18 November 2007
10 November 2007
6 November 2007
20 October 2007
Health & Safety for Beginners had entries to be posted on their website forum www.healthandsafetytips.co.uk that cans of Evo-Stik Expanding Foam, produced by Bostik Limited, are bursting for no reason or when shaken. Bostik has informed Health & Safety for Beginners that their product does not burst for any reason and therefore the forum discussion may wrongly give the impression that this was the cause of a fatal accident.
Health & Safety for Beginners are not responsible for the forum entries and do not endorse their content.
Health & Safety for Beginners has been subsequently informed by Bostik that the product is safe to use when the user follows the instructions on both the pack and the accompanying safety data sheets. The cans do not just burst of their own volition.
The fatal accident is currently being investigated by HSE who have not released a statement. Any safety alerts that you may have seen have not been endorsed by the HSE.
Hearth & Safety for Beginners acknowledge Bostik's assertion that Evo-Stik Expanding Foam is not a faulty product. The manufacturers have asked us to take this opportunity to remind all members to ensure full compliance with the instructions and guidance booklets contained in any products before use. Members should be highlighting to all employees and contractors the importance of reading fully the instructions for use, if they fail to do so there may be serious potential consequences if these instructions are not adhered which could include personal injury and or even a fatality.
16 September 2007
It has come to our attention that fake emails are circulating the internet claiming to be from healthandsafetytips.co.uk. These emails appear to come from our website, but we can assure you that they do not. The fraudulent spammers are using a technique which allows their email to disguise itself as another domain name, i.e. healthandsafetytips.co.uk.
Examples of the email will include the following (there may be more we are not aware of).......
Possible subject headings of - 'awels' or '*DETECTED* Online User Violation' or 'Warning Message: Your services near to be closed' or 'You have successfully updated your password' or 'WARNING MESSAGE: YOUR SERVICES NEAR TO BE CLOSED' or 'SECURITY MEASURES' or 'Important Notification' or a series of random letters.
The message content of the emails will be similar to the following:
Dear user andrew,
You have successfully updated the password of your Healthandsafetytips account.
If you did not authorize this change or if you need assistance with your account, please contact Healthandsafetytips customer service at: support@healthandsafetytips.co.uk
Thank you for using Healthandsafetytips!
The Healthandsafetytips Support Team
+++ Attachment: No Virus (Clean)
+++ Healthandsafetytips Antivirus - www.healthandsafetytips.co.uk
The emails will contain a zipped attachment which contains the virus - W32.Mytob.EA@mm and when opened it will infect your pc.
Please delete these emails.
HSfB will never send you emails with attachments unless we have prior consent from you first. Only open emails from HSfB containing attachments when you expect us to send you an attachment.
On the plus side, if you have your anti virus software up to date and set to scan incoming emails, then this virus should get picked up and deleted straight away.
5 September 2007
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2 June 2007
John Johnston, creator of the website Health and Safety for Beginners (HSfB) - www.healthandsafetytips.co.uk, has had his commitment and passion for health and safety recognised after being awarded the Fife Regional Council Shield for his safety innovation. The award was presented by Dr Karen McDonnel from RoSPA at a ceremony held at the Dunfermline Building Society, during the annual general meeting of the Fife Chamber of Safety (now known as Safety Group - Fife) on Monday 14 May. The trophy was awarded to John for his web site initiative which provides many free tools for health and safety professionals and learning materials for students across the UK and internationally through downloads, discussion forums and a unique prize draw.
Speaking of the award, John said: “This is the second award in as many months and I am absolutely delighted to have won the Fife Shield. Safety Group - Fife is a big part of my life now and I am extremely proud to have been recognised by the group for this award."
Other awards at the AGM went to:
John added: “after suffering a serious back injury in 2000 and knowing how difficult it was to fund my own NEBOSH general certificate training, I wanted to find a way in which I could help others develop a career in health and safety. Thanks to the website, and the generosity of the training providers and professionals who donated the prizes, this has been achieved.”
The training materials were given away as part of a free prize draw which featured on John’s website Health and Safety for Beginners (HSfB) - www.healthandsafetytips.co.uk The winners were announced at the Leicester-based headquarters of the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health; NEBOSH in February 2007.
View our press release on the prize draw here - Health and Safety for Beginners Prize Draw Results
View our press release on John's first award here - HSfB Wins Lord Cullen Trophy for Safety Innovation
Donations for the prize draw came from health and safety training providers after they found out about an initiative John launched in November 2006, which saw him personally fund a prize (using money gained from selling advertising space on his website www.healthandsafetytips.co.uk) for a site user to undertake a NVQ level 4.
Hugely impressed with John’s commitment and dedication to improving health and safety in the workplace, training providers soon stepped forward and offered a variety of different prizes to add to the draw including a range of NEBOSH e-learning training courses, residential training courses, guided tours of high performing organisations as well as reference materials so that more people could benefit.
The prizes and donating organisations were:
In total, John managed to raise over £7250 worth of training and learning resources, and over 350 training hours (not including the NVQ) which had the potential for 17 lucky health and safety professionals to take their career to the next level.
John Johnston, Health and Safety Advisor at FMC Technologies, Dunfermline and a member of the Fife Chamber of Safety has had his commitment and passion for Health and Safety recognised after being awarded the Lord Cullen Trophy for Safety Performance. The award was presented by Lord Cullen, president of the Scottish Chamber of Safety (S.C.O.S), at a ceremony held in Dunblane, by the S.C.O.S on Wednesday 4th April. The trophy was awarded to John for an initiative which will see health and safety professionals from across the UK benefit from free health and safety training and learning materials.
Speaking of the award, John said: “I am absolutely delighted to have won the Lord Cullen trophy for safety innovation. It was something that had never crossed my mind when I first started my website – www.healthandsafetytips.co.uk. I am also very proud to bring the trophy back to the Fife Chamber of Safety for another year.
“After suffering a serious back injury in 2000 and knowing how difficult it was to fund my own NEBOSH general certificate training, I wanted to find a way in which I could help others develop a career in health and safety. Thanks to the website, and the generosity of the training providers and professionals who donated the prizes, this has been achieved.”
Speaking of John’s work, David Currie, Managing Director of FMC Technologies said: “John is absolutely deserving of this award and I, on behalf of FMC congratulate him. Health and Safety is at the core of everything we do and we fully appreciate John’s expertise and contribution in this area. His personal commitment is an example to us all.”
The training materials were given away as part of a free prize draw which featured on John’s website Health and Safety for Beginners - www.healthandsafetytips.co.uk The winners were announced at the Leicester-based headquarters of the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health; NEBOSH in February 2007.
View our press release on the prize draw here - Health and Safety for Beginners Prize Draw Results
Donations for the prize draw came from health and safety training providers after they found out about an initiative John launched in November 2006, which saw him personally fund a prize (using money gained from selling advertising space on his website www.healthandsafetytips.co.uk) for a site user to undertake a NVQ level 4.
Hugely impressed with John’s commitment and dedication to improving health and safety in the workplace, training providers soon stepped forward and offered a variety of different prizes to add to the draw including a range of NEBOSH e-learning training courses, residential training courses, guided tours of high performing organisations as well as reference materials so that more people could benefit.
The prizes and donating organisations were:
In total, John managed to raise over £7250 worth of training and learning resources, and over 350 training hours (not including the NVQ) which had the potential for 17 lucky health and safety professionals to take their career to the next level.
Asked about what he is going to do next, John said: “More of the same next year, if my nerves can stand it”.
7 May 2007
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2 January 2007
Lord Newton of Braintree, Chair of The Buncefield Investigation Board, has issued an update of recommendations for future investigations into the Buncefield oil depot disaster.
The Investigation Board will continue to monitor the progress of the on-going work and criminal investigation. However, legal proceeding decisions remain under the sole jurisdiction of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environment Agency (EA).
Lord Newton of Braintree, said:
"In the year since the Buncefield incident, local residents and businesses have continually demonstrated strength and determination to overcome the devastation and changes to daily life which have been caused by the explosion.
"The Dacorum Borough Council, Business Leaders and many others have worked impressively together, not only for recovery, but also for new opportunities, renewal and growth.
"The Board is aware that great uncertainty remains and continues to work extremely hard on reaching its own conclusions and recommendations.
"Nothing can change what happened a year ago, but the Board knows that the right lessons must be learnt to prevent any repetition of such events."
Since the publication of the Board's Initial Report in mid July 2006, coupled with the evidence gathered, issues and key areas were identified, three of which the Board have focused on. These areas are as follows:
Good progress is being made into the investigation of possible breaches of the law. This decision will be taken by the CA when all lines of inquiry have been conducted.
Further information on the Buncefield oil disaster can be accessed from the Buncefield investigation webpage by clicking the following:
Article by Alexandra Johnston
A research report by the Centre for Occupational and Health Psychology at Cardiff University, funded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), has been published and shows that due to the long excessive working time limits and under-recording, seafarers are at risk of fatigue.
Fatigue within seafarers working environment is believed to be due to several combined factors, such as port frequency, job support and physical hazards.
Some of the recommendations to address the risk of seafarers fatigue are as follows:
Mary Martyn, MCA head of the Seafarer Health and Safety Branch, said:
"This research confirms that fatigue at sea is a complex problem. We support the report's conclusion that a co-operative approach is needed, involving regulators, shipping companies and seafarers.
"Given the global nature of shipping, it is a problem that needs to be addressed at national and international level."
The research report, in pdf format, can be accessed by clicking the following:
Seafarer Fatigue: The Cardiff Research Programme
Further information can also be accessed from the HSE webpage by clicking the following:
HSE Research Projects Directory
Article by Alexandra Johnston
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) blitz on construction sites in the Scottish borders has highlighted the poorly built defective scaffolding which did not meet the standard required by law.
A representative from the Scottish Borders Council Safety Department accompanied HSE Inspectors when they visited 24 sites. It was deemed necessary to issue 3 Prohibition Notices for poorly constructed scaffolding. Work had to be stopped on a further 5 sites in order to remedy defects.
Typical hazards found during the blitz were as follows:
Commenting on the blitz, an HSE Inspector from the Construction Division said:
"Poorly constructed scaffolding remains a very real issue in the Borders and it is disappointing that those where enforcement action was taken or work stopped had not taken the opportunity to attend the free information event at the end of September.
"Work at Height remains the biggest cause of fatal or other serious injuries in the Construction industry.
"Small builders and those involved in self-build plots are particularly prone to using poorly erected and maintained scaffolding.
"Scaffolding should only be erected and altered by someone who has had appropriate training."
Further information on scaffolding can be accessed from the HSE webpage by clicking the following:
HSE Scaffolding Information Sheet
There is also an HSE webpage providing information on falls from height, which can be accessed by clicking the following:
Article by Alexandra Johnston
The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) have published a public consultation on the suggested merging of the HSC with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), for the provision of one single health and safety authority.
It is the view of the HSC that by merging with the HSE, it would provide a modern, stronger governance framework for health and safety.
The consultation explains how the governing body of the new authority would be the HSC. They would continue their current independence, continue links with stakeholders, but would have the added bonus of "strengthening their capacity to challenge and support delivery."
Suggested provisions of the merger are as follows:
HSC Chairman, Bill Callaghan, Commenting on the consultation, said:
“We believe that our governance structures – the infrastructure that supports our decision- making – have served us well in the past. In particular, the broad partnership nature of the HSC, its independence and its strong links with Local Authorities are assets we wish to maintain. Equally, the shape of the labour market, the nature of workplace risks and stakeholder expectations are very different to those which created the backdrop to the Health and Safety at Work Act thirty years ago.
“We therefore decided earlier this year that the time was right to look critically at how our governance arrangements compare with best practice, what works well at present and whether we could strengthen the links between strategy and delivery necessary to provide the accountability expected of a public body in the 21st century.
“Our conclusion is that merging the Commission and Executive into a single body will give us a more robust governance framework, improve our working practices and create a stronger voice for health and safety in Great Britain."We believe that our proposals take the best from the existing governance arrangements, updating them to instil the drivers necessary for re-invigorating the decision-making framework within which we work and strengthening our existing partnerships, particularly those with Local Authorities.”
Your views for the suggested merger are invited in the public consultation, which can be downloaded from the HSE webpage by clicking the following:
Article by Alexandra Johnston
The Government has launched a Christmas fire safety campaign in an effort to minimise the number of people injured, maimed or killed by house fires during the Festive season.
Fire Minister Angela Smith issued a stark reminder that throughout the Christmas period the likely-hood of fire deaths is 50% more than at any other time of year.
Local fire and rescue services will promote the "Twelve Days of Christmas" fire safety message, reminding people to stay safe and think about the possible hazards arising from ill-placed candles, decorations and electric Christmas lights.
Fire Minister, Angela Smith said:
"While I welcome the real progress being made to reduce deaths and injuries caused by fire we simply cannot afford to be complacent. That is why the Government put fire prevention at the heart of the work of the Fire and Rescue Service and gave Chief Fire Officers the flexibility to allocate their resources themselves according to local needs to protect those most at risk.
"I am delighted to launch our latest Christmas Fire Safety Campaign that will be delivered in partnership with the Fire and Rescue Service across the country. Figures show that while there has been a significant and sustained fall in the number of fire deaths the risks over the festive period are greater than normal."This hard-hitting campaign is a serious reminder that many of the things we enjoy about Christmas can all be fire hazards when proper care is not taken and provides twelve tips for festive fire safety."
Keep your loved ones safe from fire in the home and follow the The Twelve Days of Christmas "Fire Kills" top twelve tips for festive fire safety:
Of course, fire in the workplace during the Festive season also poses a greater risk, owing to office party merriment and alcohol consumption clouding the risks otherwise adhered to by the workforce.
The TUC and RoSPA have produced a Christmas Safety Guide - Office Party Planner, which provides information to make your office, or any other work party, go with a swing without ending in tragedy. You can access the Planner by clicking the following:
Please take a moment to read the Christmas fire safety messages. Keep your family, friends and colleagues safe from fire this year. Have fun, enjoy yourself and remember Christmas 2006 as being one of the safest and best.
Article by Alexandra Johnston
Protection for patients and the public is at the heart of Mental Health Bill 2006 which was published on 17 November 2006 and amends the Mental Health Act 1983. The Bill will both benefit patients and will improve public safety. It will introduce supervised treatment in the community to ensure that patients comply with treatment when they are discharged from hospital and enable action to be taken to prevent relapse.
The Bill also gives new rights and extra protection to people who may be unable to decide about their care. These new safeguards will affect around 5,000 people with a serious mental disorder who have not, up until now, been covered by existing mental health laws.
Rosie Winterton, Health Minister commented:
"We want people to get the right treatment at the right time. We want to improve the safety of both patients and the public. This Bill will help ensure that people with serious mental health problems receive the treatment they need to protect them and others from harm. It will also strengthen patient safeguards and ensure human rights are protected.
"We are already modernising services, and the Bill is a key part of our strategy to reform and improve mental health care. It will update the law to reflect the way mental healthcare is provided in today's NHS."
Home Office minister Gerry Sutcliffe also commented:
"Timely treatment for mental disorder is vital in preventing harm to patients and to others. I look forward to doctors having powers to treat patients in the community to address the revolving door problem before their patients relapse and become involved in tragedies to themselves or to the public."
The Bill amends the 1983 Mental Health Act and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 which was contained in the Queen's Speech 2006 and introduced on 16 November 2006.
