Latest News in Health, Safety & the Environment

The Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) was launched for consultation by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in July 2013.  The scheme implements the requirements of Section 8 of the Energy Efficiency Directive.  The requirements of the scheme are for non-SMEs i.e. businesses with more than 250 employees; and annual turnover over £42.5 million and a balance sheet...

A scheme designed to shift the cost of regulating workplace health and safety from the public purse to businesses who break the law has proven effective and should stay, an independent report has concluded.   The report recognised that inspectors at the Health and Safety Executive have implemented ‘Fee for Intervention’ consistently and fairly since it started in October 2012, and...

The outcome of the public consultation on the proposals to revise the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 (CDM 2007), has been considered by the HSE board. The revisions to CDM 2007 were prompted by research showing the regulations had little influence on communications between dutyholders on small construction projects. One of the cases made was to develop a new, shorter signposting...

The draft international standard for occupational safety and health management system requirements (ISO 45001) has now reached the ‘Committee Draft’ stage. The new ISO standard, ISO 45001, on occupational health and safety management system requirements is being produced by a Project Committee, ISO PC 283, with the intention of publication in October 2016. The standard will be aligned...

The EU Energy Efficiency Directive entered into force in November 2012. The Directive aims to drive improvements in energy efficiency across the EU. Article 8(4) includes a requirement that all large (non-SME) enterprises i.e. businesses with more than 250 employees; and annual turnover over £42.5 million and a balance sheet exceeding £32.5 million; or part of a corporate group containing...

 New figures released earlier this month indicate the number of workers killed in Britain last year has fallen to the lowest annual rate on record. Provisional data released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reveals that 133 workers were fatally injured between April 2013 and March 2014, compared with 150 in the previous year. Also released were the latest number of deaths from mesothelioma,...