Pins in Calendar iStock MicroStockHub

Four-day week: can it work?

Four-day working weeks have hit the headlines again, with a second UK-wide pilot set to begin in November. While there is debate around whether shortening the work week is the answer, attitudes towards more flexible ways of working are changing and employers who fail to recognise this risk being left behind.

By Kerry Reals on 01 November 2024

Budget Red Box iStock stocknshares

Can a ‘Budget for working people’ finally ‘Get Britain Working’?

How many column inches were taken up in the build-up to the Budget wondering who exactly the Government meant by ‘working people’? And now that we know what was in it, does it really matter?

By Mike Robinson FCA, British Safety Council on 01 November 2024

COP29 UN Climate Change Kiara Worth

‘Cut the theatrics’ and focus on solutions, UN climate chief urges COP29 delegates

It is time to end the “brinkmanship” and “get down to the real business” of reaching a global agreement on financial support to help developing countries cut emissions and cope with the effects of climate change, the United Nations’ climate chief told negotiators in Azerbaijan as the COP29 summit entered its final week.

By Kerry Reals on 19 November 2024

News

Injured Worker iStock sorn340

Work-related ill health improved slightly in 2023/24 but deaths and injuries rose, HSE data shows

The number of people in Great Britain who reported suffering work-related ill health fell slightly in 2023/24, compared with the previous year, but work-related fatalities and non-fatal injuries were both up, according to the latest annual statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

By Kerry Reals on 20 November 2024

Istock 458921925 Credit Bdphoto 500 Wide Min

Features

Recycling Bins Newell Brands

Why changes to recycling legislation in England are an opportunity, not a burden

From March 2025, many businesses in England will have to begin separating their recyclable and food waste from general waste prior to collection, but the changes will bring wider business benefits, such as reduced waste disposal costs and improved sustainability credentials.

By Adriana Olaya Rodriguez, Newell Brands on 12 November 2024

Istock 1133727887 Credit Abhisheklegit 500 Wide Min
Amresh K. Deshmukh Cropped 500 Min

Process safety management: the importance of getting it right

By Amresh K. Deshmukh on 10 November 2024

Prosecutions

Ginsters Delivery Bay HSE

Ginsters pasty maker fined more than £1m after worker killed by delivery lorry

The owner of well-known food brands including Ginsters pasties and Soreen malt loaf has been fined more than £1 million over the death of an employee who was struck by a lorry that was delivering supplies to one of its bakeries.

By Kerry Reals on 13 November 2024

Opinion

HGV Close Up iStock deepblue4you

Managing workplace transport and occupational road risks – a perennial challenge

According to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics, 138 workers were killed in work-related accidents in 2023/24, with 25 of those fatalities involving being struck by a moving vehicle in the workplace – a 25 per cent increase on the same figure for 2022/23.

By Matthew Sulley, Pinsent Masons on 12 November 2024