Acorn Health and Safety News and Advice

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This page provides the latest news and advice on current Health and Safety issues together with information about the latest courses and consultancy services offered by Acorn.

To see our archive of previous articles please click here to visit our Archive page.

This page was last updated on January 08, 2012

 

Latest News and Advice

 

Some News about Acorn Health and Safety

Visit our Archive of news about Acorn Health and Safety

We now accept payment cards - Visa, Mastercard and Maestro

Article added 20.5.11

Following a period of consultation with customers over several months, we are pleased to inform you that we are now able to accept payments by card, either over the phone or in person. We accept both credit and debit cards displaying the Visa, Mastercard and Maestro symbols.

If you would like further information please e-mail info@acornsafety.co.uk or call 0845 257 1231.

Vacancies – Sessional Training Staff

Article added 28.3.11

Acorn Health and Safety currently provide training to over 16,000 people a year across the Southwest and are looking for part time and sessional trainers to join the team.

If you are an experienced trainer, possess or are working towards a recognised teaching qualification and can teach first aid, client manual handling or health and safety again, we’d like to hear from you.

We are particularly interested in hearing from any healthcare professionals looking for part time work.

If you are interested please e-mail your CV to info@acornsafety.co.uk or call 0845 257 1231 for more information.

Seasonal News and Advice

10 Christmas Safety Tips for Children and Toddlers

Article Added 27.11.11

We have put together a PDF with 10 tips aimed at keeping Children and Toddlers safe over the Christmas period. Click here to download it.

Simple Steps to cooking your Christmas Turkey

Article Added 27.11.11

Many people aren’t used to cooking such a large meal, so remembering and sticking to the basic rules should mean food poisoning is one less thing to worry about over Christmas. Click here to view the article in our Food Safety Section.

The Dangers of the North Somerset Coast

Article Added 27.10.11

Firefighters from Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AF&RS) and HM Coastguard are joining forces to highlight the dangers of straying too far from the North Somerset coastline.

On Thursday 20 October a multi-agency exercise took place at Royal Sands, Weston-super-Mare, to demonstrate a simulated rescue.

Since January 2011 the AF&RS hovercraft has been involved in the rescue of nine adults, three children, and one dog, which got into difficulty at Weston Bay.

The scenario will involve a casualty trapped in mud in the Black Rock area with the agencies involved, including firefighters on board the AF&RS hovercraft, assisting the casualty to safety.

Click here for the full story

First Aid News and Advice

Visit our Archive of First Aid News and Advice

Hard and Fast CPR TV Advert

Article added 6.1.12

In this recently released TV advert Vinnie Jones shows how Hard and Fast Hands-only CPR to Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees can help save the life of someone who has had a cardiac arrest. The Hollywood hardman is starring in the British Heart Foundation advert urging more people to carry out CPR in a medical emergency.

What needs to be understood that the advert is aimed at the general public, up to 90% of whom have not had any recent first aid training.

Compression only CPR is aimed at those people in order to encourage some form of Basic Life Support to be carried out on a victim of sudden cardiac arrest.

Advice and guidance for CPR is given by the Resuscitation Council UK and allowance has been made in the 2010 guidelines for the rescuer who is unable or unwilling to perform rescue breathing, and for those who are untrained and receive telephone advice from the ambulance service.

CPR should be taught to laypeople on training courses with an emphasis on chest compression, but include ventilation as the standard, particularly for those with a duty of care such as qualified workplace First Aiders.

As for the use of songs as an aid to learning CPR, have a look at ‘Resuscitation Top of the Pops’ on our Blog and Facebook pages.

However, anything that encourages the public to ‘have a go’ in an emergency situation must be applauded and encouraged.

Paediatric Emergency Resuscitation Poster available for download

Article added 6.8.11

Click here to download our poster showing the steps to take in the event that Paediatric Emergency Resuscitation might be required (pdf format).

Workplace First Aid Kits

Article added 2.8.11

Under The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 it states that;

“The minimum level of first-aid equipment is a suitably stocked and properly identified first-aid container. Every employer should provide for each work site at least one first-aid container supplied with a sufficient quantity of first-aid materials suitable for the particular circumstances”.

In the Approved Code of Practice and Guidance (L74), whilst the HSE gives guidance on suggested items for a workplace first aid kit it clearly states;

“There is no mandatory list of items to be included in a first-aid container. The decision on what to provide will be influenced by the findings of the first-aid needs assessment”

On 30 June 2011 the British Standards Institute (BSi) introduced a new national standard (BS-8599) designed to update the contents of first aid kits so they better meet the needs of work based first aiders.

This standard replaces that of the British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA) which will be withdrawn after 31 December 2011.

The BS-8599 is a more extensive kit which exceeds the current HSE guidance, containing additional items such as adhesive tape, trauma shears, emergency foil blanket and face shields for resuscitation.

Because it is the employer who determines the contents, the HSE will not be making the BS-8599 kit mandatory.

It is also unlikely that they will even amend their current recommendations. They will be putting a statement on their website in the near future.

Do not panic and rush out to buy a new first aid kit.

Carry out a first aid needs risk assessment and check that your current first aid kits meet those needs, if it does not then top it up.

If it is time to buy a new first aid kit then it would make sense to purchase one that meets the new BSi standard.

The main changes/additions to create this new standard are;

  • Gloves - There will be more gloves in the kits and these will be nitrile to meet NHS guidelines.
  • Plasters and wipes – extra plasters and wipes to meet actual needs.
  • Medium and large dressings – there will be less in kits to reflect likely use.
  • Triangular bandages – less again as they are no longer used for lower limb immobilisation.
  • Finger dressing – returned to kits to be used for finger(and other) injuries, too large for< plasters.
  • Burn dressings – much more effective way of treating burns and scalds than water.
  • Adhesive tape – for fixing of bandages (in place of safety pins) and non adhesive dressing.
  • Shears – required for removing clothing from wounds and opening some bandage packaging.
  • Emergency blanket – used for keeping casualties warm & treating those suffering clinical shock.
  • Resuscitation aid – provides protection for first aiders performing resuscitation.
  • Eye wash – added to the Travel kits as lone workers are unlikely to be able to access eye wash.

How many kits will I need?

This is a suggested number of first aid kits that may be required, but more may be needed dependent on other factors, such as the number of buildings on a site, or floors in an office block.

Category of Hazard Number of Employees Number and Size of First Aid Kits
Low Hazard e.g. shops, offices, libraries etc Less than 25
25 – 100
More than 100		 Small size kit
Medium size kit
1 large kit per 100 employees
High Hazard e.g. light engineering and assembly work, food processing, warehousing, extensive work with dangerous machinery or sharp instruments, construction, chemical manufacturing etc Less than 5
5 – 25
More than 25		 Small size kit
Medium size kit
1 large kit per 25 employees

Making Emergency Life Support part of the school curriculum

Article added 20.5.11

A Joint Campaign sees The Resuscitation Council UK and the British Heart Foundation forces to try and make Emergency Life Support part of the school curriculum.

See how can you get involved? - Visit http://www.resus.org.uk/pages/ELSstmt.htm

First Aid Training - A Guide for School Environments

Article added 2.4.11

Click here to download our guidance notes (Adobe PDF format).

This guidance has been provided to ensure that customers develop and maintain appropriate standards of First Aid Training in a school environment.

Bystander CPR saves pilot's life

Article added 28.3.11

A recent news item published on the Great Western Ambulance Service Website ( http://www.gwas.nhs.uk/default.aspx.locid-00znew03z.RefLocID-00z00k.RefLocID-00z00k.Lang-EN.htm ) demonstrates once again how early CPR can save lives. For more information on any of our first aid courses (including our FREE infant and child resuscitation courses) please call 0845 257 1231 in e-mail info@acornsafety.co.uk

Emergency Resuscitation - download our A4 poster

Article added 1.3.11

We have produced an A4 poster showing the steps to take for Emergency Resuscitation. Click here to download it.

Resuscitation Guidelines 2010

Article added 18.1.11

As many of you will be already aware, there have been a number of recent changes to guidance on resuscitation, following publication of the Resuscitation Guidelines 2010 in October.

What does this mean for you?

The changes themselves were as we expected and have been stressing on Acorn training coursers for some time. You can easily put these into practice without the need to attend a training course.

The following now applies to adult resuscitation (CPR),

  1. When asking for help, check if a defibrillator (sometimes called an AED) is available. These are becoming more common in public places such as shopping centres.
  2. Push a little deeper….. we are now asked to compress the chest to a depth of 5 – 6cm
  3. Push a little faster……..we are now asked to aim to compress the chest at a rate of between 100 – 120 compressions per minute.
  4. Do not stop to check the victim or discontinue CPR unless the victim starts to show signs of regaining consciousness, such as coughing, opening their eyes, speaking or moving purposefully AND starts to breath normally.

Worried? Don’t be.

If in any doubt, continue to do what you were taught on your last training course. You’ll have the opportunity to discuss these changes and have plenty of practice when you next update your certificate.

There were no changes to paediatric resuscitation, so before starting CPR on a child or infant, give 5 initial rescue breaths.

Remember CPR is a potentially life saving procedure and attempting resuscitation can only benefit the casualty.

View the full Resuscitation Guidelines 2010 at www.resus.org.uk/pages/guide

Nigel Braybrooke
Training Manager
Acorn Health and Safety

 

Food Safety

Visit our Archive of Food Safety News and Advice

Simple Steps to cooking your Christmas Turkey

Article added 27.11.11

The Food Standards Agency is reminding people to follow some simple safety steps this Christmas when preparing their turkeys, to help keep the festive period free from the misery of food poisoning.

Many people aren’t used to cooking such a large meal, so remembering and sticking to the basic rules should mean food poisoning is one less thing to worry about over Christmas.

  • If you buy a frozen turkey make sure it’s completely thawed before you cook and use a fork to test the thickest parts of the meat. A larger turkey can take up to two days to defrost entirely.
  • Don’t wash your turkey before cooking. Washing is more likely to splash food bugs on to worktops, dishes and other foods. Proper cooking will kill bugs.
  • Plan your cooking time properly. Follow the cooking times and other instructions on the labels. All turkeys should be cooked at 180ºC, 350ºF, Gas Mark 4 (after the oven has preheated).
  • Check the turkey is cooked properly by cutting into the thickest part of the meat. None of the meat should still be pink and any juices that run out should be clear. Finally, the meat should be steaming hot all the way through.

To read more about how to cook and serve your food property and safety at Christmas read more at http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2010/dec/xmas10

Be BBQ safe this summer

Article added 19.6.11

Whether you are in the garden or out camping, follow these simple tips to barbecue safely and avoid injuries or damage to property from fire:

  • make sure your barbecue is in good working order
  • make sure the tap is off before changing the gas cylinder and do it in the open air
  • don’t over-tighten joints
  • when you have finished cooking, turn off the gas cylinder before you turn off the barbecue controls – this means any gas in the pipeline will be used up
  • read the manufacturer’s instructions about how to check for leaks in the cylinder or pipe work, e.g. brushing soapy water around all joints and looking for bubbles

To read more about how to stay safe this summer click here.

Your Business and Health and Safety

Visit our Archive of Health and Safety News and Advice

The stains might have disappeared but are your freshly laundered clothes really clean?

Article added 27.11.11

In our desire to be greener, as well as softer on clothes, many of us are lowering the temperature of our washes.

The maker of Ariel Gel is encouraging consumers to wash at 15°C rather than 40°C in order to halve energy costs. But experts are concerned our bid to save the planet — and money — will affect our health.

For while we associate laundry with cleanliness, some estimates say the average washing machine load contains a hundred million e.coli at any one time.

A report by the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene warns that low temperature washing might not be strong enough to kill disease-causing bugs

If you work with food and put your uniform in with the rest of the family’s dirty laundry, including dirty underwear, it could become infected with e.coli or salmonella — or whatever else is on those clothes,’ says Dr Lisa Ackerley, a consultant in environmental hygiene

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2050239/How-washing-machines-familys-health-risk-Low-temperatures-mixed-loads-spreading-dangerous-bugs.html#ixzz1eLaXhuxs
 

Upset stomachs cost UK 11 million working days

Article added 27.10.11

Nearly 17 million people suffer from stomach upsets in the UK every year, leading to about 11 million lost working days, new research published today by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has found.

The study, which is the biggest of its kind for more than 10 years, looked at the impact of all cases of infectious intestinal disease (IID),

The research found:

  • There are up to 17 million cases of IID annually, which is the equivalent of one in four people becoming ill during the year.
  • Approximately 50% of people with IID took time off from work or school because of their symptoms. The University of Manchester has calculated that this represents nearly 19 million days lost – more than 11 million of these were in people of working age.
  • For every case of IID recorded in national surveillance there are 147 that are unreported

To read more about this article click here

To download our free hand washing leaflet please click on the link below

http://www.acornsafety.co.uk/downloads/Handwashing.pdf

Six Steps to Effective Handwashing - download our PDF

Article added 2.10.11

Click here to download our PDF Poster explaining the 6 steps to effective handwashing.


Innovative pieces of equipment to that could help those struggling to work at low levels

Article added 1.9.11

Spectrum Healthcare have realised an innovative, dynamic kneeling system ‘The ErgoKneeler’ this can provide comfort, support and ease of movement across a range of low working positions, for people who undertake tasks at a low level.

Moulded in polyurethane foam with active antibacterial properties, the ErgoKneeler™ is a profiled kneeling pad and stool integrated into a single piece of equipment.

See picture to the right.

Its design alleviates the compression forces and postural discomfort associated with low working positions and promotes good spinal posture.

To purchase an ErgoKneeler or to read more click on the link here


Child chokes to death at nursery

Article added 19.6.11

A coroner has issued a warning about food given to toddlers after a two-year-old boy died when he choked on a piece of sausage which had formed "a perfect plug" in his throat.

Ofsted has decided to share the concerns of the Coroner with inspectors and also with local authorities. The details are as follows:

“The young child choked on a small piece of sausage and, despite the best efforts of the staff to dislodge it and subsequently of medical staff, the child sadly died. The sausage created a ‘perfect plug’ in the child’s throat. The risk of this occurring, although slight, can be further reduced by ensuring that food such as sausage is cut lengthways rather than in a manner which creates a small round food particle”.

Click here to read the full article in The Telegraph


Preventing back pain in the workplace

Article added 20.5.11

The health and safety executive have guidance available for employers to help them prevent work associated back pain thus reducing sickness and absence and improving productivity in the workplace. Take the Steps the reducing the risk of back pain in your workplace.

Visit the webpage below for advice on work place risks specific to your industry;

http://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/backpain/employers/preventing.htm

Manual Handling News

Visit our Archive of Manual Handling News and Advice

There are no current articles.

Your Business and Fire Safety

Visit our Archive of Fire Safety News and Advice

Are you fire safe at work? Study shows only 20% of staff are aware of fire safety processes at their firm

Article added 1.9.11

Personalinjurylawyers.co.uk carried out a survey online looking at the level of awareness employees have regarding the health and safety processes that currently exist in their workplace.

Almost 1,561 employees were surveyed on a number of issues related to health and safety processes at their workplace on questioning; just 20% of the employees confirmed to knowing the fire safety processes that were followed at their workplace while 25% of them admitted of knowing where the first aid boxes were kept.

Probing further, employees were also asked if they knew whether their firms had designated health and safety managers. Less than one-third of the surveyed employees confirmed the presence of these managers while 15% had no idea of the presence of these health and safety managers at their workplace.

To read more on this article please click here.

Or if you are interested in improving Health and Safety training and consultancy in your workplace please click here or contact our office on 0845 257 1231.


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