Newsletter August 2011
Summer Holidays: Raise In Accident Ratio
Summer Holidays; schools are out, some of us are in 'get the work done' mode so that we can enjoy a well earned rest. Others are beavering away using this heaven sent low business activity month to perform an annual catch up! Budgets still need to be met, and work still needs to be done while the children are away from schools and main roads etc. However, let us not rush, let us take time to remember, these are the times when accidents occur. We need to focus on safety and good planning in order to get the job done effectively with as few accidents as possible.
Planning, planning and more planning is the key. Safety should be top of the list and provision to ensure the work is carried out in the best possible way with the least accidents occuring. Let us hope for an uneventful and accident free Summer.
September 2011 Workshop
Many of our ToolKit Compliance System users like advance warning of our scheduled events for 2011. The events are all free of charge to our customers so please find time to attend especially if you are a ToolKit Systems Administrator.
Our User Workshops provide an excellent opportunity to see the pre-release version of our 6 monthly product updates, with some instruction, so that users can be well prepared for the installed product shortly after the events.
Our next workshop is on Tuesday 13th September 2011, places are limited so please call early on 01525 850080 to reserve your place!
Retirement in Construction: Timebomb
It would seem we have another hurdle in front of us within the construction industry. New figures published by CITB-Construction Skills show that there are less youngsters coming into the construction indusrty. This means that construction firms face a retirement timebomb with one in six workers due to retire within the next decade and too few youngsters left to replace them.
The trend has continued over the last few years and now we are also getting more migrant workers who are less skilled than those trained to British standards. This will have a serious impact on the quality of construction within the industry.
This apparent timebomb will not just affect the trade occupations, the effects will also include professional trades like architects, surveyors and engineers. What we need is a big push to get more youngsters into the industry and boost our skilled professionals. What can the goverment do to facilitate this?
For more on this article see Retirement Timebomb to Hit Construction
Construction - Falls From Height Still a Common Occurence
We have noticed that there are still a lot of 'falls from height' being reported within the construction industry. Much of this occurs because of bad planning and lack of proper and detailed risk assessments.
Is this lack of risk asessments because we are all being too lazy, or that due to a lack of resources at the HSE, we think we can 'get away with it'? We would hope not!
Even so, the fact that someone can, and does, get injured should make us realise how the 'good practice' of doing a risk assessment actually means less accidents and potentially saves lives. Cut backs should not mean lack of assessment nor should it mean lessening of standards. Lets look after our employees!
The HSE's web site gives out guidance on risk assessments.
How Unions Make A Difference To Health & Safety
We read an interesting article on the TUC web site recently on how unions make a difference to health and safety, what they term as 'the union effect'.
They state that 150,000 trade union safety representatives make a difference because trade union involvement:
- Helps reduce injuries at work
- Leads to reductions in the levels of ill-health caused by work
- Encourages greater reporting of injuries and near-misses
- Makes workers more confident
- Helps develop a more positive safety culture in the organisation
- Saves the economy many millions of pounds
They also state that there is lots of evidence to support their claims. It is an interesting perspective and some of what they say is very valid. For instance it is a fact that consultation with the workforce can have a considerable effect in changing the safety culture in a workplace. Unions also make sure that their safety representatives are trained and therefore are knowledgeable enough to support the workers.
We know that most good employers work with the unions in the workplace; what we need to do is ensure that cutbacks don't damage all the hard work and good relations that have taken many years to build.
For more on this subject see TUC: How unions make a difference to health and safety.
More Information
We regularly receive updates from our customers and contacts about changes to legislation, the latest rumours and so on. We try to be selective with what we pass on and acknowledge our sources as appropriate. If you have information of general interest in the Health & Safety, and particularly, CDM and Asbestos Management arena, then please let us know by e-mail if possible.