How safe your building is, is paramount for all businesses. From large corporations to small family businesses, there is much to consider when deciding what equipment and measures are required for the safety of the office. 

Whether it is regularly testing office equipment to ensure they are in a safe and useable condition or establishing company security processes for personnel in the workplace, having too many measures would be better than not having enough. But this comes with the risk of not allowing staff to move freely in the office and be comfortable and it can be expensive to maintain. 

For workers who spend most of their time out in hazardous situations, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) clothing is an absolute necessity to keep them safe on site.  

When you first think of Personal Protective Equipment, your first thoughts might be safety goggles, protective boots, and construction hats. But before PPE clothing became a mandatory staple for tradesmen, its origins date further back than you might realise.

Scruffs, the UK’s leading experts in innovative safety wear, has taken a look at the history behind some of the most common PPE equipment and its evolution over the years.

In the beginning…

• Smart security systems will lead the Smart Home revolution – 37% of the population would buy one if money were no object

• Smart TV’s, laptops and tablets are already being used to introduce smart technology in the home

• AO.com predict Smart Home technology will spread out of the living room via home security and heating, to embrace many areas of the home

Home security is a top priority for homeowners investing in Smart Home technology, a new census reveals.

Product identification and traceability play a vital role in preventing the loss and misidentification of electrical stock, so don’t dismiss labels as a minor purchase. In this post, IML Labels looks at what makes a good and durable label for items in the building, construction, and electrical industry.

By David Barrett-Hague, product marketing manager, industry business at Schneider Electric

Safety has become a key issue for businesses. That’s because the combination of social developments and technological progress have had a profound impact on legislation and regulations for automated machinery. As a result, there’s a renewed onus on plant operators and manufacturers to take preventative action to preserve and protect the quality of industrial environments and the safety of staff, in line with European Directives.

Construction workers are being urged to “Cover Up, Mate” and protect themselves against ultraviolet (UV) damage as part of a new NHS campaign being supported by Jewson. This initiative is designed to encourage men who spend a lot of time outdoors to protect themselves against the sun and reduce the risk of skin cancer.

Skin cancer rates are rising in Britain. A recent Imperial College study, commissioned by Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) estimated that construction workers made up the highest number of deaths (44 per cent) from melanoma skin cancer over the course of a year. Across Britain there are 48 deaths and 241 cases of skin cancer per year caused by UV rays from the sun at work.

Our aim is to make it simple and easy to choose the Lockout equipment you need

Work Safety Solutions will help you and your employees work in a safer environment. This will prevent accidents, reduce downtime, and improve maintenance schedules.

Lockout Tagout products provide a solution to hazardous energy control and here at Work Safety Solutions we have a large range of branded quality products at competitive prices.

We specialise in Lockout Tagout products and will be able to provide more technical information and advice about the items on our website. If you have any doubts about the products you need please phone our sales team who will be able to discuss your requirements

We provide the following:-

MCP, as a major provider of industrial training offers this overview on the more significant amendments to the regulations due to be published on 1st July 2018

Although nearly 15 month’s away it is not too early to review your company’s training, procedures, methods and safety overview. 

These major additions and amendments are likely to be included. 

The word asbestos can strike fear and alarm into the hearts of social housing landlords but knowledge and understanding can bring peace of mind, so appropriate training is the answer. The Wrekin Housing Trust has been providing cost-effective training solutions to landlords and their tradespeople throughout the UK.

It’s true that asbestos is a killer. It is responsible for 40 lung cancer deaths each week and is the single greatest cause of work-related deaths in the UK.

Incorrect handling of asbestos can be a costly matter. Hefty fines running into tens of thousands of pounds are not unusual for landlords failing to comply with HSE regulations when dealing with asbestos. 

~ Expert recounts instances of elevator electrical problems ~

A passenger lift is essentially a small, metal box with limited airflow, suspended many meters in the air by nothing more than a hoist. When you think of it like that, it is hardly surprising that so many of us harbour phobias of elevators. One of the most pressing threats is from electrical faults. In 2007, Liftstore Ltd’s Gary Morgan recalled some instances of electrical interference in elevator systems, highlighting issues that are still prevalent in many systems to this day.

Five hundred and fifty apprentice electricians and adult trainees in Scotland will get a safe start to their careers - thanks to Electrical Safety First and the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT), who are providing them with free lockout kits valued at £21 each.

The kits allow for safe isolation – securely disconnecting one or all parts of the electrical installation when working on it - which is a fundamental safety precaution, as ‘live’ working can be fatal. Over the next few weeks, the trainee electricians studying at 20 Approved Centres across Scotland, from the Shetland Isles to the Borders, will receive lock-out kits, totalling almost £12,000.

Electrical Safety First has partnered with Beko Plc. UK to explore consumer attitudes around product registration. Research revealed that despite a number of high profile safety notices and product recalls* issued last year, nearly half of all consumers who purchased an electrical item in the last 12 months did not register their purchase[ii].

In 2016 alone, 61 recall notices were issued for electrical products in the UK[iii]. Registration is one of the main ways to contact consumers directly in case of a safety concern, such as a product recall. Without registering, millions of British consumers could be unwittingly putting themselves and their homes at risk if they continue to use a recalled product. 

When it comes to the materials used in public buildings, such as hospitals, schools and hotels we expect that all measures are taken in order to prioritise and protect public safety. 

These materials also need to stand up to the test when something goes wrong. For example, if there were a fire in the building we would expect the materials to perform and resist the fire, and would think everything possible has been done to ensure only the best materials were in place. 

Cable Services are the UK’s number one specialist electrical equipment and component distributor. We supply a wide range of cable and cable accessories to the domestic housing, commercial and industrial sectors from our UK locations based in Wrexham, Liverpool, Stone, Swindon and Glasgow.

We are delighted to announce that we have now installed Defibrillators at all our sites and have notified all local businesses that these Defibrillators are available to them should they have an emergency.

We have informed all local businesses of the location and have added a map so they are clear to where each defib is situated at each site.

A new technical course has been launched to boost the skills of personnel working with high voltage electrical equipment, within the maritime industry.

Teesside-based electrical power training specialist, The Faraday Training Group has launched the Refresher in the Safe Operation of Offshore/Maritime High Voltage Power Systems course, in response to customer demand for refresher and reassessment courses for the maritime industry.

The aim of the course is to provide refresher training to electro-technical officers, senior engineers and other senior authorised personnel who are responsible for carrying out high voltage switching duties and the issuing safety documents associated with such work.