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In Brief
HSE GUIDANCE BECOMES FREE ONLINE
In a surprise move, the HSE has announced that the full range of its guidance as well as ACoPs and guidance on regulations will be free online. The change will take effect from September 2009 and will cover around 250 priced publications which will be made available in PDF format. Printed versions (which may be easier to use for some of the bulkier publications) will still be available from HSE Books. The HSE reminds organisations that Crown copyright will apply to the online products and organisations wishing to reproduce the information will still need an appropriate licence from the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI). The announcement was made at the same time as the HSE launched its new strategy. Full details of the strategy can be found at www.hse.gov.uk/strategy/ ROAD SAFETY ORGANISATION RELAUNCHED The Local Authority Road Safety Officers’ Association (LARSOA) has been relaunched as ‘Road Safety GB’. The organisation represents 185 local authority road safety teams and its remit includes occupational driving. According to a spokesman “LARSOA has served us well, but while it’s well known within road safety circles, it is almost unknown outside the road safety profession”. Road Safety GB will be campaigning on four key issues:
Meanwhile, RoSPA has produced a full review of its numerous road safety activities and outputs (many of these are free). The list can be viewed at: www.rospa.com/roadsafety/work/index.htm SENTENCING GUIDELINES FOR INDIVIDUALS MOVE A STEP CLOSER The Sentencing Guidelines Council (SGC) is in the process of developing guidance for magistrates on sentencing individuals under the Health and Safety (Offences) Act. The Act gives magistrates greater capacity to levy higher fines instead of having to refer cases to the Crown Court if the magistrates court’s powers are perceived as not being sufficient to reflect the crime. The guidelines are due to be release this month and we will ‘Monitor’ the situation. In the meantime there is still no sign of the guidelines which the SGC is due to release on the new corporate manslaughter offence. The first prosecution under the Corporate Manslaughter Act 2007 of Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings Ltd was committed to Bristol crown court last month. While there has been a great deal of press coverage of the case because of its novelty the prosecution is unlikely to be particularly instructive in the way the courts interpret the new Act because the company itself is quite small. SECOND PHASE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PERMITTING Government body DEFRA is consulting on guidance for an expanded environmental permitting regime to include the regulation of radioactive substances water discharges and batteries. The guidance is part of the second phase of the Environmental Permitting Programme, which already covers most types of waste management. It includes draft content that covers:
*: Separate consultation on the draft Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 closed in May. EXPENSES AVAILABLE IN FATAL ACCIDENT INQUIRIES The Inner House of the Court of Session has ruled that expenses can be recoverable in Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs) held in Scotland under limited circumstances. The FAI related to a fatality on an oil rig but attributed no blame to the employer or colleagues of the deceased. However, the procurator fiscal’s conduct (the equivalent of the CPS in Scotland) during the inquiry was such that the Sheriff allowed a motion for expenses for the latter part of the inquiry, on the basis that the court had inherent power to make such an award where a party had behaved in a vexatious manner. The court found that FAIs have sufficient similarities to civil proceedings to allow the general principals of civil procedure to apply to their conduct, specifically the inherent right of a judge to award expenses. In administrative processes (such as FAIs) the general rule that expenses follow success does not apply. The bench noted, however, that “in certain circumstances – where conduct of a party can be described as vexatious (or an abuse of process) – it will be open to the Sheriff in such a process to make an award”. More information is available from www.law-now.com/law-now/2009/expensesavailablejune09.htm SLIPS AND TRIPS ELEARNING PACKAGE STEP is an HSE eLearning package for employees, managers and specialists that covers the causes of slips and trips, which remain a leading cause of accidents at work. The package shows how to spot hazards and what people can do to tackle them. It includes quizzes, animations and video. The new package can run over the Internet or be loaded onto a computer via a DVD. It can be found at: www.hse.gov.uk/slips/step/faqs.htm LATEST MEDICAL RESEARCH A systematic review found strong evidence that workplace exercise regimes are effective in reducing the severity of low back pain (LBP) and its impact on activity. However, owing to poor research quality and conflicting results, there is only ‘limited’ evidence that such regimes prevent LBP incidence and associated sick leave. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation 2009; 19(1): 8–24. www.springerlink.com/content/h0540g437656663r/?p=0a98fddcce0a460ca05e79751e785db0π=1 Workplace interventions can be effective in reducing depression and anxiety symptoms; however, a systematic review and meta-analysis finds that the effects are small. Interventions with a direct focus on mental health had similar beneficial effects as those aimed at reducing risk factors. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health 2009; 35(1): 7–18 www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=1295 A systematic review (44 papers) of occupational risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) finds that the condition is strongly associated with high levels of hand-arm vibration, prolonged work with a flexed or extended wrist, high requirements for hand force (greater than 4 kg) and combinations of these. However, there was no evidence of psychosocial risk factors and contradictory evidence linking CTS with computer use. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health 2009; 35(1):19–36. www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=1306 HEADS UP FOR NEW ACCESS EQUIPMENT INFORMATION The HSE is developing a work at height equipment information tool (WAIT). In keeping with the acronym, it is expected to be ready later this year. WAIT will be aimed at the occasional users of access equipment, and smaller businesses. The new tool will provide information and guidance to help users choose the safest type of access equipment, supporting risk assessment. Meanwhile, the HSE’s ‘Work at Height Solutions’ database contains advice and guidance for safe working at height and is available at: www.hse.gov.uk/falls/solutions.htm |
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