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Smart partnerships : positive solutions
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730 days
It's not a long time but the past 730 days have been significant for the Amalgamate team as that's the length of time we've been in business.
As we quietly celebrate our second successful year we wanted to reflect on the challenges we've faced and overcome, the people we've met, and those close friends and colleagues who have offered advice along the way. To each and every one we'd like to say, 'Thank you'.
In business there is so much to learn and we're quite sure that the learning will never stop! We see this as a positive. Through a lot of enthusiasm and determination we've successfully delivered for clients from Aberdeen to Amsterdam and from Brussels to Bucharest. Our flexibility of offer and our team of professional advisors support us in our ambition of meeting and exceeding client expectations.
Every business needs H&S and this is clearly demonstrated in the diversity of our client base. From architects and engineers to hotels and tree surgeons, and everything in between, we audit and advise, we support and we train people but perhaps most importantly, we listen. An important quality in any business!
Some of our highlights have included working with the charity Enable Scotland to promote their 'Safety Challenge', providing training to an array of delegates from senior managers to high school students, and of course travelling across Europe to support our clients is always a pleasure. Aside from the delivery aspects, other highlights have included working with North Ayrshire Council, networking across the country and meeting diverse and interesting people along the way.
We believe we are now part of a community of business people who are incredibly supportive of one another. While offering support is not unusual, we feel the strength of that support is quite overwhelming. Two years in, we hope to be able to support other businesses in a similar way as we continue to grow the Amalgamate team.
Year 3 starts here!
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First Aid regulation changes in the UK
On the 1st October amendments will be applied to the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations which will mean that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will no longer be required to approve the training and qualifications of nominated workplace first-aiders. They are, however, providing two new guidance documents to help businesses understand what the legal requirements are, and how to ascertain their first aid needs.
The HSE are providing 'Regulations and Guidance (L74)' and 'Selecting a first-aid training provider (GEIS3)' on their website.
These are intended to help employers assess their needs, understand the legal requirements, and identify and select a competent training provider as required. The HSE website states that "The guidance on selecting a training provider outlines the options available to employers and includes a checklist for evaluating first aid training organisations, covering trainer competence, quality assurance systems and syllabus content." Without the requirement for HSE to approve training providers, it is particularly important that businesses pay close attention to the guidance on how to select a reputable and highly competent trainer, ensuring that the safety of their staff is not compromised.
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Supporting Enable Scotland
At the end of May we hosted a table at Enable Scotland’s Sportsman’s Dinner. Enable Scotland work hard to enable people with learning disabilities to live full and active lives in their communities, and are now the leading charity in their field. They do some truly inspirational work, and it was a pleasure for us to be able to support them, whilst also treating some of our clients to a great night out. A winning combination I’m sure you’ll agree! We were very proud to hear that we helped contribute to the grand sum of £23,000 that was raised on the night, and give our thanks to everyone who was involved, and came along with us.
We are proud to have supported Enable Scotland in promoting their Safety Challenge. The challenge has been designed to improve health and safety performance with a simple concept, where every 'near miss' reported by employees results in a donation being made to ENABLE Scotland. By using the challenge many organisations have been able to motivate staff to think about health and safety, and encourage them to report accidents and near misses, thereby reducing injury rates and saving money. So it was a pleasure to assist them by presenting a 'Why invest in Health and Safety' seminar at the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce and promote the initiative to its members.
If you are interested in finding out more about the Safety Challenge, details are available to download at the following link - http://www.enable.org.uk/getinvolved/corporate/Documents/safety%20challenge%202011%20booklet%20(web).pdf
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Focus on Training
Our IOSH Working and Managing Safely courses are a great way to ensure that you are compliant with all the relevant legislation, and that your workforce are in the best position to undertake their work safely and with as little risk as possible. We have recently worked with The National Piping Centre and Ayrshire Tree Surgeons, delivering these courses to their management teams and staff. Both organisations were keen to ensure that they have the systems in place to keep their staff safe, and their operations running smoothly.
We also delivered Manual Handling training to the team at Ayrshire Tree Surgeons. The course covered a range of practical and theoretical information, including the principles of safe moving and handling, manual handling and the law, and looked at the Musculoskeletal system, the mechanics of movement and the associated types of injury. It also provided guidance on Risk Assessment, control measures and some practical tips for safer manual handling. We’re happy to report that the team passed with flying colours, and we’re confident that any tree they climb up will be a happy and safe workplace!
It’s easy to see why tree surgeons need to pay attention to taking care of themselves at work. But in all kinds of workspaces there are physical tasks that can have an effect on your body, and when you lift a heavy box, or maneuver a photocopier to the next office, it’s essential to make sure you’re not placing excess stress on your body, particularly your spine. Our Manual Handling course will teach your team how to protect themselves when undertaking a range of tasks, and our training will be tailored to your needs and responsibilities, so you can be sure that the content will be relevant
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Health and Safety Law, Sentencing and Managerial Attitudes
Health and Safety legislation, and in particular the Corporate Manslaughter legislation that was introduced in October 2007, has recently been the topic of much discussion in both the Health & Safety and business communities. Recently published review's on the performance of the legislation by a range of legal experts, highlight prosecution rates, and the influence that the legislation has had on companies. So this seems like a fitting time to revisit this legislation and ask what it means for companies and managers.
Essentially, the legislation aims to make it simpler to convict organisations for serious health and safety failings by management that result in a fatality. A case will take into account the attitudes, policies and accepted practices that are present in the organisation, and aim to assess how these may have contributed to the fatality. Recent changes to the sentencing guidelines mean that organisations found guilty will now usually face fines of at least £500,000. Organisations can also be convicted of other serious Health and Safety offences in the case of a fatality, which could result in a director being sentenced to up to 2 years in prison.
The focus here on managerial attitudes to Health and Safety is an important one. It reminds us that what is important is not just having the correct paperwork in place, it is having a 'real life' approach to Health and Safety - taking it seriously and making it a practical part of day-to-day workplace activity. Staff members need to see that their managers don't just pay lip service to these issues - they actively engage in making their workplace a safer, better place to be. If managers have a lackadaisical attitude to corner-cutting or an acceptance of activities that put people at risk, there is a real danger that this attitude permeates throughout the staff and leads to further unsafe practices.
So, what can you do to improve things? Fostering a better approach to Health and Safety requires the involvement of all levels of staff, and a focused look at what your company does, and how they do it. At Amalgamate we have the expertise to help you integrate Health and Safety into your working practices and reduce risk, making your workplace a better place to be.
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100% success rate
We work hard on our training courses, and we know our participants work hard too – so we’re very proud to have maintained a 100% success rate on all our courses. There can be a lot to learn, but our training leaders are experts at making sure that all participants not only get to grips with the material, but also enjoy themselves too. The feedback we’ve received has often commented on how our delivery has exceeded expectations. Sometimes people start off with negative perceptions about Health and Safety, so we’re particularly pleased to hear when we’ve unexpectedly impressed them!
We are also delighted to announce that Elaine has secured her first IOSH accreditation following a three-day course. Continuous improvement is the key message, by working together we really do aim to strengthen your H&S culture in the workplace.
We have a number of places available on our IOSH Working and Managing Safely courses being held in November and December. If you would like further information please do not hesitate to give us a call on +44 (0) 141 244 0181
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RIDDOR changes
In October there will be some changes made to RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations), in order to simplify the reporting of workplace incidents. This will include changes to the classification of injuries and work-related illnesses, and a reduction in the number of types of incident that need to be reported. This is intended to simplify the reporting process, whilst also ensuring that the most accurate information is held.
For further details of the changes, which come into effect on 1st of October 2013, see the Health and Safety Executive website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/october-2013-changes.htm
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ACOP Consultation
The Health and Safety Executive has been holding a consultation in regard to the revised Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) L24 - "Workplace health, safety and welfare", which has been revised in response to Professor Löfstedt's independent review of health and safety legislation. The consultation aims to establish whether the changes that have been made make it simpler for employers to understand and meet their legal obligations. Changes include: Removing out-of-date duties and requirements that are superseded by new regulations; simplifying the language to clarify what duty holders must do to comply with the Workplace Regulations; updating the publication to include the provisions of the Miscellaneous Amendment Regs 2002; and improving guidance, referring to the most up-to-date and relevant advice. We will be keeping an eye on the proceedings, and we’ll post the results of the consultation on our blog at www.amalgamatesafety.wordpress.com once they are released, along with our analysis.
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