With the health and safety executive (HSE) making changes to the health and safety regulations it is more important than ever to keep workers safe especially with the dark winter nights coming in. To combat poor health and safety practice the HSE are making unannounced inspections of businesses to keep close watch on standards. So far, HSE inspectors have found material breaches at “just less than half” of more than 1,000 sites inspected.

With the nights getting dark  as early as 3 o’clock in the afternoon it often means reduced site lighting. This is becoming a problem for many site workers as visibility being reduced meaning the risk of accidents are greater. 

There is a greater need for flood lights on site as they are a high intensity artificial light which have the power to light up any outdoor area. They are usually installed on tall poles in order to illuminate the required area.

Personal safety is often neglected with many people choosing not to wear or buy safety products. There are many safety products that most people should have or should be using such as safety clothing, safety glasses, safety boots and many more.

Safety boots are durable boots with protective reinforcement which protects feet from heavy objects falling objects. They are a legal requirement in the UK so it’s best to get a pair and wear them as soon as possible.

Many individuals choose not to wear safety clothing at work for many reasons such as they might think it would be uncomfortable or look stupid, but with accidents on the rise it is best to wear the correct clothing on site. Safety clothing ranges from fleeces and trousers to hats. The main reason why safety clothing is so important is because they quite often have extra pockets for comfort and protection.

So keep yourself safe and your staff safe with the right safety equipment!

By Louise McCurry