In today's fast-paced work environments, maintaining a safe workplace is paramount. The one key aspect of this that is often overlooked, is the proper handling and use of safety equipment. Whether it's protective goggles, helmets, gloves or respiratory masks, these all play a crucial role in safeguarding employees from potential hazards.

One-in-three accidents at work are caused by manual handling. In 2022 out of the 1.8 million working people suffering from a work-related illness, 477,000 of them experienced problems from a job-related musculoskeletal disorder according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Furthermore, 300,000 people in the UK were troubled with back pain caused by manual handling incidents!

Particularly as we move into the winter months, we should consider our health and wellbeing as a means of safeguarding against many of the things that are no doubt on the way: bad weather with colder temperatures, long dark nights and of course the seemingly ever-increasing pressures of the cost-of-living crisis. Some simple adjustments can make a big difference though.

Business owners generally know that they have an obvious responsibility to ensure health and safety in the workplace and to keep their employees wellbeing at the forefront of any decision making. But do they know how to implement best practises and put processes in place for continued safety?

As someone who has spent virtually their whole working life in offices, I am starting to remember that the winter months were always a 'growing season' for colds and flu. For so many years it was just a given that when a colleague sneezed or coughed, then the whole office went down with the same thing! Also, in the summer months when unfortunate workers were suffering from hay fever and asthma, this could be a facilitator for the spread of other respiratory diseases not associated with their particular suffering.

When there is a pile of goods that are needed to be moved from one area to another, there are various ways in which that can be achieved. You can either handball each item or place the goods onto a truck or trolley of some description and push or pull them to their new location.

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK lockdown from March 23rd 2020. Three months later he then reported that lockdown easing measures would start to be implemented from July 4th with the re-opening of some of the hospitality industry and other public spaces.

Moving the drums around in small confined areas is another process that requires careful consideration. The simple and most economical way is by using a drum dolly or drum truck.

As the lockdown eases across the UK, thousands of businesses and public buildings are having to consider how they can minimise the risk of infection from entering their premises.

The lunchtime rest period or tea break is normally seen as a social time for employees in the UK. Businesses are having to adapt in light of the Coronavirus epidemic, whilst still managing to provide that vital time for workers to take a well earned break from daily work duties and to recuperate in time for the tasks ahead.

We are having to get used to very different rules and guidance in our daily lives regarding the Coronavirus epidemic. This is no more illustrated than in the workplace with businesses having to adapt their working practises and define policies that allow for social distancing and safe practises. Indeed, the front entrance to a building is now being seen as the first line of defence.

From May 13th lock-down procedures are being eased across England in an effort to help stimulate the economy. Those who can easily work from home are still advised to do so but for many, returning to their place of work has now become a reality.

We are living in very strange times. Every day brings yet another challenge to test us all, both individually and collectively. Things that we took for granted just a few weeks ago are no longer just as straight forward. This was clearly highlighted this week by one of our long-standing customers.

Coronavirus (Covid-19)
The events of the last few weeks has made us all acutely aware of how important safety through hygiene and personal protection is needed to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. We have amazing key-workers including staff behind counters at supermarkets, pharmacies and hospital administrators who are facing customers multiple times a day.

These are extraordinary times and our absolute priority is to ensure the health and safety of our customers and employees.

Manhole covers or maintenance hole covers are removable plates that form the lid over an opening of a manhole. This is an opening that a person can pass through or maintenance can be conducted from. It usually gains access to a utility vault, pipe or void and can be rectangular, square or circular, whilst coming in a whole variety of sizes.

Human nature often leads us to act in haste but needlessly means we sometimes end up repenting at leisure! We have all tried at one time or other to pick up some awkward load that we wish we hadn’t. Either we end up with a back injury, suffer a fall or damage the load in question. If we had stopped for one minute to ponder what help was at hand, then we might well have saved ourselves from avoidable anguish.

Podium steps are considered a safer method of low-level access than conventional stepladders and platform steps. They comprise of a climbing ladder frame but fitted with a 360° fully enclosed working platform area and normally come with the option of having outrigged stabilisers fitted in order to increase base stability.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) now account for over a third of all work related illness and the loss of more than 10 million days each year. Although often associated with back pain, the term MSD covers a wide range of ailments and can affect joints and tissue in many parts of the body.

The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) say that a risk assessment is simply a careful examination of what, in your work, could cause harm to people, so that you can weigh up whether you should identify sensible measures to control the risks in your workplace.

With the recent release of Health and Safety statistics at work for Great Britain in 2017/2018, it is interesting to see that 12,000 occupational lung disease deaths each year are estimated to be linked to past exposures at work.

Figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that an estimated 4.5 million working days were lost in the UK in 2015/16 due to self-reported workplace injuries. Whilst the general trend is that the number of reported injuries occurring at work is reducing over time, the HSE also note that due to the widespread underreporting of incidents, those figures are likely to be considerably higher in reality.

Safety of personnel in environments where there are slippery surfaces is absolutely vital. When a sub-contractor of British Waterways noticed an increase in injuries and sick-leave at one particular site, they decided to investigate.

Anti-fatigue mats are predominantly used in industrial and commercial working environments to provide worker comfort. Standing for lengthy periods of time during your work shift on hard and sometimes cold floors causes general fatigue plus health problems such as poor blood circulation, aches in joints, and pains in feet, hips and back. Standing for long periods is also bad for health because of the strain on the lower limbs. The problems caused with feet can include corns, bunions, flat feet and heel spurs. Medical professionals also link standing for long periods day in day out to varicose veins. These causes to health problems can be easily reduced by providing a comfortable working environment, and anti-fatigue mats also reduce slips, trips and falls. As we know slips, trips and falls mean a decrease in staff productivity, absenteeism and ultimately can cost employers millions of pounds each year.  

In the modern workplace, employee Health and Safety is an ongoing concern. Providing the right equipment, environment and training is key to keeping staff at their best, as well as your business in compliance with the law. However, despite new information and training, back injuries are still one of the most common workplace incidents, especially in warehouse and handling environments. Lifting incorrectly is a common contributor to such accidents, through over-reaching, cutting corners to save time, or by simply not having the correct equipment in place.

Manual materials handling carries a risk of strain and injury to employees, so is governed by the Manual Handling Operations Regulations. These are designed to apply to a wide range of manual handling activities such as lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling or carrying, including the movement of loads up or down stairs, a common occurrence in many workplaces.

 

Maintaining a healthy back and strong posture is beneficial throughout our lives, allowing us to stay active for as long as possible. The British Chiropractic Organisations recommends managing back health by incorporating daily stretches and movement and taking care of any issues as they arise, rather than letting them get worse.

 

 

There’s been a lot of discussion in the media recently about the benefits of spending more time standing while at work. Sedentary desk jobs have been shown to decrease life expectancy and increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer, even if you do take regular exercise in line with daily recommendations.

 

When you think about it, we humans are a complex and ingenious bunch. If an activity is dangerous yet also offers a benefit, rather than consider the danger and avoid the activity, we choose instead to work out ways to protect ourselves. Helmets, padding and, in extreme cases, body armour, have all been devised to minimise the risk and maximise the experience.

We’ve written a few posts recently discussing employer obligations when it comes to providing a safe workplace for employees. Sufficient training and supervision, equipment suited to the task at hand and implementation of procedures are all part of the process. In the end, however, it comes down to the individual employee to work responsibly, employ correct equipment and act in a safe manner at work.

Repetitive strain injury, or RSI, can be defined as pain or discomfort caused by repeating the same physical task over and over again. It’s also a growing area of concern for many businesses, with almost half a million British workers affected with pain or musculoskeletal injuries, according to recent statistics.