Last month, I mentioned two big moments – the General Election and the 50th anniversary of the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) on 31 July. The lack of attention given to health, safety, or even wellbeing by most political parties in their election manifestos, while not entirely unexpected, was disappointing. And it doesn’t reflect the real concerns of workers and leaders here and around the world.
By Mike Robinson FCA on 01 July 2024
In my previous piece for Safety Management last summer (‘A new Building Safety Remediation Scheme would hold developers and builders to account for all fire and building safety defects in homes’) I set the scene on the unfolding world of building safety remediation and described how I was attempting to change things in the interests of consumer safety. Now with a general election called, there is an opportunity to influence the policies of a new, incoming administration.
By The Earl of Lytton on 28 June 2024
It’s a simple, obvious truth: the cleaner the air we breathe, the healthier we are. Yet, most of us are inhaling pollution out in the streets as well as in the safety of our homes, offices, schools, hospitals and other buildings – without realising the damage it is causing to our health, nor that there are quick, easy solutions to clean the air and strengthen the health of our communities.
By Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah CBE, Ella Roberta Foundation on 30 May 2024
It’s a simple, obvious truth: the cleaner the air we breathe, the healthier we are. Yet, most of us are inhaling pollution out in the streets as well as in the safety of our homes, offices, schools, hospitals and other buildings – without realising the damage it is causing to our health, nor that there are quick, easy solutions to clean the air and strengthen the health of our communities.
By Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah CBE, Ella Roberta Foundation on 30 May 2024
Our safety, in every sense of the word, is very much in the news right now. Whether it’s wars in Europe or the Middle East, threats from terrorism or rogue states, the need to keep children safe online, or violence faced by shop keepers, the numbers and level of threats to our safety seem to rise exponentially every day.
By Mike Robinson FCA, British Safety Council on 30 April 2024
If you discovered your country was losing up to £78 billion a year, you would want to do something about it, right? Well, that is how much the UK loses to workplace sickness and ill health each year.
By Mike Robinson FCA, British Safety Council on 02 April 2024
A review of academic papers suggests the impact of homeworking on employees’ wellbeing, productivity and working relationships often depends on a variety of personal contextual factors, making it essential for managers to consult workers individually to identify how best to support them.
By Charlotte Hall and Professor Neil Greenberg, King's College London on 09 April 2024
As businesses make increasing use of safety monitoring to minimise the risks associated with lone working, consideration must be given to the impact on workers. Concerns that safety monitoring measures will be used for performance management purposes may well increase rather than alleviate health and safety risks.
By Hayden Singh, Pinsent Masons on 03 May 2024
Violence against shop workers has more than doubled in a year, according to Usdaw’s latest annual survey, as official figures show that shoplifting has risen by over a third. Shoplifting is not a victimless crime; theft from shops has long been a major flashpoint for violence and abuse against shop workers.
By Paddy Lillis, Usdaw on 26 April 2024
In 1907, William Willett campaigned for a simple but significant addendum to time. Having noticed an imbalance of daylight in the summer, he proposed ‘savings’ to preserve liveable post-work hours. If everyone, in sync, agreed to adjust their watch a few times per year, this simple expedient would “make for health and strength of body and mind”. It caught on. The 4 Day Week Campaign has a simple, not dissimilar, objective.
By Samuel Hunt and Aliyah Davies, 4 Day Week Campaign on 25 March 2024
Construction, design and management is an approach used within the construction industry that integrates all stages of a project. It considers all aspects of a construction process from the initial design and planning to the construction and maintenance of the building or structure.
By Kevin Bridges and Hannah Beaumont, Pinsent Masons on 15 March 2024
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has been protecting the public, supporting professionals and influencing policy for over 130 years. The work of CIEH’s 7,600 members encompasses health protection both in work and across our communities locally, nationally and internationally. Our vision is simple: “a safer, cleaner, healthier environment for everyone.”
By Louise Hosking, CIEH on 29 February 2024
Working from Home (or WFH) sometimes feels like just another wedge issue with which to divide us. But it’s a serious one, with potentially far-reaching consequences for our health, productivity and wellbeing. Which is why the study published in the Journal of Occupational Health (and covered recently by the Observer) caught my attention. It also contained something quite refreshing – a balanced view!
By Mike Robinson FCA, British Safety Council on 01 March 2024
