WOBO recognises the activities of the UK Health and Safety Executive and their potential use within the global setting
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a) Updated hearing protection calculator: improved usability and accuracy
HSE has updated our noise exposure calculator to enhance its effectiveness in helping employers assess hearing protection in noisy environments.
The new version features mobile compatibility and more precise calculations for hearing protection.
Visit our website to access the updated noise exposure calculator.
Key updates
- mobile compatibility: now optimised for smartphones, allowing easy access via Excel
- enhanced protection calculation: includes the HML (High, Medium, Low) method for improved accuracy
Why it matters – Recent inspections revealed that many employers failed to ensure that workers wearing hearing protection could still hear safety alarms.
The updated calculator helps identify over- and under-protection, ensuring safety alarms remain audible where necessary.
The original SNR method remains available for users who prefer it.
b) Noise: Management of Exposure in the Workplace
4 February 2026, HSE Science and Research Centre, Buxton.
This one-day course provides an overview of the duties required under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, and gives practical guidance on how to control and manage noise risks in the workplace.
Find out more and book your place at our website: Noise: Management of exposure in the workplace.
3) HSE publishes annual workplace health and safety statistics
HSE has published the latest statistics on work-related health and safety in Great Britain.
The annual work-related health and safety figures for 2024/25 include:
- 1.9 million working people suffering from a work-related illness, of which:
- 964,000 workers are suffering work-related stress, depression or anxiety
- 511,000 workers are suffering from a work-related musculoskeletal disorder
- 124 workers killed in work-related accidents
- 40.1 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury
- £22.9 billion estimated cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions (2023/24)
HSE’s statistics webpages have more information on this year’s figures, including different types of work-related ill health and different industry sectors.
You can also view our annual infographic-style summary statistics booklet.
For more details, and quotes from HSE’s Chief Executive Sarah Albon, read our press release: HSE publishes annual workplace health and safety statistics.
4) Lighting at work guidance – The quicker and easier it is to see a hazard, the more easily it is avoided.
Lighting at work is very important to the health and safety of everyone using the workplace.
Our publication offers guidance on:
- assessment and management of risks attributable to poor lighting
- what constitutes good practice
- the minimum recommended levels of lighting
You can download a free copy of the guidance: Lighting at work (HSG38).
5) Consultation launched on the Control of Asbestos Regulations and guidance – The consultation aims to seek stakeholders’ views on 3 proposals:
- to ensure the independence and impartiality of roles in the 4-stage clearance process to further minimise the risk of exposure from asbestos to workers and building users after the removal of asbestos
- to drive up the standard of asbestos surveys to ensure dutyholders have the information they need to safely manage asbestos risks
- to clarify the type of work that constitutes work with asbestos known as notifiable non-licensed work (NNLW)
Find out more about the consultation in our press notice.To view the consultation and to submit your comments visit our website: Legislative and guidance proposals for the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 The consultation is open for comments until 9 January 2026.
6) Protecting workers from workplace transport – HSE has called for all industries, including construction, to get the basics right to protect workers from workplace transport.
Being struck by a moving vehicle is one of the leading causes of work-related fatalities in Great Britain. It accounts for 16% of all fatal work-related injuries, claiming an average of 21 lives annually across all industries over the past 5 years.
The construction industry loses 4 workers annually to vehicle strikes on site; many of which feature the same pattern involving reversing vehicles and could be prevented by basic measures and effective management.
Read HSE’s call to get the basics right.
Visit HSE’s website where you can find:
- industry wide guidance on workplace transport
- construction specific guidance on traffic management on site
7) Safety Climate Tool 2.0 launched – The Safety Climate Tool (SCT) 2.0 offers actionable insights to help organisations manage their safety culture.
Created by HSE experts, the SCT measures an element of safety culture – the ‘way things are done’ in your organisation when it comes to health and safety. This is a significant starting point for any organisation to continually improve and raise standards.
The SCT 2.0 has been enhanced in response to user feedback. The updated version of HSE’s popular tool offers improved functionality and ease of use, while adding a number of new features which provide benefits and greater value to users.
- find out more about the SCT 2.0 and its new features
- watch our YouTube video explaining the latest updates
8) Free webinar – Investigating to prevent: A practical guide to workplace accidents and incidents – 11 December, live online
With over 30 million working days lost annually to work-related accidents and illnesses, effective incident investigation is crucial for preventing future harm and identifying avoidable risks.
Join HSE for an informative webinar covering the key steps to accident and incident investigations.
Delegates will learn about:
- gathering and analysing information
- identifying control measures
- action planning
- HSE’s Accident and Near Miss tool
- the refreshed NEBOSH HSE introduction to incident investigation qualification
All attendees will receive a CPD certificate.
Book your placeVisit our website to find out more details or book your place.
9)BSR sees record Gateway 2 determinations to November 2025
Our latest building control Gateway 2 (GW2) update demonstrates the sustained positive impact of our pilot processes for high-rise residential building control applications.
Highlights to 24 November:
- a record 272 decisions were made during October
- 76% of all decisions related to London cases
- determinations had a 73% approval rate with many utilising the recently enhanced ‘approval with requirements’ route
- 40 historic applications were closed between August and November
- 167 new build applications, comprising 36,023 housing units across England are currently progressing
To 24 November, a further 9 historic determinations have been made and now assessed as ready for ‘approval with requirements’. The majority of the remaining 54 historic applications are still projected to follow by the new year. Read more about the latest data.
10) Minimise manual handling risks for workers this festive season – Christmas is nearly here and it can be a demanding time for those working throughout the festive season.
The run-up to Christmas can be especially busy for those who work in haulage and distribution.Workers in this industry are vulnerable to the risk of musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) injuries from hazardous manual handling. This can include:
- people lifting heavy parcels around warehouses
- delivery drivers moving products across the country
Our step-by-step guide to manual handling at work should help you minimise these risks. We also have advice for users and suppliers of agency, or temporary workers, as many of these are specifically employed for the festive period.
11) Updated hearing protection calculator: improved usability and accuracy -HSE has updated our noise exposure calculator to enhance its effectiveness in helping employers assess hearing protection in noisy environments.
The new version features mobile compatibility and more precise calculations for hearing protection.
Visit our website to access the updated noise exposure calculator.
Key updates include:
- mobile compatibility: now optimised for smartphones, allowing easy access via Microsoft Excel
- enhanced protection calculation: includes the HML (High, Medium, Low) method for improved accuracy
Why it matters
Recent inspections revealed that many employers failed to ensure that workers wearing hearing protection could still hear safety alarms.The updated calculator helps identify over and under-protection, ensuring safety alarms remain audible where necessary.
12) HSE Annex 15 restriction report on proposed PFAS restrictions -n 6-month public consultation closes for evidence on 18 February 2026.
HSE, in its role as the Agency for UK REACH with support from the Environment Agency, published an Annex 15 restriction report in August 2025 that assessed the risks to the environment and human health from the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in firefighting foams (FFF).
We are suggesting restrictions on the placing on the market and use of PFAS in FFF, with sector-specific transition periods.
To inform the opinion-forming stage of the restriction process, a 6-month public consultation was launched when this report was published.
All stakeholders are reminded to consider the questions posed in the consultation and submit relevant evidence on PFAS in FFF including information on the suggested restrictions and sector-specific transition periods.
View the public consultation and Q&A for PFAS in FFF.
13) HSE contributes to award-winning hydrogen safety research in aviation – HSE has played a key role in a major research project that has been recognised with a national award for innovation in sustainable transport.
Project ZEST (Zero Emission Sustainable Transport) is an Airbus-led programme and has received the ‘Shaping the Future’ award at the Aerospace Technology and Innovation Conference 2025.
The 3-year project brought together industry and academic partners to improve understanding of how hydrogen can be used safely in future aircraft and aviation infrastructure.
With more than 2 decades of hydrogen safety expertise, HSE provided critical research and evidence to support safe innovation across the sector.
HSE shared further insight at the Safe Net Zero event, held on 25 and 26 November in Edinburgh, which focused on safety considerations for the production and large-scale storage of hydrogen and its derivatives.
Read the full story and find out more in our press notice.