In celebration of compassion
I saw a question the other day: “Is Taylor Swift more famous than Barack Obama?” Well, she is today, but she wasn’t five years ago and is unlikely - to my admittedly older sensibilities - to be so in five years’ time. She’s the firework, the flavour of the month....
Read MoreWe Are Hiring! Administration Assistant Required
Vacancy Details Are you a detail-oriented and organised individual with a passion for supporting a dynamic team in the field of health and safety? If so, we have the perfect opportunity for you! Our renowned Health and Safety Consultancy, established in 1995, specialises in comprehensive training solutions, and we are seeking...
Read MoreChristmas Tales of Health and Safety
It’s been that time of year when we lash the cash and lavish the love on family and friends to enjoy some Christmas merriment in the darkest and coldest of months. That said, while love might be abundant, for some cash has been tighter than ever and that also seems...
Read MoreLeadership – be a giant not a tyrant
The definition of leadership seems to be as subjective as it is objective. There are many definitions and much has been written on leadership. And yet when it comes to leadership in health and safety, there seems to be no firm definition. Historically it’s been dictatorial and regulatory in approach....
Read MoreUse your heads and protect the players
This is the first of two blogs on Health and Safety leadership generated by my regular reading around my specialist subject. An incident in the Fulham vs Manchester United match at the start of November caught my eye. During that match United defender Harry Maguire sustained a head injury but...
Read MoreSafe Use and Handling of Diisocyanates
What are Diisocyanates? Diisocyanates are a family of chemical building blocks used to make polyurethanes or polyurea materials like: Foams Thermoplastic and elastomers Paints and Inks Adhesives, Coatings and Sealants Composite Wood Products Diisocyanates, when mixed with other chemicals help us to make items such as Furniture, Clothing, Household appliances...
Read MoreMind maps, risk assessments and method statements
Having proper health and safety should never be a tagged-on afterthought. I’ve been advising on good health and safety and running training courses for that long now that I almost have a radar for it. I walk into places and see fire extinguishers and fire escapes; I see how much...
Read MoreCreating a sense of ‘belonging’ makes for organisational happiness
Health and safety in the workplaces isn’t just about physical wellbeing. It’s also about workers’ health. At Courtley we run many health and safety courses and when I speak to directors of companies or site managers, we often talk about workplace culture. One of the subjects that I always raise...
Read MoreDisposal of Timber Products – 1st September
Important Update on Wood Waste Handling Regulations The Environment Agency (EA) has confirmed the withdrawal of the ‘Regulatory Position Statement (RPS) 250’ effective from 1st September 2023. This decision will lead to changes in waste wood handling regulations from the construction and demolition (C&D) industry. What’s Changing? ‘RPS 250’ currently...
Read MoreBlack cats and bureaucrats
There have been a couple of developments in the world of health and safety that have caught my eye recently. Both are different, but related. Firstly, I read that nine of the UK’s most prominent health and safety organisations have united to form the Occupational Safety and Health Stakeholder Alliance...
Read MoreLegislation change – 4th August.
Courtley Health and safety would like to inform you that as of August 24th 2023, in accordance with the requirement as laid down in the Restriction of diisocyanates under REACH, as published on August 4th 2020 by the European Commission, all professional and industrial users of products containing diisocyanates are...
Read MoreDon’t let your health and safety measures gather dust
We were recently approached by a company for advice on its health and safety measures after being told by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) that there was room for improvement in its approach. It’s the kind of work we routinely undertake given our expertise. During their visit, HSE inspectors...
Read MoreLung Disease in Construction is Unacceptable
There’s a big push these days to create clean air zones in and around our most populous places to create greener, healthier conurbations, because air pollution has a real impact on people’s health. According to the World Health Organisation air pollution is the single most serious environmental threat to human health. Dust...
Read MoreRespect is at the root of civilisation and of health and safety
An anthropologist was once asked during a lecture: “When did civilisation start?” Everybody was expecting the answer to be when the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling was painted or when the Rosetta Stone was carved or when Shakespeare, wrote ‘the end’ on Hamlet. Yet, the answer is different. An ancient thigh bone...
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