World Mental Health Day 2016 – take time for Tea & Talk

Today is World Mental Health Day, and the Mental Health Foundation is encouraging people to take time for ‘Tea & Talk‘ – an initiative designed to raise awareness of mental health issues, raise money, and encourage people to have conversations with their friends and colleagues about their own mental wellbeing. It aims to tackle the still-present stigma around mental health, that sees many people conceal their problems, out of fear that they will experience discrimination at work and in social settings.

Up to 1 adult in 6 experiences a mental disorder, and it is estimated that a fifth of days taken off work in the UK are due to anxiety or depression. This is a huge problem, and it is predicted to only get worse. Research suggests that by 2030, mental health will be the leading disease burden globally.

It is vitally important therefore, that we have strong tactics to deal with it. In the workplace, this consists of two key strands – awareness and support. Firstly, paying attention and being aware of how employees are feeling, and ensuring that people know that their workplace will not judge or discriminate against people because of their mental health. Supporting conversations and openness around these issues can be a great first step in this.

Secondly, providing appropriate support, and access to services to help employees to deal with mental health problems, whether these are short-term or ongoing conditions. There are plenty of sources out there to help you with this. For example, the charity Mind has excellent free resources to assist organisations in supporting their staff, and helping improve mental wellbeing; and the HSE has a lot of content on work related stress and other mental health issues – these are a really useful starting point. Another important factor can be how your workplace values, and works to improve, employee wellbeing, and we can help you with that. For more information on our consultancy services, including Health and Wellbeing, contact info@amalgamate-safety.com or call 0141 244 0181.

Would you be ready for a surprise site inspection?

The HSE has just announced that surprise site inspections will be taking place during the period from 3rd of October to 4th of November. Sites that involve refurbishment or repair works will be targeted, and at each site inspection, inspectors will be checking that safety risks are being properly and effectively managed. Things they’re looking for include:

exposure to dust, noise and vibration
awareness of asbestos risks
maintenance and inspection of plant and equipment
general housekeeping of sites – trip hazards, clear entry and exit routes etc.

Where serious breaches of legislation are found, immediate enforcement action will be taken. So it’s a good time to ask yourself – if an inspector did a surprise site inspection at your site today, what would they see? Would they be satisfied that you were doing everything necessary to maintain a safe working environment? If the answer is no, or you’re not sure, it’s time to contact us. Our experienced safety professionals can visit your site and give you clear guidance on what steps you need to take to ensure compliance with all relevant legislation.

Don’t wait for the HSE to arrive, get prepared now – call 0141 2440181 or email info@amalgamate-safety.com

Should the HSE Change its Guidance on Managing Risks to Pregnant Workers?

An interesting article posted recently has commented on a group of MPs that are attempting to get the HSE to change its guidance on managing risks to pregnant workers, recommending that they incorporate into existing guidance a new requirement for employers to carry out individual risk assessments. This comes in the light of news that 1 in 25 mothers have to leave work due to a failure by their employers to deal with the risks that they face. That’s estimated to affect approximately 21,000 women, a startling figure.

And that’s not the end of the bad news. A report released earlier this year by the EHRC and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills found that maternity discrimination had increased dramatically in the past decade, despite the introduction of the Equalities Act in 2010.

Clearly steps need to be taken to counteract this, and giving a clear message to businesses that they must be meeting the health and safety needs of pregnant employees is crucial.

A New Career Opportunity with Amalgamate

We’re looking for a Health and Safety Consultant to help service our expanding portfolio of clients. We need an enthusiastic, confident and self‐motivated individual, who is comfortable working unsupervised to deliver health, safety and fire consultancy services to clients from a wide range of sectors.

Candidates must:

be NEBOSH Diploma Qualified or equivalent;
have a Chartered Membership of IOSH or demonstrate that they are working towards it;
be able to work safely in a range of environments, and both recognise and make timely and sensible decisions in regard to health and safety risks to themselves and others;
be able to work unsupervised and organise their work‐load effectively, producing reports and other outputs to deadlines;
possess an appreciation of the need for commercial awareness and the skills required to manage client relationships; and
be able to give sensible, practical advice, clearly expressed and tailored to the needs of clients.

Ideally, the candidate will also:

be IFE (Part 2) certificated (or equivalent);
be NEBOSH Construction Qualified;
have a working knowledge of construction safety; and
have a working knowledge of the CDM regulations 2015 (Principal Designer / Client’s CDM Advisor roles)

Even where your experience is limited, it is important that you are keen to develop your career. We will be particularly interested in what steps you have taken to build on the foundation of your professional qualifications and put your knowledge into practice, develop commercial skills as a consultant, and seek out managerial responsibility.

The role will be based in Glasgow, but candidates must be willing and able to travel around the country, and in some cases, further afield. The salary range for this role is £32-40k, dependant on experience and skills.

Amalgamate is a small, dynamic company, and works very much as a team. We pride ourselves on doing great work with interesting organisations including craft breweries, global software companies, and rising stars in the construction and design world.

We’re looking for a person who can fit in with our company values, and work energetically with us to grow the business further. If you believe that you fit the bill, and would be an asset to the Amalgamate team, then please send a copy of your CV and a covering letter to careers@amalgamate-safety.com We look forward to hearing from you.

We’re in the driving seat for safety with West Coast Motors!

From directors to drivers, West Coast Motors take pride in their safety management. So we’re delighted to announce a new health and safety partnership with the privately owned transport group.

Based in Campbeltown and established in 1923, the company employs approximately 415 staff, and has a fleet of 220 buses, coaches and boats. It owns and operates the following transport companies:

West Coast Motors
City Sightseeing Glasgow, Bute and Oban
Glasgow Citybus
Kintyre Express
West Coast Tours
Fairline Coaches Ltd; and
Perryman’s Buses Ltd.

Amalgamate have been engaged to undertake a gap analysis exercise to review the company’s current safety management system. Our gap analysis will include a detailed examination of the company’s health and safety arrangements, including their health and safety policy, responsibilities and arrangements, records of training, risk assessments, safe systems of work, management of contractors, and maintenance records.

As well as the gap analysis exercise, we’ll be working in partnership with West Coast Motors’ senior management team to further enhance the company’s safety management system. This project will include an overhaul of their current policy and arrangements, development of a new safety manual and employee induction programme, and ensuring that the enhanced system is being implemented consistently across all of their locations.

We’re very pleased to be working with all the staff at West Coast Motors, and are looking forward to helping the company drive things forward!

For more information on our health and safety services click here, call us on +44 (0)7808 391228 or email annette@amalgamate-safety.com

Managing Safely for less this Summer!

IOSH Managing Safely is a nationally and internationally recognised and respected training course for managers and supervisors. At Amalgamate, we pride ourselves on delivering professional and personal training solutions that make a positive difference to your business.

In our eyes, providing high quality training is an opportunity for organisations to reduce their risk and ensure that their workforce, no matter what size, is productive, motivated and safe. So we are pleased to offer the IOSH Managing Safely course to you. And keep reading to find out how to get a 10% discount on this course…

Who should attend Managing Safely?

Managing Safely is for managers and supervisors in any sector and any organisation. It’s designed to get managers up to speed on the practical actions they need to take to handle health and safety in their teams.

What will employees get out of it?

Successful delegates are awarded an IOSH Managing Safely certificate. Managing Safely won’t turn delegates into safety experts, but it will give them the knowledge and tools to tackle the health and safety issues they’re responsible for.

Importantly, it brings home just why health and safety is such an essential part of their job, and demonstrates what they need to know in a refreshingly informal way.

What will employers get out of it?

Nationally recognised and respected certificated training for their managers and supervisors.
Peace of mind offered by training that’s designed and quality-controlled by the Chartered body for health and safety professionals.
Flexibility – the programme can be delivered to suit the business
Two key areas – health and safety and environmental basics – are covered in a single programme.
What will the course cover?

Introduction to managing safely
Assessing risks
Controlling risks
Understanding your responsibilities
Identifying hazards
Investigating accidents and incidents
Measuring performance
Protecting your environment
Duration: 4 days + exam

To book a place on this course or to find out more, please contact Annette MacKie at annette@amalgamate-safety.com or phone 07808 391 228, and if you quote code ‘MANSafe0816’ you’ll get a fantastic 10% discount!

Team Amalgamate is growing!

We’re very pleased that Stuart Watt has recently joined Amalgamate as our Lead First Aid Trainer.

Stuart is an experienced operational fire-fighter with 18 years service, and in addition to his numerous practical skills, has trained in First Aid provision and teaching to an advanced level. Stuart will be running First Aid at Work, Emergency First Aid, and Automated External Defibrillator courses throughout Scotland and the rest of the UK.

Welcome to the team Stuart!

Bright Lights, Big City

Exciting New Glasgow Hub for Amalgamate

We’ve had a great start to 2016, and as Amalgamate continues to grow we’ve found a need to accommodate our new staff, and to work even more closely with our new and existing clients. That is why we wanted to let you in on our exciting news!

We’ve opened a new hub, located in Bellahouston Business Centre, just outside of Glasgow City Centre.

While keeping our Ayrshire roots, our new hub gives our team the flexibility to work in Ayrshire or Glasgow. It is a spacious working environment and gives us additional room to expand. The hub will enable us to service our on-going project needs, work collaboratively with our clients in the local area, and meet in a bright, friendly space.

Our growth is a testament to the tireless efforts of our team (Allan, Kiri, Annette and Thomas) and our expansion has happened as we prepare to celebrate our 5th birthday, and is symbolic of our long-term aspirations for the company. The combined support from our team, clients and partners has been central to our growth and stability, allowing us the opportunity to expand and make this exciting next step.

We want to thank everybody who has contributed to our continued success and look forward to seeing you at our new office!

Our Glasgow hub address is:
Suite 1.06 , Bellahouston Business Centre
423 Paisley Road West
Glasgow G51 1PZ

2016 Sentencing Guidelines Update

On the 1st of February 2016, the new Sentencing Guidelines for corporate manslaughter, health & safety, food hygiene and food safety offenses came into effect. The introduction of the guidelines from the Sentencing Council is undoubtedly going to lead to increased fines being imposed on organisations, and increased custodial sentences for individuals. It is important to note that the guidelines will only apply to England and Wales, however there is no reason to doubt that the Scottish courts will follow the same principles.

The main objective is to ensure a consistent approach is being taken by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) when handing down sentences, and will take into account the level of culpability, the risk of harm, and the turnover of the organisation being sentenced. These three points will be the basis for the CPS’s starting point for determining fines and custodial sentences appropriate to the offence.

In order to determine culpability, harm and turnover, defined categories have been developed on a matrix system and can be found via this link – Sentencing Guidelines.

Micro-organisations

Micro-organisations (those with a turnover of up to £2 million) could face fines of up to £450,000 for serious health and safety breaches, or up to £800,000 for corporate manslaughter.

Small organisations

Small organisations (those with a turnover of £2 million – £10 million) could face fines of up to £1.6 million for serious health and safety breaches, or up to £2.8 million for corporate manslaughter.

Medium organisations

Medium organisations (those with a turnover of £10 million – £50 million) could face fines of up to £4 million for serious health and safety breaches, or up to £7.5 million for corporate manslaughter.

Large organisations

Large organisations (those with a turnover of £50 million or more) could face fines of up to £10 million for serious health and safety breaches, or up to £20 million for corporate manslaughter.

What is very disappointing is that ‘Very Large’ organisations have not been defined in the guidelines, which only go on to say: “Where an offending organisation’s turnover or equivalent very greatly exceeds the threshold for large organisations, it may be necessary to move outside the suggested range to achieve a proportionate sentence.” This could be described as a missed opportunity, as there are a significant number of organisations in the UK which could fit this description.

The liability for individuals has been well defined and holds the potential for custodial sentences of up to two years being imposed.

Ironically, there have already been inconsistencies with how the guidelines have been applied since they came into effect, which was the very problem they were meant to alleviate; and the legal issues surrounding each of the above points (turnover/culpability/likelihood of harm) have been subject to considerable debate within the courts.

What is clear is that the level of fines and potential for custodial sentences is much greater, and will continue to rise over the coming months and years as the courts build their confidence in using the new guidelines.

Notwithstanding the existing requirement for your organisation to remain compliant with health and safety legislation, the new sentencing guidelines increase the risks of more serious prosecutions.

How compliant is your organisation? To find out more about how we can help, call us on 0141 244 0181 or e-mail info@amalgamate-safety.com.