Category: Health & Safety

A PEEP (Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan) and a GEEP (General Emergency Evacuation Plan) are both key elements of fire safety planning.

A PEEP is a tailored evacuation plan for an individual who cannot safely evacuate during an emergency without support—due to mobility impairments, sensory disability, cognitive conditions, or temporary circumstances (e.g., injury or pregnancy).

A GEEP is an evacuation plan covering all occupants, including visitors and those with impairments.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the Equality Act 2010, responsible persons (employers, landlords, building managers) must make reasonable adjustments to provide safe evacuation for all occupants. Recent legislation, such as the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025, also mandates PEEPs for residents in high‑rise or at‑risk residential buildings.

Any PEEP (Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan) or GEEP (General Emergency Evacuation Plan) should be completed in consultation with any stakeholders, the organisations fire strategy and risk assessment, and premises-wide fire evacuation procedures to ensure it is proportionate and aligned.

Any PEEP (Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan) or GEEP (General Emergency Evacuation Plan) should be communicated, tested, and reviewed regularly as part of the overall training, testing and review schedule to ensure it is implemented successfully and effective. 

 Written by Daniel Prosser, MSc CMIOSH L4DipFRA OSHCR
Health, Safety and Wellbeing Professional

LinkedIn 

Many employees are exposed to a variety of substances at work (e.g. liquids, gases, aerosols, fumes, dusts, fibres) which can, under some circumstances, have a harmful effect on their health. These are called hazardous substances and if exposure to a hazardous substance is not properly controlled it may cause ill health in several ways. Substance may cause harm by:

•            Too much being taken into the body through breathing

•            Acting directly on the body at the point of contact, (e.g. the skin)

•            Being absorbed through the skin

•            Being swallowed

Some illnesses caused by exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace (occupational diseases) may not appear until a long time after the first exposure. Therefore, it is important to know in advance how to protect the health of people working with hazardous substances and also of other people who may be affected by the work being carried out.

Exposure monitoring means using suitable techniques to assess the extent of employees’ exposure to substances hazardous to health via all routes (inhalation, ingestion and/or skin). The information gathered during exposure monitoring can help an employer assess whether the control of employees’ exposure is adequate.

You also need to be aware that substances hazardous to health can enter the body. This means that in some situations you may also need to measure and monitor the total amount of a substance that has entered an employee’s body.

If the organisation store, handle, use and transport substances, a COSHH risk assessment should be undertaken to determine the hazards and level of risk present to employees, and the required control measures to ensure exposure is reduced ‘so far as reasonably practicable’. In most cases, exposure monitoring should be part of the overall control strategy identified during the risk assessment process.

Written by Daniel Prosser, MSc CMIOSH L4DipFRA OSHCR
Health, Safety and Wellbeing Professional

LinkedIn 

Behavioural safety is a proactive approach to health and safety that focuses on the human element of the workplace. Its primary goal is to prevent incidents by identifying and encouraging safe behaviours while discouraging unsafe ones.

While traditional health and safety strategies are essential, they often focus on engineering controls (e.g., machine guards), systems (e.g., permits-to-work), and compliance with regulations.

Behavioural safety does not replace traditional H&S but adds a crucial layer that addresses why people act the way they do and how to proactively and positively influence their safety-related choices.

The behavioural safety approach is founded on the following principles:

• Shared Responsibility: Safety is everyone’s responsibility, from senior management to every individual
• Proactive Focus: We focus on preventing incidents by understanding and influencing behaviours before things go wrong
• Observation and Feedback: Regular, constructive observation of work practices and the provision of timely, specific feedback are essential
• Positive Reinforcement: We will recognise and reinforce safe behaviours to encourage their repetition
• Learning Culture: We learn from both successes and failures, using insights from behavioural observations and incident investigations to improve
• Engagement and Empowerment: We will involve our workforce in identifying risks, developing solutions, and promoting safe practices
• Fair and Just Culture: We will distinguish between human error, at-risk behaviours, and reckless violations, ensuring a fair and consistent approach to managing safety performance

Implementing a behavioural safety approach could provide significant benefits, including:

• Fewer Incidents: This is the primary goal and benefit. By addressing unsafe behaviours before they lead to an incident
• Increased Safety Awareness: Employees become more mindful of their own actions and the safety of their others
• Empowerment: It gives employees a direct voice and a tangible role in shaping their own safety, leading to a greater sense of ownership
• Improved Well-being: A safer workplace directly reduces physical harm, stress, and anxiety associated with workplace risks
• Stronger Safety Culture: It moves the company from a “rules-based” culture to a “values-based” one, where safety is genuinely part of everyone’s job
• Reduced Costs: Fewer incidents mean lower costs associated with investigations, recovery, medical treatment, compensation claims, equipment damage, and operational downtime
• Improved Morale and Engagement: When employees feel their company genuinely cares for their well-being and involves them in solutions, morale, job satisfaction, and productivity tend to increase
• Improved Compliance: A proactive focus on safety often leads to improved and more consistent compliance with H&S regulations

Written by Daniel Prosser, MSc CMIOSH L4DipFRA OSHCR
Health, Safety and Wellbeing Professional

LinkedIn 

The Building Safety Act 2022 is a major new law created to make buildings, especially tall residential buildings, much safer. It was introduced directly because of the tragic Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. That fire highlighted serious failures in the old system, where it was often unclear who was responsible for safety. The Act’s main goal is to fix these problems by improving the standards of design and construction, making people accountable, and giving residents a stronger voice.

The Act names specific people or organisations called “duty holders” and gives them clear legal responsibility for safety at different stages of a building’s life. These roles include the Client (who orders the work), the Principal Designer (who manages design safety), the Principal Contractor (who manages safety during construction), and anyone else, including contractors who undertakes work on a building during its life. Once the building is occupied, an Accountable Person (often the owner or landlord) becomes responsible for managing ongoing fire and structural safety risks, ensuring the building remains safe for residents.

Competence is a core part of the Act, meaning people and companies must have the right skills, knowledge, experience, and behaviours to do their jobs safely. It’s no longer enough to just claim you are qualified. You must be able to demonstrate this competence (perhaps with qualifications or formal checks) and maintain it by keeping up-to-date with training and new safety standards. This ensures that everyone working on a building, from the architect to the final building manager, is capable of making it safe.

The “golden thread” is the name for a complete and accurate digital record of a building’s information. It starts when the building is first designed, is updated all the way through construction, and is kept for the entire time the building is used. This “thread” contains all the crucial details about how the building was built, what materials were used, and how it should be kept safe. It ensures that the right people have the right information at the right time to manage the building safely, both for day-to-day life and in an emergency.

In addition to compliance with the new BSA 2022, these procedures could have far reaching benefits to the health and safety of your employees, compliance with other legislation, and the health and safety culture of the organisation as a whole.

Written by Daniel Prosser, MSc CMIOSH L4DipFRA OSHCR
Health, Safety and Wellbeing Professional

LinkedIn 

Electric vehicles (EVs) are broadly categorised into two main types, Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), and Plug in Hybrid Vehicles (PHEVs). Although very similar, they vary in one way:

• Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) run on 100% electricity. They have a large battery pack that powers one or more electric motors and produce zero tailpipe emissions. They are charged by plugging into an external power source
• Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) are a combination of conventional and full electric cars. They have both a petrol or diesel engine and a battery-powered electric motor. They can be plugged in to charge the battery for a limited all-electric range (typically 20-50 miles) before the combustion engine takes over for longer journeys

The number of electric vehicles on UK roads has increased. As of 2024, there are over 2.1 million plug-in vehicles (both BEVs and PHEVs) in use. New battery-electric vehicles now account for around one-fifth of all new car registrations, showing a rapid shift in consumer and business purchasing habits.

Every employer who embraces this new technology, is duty bound to provide, and maintain a safe workplace, and safe work equipment for its employees and anyone else who may be affected by the introduction of these vehicles.

Written by Daniel Prosser, MSc CMIOSH L4DipFRA OSHCR
Health, Safety and Wellbeing Professional

LinkedIn 

Organisations should conduct practice fire evacuations to ensure life safety and comply with duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 . These drills are essential for building preparedness and ensuring an orderly response in the event of a real fire.

Conducting practice fire evacuations will help you test fire safety measures, equipment, and procedures, and allow staff to become familiar with fire safety arrangements and what to do in the event of a fire.

Evaluating planned or unplanned fire evacuations will help identify strengths and weaknesses in your fire safety arrangements and help you make continual improvements to ensure the safety of all occupants within your premises.

Written by Daniel Prosser, MSc CMIOSH L4DipFRA OSHCR
Health, Safety and Wellbeing Professional

LinkedIn 

Stone dust is produced as a by-product of processes such as the blasting, crushing, drilling, grinding, sanding, polishing, sandblasting, and cutting of stone.

Industries that work with stone products include quarrying, mining, demolition, construction, stone masonry and manufacturing, fitting and installation, and foundries.

Stone dust is characterised by its fine, powdery to sandy texture and the particle size is generally similar to that of sand grains, or can be even finer in some circumstances.

Dependant on the type of stone, and the processing undertaken on that stone, dust can contain numerous constituent elements including silica, quartz, silicone dioxide, alumina, iron oxides, potassium oxide, sodium oxide, calcium carbonate, and magnesium oxide, in which all can be hazardous to humans.

Workers who process stone can develop occupational lung diseases caused by breathing in stone dust, particularly if it contains respirable crystalline silica (RCS).

Given the health risks associated with stone dust, it is crucial for employers to implement effective dust control measures.

Written by Daniel Prosser, MSc CMIOSH L4DipFRA OSHCR
Health, Safety and Wellbeing Professional

LinkedIn 

In the UK, the requirement for a suitable and sufficient confined space rescue plan is a requirement within the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 (Regulation 5). Regulation 5 requires that no person shall enter or carry out work in a confined space unless suitable and sufficient arrangements for the rescue of persons in the event of an emergency have been prepared. This applies regardless of whether the emergency arises from a “specified risk” (e.g., hazardous substances, lack of oxygen, fire/explosion) or other unforeseen circumstances like falls or medical emergencies.

The “suitable and sufficient” nature of the rescue plan means it must:

• Be prepared before entry
• Minimise risks to rescuers
• Include appropriate equipment
• Be immediately actionable
• Involve trained and competent personnel
• Be based on a risk assessment
• Be documented and regularly practiced

Beyond legal compliance, a well-developed and practiced confined space rescue plan offers significant benefits:

• It could save lives
• It reduces the risk to rescuers
• It ensures compliance
• It enhances operational efficiency
• It boosts worker confidence and morale
• It minimises business disruption
• It demonstrates due-diligence

In essence, a suitable and sufficient confined space rescue plan is not just a regulatory hurdle, but a critical investment in the safety and well-being of workers, with benefits for both individuals and organisations.

Written by Daniel Prosser, MSc CMIOSH L4DipFRA OSHCR
Health, Safety and Wellbeing Professional

LinkedIn 

Home working has seen a significant rise in recent years, accelerated by technological advancements and, notably, global events like the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift has brought numerous benefits for both employees and employers, but it also presents a unique set of challenges and risks that require careful consideration and proactive assessment.

For employees, home working often leads to an improved work-life balance due to increased flexibility and the elimination of a daily commute. This can result in more time for personal activities, better sleep, and reduced stress. Many also report increased productivity due to fewer office distractions and the ability to create a customised, comfortable work environment. Additionally, employees can experience cost savings on commuting, work attire, and meals out, contributing to increased job satisfaction and improved employee retention.

Employers benefit from a wider talent pool, as geographical barriers are removed, allowing them to recruit from anywhere. Home working can also lead to reduced overhead costs associated with office space and utilities. Furthermore, increased employee satisfaction and flexibility often translate to higher morale and productivity.

The use of home and hybrid working arrangements has grown considerably with a significant percentage of new jobs offering some form of remote work. This trend is driven by employee demand for flexibility, with many willing to seek new roles to achieve it.

Despite the advantages, home working carries inherent risks. Physical health concerns include musculoskeletal issues from poor workstation setups (e.g., unsuitable chairs, desks, or monitor positioning) and increased sedentary behaviour. Mental health risks are also prominent, with potential for isolation, loneliness, blurred work-life boundaries, and burnout due to difficulty switching off.

From a practical and security standpoint, risks include electrical hazards (e.g., faulty equipment, overloaded sockets), trip hazards (e.g., loose wires, clutter), and data security breaches if employees use unsecured networks or personal devices without suitable monitoring and protection. Employers also face challenges in maintaining visibility and direct supervision and ensuring compliance with employment regulations like working hours.

Given these risks, undertaking a home working assessment is crucial. This systematic process identifies potential hazards in an employee’s home workspace and evaluates the associated risks to their health and safety. The assessment should cover:

• Ergonomics: Ensuring suitable desks, chairs, monitor positioning, and other equipment to prevent musculoskeletal issues
• Physical Environment: Checking for electrical safety, adequate lighting, ventilation, temperature control, and clear emergency escape routes
• Mental Health: Addressing potential isolation, stress, and work-life balance issues by promoting regular communication, providing access to support resources, and encouraging breaks
• Security: Verifying secure network connections and adherence to data protection policies

Employers have a legal duty of care to their employees, regardless of their work location. A comprehensive home working assessment, often involving self-assessments, virtual check-ins, or occasional visits for specific needs, allows employers to identify and control risks, provide necessary equipment and training, and promote a safe, healthy, and productive environment for their remote workforce.

Written by Daniel Prosser, MSc CMIOSH L4DipFRA OSHCR
Health, Safety and Wellbeing Professional

LinkedIn