Natural gas and LPG (liquid petroleum gas) are commonly used as fuels for heating, cooking, cutting, welding and often in the processing of products. While the majority of us will use gas in some form every day of our personal and professional lives, far too many are unaware of how dangerous it can be if not handled correctly.
Fatigue in the workforce is a topic that has been discussed a lot in the Health & Safety press over the last week or so. Whether it is caused by a medical condition, working hours, shift patterns or personal circumstances, fatigue is a health and safety risk that can often be overlooked, but must be controlled by employers.
For a change this week. I thought that I might run a Health & Safety Q&A covering some of the questions that we, and other safety professionals get asked.
23,000 workers reported hearing problems between 2015/16 and 2017/18 (HSE Statistics). Noise can also be a safety hazard, interfering with communication and making warnings harder to hear and is often cited in stress complaints as a health and safety issue.
Latest statistics from the HSE reveal that, although falls from height are reducing, they are still one of the most common causes of injuries to employees and account for 29% of fatalities in the workplace.
Approximately 4.3 Million employees consider home as their work base and 34% of employees work at home as part of their work.Also, just over half of homeworkers in 2018 were women (54%).
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has today released its annual figures for work related fatalities. The provisional annual data for work-related fatal injuries revealed that 147 workers were fatally injured between April 2018 and March 2019 (a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 workers).
Set out in the 1992 DSE health and safety regulations, the assessments are put into place to protect employees working with laptops, alphanumeric or graphic display screens, touch screens and other similar devices
These health checks may be required by law for employees who are exposed to noise or vibration, ionising radiation, solvents, fumes, dusts, biological agents and other substances hazardous to health, or work in compressed air.
All businesses have a legal duty to provide information, training and supervision to employees to enable them to carry out their work safely, not just to front-line staff but also to directors, managers and those in other key roles.