During the mid 1970 – early 1980s the use of blue and brown asbestos was banned herein the UK, while the ban of using white asbestos happened much later in 1999. This means that there is an extremely high chance that buildings constructed before 2000 will contain asbestos, somewhere. This means that even today, 16 years after the ban, people, especially construction workers are at risk of exposure to this deadly material.

Before you start working on any building built or refurbished before the year 2000, you will need to ensure that there is no asbestos present. Before starting any work – of any kind you need to do the following:

Identify if asbestos is present.

The first step is to identify whether there is any asbestos present in the building. the people who are responsible for the maintenance of the building should have a detailed report about any areas of the building that contains asbestos, and what condition it is in. Failing this you can get the building professionally surveyed. By getting the samples of the material that you are going to be working on analysed, will not only tell you if they contain asbestos, but it will also inform you of what type of asbestos is present.  If you can’t get the samples analysed, then it is advised that you approach the work materials that you will be working with, with extreme caution and implement the appropriate precautions to safeguard yourself against any possible asbestos exposure.

Identify the type of asbestos, and its condition

It is important to understand what type of asbestos you are dealing with. The different types of asbestos all have different uses, for instance, Tremolite asbestos (brown) has heat resistant properties and was spun and woven into cloth, whereas Actinolite asbestos was often used as a light-weight insulation material.  Knowing the type of asbestos present, makes it easier to identify where it is being used and how to remove it.

Carry out a risk assessment

Carrying out a detailed risk assessment is crucial when you are planning dangerous work. Working with asbestos is no exception. When conducting your risk assessment, you need to clarify if it is possible to carry out the work that you are tasked with, without disturbing the asbestos.

If it impossible to carry out the work without disturbing the asbestos, you have to identify the people who will be at the most risk of exposure and implement the correct precautions to ensure their safety while to work is being carried out.

Hire Professionsals to Remove the Asbestos

 If you find that the building you are working on has asbestos, you will need to call in a specialist asbestos remover. These people are fully trained to the risks of asbestos exposure, and are experts at protecting themselves and other around them. Asbestos removal will need to be carried out by a contractor, who holds a license from the HSE.  

If you are managing a building which contains asbestos, it is vital that you clearly label the areas where the asbestos is found in the building. It is customary that you do this by implementing warning signs. If you have recently discovered asbestos, or need to replace your current asbestos warning signs in your workplace simply click here to view our truly comprehensive range of asbestos warning signs. 

We pride ourselves in providing a truely comprehensive range of warning signs and safety labels, however in the unlikely circumstance you can not find the sign you are looking for you can call us on 0800 3761 693 or email us at info@labelsource.co.uk and we will be more than happy to assist you. 

Label source have for many years specialised in delivery high quality labels to a number of industries, and the medical industry is no exception. Since we began trading in over 25 years ago, Label Source has since become one of the leading UK suppliers of medical labels.

In today’s fast paced medical environments, assets are often moved between different departments, even different hospitals. So it is vital that there is an effective asset management system in place to keep track of the whereabouts of all your assets.

Implementing an Asset management system in your workplace, be it a general practice, pharmacy or a hospital, will enable you to track your assets, control your inventory and stock levels and also manage the maintenance of your equipment with ease. Asset tags also deter people from stealing your assets from you, or tamper with your assets when being transported to a new location.

We offer a wide range of bespoke asset labels that are ideal for medical applications. To view our specialist range of asset tags, click here. 

Waste Management

Waste segregation is key for waste management within the medical environment. Every clinic, hospital and pharmacy has to deal with “regulated medical waste”, waste that is often contaminated with Blood, infectious materials, and body fluids. This waste often contains highly infectious materials which could transmit infections if not disposed of correctly.

Label source are one of the UK’s leading medical waste labels suppliers. With a wide range of specialist waste management labels, including biohazard signs, hazardous waste, toxic waste, and clinical waste signs, we boast a fully comprehensive range of labels and signs that will cater for your every need.

Click here to browse our waste management department. 

First Aid Signs 

According to workplace regulations, employers need to display where the first aid equipment or the first aid room is located. It is also good practise to have a sign advising you staff who their on-site first aider is.

First aid signs have the potential to save lives, whether it be at an event, in your workplace or at a venue, by indicating where medical equipment, or a medical personnel is located could save someone’s life in case of an emergency.

Label Source has a full department dedicated to first aid signs. Click here to browse our selection of first aid signs, safety conditions signs and projecting safe conditions signs. 

Our high quality medical labels are trusted by General Practices, Hospitals, Clinics and Pharmacy’s Nationwide. Searching for a specific medical label can be overwhelming, especially when presented with a truely comprehensive range. If you run into any difficulties finding the sign you need, or you require a more bespoke sign, we would be more than happy to help.  

In November 2015, the sentencing council wrote the definitive guideline on health and safety offence, corporate Manslaughter and Food safety and Hygiene offences. As of February 1^st 2016 new guidelines for health and safety offences will come into force.

These new guidelines have been designed to increase the level of fines, especially for larger companies who do not adhere to health and safety regulations. Larger companies, companies with a turnover in excess of £50 million, could see a fine of £10 million if they are caught in breach of health and safety regulations. Companies with a larger turnover could be hit with fines that exceed £10 million.

Prior to the creation of the definitive guideline there was no consistent method of calculating the fines that were issued to offending companies. The amount the company was fined was very much left to the judge and their opinion on the matter. The old legislation allowed for unlimited fines and no clear starting point.

The new definitive guidelines provide a nine step approach for the judges to follow, allowing the calculations of the sentences to be consistent across the UK.  The stages include;

Determining the offence category: The court will determine the offence category by various culpability and harm factors provided in the guidelines.

Starting Point and category range: at this stage the court will be focused on the organisation’s annual turnover, using this as a starting point for the sentencing.

Check whether the proposed fine based on turnover is proportionate to the overall means of the defender: in this stage the court will review the amount of the fine based on your annual turnover, and ensure that the fine they are charging the organisation with is large enough to make a substantial impact on the business to ensure that they will follow health and safety regulations in the future.

Consider other factors that may warrant adjustment of the proposed fine:  the court will take into account any impacts of the fine within the company. For example, the amount of the fine impairs the companies’ ability to makes restitution to victims.

Consider any factors which indicate a reduction

Reduction for guilty pleas: the court will take into account and reduction for a guilty plea.

Compensation and Ancillary orders: the court will consider whether to make ancillary orders. These include; Remediation, Forfeiture and compensation.

Totality principle: if sentencing for more that one offence, consider whether the total sentence is just and proportionate to the offending behaviour.  

Reasons:  duty to give reasons for and explain the effect of the sentence.

This new guideline will apply to all health and safety cases in the UK. The guidelines provide the judges with a “fine matrix” which helps them come up with a suitable fine for the offence. In total there are 4 categories of culpability with categories ranging from high (1) a deliberate breach or complete disregard to the law, and 4 categories of harm high (1) which is serious harm including death to low (4) .

For large companies, if the judge rules their offence as low culpability and a harm category of 4 they can expect a fine ranging from £3,000 - £60,000. The judge rules their offence as high culpability and harm category 1 they can expect fines in the region of £2,600,000 – £10,000,000. Micro business - businesses that do not turn over £2,000,000 per annum. Fines for low culpability and low harm cases can range between £50 – £2,000. T

This new guideline makes it clear that they will be fining companies a substation amount to make an economic impact which will really highlight to the company the importance of following the health and safety legislation. Whilst in the past, the fines imposed on companies found in breach of health and safety regulations have been focused on the outcome, however, these new fines are supposed to punish the employees that put their employees at risk.

You can read the new sentencing guidelines here.   

We know it’s only January, but already orders are pouring in for asset labels for schools, universities, colleges, academy’s and even nursery’s.  Every year, £1000’s worth of assets in schools get damaged, lost or stolen. By implementing an asset management system you can easily track, manage, maintain and identify your schools assets.

Here at label source we specialise in creating bespoke asset labels for schools. Whether you are looking to label all your fixed assets or school equipment, such as computers, laptops, furniture, projectors, and televisions we can provide top quality, durable asset labels to identify your establishment’s property.

Asset labels can help schools, manage their data and records quicly and effectively, no longer will you have to perform manual inventory control and data entry, just a quick scan of the bar code and you are done.  In addition, asset labels will also help you locate missing items, and even deter theft of the schools property.

We supply a huge variety of asset labels, from tamper evident asset labels, which leave a “void”, pattern behind on the asset if the label has been peeled. We also supply a huge range of destructible labels, which break apart if somebody attempts to remove the label.

If you cannot the exact tag that you are looking for create your own with our simple custom asset tag builder. If you have any questions regarding asset tags or our custom asset tag builder contact us by calling 0800 3761 693 or emailing info@laelsource.co.uk

Britain’s biggest sports chain Sports Direct is investigating an incident after a customer twitted a picture of their blocked fire exits at their flagship store in the bullring, Birmingham. 

In the picture you can clearly see that the boxes are stacked higher than the push bars, on the emergency exits. A display of ski goggles can also be seen propped up next to the door even though on the fire door it clearly states “keep clear”. The fire escape route was completely inaccessible, making it a hazard to anyone who was working or shopping in the store. 

A customer, who was horrified at the complete disregard of fire safety regulations, took a photo and posted it on social media, tagging the fire service, sports direct and the shopping centre.  

If you are working in retail, an office, or a factory it is everyone’s responsibility to help with the prevention of fires, and keeping your fellow colleagues and customers safe. If you notice a problem within your workplace it is your responsibility to report it so the hazard can be rectified. 

Below are some reminders of fire prevention best practices. 

• Practice good housekeeping.  If you have boxes or clutter around your work place, this can lead to fuelling the fire, and preventing people from using the escape route, or emergency equipment.
   
• Dispose of flammable items correctly. Place flammable materials in a covered non-flammable box by doing so you are preventing adding more fuel to the fire.
   
• Do not leave naked flames unattended. If you are using naked flames such as blowtorches, make sure you have completely extinguished the flame before leaving the equipment unattended. 
   
• Perform regular maintenance checks of machinery to prevent overheating and friction sparks.
   
• Report any electrical hazards. Electrical faults are one of the main causes of fires in the workplace. Equipment needs to be fully maintained to ensure that it is not malfunctioning. Do not attempt to fix faulty wiring if you are not qualified to do so. 
   
• Store all chemicals safely.  Make sure you are not storing dangerous chemicals in places where they might explode, or mix with other dangerous chemicals. Make sure you are keeping them out of direct sunlight, and in a well-ventilated room. 
   
• Use all precautions to prevent ignition in any potentially dangerous environments. Prevent exposing naked flames, creating sparks, and use non sparking tools. 
   
• Make sure you and your staff only smoke in designated areas. 
   
• Never block fire exists, or emergency equipment.  Ensure your employees are observing the emergency exits, and taking into account the emergency exit routes when stacking and storing goods.
   
• Teach your staff how to use fire extinguishers correctly. 

A workplace fire is devastating and many companies that experience a fire, never rebuild. In addition to potential injury and loss of life it can lead to job losses and closure to a business that has taken years to establish. It is everybody’s responsibility to work in a safe manner and prevent fire hazards. 

As an employer it is your responsibility to ensure that your employees are appropriately trained, and are knowledgeable as to what actions to take, and where to go in the event of the fire. It is also your responsibility to clearly label the emergency routes and ensure that none of the fire exits are blocked. 

Like you, we take fire safety extremely seriously here at Label Source, and stock a comprehensive range of products designed to improve fire safety and to protect you and your employees in the unfortunate event of a fire. So if your workplace is missing any fire safety signs, head over to our Emergency Access & Fire Safety Signs department. 

We are proud to be able to offer a truly comprehensive range of fire safety signs, however, if you cannot find the exact sign you are looking for don’t hesitate to contact out customer service team by telephoning 0800 3761 693 or emailing info@labelsource.co.uk and a member of our customer service team will be more than happy to assist you.