[Switch to the current edition of Connection »]

Health & Safety Update

Keep your health & safety in check

Welcome to June's Health and Safety Update. This month we take a look at the first company to be charged for Corporate Manslaughter under the new legislation, changes to the Health and Safety poster, minimum and maximum workplace temperatures, plus more...

New health and safety

As you may know, the new ‘Health and Safety Law: What You Should Know' poster is now available. However, you can keep using the older version until 5th April 2014 (as long as it’s readable and contains up to date contact details). After this date all older versions must be replaced.

Gloucestershire firm charged for corporate manslaughter

A Gloucestershire firm is the first to be charged under the new corporate manslaughter legislation, after an employee was crushed to death in September last year.

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 introduces a new offence for prosecuting companies and other organisations for gross failures in the management of health and safety with fatal consequences, Ministry of Justice

In addition to the manslaughter charge, a Director of the firm has also been charged under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, for causing death to an employee through gross negligence and could be jailed if convicted. The firm can also expect to be charged with an unlimited fine, if found to be guilty.

Oldham factory fined £10,000 for poor safety procedures

Health & Safety Executive (HSE) is urging factory owners to make sure they have good safety procedures in place, following an incident where a factory worker suffered serious injuries to his hand.

The company was charged with having breached the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 by failing to ensure the safety of its employees. The company pleaded guilty to the offence and, in addition to the £10,000 fine, was ordered to pay costs of £2,769.50.

After further investigation, the HSE discovered that an automatic safety switch was not working, therefore causing the wheel that the worker was using to cut corrugated cardboard to continue to rotate when it should have stopped.

Safety switches are there for a reason. If they're not functioning properly then employers are putting their staff at risk of serious injuries. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE)

Minimum and maximum workplace temperatures.

What does the law have to say about temperature in (indoor) workplaces?

There’s no legal maximum temperature, and no legal minimum. However, a figure of 16°C minimum temperature for sedentary work is mentioned in the Approved Code of Practice, not the Regulations themselves.

During working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations

What’s considered as ‘reasonable’?

This depends on the nature of the work carried out. For example staff working in a kitchen might reasonably expect their working environment to be warmer than that of an office worker.

What ‘reasonable’ steps should employers take?

Steps should be taken to maintain a reasonably comfortable temperature, such as: Insulating hot plants or pipes

• Providing air-cooling plant
• Shading windows
• Placing workstations away from places subject to radiant heat
• Local cooling
• Provide fans
• Increase ventilation