12 Nov November

This month, we cover key updates including changes to the CSCS Labourer card starting February 2025, tips for preventing winter workplace accidents, recent HSE fines for health and safety breaches, and resources for accessing HSE guidance on preventing slips and trips. Stay informed and ensure your workplace remains safe and compliant.

1. CSCS Labourer Card Changes: Starting February 1st, 2025, the initial validity of Labourer cards for first-time applicants will be reduced from five years to two years, with renewals extending to five years upon proof of employment in a labouring role.
2. Workplace Safety in Winter: Tips on preventing slips, trips, and falls during darker evenings and colder weather, emphasizing the importance of proper lighting, entrance design, and maintaining dry, safe surfaces.
3. HSE Fines and Compliance: Recent fines imposed on companies for health and safety breaches, including a £15,000 fine for a manufacturing company failing to control wood dust and a £30,000 fine for inadequate risk management in stone cutting activities. Breathe Freely issues a TBT highlighting the dangers of respirable crystalline silica (RCS) dust in construction, which can cause serious lung diseases like silicosis and lung cancer.
4. Access to HSE Resources: Information on accessing the HSE website for comprehensive guidance on preventing workplace accidents, including slips and trips.