Health & Safety Update

Welcome to the February edition of our Health and Safety update which covers recent news, cases and legislation.

Construction

Clampdown on construction

The HSE has launched a safety clampdown on construction sites aimed at reducing death and injury. Inspectors will make unannounced visits between 18 February and 15 March to construction sites where refurbishment or repair works are taking place to ensure they are managing high-risk activity. Please click here to read the guidance.

Bulletin

A reminder that the Construction e-bulletin is published each month. Please click here to read the bulletin.

Directors' responsibilities and corporate manslaughter

Mine company and manager charged with corporate manslaughter

The manager of Gleision Colliery in South Wales has been charged with four counts of gross negligence manslaughter following the deaths of four miners in September 2011. The company which owns the colliery, MNS Mining, has also been summoned with four counts of corporate manslaughter. The four men died after becoming trapped in the mine when the area they were working in was engulfed in an enormous inrush of water. The CPS has said that because of the way in which the activities were managed or organised by its senior management, the company caused the deaths of the miners by failing to ensure a safe system of working was in place. It is alleged that this failure amounted to a gross breach of the duty of care owed by the company to each of the four mine workers. The case has been sent to Swansea Crown court for hearing.

Electricity

The HSE has published a toolbox to help employers focus their attention on real risks in their business and to help employees take simple precautions when working with or near electricity and electrical equipment. Please click here to read the toolbox.

Food Hygiene and Safety

Please click here to view the link to subscribe to the Food Standard Agency's e-News bulletin together with the February issue.

Ill-health/Stress/Disability

Government response: tackling long-term sickness Absence

In a 2011 report, Health at work: an independent review of sickness absence , Dame Carol Black and David Frost CBE made a number of recommendations to reduce workplace sickness absence and the cost of ill health on individuals, employers and the taxpayer. In its response published on 17 January 2013, the government has accepted virtually all the recommendations contained in the report. However, it has rejected the introduction of a new job-brokering service to help long-term sick employees find new work before they fall on to the benefits system. It had been proposed that this service was offered free to employees who had been absent for at least 20 weeks, or earlier to individuals and employers willing to pay for it. Instead, the government will direct employees in this position to Universal Jobmatch, a free online jobmatching service launched in November 2012.

The Government will proceed with the report's main recommendation, the introduction of a health and work assessment and advisory service from 2014. The service will provide:

A state-funded assessment by occupational health professionals for employees who are off sick for four weeks or more. Case management for employees with complex needs who require ongoing support to facilitate their return to work...