Make sure you protect workers during the upcoming low temperatures and wintry conditions. Our guidancehas been refreshed to make it easier to find and understand advice on how to protect workers in low temperatures. The guidance explains how you can assess the risks to workers and put controls in place to protect them. Ourworkplace temperature checklist will help you carry out a basic risk assessment. Also, with low temperatures and less daylight, winter can make surfaces perilous. As a result, slip and trip accidentsincrease significantly.Take a look at our online guide to avoiding slips and trips in winter weather. | The 6-year-old pupil was playing with friends at her school when she was killed by a falling willow tree. Several other children were hit by the falling tree but managed to escape, some with superficial injuries. HSE's investigation found thatthe tree had decayed and was in a poor condition.Newcastle City Council had failed to identify the extent of the decay or to manage the risk posed by the tree and were fined280,000. Read this press releasefor more details on this incident. Our website has guidance onmanaging the risk from falling trees. Other recent prosecution cases include: Civil engineering firm fined 4.4m following M6 works Fine for British Airways subsidiary after father of two left in coma following fall at work Exposure to vapour from diacetyl, often used as a flavouring and a by-product of coffee roasting, can lead to severe and irreversible lung disease. HSE scientific studies show that heating diacetyl above certain temperatures significantly increases airborne concentrations and the potential for exposures above safe workplace limits. If your processes include the use of diacetyl, food flavourings that contain diacetyl, or are likely to produce diacetyl, then you must carry out a risk assessment. View the safety alert for full details If your business has made a design change to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the workplace, we want to hear about it. Your business could be our 2023 award winner! We're encouraging businesses to nominate a design change that has made a real impact in their workplace. Employers can nominate any design solutions implemented in UK workplaces that have demonstrated how they have reduced musculoskeletal risks for their own workers. Watch our video about the design award and previous winners Submit your entry or find out more about the award and past winners on our website The closing date for nominations is 31 January 2023 |
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