An estimated 9.5m working days were lost due to work-related musculoskeletal disorders last year; an average of 17 days lost for each case, according new statistics released by the Work Foundation. This represents 40% of all days lost due to work-related ill-health in 2014/15. In recognition of the impact this has on the workplace, Bone and Joint Action Week took place in October with a specific focus on ‘Musculoskeletal health to stay in work’. ‘This reflects increasing recognition of the importance of musculoskeletal health to enable... Continue reading

British businesses are being urged to ensure fair treatment in recruitment after research into employers’ knowledge and attitudes has revealed confusion and misunderstanding of the law on advertising jobs. The new research reveals that employers see both UK and foreign-born workers as productive, motivated and hardworking. However, a slightly higher proportion of employers felt more positively towards foreign-born workers in terms of their work ethic and flexibility, and that they were less likely to think about the impact of work on their b... Continue reading

Registration is now open for the upcoming MEFMA CONFEX KSA to be held on the 23 – 24 November 2016 at the Burj Rafal Kempinski Hotel in Riyadh, KSA. The Theme of this year's event is the FM Role in Saudi's Mega Projects. The first Conference Day, taking place on the 23 November, will focus on the latest FM developments in Saudi and numerous high level presentations and interactive panel discussions will tackle the most challenging FM issues both in the KSA as well as in the GCC region. The main topics to be discussed are: Owner Associ... Continue reading

International Workplace has confirmed the appointment of Claire Deacon & Associates (CD&A) as an approved training centre for the African region based in South Africa. Having established OccuMed as a specialist occupational health and safety service provider in 1994, CD&A are experts in construction safety and workplace management. Founder and Managing Member Claire Deacon serves as a member on the South African Council for Project and Construction Management Professions, and is a director of the Association of Construction Health and Safe... Continue reading

It will not have escaped anyone involved in facilities management that large strides have been made recently to move the discipline of FM onto a truly international footing. At the forefront of this progress has been the partnership between RICS and IFMA – further cemented at World Workplace in San Diego this month – where the Chair of RICS FM Board, Kath Fontana, has been playing a central role. In her first interview on the collaboration, David Sharp discovers what it could mean for FM education. Kath Fontana is not one to waste wor... Continue reading