Working at Height The Steps Your Employer Should be Taking to Keep You Safe

Working at Height: The Steps Your Employer Should be Taking to Keep You Safe

March 10, 2022/in /by

Employers have a responsibility for the health and safety of their employees and there are a range of laws and regulations on hazards that employers must follow to keep you safe in the workplace. Employers must maintain their employee’s welfare and ensure that they are effectively controlling any risks to injury or health that could arise in the workplace. The main laws and regulations surrounding workplace safety in the UK are the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulation 1999, which set out the general duties which employers have to employees regarding their safety.

In our latest blog, we’ll outline the steps employers should be taking to keep their employees safe if and when they are required to work at a height.

There are specific Work at Height Regulations 2005 which set out in some detail the obligations on employers.

Risk Assessments

The most important step your employer should be taking to keep you safe are workplace risk assessments. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulation 1999, at a minimum employers must: identify what could cause injury or illness in the workplace (hazards), decide how likely it is that someone could be harmed and how seriously (the risk) and take action to eliminate the hazard, or if not possible, at least control the risk. After identifying these factors, your employer must then make arrangements for implementing the health and safety measures identified as necessary by the risk assessment.

Appointing Health and Safety Coordinator

An employer must appoint a competent person or people to help them implement the arrangements identified through the risk assessment and help the employer meet their health and safety legal duties. Such individual(s) must have knowledge and experience that would allow them to be able to recognise any potential hazards in the company.

Providing Information and Training

All employees must be informed of how to work safely and without risk to their health. Employees must be given clear instructions and information as well as sufficient training to ensure workplace safety. Additionally, the law says that every business must have a policy for managing health and safety which sets out the workplace’s general approach to health and safety and explains how the employer will manage health and safety in the company, who does what, when and how. This must be accessible to all employees.

First Aid and Emergency Procedures

Employers must be able to ensure that employees are able to get immediate help if taken ill or injured at work. Measures that employers should take to ensure this include having a suitably stocked first aid kit, an appointed person or people to take charge of first aid arrangements, and information for all employees telling them about first aid arrangements. Similarly, employers should set up emergency procedures to be taken in the event of an injury or accident such as workplace safety routes and quick access to emergency services.

The Regulations

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 outline in detail the obligations on employers should their employees work at a height. However, employees should avoid working from height if possible. If it is not, employers should take the necessary steps to prevent anyone falling from a height and prevent anyone from being injured from a fall or falling object. Because of this, if you have suffered a fall from height at work, there is a good chance you will be able to claim compensation.

If you or a loved one need advice on filing a claim for a violation of workplace safety, please get in touch with one of our No Win No Fee solicitor today.

Hybrid Working Returning to Work Safely

Hybrid Working: Returning to Work Safely

February 17, 2022/in /by

The pandemic has showed us a new way of working as we all moved indoors and began working from home. However, as the government gives the all clear about people returning to offices, this has given rise to the concept of ‘hybrid working’. For employers, it is still a tentative time with Covid-19 still rife in many communities and with the government ready to place measures to curb the rise of cases. In our latest blog, we’re outlining steps employers need to take to ensure a Covid-19 secure workplace.

What the numbers say

An ONS survey found that 46.6% of employees worked from home at least some of the time during the pandemic, compared to the 5% prior. In fact, YouGov research shows that the majority of workers would like to continue to work from home at least some of time following the peak of the pandemic.

What is hybrid working?

Hybrid working is a model of flexible working that allows employees to combine working in an office with working remotely e.g. at home. However, hybrid working is more than just the location at which a worker will split their time. It can also refer to flexible start and finish times to avoid busy public traffic times, and even flexible days of working to account for child minding.

What are the benefits of hybrid working?

There are a number of benefits for employees of hybrid working including a better work-life balance, ability to focus on work (without distractions), reduced commuting time and costs, and increased motivation. Hybrid working is not just beneficial to employees, but also employers in as much as the cost savings on a physical office space, higher employee engagement levels, lower turnover levels, lower absence rates, reduced environmental impact, encouraging diversity and inclusion, and not to mention supporting employee wellbeing.

What steps should an employer take to make hybrid working safe?

Here are the top things to follow so that your employees can return to the office safely:

 

  1. Make sure you properly assess your office space before any staff return to the space. This can include making sure that heating, windows, doors and any appliances are all in working order.
  2. Ensure that if you are returning to the office that you are following all government guidelines surrounding Covid-19 and the workplace. Visit the Working Safely site for up to date guidance.

 

  1. Make sure that desks are at least 1 metre apart and that there is enough social distance between employees. You should also make sure whilst rearranging the space that there are no trailing wires or cables that could be a trip hazard.

 

  1. Make sure you encourage employees to wear masks around communal areas like the bathroom, unless they are eating, drinking, or sitting at their desk

 

  1. Utilise ventilation where possible. This could mean opening a window in the summer months or open doors during the winter

 

  1. Make sure there are plenty of antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer available.

What does this mean for the future?

Covid-19 has presented an opportunity for employers to review and evolve their working arrangements following the experiences of working from home during the pandemic. In fact, many employers have already seen benefits of allowing their employees to work remotely, in terms of productivity and worker happiness.

If you have been injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault and you would like more information, please get in touch with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors today.

How to Avoid Slips, Trips and Falls in the Workplace

July 28, 2021/in /by
How to Avoid Slips, Trips and Falls in the Workplace

How to Avoid Slips, Trips and Falls in the Workplace

As many of us throughout the UK make our way back into the office for the first time in over a year, there’s a sense of excitement to be reunited with our colleagues, to have meetings face-to-face and to enjoy some gossip over a morning coffee.

Working from somewhere other than our living rooms for the first time in a long time can be a shock to the system, so we need to allow ourselves time to readjust to our workplace surroundings and familiarise ourselves to any potential workplace hazards.

It’s unavoidable, even in adult life, that we’ll often slip, trip or fall. Most of the time, we can just get right back up and brush ourselves off. However, in the workplace, slips and trips can be much more serious. Even relatively modest accidents can result in injury, loss of earnings and other damages. That’s why any accident in a workplace environment should be dealt with immediately.

Here at Bonnar Accident Law, we understand the concerns you’ll have following a workplace accident. We have significant experience handling these types of claims so if you are injured in an accident at work that wasn’t your fault, get in touch today, or keep reading to find out more.

 

The Dangers Of Slips, Trips, and Falls

Whilst they may not seem like the most critical of accidents, slips, trips and falls are the single most common cause of injures at work, accounting for a third of all reported major injuries. The Health and Safety Executive estimates that these types of incidents cost employers more than £512 million a year from lost production and other costs.

They can happen anytime anywhere, from offices to industrial settings, and can result in anything from a skinned knee to a broken bone to a long-lasting disability that could prevent you from working for an extended period of time.

It’s important to remember that slips, trips, and falls rarely happen on their own – there is usually a way to avoid them and ensure that you can go about your day-to-day working as safely as possible.

 

Our Top Tips to Prevent Slips, Trips and Falls

  1. Prevention, Not Cure

It’s far better to identify the potential causes of falls, slips and trips in the workplace and rectify these prior to any accidents taking place. Inspect your premises for uneven floor surfaces, trailing cables, wet floors and poor lighting and take the necessary action to remove these risks.

 

  1. See It, Sort It

If you identify any risks whether it be a spillage, an obstruction in a hallway or stairwell, or an ineffective or broken light, take action right away. Whether you’re the employer or employee, make sure the appropriate member of management has been notified and swift action is taken to reduce the risk of an accident.

 

  1. Be Organised

By ensuring your workplace has an effective strategy to maintaining a safe work environment, can help to avoid numerous injuries and accidents. Make sure firstly to plan ahead, by identifying any potential risks, assign responsibilities so there are key members of staff committed to the upkeep of safety in the workplace and regularly review your workplace safety standards to ensure you’re adhering to regulations.

 

Can I Make a Claim If I’m Injured from a Slip, Trip or Fall in my Workplace?

If your employer fails to provide a safe working environment and you are injured as a result, you can and should make a claim for compensation both for the injury as well as any loss of work or earnings. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), all employees have a right to be kept safe from any harm in the workplace

Whether the accident happened in your workplace or if you were carrying out work for your employer in a different location, whether you’re employed full or part-time, and no matter the size of the business, none of these factors affect your eligibility to make a claim. Even if your accident was caused by a visiting member of the public or the actions of a colleague, your employer is ultimately responsible for keeping you from harm in your workplace.

Typically, in the UK you have three years from the date of your accident to make a claim. There are exceptions to this rule however, we recommend if you have been injured in an accident at work, that you get in touch with us as soon as possible to ensure your claim is filed well within the time limit.

If you have been injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault and you would like more information, please get in touch with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors today.

 

health and safety

FFI? Health & Safety wheeze about to hit the buffers?

November 18, 2013/in , , , , /by

FFI – as acronyms go it’s an ‘open goal’...if you’re looking for a cheap larf that is.

As ideas go, FFI is more of an ‘own goal’ but it ain’t no laughing matter because this particular Government wheeze, introduced last October, is helping to undermine 170 years of progress in workplace safety.

The evidence is that the scheme is spectacularly failing to deliver on its key objective which is: to make companies pay for Health & Safety Executive visits where breaches of health and safety regulations have occurred.

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work injury

We are not amused…Queen’s Speech undermines UK worker safety and rights to fair compensation

May 13, 2013/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , /by

We have come to expect the coalition government to be hell bent on a crusade to reduce worker safety, fuelled by a spurious political dogma that a reduction in the regulatory burden will unleash the entrepreneurial spirit of British industry, thus solving all our economic woes at a stroke – and the Queen’s Speech on 8th May didn’t disappoint…

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