NEWS

Reskilling the workforce post-COVID P9 | The deadly threat of asbestos hasn’t gone away P10 | Safety systems in one of the most hazardous sectors – agriculture – are ripe for change P12 | Engagement with IOSH: your views on how we did P16 | Non-profi t fi rm has hand-arm vibration penalties slashed P18 | Site boss jailed for failing to report accident leading to leg amputation P20

1Long working hours

Working for too many hours contributed to 745,000 deaths from stroke and ischaemic heart disease in 2016, according to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The joint research is the fi rst global analysis to examine the burdens of ischaemic heart disease and stroke attributable to exposure to long hours of work. The global deaths represent a 29% increase since 2000.

Drawing on data from 194 countries, the WHO and ILO estimated that the number of deaths from heart disease increased by 42% between 2000 and 2016 as a result of working at least 55 hours a week. For strokes, the number of deaths rose by 19%.

It’s inevitable that training and competence may have suffered where people have been out of the workplace for some time and have had to assume new responsibilities because of restructuring, or where focus has shifted due to COVID. DAC Beachcroft’s new legal director Rhian Greaves offers her advice on how to reskill your workforce.

3Manslaughter

Owner and director of Wood Treatment Ltd George Boden and the fi rm itself have been cleared of gross negligence manslaughter and corporate manslaughter after a blast in 2015 that killed four workers.

The Bosley Mill explosion killed Dorothy Bailey, 62, Derek William Barks, 51, Derek Moore, 62, and Jason Shingler, 38. The cause of the fi re is not known, but was thought to have involved an explosion of wood dust.

Sentencing of Boden in relation to health and safety offences he pleaded guilty to is expected soon.

4MASK-REFUSING DELIVERY DRIVER ‘FAIRLY DISMISSED’, TRIBUNAL RULES A lorry driver who was sacked after refusing to wear a face mask inside his cab on a client’s site was fairly dismissed, a judge has ruled. The case is believed to be the fi rst time a tribunal has ruled on face mask refusal.

5GRENFELL INQUIRY

Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (TMO) spent four years trying to clear a backlog of fi re risk assessment actions, the Grenfell Tower inquiry was told recently. The evidence session revealed that the TMO spent 2013 to 2017 trying to clear a backlog of fi re risk assessment actions, and that its in-house maintenance arm was scored one out of fi ve on health and safety training in an external audit.

6STAFF CONCERNED WITH BUILDING VENTILATION, POLL REVEALS The risk of airborne coronavirus transmission could be a barrier to a return to work for a third of workers, according to a study. The survey of 2000 adults, carried out by Rentokil Initial, suggested that 30% would like to see assurances on their building’s indoor air quality.

7Negligence claim dismissed for

A former police offi cer who fell out of a police van pursuing robbery suspects has had her claim for personal injuries dismissed.

The offi cer leaving the vehicle was fully aware of the risk and accepted she had to employ a dynamic risk assessment and decide when it was safe to leave the van. It was not an accident that could only be explained by negligence, a judge ruled.