Archive for the Current News Category

The Health and Safety – Information for Employees poster was updated back in 2009 and the HSE Board agreed a five-year transition period to ensure the old 1999 version was replaced with the latest poster or leaflet.

The transition period is fast approaching and the old 1999 version must be replaced with the 2009 poster or leaflet no later than 5 April 2014.

The reason for the redesign was for the benefit of the user, in particular to be more readable and engaging. HSE stated that research showed that the old 1999 version was unappealing, rarely read and relied upon businesses to provide further information in writing on the poster or leaflet.

The latest 2009 version has been set out in simple terms, using graphics and numbered lists to ensure the Health and Safety message for employees is delivered and understood in an appealing manner.

The 2009 poster does still have optional boxes where details of any worker health and safety representatives and other health and safety contacts can be added. It is not a legal requirement to include this information but it may be helpful to workers.

Employers have a legal duty under the Health and Safety Information for Employees Regulations (HSIER) to display the approved poster in a prominent position in each workplace or to provide each worker with a copy of the approved leaflet that outlines British health and safety law.
Each copy of the 2009 poster incorporates a unique, serially numbered hologram in the bottom right corner. The security hologram is to help prevent mis-selling.

The Health and Safety Executive has produced a range of health and safety law products. There are various versions of the poster, so that you can select the most appropriate for your business, depending on where in the UK your business is based.

To buy the latest version of the HSE poster or leaflet please visit HSE.gov.uk

Download the LV Risk Bulletin newseltter – LV hse leaflet 2014

Source lv.com/commercial

It’s true to say that a customer puts their faith in a product and a brand. We believe that it’s ‘not just what you do, but how you do it’ that matters to customers.

The Sillet’s story is a reminder of why we all work together in this industry and the importance of your expertise. Right now, in a volatile global economy, the sharp drop in UK household incomes and uncertain employment patterns are creating the greatest concern for families. Having financial provision and financial protection for their everyday needs as well as the unexpected, is even more of a necessity and you all, as financial intermediaries help achieve this for your customers.

Source: http://www.legalandgeneral.com/advisercentre/campaigns/claims-campaign/

A risk assessment of kitchen hazards by home insurance experts Zurich has put the Sunday roast at the top of the list of the riskiest meals to prepare, ahead of Chicken Tikka Masala and the Full English Breakfast.

© Muharrem Kartal | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Zurich’s modern risk assessors ranked UK culinary favourites as part of its 2013 audit of risk in the kitchen – which is where more than half of accidental fires in the home are started.

Britain’s top five riskiest dishes:

1. Sunday Roast – Risk rating: 73/100
2. Chicken Tikka Masala – Risk rating: 54/100
3. Full English Breakfast – Risk rating: 39/100
4. Fish & Chips – Risk rating: 38/100
5. Bangers & Mash – /Risk rating 36/100

Britain’s least risky dishes:

1. Beans on toast – Risk rating: 02/100
2. Boiled egg & soldiers – Risk rating: 11/100

The elements that put the Sunday Roast top of the ranking include the risk involved with simultaneously cooking a variety of ingredients, the number of knives needed for peeling and chopping, the potential for pans to boil over and the severity of burns which could be caused by hot oil, spitting fat or heat from the oven.

Shelina Permalloo, Winner of Masterchef 2012, adds: “Given the number of elements and crucial timing involved in cooking a Sunday roast dinner, it’s not surprising it’s the riskiest to prepare.  It’s important to give yourself plenty of time – running around like a headless chicken will undoubtedly lead to an accident.

“Make sure you have all the preparation, such as peeling and chopping, done before you start on the cooking – trying to do everything at once is tricky to manage. Don’t be distracted as pans on the hob can easily boil over and roast potatoes in oil can get dangerously hot.

“Preparation in advance will also allow you to relax and enjoy your Sunday roast with your fiends and family.”

Phil Ost, Zurich Home Insurance Expert said: “The modern kitchen is a feast of gadgets and gizmos which can easily become a recipe for disaster.

“Celebrity chefs such as Heston Blumenthal and TV programmes like Masterchef have inspired many of us to get experimenting in the kitchen, with the likes of blow torches, deep fat fryers and mandolin slicers now common place.”

“However, our 2013 risk assessment shows that it’s the more you have going on at once when cooking which is likely to result in an accident – with the greatest danger being a fire.”

“So it’s not surprising that the Sunday roast dinner – often described as being like a ‘military operation’ – tops the list of Britain’s riskiest dishes.”

To calculate the risk of the individual cooking processes, Zurich’s contemporary risk team broke down each component action required to prepare and cook the dishes, estimating the consequence and frequencies of events and plotting them against the event consequence.

A European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) entitles the holder to the same state-funded medical care as a national of the EU country they are visiting.

Travellers with a valid card may receive free medical assistance, or at least, reduce the level of upfront costs that they have to claim back later.

Even if they do have to pay upfront, showing the card can minimise bureaucracy saving time and hassle when trying to claim money back on return to the UK.

However, it should NOT be used as an alternative to travel insurance!

• The EHIC is only accepted at state-funded hospitals. If urgent assistance is required and only private facilities are available, the EHIC will be of no value.
• The card does not always cover all necessary state-funded treatment.
• The standard of state run medical care varies considerably from country to country.
• EHIC does not cover the cost of Mountain Rescue or Repatriation which can run into tens of thousands of pounds.
• It does not cover medical care in non-EU countries.

If you take out travel insurance please check your policy as many now stipulate that you must have an EHIC card.  Failing to do so could invalidate your policy.

The EHIC is a useful tool, it’s only about medical cover, it’s not a replacement for travel insurance, which will generally cover you for other problems including cancellation, delay, repatriation, baggage loss and theft.

If you’re going away, get both!