The HSE have published figures for work-related fatalities in Great Britain for the period of 2022 to 2023. During this period a total of 135 workers were killed in work related incidents. While this represents an increase of 12 from the 123 recorded the year before, it is important to note that the coronavirus pandemic would have influenced this figure … Read More
New Fire Safety Guidance for Responsible Persons
In England and Wales the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 sets out the duties that apply to persons responsible for fire safety in non-domestic premises such as workplaces and in the communal parts of shared residential buildings such as corridors and stairways in blocks of flats. Following on from the Grenfell Tower fire the Building Safety Act 2022 introduced … Read More
Fire Alarm Response in Scotland
Individual fire authorities are responsible for creating appropriate strategies for their own area. With limited resources and many calls on those resources fire authorities have to make difficult decisions about how they allocate those resources. Sometimes those decisions can be controversial, response to fire alarms is sometimes a sensitive area. The latest figures from Scotland show that in 2021-2022 there … Read More
Updated Code of Practice on Load Security
The DVSA has worked alongside the HSE to produce an updated code of practice covering the safe loading, unloading and transportation of goods in heavy goods vehicles, trailers, vans, and cars. The new guidance replaces the previous publications “Safety of loads on vehicles: code of practice” and “Load securing: vehicle operator guidance” and is aimed at drivers, vehicle operators and … Read More
Causes of Fatal Accidents and Ill Health
The recent workplace fatality statistics published by the HSE also break those statistics down by the type of accident. The most common types of fatal accident during 2022/23 were: falls from a height – 40 struck by moving objects – 29 struck by moving vehicles – 20 trapped by something collapsing / overturning – 12 contact with moving machinery – … Read More
New Sentencing Guidelines for Motoring Offences in England and Wales
Following a consultation the Independent Sentencing Council has published 6 new and 6 revised sentencing guidelines for motoring offences in England and Wales. The Independent Sentencing Council is an independent body set up by parliament to issue guidelines on sentencing. Courts must generally follow these guidelines unless it is not in the interest of justice to do so. The … Read More
Pop-up Toilets Safety Notice
The HSE recently issued a safety notice regarding a risk of crushing for persons involved in the maintenance of pop-up toilets. The safety notice follows a fatal accident where an individual was crushed when working beneath a raised pop-up toilet. The hazards identified by the notice arise during the lowering of a raised pop-up toilet during cleaning, maintenance, or inspection … Read More
New Guidance for Electric Vehicles in Covered Car Parks
A new set of interim guidance has been released by the government regarding the charging of electric vehicles (EV) and installation of charging points in covered car parks. The guidance was published by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles and is available on the Gov.UK website. The guidance focusses on addressing the additional fire safety challenges that are presented by … Read More
Investigating Bus Fires
Following an increase in the number of bus fires reported to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) an investigation was launched into reported fires between 2020 and 2022. The DVSA has published the findings of this investigation. DVSA highlight three key findings of the investigation: Although concerns have been raised about heat generated by exhaust treatment systems DVSA … Read More
New Passive Fire Protection Guidance
The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) have published a series of three Advisory Notes on topics related to passive fire protection as well as updating a previous Advisory Note. These are Advisory Notes 13, 30 and 31, with the updated Advisory Note being number 15. The first of the three Advisory Notes, number 13, covers the testing of partial … Read More