Working in cold weather guidance | Safety alert issued | Latest news

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Guidance on working in cold and wintry weather

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Make sure you protect workers during the upcoming low temperatures and wintry conditions.

Our guidancehas been refreshed to make it easier to find and understand advice on how to protect workers in low temperatures.

The guidance explains how you can assess the risks to workers and put controls in place to protect them.

Ourworkplace temperature checklist will help you carry out a basic risk assessment.

Also, with low temperatures and less daylight, winter can make surfaces perilous. As a result, slip and trip accidentsincrease significantly.Take a look at our online guide to avoiding slips and trips in winter weather.


Council fined after death of girl hit by falling tree at school

The 6-year-old pupil was playing with friends at her school when she was killed by a falling willow tree.

Several other children were hit by the falling tree but managed to escape, some with superficial injuries.

HSE's investigation found thatthe tree had decayed and was in a poor condition.Newcastle City Council had failed to identify the extent of the decay or to manage the risk posed by the tree and were fined280,000.

Read this press releasefor more details on this incident.

Our website has guidance onmanaging the risk from falling trees.

Other recent prosecution cases include:


Latest job vacancies at HSE

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Give your career a kickstart in 2023 and join our team saving lives and livelihoods here at HSE.

We currently have a variety of opportunities to join HSE.


Safety alert: exposure to diacetyl vapour in food and drink manufacturing

Exposure to vapour from diacetyl, often used as a flavouring and a by-product of coffee roasting, can lead to severe and irreversible lung disease.

HSE scientific studies show that heating diacetyl above certain temperatures significantly increases airborne concentrations and the potential for exposures above safe workplace limits.

If your processes include the use of diacetyl, food flavourings that contain diacetyl, or are likely to produce diacetyl, then you must carry out a risk assessment.

View the safety alert for full details


MSD risk-reduction design award: deadline approaching

MSD design awards 2023 logo

If your business has made a design change to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the workplace, we want to hear about it. Your business could be our 2023 award winner!

We're encouraging businesses to nominate a design change that has made a real impact in their workplace.

Employers can nominate any design solutions implemented in UK workplaces that have demonstrated how they have reduced musculoskeletal risks for their own workers.

You can get all the latest news and updates from HSE across a range of industries and topics.

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