Gig economy workers, temps and workers on zero-hours contracts report receiving fewer protections for their health and wellbeing at work than their permanent, full-time colleagues, according to findings from a survey published by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). Many are working when sick, working unpaid overtime and going throughout the year without a paid holiday, the IOSH-commissioned Opinium survey found. From health advice and counselling to fire safety inductions and the issue of personal protective equipment, n... Continue reading

The latest annual injury and ill health statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show 1.3 million workers were suffering from work-related ill-health and there were 609,000 workplace injuries in 2016/17. The figures show that while Britain remains one of the safest places to work, there is still work to do to drive figures down. Workplace injury and new cases of ill health cost Britain £14.9bn a year with 31.2 million working days lost. The annual statistics, compiled by HSE from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and other sources, ... Continue reading

It only seems like five minutes since we were talking about working environments being uncomfortably hot but now, as temperatures dramatically drop, the issue of spending days in an unbearably and potentially dangerously cold workplace is once again being debated across the media. So, here’s a little reminder for you on your legal duties to provide a thermally comfortable work environment. What the law says Temperatures in the indoor workplace are covered by the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which place a legal o... Continue reading

A Japanese marketing firm is granting its non-smoking staff an additional six days of leave a year to make up for the time off smokers take for cigarette breaks. Piala Inc introduced the new paid leave allowance in September after non-smokers complained they were working more than their colleagues who smoked. The company is based on the 29th floor of an office block, meaning any cigarette break was lasting at least 15 minutes, according to staff. One non-smoker put a message in the company suggestion box complaining that smoking break... Continue reading

The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 apply to commercial (strictly non-domestic private rented) properties. These are more commonly referred to by the nickname MEES (minimum energy efficiency standards). From 1 April 2018 landlords must upgrade the energy efficiency of their properties to band E or better. This is determined by an energy performance certificate, carried out by a qualified assessor. A building scoring more than 54 assessment points – when assessed according to the EPC process –... Continue reading