Safety Smart Monthly Update February 2023

If you missed out on our last newsletter – never fear! we’ve pulled together all the information in this blog post and there’s plenty to catch up on!

As gig working becomes more commonplace, how can OSH professionals ensure that safety standards are maintained for every worker in their care?

Where once there was a straightforward split between the employed and self-employed, today’s labour market is much more complex. The UK’s ‘gig economy’ workforce is now estimated at 7.25 million people (Fennell, 2022). The global figure is expected to hit 73 million in 2023 (Mastercard, 2020).One study found 18% of HR directors in the UK think three-quarters of their workforce will be gig workers in the next five years (Fennell, 2022).

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Listen up – Headphones and the Noise at Work regulations

Most health and safety risks change over time but there is one risk that is changing fast, some might say at the speed of sound, writes Stephen Wheatley a Founder Director of the UK Hearing Conservation Association.

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SMART LISTEN 

‘Risk. Sleep. Repeat.’, a podcast hosted by Praxis42, features influential guest speakers from the world of Fire, Health and Safety. The podcast focuses on trust based safety, owning and embracing risk and the importance of people over paperwork. 

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SMART RESOURCE: Headphone use and Noise At Work

With the increased use of headphones at work, whether they’re required or not for the job it may be a surprise to learn that as an employer you’re responsible for the impact under the Noise At Work Regulations

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Wine company fined £800k after HGV driver killed at Salford depot

A wine and drinks supplier has been fined after a visiting HGV driver was killed after being hit by a forklift truck at its depot in Salford.

John Fitzpatrick was waiting for his trailer to be loaded at Kingsland Drinks Ltd in Irlam on 19 August 2020 when tragedy struck. The 59-year-old, form Oldham, suffered serious head injuries in the incident and died in hospital having never regained consciousness.

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Man left permanently disabled after being crushed by tonne of glass

A company must pay more than £100k after one of its employees was left with life-changing injuries when a pallet of glass weighing more than one tonne fell on top of him.

Andrew Potts, from Nottingham, was left permanently disabled and reliant on a ‘cocktail of medication’ after breaking his neck in five places following the incident at a depot in Lichfield on 30 September 2016.

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