The Scaffolding Association has called on the Government not to scrap or relax Working at Height Regulations. SHP hears more from the Association below.  The Revocation and Reform Bill which is currently being passed through Parliament includes over 2,400 laws and regulations which are being considered following the UK’s exit from the European Union.

A new partnership between the satellite phone firm Iridium and chip giant Qualcomm will bring satellite connectivity to premium Android smartphones later in the year.  It means that in places where there is no mobile coverage, handsets can connect with passing satellites to send and receive messages.

A building company has been fined £66,667 after a worker was injured when a floor that was under construction collapsed.  The Lusson Ltd worker was one of three people who were on the incomplete first floor of a building that was being constructed in Croham Valley Road, Croydon on 23 June 2021.

A property management company has been fined £200,000 after an employee was left in a wheelchair after falling eight metres through a rooflight.  Robin Williamson, an asbestos surveyor employed by City Property (Glasgow) LLP, suffered severe injuries after he fell while carrying out a survey on the roof of Netherton Community Centre, Glasgow on 5 April 2018.

A new report from Business in the Community (BITC), a British business-community outreach charity, warns about the risk of creating a two-tier workforce after it was found that employees whose mental health and wellbeing would benefit the most from having a say in how they work are the least likely to achieve a good work/life balance.  

A food production company has been fined £858,000 after an employee had his arm amputated after becoming entangled in an industrial food mixer.  Lee Simpson was removing filling ingredients from a paddle mixer, from which the contents could be removed at the front, at David Wood Baking Limited’s premises in Sheerness, Kent when his right hand and arm were drawn in.

THE HOME Office has published new guidance for individuals with responsibilities under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, which come into force during the early part of the New Year.  The guidance, entitled ‘Check Your Fire Safety Responsibilities Under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022’, can be found on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/check-your-fire-safety-responsibilities-under-the-fire-safety-england-regulations-2022/check-your-fire-safety-responsibilities-under-the-fire-safety-england-regulations-2022

Motor trade organisations have joined forces with the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Working Minds campaign to tackle work-related stress in the motor repair trade ahead of Christmas.  

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has refreshed its guidance to make it easier to find and understand advice on how to protect workers in low temperatures.

The pace of change in fire safety is now speeding up as we look forward to new secondary legislation in 2023 that will finally give the Building Safety Act some teeth – and make significant changes to how architects design buildings.   In the meantime, December sees the latest changes to Approved Document B (ADB) come into effect and these alone have some significant implications for architects. Let’s look at the headline changes.