Two prevalent issues plague businesses nationwide: accidents potentially causing injuries to employees and visitors and theft within the premises. Despite the reduction in theft from a peak of 17,700 offences in 2002/03 to 6,558 in 2022/23, any level of theft remains unacceptable.

Our fast-paced industrial world often means that long hours of standing are becoming commonplace. Business owners should be aware that the well-being of their employees is always paramount. Studies have shown that prolonged standing at benches, workstations or assembly points can lead to many health issues, including backaches, knee problems and general fatigue. However, there is a simple yet effective solution that can significantly improve the health and comfort of industrial workers and that is the use of anti-fatigue matting.

No matter how much we try to avoid spillages within the workplace or in public areas, unfortunately they can still happen! Common spills involve substances such as diesel, oil, solvents and cleaning chemicals. While small, in-house spills might be easy to clean up quickly, some fluids can be toxic when ingested or exposed to skin and can be very hazardous to the environment.

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.

Manhole covers are an essential component of the UK’s drainage and sewerage infrastructure, providing access to underground systems for maintenance and repair.

Maintenance and safety are critical aspects of managing material handling equipment. By prioritising maintenance and implementing safety measures, you can ensure smooth operations and minimise the risk of accidents.

Investing in material handling equipment offers numerous benefits for warehouse operations. From increased safety and reduced labour costs to improved inventory management and faster order fulfilment, these tools can transform your warehouse into a well-oiled machine.

We all love seeing and hearing the wonderful array of birds that reside in the UK, with many of us putting out food daily in our gardens for them. As a nation we spend £250m a year on wild bird food, such as seeds, peanuts and fats. However, the cost and disruption to industry from our feathered friends is often disregarded.

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!

If you thought that planning boards just hung above your desk or on the back of a door, then think again!

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) spells out the plain facts of how important it is for us to look after the health of our hearts. However sadly, heart disease will still kill around one in four people in the UK.

More than ever before, employers have the safety of their employees at the forefront of their businesses. Gone are the days of the most senior member of staff ‘showing the ropes’ to the latest recruits. Providing proper training for the handling and movement of goods is seen as a worthwhile investment which ensures the workforce are safer when using handling lifting equipment.

The two things about the British weather that we all know, is that first off it is not predictable and the second is that we never seem to be prepared for it! Snow in November right through to March or beyond is a distinct possibility and yet businesses across the UK systematically fail to be ready to deal with what should be an inconvenience rather than a complete disaster. Companies would fair better by assessing the risks and then order the equipment and supplies needed in advance so they will be better prepared for what is coming!

Is there a definitive origin for the art of queueing? The word queue comes from the 12th century Old French word 'cue' meaning tail of an animal, which originates from the Latin word 'cauda'. So when did queueing start in Britain? During the early 19th century queues had become common occurrences as masses of people had migrated from the countryside to the towns to find work during the Industrial Revolution.

It is a well known fact that unhappy employees leave companies. So what can be done to help prevent that from happening?

Recent events have shown how vulnerable we can be to fires when the temperature rises. Bonfires, BBQs, electrical faults or even a simply discarded cigarette stub can start what can turn out to be a catastrophe.

Based in Haverhill, Suffolk are a European company that provides top quality products for conveying varying types of sports equipment on vehicles, camping vehicle accessories, backpacks and luggage plus all types of strollers and bike trailers to enable family holidays and days out.

There are 113 new products that have been launched onto the market this month. We have a section on our website where all these products are showcased.

England’s longest zip line runs for 720m and is based at Bluewater Shopping and Leisure Centre in Kent. Safety is of prime importance on this 60mph high rise adrenalin thrill activity!

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?

The two things about the British weather that we all know, is that first off it is not predictable and the second is that we never seem to be prepared for it! Snow in November right through to March or beyond is a distinct possibility and yet businesses across the UK systematically fail to be ready to deal with what should be an inconvenience rather than a complete disaster. Companies would fair better by assessing the risks and then order the equipment and supplies needed in advance so they will be better prepared for what is coming!

Sometimes we are just all so busy that we overlook the simple things in business. Maintenance and servicing of equipment is an area that is often overlooked, yet with a little help from your friends at Action Handling Equipment this can be a scheduled event that you do not have to worry about.

PVC strip curtains have a variety of uses when installed in factory, warehouse or despatch areas. They can be used to keep the heat out in the summer and keep the heated air within the area during the colder months. They provide segregation between different work areas allowing for various processes to take place without disrupting each other. Keeping dust, debris, insects and even pests away from the workplace is very important and these curtains can help to achieve this as well.

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.

You know it's going to happen and then you find yourself hunting around for an old and no doubt part damaged broom! You remember back to last year when you swore that you would be better prepared this year. Well, you still have time provided you act quickly!

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.

Action Handling Equipment offer the service of Thorough Examinations, repairs, servicing and the maintenance of lifting equipment. So what should happen during the Coronavirus outbreak? 

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.

A high street discounter supermarket and a logistics giant both called on Action Handling to supply floor marking tapes to mark out areas where customers and staff should stand for social distancing.

Action Handling are proud to be helping the UK's communications and media services infrastructure. Our service teams have been carrying out 'Thorough Examinations' on lifting equipment across the whole of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. 

Staying conversant with current health and safety law can be a difficult and time consuming task but have you considered that you may also need to be up to date with road traffic law too? If your business delivers goods, then a full understanding of the laws governing their safe transport and handling is a must.

Knock on the door, ring the bell, ring it well, wipe your feet and walk in.  It’s a rhyme I was recently reminded of, that my great grandfather shared with us as we grew up. I am sure if you are from the Sheffield area, it’s a rhyme you might have heard of too. It then got me thinking about entrance matting and how it relates to the rhyme.

An analysis of work injuries across all job types, shows that slips, trips and falls are the most common cause of physical harm. The degree of harm sustained depends on the hazard in place and the height at which it occurs. A simple stumble can result in anything from a minor mishap to a serious accident which may involve dangerous machinery, or even a person falling from height to death.

Why you should choose a company that offers much more than just e-commerce.

Businesses are often faced with the need to provide new or additional materials handling or access procedures in order to deal with trading expansion, health and safety implementation or new legal requirements. It is very easy to overlook the existing equipment that you already have within your organisation, that could easily be adapted to suit the task in hand.

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.

Choosing pallet racking for your business can be a very tricky exercise. There are so many options, styles, sizes and basic considerations that you need to factor into making the correct choice. Most decisions on whether to use pallet racking are based on either the need to use a more economic method of storing pallets at your facility, the need to improve the speed of delivery of pallets to customers or the improved use of the pallet contents within your own business..

The UK's ‘Cash & Carry’ grocery wholesaling trade was first reported as starting in June 1957 with the opening of Vye and Son in Ramsgate, a subsidiary of the Home & Colonial Group. But Lawrence Batley is widely accredited as the originator of the concept in the UK and in April 1958, L. Batley & Co. of Huddersfield opened a large 30,000 sq. ft. modern cash & carry warehouse which was by far the biggest of its kind to date.

PVC strip door curtains are a very cost-effective way to save your business money and improve working conditions. They can be introduced both internally and externally around your buildings with the minimum of ease.

Stunning colours! But if you have company premises, then falling leaves can be a big problem to handle. There's no escaping them, even at home the decaying foliage becomes an unwanted headache to have to deal with.

Were you prepared when the temperatures soared? Why is it that UK companies never quite seem to get ahead with extreme weather planning? In the latest heat wave, suppliers across the country ran out of fans, air conditioning units, water coolers and even cold drink machines. To avoid this happening again, Action Handling advise their clients to put in place a strategic plan to cover all the seasons and all the possible extreme weather problems that can happen.

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.

Whilst farmers are well adept at growing, picking, processing and packing their fruit and vegetables, ready for delivery, when it comes to making a work site safe, they need assistance. Action Handling have lots of experience with this industry and we were glad to be able to help a Kent based grower.

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.

According to LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations), a lifting operation is defined as 'an operation concerned with the lifting or lowering of a load'. The load can be any item, including people, and the equipment used to undertake this operation is defined as 'lifting equipment'.

Few things look more unsightly around your workplace than discarded cigarette butts, yet it’s estimated that 79% of all public places in the UK are blighted by them. Since the smoking ban which prohibits smoking inside any public space came into force in 2007, littering is a problem which seems to have escalated.

Cylinders are generally awkward to handle, move, position and then place in storage. By their very design they do not lend themselves to being exactly user friendly. However, companies would be well advised to consider the general implications that the use of cylinders have within the work place.

The first issue is to establish and recognise what type of gases the cylinders are actually containing. Identification and recording of the results should be a part of your risk assessment within workplace safety procedures.

So who is smarter, you or the birds? That is a question that commercial building owners are often left scratching their heads over. Early Spring is the time when you should not only think about but indeed put into action your preventative measures to help dissuade birds from roosting or nesting on and around your buildings.

We often cite Health and Safety requirements in our blog posts – after, all, they are an integral part of doing business in the UK. The information we cite is for general purposes only – each business should have their own policy in place and all staff should be aware of what it is. However, there are several basic rules that can apply to most companies, such as:

• Proper staff training
• Using the correct equipment for the job
• Keeping equipment maintained and up to date with regular safety checks
• Providing a clean work environment

Having to move heavy goods and products is a part of most handling industries, whether in factories or distribution companies. However, not all heavy lifting is created alike – depending on the business and goods to be moved, lifting equipment specific to the task at hand is crucial to completing the task.

Winter is coming. Oh, I don’t mean

that sort of winter – rather an onslaught of snow and ice and freezing rain coming down from the north. It’s a different kind of magic that winter brings, one that makes pavements and car parks such dangerous places, turning vehicles into weapons and unwitting pedestrians into ice dancers.

Your warehouse health and safety checklist is important to maintain because it ensures a solid framework within which staff should operate. When staff spend several hours a day working in pallet racking areas it’s extremely important to manage health & safety in order to avoid serious accidents. The only way in which an employer can make their premises less prone to accidents is through a comprehensive assessment and production of a safety program, and every business should have a health and safety checklist to help identify any risks in the work environment and how best to reduce them.

We share this planet with a multitude of creatures in the air, the water and the ground. Seeing animals in their natural habitat is a wonderful experience, and there are whole tourist industries built up around doing so. However, there are also times when we don’t want to share our spaces with animals – when keeping them pest-free is essential to safe working conditions.

It’s the responsibility of every employer to provide a safe workplace for their employees, combining training, implementation and physical safety features to minimise risk. At Action Handling, we supply a vast range of different items designed to improve safety on site, as well as maximise employee productivity and workflow. One area in which we specialise is the supply of safety barriers and markings. When you have a workplace that combines personnel with workplace vehicle access, it’s vitally important that separate areas for each are created and clearly marked, to eliminate the risk of accident.

The bad weather period is upon us again! How many times do we get caught out in this country waiting until it’s too late to make proper preparations for what could be several days or many weeks of bad weather disruption?  Clearly businesses need to have specific plans in place that can be used to avert the problems caused by such events. A business continuity policy should have ‘bad weather’ inclusion to ensure that your company can cope with a crisis.

Prevention of hazardous spills should be the initial aim so the correct identification of chemicals and materials that constitute the label of being hazardous should be the first challenge. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) gives good information on what constitutes being hazardous and  explains how to control hazardous substances at work and comply with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002.