Employers ‘must act now’ to make sure workplaces are ready for warmer weather

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is advising businesses to think how they need to adapt to warmer working conditions for their staff. After last month’s record-breaking temperatures and with more hot weather expected this week, HSE is asking employers to ensure extreme heat becomes part of their long-term planning. With temperatures reaching an unprecedented […]
Robens will still matter over the next 50 years, says HSE Director

Lord Alfred Robens (pictured) was a prominent post-war industrialist. In 1969, three years after the Aberfan disaster, Robens was selected to chair a committee on workplace health and safety. The Robens Report of July 1972 led to the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, paving the way for the creation of Health and […]
123 workers killed in work-related accidents in 2021/22

A hundred and twenty-three workers were killed in work-related accidents in Great Britain in the last year, according to figures published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The annual data release covers the period from April 2021 to March 2022, during which time most pandemic restrictions were lifted and the economy began returning to […]
Carlsberg fined £3m following 2016 ammonia gas leak

Carlsberg has been fined £3 million after a contractor died and another was seriously injured following an ammonia gas leak at one of its breweries. The incident happened at Carlsberg’s site in Northampton. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Carlsberg hadn’t put proper controls in place. Father-of-two David Chandler, 45, was […]
Demolition company fined after fall from height fatality

A dismantling and demolition company has been fined after a worker fell 30 feet to his death when part of a pipe bridge platform gave way. Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard that John Gary Robertson, known as Gary Robertson, employed by CBR02 Limited (formerly known as Brown and Mason) suffered multiple injuries following a fall from […]
Former construction company directors sentenced for failing to prevent exposure to asbestos

Two former company directors have been sentenced and fined after a refurbishment project at a former department store was found to have disturbed asbestos containing materials (ACMs) while demolition work was still taking place. Newcastle Crown Court heard that during October 2017, the former Joplings Department Store in Sunderland was undergoing refurbishment when workers disturbed […]
How can happy employees make for more productive workers?

The well-being of employees is crucial. Improper care for staff can impact their performance and can have harmful effects within a company. The Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP) conducted research in 2020 demonstrating that reduced labour activity can occur as a result of high stress. Case studies also showed that workplace wellness programmes can […]
1.7 million workers suffering from a work-related illness, says HSE

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published statistics that cover work-related ill health, non-fatal workplace injuries and enforcement action taken by HSE, in the 2020/21 period. In total, 1.7 million workers are suffering from a work-related illness, around half of which were stress, depression or anxiety. In addition, two new estimates have been developed […]
HSE publishes 6th annual science review

This year the theme is COVID-19: Collaboration in a time of crisis and has a particular focus on the pandemic and the role that HSE science has played. The review looks at HSE’s contribution to the evolving global evidence base and the routes it has used to share that knowledge as quickly as possible. The […]
HSE releases workplace deaths data

Provisional data released by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) shows that a total of 142 workers were killed at work in Great Britain in 2020/21, an increase of 29 from the previous year – though the number of deaths in 2019/20 (113) was low compared to other recent years. In statistical terms the number […]