Literacy is the ability to read, write and understand a particular language. It is the foundation of our education system. Within the workplace there are subject or industry specific literacies such as health literacy, financial literacy, computer literacy and OSH literacy. In this article, which originally appeared in RoSPA’s OS&H Journal, David Magee discusses the... Continue Reading →
Fire – man’s oldest friend... and occasionally his deadliest adversary. While fire statistics show that the incidences of industrial fires are broadly in decline, when they do strike the results are often devastating. While many of the fires that happen in the UK are well documented, international disasters often don’t get the media coverage they... Continue Reading →
It’s that time of year again. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have released their annual figures for 2012/13 and once again the numbers show a slight drop, this time down to 148 people killed at work. Which is good news, isn’t it? As health and safety professionals we can all slap each other on... Continue Reading →
Every once in a while we all need a pat on the back, a round of applause, a cream cake... Although RoSPA doesn’t usually confer coffee éclairs, profiteroles or mille-feuille on the most deserving, it does reward health and safety’s highest-flyers with evenings of glitz, glamour and gongs. Our annual Occupational Health and Safety Awards... Continue Reading →
If you work with power tools of any variety, the chances are you have experienced some degree of hand-arm vibrations. While limited exposure to these vibrations is unlikely to cause any lasting damage, over exposure can lead to hand-arm syndrome (HAVS) or carpal tunnel syndrome. With the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimating that 2... Continue Reading →
Crushed digits, lacerated body parts, fractured bones... this litany of horrors may bring images of grim Victorian workhouses to mind, but tragically such injuries are far from confined to the past. In fact, in modern day UK 40,000 such injuries, and a dozen or so deaths are sustained each and every year. And the cause? Mechanical equipment used without adequate... Continue Reading →
Some people seem to thrive on it; others go to extraordinary lengths to avoid it. Love it or loathe it, one thing for certain is that in the modern workplace, stress is an unavoidable fact of life. However, stress itself is not an illness; we all need a certain level of stress to operate. Nevertheless,... Continue Reading →
On Sunday 28th of April we will be celebrating the International Labour Organisation (ILO) World Day for Safety and Health at Work – an occasion when the world comes together to focus on emerging trends in the field of occupational Health and Safety, and to draw attention to work-related injuries, diseases and fatalities worldwide. The... Continue Reading →
Campaigners for asbestos regulation called for a ban on the deadliest forms, (blue and brown), over half a century ago. Despite this, we live in an asbestos filled world and asbestos is not only still killing people - it is the single greatest cause of UK work-related deaths. Following the new asbestos regulations introduced last year,... Continue Reading →
Did you know that in the UK construction accounts for only about 5% of employees, but is responsible for 22% fatal injuries? Or that 1 in 3 fatal slip, trip or falls involves a construction worker? Following our recent MSD statistics post, this new infographic puts these construction safety statistics, and more, into perspective better... Continue Reading →
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