Sector: IOSH Group

At last, change comes to the sector, led by a surge in urban population and streamlined by technology.

The failure to properly plan and appropriately supervise work at height has led to a £60,000 fine for a Basingstoke roofing firm.

The government has announced that a new building safety regulator will be established as part of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The new courses, one designed for construction site managers and the other for workers, have been introduced by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), the global chartered body for professionals responsible for worker protection.Safety, Health and Environment for Construction Site Managers provides those in charge of projects with the ability to implement strategies designed to ensure workers and the environment aren't harmed by projects.

Oil exploration company Chevron was served a prohibition notice in 2013 for corroded stairs and platform leading to a helideck on one of its offshore platforms, which a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector believed rendered the stairway unsafe.Appealing successfully against the notice at an employment tribunal, Chevron relied on an expert inspection and test of the stairway it had commissioned after receiving the notice. The expert’s report showed the metalwork passed British Standard strength test and was fit for use.

One of the key aims of the new Thomas Ashton Institute (www.ashtoninstitute.ac.uk), due to be launched formally in in April 2018, will be to make the lessons learned from four decades of incident investigations and research more accessible to industry. The partners say they hope the institute’s work will help to make sure mistakes are not repeated as new technologies and industries are developed.

Since its introduction, the system called Carl (call, action, report, learn) has led to a 50 per cent reduction in ‘close calls’ at Colas Rail.The firm was presented with the main gong at in the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health’s (IOSH) annual International Rail Awards.The app allows anyone working on Colas sites to report a close safety call. Once a report has been made, safety advisers and project managers receive email alerts in real time to enable action to be taken.

With increasing passenger numbers leading to greater investment and changes in management structures, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health’s (IOSH) annual Rail Industry Conference will examine what these changes mean for its members and other senior leaders.Sessions will look at how safety is being addressed as part of the changes process and how risks are being assessed. The changes include the devolution of routes in Network Rail and new ways of working between significant industry bodies.

AB Agri Ltd scooped first place in the International Food and Drink Health and Safety Awards 2017.The organisation introduced its ‘Engagement Project’, a scheme which saw the introduction of safety learning opportunities (SLOs) as a way of ensuring that issues were reported and acted on appropriately.

Financial Services is IOSH's 18th sector-specific group. From the large firms based in the City of London and other global financial centres to much smaller enterprises, it aims to ensure that employee health and safety is at the heart of operations. The group was officially launched at the offices of Zurich Insurance in Mark Lane, London. At the event, Tony Bough, chair of the group and UK Head of Health and Safety for RSA Insurance, said key to protecting employees is achieving buy-in from senior leaders and decision-makers.