The Pollard Blog

March 14, 2024 | Asbestos in the workplace

Asbestos, a once-popular construction material, poses significant health risks. Business owners and property managers must prioritise the safety of employees, customers, and visitors.

January 7, 2024 | Accidents and Incidents

Accidents and incidents in the workplace will always happen. Here we will look at the differences between accidents and incidents in a workplace and what actions are needed to take after an accident or incident.  

December 12, 2023 | Protect Duty – Martyns Law

Are you Ready for the new “Protect Duty – Martyns Law”

The Terrorism Protection of Premises Bill, also known as ‘Martyn’s Law’ is expected to become law in December 2023 or January 2024.

October 1, 2023 | Diabetes in the Workplace

Diabetes is a chronic condition that can cause serious complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, neurologic disease, and leg ulcers and amputations.

September 1, 2023 | Recent Changes to Fire Safety Requirements

In July this year the UK government published some amendments to the Fire Safety Order. Here, we aim to provide you with a brief overview of what changes have been made.

August 1, 2023 | Construction Site Safety

Construction sites can be a minefield when it comes to health and safety. There are numerous hazards and safety risks to be aware of from electricity to plant and vehicles to working at height and many more.

July 1, 2023 | Staying BBQ Safe at Home

Summer is a great time to spend more time outdoors with family and friends, and as such, many of us like to cook and eat outdoors. So here are our top tips for staying BBQ safe this summer.

June 1, 2023 | Lung Health for you and your Workers

The 21st – 27th June this year is ‘Love Your Lungs’ week in the UK. There are many ways to look after your lungs, and when it comes to the workplace there are welfare regulations in place to protect workers, from ensuring they have adequate ventilation, wearing the correct PPE for specific tasks, and ensuring a certain level of air quality within the workplace.

May 23, 2023 | Health & Safety in Your Business

When thinking about health and safety in your business, where should you start?

May 1, 2023 | Mental Health at Work

Mental health in the workplace has never been more important. Here, we’d like to explore the possible signs of poor mental health and what organisations and employers can do to help any employees who may be struggling with theirs.

April 1, 2023 | Menopause Awareness in the Workplace

The menopause is a huge subject that for so long has gone under the radar, but thankfully for so many women, it is at long last seeing the light of day.

March 1, 2023 | Occupational Health

As a business owner or employer, you have a legal duty to ensure the health and wellbeing of your workers both physically and mentally as a result of your business activities.

February 1, 2023 | Tinnitus Awareness Week

Tinnitus awareness week in the UK is from the 5th to the 11th February this year so we’d like to talk about what you can do to protect your workers’ hearing.

 

January 1, 2023 | Tips for Driving in Snowy or Icy Conditions

Here are a few tips for preparing for and taking journeys in wintry conditions in the safest way possible.

December 7, 2022 | Communication with Lone Workers

Staying in touch with your workers is particularly important when considering the safety of lone workers, and especially around holiday times like Christmas when some workplaces may be operating at skeleton staff levels.

As an employer, you have a duty to consider and manage health and safety risks before people can work alone whether they are your employees, contractors, freelance or self-employed.

November 8, 2022 | Road Safety Week

Road Safety Week begins on 14th November this year, but as an employer, have you considered your responsibilities to your workers who drive for work.


Note the term ‘driving for work’ rather than ‘driving to work’ and don’t forget to consider bicycles, motorbikes or other two-wheeled vehicles.

October 10, 2022 | Back Care Awareness Week

Back Care Awareness Week takes place each October, so we thought it appropriate to talk a little on this subject in terms of the workplace.

As an employer you have a duty to protect your employees from developing back pain caused by work, whether this be through manual handling activities, working with display screen equipment or driving long distances over rough ground.

September 8, 2022 | Local Community

Here at Pollard Safety Services, we love to get involved in the local community in any way possible.

This summer we sponsored a beautiful hanging basket, organised by the Darfield Ward alliance to help brighten up the village. We think it’s more than done its job!

August 10, 2022 | DSE at Home 

If you have employees who work from home either permanently or part-time, it’s important that you understand your responsibilities towards them when it comes to DSE (Display Screen Equipment). Just because they are out of the office, the risks are still your responsibility to manage proportionately.

July 20, 2022 | Safe Use of Stepladders

While stepladders should never automatically be your first choice, they are often a practical option for short, low-risk jobs. However, it is important to know when and how to use stepladders safely in the workplace.

July 14, 2022 | Advice for employers during a heatwave

As it stands, in the UK, there is currently no legal maximum temperature for workplaces, but the HSE states that employers should ensure their staff are working in ‘reasonable’ temperatures and the TUC is currently asking ministers to introduce a maximum working temperature of 30ºC, and 27ºC for those undertaking strenuous activities. 

July 4, 2022 | Welfare Facilities for your Workers

Do you know what you must provide for your workers’ daily welfare? Do you have the right facilities in place? Is it a legal requirement to provide them?

June 8, 2022 | How Liable are you for Homeworker Accidents?

A recent case in Germany where a man fell and broke his back on his own stairs while ‘commuting’ to work from his bedroom to his home office, has employers rattled after the court ruled that he was entitled to claim workplace accident insurance compensation for his injuries.

May 17, 2022 | Common Myths about PPE in the Workplace

PPE in the workplace can seem confusing at times. What type of PPE should be worn? When is it appropriate? Do we really need to bother?

April 26, 2022 | Out and About with Pollard Safety Services

Last week I spent some time in Keighley with a manufacturing company who has been a client for over 5 years.

Feb 21, 2022 | The importance of PPE

I was recently contacted asking if I would give a small retail business a ‘Fire Certificate’ to satisfy their insurers. Their perception was that it would be a short visit at the end of which I would leave them with a certificate, for under £50.

Feb 4, 2022 | Do I need a Fire Certificate for my business?

I was recently contacted asking if I would give a small retail business a ‘Fire Certificate’ to satisfy their insurers. Their perception was that it would be a short visit at the end of which I would leave them with a certificate, for under £50.

Feb 4, 2022 | Health & Safety

In short, it’s the law. The longer answer is that as an employer you have moral, financial and legal responsibility for the health and safety of everyone who works for you.

December 23, 2021 | Fire Safety in Restaurants

Due to the nature of the business, restaurants are more susceptible to fire and can find it more difficult to recover from, meaning that 80% either never re-open or close within 18 months of a major fire. This makes being aware of the causes, and how to prevent and manage fire effectively, essential when running a restaurant business.

November 15, 2021 | Frequently Asked Questions

As an employer, it is your legal duty to appoint a competent person under health and safety law.

Mar, 2021 | Reporting of accidents, incidents and work-related disease

Not all accidents must be reported to the HSE, but all should be recorded in your accident book.

October 12, 2021 | Frequently Asked Questions

The HSE defines stress as ‘the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them’.

Feb, 2021 | Qualitative Face Fit Testing

Do What? I hear you ask!!  Let me clarify…

Face Fit Testing is aimed at all those who are required to wear a half mask (or dust mask/ respirator) to protect them from dust or fume inhalation during their work.

Jan, 2021 | Home Computer Workstations

For those companies who may have sent staff home to work and where this is looking like a long-term plan, you might be tempted to just ensure employees have a laptop to work from and that is enough.

Jun 10, 2020 | Accreditations

CHAS and other SSIP accreditations are systems which allow contractors to demonstrate to potential clients that they meet the required health and safety standards.  Many companies you may wish to work for insist you have it in place as a minimum before they will even…