The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is carrying out further spot inspections at businesses in Oldham and Pendle to ensure all workplaces are COVID-secure as coronavirus cases continue to rise in the areas. HSE inspectors are busy calling and visiting businesses across all different sectors in both areas putting employers on the spot and ensuring they are COVID-secure.

Cooperation between the United Kingdom Lubricants Association (UKLA) and HSE has led to a revised version of the UKLA Good Practice Guide for the Safe Handling and Disposal of Metalworking Fluids being published. This is a comprehensive guide giving advice on how to maintain metalworking fluids to prevent ill-health in machine workshops.

Infrastructure services company Morrison Utility Services has been presented with the top prize at the RoSPA Health and Safety Awards 2020. The company, which works to repair, renew, refurbish and maintain infrastructure in a range of utility sectors, won the Sir George Earle Trophy, the highest honour that the RoSPA Awards can bestow, by demonstrating excellence in health and safety management and commitment to continuous improvement and employee development.

Three talented and hard-working young people – Sidney Beckles, Garry Richford and Anya Squires – have been named as the recipients of the Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association’s (CHSA) 2020 Undergraduate Bursaries. Going to King’s College London to study Philosophy, Sidney’s mother works for Comax UK Healthline. Sidney is motivated and ambitious. She volunteered at a care home whilst taking her A’ levels, valuing the opportunity to engage with a range of different people. She intends to use the bursary to fund extracurricular learning and development opportunities.

As the UK Covid-19 lockdown restrictions begin to ease, engineering, design and environmental consultancy firm Ramboll has launched a new, free interactive training app to help businesses prepare and support employees returning to the office, while effectively reducing the risk of infection. The app, ‘Prevent infection – Offices’, directs employees through typical everyday office situations where there might be a risk of infection, and provides clear training in how to effectively reduce this risk – whether in lifts, shared facilities or on the commute.

Yesterday the Health Secretary announced how we will be tracing the spread of the virus through the use of a new system. From today (28 May), anyone who tests positive for coronavirus will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace and will need to share information about their recent interactions. This could include household members, people with whom they have been in direct contact, or within 2 metres for more than 15 minutes.

Loading and unloading goods vehicles can put drivers and other workers at risk. It is important to consider all risks to the health, safety, and welfare of drivers delivering to and collecting from sites, and take reasonable and practical steps to safeguard drivers and mitigate risk to their health and safety. Many dutyholders manage the safety of visiting drivers in line with HSE Guidance by providing a dedicated waiting area with welfare facilities for drivers

Project Specification Group, a unit of ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions UK & Ireland, has specified a range of solutions for a RAF nursery in Oxfordshire, delivering assured access and safety for children using the facility. Working in partnership with designers Frankham Consultancy Group and contractors Antac, the company specified a series of door opening solutions to the nursery at RAF Benson. The RAF base required an extension to its existing nursery facilities, increasing its capacity to cater for more than 100 children. As a result, the specification process demanded products that were fully compliant and tailored to the needs of the young children that would be using the facility.

Stay at home to stop coronavirus spreading Everyone must stay at home to help stop the spread of coronavirus. This includes people of all ages – even if you do not have any symptoms or other health conditions.

RoSPA is staying abreast of developments on coronavirus and keeping its awards, events, training and consultancy plans under review accordingly.