As the hirer, you are responsible for the health and safety of agency employees and contract workers whilst they are working on your premises or using equipment, materials and substances provided by you. In reality, agency workers are likely to be at greater risk in your premises because they are unfamiliar with your systems of work and the inherent hazards and risks. So what should you do to protect them?
Keep Agency Staff Safe with these Top Tips
The recent trend of the courts has been to increase the range of circumstances in which employers are held liable for the health and safety of agency staff. Don’t forget to include them in your health and safety arrangements.
Contact us should you require assistance.
As an employer, you have duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to provide health and safety training to workers on recruitment and on being exposed to new risks or new equipment, new technology or new systems of work.
5 Top Tips for Identifying Training Needs
Act now to ensure employees are trained to work safely if you want to avoid hefty fines and civil action costs.
If you require training advice please contact us.
The duty to manage asbestos is contained within Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. If you own, maintain or repair a building, then as the owner, you are responsible for the duty under Regulation 4. But in practical terms, how should you go about managing asbestos in your workplace?
7 Tips for Managing Asbestos in Your Workplace:
Remember: the duty to manage is all about putting in place practical steps to protect maintenance workers and others from the risk of exposure to asbestos fibres. Avoid costly fines and review your procedures today.
Contact us should you require advice.
As an employer, you have responsibilities under health and safety legislation, including ensuring that gates are maintained in efficient working order by a competent person and keeping records of such maintenance. You should only use a reputable company that regularly tests the safety features of the gates to ensure they are set and working correctly.
6 Tips for Ensuring Your Gates are Installed and Maintained Safely
The message is simple – no one should install or work on powered gates without knowing the relevant legal standards. Employ the services of a company that can prove its ability to do the work safely.
Stress is back under the spotlight this month with National Stress Awareness Day on Wednesday 5th November. At this time of the year stress levels typically rise, because although nature may be slowing down and encouraging us to rest and retreat, our modern lives and work schedules continue to demand constant activity and productivity.
Winter offers an invitation to turn inward and recuperate. When we override this seasonal rest cycle by forcing ourselves to race on without refuelling we can begin to experience burnout. A common symptom of this is depression.
7 TIPS TO TRANSFORM DEPRESSION THIS WINTER
1. Listen – Allow the wisdom of your body to communicate with you by noticing the physical signs and symptoms it gives you rather than overriding them. Be kind to yourself. It is okay to feel low.
2. Pause – Give yourself permission to press pause, de-stress and take time out to rest.
3. Lighten Your Load – Let go of unnecessary commitments. Clear some space in your calendar so that you can slow down, indulge in some personal reflection and get more sleep.
4. Go Within – Use creative mediums like poetry, art, song, dance and body movement to explore and process your emotions, especially the ones you’ve felt unable to express in the past.
5. Remove the Mask – Make a list or draw pictures of all the things you pretend to be in your life. What are you putting up with? What are your frustrations? Where do you feel tension? By expressing these it becomes easier to go behind the mask you wear and rediscover who you truly are underneath.
6. Get Outside – Make an effort to get outside during the day and increase your exposure to daylight. This will help to boost your mood and is especially important during the winter months when there are shorter daylight hours.
7. Uncover Your Passions Connect with your true interests to boost your sense of self-fulfilment and help overcome depression. Lacking inspiration? Remember some of the things you used to love to do as a child and reignite old hobbies or experiment by trying something new.
NB: If you think you may be suffering from prolonged stress, depression or SAD consult your GP for further advice and information.