Thursday, December 01, 2022

Weekly Digest Newsletter: 1 December 2022

This week's news and updates about health and safety at work

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HSE has guidance on keeping workplace temperature reasonable

hand of worker with clipboard checking goods in warehouse

As winter takes hold, you can find helpful advice from HSE on keeping people as comfortable as possible when working in the cold. There is also guidance on protecting workers from hot temperatures.

Our guidance has been refreshed to make it easier to find and understand advice on how to protect workers in both low and high temperatures.

 

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations require employers to provide a reasonable indoor temperature in the workplace.

 

Our guidance explains how you can assess the risks to workers and put controls in place to protect them.

 

It covers:

  • working in hot and cold temperatures
  • steps you can take to make people feel more comfortable
  • outdoor working
  • dehydration
  • cold stress and heat stress

There is a workplace temperature checklist to help you carry out a basic risk assessment. We have also updated sources of advice, including practical steps you can take in the summer months to protect workers during a heatwave.


HSE releases annual health and safety statistics 2021/2022

Last week HSE published the latest annual health and safety statistics for Great Britain.

The annual report by HSE found that 1.8 million working people are suffering from work-related ill health and that 123 workers were killed at work in this time period.

 

HSE's statistics website provides detailed commentary on these figures and is supported by:

For more information you can read a press release, which includes comments from Sarah Albon, HSE Chief Executive.


Avoid worker fatigue with our advice for shift workers

two chefs working together in a commercial kitchen

Poorly designed shift working and long working hours, which don't balance work demands with time for rest and recovery, can result in fatigue, accidents, injuries and ill health.

Worker fatigue is one of a number of human factors that can affect health and safety.

 

Visit our website to view our hints and tips for shift-workers.

 

There is also our downloadable publication Managing shift work, which improves the understanding of shift work and its potential health and safety impact.


Health board fined £160,000 after employees diagnosed with HAVS

Powys Teaching Health Board were fined after three employees who operated handheld power tools were diagnosed with hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS).

HSE's investigation found that the health board had failed to properly assess the levels of exposure to its employees and that information, instruction and training given to staff was limited.

 

It also found that the health board had ignored requests from its own occupational health department to conduct a risk assessment.

 

To find out more details on this incident read this press release.

 

Visit our website for guidance on what you need to do to prevent HAVS.

 

Other recent prosecution cases include:


Job vacancies at HSE

HSE hydrogen scientists, whose knowledge has been captured in a new training course aimed at those working towards net zero

Work for HSE and you will be helping to protect lives and livelihoods. 

For details of selected posts, follow the links below:

Keep up to date by viewing our latest vacancies

You can get all the latest news and updates from HSE across a range of industries and topics.

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