According to The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, the most dangerous activity we can do in the workplace is to drive, so ensuring that your workforce is fit and able to drive safely, (and reducing the risk of them being medically incapacitated whilst driving) is very important.
Fitness to drive assessments should be undertaken on a regular basis and by an occupational health professional. They should also be considered if there is a change to a workers’ health or if, for example they are returning from long term absence.
The HSE reports that more than a quarter of all road traffic accidents involve someone who is driving as part of their job.
Height is defined by HSE as a place “at height” if (unless the Regulations are followed) a person could be injured falling from it, even if it is at or below ground level.
Making sure that your workers are able to climb safely, do not have conditions which would affect them whilst working at height is important.
Similarly to the driver medicals, employees must be assessed after an accident at work, absence or if there is a change to their health.
Any space which is enclosed with limited access could be defined as a confirmed space. Ensuring that your workers can get in and out of this space comfortably is important and if they become trapped could there be a risk to their health (for example lack of oxygen).
A health assessment would cover whether there are any underlying health conditions which would prevent that worker from safely working in a confined space is important as it will protect their health.
For worker who work with food, there is a requirement to ensure that staff are fit and well in order to prevent any food contamination from occurring. This is required in the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995 and you should make sure that workers are fit and well and do not have any contagious conditions whilst working with and handling food.
A night worker is a worker who undertakes a large proportion of their work at night and as identified under the Working Time Directive (1999).
As there can be conditions which can be exacerbated by night work there is a requirement for all workers to be offered a health assessment. Whilst there is a duty on employers to offer the assessments, completion by the worker is purely on a voluntary basis.
Health is important and sometimes neglected in the work environment. We work closely with organisations to implement wellbeing strategies to support management and staff. This can
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