UV protection at work should be a priority for all, but laissez-faire attitudes are a cause for concern. How can OSH professionals raise awareness and safeguard workers?  Working outdoors poses many risks for employees, including exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. But according to a YouGov survey of 4435 respondents, of whom 558 were outdoor workers, precautionary measures are not always taken (SC Johnson Ltd, 2023). It found that a third of outdoor workers never apply sunscreen at work, and 34% of them claimed nothing would encourage them to do so. A third of those who never use UV protection at work said that they didn’t think it was necessary and 28% stated that they didn’t burn easily in the sun, citing this as their reason. 

A company in Doncaster has been fined after an employee was killed when a mixer wagon fell onto him.  The 52-year-old man was fatally crushed by the vehicle at Booth Mixer Hire Limited’s site at Bankend Quarry on 9 December 2019.  He had been replacing the wagon’s two front wheels when it fell on top of him.

A company has been fined after an inspection by Britain’s workplace regulator found workers were being exposed to excessive levels of wood dust.  Breathing in wood dust excessively can cause asthma and nasal cancer.  The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited Target Furniture Limited’s workshop on Studland Road in Kingsthorpe, Northampton on 26 May 2022 and found significant amounts of wood dust around the site and unsafe machinery, requiring Prohibition Notices to be issued.

A company that grows mushrooms has been fined after an employee’s leg became trapped in a machine and was later amputated.  Luka Ilic’s right leg was caught by the rotating blades of a mushroom filling machine and became stuck in the device’s moving parts on 16 October 2019.

Dr Karen McDonnell, RoSPA’s Occupational Health and Safety Policy Adviser, discusses the benefits of having older workers and the considerations employers should make to ensure they remain safe and healthy.

This April, Britain’s bosses are being invited to follow five simple steps to prevent and reduce stress in their workplace.  The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Working Minds campaign has called on employers to support workers mental health during Stress Awareness Month.

An investigation has been launched after a reality TV star died after falling from height at work.  George Gilbey, who appeared in Gogglebox and Celebrity Big Brother, was working as a self-employed electrician at a site in Essex.  According to local news reports, Essex Police said they had arrested a man on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection to the 40-year-old's death.

For many people who have a serious blow to the brain, physical recovery is just the first of their problems. Depression and other mental disorders are far more likely to develop following head trauma.  The results of a small US study suggest taking a widely used antidepressant in the weeks after the injury could actually help prevent severe depression.

A Lancashire woman has been jailed and ordered to pay £10,414 after she put the lives of her tenants at risk.    Landlord, Angela Chang, pleaded guilty to six breaches of a fire safety order at properties owned by Chinese restaurant Great Fortune House, after fire safety officers found there was no fire detection in place, and the properties were cluttered with rubbish and old mattresses, which prevented her tenants from exiting the building safely. 

A SKIP hire firm whose managing director had his legs crushed by a runaway truck in “an accident waiting to happen” has been fined £55,000 for breaching health and safety rules.  Paul Skinner’s legs were broken in two places following the incident at the Skinner Skips workshop in October 2022 and he spent four weeks in hospital in the UK.