Health & Safety Regulations to be applied during Christmas activities
Jingle Bells Dashing through the snow In a one horse open sleigh O'er the fields we go Laughing all the way
A risk assessment must be submitted before an open sleigh is considered safe for members of the public to travel on. The risk assessment must also consider whether it is appropriate to use only one horse for such a venture, particularly if passengers are of larger proportions. Please note, permission must be gained from landowners before entering their fields. To avoid offending those not participating in celebrations, we would request that laughter is moderate only and not loud enough to be considered a noise nuisance.
While Shepherds Watched While shepherds watched Their flocks by night All seated on the ground The angel of the Lord came down And glory shone around
The union of Shepherd's has complained that it breaches health and safety regulations to insist that shepherds watch their flocks without appropriate seating arrangements being provided, therefore benches, stools and orthopaedic chairs are now available. Shepherds have also requested that due to the inclement weather conditions at this time of year that they should watch their flocks via cctv cameras from centrally heated shepherd observation huts. Please note, the angel of the lord is reminded that before shining his / her glory all around she / he must ascertain that all shepherds have been issued with glasses capable of filtering out the harmful effects of UVA, UVB and Glory.
The Rocking Song Little Jesus, sweetly sleep, do not stir; We will lend a coat of fur, We will rock you, rock you, rock you, We will rock you, rock you, rock you:
Fur is no longer appropriate wear for small infants, both due to risk of allergy to animal fur, and for ethical reasons. Therefore faux fur, a nice cellular blanket or perhaps micro-fleece material should be considered a suitable alternative.
Please note, only persons who have been subject to a Criminal Records Bureau check and have enhanced clearance will be permitted to rock baby Jesus. Persons must carry their CRB disclosure with them at all times and be prepared to provide three forms of identification before rocking commences. Little Donkey Little donkey, little donkey on the dusty road Got to keep on plodding onwards with your precious load
The RSPCA have issued strict guidelines with regard to how heavy a load that a donkey of small stature is permitted to carry, also included in the guidelines is guidance regarding how often to feed the donkey and how many rest breaks are required over a four hour plodding period. Please note that due to the increased risk of pollution from the dusty road, Mary and Joseph are required to wear face masks to prevent inhalation of any airborne particles. The donkey has expressed his discomfort at being labelled 'little' and would prefer just to be simply referred to as Mr. Donkey. To comment upon his height or lack thereof may be considered an infringement of his equine rights. We Three Kings We three kings of Orient are Bearing gifts we traverse afar Field and fountain, moor and mountain Following yonder star
Whilst the gift of gold is still considered acceptable - as it may be redeemed at a later date through such organisations as 'cash for gold' etc, gifts of frankincense and myrrh are not appropriate due to the potential risk of oils and fragrances causing allergic reactions. A suggested gift alternative would be to make a donation to a worthy cause in the recipients name or perhaps give a gift voucher. We would not advise that the traversing kings rely on navigation by stars in order to reach their destinations and suggest the use of RAC routefinder or satellite navigation, which will provide the quickest route and advice regarding fuel consumption. Please note as per the guidelines from the RSPCA for Mr Donkey, the camels carrying the three kings of Orient will require regular food and rest breaks. Facemasks for the three kings are also advisable due to the likelihood of dust from the camels hooves. Rudolph the red nosed reindeer Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose. And if you ever saw him, you would even say it glows.
You are advised that under the Equal Opportunities for All policy, it is inappropriate for persons to make comment with regard to the ruddiness of any part of Mr. R. Reindeer. Further to this, exclusion of Mr R Reindeer from the Reindeer Games will be considered discriminatory and disciplinary action will be taken against those found guilty of this offence. A full investigation will be implemented and sanctions - including suspension on full pay - will be considered whilst this investigation takes place.
We hope you enjoyed this light hearted piece (with thanks to the author).
CJD Register Dr Akram Zaman, Senior Scientist, HIV/STI Department has recently sent us information about the new CJD register. The Board feel that OH nurses can play a vital role in supporting cohort studies such as this, in order to provide the evidence base for future risk assessment, control and treatment. Please download the summary and follow the links to find out more detail. Christina Butterworth October 2011
EHRC Report on Disability published 13 September 2011
Please find the link to the EHRC report on Disability as part of Human Rights which was released today. Sarah Mogford O'Hara (Regional Director) was one of the contributors. October 2011
First awards for effective OH services
The first seven organisations to gain accreditation of the SEQOHS or Safe Effective Quality Occupational Health Service Award were recognised at an awards lunch attended by Dame Carol Black and Dr Olivia Carlton. The development and implementation of this award is lead by Dr Paul Nicholson OBE, Faculty of Occupational Medicine.
As President of the AOHNP (UK) I was also invited to the event and took time to meet with the successful organisations. I will be featuring 3 of the accredited organisations in the next issue of OH Today, one each from a single practitioner, a private organisation and an NHS Foundation Trust.
The SEQOHS accreditation aims to raise the overall standards of care provided by OH services and ultimately the health of the working population. I encourage you all to register on the website and once you have done so you will have access to the Knowledge Management System that contains good practice in OH service delivery. http://www.seqohs.org/
Christina Butterworth, President August 2011
Society of Occupational Medicine
OH nurses can now ‘register their interest’ in joining SOM as an Affiliate or Associate member in January 2012. Once registered you will be sent information in November 2011. https://www.som.org.uk/index.php August 2011
New Papers published by Department of Health and NHS
These 2 papers were published on Friday (29th) - DoH & NHS both supporting occupational health provision within the NHS and the SEQOHS accreditation.
A request crossed my desk recently which I hope you will support:
"This is an international Occupational Health initiative you may find worthwhile supporting.
Many companies selling jeans in the UK use sandblasting for the fading effect. Those of you working in OH will know that sandblasting has been banned in the UK for many years because it causes rapid fibrosis of the lungs with long-term health effect for the survivors and early death for the majority. Cost-effective alternatives are easily available.
The web page gives access to more information on this wholly preventable cause of suffering and premature death: http://www.killerjeans.org/
Please consider clicking on ACT NOW: a short form declaring your support. Companies do listen to Western consumers. Please note the form goes through even if you don't provide full address details (email address, city and country suffices)."
Susanna Everton, London Regional Director (AOHNP), Head of OH, Safety & Welfare, City of London Police July 2011
British Lung Foundation -After five years of campaigning - COPD strategy is published
"The Government made a historic move today to help people living with respiratory conditions by publishing its long-awaited COPD and Asthma Outcomes Strategy.
The Strategy will ensure patients are diagnosed earlier and that treatment and care is standardised across the country. It will also aim to radically reduce emergency hospital admissions for COPD, currently the second highest cause of emergency admissions in the country.
The British Lung Foundation (BLF) has campaigned hard for the last five years for the COPD Strategy to be published. We would like to thank everyone who has worked with us during that time to raise awareness of this life-threatening condition and lobby for improvements in diagnosis and care. We couldn’t have done it without you!
The BLF will be working with the Department of Health to ensure the strategy improves treatment and care for COPD patients and their families. To find out more, please visit our website: www.lunguk.org/copd.
Welsh Government pledges to protect children from smoke in cars
The Welsh Assembly has announced that it will introduce new measures to protect children from cigarette smoke in cars. If it finds that children’s exposure to second-hand smoke does not start to fall within the next three years, it will consider legislation.
This is an important milestone in the BLF’s campaign to protect children from passive smoking when they are travelling by car. Its own research shows that 86 per cent of children want to see legislation introduced to prevent people from smoking when they are passengers in the car. Earlier this year the BLF delivered a petition to Downing Street with over 16,600 signatures in support of such legislation.
Protecting children’s lung health is a vital part of BLF’s work. To read more about our Children’s Charter, visit our website.
Best wishes,
Dame Helena Shovelton Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation" 18 July 2011
Lynn's Bowel Cancer Campaign We have received an email from Lynn regarding their promotional material - see below:
ORDER NOW WHILE STOCKS LAST!!
Over the years Lynn’s lovely volunteers have sent out over 2 million leaflets, many thousands of keyring ‘dogs’ coasters and cartoons. Our huge thanks to them.
From June we’re re-launching as a ‘virtual charity’ – all our materials will be available to use online plus new videos and new computer tools evidence based on the Portsmouth database.
Useful Reading (suggested by Sarah O'Hara) Listed below are some interesting articles:
a) Mental Health Absence Workers with previous sickness absence with common mental health disorder (CMHD) are at increased risk of recurrent CMHD sickness absence. Environmental Health 2010;onlinefirst:doi:1007/s00420-010-0540-4
b) Overtime Raises CHD Risk 3-4 hours of overtime per day results in 1.56 increased risk of CDH European Heart Journal 2010:onlinefirst:doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehq124
c) Healthy Lifestyles Reduces Mortality Modest but sustained improvement in diet and lifestyle could have significant public health benefits Archives of Internal Medicine 2010;170(8) 711-718
Health for Work Adviceline for Small Business The free Health for Work Adviceline for Small Business helps you to quickly and effectively address the issue of employee health, minimise the impact of staff illness, and provide essential support to staff with physical or mental health issues.
The telephone number of the Adviceline is 0800 077 8844. Alternatively click this link www.health4work.nhs.uk/ January 2010
Health and safety practitioners join forces to tackle workplace risks Health and safety advisers and practitioners across Scotland are to work together as part of an innovative workplace health project.
The initiative – entitled Health risks at work – do you know yours? – will offer small and medium-sized companies a package of support to improve their awareness of health risks in the workplace. Made up of a DVD and quick reference cards, the toolkit will provide simple, practical advice on how SMEs can identify and manage the risks in their own workplaces.
For the first time, a range of organisations within Scotland’s health and safety community have joined forces in order to disseminate the pack via their own networks and contacts. The unique project is a partnership between the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives, the Health and Safety Executive, the Scottish Chamber of Safety and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
Safety professionals throughout Scotland will be asked to champion the toolkit to the employers they are in contact with, allowing the information to be cascaded down through their organisations into the hands of smaller employers.
Robert Atkinson, Occupational Health and Safety Adviser at the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives, said: “This project is unique in two ways. Firstly, it is the first time a single resource has been produced for SMEs that brings together all the necessary information on common health risks in one easy, accessible format.
“It is also the first time Scotland’s health and safety community has come together to distribute resources in this way. If each Champion in partner organisations distributes the toolkit to four employers, it will soon reach thousands of organisations across the country.
“The DVD and supporting information cover off the range of potential health risks in the workplace so there is something in there for all industries and I hope professionals will find it a useful resource to offer the companies they are in contact with.”
The toolkit aims to demystify the process of risk assessment and to help SMEs decide on the appropriate prevention and control measures to reduce work-related ill health. It will raise awareness of health issues in the workplace such as exposure to noise, chemicals and dust and will help employers identify what the problems are, how they are caused in the workplace and what can be done about it.
The Health risks at work – do you know yours? initiative is based on research which found that small companies often lack internal health and safety expertise but will listen to messages promoted by their key clients and prefer face-to-face support.
In addition to health and safety professionals, large companies will also be encouraged to use their influence by distributing it to their supply chain, encouraging their suppliers to address the issue of health and safety in the workplace. Employers can also access the toolkit and support directly from the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives.
The initiative contributes to one of the key goals in the Health and Safety Executive’s new strategy - to adapt and customise approaches to help SMEs in different sectors to comply with their health and safety obligations. If successful, there are plans to extend the model to England and Wales.
Danny Carrigan, Chair of the Partnership on Health and Safety in Scotland (PHASS), said: "Small and medium businesses should not view health and safety as a problem. Instead they should see it as a means to improving their business prospects. A healthy workforce and a safe workforce is a happy and productive workforce. There is clear evidence to demonstrate that good health and safety makes for profitable companies."
Every year, more than 100,000 people in Scotland suffer from an illness which they believe was caused or made worse by work. Workplace injuries and work-related ill health account for 3.3 million working days lost every year – a significant impact on businesses in Scotland.For free and confidential advice about risk assessments or other areas of workplace health and safety, call the Healthy Working Lives adviceline on 0800 019 2211.
