Health And Safety News & Articles
Health and Safety news promoting best practices and effective Health and Safety management.
We share useful information, help and guidance for all aspects of Health and Safety.
Acorn experts release health and safety guide
We are thrilled to announce that we have launched a new no-nonsense health and safety guide.
The book, called ‘Fear and Loathing of Health and Safety – Stay out of Prison, Avoid Massive Fines and Cut Through the Red Tape’ has been written by two of Acorn Safety Services’ directors – Neil Munro and Ian Stone.
On its release last month it became a Number 1 bestseller on Amazon and it has gone on to attract a host of five-star reviews.
Here, at Acorn Safety Services we know that lots of people view health and safety as a dry and arduous subject.…
Focus on John Crockett – Acorn Safety Services’ Health and Safety Manager
John Crockett is Acorn Safety Services’ health and safety manager. He has worked in the Health and Safety industry for about 30 years. Prior to that he had been a project manager and a fitter for various construction companies so in total he has worked in the construction industry for around 45 years.
In this blog, John reveals how he got started in his career and the changes he has seen in the industry over the years.
My uncle ran a construction firm and I was looking to improve my life. He told me if I went to work for him my wage would rise…
Risk assessments on construction sites
Managing health and safety on construction sites can be far more complex than in other workplaces. In factories and offices, you normally have the same teams working together, fulfilling regular duties. In comparison, on a construction site, the site is undergoing a transformation and teams from different trades come together to work alongside one another.
The human interaction between different trades on construction sites can throw up a multitude of hazards. Each trade will present their own health and safety risks and it is important for the…
Refurbishment of Hospitals
When it comes to refurbishment projects, hospitals can be particularly high-risk environments.
The potential for health and safety issues is immense as any construction work must be planned around the ongoing needs of patients and staff. Patients must continue to be cared for, operations must take place and prescriptions must continue to be provided. These things cannot be put on hold because work is scheduled to take place at a hospital building.
The best way to ensure the day-to-day running of a hospital continues whilst a construction project…
How can you protect your firm from Government Health and Safety Regulations?
Many businesses are growing increasingly frustrated with an ever-increasing workload generated by more and more Government health and safety regulations. Keeping up to date with the latest regulations can be a minefield for firms and when things go wrong, business owners are left facing the risk of prosecution, fines or even jail. In 2020 businesses have had even more to contend with due to the additional requirements placed upon them to make their workplaces ‘Covid-Secure’.
It is estimated 97% of businesses will never reach full health and…
The importance of site audits
Clients have a responsibility to ensure their projects are undertaken safely. If they feel their contractors are not performing as they should be, or are unsure what their performance is like, we can carry out a site audit. This will identify which parts of their projects are being done well and which need attention.
In this blog we explain the benefits of having an independent site audit and what they include.
An audit of your site will clearly identify areas of your project which are in line with the latest health and safety regulations and…
How Do Construction Sites Social Distance?
As some normality starts to return to our lives, and a growing number of us start to return to work, it has become obvious that new ways of working are also going to become a part of everyday life. Construction is an industry that has embraced PPE for longer than almost any other, and with many building roles being the work equivalent of being a social pariah, a bit of social distancing shouldn’t be too difficult, but invariably change of some form will still be needed. Let’s have a look at the construction site for the 2020’s onward.
The…
HSE Business Plan Means More Scrutiny of Principle Designers
Once the building industry gets back up and running properly following COVID, the HSE have started working on the HSE business plan which likely includes more focus on Principle Designers on building projects that come under its investigation.
This was a move that was announced late 2019, but the lack of serious construction work since then has meant that there have been no real projects that have required intervention by the safety executive, but this is likely to change once building work recommences.
The HSE developed a business plan back in…
Will BREXIT affect Health & Safety in the UK?
Now that we are starting to see some positive progression with COVID-19, we can start to look at other pressing matters. Like, will Brexit affect health and safety in the UK?
Thankfully largely ignored during the pandemic, Brexit is still going on in the background, and the UK is still due to officially leave the EU at the end of the year. Whatever your views on the situation, undeniably, this is an issue that will continue to impact life in the UK for some years to come, and health and safety will be a major area of concern.
Before…
New Building Safety Regulatory Changes are Just What’s Needed.
One of the best pieces of good news is the reform to building safety regulatory systems, much of which was instigated as a direct result of the Grenfell Tower disaster.
Announced on the 2nd April by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government The Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP and the Ministry of Housing, the new legislation is designed to put residents’ safety first. Part of the announcement of the unprecedented £1 billion fund for removing unsafe cladding from high-rise buildings in the Budget, while it takes the first…
How Effective is PPE Against COVID-19?
While the majority of us stay at home and observe lock-down procedures, some people – key workers, emergency services, and NHS staff – cannot avoid being in an exposure area and the only real option is protection. But with so many conflicting pieces of information coming from different sources, how can the people that need it be sure that it really protecting them?
The Government guidance on PPE is quite clear; the general public should be self-isolating and not in a position where they need PPE, so the issue shouldn’t even arise.…
Effective PPE for COVID-19
As we enter the third week of lockdown, the Governments advice remains the same; avoid contact with others and stay indoors wherever possible. But this isn’t realistic for everyone, and many still have to put themselves at risk through their jobs, so protection rather than prevention becomes their priority.
But this is a fast-moving situation, and official recommendation on protection can change on a daily basis, as new information comes to light. And so it is with personal Protective equipment (PPE); what was being discredited a…
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