Tag Archives: safety

HSE Health and Safety Statistics for 2016

The Health and Safety Executive has recently released its annual report on health and safety statistics for 2015-16. While it’s good to see that some numbers are dropping, it is also sobering to see that a number of statistics around health and safety have plateaued. It seems that while positive changes are still being made in some areas, there is still a lot to be done, and new approaches are needed.

Key health and safety statistics:

1.3 million workers suffering from a work-related illness, and 25.9 million working days lost.

144 worker fatalities from injury.

13,000 deaths per year linked to past workplace exposure to chemicals or dust.

621,000 injuries to workers.

Half a million workers suffering from musculoskeletal disorders.

Half a million cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety – with 11.7 million days off.

£14.1 billion cost to economy of work-related illness and injury (excluding long-latency illness such as cancer).

They’re some pretty big numbers aren’t they? The question now is – what do we all do to improve them? We believe that customised approaches to H&S are needed for more organisations, and that having a ‘one size fits all’ standardised approach, as used by many managers who are un-trained in health and safety, just isn’t good enough. If we want to see fatality and injury rates drop further, and see an improvement in the rates of employees’ musculoskeletal problems, mental health and related absences, then companies need to invest in specialised health and safety consultants, who can provide bespoke safety management systems, and help them to focus on ergonomics and better employee wellbeing.

Taking a pro-active approach doesn’t just improve outcomes for individual employees. It also improves staff productivity, satisfaction and retention, improves business reputation, and saves money. We can help you to make changes that will provide real improvements for your organisation.

If you’d like more information on our approach to consultancy, contact us at info@amalgamate-safety.com or call 0141 244 0181.

Design Safety

A study commissioned by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) demonstrated that safety should be designed into a construction project from the start, and not considered as an afterthought, and digital design tools can have an impact in achieving this.

Jane White, research and information services manager at IOSH, said: “Construction, as we all know, is one of our more dangerous industries. Therefore, with safety as a top consideration in the design phase, the number and severity of accidents that take place could be substantially reduced.

The research highlights the opportunities and challenges of seeing safety issues earlier in the process using digital design models. If safety was a top consideration for everyone at this early stage, then we could potentially see positive change in health and safety within construction.”

Dr Wei Zhou and Professor Jennifer Whyte, from University of Reading, and Associate Professor Rafael Sacks, from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, brought together designers, builders, industry partners and construction management graduates. It allowed them to look at how builders and designers can interact effectively, with the aid of a virtual reality tool, to design safe construction processes.

Professor Jennifer Whyte said: “Employers need to consider their use of digital building information models (BIM) and the impact they can have on safety practices on a building site. “More needs to be understood about how digital tools, such as BIM, can be developed to foster mindful practices, and active decision making about safety issues.”

The IOSH-commissioned research highlights important issues around the use of digital building design models, and their potential impacts on safety, at a time when BIM is beginning to take off in the industry.

Jane White added: “The study also highlights the role digital models of design may play in the communication of construction design management (CDM) safety knowledge to designers. And with amendments to CDM regulations likely in 2014, things could be set to change, so knowledge is key.”

Courtesy of IOSH

Amalgamate Safety