18 May May

In this month’s newsletter we cover the CSCS Smart Check App, Stress in the Workplace, and a case study in the courts:

• CSCS Smart Check App – There are three ways to check a card using CSCS Smart Check App. Via Contactless (NFC), using QR codes or by performing a manual check. If you follow the link attached to the Newsletter, there are some very informative explainer videos, including what a successful and failed verification attempt looks like on the app.
• Stress in the Workplace – Stress can place immense demands on employees’ physical and mental health and affect their behaviour, performance, and relationships with colleagues. It’s a major cause of long-term absence from work and knowing how to manage the factors that can cause work-related stress is key to managing people effectively. Employers should take a systematic approach to identifying the risks of stress, for example by conducting stress risk assessments.
• Manufacturing company fined after employee injured by unguarded machinery – Two employees of Azura Soft Furnishings (UK) Limited had been instructed to sew and pack duvets by the company’s managing director, Mr Tariq Majid, on 13 November 2018. The Manchester Magistrates’ Court was told that the machine was being trialled by the company. One of the employees using the machine was not authorised to operate it or trained in its use. Whilst the employee was using the machine to pack the duvets, he was able to reach into the machine through a gap in the door guard, in order to adjust the duvet being rolled. As he did so he made contact with moving parts inside, sustaining injuries to his right hand, including severing part of his middle finger.