The latest health and safety news and updates from HSE

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Health and Safety Executive

Weekly Digest ebulletin

Issued: 6 March 2025

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Manual handling at work: guidance on the law

As an employer, you must protect your workers from the risks of manual handling injuries in the workplace. 

You can find help with preventing these sort of risks in your workplace on our manual handling webpages.

We have a range of information and guidance for employers, including sections on assessing manual handling and training for workers.

There are also links to a variety of useful resources, which include our free-to-download publications:


Indoor skiing company fined after child fatality

A 12-year-old child was killed in a collision at a tobogganing birthday party.

The boy was descending the main ski slope on a toboggan when it slid into the back of a member of staff who was conducting a slope walk. The staff member fell backwards onto the child, who sadly died at the scene from resulting head injuries.

HSE's investigation found that the skiing company, who were fined £100,000, had:

  • failed to ensure the safety of its customers
  • did not have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for tobogganing activities and had not fully considered all persons likely to be on the slope during tobogganing

Read more about the incident in our press release: Indoor skiing company fined after child fatality.

You can visit our news centre for more on recent enforcement cases.


Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER)

Make sure you comply with LOLER regulations and lift work equipment safely.

HSE's website has guidance on the safe use of lifting equipment, which sets out what businesses should do to comply with LOLER. The webpages include:

  • an overview of LOLER
  • guidance on safe lifting by machines
  • how to thoroughly examine lifting equipment
  • the planning and organising of lifting operations


Steel company fined £100,000 for lifting activity failures

A worker was crushed and suffered multiple rib fractures as well as internal injuries during this incident. HSE's investigation found the company had failed to ensure that the lifting activity was properly planned by a competent person, or carried out in a safe manner.

You can get further information, and view a video of CCTV footage of the incident, at our press release: CCTV captures moment welder crushed at shipyard.


Storing and handling airbags and seat belt pretensioners safely

HSE has produced guidance to help all those working in motor vehicle repair to safely store and handle airbags and seat belt pretensioners.

If these devices are not handled correctly there is the possibility of physical injury and poisoning.

The guidance provides simple precautions you can take to reduce the risks and includes information on:

  • licensing
  • safe storage
  • safe handling
  • requirements for supply


Visit HSE's website to read the guidance: Storing and handling airbags and seat belt pretensioners safely.

HSE science seminar: 12 March, 12 to 12:45pm

Join our free seminar to celebrate British Science Week (BSW), which runs from 7 to 16 March. The 'Turbo Talks' seminar features HSE scientists talking about the ways science and evidence is being used to help everyone lead safer and healthier lives. 

Register for the BSW 'Turbo Talks' seminar

Health and Safety Executive - 2.2 Redgrave Court, Merton Road, Bootle, Merseyside L20 7HS