This year’s European Safety Week takes place week beginning October 20th. Workplace health and safety is good for business, for workers and for society as a whole. Every year more than 5,000 people lose their lives in the EU as a result of accidents in the workplace according to Eurostat. A great many of these lives could be saved and many thousands of other injuries prevented if risks were anticipated and sensible safety measures implemented….

It is an offence to use or place on the market a substance subject to authorisation (REACH Annex XIV) once the sunset date has passed, unless an application has been made before the latest application date or an authorisation has been granted. Applicants can still make an application for a substance subject to authorisation after the latest application date, however, if they don’t receive an approval by the time the sunset date arrives they must…

Road tankers carrying fuels, chemicals and gases are designed, constructed and maintained in accordance with the European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR), unless otherwise provided for under national legislation. The ADR sets out how dangerous goods must be transported nationally and internationally, while national legislative provisions provide some flexibility within the otherwise prescriptive provisions of ADR for the purposes of national transport only. There are currently a number of…

Does your organisation have employees who drive for work? Is this activity included in your Safety Management System? You need to consider the following “Top Ten” items when tackling the task of Driving for Work Risk Management. Policy: Your organisation has a comprehensive Safety,Health and Welfare at work Management (SHWW) policy,which includes clear objectivesand a commitment to improving Work Related Vehicle Safety. Clearly outline the roles and responsibilities of both employees and management. Risk Assessments:…

The Health and Safety Authority has today (Thursday 27 May) launched four new short on-line courses on its e-learning portal http://hsalearning.ie aimed at transport or fleet managers and those employing staff who drive for work. These free courses will help to raise awareness of key hazards and risks in transport and aim to reduce the estimated 105,179 lost work days owing to vehicle-related non-fatal injuries during the five year period from 2009 to 2013. The…