Three of the Health and Safety Executive’s most recent research reports are now available on the HSE website. The HSE addresses the issues surrounding the removal of a compulsory retirement age and the implications this may have on health and safety in the workplace (click here to read more).

The HSE also reports on an investigation into differentiating between TDI and TDA using BM, to gain a better understanding of isocyanates, a cause of occupational asthma in the UK.

And click here to find out about the report on a study to investigate the uptake of health surveillance for hand-arm vibration and noise among dutyholders.  

Minister of Labour and Chairman of the Supreme Health and Safety Committee Mr. Jameel Ben Mohammed Ali Hemaidan received at his office Mr. Hasan Al Aradi, the Managing Director of RRC Middle East, who presented him with RRC’s new Arabic textbook for the NEBOSH Award in Health and Safety at Work.

This book is the first of its kind in Arabic, and aims to allow health and safety specialists to obtain this qualification from the British National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health.

Mr. Hemaidan appreciated the effort behind this book and its contents, which will have positive results in terms of qualifying a new generation of health and safety specialists in various sectors, where they will carry out their duties in implementing all health and safety foundations and requirements.

He also stated that such publishing will serve the business sector and develop the efforts of the Kingdom of Bahrain in protecting the workforce and ensuring its safety from all kinds of occupational hazards in the workplace.

For his part, Mr. Hasan Al Aradi presented his thanks and appreciation to the Ministry of Labour for their efforts to improve health and safety standards in the Kingdom of Bahrain and their continuous support for the various functions and activities being held in this field.

Mr. Al Aradi also expressed his appreciation for the support of the Minister of Labour and for his distinctive and continuous effort to spread the occupational health and safety culture in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

From Monday 1 October, the HSE will begin a cost recovery scheme that bills law-breaking businesses for the time spent investigating cases and bringing enforcement action.

Known as the Fee for Intervention (FFI) scheme, it will charge an hourly rate of £124 to those found to have broken health and safety laws, with the aim of taking some of the cost of regulation away from the taxpayer. Businesses which meet their legal responsibilities will not be charged.

More information – including documents giving an overview of the scheme, as well as more in-depth guidance – is available from the FFI page of the HSE website.

After reviewing outbreaks of legionella in the last decade, a Health and Safety Notice has been issued by the Health and Safety Executive on the management of risk of these bacteria in evaporative condensers and cooling towers. The HSE’s Approved Code of Practice already addresses the control of legionella in water systems, but the objective is to create a more rigorous method of control.

Risks assessments are a requirement, and in the event of any risk, there are procedures that need to be followed in order to manage the risk and adhere to the legal requirements. To read more about identifying the risks of legionella, click here.

Further information about the HSE’s approach on legionella risk management can be found on the HSE official website.

The Olympics and Paralympics may well be over now, but London has certainly put on a show for the whole world to remember. Whether it’s the medal-winning athletes, the Olympic Park, the atmosphere in the City or the event as a whole, there is something for everyone to reminisce.

Judith Hackitt introduces a different take on the London 2012 legacy. Of course, complete success could never be possible without effective health and safety, and creating a safe environment for athletes, organisers and spectators alike was no mean feat.

Click here to read Judith’s full blog post. 

The Health and Safety Executive are carrying out an inspection initiative into reducing the number of fatalities and injuries caused by falls from height, which is still the common cause of lost lives on construction sites in the UK. The initiative, currently concentrating on Scotland and the North East, will focus on the safe-working in construction and reducing the risks associated with working at height. The HSE also want to emphasise that action will be taken if workers are found to be put at risk unnecessarily.

The initiative will take place this month and will look at all work at height.

For more information about this and other RRC short courses, click here.

Under the Control of Pesticides Regulations (COPR) all pesticides (including biocides classed as non-agricultural pesticides) are required to gain approval before they are permitted to be advertised, sold, supplied, stored or used in Great Britain. Anyone advertising, selling, supplying, storing or using pesticide is affected by these Regulations, including people who use them in their own home. Each month, the HSE produce a document which details all new approvals granted under COPR, as well as reporting any amendments made to current products.

The ‘new approvals’ documents created under COPR date back to May 2004 and detail all products which have been approved or amended since that date. These documents provide more detailed information on the approved products than that available in the Current Product Approvals Database.

Details of the new approvals made under COPR for July 2012 can be found, along with all previous editions, on the HSE website: http://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/copr/approvals/index.htm. 

Working at height can pose a huge health and safety risk if not properly controlled. This risk is further increased for those who are involved with roof work; fragile materials and asbestos cement roofing in particular create hazardous working conditions.

The forth addition of the HSE’s Health and Safety in Roof Work Text Book Identifies the key causes of accidents in roof work and details ways in which risk factors can be controlled and reduced.

This book can be purchased at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg33.htm for a cost of £17.50 per printed copy. It is also available to download for free. 

Changes to the PIC Regulations relating to the export and import of hazardous chemicals have now been published. Details of the alterations can be found on the Access to European Union Law website at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2012:201:0060:0106:EN:PDF 

For those who are involved with the exporting and importing of hazardous chemicals it should be noted that alterations to the existing arrangements are not substantial. Furthermore the changes will not come into existence until the 1^st March 2014.  

Dr David Towlson - RRC's Director of Quality and Training and all-round sci-fi/technology guru - is very excited about a new piece of technology he recently invested in - the Raspberry Pi, Model B.

He's taken to his Blog to explain why he thinks it may be the next big thing in training (albeit only for those who can cope with building their own computer!).

If you're familiar with Dr T, it won't be a shock to know there's a lot of technical information in there but if you're interested in new technology - or you just can't get enough of Dr T's witticisms - it's well worth a read. This, and all previous Blog entries, are available at:

www.rrc.co.uk/blogs/ 

In a bid to help organisations control stress, the HSE – in associated with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Investors in People – have produced a range of tools which will enable managers to assess their behaviour and management style.

“Poor management behaviour is often highlighted as a major factor by those suffering from work related stress”, say the HSE. In addition to various responsibilities related to managing stress in the workplace, individuals should be aware of how their actions and approach to work can affect their staff. These tools are designed to provide information on this and help managers act to ensure their impact on the workforce is positive.

The tools, and further information, can be found on the HSE website at:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/mcit.htm

Another round of public consultations is underway, as efforts to streamline health and safety regulation in the UK continue in the wake of last year’s Löfstedt report.

Two proposed changes are currently open for public input:

• CD242 – Proposals to exempt some self-employed people from health and safety legislation. One of the Löfstedt report’s suggestions was that people whose work posed no potential risk to others should be made exempt from regulation. Click here for further information.
• CD243 – Proposals to simplify and clarify RIDDOR reporting requirements. The aim here is to make it easier for businesses to understand how to comply with the law – another of the report’s key recommendations. More information is available here.

Both consultations are open until 28 October 2012, so there’s plenty of time to contribute to the process.

The latest edition of RRC’s quarterly e-newsletter, Health and Safety Business, is now available!

As well as the all-important Student Focus section – which will keep you informed about significant updates to your course material and other vital information – this issue also features plenty of news about what’s been going on at RRC, including:

• The launch of our NEBOSH endorsed textbooks.
• News about RRC’s International Partners.
• NEBOSH Diploma success stories.
• The latest Technical Update, which covers the essential facts about managing food safety.

All the latest developments in the field of health, safety and the environment are covered too. Click here to download your free copy now, or to find back issues of the newsletter.

In his latest blog entry, Dr David Towlson – RRC’s Director of Training and Quality – has been giving some thought to the proposed changes to Approved Codes of Practice (ACoPs).

ACoPs exist to explain the intricacies of health and safety legislation in practical terms. The planned amendments seek to further simplify things, as part of the government’s pledge to reduce the level of regulation facing businesses. But are these changes a step in the right direction, or do they somehow go too far?

Visit the RRC Tutor Blog now to find out, and to add your comments to the discussion.

Looking ahead to how regulation of health and safety in the UK will develop in the next few years, the HSE have published a business plan for 2012-2015. The plan sets out the various activities and reforms that the Health and Safety Executive will engage in during this period.

One of the primary concerns is the effort to reduce the volume of regulation without sacrificing the level of protection provided – something which follows on from significant recent developments in the world of health and safety, such as the Löfstedt report. Other key aims include an increased emphasis on high-risk areas and the separation of bureaucracy from real safety concerns.

The business plan details the targets, strategies and allocations of resources that will allow these goals to become a reality. To view the full document or read a short overview, visit the HSE website.

The Health and Safety Executive have revealed detailed figures about the number of fatal injuries that occurred in UK workplaces between April 2011 and March 2012. In general terms, the statistics show that the level of deaths remains mostly unchanged from the previous year, at around 0.6 per 100,000 workers – one of the lowest in Europe.

Work-related deaths are classified based on the industry involved, providing a detailed breakdown of the rate of incidents in key industrial sectors. Regional variations are also taken into account.

More details can be found here. HSE Chair Judith Hackitt has also written a blog reflecting on what these statistics can tell us about why safety issues are so important.

RRC student Satya Prakash Gautam was recently honoured with a NEBOSH Best Candidate Prize for his results in the NEBOSH International Diploma course. This is a huge acheivement; made all the more impressive by the fact that he studied the full course in just one year. His success reflects a lot of very hard work and we're very proud of his acheivement. It also provides evidence that studying at a distance can be just as affective as a classroom course. Of course studying online is not for everyone, but Satya has proved that RRC's e-Learning courses contain everything you need to suceed in your studies - you just have to supply your own dedication and time! 

To give you an insight into how Satya fulfilled his ambitions to complete the International Diploma, we've produced a new Case Study - to read it click here. 

The Health and Safety Executive has proposed that fourteen legislative measures should be removed, on the basis that they have become redundant or outdated. Consisting of twelve Regulations, an Act and one Order, the measures relate to a wide range of issues, from the registration of tower cranes to work in the ship-building industry.

Some of the proposals result from the Löfstedt report – a government-sponsored review which recommended an array of changes to health and safety regulations when it was published at the end of last year.

Click here to see a detailed explanation of the proposals and find out how you can contribute to the consultation process.

Incidents involving moving vehicles are a serious safety issue in the waste management and recycling industry, accounting for a total of 57 fatalities in the period from 2001 to 2010.  An updated range of guidance for the safe operation of vehicles in this particular field is now available from the Health and Safety Executive.

These documents fall into two categories, offering guidance about:

• The collection of municipal waste, covering issues such as the use of vehicles in public or pedestrian areas, safe reversing, route risk assessments, etc.
• Transport associated with processing, sorting and disposing of waste, in locations such as landfill sites, waste transfer stations and scrap yards.

Visit the HSE website to view or download the full range of documents.

Two RRC students have achieved the impressive feat of attaining the UK’s highest marks in the NEBOSH Diploma courses.

Jamie Lewis was the overall top performer in the National Diploma, studying the first unit of the course by distance learning and the rest by classroom teaching at RRC’s London office. He attributes his success to the support he received from RRC. To read more of Jamie’s thoughts about his learning experience – as well as some valuable words of advice for fellow students – click here.

Satya Gautam, who studied by e-learning, was the highest-placed candidate in the International Diploma course.

Congratulations to both Jamie and Satya for their achievements.

RRC Student Jamie Lewis receives Best Candidate Award at NEBOSH Ceremony

Left to right: Gary Fallaize (RRC Managing Director) Jamie Lewis (NEBOSH Best Candidate in the National Diploma 2012) and Dr David Towlson (RRC Director of Training and Quality)

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is currently considering changes to the regulations governing storage of radioactive matter – specifically, whether the definition of the term “bulk quantities” in this context needs broadening. As part of this process, a public consultation is now underway.

Specific pieces of legislation that would be affected by the change are the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 and the Nuclear Installations Regulations 1971.

Feedback from a previous consultation exercise conducted in 2011 has been used as the basis for the new proposal. A final response will be published, taking into account comments from both reviews.

Click here to find the full consultation paper, as well as details of how to submit your response. The consultation will finish on 25 July.

A new report issued by the RAC investigates driving-related issues in the UK, and gives a revealing insight into attitudes to road safety. Among other issues – including the rising cost of motoring and the government’s transport funding priorities – the RAC Report on Motoring 2012 goes into detail about how safety affects drivers on a day-to-day basis. These issues are also highly relevant in terms of driving for work.

The report defines the most common safety fears and provides statistics about the most frequently committed offences. Emerging issues such as the use of smartphones behind the wheel – something which over 20% of motorists admit to – feature prominently. The question of how better driver education can lead to improved safety behaviour is examined as well. 

The full report is available now from the RAC website.

Event organisers involved in planning celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee have been urged by the Government to ignore scaremongerers when it comes to health and safety restrictions. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles stated: “Unnecessary and irrelevant health and safety regulations should not be used as an excuse ... the only red tape in sight should be the Jubilee bunting hanging in the streets”.

The HSE have issued a Press Release encouraging organisers to look beyond the common misconceptions surrounding health and safety and follow a few simple, sensible precautions for safe local events.  The HSE’s recently establish Myth Buster’s Panel have produced a “Top Ten Tips to Organising your Celebration” which contains helpful suggestions and guidance on things you may need to consider.

HSE Chair Judith Hackett concluded her statement on the issue with the following words of wisdom: “We are encouraging people to challenge decisions when they think health and safety is being used as an excuse and the Panel is ready to help”. 

RRC have just returned from a very busy three days at the Safety and Health Expo 2012! For those who couldn't get to the NEC in Birmingham this week, we also ran a Virtual Expo through our website. Both were met with an amazing response and we were really delighted to see so many of you taking part - thanks to all who visited the stand and the site over the three days.

Competition winners

We're delighted to announce the winners of our competition to win an Amazon Kindle are:

• Mr Gwilym Bowen from the UK (Day 1)
• Mr Glen Austin from the UK (Day 2)
• Mr Dagan May from the UK (Day 3)

and the winners of an RRC NEBOSH Award e-Learning course are: 

• Mr Nauman Noor from Pakistan (Day 1)
• Dr Graham Fieldhouse from the UK (Day 2)
• Mr Djamel Cheniki from Algeria (Day 3)

Congratulations to you all!

We'll be announcing the winners of our NEBOSH Certificate and NEBOSH Diploma courses, as well as the winners of the Samsung Galaxay Tablet and Asus Eee Pad Tranformer, next week - good luck to all who entered!

Video star

RRC's Gary starred in SHP Magazine's most watched video of the exhibition - if you missed it you can watch again now: RRC Training at SHE 2012

Businesses waste a total of £30 million every year performing unnecessary electrical safety tests on office equipment, say new figures from the Health and Safety Executive.

It’s a common misconception – one sparked at least partly by incorrect advice and misleading advertising – that all portable appliances require annual testing, when in fact the law only states that equipment should be maintained to prevent danger. In the case of most office equipment, simple checks will be adequate to ensure that appliances are free from obvious dangerous defects.

The HSE publication Maintaining Portable Electric Equipment in Low-risk Environments offers advice and information about proportionate maintenance – click here to visit the HSE website and find out more.

RRC’s Spring 2012 e-Newsletter is available now! This edition is packed with information about the most recent developments in the world of health, safety and the environment as well as lots of news about RRC’s recent ventures and upcoming projects, including:

• Details of RRC’s stand at the upcoming Safety and Health Expo in Birmingham and our first ever Virtual Expo – including new NEBOSH and CQI product launches
• News of RRC’s expanding list of Partners around the world
• A brand new FREE Technical Update all about the wonderful world of auditing – written by Dr T
• RRC Tutor Zoe’s brave marathon plans for the coming year
• RRC Tutor Jim’s take on the recent H&S review and the ensuing debate!

As always, we recommend all students currently studying with us should read the Student Focus section which contains news of important information and updates to our courses.

This e-Newsletter, along with out Back Issues are available to download for FREE from: www.healthandsafetybusiness.com

Two members of RRC’s team of tutors have been busy updating the blog with their thoughts on a pair of diverse topics.

First up is a guest blog from Jim Phelpstead, an experienced health and safety trainer, and it’s all about the government’s proposed changes to safety regulation. A lot has been said and written about the sweeping scope of these changes, but are they a step in the wrong direction?

Secondly, the blog’s regular contributor, Dr David Towlson, addresses the issue of why some jobs – even ones that are often thought of as safety-critical – might not be best left to the experts.

Visit the RRC Tutor Blog to read both articles now, and remember to check back regularly for more updates from Dr T and others!

Zoe Neasham, the health and safety trainer who leads the team at RRC Training in Newcastle, plans to run an incredible four marathons this year, in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

The first of these will be the inaugural Marathon of the North on 6 May, followed by the Kielder Marathon, the Oxfam Great North Run (where Zoe will be part of a wheelchair pushing team) and the Hadrian’s Wall Run – a 69-mile ultra marathon from Carlisle to Newcastle.

Unsurprisingly, Zoe is currently hard at work training and fundraising in preparation for this massive undertaking. To find out more – including details of how to contribute to the fundraising effort – visit RRC’s Press Releases page.

Investigating cases where health and safety concerns have been used as an inappropriate reason for stopping activities will be the remit of a new panel set up by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The Myth Busters Challenge Panel will examine complaints about disproportionate and incorrect advice given by non-regulators – including employers, consultants and insurers – with the aim of promoting proportionate risk management.  Results of these investigations will be posted online. The panel’s members will be drawn from a broad spectrum of industries and backgrounds; more details can be found on the HSE website here.

HSE Chair Judith Hackitt, who will also lead the Myth Busters panel, has written about the issues involved for her Risk Assessment blog. Click here to read her thoughts about the sensible management of risk and how this topic is addressed in the media.

Judith Hackitt, chair of the HSE, has launched a new blog providing insight into current health and safety issues.

As well as commenting on a range of topics and developments, the blog will also aim to address some of the safety-related stories and headlines appearing in the media.

Visit the blog on the HSE website to read more. The first post covers the subject of how best to educate young people about safety and pass on ideas about proportionate approaches to risk to the next generation.

RRC’s Director of Training and Quality, Dr David Towlson, has updated the RRC Tutor blog with a new post. Instead of focusing on specific health and safety issues, this instalment considers more general ideas about teaching and asks the question: is modern education is too focused on exams?

Click here to visit the blog now. Remember, you can use the ‘Leave Comments’ feature to add your thoughts to the discussion.

A new study conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigates evidence of links between the HSE’s own regulatory activities and reductions in occupational injuries, deaths and ill health.

The aim of report RR913 is to determine how feasible it is to demonstrate links between these activities as a whole and safety outcomes. It takes into account available literature and data sources on the topic, as well as theories of change and logic models.

Visit the HSE website to view or download the full report.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has published detailed proposals to alter many pieces of environmental legislation, as part of the governmental drive to trim regulatory red tape.

132 regulations will be altered or consolidated, while 53 will be scrapped altogether. Major changes include:

• Streamlining regulations relating to waste, including Waste Transfer Notes, the Site Waste Management Plans Regulations and guidance for hazardous waste disposal.
• Updating the Environmental Permitting process, as well as applying it to new areas including water abstractions, impoundment licensing, fish pass approvals and flood risk consents.
• Improving the way in which the Environment Agency operates, including making available all regulations, guidance and published impact assessments online in early 2013.

For a more complete and detailed list of the planned amendments, visit the DEFRA website. At this stage, many of the proposals will need further consultation (with the public and stakeholders) before being finalised.

As part of the recently released 2012 budget, the government has announced plans to drastically rework current health and safety regulations. A massive 84 percent of regulations are set to be either altered or completely removed, with some of the most significant changes including:

• Legislative changes meaning that employers will no longer be in breach of their civil law duties where they have done everything that is reasonably practicable to protect their employees.
• Changes to the way the HSE advises on what constitutes 'reasonably practicable'.
• Giving power to the HSE to direct all local health and safety inspection and enforcement.
• Amendments to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) to clarify businesses’ roles.

Environmental regulations will also be affected by the changes. Among a host of other amendments, waste transfer systems will be simplified and updated, as will environmental permitting procedures and air quality legislation.

There will also be broad reviews of all regulations to make sure that enforcement comes at the lowest possible cost to businesses.

Many more changes are also involved besides these – for a more comprehensive list, see the budget on the Treasury website. The relevant sections can be found on pages 80-81.

A new panel has been established in the wake of the Löfstedt report’s recommendations in order to investigate complaints about advice given by local authorities and HSE inspectors.

The Independent Regulatory Challenge Panel is composed of independent experts in the field, and will hear complaints from parties who feel the advice they have been given by regulators either exceeds the bounds of adequate risk control or is simply incorrect.

The panel will not deal with cases involving actual enforcement notices or prosecutions, as other avenues of complaint are already in place for these. Only cases dating from 30 June 2011 onwards will be eligible for consideration.

Click here for more information about the panel, including details of how to contact them.

A new report investigates the risks posed by a possible scenario involving vapour cloud explosions in aerosol warehouses. Originally proposed by Dr Graham Atkinson of the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL), this scenario involves the failure of some aerosol containers in a fire leading to the formation of clouds of vapour and subsequent explosions. It has prompted some debate, and this report aims to assess the risks involved, and to see whether the scenario is practical.

The report can be viewed or downloaded from the HSE website.

The newsletter produced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been redesigned and updated – and it’s now available for free online. Featuring a variety of in-depth articles and case studies from the world of health and safety, the newsletter provides a useful resource for students and practitioners. View the latest edition here.

For another online source of health and safety news, be sure to read RRC’s own quarterly subscription e-newsletter, Health & Safety Business; click here for more details.

The UK Health and Safety Executive have issued a new report as part of an ongoing project investigating the generic failure rates used in risk assessments for major hazard chemical plants.

This project is a joint initiative being carried out by health and safety bodies in the UK and the Netherlands – namely the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) in the UK and the National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM) in the Netherlands, under the coordination of White Queen Safety Strategies – and also aims to address other current concerns about major accident analysis.

The new document – RR915 - The major accident failure rates project: concept phase – can be found on the HSE website, along with further information about the project.

NetRegs – free guidance for businesses provided by the UK’s environmental agencies – applying to chemical manufacturers, paper and cardboard manufacturers and metal production and processing businesses have moved to new websites.

The new websites are divided on a regional basis, so businesses should consult the appropriate site for their location:

• England – Business Link
• Northern Ireland – NIBusinessInfo
• Scotland – Business Gateway
• Wales – Business.Wales.gov.uk

Details of current and future legislation and UK-wide NetRegs for other types of businesses can be found on the Environment Agency website.

A new edition of L73: A Guide to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 has been released, providing guidance and information about the updated Regulations which will come into force on 6 April 2012.

Some significant changes are involved in the update. The period of incapacitation requiring an accident or injury to be reported will increase from more than three days to more than seven, and the deadline for reporting will become 15 days.

Injuries over three days will still need to be recorded by employers, and the document provides information about how this should be done.

To download the updated guidance, visit the HSE website.

The Löfstedt report on the future of the UK’s health and safety legislation was published late last year and continues to be a major talking point. Dr David Towlson, RRC’s Director of Training and Quality, has been updating the RRC tutor blog with a series of articles considering different sections of the report, and the latest entry is available to read now.

This instalment deals with chapter 7 of the report, in which Professor Löfstedt outlines ideas for simplifying the regulatory framework.

Click here to read the blog entry - use the “Leave Comments” feature to add your own thoughts to the discussion.

Natural England – the governmental body concerned with protecting and improving England’s natural landscape – now has increased enforcement powers at its disposal.

The new powers allow the agency to impose fixed penalties and fines, offering an alternative to costly criminal proceedings. The organisation’s inspectors will now be able to respond to breaches of wildlife and landscape protection law with civil sanctions.

These new powers will be applicable to several kinds of offences, including those relating to habitat protection and protected species, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and breaches of the Environmental Damage (Prevention and Remediation) Regulations 2009.

The hazards of overfilling tanks with volatile liquids form the basis of a new report issued by the Health and Safety Executive. The report is part of an HSE-sponsored research programme prompted by the incident at the Buncefield oil depot in 2005.

Titled RR908 – Vapour Cloud Formation: Experiments and Modelling, its main aim is to establish methods for predicting the type of vapour cloud that might be created if and when a tank is overfilled, so that this can be taken into account when planning land use and emergency responses. As well as investigating the various technical factors involved, the report also provides example cases to illustrate them.

The full report is available from the HSE website here.

The Health and Safety Executive have released a new document reviewing the reliability of self-reporting of work-related illness.

At the moment, there is little definitive data about the accuracy of people’s assessment of their own occupational illnesses in response to health studies and surveys. The HSE review aims to assess the existing evidence and determine how reliable these self-reports truly are.

To read the full report – titled RR903 - Review on the validity and reliability of self-reported work-related illness – visit the HSE website.

The Environment Agency has published newly updated editions of two documents related to the topic of emissions monitoring:

• Manual Stack Emission Monitoring - Performance Standard for Organisations sets out the criteria necessary for organisations to be accredited to monitor emissions as part of the Monitoring Certification scheme.

• Technical Guidance Note M2 - Monitoring of Stack Emissions to Air details the technical aspects of emissions monitoring. It covers a range of topics, including monitoring methods and sampling strategies.

Both are available now, and can be accessed by clicking the links above.

A new report suggests that levels of obesity among US fire-fighters are extremely high, exceeding those among ordinary members of the public.

The report, which has been released by the National Volunteer Fire Council, states that between 73 and 88 percent of American fire-fighters are overweight or obese, compared to roughly 66 percent in the general population. This puts them at increased risk of a range of health problems, including heart disease and high blood pressure.

The report investigates the possible reasons for these alarming figures and proposes ideas to help reverse the trend. It is available to download here.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have issued a white paper investigating the topic of injury and illness prevention programs.

These programs are already mandatory in some states and regions, but the report makes the argument that they should be universally required. As well as providing an overview of the practicalities of injury prevention programs, it also sets out the business incentives which they can offer organisations.

The full Injury and Illness Prevention Programs White Paper is available to view or download from the OSHA website.

In the past month, a number of new regulations and amendments dealing with environmental and safety-related issues have come into effect:

• The Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products (Amendment) Regulations 2011, which incorporate requirements for ecodesign for household washing machines and dishwashers into the existing legislation, as well as making changes to the requirements for manufacturers to provide technical information.
• In response to changes in the relevant EU Directives, the Supply of Machinery (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 2011, which amend the previous legislation in this area, setting out the  essential health and safety requirements that CE-marked machinery must fulfil. This particular amendment relates to new essential environmental protection requirements for pesiticide application equipment.
• EU Regulation No. 1193/2011 sets up a Union Registry for the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which will commence in January 2013, replacing existing national registries.
• The Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 reflect changes in the EU Environmental Impact Assessment Directive relating to infrastructure for the capture and geological storage of carbon dioxide.
• Having come into effect on 1 January 2012, the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2011 relate to the recovery of petrol vapour during motor vehicle refuelling at service stations. This amendment is also a response to changes in EU Directives.

The Health and Safety Executive have revised their guidance outlining the possible risks of the disease leptospirosis.

The latest version of document INDG84 (Leptospirosis: Are you at risk?) is available to view and download from the HSE website and outlines the nature of the disease, how it is transmitted and how to prevent it.

A new scheme launched by the Department of Energy and Climate Change allows companies, public sector bodies and community groups to claim subsidies for generating renewable heat.

The Renewebale Heat Incentive Scheme - which is the first initiative of its kind in the world - aims to encourage the production of renewable heat by offering financial incentives. Renewable heat can be produced from a range of sources, including biomethane.

Organisations are now able to apply for support under the scheme; full details and further information can be found here.

The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) has launched a three-year project to reduce work-related road traffic accidents.

Named PRAISE (Preventing Road Accidents and Injuries for the Safety of Employees), the initiative will highlight best practices among employers with the aim of helping them achieve higher road safety standards. This is part of the ETSC’s overall goal of reducing the numbers of deaths and injuries in transport in Europe. PRAISE is co-funded by the European Commission.

More information can be found on the PRAISE website, including:

• Reports on a range of different road safety topics.
• Factsheets detailing safety success stories.
• Information about best practice awards.
• Details of PRAISE events and seminars.

The British Standards Institution’s Guidelines for Auditing Management Systems (BS EN ISO 19011) have been updated to a new version. Replacing the previous standard (BS EN ISO 19011:2002), this new document includes advice and guidance on:

• The principles of management systems auditing.
• Managing audit programmes.
• Carrying out internal and external audits.
• Evaluating the competence of auditors.

It also incorporates a number of changes and clarifications. More details and access to the full document can be found on the British Standards Institution website.

The first performance league table published as part of the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme has revealed the organisations and businesses taking the lead in energy efficiency. Released last month, it ranks participating companies in terms of the action they have taken to manage their energy use.

The CRC (Carbon Reduction Commitment) scheme is a mandatory government initiative aimed at improving energy efficiency and cutting emissions in large public and private sector organisations, which account for around 10% of the UK’s total emissions.

To view the performance league table and see which companies ranked highly, or for more details of the scheme itself, visit the Department of Energy and Climate Change website.

The Health and Safety Executive have produced an updated edition of the documentation setting out workplace exposure limits (WELs) – the standards which protect workers from harmful levels of contact with hazardous substances.

Replacing the previous version, which was first published in 2005, this new edition of EH40: Workplace Exposure Limits takes into account new substances and WELs introduced in 2007 and 2011. It also contains useful advice about European occupational exposure limits and COSHH regulations.

The document is available to view and download from the HSE website.

The report on Britain’s health and safety laws and regulations commissioned by the Department of Work and Pensions continues to stir up debate about the future of HSE legislation.

Dr David Towlson, RRC’s Director of Training and Quality, has updated his blog with the latest in a series of articles about Professor Löfstedt’s suggestions. This chapter deals with the issue of removing unnecessary and outdated regulations – something about which the Löfstedt Report has plenty to say.

Why not join the debate? Use the “Leave Comments” feature to add your thoughts to the discussion.

Exciting news! RRC Training and RRC Middle East are proud to announce that the first Arabic e-Learning NEBOSH Award in Health and Safety at Work course is almost complete!

The official launch for this highly anticipated e-Learning course will be at the Intersec exhibition in Dubai (15-17 Jan 2012). Please come along to meet the team and support us in this important launch.

Check back for more details (coming soon), but for now here’s a leaflet about the NEBOSH Award course in Arabic (note: the leaflet is in Arabic!).

Health and safety fears are often incorrectly cited as the reason for banning or preventing a whole range of relatively risk-free activities and events. This is especially true at Christmas time, when rumours crop up about all kinds of seasonal traditions being forbidden.

The HSE have compiled a list of the Top 10 myths about festive health and safety measures. Among the crackers on the list are stories about snowball fights being outlawed and public Christmas trees being replaced by artificial ones. There’s even the suggestion that carol singers might pose a health and safety risk.

The full list is available on the HSE website.

Dr David Towlson, RRC’s Director of Training and Quality, continues to update his blog with a series of reflections on the findings of the recent report on the UK’s health and safety regulations.

His blogs over the past week have covered a range of topics and ideas, including:

• An overview of the Löfstedt Report and its main recommendations.
• Professor Löfstedt’s aims and intentions.
• The importance of evidence in producing a report such as this.
• The costs and benefits of regulations.
• The implications of the report for small and large businesses’ management of health safety.

Keep an eye on the RRC Tutors’ blog for more updates on the Löfstedt Report and many other key health and safety issues. Why not have your say? We love to hear your thoughts, so use the “Leave Comments” feature to get the debate started.

RRC MD Gary Fallaize with representatives of NEBOSH and RRC students; picture courtesy of NEBOSH.

The gardens of the British Ambassador’s residence in Bahrain recently played host to the official launch of the NEBOSH Award in Health and Safety at Work in Arabic.

Attended by RRC’s Managing Director Gary Fallaize, with representatives present from RRC Middle East and the examining body, the event marked the premiere of the first introductory-level NEBOSH exam to be set in the Arabic language.

RRC will be offering the NEBOSH Award in Health and Safety at Work in Arabic by e-Learning and Distance Learning soon. It is currently available as a Face-to-Face course through RRC Middle East.

To see more photographs from the event, courtesy of NEBOSH, click here.

RRC’s Director of Training and Quality, Dr David Towlson, has been updating his blog with his thoughts on the recent report into Britain’s health and safety regulations commissioned by the Department of Work and Pensions.

To read his reaction to the report’s findings and how they might affect the future of health and safety, read his response now and keep checking the blog for further updates.

Hasan Alaradi (RRC Middle East's Managing Director) and students at a recent workshop on Modern Health and Safety Management held in Dubai.

We’re delighted to announce that the winner of our recent Amazon Kindle competition (held at the IEMA Conference) has been selected! Congratulations to Vicki Shaw, we hope you are delighted with your Kindle.

You may not have considered using your Kindle for studying, but all of RRC’s e-Learning course materials can be transferred onto your Kindle for reading on the go! For details see our handy guide.

Coming into force on 24 October 2011, the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment (Amendment) Regulations 2011 amend the previous legislation relating to the transport of dangerous goods by road, rail and inland waterway.

TransposingDirective 2010/35/EUof the European Parliament and of the Council on transportable pressure equipment, the regulations also repeal five earlier Directives:

• Council Directive 76/767/EECon common provisions for pressure vessels and methods for inspecting them.
• Council Directive 84/525/EECon seamless, steel gas cylinders.
• Council Directive 84/526/EECon seamless, unalloyed aluminium and aluminium alloy gas cylinders.
• Council Directive 84/527/EECon welded unalloyed steel gas cylinders.
• Council Directive 1999/36/ECon transportable pressure equipment.

The Department for Transport website has further details of the Regulations and how they might affect you.

The latest energy legislation details new provisions for homeowners, landlords and businesses to receive upfront financial help to make energy improvements, to be repaid in the form of energy bill savings – a ‘Green Deal’.

Having come into force on 18 October 2011, the Act also:

• Makes energy performance certificates more widely available.
• Obliges energy providers to assist some groups of people with energy savings.
• Clarifies information about energy bills.
• Paves the way for the introduction and roll-out of smart meters.
• Allows the Coal Authority to charge for specific services.
• Encourages low carbon generations and improves energy security measures.

For more details of the Act, check the Department of Energy and Climate Change website.

Two new documents from the Health and Safety Executive provide valuable guidance about the law and your responsibilities when buying or supplying machinery for use at work.

INDG271(Buying New Machinery: A short guide to the law and your responsibilities when buying new machinery for use at work)outlines the requirements laid down by health and safety law and the practical applications involved, as well as providing checklists to use when talking to suppliers about new equipment. The second leaflet, INDG270(Supplying New Machinery: A short guide to the law and your responsibilities when supplying machinery for use at work), is aimed mainly at importers, agents and those who provided equipment manufactured by others, providing details of their legal and practical obligations. 

For further details, visit the HSE website to download INDG271 and INDG270.

In a new report commissioned by the government, Professor Ragnar Löfstedt (Director of the King’s Centre for Risk Management at King’s College, London) has made a series of recommendations and proposals about the future of health and safety laws and regulations in the UK.

The report suggests that there is a need to remove certain unnecessary regulations to reduce the burden on businesses, but also to ensure that overall health and safety performance levels remain high. The full report can be found on the Department of Work and Pensions website.

Responses welcoming Professor Löfstedt’s findings have been issued by both the HSE and the government. To read Dr T’s thoughts on the issues raised, visit his blog. (For those who don’t know, Dr T is Dr David Towlson - RRC’s Director of Training and Quality.)

UPDATE: Professor Löfstedt visted Brussels today for the EU launch of his report.

Unintended movement of some mobile crushers can take place when there is an earth/ground fault, according to a recent investigation by the Health and Safety Executive.

The HSE has published a Safety Alert outlining the actions that need to be taken in the event that damage to electrical control cables results in unintended movement. For details of the guidance, and to find out if you need to take action, check the HSE website.

The Health and Safety Executive has released a range of statistics relating to incidents, injuries and issues in the construction industry.

Key points include a fall in the number of fatal injuries to construction workers to 50, down from an annual average of 61 for the past five years. Workplace fatalities in the industry are now around two-thirds less common than they were two decades ago. In recent years, non-fatal injuries have decreased by a third as well.

The figures also show that an estimated 5000 occupational cancer cases annually can be attributed to exposure to hazardous materials in the course of construction sector work.

For more detailed statistics, or for information about other industries, visit the HSE website.

At an oil rig in Saudi Arabia’s Empty Quarter, RRC Middle East tutor Hasan Jaffer delivered a training course to the local management team of oil and gas company SAIPEM.

The course covered the topics of Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Management.

The Empty Quarter, also known as the Rub' al Khali, is one of the largest sand deserts in the world and is the site of some of the largest oil reserves.

RRC will deliver an exciting new training course in Istanbul, in partnership with Turkey’s leading experts in HSE training and consultancy.

The NEBOSH International Certificate in Fire Safety and Risk Management is a new course being piloted by RRC in partnership with ARME, and will begin in January 2012.

Designed for anyone with fire safety responsibilities in the workplace, the NEBOSH International Fire Certificate covers topics including fire risk assessments and the range of measures necessary to minimise the risk of fire. For more details of the course, click here.

For this pilot we are delighted to be working with two of ARME’s highly experienced Turkish tutors, who will be delivering the training in English. Click here to find out more about the partnership between RRC and ARME.

RRC Middle East Managing Director Hasan Alaradi recently presented a successful workshop in Modern Occupational Health and Safety to the management team of the Sudanese Electricity Transmission Company.

The workshop, held in Khartoum on 17 November, covered general health and safety management issues, with a particular focus on managing risks associated with the energy sector.

Delegates attend the PetroDar Operating Co. Advanced Accident Investigation Course, which was run in Sudan from 13-16 November 2011.