Supporting positive mental health at work Mental Health Awareness Week brought a much-needed spotlight to the biggest cause of absence in the UK. Some research suggests the total cost of mental health problems to the UK economy is £34.9Bn. Other studies show that 1 in 4 people will experience a period of psychological ill health at some point. Before the pandemic […]
HSE launches online musculoskeletal risk assessment tools The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has launched free musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) risk assessment tools for businesses. Every business with more than 5 employees is obliged to carry out risk assessments. They are also sometimes recommended by occupational health professionals as step for businesses to consider. The free
PPE laws have changed The laws that businesses must follow when providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for employees changed on the 6th April 2022. The law changed to extend the scope of PPE provision that employers must provide. What changed? Previous PPE laws (PPER 1992) placed a duty on employers to ensure that suitable PPE was provided to employees who may have
Fit notes law has changed The government has extended the time after which employees must provide proof of sickness (using fit notes) from 7 to 28 days. The change in the law has been made on a temporary basis, to free up GP time and help the nationwide vaccination campaign. Fit notes and proof of sickness Employees must
Paranoid delusions may not be a disability The Court of Appeal determined last week that an employee who suffered from paranoid delusions did not have a disability. In the case, an employee at Bury Street Capital began suffering from paranoid delusions in 2013. The employee started believing he was being spied upon by a Russian
Firm fined £40,000 after failing to conduct health surveillance A civil engineering firm based in Wakefield has been fined after seven workers contracted Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) because of their work. Family-owned firm Peter Duffy Limited employs 190 people working on infrastructure projects, mostly in the North of England. The business pleaded guilty to breaching
Wrongful dismissal on health grounds A supermarket worker has won a case for wrongful dismissal because the employer breached their duty to make reasonable adjustments. Mr R Rasavallavan, a store leader in training, was employed by Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd, who were aware that Mr Rasavallavan had Diabetes. The disease is a disability as defined within
COHPA Membership Occupational Health Assessment Ltd has joined the Commercial Occupational Health Providers Association (“COHPA”), becoming the latest professional medical services firm to commit to the organisations’ Code of Conduct. With an emphasis on professional performance, quality standards, ethics and probity, COHPA is a not-for-profit independent association of occupational health and wellbeing providers. As well
Company fined heavily following poor occupational health advice A UK car dealership has been fined £140,000 at Sheffield Crown Court, following breaches of health and safety laws and poor practices by the company’s retained occupational health provider. Motor sales company, Perrys Motor Sales Ltd (PMS) and Occupational Health & Safety Consultants, S & Ash Ltd
The Faculty of Occupational Medicine, the professional and educational body for occupational medicine in the UK, has issued important guidance about the use of COVID-19 risk scoring systems. The guidance is well-timed, given the growing number of risk assessment or scoring systems being developed and marketed to businesses. Whilst many of the systems have potentially