Comply to Win

Welcome to the MBHS newsletter

What’s your view of Health & Safety? Is it something you’re only interested in when something goes wrong? And then what’s the reaction – panic? Don’t worry - you’re not unusual; that’s the typical view of a SME business owner to Health & Safety. It’s seen as a burden that can be put off and ignored as long as the business is running OK.

But, when something does go wrong, who do you turn to in order to put it right – the guy in the suit with a rulebook or your local McCormack Benson advisor? I guess that depends on whether you want to be told about each sub-section in the legislation and how it might possibly affect you … or whether you just want to sort out the problem to be compliant with the law.

McCormack Benson Health & Safety advisors aren’t consultants. Our job is to do the work for you, as your ally, to allow you to keep doing what it is you do best.

That’s why we decided to start this series of quarterly newsletters to give you an informed update on the latest news and views on Health & Safety in the UK, without the jargon!

Smoke free zone

The smoking ban in England came into force on July 1st in line with existing bans in the Republic of Ireland, Scotland & Wales. Health Secretary Alan Johnson described it as the "single most important public health legislation for a generation". Trade union leaders have applauded the curbs on smoking in England as a step forward for workplace safety - describing passive smoking as the "third biggest cause of deaths at work". Employers, managers and those in charge of smoke free premises and vehicles need to:

• display 'no-smoking' signs in smoke free premises and any vehicles used in the course of work by more than one person - regardless of whether they are in the vehicle at the same time!
• take reasonable steps to ensure that staff, customers/members and visitors are aware that premises and vehicles are legally required to be smoke free
• remove any existing indoor smoking rooms
• ensure that no one smokes in smoke free premises or vehicles

The investigation
highlighted failings
in the BBC’s safety
management
systems relating to
risk assessment

A few weeks ago, the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) concluded its investigation into television presenter Richard Hammond’s high-speed crash last September. The investigation identified omissions by two of the parties involved, but finds no grounds for prosecution. The crash occurred on 20 September 2006 while Mr. Hammond was driving the Vampire; a jet powered modified drag racer at Elvington airfield, near York, during filming for BBC TV’s Top Gear programme. Northants-based Primetime Landspeed Engineering (PTLE), who also provided Mr. Hammond’s training, owned the car

The immediate cause of the accident was a catastrophic failure of the Vampire’s front offside tyre at 288 mph on the seventh high-speed run of the day. Examination of this tyre and video footage showed that the tyre was damaged, as a result of an object (or objects) having entered the sidewall immediately adjacent to the edge of the tread, during the latter part of the previous run. A blister was visible in the tyre’s outer side but this appears to have subsided and was not apparent immediately before the final run commenced.

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E-learning offers
consistent training
that is flexible,
easily accessible
and cost effective!

You may accept in theory the benefit to your business from either training staff in new skills or refreshing old ones; but how many small business owners can afford to have your staff off-site for long training sessions, not to mention the cost to your business?

There’s also the problem that, if you send staff to a number of different courses with different trainers, can you be sure they’ll all receive the same version of the training?

That’s why McCormack Benson is your ideal training partner, offering a full range of relevant courses as e-learning modules that your workers can complete anywhere and anytime they have access to a computer. That gives them a flexible alternative that they can fit around their lifestyle and allows you a cost effective solution with no wasted time off-site and the peace of mind of consistent delivery. And, for anyone learning on-line, there is always a digital record of what has been achieved so that you can control accountability for professional or CPD (Continual Professional Development) purposes.

The McCormack Benson suite of e-learning modules will be available from September at the cost of just £19.50 per training unit.

• Manual Handling
• Bomb Evacuation
• Computer Safety (DSE)
• COSHH (Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health)
• Driving Safely
• Environmental Awareness
• First Aid
• Fire Safety

• Food Safety
• Health & Safety for Managers
• Health & Safety Induction
• Office Risk Assessment
• Office Safety
• Risk Assessment
• Stress in the Workplace
• Working at Heights

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New CDM Regulations 2007

One stop for signs & accessories