From rollercoaster accidents to fancy dress costumes, it's been a busy week in the world of H&S...

• The health and safety story that's been dominating the headlines this week is the incident that occurred at Alton Towers on Tuesday. According to the Metro newspaper, 4 people were hospitalised - and a further 12 injured - in a collision between two carriages on the 'Smiler' rollercoaster at the Staffordshire theme park. Other sources (including the BBC) have reported that the park's staff did not call 999 until 11 minutes after the crash. The Health and Safety Executive is currently conducting an investigation, and the park remains closed at time of writing.
   
• A representative for Hugo Boss UK Ltd plead guilty to charges of contravening health and safety regulations on Wednesday, and the company will be sentenced later this month. The charges were brought against Hugo Boss after four-year-old Austen Harrison was crushed by a two-metre-high mirror that was not properly fixed to the wall in the company's Bicester Village store in 2013; the boy suffered severe brain damage as a result of the accident, and eventually died after being taken off life support.
   
• Claudia Winkleman has successfully forced a number of big-name retailers to tighten their health and safety standards with regards to children's fancy dress costumes. Winkleman's eight-year-old daughter suffered serious burns after her Halloween costume caught fire last October; according to the Express, the Strictly Come Dancing host was "incensed to discover that the costumes only have to be tested to the same level as toys". Since the accident, Winkleman has been campaigning for stricter regulations on children's fancy dress products, and it seems that her hard work has been rewarded - several large British supermarkets (including Sainsbury's, Tesco, and Asda) will now ensure that all children's costumes meet the same health and safety standards as nightwear products.
   
• The UK's first privately-funded NHS hospital was also under scrutiny for fire safety failings this week. The Cumberland Infirmary (located in Carlisle) was criticised by Cumbrian's Fire Brigades Union who called the hospital a "major" safety risk and highlighted the inadequacy of the building's fire proofing measures, which - according to the Independent - "did not meet the required protection standard to allow for save [sic] evacuation". The fire fighters have urged the hospital's stakeholders to re-assess the fire safety procedures and materials that have been put into place, warning that "vulnerable patients" could be in particular danger if changes are not made.

• Technology giants Apple found themselves at the centre of yet another fire safety story this week when their Beats Pill XL speakers were recalled on the ground of being a potential fire hazard. The product was launched back in 2013, but - as thefourohfive.com pointed out - "it remains Apple's responsibility to identify, alter or discontinue fault goods being sold under their jurisdiction". The company's official statement is as follows: "Apple has determined that, in rare cases, the battery in the Beats Pill XL may overheat and pose a fire safety risk".
   
• We end this week's round-up with yet another example of somebody blaming health and safety for something that has absolutely nothing to do with health and safety. Of course, we're used to ridiculous "elf 'n' safety" fiascos in Britain, but this particular story actually comes to us from the USA: it seems that the Louisiana Girl Scouts are refusing to accept transgender members due to - you guessed it - "health and safety" concerns. The HSE haven't covered this story on their brilliant Myth Busters blog, but if they did, we imagine they'd advise the Louisiana Girl Scouts to stop blaming H&S for their own personal views on who should or shouldn't be allowed to join!

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A safe working environment relies on a multitude of different factors, but perhaps the most important of all is information. As an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure that your staff are up to speed with all of the health and safety regulations that affect their work.

This, of course, means that you have to provide health and safety training for everyone who joins your workforce; however, bear in mind that a single training session on initiation day may not be enough to fulfil your obligations as company owner. People generally won't remember everything you tell them on their first day at work, and that's why you have to ensure that your employees are frequently reminded of the relevant safety information.

One way to do this is with health and safety posters. Placing these brightly-coloured notices around your workplace is a great way to keep safety at the front of everybody's mind, and the information printed on the posters may just save somebody's life one day.

Here are some of the workplace safety posters available from Label Source:

Office Safety Poster

This poster features several pieces of general guidance that are applicable to most office environments.

Manual Handling Poster

If your workers are frequently required to lift heavy loads, this poster will help them to ensure that they stay safe while doing so.

 Fire Safety Poster

You never know when a fire might break out. This poster will inform your employees of what to do in the case of such an emergency.

Workplace First Aid Guide

Most workplace safety posters aim to prevent accidents. This one gives advice on what to do if prevention fails and a life-or-death situation arises.

These are just a few of the safety posters available from Label Source's website - click here to see our full range.

Electrical Safety Month is nearly over, but that doesn't mean we should stop thinking about electrical hazards and the harm they can cause. Electrical safety should be a continuing concern for everybody (especially employers, who must always take responsibility for the health and safety of their workers).

With that in mind, we'd like to close Electrical Safety Month with these helpful tips for preventing electrical accidents:

• Only carry out electrical work if you are competent enough to do so. Not all electrical jobs have to be carried out by qualified electricians - for example, most people are capable of changing a light bulb or replacing the fuse in a plug. However, you should NEVER undertake ANY electrical work unless you are completely sure of what to do; if you don't know the correct way to safely complete the task at hand, call someone who does.
  
  
• Pay attention to warning signs and labels. If you see an electrical warning sign or safety label, be sure to heed its instructions before continuing. Those warnings are there for a reason!
  
  
• Provide warning signs and labels for others. Of course, electrical safety warnings don't magically appear on any potentially hazardous equipment - they have to be put there by a responsible person. If that person is you, be sure to use the correct signs and labels to help protect your employees and the general public from harm.
  
  
• If you see something unsafe, report it. It could be an electrical installation that isn't properly labelled, a cable that has become unfit for us, or even a co-worker carrying out electrical work in an improper manner - whatever the hazard, be sure to let somebody know. Report it to the person responsible for health and safety in your workplace, and if they don't take action, contact the Health and Safety Executive for further guidance. You should never stay quiet about a potential safety risk - inaction costs lives!
  
  
• Educate yourself and others. It's easier to prevent electrical accidents if you know exactly what can happen. For starters, we recommend visiting the HSE's Electrical Safety page and brushing up on the do's and don'ts of electrical work. Be sure to share the information with others, too - you won't be able to keep everyone safe on your own!

Manual handling (a catch-all phrase that refers to any lifting, lowering, filling, emptying, or carrying that is done by manpower alone) can be quite dangerous, particularly if the loads involved are extremely heavy. The risks involved with these task means that injuries are common when the correct health and safety measures aren't followed. Of course, it's hard to avoid these tasks altogether, so here are three top tips for staying safe whilst carrying out any manual handling task in the workplace:

Our first manual handling tip is to fill out a manual handling assessment form before you start. These forms encourage workers to properly scrutinise the potential risks asociated with a manual handling task; a properly filled-out form will minimise the chance of an accident, and if an accident does occurr, it may help to exonerate the employer from blame by proving that the correct health and safety procedures were followed.

Our second manual handling safety tip is to always label heavy loads appropriately. Using warning labels such as the one shown above will ensure that your employees are aware of dangerously heavy loads before attempting to lift them.

Our final manual handling safety tip is to use the correct safety signs. Putting safety warnings around your workplace (as well as on the loads themselves) will further improve your workforce's knowledge of manual handling safety.

To follow these tips properly you should visit our Manual Handling Safety department now and start improving safety in your workplace!

Most of us use electricity every day - it's an easy luxury to take for granted, and in doing so, we often forget just how dangerous electricity can be. As May is Electrical Safety Month, here are a few stories to remind us of exactly what can happen when electricity is misused and safety regulations are ignored:

HGV Driver Electrocuted by Overhead Power Lines
from hse.gov.uk, 12 January 2015

Nigel Fox, a 59-year-old man from Northamptonshire, was tragically killed when the lorry he was driving struck an 11,000 volt power line on a farm in Salisbury. The farm's owner, Tony Slade, was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,609; in a press release, the Health and Safety Executive stated that "Mr Slade had made no attempt to remove or reduce the serious risk associated with the power line crossing the yard", going on to suggest that Slade should have considered "diverting the cable or providing signs or barriers to warn visitors of its existence".

Apprentice Electrician Killed by Exposed Electrical Bars
from rochdaleonline.co.uk, 22 April 2015

Nathan Brown, a 19-year-old apprentice electrician from Rochdale, was testing a set of lights when he came into contact with an unprotected set of busbars and received a lethal electric shock. The shock sent Brown falling head-first onto a roof below, but a pathologist stated that he "probably suffered a cardiac arrest before falling to the ground" - that is, he was killed by the electricity, not by the fall. Brown had been working with his father David, who in the aftermath of the accident made this statement: "As far as I am aware the busbar should have been marked up in a sleeve with the marking 'danger high voltage'. I have never come across a busbar not sleeved and marked with an appropriate sign."

Bradford Man Hospitalised After Using Unsafe Testing Equipment
from hse.gov.uk, 24 January 2014

An unnamed 22-year-old from Bradford needed skin grafts on both hands after touching an exposed conductor and receiving a 415 volt electric shock. The conductors were part of some testing equipment that the man was using to test a transformer; his employer, Wilson Power Solutions Ltd, was fined £6,500 for giving the trainee "unsafe, inappropriate and poorly maintained equipment to test an electrical transformer with no training or supervision".

So, how can you prevent accidents like these in your workplace?

• Use appropriate warning signs
• Keep electrical equipment in good condition
• Before allowing an employee to work with electricity, ensure that he/she is properly trained to do so

Do you have something to say about electrical safety? Join our #ElectricalSafetyMonth conversation on Twitter.