Arguably, one of the best things about our country, is the fact that we have so many sites of outstanding natural beauty and cultural importance, which the plublic can enjoy for free. It's fantastic that we can offer our tourists and countrymen a taste of our history without commercialisation, but it's also important to remember that without regulation comes risk. 

When a space is beyond the realm of regular monitoring and supervision, it only stands to reason that safety will be compromised, particularly in isolated areas with ageing structures. While some may say that the duty to act sensibly and safely remains with the visitor, this hardly seems like an adequate reason to exclude standard safety procedures from these highly popular sites.

Earlier this month, news broke that there had been disagreements amongst councillors and residents in West Yorkshire, after safety signs were erected on the site of the Top Withens ruins, known for their association with Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. The brightly coloured but not overly large signs were criticised soon after their installation, with many claiming that the addition spoilt the natural view. After much discussion and deliberation, Yorkshire Water came to the decision to remove and replace the signs, and are are currently working on a replacement that will 'blend in' with the landscape.

While I'm sure we can all agree that an appreciation of natural beauty is important, we can't help but feel that making safety signs 'blend in' completely defeats the object. Safety signs are meant to stand out to catch the eye of the reader, they are meant to be prominent in order for the public to comprehend their warnings. When safety signs are simply put in place in order to tick a box, they become completely redundant. Protecting public safety should always be a priority, and without warnings not to climb or deface the structure, this valuable piece of history could well be lost altogether! 

We can only hope that when the sign redesign is actioned, those involved will keep in mind that while it doesn't hurt to make it more visually appealing, the ultimate purpose should always be to preserve the important messages it is meant to convey. As far as safety is concerned, substance should always come above style.

While most of the focus on renewable energy tends to concentrate on solar or wind powered generation, biomass could provide an effective and growing source of low carbon fuel to meet the targets set by the Renewable obligation for England, Wales and Scotland (effective 1/12/15) together with reductions in Greenhouse gases (GHG).

Whereas solar and wind power are reliant totally on suitable weather conditions, which in our climate can be uncertain, output from biomass generation can be controlled more effectively, thus producing more efficient use of resources.

Biomass is the use of plant, animal or vegetable residue for producing electricity (biogas), gas (bio-methane) and transport fuels (biofuels). This process of anaerobic digestion can include slurry, silage, manure, chicken litter, maize, straw, fish oil, apple pomace, cheese making waste and husks from cocoa, cashew, sunflower, and sugar beet etc. This creates green or lean carbon energy.

Apart from supplying the local demand for power, heat or fuel, from residues from agriculture, forestry, aquaculture and fisheries, these resources can be used more widely. For example, bio-methane (the purified form of biogas on removal of carbon dioxide) can be connected to the gas grid. Also, biofuel can power compression and spark ignition engines, gas turbines, fuel cells and heating appliances.

Bio-fertilisers can be recovered in the form of digestate, to PAS110 standards, and can replace fossil fuel derived fertilisers. This is an environmentally sound and cost effective practice.

Label Source has worked with biomass generators in supplying ranges of pipeline tapes for marking component parts of the digester production process and storage plant, as well as a range of safety and operational signs for the industry. For more information contact us by e-mail sales@labelsource.co.uk or by telephone 0800 3761693 (Freephone UK) or +44 (0) 1443 842769. These products can assist in creating a safe working environment, to prevent workplace accidents, operational malfunctions, or environmental damage in the event of incidents.

A recent audit revealed that Brenton Park School in Leeds was far from being up to date on their health and safety procedures, with worrying concerns in terms of fire and asbestos safety. Not only was their fire safety risk-assessment found to be unsuitable, but it was also revealed that the asbestos surveys were out of date, putting staff and students at risk.

While the school has since responded to these concerns by appointing a safety and facilities manager, it is worrying to consider the possibility and likelihood that there are many similar cases of neglectful health and safety throughout the country. As is the case with many schools, Breton Park's facilities are ageing, making it even more important to consider health and safety issues on a regular basis. When staff, and particularly students are being put at risk by insufficient health and safety procedures, questions must be asked about the quality of the institution overall.

To ensure that your school is performing to the best of its ability while ensuring the safety of staff and students, read and follow the list of 3 essential steps below:

• Assess: Make sure that all the required internal/external audits and assessments are completed, in order to identify any issues and ensure that policy is up to date.
   
• Inform: Make sure that all staff and students are aware of the fire safety measures, and make all relevant information visible via fire safety signs. If there is asbestos present in certain areas, be sure to use asbestos hazard signs to reduce the risk of someone coming into contact with the material.
   
• Communicate: Report any issues straight away, and encourage others to do the same.

To view our full range of Safety Signs click here, or follow us on Twitter for regular health and safety news and updates!

As you will have already noticed, we've been placing an increased focus on the subject of UK road safety over the past few days, in order to help spread the message about Road Safety Week. In Northampton, a primary school has also been getting involved in this week's activities, by breaking the world record for the number of high visibility vests worn in one place. More than 1,500 people, including the pupils at the school, crammed onto the school yard in order to smash the previous record of 1,475 people, setting the bar for the next group of people looking to take on the challenge.

While the main aim of the day was to aid the promotion of Road Safety Week, it was also an opportunity for staff, pupils and local residents to pay tribute to one of their former pupils. 13 year old Sophie Bywaters was tragically killed whilst crossing the road upon returning from a youth club back  in 2009, an accident made even more heartbreaking by it's preventable nature. Members of the local police as well as the fire and rescue service were also in attendance at the event, not only to aid in the record attempt, but also to give various presentations on road safety. A number of informative activities took place later that day, including a road safety signage competition for students, with the winning designs being chosen for use on international infrastructure group Balfour Beatty's sites. There were also live demonstrations with safety vehicles and fire safety appliances, in order to aid the illustration of vehicle blind spots and proper safety procedure.

It's extremely inspirational to see how this school has managed to encourage interest in the topic of health and safety, by presenting the information in a fun and engaging fashion. It is vitally important that we inform the most vulnerable members in our society about these issues, and ensure that they are fully aware of the safety procedures that should be followed at school, at home and on the roads. This comes from providing good quality and easy-to-read information, in the form of engaging activities such as this one, and of course in the form of good quality safety signs. 

To find out more about Road Safety Week, visit the Brake website.

  To browse our range of high quality health and safety signs, click here.

While people tend to place greater emphasis on health and safety risks in areas such as construction and factory work, it's important to remember that there are health and safety risks in any workplace, regardless of the location or nature of the work.

An office can seem like a rather inoffensive and risk-free work location for the most part, but as I have already noted, no work location can claim to be completely safe. This is why it's important to have the correct signs on display in your office, to direct your staff in the case of an emergency, and to comply with health and safety legislation.

Here are the 3 most important signs you should have on display at all times:

Health and Safety Law Notice: 

This sign outlines the law on health and safety for you and your staff, it's also a legal obligation to display this notice in the workplace.

Fire Action Safety Sign:

The Fire Action sign is part of our mandatory safe sign range, and is intended to inform both staff and visitors of the correct action to take in the event of discovering a fire.

Fire Exit Symbol:

Another vitally important part of fire safety is ensuring that all fire exits are marked correctly. This Fire Exit sign is part of our Safe Conditions safety sign range.

To view our full range of safety signs, click here.