Q: What is the one thing you need to do to ensure your employees work safely? A: Make it easier for them to work safely than not. When you sit down to carry out a risk assessment, no doubt you spend time thinking about the possible hazards, likely harm and who might be affected. After…
Sadly, as I write this article, the latest Covid-19 statistics that are being set out by the government make it clear that the numbers of new cases are going to remain high for some time to come. As a result of this, we are receiving more calls from employers struggling to understand what to do…
What is a Risk Assessment? It’s the process by which you consider how dangerous something is and what you need to do to prevent or minimise the harm. They are a legal requirement under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and if produced and used well, protect your business and your…
How to Prepare for Winter Shutdown With a large proportion of construction sites about to shut down for a fortnight, I thought it would be a good idea to share some tips to ensure that they remain safe over the holiday season. Prior to shutdown, make sure that you walk the entire site, checking that…
Take Care at Work this Winter Winter conditions can lead to many increased work-related risks, such as slips, trips and falls, so it’s paramount to take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of other site staff and members of the public over this period. Regardless of the size of your site, you should always…
Let’s go crackers this Christmas! It has been a tough year for everyone, including the Lighthouse Club, our Construction Industry Charity. They are the only charity that provides physical, mental and financial wellbeing support to construction workers and their families in the UK and Ireland. Their caseload has gone through the roof at a time…
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has been extended for at least a month, as the government announces a second month-long national lockdown starting 5th November. The PM explained that the proposed job retention scheme has been put on hold so that the furlough scheme can be extended, however for the next month, the government will…
The world of construction health and safety is pretty small, and if like me you’ve been lucky to have had twenty years in it, you get to know plenty of people. This week I have been able to catch up with a lot of other health and safety managers. Whilst Covid is never far from…
Why Do We Do Site Inspections? Are you 100% confident that your employees are working safely as you read this? If they were to have an accident, could you be sure you had done all you possibly could to prevent it? Having an independent expert in construction health and safety inspecting your site, gives you…
With those businesses whose employees are unable to work from home, and are now returning to their workplaces, it is a good time to remind everyone of the steps needed to reduce the risk from COVID-19 and the risks to your business. Recent figures released by HSE show that between 26th May to 2nd July…