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Making Health and Safety Work

Health & Safety Works are a specialist health and safety consultancy offering a dedicated health and safety advisory service to small and medium sized businesses across Cambridge, East Anglia and London. Our services range from health and safety reviews, audits, risk assessments and advice through to the provision of health and safety training that includes IOSH certified courses.

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News from Health & Safety Works

Tagged: Business News

Monday 19th September 2022

Following the sad death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we will be closing on September 19th in line with the announced bank holiday, for her majestys funeral. We will be working as normal on Tuesday. Thank you for your service ma'am. 

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Making Safety Work: Wellbeing

2020 has been an exceptionally challenging year for everyone. Its dramatic changes only highlighted the rampant issues there are with mental health within the working environment and communities.

As an employer your role is crucial. Mental wellbeing can be dramatically affected by the environment we are in and the stressors we are experiencing both at home and at work. At this moment in time, the lines between home and work are even more blurred adding to the negative impacts. 

As an employer, as with all hazards, action needs to be taken to ensure you are preventing risk and are supporting a healthy environment. As a part of this commitment, you need to promote efficient management of processes and people, have effective communications, and listen to the needs of those around you. When practicing this, actions to improve any work-related ill health concerns can be tackled and implemented. Imagine the positive impacts this could have to people and the business!

The ‘talking toolkit’ developed by the Health and Safety Executive is a useful resource that we often refer employers to. This toolkit can help employers have effective conversations with employees on how to prevent work-related stress, then use these discussions to act - where perhaps there are lapses.

It will also help you understand the management standards for stress, enabling you to proactively address work related ill health as part of your organisational planning. 

As we move into winter months, months which naturally wreak havoc on our general wellbeing the charity Mind, supported by The Royal Foundation and its partners have produced guidance and best practice for employers via the Mental Health at Work website another invaluable tool that can be used to tackle some of the issues present.

Please remember that talking can save lives. It also costs nothing. Something as simple as talking can lead on to effective solutions for people who may be struggling.

Let’s all keep well together.  

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UKCA Marking & CE Marking

Keeping safety simple is at our core. Here is our round up of how the new UKCA marking affects you. 

The UKCA marking will apply to most products and goods that are currently subject to CE marking. UKCA marking will also apply to aerosol products. if you are a manufacturer or supplier ensure you understand your responsibilities. Head over to GOV.uk to download the technical guidance that applies to you and the markets you supply too. Head over here

The UKCA marking can be used from 1 January 2021. However, to allow businesses time to adjust to these requirements, you will still be able to use the CE mark until 1 January 2022. 

It's very important to remember the UKCA mark will not be recognised outside of Great Britain and products will still need to bear a CE mark to be sold in the EU and Northern Ireland.

Key points to remember: 

From 1st January 2022, all products placed on the GB market are required to be UKCA marked unless special arrangements, such as those for medical devices, are in place.

CE marking for medical devices will continue to be recognised in Great Britain until 30 June 2023 provided that GB and EU rules remain the same.

UKCA marking does not apply to existing stock for example products manufactured and ready to place on the market before 1st January 2021. This means that the CE Marking on products manufactured and placed on the market before 1st January 2021 will still be valid. 

If you are a consumer..

Going forward, ensure your equipment is marked accordingly. Checking whether a product carries the CE/UKCA mark is pretty straightforward. Manufacturers and or suppliers must make the declaration of performance available to their customers (potential and existing) available to see.

Best practice is to show CE/UKCA marking details within the products literature, within individual product instruction manuals and even on websites. This way consumers can have quick and easy access to this information.

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Keeping COVID Secure this christmas

Whether your teams will be off, or still in over the festive period its important that remaining COVID secure continues and that everyone remains protected.

Those who are able to, they should still be working from home.

For those that cannot feasibly work from home and have to accomodate people coming to your site, ensure you keep up to date with the latest guidance.

Ensure your control measures remain in place to manage the risk from coronavirus. The key focus should continue to be: 

  • Infection control: Keep cleaning and disinfecting touchpoints and surfaces frequently. Ensuring those with symptoms do not attend work or site. 
  • Promote good hygiene practices: Keep washing hands frequently and sanitising as needed. 
  • Cover up: Keep wearing face coverings as necessary. Remembering to dispose of them responsibly!
  • Make space: Ensure social distancing continues. 

Tagged: H&S Legislation

EU held registrations: UK downstream users

Its not too late to make sure you are aware of the necessary changes, changes  to how chemicals will be regulated from 1 January 2021. UK downstream users (who do not hold an EU REACH registration) currently importing chemicals from an EU/EEA country need to ensure the substances they purchase are covered by a valid UK REACH registration.

Businesses currently relying on a registration held by an EU/EEA-based company can continue importing substances as they do now on 1 January 2021. They will need to take subsequent actions to ensure that the chemical is registered for UK REACH purposes.
Find out how UK downstream users can notify the HSE using a Downstream User Import Notification (DUIN) of their intention to continue importing substances from the EU/EEA by 27 October 2021.
A new registration must then be submitted to the HSE within 2, 4 or 6 years of 28 October 2021.

Alternatively, UK downstream users can encourage their EU/EEA supplier to appoint a UK-based Only Representative (OR), or change their source to a UK registered supplier.
It’s possible to submit DUINs if a chemical is covered by a registration held by an EU/EEA-based OR and then sold into the UK.https://www.hse.gov.uk/brexit/scenario2.htm
 
The above is the link that highlights that you need to register if you are an importer of chemicals from EU/EEA suppliers.



chartered member of the institute of occupational safety and health, iosh institute of biology registered member and a chartered biologist

Health & Safety Works provide health and safety consultancy, support and training to companies across East Anglia: