill health, non-fatal workplace injuries and enforcement action taken by them. These annual statistics are prepared to illustrate to employers, policy makers, and employees themselves, of the…