Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Publications
Health and Safety Executive
HSE Books, 2009 (AS24(rev1))
Published 03.2009
This leaflet is provides advice to all users of tractors with power take-off and power take-off drive shafts.
PDF[1.57mb]
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Health and Safety Laboratory and Health and Safety Executive
(RR696)
Published 03.2009
One in 17 British carpenters born in the 1940s will die of mesothelioma - a cancer of the lining of the lung caused by asbestos - according to new research* published in the British Journal of Cancer.
In the largest global study of its kind - funded by Cancer Research UK and the Health and Safety Executive - more than 600 patients with mesothelioma and 1 400 healthy people were interviewed to examine UK rates of the disease linked to different occupations.
The researchers have calculated that men born in the 1940s who worked as carpenters for more than 10 years before they reached 30 have a lifetime risk for mesothelioma of about one in 17. For plumbers, electricians and decorators born in the same decade who worked in their trade for more than 10 years before they were 30, the risk is one in 50 and for other construction workers one in 125.
For every case of mesothelioma, asbestos also causes about one case of lung cancer so the overall risk of asbestos related cancer for this particular group of carpenters is about one in 10.
The risk was also increased in other industries and the study showed that two-thirds of all British men and one quarter of women had worked in jobs involving potential asbestos exposure at some time in their lives. There was also a small increased risk in those who had lived with someone who had been exposed to asbestos.
The risk of mesothelioma for the rest of the UK population who haven’t experienced these occupational exposures is about one in 1 000. These apparently unexposed cases account for 60 per cent of all mesotheliomas in women and 15 per cent in men. This is higher than the overall rate in women in most other countries, suggesting that many of these unexplained cases were caused by unrecognised environmental asbestos exposures which occurred in certain situations because of the widespread use of asbestos during the 1960s and 1970s.
There are three main types of asbestos – white, blue and brown. White asbestos was the type most commonly used in the UK. Blue asbestos was not used in Britain after 1970, but the use of brown asbestos continued into the 1980s, and carpenters often cut and drilled brown asbestos insulation board with power tools. The researchers believe this was a major factor underlying Britain’s mesothelioma epidemic.
PDF[753kb]
The Institute for Employment Studies and the Health and Safety Laboratory and Health and Safety Executive
(RR694)
Published 03.2009
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is working with organisations to reduce the causes of work-related stress, and has developed the Management Standards to assist it. This is part of its work to meet the targets set in ‘Securing Health Together’(2000) and the delivery of Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets (for 2004-2007) to reduce work-related ill-health and work-related sickness absence.
This report reflects research that evaluates the HSE’s SIP2 initiative, which aimed to help organisations manage stress and absence. It explores the effectiveness of the intervention in influencing procedures for managing work-related stress and sickness absence in organisations in the HSE’s target sectors. It also examines organisations’ existing policies and procedures in sickness absence management and stress management practices and assesses progress that organisations have made in implementing the Management Standards. Finally, it analyses the extent to which any changes made to the management of stress and sickness absence in the organisation worked, the barriers encountered and the solutions to these problems.
PDF[882kb]
The Institute for Employment Studies and the Health and Safety Laboratory and Health and Safety Executive
(RR693)
Published 03.2009
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for health and safety regulation in Great Britain. Their mission is to ensure that risks to people’s health and safety from work activities are properly controlled. Working to reduce the causes of work-related stress is a key area for the HSE, due to the high proportion of sickness absence which is attributable to stress-related conditions. As part of their programme of work in this area, the HSE has developed tools and frameworks to assist employers in conceptualising and directly tackling work-related stress. This research was designed to evaluate a particular aspect of this work, the Management Standards for work-related stress, Sector Implementation Plan Phase 1 (or SIP1). SIP1 ran from May 2005 to March 2007 and was designed to implement the HSE’s Management Standards for work-related stress in 100 volunteer organisations in the public and finance sectors. It involved HSE and Acas staff offering support to organisations who, in turn, signed up to fully implement the HSE Management Standards approach.
PDF[882kb]
Databuild Limited and the Health and Safety Laboratory and Health and Safety Executive
(RR695)
Published 03.2009
In late 2007, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Institute of Directors (IoD) jointly published guidance for directors encouraging them to lead on health and safety in their organisations; the publication was entitled ‘Leading Health and Safety at Work: leadership actions for directors and board members’ (INDG417).
Databuild Ltd was commissioned by the Central Office of Information (COI) to conduct research on behalf of the HSE to establish:
This report outlines the key findings from the research and identifies opportunities for the Health and Safety Executive to further promote the guidance.
PDF[863kb]
J Gore, J Beswick, and K Rogers of the Health and Safety Laboratory and Health and Safety Executive
(RR698)
Published 03.2009
This report details a comprehensive literature review covering the management and prevention of workrelated violence in retail and licensed premises. This review forms the evidence base of the ‘Good practice toolkit on preventing violence in retail and licensed premises [1]'. This literature review and the toolkit were part of a research project commissioned by Westminster City Council (WCC), and funded by HSE under the ‘Local Authorities (LA) and HSE Working Together Strategic Programme’. This initiative aims to give Local Authorities better access to scientific support.
WCC saw crime and disorder and the risk of violence to staff and customers as significant issues in licensed and retail premises. They had started to tackle these problems through their CivicWatch Business project and partnership working with Crime Prevention Officers and Police Licensing Officers, but felt that their work would be further enhanced by national guidance – the toolkit.
HSL Work Psychologists, drawing information from this review, developed the toolkit in consultation with WCC and other stakeholders.
Health and Safety Executive
HSE Books, 2009 (HSG151)
Published 03.2009
This guidance is aimed at all those involved in construction, not only the principal contractor, but also the client, CDM co-ordinator and designer, where appropriate. It contains practical advice on how those designing, planning, maintaining and carrying out construction work can minimise the risks.