Unmanned aircraft, more commonly known as drones, are becoming increasingly popular as their commercial opportunities are explored, whether these are in media and broadcasting, agriculture, delivery or monitoring and inspection applications. Used correctly drones can have benefits for health and safety for example by removing the need for people to work at height, carrying out inspections of hard to reach … Read More
Deaths in the workplace rise
Provisional figures released by the HSE show that 144 workers died as result of work related injuries between April 2017 and March 2018 (a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 workers) an increase from the 135 workers fatally injured the previous year. Despite this increase the figure has remained broadly level over the last five years and is lower than the … Read More
Feeling the heat: too hot to work?
With the current heatwave set to continue and the summer holidays not yet begun temperature in the workplace can be a hot topic. In the UK there is no set maximum temperature for a workplace, however regulations do require that temperature should be reasonable, exactly what is reasonable will depend on the type of workplace. Irrespective of whether the heat … Read More
Fire safety and building standards in Scotland
The building standards system that applies in Scotland is different to those that apply in England and Wales. As part of their response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy the Scottish Government launched a review of building standards and fire safety in Scotland. The recommendations and conclusions of the review panel have now been published, among other things they recommend that: … Read More
Stuart Upton on Information Security
Stick with me on this because I want to introduce you to Claire. Claire is going through a tough time, she has a disability and is having difficulty getting benefits. Now before you panic I’m not expecting you to sponsor me or to see how many likes this post can get, I’m only going to tell you what you need … Read More
Lemonade and Business Continuity Planning – a view from Stuart Upton, PIB Risk Management
How are lemons, lemonade and business continuity planning connected? Our System and Process Director, Stuart Upton shares his views. “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”, it’s a proverbial phrase to encourage us to think positively in the face of adversity. In other words, if something negative happens (the lemons representing sourness or something difficult) and you do something about … Read More
Can you record a disciplinary hearing?
To ensure that you have a verbatim record of a disciplinary hearing you could record the meeting on an electronic device instead of taking handwritten notes. But, beware you can’t automatically record a disciplinary (or any other) hearing on an electronic device. You must seek the employees express and prior consent to the recording before the meeting begins. If they … Read More
Managing World Cup fever
Between the 14 June and 15 July 2018, some of your staff will be gripped by World Cup fever. What problems could this create and how can you manage them effectively? The match fixtures are on various days between 14 June and the 15 July 2018. This time round the World Cup could cause several problems for employers as many … Read More
Employee called a “whinger” wins £26,000
The Department for Working Pensions (DWP) has been ordered to pay a disabled employee £26,000. What did bosses at the DWP do which enabled this employee to claim a sizable amount of compensation? In April 2018, there were several interesting media reports about Barrie Caulcutt’s (C) success at a tribunal. C, who is employed by the DWP as a Jobcentre … Read More
Presenteeism and Leavism – more jargon or a serious concern for wellbeing at work?
Presenteeism is a term used to describe the phenomenon of people coming into work when they are unwell. While leaveism refers to people using allocated time off e.g. annual leave to work, or working outside contracted hours. The levels of presenteeism and leaveism were looked at in a recent survey by the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development). The … Read More