Good news for Reps on HSE priced publications

News from HSE’s Revitalising Network Newsletter:

“From 1 September 2009, the content of HSE’s series of priced publications will be made freely available online through the HSE website. Initially around 100 of the most popular titles will be available in a fully accessible ‘web‐lite’ format. It is expected that the remaining titles will be converted to this format by 31 March 2010. Further information will be available in due course.”

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Excellent Timesonline article in defence of HSE

TIMESONLINE
April 21, 2009

Health and safety: a grave error of judgment
They have been blamed for banning everything from conkers to classical music, but alll the Health and Safety Executive is really responsible for is ‘topple-testing’ in cemeteries, its chairman says…
…
Judith Hackitt travels home to Oxford most nights by train. “There is hardly a week that goes by,” she says, “when somebody doesn’t come on the tannoy and say ‘we can’t bring the trolley round tonight because of health and safety’. And actually, no.”

No?

“No,” says Hackitt. “You can’t bring the trolley round because the aisles are stacked with people. Or, you can’t bring the trolley round because the trolley dolly hasn’t turned up for work. It’s one of the two. It sure isn’t health and safety.”

Judith Hackitt is chairwoman of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). People, she says, are always stealing its phrase. “It’s a good one to hide behind,” she says.  There is Health and Safety, you see, and health and safety. People are forever confusing the two.

…

Last year, 229 people were killed in workplace accidents. “But actually, that is a gross underestimate,” says Hackitt. “Add to that the 2,000 people who died prematurely last year because they had been exposed to asbestos at work, the several thousand who had been exposed to other harmful substances. There are 100,000 people in Britain who have been injured at work, 28,000 with amputations. Two million off work, half of whom will never work again …” The fuss about health and safety, she says, makes it so much harder to promote Health and Safety. Forget about conkers and gravestones,” she says, “and let’s focus on the real problems. If I find all of this rubbish demoralising, imagine what it’s like for our inspectors. They’re the ones who visit families after someone has died. And to be called the Health and Safety Taleban? It’s horrible.”

I’ve only provided a couple of clips from this excellent article…
Give it a full read — see the Comments, and copy it to people.

TIMEONLINE article.

There are two seperate issues. Health and Safety and the ‘Sue’ culture. The first is use some sense and understand risks. The second came about when a certain government decided that solicitors could advertise.
- S G Robinson, Harlow, UK

Journalism feeds on negativity. In the case of safety this encourages accidents, because it discourages the necessary change in thinking that is required to reduce the level of accidents and illness created by doing ones job. Typing for a living can give you some quite painful industrial injuries.
- Karen Leader, Orpington, Kent

Rename the HSE the Occupational HSE (OHSE). The Legal fraternity, Magistrates and Judges have a lot to answer for us becoming such a litigious society and perhaps it is they who need a dose of Common Sense training. Don’t forget the insurance industry who can be just a silly and of course councils.
- Tony Horsfall, Caversham, England

Totally agree with Judith Hackitt – lets deal with the compensation culture, solicitors advertising no win no fee and employers who still see health and safety as getting in the way, while their workers are injured or worse – media – get some perspective. Well done the Times – an objective piece.
- Keith Allen, Rudgwick, UK

New HSE figures confirm work deaths plateau

The workplace fatality rate has not changed appreciably in the last six years, latest Health and Safety Executive figures show (HSE). Statistics released in November reveal 229 workers were killed in 2007/08. This is down five per cent on 2006/07 when 247 workers died, but higher than the figure for either 2004/05 or 2006/07. HSE says reported major injuries at work fell by around 9 per cent since the start of the decade and this trend continues. Work-related ill-health has also fallen across the period, ‘although the rate of improvement here is not as great as hoped,’ HSE concedes, admitting it is ‘probably not on track’ to meet its ill-health reduction targets. HSE chair Judith Hackitt said: ‘Any improvement in the number of people being injured or made ill by work must be welcomed. However, there is a need for a step change. Of particular concern are the agriculture, construction and waste and recycling industries.’ She added: ‘HSE is developing a new strategy that seeks to renew commitment from all those involved in health and safety to tackle these challenges and more. In the difficult and uncertain months ahead I urge employers not to take their eyes off the ball. Good business management will be vital and good health and safety management is an integral part of that. Health and safety contributes positively to competitiveness and should not be sacrificed in times of financial pressure.’

The number of HSE prosecutions, convictions and enforcement notices were all lower than 2006/07.

• HSE news release. HSE statistics 2007/08. HSE statistics webpage.

As reported in the Risks Newsletter 380 –  see post below, ‘Health & Safety Statistics’
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HSE chair wants more safety reps

The benefits of trade union safety reps are beyond all doubt, the chair of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has said. Judith Hackitt told the worker involvement conference of TUC’s Southern and Eastern Region (SERTUC) last week: ‘Throughout my working life it has always been the case that the workforce has been fully involved in health and safety and the importance of safety representatives has never been questioned – because it’s never been in any doubt.’ She added: ‘In some ways, I am surprised that we continue to have to promote the benefits in worker involvement in health and safety given that in my own personal experience I find it hard to imagine how one could ever put in place an effective workplace health and safety system that did not include real participation and engagement of the workforce.’

Trailing the December launch of a consultation on HSE’s new strategy, Judith Hackitt said: ‘HSE will make it clear that worker involvement and consultation is important in every organisation – where trades unions are present and where they are not and in all organisations irrespective of their size or dispersal of work locations.’

HSE will launch the consultation on 3 December at venues in London, Edinburgh and Cardiff. In October, TUC launched a safety reps’ charter, calling for more safety reps with more rights in more place.

As reported in the Risks Newsletter 383
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Warehousing and storage: new guide from the HSE

The HSE has published a new, free advice guide to health and safety in warehousing and storage. The pamphlet tackles all the most common causes of accidents, such as slips and trips, falls from height, manual handling and injuries linked to vehicles.  The Adobe PDF pamphlet can be downloaded here:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg412.pdf

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New HSE text call back enquiry service

Why not try HSE’s new call back service. Just fill out the form below or simply text the keyword ‘HSE’ to 64446† and they’ll call you back within 1 hour. If you can’t come to the phone when they call back, don’t worry as their operators will try three times to call you. This service is available Monday to Friday between 9am to 5pm.

HSE’s Online ‘Request a call back’:  HERE

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Safety representatives effective in promoting Health and safety messages

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in partnership with Unite published a research report that evaluates the effectiveness of involving safety representatives in delivering health and safety initiatives in the workplace.

http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7086

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HSE Prosecutions Database

After a lapse of almost a year, HSE is again posting prosecutions. They have begun inputting cases with hearing dates after November 1, 2006, and say they will update new cases weekly as they are reported. “In view of the volume of prosecutions now posted, we are not inputting previous cases. There will therefore be a gap in our database from a hearing date of 24 January 2006 until November 1st. Anyone not finding a case which may have been heard between January and November 2006, should therefore try searching the HSE Prosecutions database.”

Since relaunching the Prosecution database in January 2007, after a break of around a year, the HSE appears to have changed the format of the case numbers. So, for entries with a hearing date before the 24 January 2006, you should search the database with the defendants name, instead of a case number that you may have, if you desire to check details for yourself.

News From HASTAM, at http://www.hastam.co.uk/hsnews/

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Great little HSE Stress video

There’s a great little stress video on the HSE site, an animation, of a boss who keeps pushing his man to tighten the nuts faster and push up production… Have a look HERE

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Warm temperatures at work

Information about how the temperature of the environment you work in can affect you and advice on how to manage it, from the HSE.  (assuming it ever stops raining!)

Here

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