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Is it time to change your health and safety culture? Striving for a good health and safety culture in the workplace shouldn’t stop. With Halloween fast approaching this is a good time of year to clear out those skeletons in the workplace! In other words, think about changing habits. Does your wo…
Read moreDevelopment of workplace health and safety started fairly recently Minimum legal workplace health and safety standards and expectations have been around pretty much since 1833. This is when HM Factory Inspectorate was formed under the Factories Act 1833. Its main duty was to ensure the enforcement…
Read moreEmployment practices generate criticism The employment practices of the retailer and leisure business, Sports Direct, have been the subject of ever increasing scrutiny over recent years. The rules and policies that operate within the business, in particular at the company’s headquarters in Derbyshi…
Read moreEmployment Tribunals – summary of activity Every three months, the Government publishes a summary of the activity within the Employment Tribunals system and, as always, the figures make interesting reading for employers. The data published for the period from January to March 2016 indicates that th…
Read moreCycle to work – encourage your employees A cycle to work scheme can encourage employees to make healthier and greener journeys to work. Under the scheme, your employees could be loaned a bike and/or additional cycling safety equipment plus other accessories by your organisation. Thus enabling them…
Read moreHSE construction inspectors to carry out unannounced visits HSE construction inspectors will be carrying out unannounced visits to sites where refurbishment projects or repair works are underway. The initiative is being undertaken as a series of two week inspections across the country - the inspec…
Read moreLatest legislation updates - keep safe at work Below is a list of latest legislation updates to keep you safe at work. If you are new to health and safety, see our guide on Getting Started - as health and safety legislation does not have to be complicated. Hazardous waste - April 2016 From 1 Ap…
Read moreWhat is the law on whistleblowing? The law on whistleblowing stipulates that, if employees believe that there is some wrong doing or malpractice happening in their workplace, they can ‘blow the whistle’ on the behaviour. If employees do 'blow the whistle', they can be potentially protected from l…
Read moreUncertainty of employing overseas workers A high degree of uncertainty around the issue of employing overseas workers has resulted due to the UK’s decision to leave the European Union . The recent piecemeal comments on the shape of the future policy on immigration and overseas workers’ rights have…
Read moreDress and appearance causes controversy Dress and appearance at work is in the news again. The Olympic Games has thrown up an unlikely controversy involving the BBC Sports presenter, Helen Skelton. Her own attire attracted a high volume of complaints from viewers even thought she was presenting a b…
Read moreWhat is it and when should garden leave be applied? Garden Leave, is a measure that is often used by employers. It is used to keep employees, who are leaving the organisation, out of the workplace during their notice period. It can be applied to any employee, regardless of their status. Although it…
Read moreHSE’s cost recovery scheme 'Fees for Intervention' goes up The HSE’s cost recovery scheme, 'Fees for Intervention' designed to shift the financial burden away from the tax payer to non-safety compliant businesses has gone up. The scheme came in to force in 2012, as the then coalition government pu…
Read moreExtension lead safety - the guidelines Extension lead safety should be considered. You’re not going to tell us that extension leads are no longer safe are you? Of course not, but… (There’s always a but with you!) …you must follow some simple guidelines when using them. Remember health and safety is…
Read moreChris Boardman angry about Olympic cycle crash A cycle crash prompted Chris Boardman, a former Olympic gold winning cyclist and the voice behind safe cycling in the UK, to claim that the Olympic race organisers were negligent. The Dutch cyclist, who was leading the race with no other cyclists in si…
Read moreSettlement agreements are legally binding contracts Settlement agreements (commonly known as compromise agreements prior to 2013) are legally binding contracts. They are drawn up to remove employees’ rights to bring a claim arising out of their contracts of employment to an Employment Tribunal or o…
Read moreAwards in unfair dismissal cases Where an award is made to a successful claimant in an Employment Tribunal unfair dismissal case, it will normally be made up of two distinct component parts. Firstly, there is the “basic award”, which is calculated as a sum equivalent to the notional statutory redu…
Read moreAge discrimination and the law? Specific age discrimination law forms part of the Equality Act 2010, having been first introduced into the UK in 2006. This Act consolidates all of the other laws on matters of potential discrimination; relating to all of the “protected characteristics” that exist in…
Read moreDismissal due to ill health - following the disciplinary procedure Dismissal due to ill health - a recent Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) decision has helpfully clarified the question of whether or not an employer should follow their disciplinary procedure when dismissing an employee on the ground…
Read moreHow will this affect the employment law framework? Like many aspects of economic and social life in the UK at the present time, there is a high degree of uncertainty surrounding the medium and long term picture of our employment law framework. However, in the short term at least, the situation is c…
Read moreIntroducing rules on dress in the workplace The recent story involving the instruction given to a female agency worker that she should get herself a pair of high heels if she wanted to stay in her role, continues to run and run. But is this fair, what are the rules when it comes to dress in the wor…
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