It’s hard to believe that two years down the line there are still no answers to the Lakanal House disaster, in Camberwell, South London. As a senior officer in the London Fire Brigade (LFB) I was involved in an investigation into a serious fire, in the East End of London, where two fire-fighters tragically lost [...]
Essential equipment for fire safety?
July 7, 2011 By
In my day the Fire Brigade were there to support, educate and befriend businesses and homes and help them to get fire safety right so that lives were protected. These days they seem to have a new piece of equipment – a metaphorical sledgehammer for cracking ‘nuts’. I keep coming across situations where the fire [...]
How to climb a ladder safely
June 28, 2011 By
This may seem obvious – but so many people fall off ladders because they haven’t thought about the proper way to climb and work from their ladder. 1. Keep your body facing the ladder at all times, centred between the stiles (the uprights). 2. Don’t reach too far forwards or sideways and don’t stand with [...]
Erecting a ladder
June 20, 2011 By
Looking after ladders
June 15, 2011 By
Key safety management tips
June 9, 2011 By
There are many reasons for having a good safety management system in place: 1. To protect your staff from harm. 2. To protect your organisation from unnecessary insurance claims (and increased premiums). 3. To reduce costs and improve processes, performance and profitability. 4. To remain compliant with current legislation and avoid enforcement, works and prohibition [...]
Qualified to help?
June 3, 2011 By
The register of consultants (not those employed as safety advisors within companies) who qualify to deliver advice on health and safety has now been established. This was a point raised in Lord Young’s report (common Sense Common Safety www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk) which has been accepted by the government in full. To be listed on the Occupational Safety [...]
J is for journals
May 24, 2011 By
There’s a lot of talk about Continuous Professional Development (CPD), especially by the various professional institutes and associations who encourage (sometimes demand) their members to keep up-to-date. Professional journals are a great source of what’s going on and these are just a few of those in the safety arena that offer a range of information. [...]
Are you ignoring your intuition?
May 16, 2011 By
7 tips about hazardous materials
May 4, 2011 By
A hazardous substance can be anything that could potentially cause you harm, including many everyday products such as glue and paint. The legal definition covers any liquid, solid, gas, chemical or biological material that could pose a risk to workers’ health and safety. There are around 100,000 different substances recognised across Europe, with almost every [...]
