News

Lung 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...

Respect 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...

Common sense must prevail

I’ve been wondering recently what construction industry professionals have been saying on the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform Bill) and its potential impact on Health and Safety. I came across the headline: “UK government ‘woefully out of touch’ on health and safety standards” on the excellent Safety & Health...

Robust health and safety legislation saves lives

There’s been a lot written and said recently about the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill. It first went before the House of Commons in September last year and earlier this month it had its second reading in the House of Lords. This blog has very little to do...

How FREE training works

With a range of topics to choose from, Courtley Health & Safety Certified training sessions meet the requirements of most small to medium businesses. By developing in-house versions of popular courses, such as Asbestos Awareness, Risk Assessment & Method Statement Writing, and many more; we are able to offer Members...

Whatever the economic weather, health and safety comes first

I like to read around my subject and as someone who trains people in good health and safety practice and advises companies about effective implementation I have to. That said, some people say that I only have about 45 minutes of conversation on this subject before I repeat myself. I...

Falling figures, not falling people

A simple web search will reveal that every year falls from height are the biggest cause of deaths at work in the UK and most of them are in construction. When I started to research this blog I found a news story of a man who fell 12 metres through...

Open up to confined space training

By Steve Wallace We’ve talked endlessly on these pages about the need to return people home safely at the end of their working day as well as the responsibility of delivering them at retirement age healthy enough to enjoy it. Well, here’s some news – these are subjects will continue...

No place for safety washing – ‘work right’ all the time

From October 3rd , construction sites are being targeted as part of a health inspection initiative under the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Work Right campaign. It’s about raising awareness of the health issues that can result from moving and handling materials. It aims to help smaller businesses and workers...

Diverse, exciting and important – a day in the life of a H&S operative

Every day is different working in Health and Safety and very often there will be a daily challenge to face and surmount. Sounds tough? It isn’t, because each challenge we are presented with should lead us to say: “I’ve made a difference there, I’ve added value. I’m improved somebody’s lot.”...

Tackling the mental health challenge before its too late

A couple of years ago, we were looking for charities to support and I wanted a less prominent organisation and so I asked my team for their input and we alighted upon CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably). Visit their website and you will see that it’s an organisation that is...

Workplace wellbeing: it’s all about the people

The increased focus on having good mental health these days can only be positive and that includes creating a healthy workplace. In the past if anyone displayed unusual behaviour we used to conclude that they were just not able to cope or their head’s gone. As a consequence people suffered...

A healthy respect for people’s well-being at work

By Steve Wallace I’ve said it before and I will say it again – we are good at ‘safety’ in this country. Better than most, in fact. The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) most recent report of December 2021 makes interesting reading, even if some of the ‘Eurostats’ are a...

Just relax and breathe

By Steve Wallace. Over the last two years we have all become familiar with the face mask. At times face mask wearing has even been mandatory, mainly in public areas and even though this requirement has now passed as Covid has begun to abate and affect our day-to-day lives less,...