A Look at Safety Regulations

These days there are many safety checks on everything we come across. From our workplaces to town centres and any equipment we use, everything is rigorously tested to make sure it is safe for its purpose. Hear we look at some areas where health and safety has an impact.

CAR SAFETY
Car safety has improved dramatically over the last few decades. When the automobile was first used there were no regulations and the industry was still relatively unregulated until half way through the last century. Seat beats have been the most important development in car safety and have been given credit for saving thousands of lives. Car manufacturers started introducing seat belts in the late 1950's with Volvo the first to do so. They were made compulsory in the front of cars in 1983 but not in the back until 1991. More recently air bags have been introduced by manufacturers. These are not compulsory but almost all new cars now have them installed.

Cars have to go through rigorous safety check to qualify as road worthy, which includes crash tests. Safety records are also used as a marketing tool by manufacturers, with those with the best records selling cars off the back of this. Cars are specifically designed to be as safe as possible. As well as checks before they are put on the road, cars also have to go through an MOT (specific to the UK). This is a group of tests carried out three years after a car is first used, and then every year thereafter. These test decide whether a car is deemed safe for use on the road.

PAT TESTING
PAT Testing stands for Portable Appliance Testing and is the regulatory test that must legally be carried out regularly on portable appliances. A PAT test will give and pass or fail result that will tell the users whether or not it is safe for use. PAT Testing is required for any portable appliances that are in public use. This includes any appliances (including fridges and ovens) that are supplied as part of a rented property, any equipment used in schools or the workplace, and anything that is used by or around the general public.

PUBLIC BUILDINGS
All public buildings are now subject to health and safety checks and regulations. They have to abide by certain rules to make sure the public are kept as safe as possible. Fire prevention methods need to be in operation and there must be sufficient fire escapes that are clearly marked. Any potential dangers, such as slippery floors, also need to marked. Other public areas also have regulations they must abide by.

WORKPLACES
Strict health and safety rules apply to all places of work. They are subject to many of the same health and safety regulations as public buildings. Regulations have been put in place to protect staff, and if applicable, customers. Employees need to be trained correctly so they are able to use any dangerous equipment correctly. Accidents also need to be recorded and reviewed to make sure a similar incident does not occur again if avoidable. Rules vary depending on the industry.

RESTAURANT & OTHER EATERIES
There are strict regulations for restaurants and eateries with regard to hygiene. For example, staff have to wash their hand regularly. Depending on the establishment and the job role specific clothing may have to be worn and other clothing may be banned. Employees with long hair who work in the kitchen must wear a hair net or have their hair tied back. Restaurants are subject to regular inspections and there can be on-the-spot inspections by health and safety officers.

HOSPITALS AND MEDICAL CENTRES
Not surprisingly there are many regulations around medical care. It is important that decease is not spread amongst patients so there are many rules to prevent this. Visitors and staff are asked to rub their hands with alcohol to sterilise them. Everything possible needs to be done to keep the risk of spreading infection to a minimum.

Andrew Marshall ©

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Why Are Elevators Safe For the Public to Ride?

Many people often wonder, are elevators safe for the public to ride! To answer the question, of coarse they're safe. For many years elevators have evolved from simple machines that had to have a live elevator operator on it to control basic functions. But today, elevators don't need baby sitters to watch it's every move.

Elevators travel millions of miles without incident, and rarely do you hear of fatalities, but sometimes an occasional door malfunction, not leveling and the worst, a stuck upset passenger. Elevators are the life blood of buildings, thus enabling personnel to operate as one functional unit instead of splinters of confusion. The question has often risen, are elevators safe for the public to ride, especially after a major public incident!

Regardless of what has happen in the past, the local state, and federal government has dramatically improved elevator public safety by mandating frequent inspections, including annual test of major components, also 5 year test on other pertinent equipment to ensure safe, smooth operations for years to come. Also the number of state elevator inspectors has increased because of more frequent inspections for public safety.

The public always assumes that an elevator is not safe or is in disrepair when the unit is being serviced by an elevator technician. And when people spot technicians getting on top of an elevator to inspect hoist cables or just routine maintenance it is automatically believed that something is wrong. I personally thank elevator personnel for the fine job they do to keep us safe from harm by placing their lives on the line each and everyday to keep us safe.

When the question is asked, are elevators safe for the public to ride the answer is always yes, especially if the technicians work for Union elevator companies, who acquire the highest trained mechanics and apprentices in the country, who undergo rigorous and extensive training for years. Just remember you should worry about elevators that never get inspected, instead of ones that are routinely maintained.

All About Drug Testing Kits

Drug tests are technical examinations of blood, hair, oral fluid, and sweat to determine the presence or absence of specific illicit substances. Many companies, schools, and organizations have started to implement drug testing policies to help ensure the safety of employees and students, as well as to determine if employees and students are fit to go to work or school.

Drug testing kits can help much in determining the presence or absence of prohibited drugs in samples gathered from subjects and they can come in different forms. Manufacturers of these test kits need to comply with FDA rules and must adhere to cut off levels prescribed by the SAMSHA.

Drug testing kits are not only used by diagnostic or medical laboratories. There are also test kits that are available for home use. Whichever way, these testing kits are often designed to have simple testing procedures but they can yield very accurate results. They are available in most health supply shops and pharmacies, and there are also websites that allow you to place orders online and have testing kits delivered at your doorstep.

There are different kinds of testing kits for drugs. The most common include urine, saliva, blood, and hair drug test kits. Different kits yield different lengths of drug use history. Saliva drug test or screening kits can reveal drug use in the last 24 hours, while hair drug test kits can reveal drug use within the past 90 days.

Drug test and screening kits are being used in various institutions, organizations, and even at home. For example, employers typically choose drug test kits that have simple screening procedures but can yield accurate results. Schools, colleges, and universities use drug test kits to determine whether or not students have the potential to become drug users or dependents. Rehabilitation centers also use these test kits to so that reports can be made in a quick manner, which in turn can help in making better decisions.

Indeed, drug testing kits are simple yet effective ways of determining the absence or presence of illicit substances in a person's system. They can help reveal the presence of prohibited drugs like amphetamines, cannabis, heroine, and barbiturates. These kits make it convenient for authorities to pinpoint drug users in communities, schools, and offices. In this manner, the safety of the public can be better ensured and drug users can be saved from the harmful effects of illicit substances.

In a world of changing ethics and propelling questions hair follicle drug testing has a variety of uses. Hair drug tests are something the athletic organizations, forensics, insurance companies and large corporations will need to be aware of. Hair drug testing is one of the top methods because it can provide an accurate history of use and is the longest lasting piece of evidence.

Why You Need Child Internet Safety Software

There is a desperate need for parents to take control of their children's internet usage. Child Internet safety software is a smart and easy way to protect your children from the dangers on the Internet. It is a vital part of your families' safety if you have children and the Internet.

Why do you need it?

Your child is exposed to countless dangers on the Internet including pedophiles, sex offenders and cyber bullies. Plus, chatting can be an innocent activity that your child participates in, but many dangers lurk there as well. What kind of information is your child getting online? Even though we'd all like to think we teach our children what is right from what is wrong, they can still be so easily deceived online, so we must protect them. They could be in serious danger already.

So what should you do?

By simply installing child Internet safety software, you can ensure that your children will be guarded against the unforeseen dangers online. There are stealth software systems that allow you to control what happens on your child's PC without them ever knowing it. Should you choose to tell your children that you have installed this software, they will not be able to operate it or delete it without your secret password. Either way your children will be protected and you will have peace of mind as they surf the net.

Please don't let another day go by with your child at risk on the Internet! Take action today and get this safety software in order to protect your innocent children.

I am a mother, and an advocate for children's safety on the internet. Trust me, you need to monitor your children now...before it's too late. For invaluable information on a great child internet safety software visit child internet safety software

Choosing Your Health & Safety Training Provider

Health and Safety in the workplace should be a very high priority in all businesses, large and small. With the United Kingdom's Health and Safety Executive bringing in ever tighter regulations it is incumbent on all employers and workplace managers to keep abreast of them and ensure they are enforced to the letter. Failure to do so could lead to prosecutions, the payment of compensation claims and higher insurance premiums.

In order to keep up with health and safety regulations more and more businesses are now turning to outside agencies to receive assistance. Some are also appointing members of their own staff as specialists to deal with these issues. In short, they require people in the workplace with sound knowledge of health and safety regulations and good practice.

In order to ensure these people have the correct knowledge they are turning to agencies that provide health and safety know how. There are many of the agencies around specialise in that kind of work. So it is up to employers to pick the one that is best for their company when choosing a health and safety training provider.

Obviously you should choose a training provider that provides top quality training and one that is properly accredited. Many training providers teach courses that are developed, approved and accredited by the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health - IOSH.

The IOSH is an independent non-profit organisation that sets the professional standards and gives guidance on health and safety matters. It is a worldwide body, has 35,000 members and over a third of these are chartered health and safety practitioners.

As well as finding a health and safety training provider you also need to decide what kind of training your company needs. This can vary widely from business to business depending on size, and the kind of work that is done. Also your company may need a degree of specialisation in health and safety matters.

Of course, an introductory course is ideal for all businesses, covering the ground work before moving on to to any specialisation. The IOSH provide their Working Safely Certificate which covers areas such as an introduction to working safely, the improvement of safety performance, as well as the responsibility of the individual to safety at work.

When choosing a health and safety provider it is important to choose a properly accredited agency to teach you or your representative both the responsibilities demanded under the law and the best practices for you to meet them.

Springfield Training are accredited IOSH training providers providing a range of Health and Safety training from their base in Hull, east Yorkshire