Health & Safety Related News
Starting a conversation about mental health in the construction industry
Craig Sanders, joint managing director of Protrade, explores the topic of mental health in the construction industry, startling suicide statistics, and discusses the Lighthouse Club’s new ‘Help Inside The Hard Hat’ initiative.
How to keep site workers safe in hot weather
Construction workers are at a far greater risk from the associated dangers of too much sun exposure and it is vital that control measures are revised to ensure site workers are kept safe in hot weather. Sophie McCormick, a solicitor at Gateley Legal, explains how.
How to prevent construction site injuries and when can compensation be...
Jonathan White, legal and compliance director at National Accident Helpline, explains how/when industry workers can claim compensation for construction site injuries, and how employers can avoid incidences in the first place.
Councils given £6m in funding to enhance housing and support for...
£6m of funding has been announced to boost housing and support for vulnerable tenants from the Government’s Supported Housing Improvement Programme.
New UK Health, Safety and Environment Director appointed by Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty has announced the appointment of Lee Hewitt as UK Health, Safety and Environment Director, following Heather Bryant’s retirement.
Civil engineering firm fined after child dies on construction site
Howard Civil Engineering Ltd has been fined £600K after seven-year-old child dies on construction site.
Time for change: Will the Grenfell Tower fire prove construction’s Piper...
The Building Safety Act is a welcome recognition that making safe buildings is a highly skilled operation, says Hywel Davies of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers.
Protecting construction workers from silica dust: The “new asbestos”
As the intense focus on silica dust continues, Tim Turney from air monitoring equipment specialist Casella shares his insights on protecting construction workers.
New fire testing facilities support safety requirements for manufacturers
Chris Miles, business director at UL Solutions, explores the role of the new fire testing facilities being opened in the UK to drive industry change.
New BSI standards update competence requirements for building safety management
New BSI standards published this week have set out competence requirements for building safety management, supporting industry reform in tandem with the DLUHC.
HSE issues fines after electrician suffers serious burns in warehouse explosion
HSE has issued fines after an electrician suffered serious burns in a warehouse explosion in Liverpool, requiring several skin grafts.
How can we build a healthier built environment post Covid-19?
Professor Peter Guthrie OBE FREng, vice-president of the Royal Academy of Engineering, discusses its call for transformational changes across the built environment and its underlying regulatory framework in response to the weaknesses uncovered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
MPA releases new Safe Working at Height resources
MPA's Health & Safety Committee has launched a series of new resources that support Safe Working at Height, after identifying working at height as one of 'the fatal 6'.
UK Heatwave: How to keep your property cool in hot weather
As extreme temperatures continue across the country, properties in Britain are not suitable for the UK heatwave. In this article, PBC Today explains how to keep your property cool in hot weather.
Too hot to work: Working safely on a construction site during...
During a heatwave, there are a number of health and safety hazards that construction workers need to be aware of - but when does it become too hot to work and how can we protect the wellbeing of employees?
HSE guidance: What are your employee rights when there is no...
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) there is no min or max temp to work, but employers are required to ensure workplaces are at a reasonable temperature during a heatwave.
Too much talk, not enough action on indoor air quality
Despite the extra focus on indoor air quality (IAQ) prompted by the pandemic, lots of people are still talking about making buildings healthier, safer and more efficient but only a few are doing anything about it, says Nathan Wood from the Building Engineering Services Association.
HS2 celebrates work site health and safety
HS2 is celebrating innovations to improve work site health and safety across Britain's largest construction project.
How housebuilders can tackle the growing issue of noise in homes
Acoustics should be a non-negotiable consideration for our buildings, says Ben Hancock of Oscar Acoustics. Here he explores how housebuilders can tackle the growing issues of noise in homes.
HSE publishes workplace fatality figures in 2021/2022
Workplace fatality figures have been published by the Health and Safety Executive(HSE), reporting that a hundred and twenty-three workers were killed in work-related accidents in Great Britain in the last year.
How construction managers can help workers with poor mental health
Despite the on-going mental health crisis, recent talk around how builders are “going woke” is now reversing the small progress the industry had made in tackling its high suicide rates and cases of poor mental health. Lee Mills of Citation discusses the Building Minds campaign, which aims to equip construction managers with the tools to help the struggling workforce.
How does the construction industry tackle hazardous waste?
Nathan Gray of Reconomy explores how the construction industry currently tackles hazardous waste and considers whether a circular approach is the solution for a sustainable future.
Preventing legionella with IoT, automation and digital processes
Organisations across the UK are responsible under health and safety legislation for preventing legionella and other known pathogens in freshwater systems – but the process can require a lot of time, effort and expense. Automation, digitisation and the internet of things could help drive effective change, says Chris Potts, marketing director of ANT Telecom.
Building Safety Act 2022: leaseholder protections from cladding costs
The latest update from the Building Safety Act offers leaseholder protections from cladding related costs and limits future liability for repairing other historical defects.
Warehouse owner fined after roofing contractor employee falls 30 feet through...
A Blackburn based warehouse owner has been fined after an employee of a roofing contractor Nizamuddin Gorji suffered severe life changing injuries after falling approximately 30 feet through a glass skylight on a warehouse roof.
How can field management software protect against costly HSE violations?
Find out how Re-flow Field Management Software features, such as its digital forms, can protect the railway industry against costly HSE violations.