Health & Safety News

Hands-only CPR

If an adult has suddenly collapsed, is not breathing normally and is unrepsonsive, they are in cardiac arrest. There is no time to lose. Even if you are untrained, your actions can help.

There are two simple actions that you can do to help save their life:

1. Call 999
2. Push hard and fast in the centre of their chest about 100 - 120 times a minute until the ambulance service arrives.

The British Heart Foundation are recommending this emergency measure for use by people without training in First Aid.

Visit the British Heart Foundation CPR webpage

View the Vinnie Jones short movie on hands-free CPR

The Fire Marshal and First Aider lists have been updated.

The Health and Safety training programme for 2011 - 2012 (PDF, file size: 175.08KB) is now available on the training page

 The university Risk Assessment Policy (DOC, file size: 341.5KB) has been reviewed and updated.

The University Accident Report Form (DOC, file size: 251.5KB) has been amended to include a section to indicate Trade Union membership. Where the accident is reportable under RIDDOR a copy will then be forwarded to the individual's Trade Union Representative.

Following on from the Lord Young report the HSE have issued guidance on a simple way to conduct an office risk assessment. The Health and Safety Executive has developed this tool, in consultation with Local Government Regulation, and it is aimed at offices where the elements of risk are considered to be low.

Changes to First Aid Training (PDF, file size: 24.36KB)  were introduced on 1 October 2009.

On 6 April 2009, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) published a new version of its approved health and safety law poster.

Under new legislation which came into force on 16 January 2009 courts are now able to award higher penalties for breaches of health and safety laws.  The new legislation will:

• Raise the maximum fine which may be imposed by the lower courts to £20,000 for most offences

• Makes a prison sentence an option for more health and safety offences in both lower and higher courts

• Makes certain offences that can currently only go to trial in the lower courts, triable in either the lower or higher courts

Prior to 16 January, lower courts could only award a fine not exceeding  £5,000 although higher courts could impose an unlimited fine. Now the lower courts can fine up to £20,000 and award 12 months imprisonment whilst the higher courts have the power to impose an unlimited fine and/or a 2 year prison sentence.

The new legislation does not change any requirements under existing Health and Safety Laws and responsibilities of employers and employees have not changed. By following existing safety rules the new penalties can be avoided.

Summary of the philosophy behind the new Corporate Manslaughter Act

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 came into force on 6th April 2008. From this date, an organisation will be guilty of corporate manslaughter if the way in which activities are managed or organised causes a death and amounts to a gross breach of a duty of care.

A gross breach means that the organisation’s conduct must have fallen far below what could have been reasonably expected. Courts will take account of how the fatal activity was managed or organised, including systems for managing safety and how these were operated in practice.

A substantial part of the failure within the organisation must have been at "senior level". This means the people who make significant decisions about the organisation or substantial parts of it, including those in both centralised functions and those in "senior operational management" (which may well include Deans/Directors and Heads of Service).

Previously, organisations could only be found guilty of manslaughter when manslaughter could firstly be proved against an individual senior manager. In future, an organisation is guilty of corporate manslaughter if there is a serious failure of the management system, not necessarily attributable to one individual.

The Act concerns corporate manslaughter, and does not affect liability of individual senior managers, who can already be prosecuted for gross negligence manslaughter. They can also be prosecuted individually under the Health and Safety at Work Act if a health and safety offence is committed with their "consent, connivance and neglect".