A survey has revealed that nearly four in ten (38%) construction workers are using the wrong type of fire extinguisher to deal with electrical fires. Commissioned by Bull Products (which specialises in developing life safety equipment), the survey found that 10% would use a foam extinguisher to put out an electrical fire. Foam extinguishers are better suited to dealing with fires involving paper, wood, cloth, or plastic, as well as flammable liquids like paraffin, petrol, and oil. Smothering the fire with a foam film, they starve it of oxyg... Continue reading

New guidance to help employers create supportive workplaces for women during pregnancy and maternity leave has been published by ACAS. The employee relations and employment law advisor received more than 14,000 calls last year about pregnancy and maternity issues, an increase of almost 10% on the previous year. The new guidance offers employers advice on how to comply with the Equalities Act, which protects employees against pregnancy and maternity discrimination. It includes: employees on maternity leave should be made aware of opportunit... Continue reading

On 27 November, Business Secretary Greg Clark launched the Government’s ambitious new Industrial Strategy, setting out a long-term vision for how Britain can build on its economic strengths, address its productivity performance, embrace technological change and boost the earning power of people across the UK. With the aim of making the UK the world’s most innovative nation by 2030, the Government has committed to investing a further £725m over the next three years in the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) to respond to some of the... Continue reading

The directors of restaurants in Antrim, Glasgow, Bognor Regis and Newport, South Wales are amongst the latest company directors to receive lengthy bans for employing illegal workers. In all, 20 directors in 16 separate businesses across the United Kingdom have been disqualified recently, following investigations by the Insolvency Service, all of whom were already fined for employing illegal workers. Eighteen people have been banned from being company directors or being involved in the management of companies for six years each, whilst two hav... Continue reading

The Work and Pensions and Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committees have published a joint report and draft Bill to close the loopholes that allow companies to use bogus ‘self-employment’ status as a route to cheap labour and tax avoidance, saying the law must not allow willingness to exploit workers to be a competitive advantage. Commenting on the draft Bill, Rt Hon Frank Field MP, Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, said: "The two Committees are… presenting the Prime Minister with an opportunity to fulfil the promise... Continue reading