Lawford Kidd's Blog

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) recently held a meeting in Aberdeen to discuss the potential risks brought about by the growing use of nanomaterials.

The use of nanomaterials is becoming more common as they apparently can improve product qualities such as strength, durability and absorbency. As a result of this increased use, more workers in a variety of industries are being exposed to potential risk. Nanomaterials are being used in industries such as health care, including for drug treatments; and technology, for example better data storage.

However it is recognised that there are knowledge gaps about the health risks associated with their use. According to safety and health consultant Peter Murray, there is little evidence to suggest that the exposure of workers to nanoparticles has been adequately assessed.

Road safety charity Brake has recently highlighted a number of worrying trends with regards to the safety of the UK’s roads.

The first area of concern for the charity is the number of deaths and serious injuries that are still occurring on the roads as a result of drink driving. Government figures show that in 2013, 240 people were killed by drivers over the legal drink drive limit, and provisional estimates for 2014 suggest that a similar number lost their lives last year as well.

The profile of Britain’s illegal drink drivers has apparently remained largely the same:

A new committee to provide independent expert knowledge and advice on workplace health has been appointed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The workplace health expert committee (WHEC) will be made up of nine members who will provide expert opinion on emerging issues and trends, new evidence relating to existing issues and on the quality and relevance of the evidence base on workplace health issues.

The committee will encourage collaborative working with stakeholders and partners whilst helping to identify issues of potential concern to Government Departments and business.

An English council has been fined £18,000 after a ten-year-old boy sustained severe head injuries while he was playing on a tyre swing in an park, reports the BBC.

Jamie Jackson was hit on the head when the swing’s suspension mechanism collapsed and landed on top of him. He received a fractured skull and his injuries were described as “potentially life threatening” by the Health and Safety Executive.

Blackpool Council had apparently been warned on four separate occasions that the swing was faulty and in need of repair. It pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety legislation and apologised for the incident.

A Sunderland firm has been fined for failing to hold statutory insurance that enables employees to claim compensation should they be injured at work.

Section 1 of the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 requires that employers carry insurance against the personal injury of their employees. As well as being insured, employers must make available details of the insurance for staff to see. This requirement applies to most companies; exemptions include public organisations and certain micro companies.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out an investigation after it received information suggesting the firm was uninsured. It found that the company did not hold any Employer's Liability Compulsory Insurance between 9th Feb and 13th December 2012. This meant the firm, which provides and installs solar panels, was not insured against liability for bodily injury or disease sustained by their employees resulting from their work.