Aegis retains Registered Corporate Practice status

Construction and design management (CDM) services provider Aegis has retained its status as a Registered Corporate Practice of the Association for Project Safety (APS).

This is the third year running that Aegis has achieved the standard required by the APS to achieve this certification. The certification also demonstrates competence as a safety systems in procurement (SSIP) business, with regard to CDM services.

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HSE 2017-2018 business plan revealed

Each year, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publishes its business plan detailing what the HSE has achieved in the previous year, and discussing its plans for the next twelve months.

While the plan does not cover everything the HSE will do in the next year, it does highlight the specific priorities for the following 12 months.

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How might Brexit affect the CDM Regulations?

It is clear from the Queen’s Speech that Brexit-related legislation will dominate parliamentary business for the next two years – with potentially enormous implications for the construction sector.

As CDM professionals, the team at Aegis are aware that there has been much speculation about how Brexit might affect the CDM Regulations. This debate is especially relevant because the regulations – widely regarded as highly effective – were introduced to ensure UK construction law was compliant with EU legislation.

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Number of fire incidents dropped by half in last 10 years

Data published by the Fire and Rescue Service has revealed that the number of fire incidents in England has halved in the last 10 years.

Over the last decade, the total number of incidents the Fire and Rescue Service attended has dropped from over one million to 529,000.

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Team Aegis wins Myerscough College charity golf event

The Principal’s charity golf day at Myerscough College saw a team from Aegis take home the top prize – and raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust in the process.

Dozens of golfers teed up for the event in May, which generated more than a thousand pounds for the charity.

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Increased demands on designers

Even in 2017, the construction sector remains one of the most hazardous and accident-prone industries in the UK.

Despite improvements and changes to the industry over the years, construction workers continue to have high risks of injury, and they’re likely to suffer from occupational ill health arising from exposure to respiratory hazards, such as silica dust and asbestos.

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Prepare for ISO 45001: the new health and safety management standard

Statistics from the International Labour Association have revealed that more than 6,300 people die each day from work-related accidents or diseases – which amounts to nearly 2.3million each year.

Injuries and illnesses can result in losses including staff absence, early retirements and rising insurance premiums, so the burden for both employers and the wider economy can be significant.

To help to combat the problem, ISO has developed a new standard for health and safety, ISO 45001, which is replacing the current standard, BS OHSAS 18001.

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What are the most recent legislation changes to be aware of?

Each year the months of April and October are when the majority of new legislation becomes active. This year, things have been quieter than usual in this aspect given the impact of Brexit and the impending General Election in June. However, there are still certain legal requirements to be aware of.

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HSE backs down on FFI dispute

In March this year, we posted a blog explaining that the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Fees for Intervention (FFI) scheme was under scrutiny, following a legal challenge at the end of 2016.

Because of this, the FFI dispute process was to face a full judicial review hearing in the High Court this month, brought by facilities management company OCS Group UK.

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Research reveals cost of ignoring health and safety procedures

Good health and safety practice is expected from any responsible employer – but compliance can be a considerable cost to SMEs.

However, recent research has shown that it is actually cheaper to comply with health and safety legislation, rather than leave it to chance.

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