WOBO recognises the activities of the UK Health and Safety Executive many of which may be applied within the global setting.
Manual handling at work: guidance on the law – As an employer, you must protect your workers from the risks of manual handling injuries in the workplace.
You can find help with preventing these sort of risks in your workplace on our manual handling webpages.
We have a range of information and guidance for employers, including sections on assessing manual handling and training for workers.
There are also links to a variety of useful resources, which include our free-to-download publications:
Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) – Make sure you comply with LOLER regulations and lift work equipment safely.
HSE’s website has guidance on the safe use of lifting equipment, which sets out what businesses should do to comply with LOLER. The webpages include:
- an overview of LOLER
- guidance on safe lifting by machines
- how to thoroughly examine lifting equipment
- the planning and organising of lifting operations
Steel company fined £100,000 for lifting activity failures
A worker was crushed and suffered multiple rib fractures as well as internal injuries during this incident. HSE’s investigation found the company had failed to ensure that the lifting activity was properly planned by a competent person, or carried out in a safe manner.
You can get further information, and view a video of CCTV footage of the incident, at our press release: CCTV captures moment welder crushed at shipyard.
Storing and handling airbags and seat belt pretensioners safely – HSE has produced guidance to help all those working in motor vehicle repair to safely store and handle airbags and seat belt pretensioners.
If these devices are not handled correctly there is the possibility of physical injury and poisoning.
The guidance provides simple precautions you can take to reduce the risks and includes information on:
- licensing
- safe storage
- safe handling
- requirements for supply
Visit HSE’s website to read the guidance: Storing and handling airbags and seat belt pretensioners safely.
Risk of collision with offshore installations from attendant vessels – Workers on attendant vessels and offshore installations are being put at risk due to a failure of navigational watch processes and systems.
Incidents are occurring because:
- personnel who are responsible for watchkeeping and the safe navigation of a vessel are being distracted with non-navigational tasks
- situational awareness is not being maintained at all times
- there is insufficient communication between all members of a bridge team
Action required Vessel operators and duty holders responsible for marine activities connected with offshore oil and gas installations and windfarms should review operating procedures and take actions relevant to your operation. – For full details view the safety notice.
HSE inspections of schools to assess the management of asbestos – HSE is continuing to inspect schools across Great Britain to assess how well they are managing the risks from asbestos.
The findings of our 2023 to 2024 inspections show that most schools are complying with their legal duties and have effective systems in place to manage and monitor the condition of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs).
However, there are some common areas where schools continue to require improvements. Most of these relate to failings in their management systems and include key findings that schools should:
- ensure staff and organisations have clear roles and responsibilities for managing asbestos and have deputies or contingency plans in place to cover for absences
- check that when contractors tender for work that there is a permit-to-work or similar safe system of work in place
- have clear asbestos management plans including how information is provided to emergency services who attend site
- include photographs of ACMs in their asbestos registers to assist with identifying their locations and condition
- check that in-house staff carrying out maintenance work on or near asbestos have a method statement, also known as a plan of work
- provide appropriate asbestos training for in-house staff and ensure that external contractors are appropriately trained
Similar issues were identified in our 2022 to 2023 inspection report into the management of asbestos in schools. Schools may want to consider these findings to ensure that their management arrangements remain effective and that common areas of improvement identified during these visits have been addressed.
HSE is carrying out further inspections to schools across Great Britain in 2025 to 2026.
HSE’s Asbestos – Your Duty campaign provides additional free resources to support dutyholders with the legal duty to manage asbestos in buildings.
Visit HSE’s website for further information on:
Improved guidance for self-employed workers – HSE has redesigned its webpages for self-employed workers to make it easier for them to understand when health and safety law applies and to find the guidance they need.
The refreshed pages explain:
- when health and safety law applies
- deciding if your work activity creates a risk to others
- high-risk work activities that apply to self-employed workers
- how to comply with the law if it applies to you
Find out more in our guidance for self-employed workers.
Working with hazardous substances – A variety of harmful substances are found in our working environments – knowing how to control these safely can help protect you from harm.
HSE’s Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) webpages can help you understand the actions you should take to protect your health.
The site has useful guidance and resources for those who work with hazardous substances, including:
Updated health surveillance guidance: respirable crystalline silica (RCS) – HSE has refreshed its guidance publication ‘Health surveillance for those exposed to respirable crystalline silica’.
The publication:
- provides advice for employers on the health surveillance appropriate for those whose work may result in exposure to RCS
- sets out what you should expect from a health surveillance provider
- Visit HSE’s website to read the updated publication: Health surveillance for those exposed to respirable crystalline silica (G404).
Action required
Employers in industries such as construction, worktop manufacturing and installation, stone masonry, ceramics, and quarrying should review the updated guidance to ensure they comply with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH).