We have waited a while for the temperatures to rise, now that they have some people are enjoying it and some are not.
Forecasters say this is the longest period of hot weather since 2006, with no end in sight to the hot, sticky days and long, muggy nights.
With this in mind, employers and their employees should be reminded that heat in the workplace can lead to stress which is an ignored hazard in the workplace, hot environments can also lead to a rise in safety risks. The heat can be linked to lower mental alertness and physical performance, and consequently more injuries.
Have meetings with members of staff and ask for their opinions in relation to their work duties in the heat. Let them feel part of the decision, after all they’re the ones working in these conditions.
Remind them to drink more fluids and to seek guidance if they are feeling stressed.
If you need any advice contact Walker Health and Safety Services.
PC Exercises
For most office workers, being glued to their desks while typing away at their computers for an average of 8 hours a day is already a part of their normal routine. However, sitting at the computer all day may not exactly be good for the body, as it can bring about backaches due to poor posture and eye strain, among other effects.
On the other hand, being in a desk job does not have to be an ordeal for your health. If you’re one of those people who have to be at a desk all day long, there are some simple steps that you can follow in order to improve your posture and keep your health in check.
Eye blink – Make an effort to blink your eyes more often to prevent them from drying out.
Neck roll – Relax your shoulders and lower your chin, count to ten. Rotate your head so that your right ear is touching your right shoulder and count to ten. Do the same on the other side.
Neck shrug – Sit up straight in your chair and shrug your shoulders up towards your ears and relax, repeat and relax.
Upper back stretch – Sit up straight in your chair, place your palms of your hands on your shoulders with your elbows forward to shoulder height. Press your elbows together and count to ten. Repeat and relax.
Arm extension – Sit up straight with your arms out in front. Press your palms together and count to ten. Repeat and relax.
Wrist rotation – Let your arms fall to your sides and slowly rotate your wrists 5 times clockwise and anti clockwise. Repeat and relax.
Hand stretch – Relax your arms by your side and spread your fingers. Count to ten. Slowly pull your fingers into a fist, count to ten. Repeat and relax.
Everyone should try and do these exercises every day.
These exercises can be done anywhere, not just the office. Try them on the bus, in a restaurant or whilst queuing as we do love to queue!
If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us – Walker Health & Safety Services
It’s really important that we are all ready to challenge stupid decisions made in the name of health and safety.
Not only do the jobs worth’s who make these ridiculous comments waste time and money, and interfere needlessly with harmless activities, they also undermine the efforts to reduce the number of people made ill, injured or killed by their work.
There’s a lot myths about what health and safety requires, and a good deal of confusion.
Top ten myths:
1. Driver refused to allow customer on bus with hot drink because of health and safety
2. Bar refused to let customer carry tray of drinks because they had not been ‘health and safety trained’
3. Charity shop has said that they cannot sell knitting needles for health and safety reasons
4. Public hall removed knives from kitchen on the grounds of health and safety
5. Shop refused to put coffee in customer’s own reusable cup on the grounds of health and safety
6. Airline passenger told boiled sweets were no longer provided on the grounds of health and safety
7. Hotel chain does not provide floor towels due to ‘Health and Safety’
8. Fish & chip shop told customer he could not have ‘batter scraps’ for health and safety reasons
9. School bans yo-yos on health and safety grounds
10 Office workers advised that kettles and microwaves were not allowed due to health and safety requirements
Call Walker health and safety services for no nonsense health and safety advice.
0845 834 0400.
UK fire safety legislation requires premises to be equipped with appropriate fire-fighting equipment.
Employers’ Duties
Any non-automatic equipment provided (fire extinguishers, hose reels and fire blankets) must be easily accessible, simple to use and indicated by signs.
It is important to select the right type of extinguisher to use on the material involved in a fire.
It is often necessary to have a mix of portable extinguishers to cover the various categories of fire risk that may be present. Assessing the Requirement for Numbers and Type of Extinguishers
Portable fire extinguishers and other non-automatic equipment must be subject to regular checking and maintenance to ensure that they will operate as designed when required to do so.
In some situations, it will be necessary to provide fixed fire-fighting systems.
Where deemed necessary, suitable levels of training in the use of fire-fighting equipment should be undertaken.
Contact Walker Health & Safety for advice – 0845 834 0400
Legal Aspects
The function of health and safety in an organisation must be indicated by senior management within the statement of the organisation’s general policy towards health and safety, as required under 2(3) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA). However, the most general indication of the need for a health and safety function within an organisation is given by the general duty of an employer towards their employees under 2(1) of the HSWA.
“It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of his employees.”
Also relevant is the general duty of an employer to others affected by his or her undertaking, as given by 3 of the HSWA. However, these duties are general and so there is little indication in the Act of how these duties are to be carried out, except that their detail must be contained within the organisation and arrangements sections of the health and safety policy document required.
To obtain the greater detail necessary to effectively carry out the general duties of the HSWA, it is necessary to use the information given by the requirements of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR). The requirements for effective management of health and safety are contained in all the MHSWR, but the most significant for the effective function of health and safety is the requirement for the appointment of a “competent person” to render advice and assistance.
Economic Aspects
In general, all business decisions are based on financial judgments. These judgments are seen as core to the business and this advice is delivered at board level.
However, significant financial and business loss to an organisation can occur if health and safety risks are not managed correctly. The cost of poorly managed safety will be a significant drain on financial (and other) resources of an organisation. It should never be forgotten that a safety incident can create damaging publicity that will impact on a company’s market share or status in the wider community. These risks can be significantly mitigated, as with other business aspects, by the effective use of the competent person required to be appointed to render health and safety assistance.
If a true cost: benefit analysis of the effects to an organisation of an ineffective health and safety function is made, it is most often the case that the benefits outweigh the costs, making the provision of a health and safety function an economically reasonable business decision. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures estimate the cost to industry for lost time due to accidents and ill health to be close to £13.5 billion (in 2010/2011).
Moral Aspects
A failure in health and safety within an organisation will result in pain, injury or loss to an employee or person affected by the work of the organisation. It would be rare for an organisation to take a corporate view that this pain and suffering was a necessary part of their business. There is an overlap between legal, economic and moral aspects, as they all seek to protect the workforce and other stakeholders from harm.
An effective health and safety management system should carefully consider the long-term health effects that its employees may be subjected to in the course of their employment. These typically include:
Audit
The audit has to be a specific audit for each client and their actual activities and is part of the onsite consultancy service. The audit should be carried out against the Clauses in the Standard itself and associated guidance
For example the Clauses in 18001 include:
If you need advice on obtaining 18001 or any other accreditation, please contact Walker Health and Safety Services 0845 834 0400.
