Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas that is a product of the partial combustion of carbon based fuels such as natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), oil and wood. As many of you know carbon monoxide is lethal if inhaled. It interferes with the transport of oxygen by the blood. Oxygen is transported in the blood by haemoglobin inside red blood cells. Haemoglobin is a protein. Your red blood cells are jam-packed full of haemoglobin and not much else. When red blood cells pass through blood vessel in the lungs they collect oxygen molecules. Oxygen molecules diffuse from the air in the lungs, through the lung wall…
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Safety & Health Expo 2019 – One Week To Go
The Safety & Health Expo commences on the 18th of June and will run for three consecutive days. Excitement is building up, and below is a rundown of what you can look forward to in more detail. Schedule of Events In addition to the Key Note Speakers: Jonny Wilkinson CBE, Steph McGovern and Eddie the Eagle, there will be numerous seminars running over the course of the three day event. There will be hundreds of influential HSE figures delivering speeches, ranging from representatives from IOSH all the way to Transport for London. New for the SHExpo 2019, there is also a PPE Attack Zone where there will be visual demonstrations…
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Preparing for The NEBOSH Diploma Exams & Case Law
The NEBOSH Diploma is about the practical application of ‘background’ theory and knowledge to occupational health and safety (OHS) problems. Geek Now I love a bit of science. The background theory fascinates me and the practical applications can be mind-boggling. Many parts of the NEBOSH Diploma are very much concerned with the practical application of science and engineering to real-world OHS problems. COSHH is about the practical application of biology and chemistry to OHS. So is CAR. LOLER is about the practical application of physics and engineering to OHS. So is PUWER. So is DSEAR. It is also about the practical application of legal principles. And psychology (safety culture and…
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Ensuring You Have a Safe & Blessed Ramadan
The holy month of Ramadan is upon us and is due to run until the first week of June. It is celebrated throughout the world within the Islamic faith and fasting (abstaining from eating and drinking during daylight hours) is a major part of Ramadan. As employers, and as employees, we need to be aware of how this period may affect health and safety, both to the individuals fasting and those around them. Equally, colleagues who are not fasting need to be aware of the effects it can have on others and how they can be supportive during this religious period. For The Employers · Increase awareness of dehydration and…
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Why You Should Visit The Safety & Health Expo 2019
The Safety and Health practitioner is a health and safety industry magazine and news website. Annually, they present a Safety & Health Expo at the ExCel Centre in London, on 18th – 20th June, which is Europe’s leading health and safety event. Within the event there will be over 350+ industry expert companies exhibiting; there will be celebrity key note speakers attending, and the latest in innovative H&S products on show. RRC have been exhibiting at the SHExpo for the last 15 years, and have always found it to be beneficial. It is an annual highlight of our year, and a fantastic chance to showcase any prospective new courses, products…
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Still a Bad Daisy – HSE Warns Farmers of Livestock Risks
A recent HSE e-Bulletin caught my eye the other day (see a web-based version here). One of the headlines was about the HSE campaign to raise awareness of livestock handling risks on farms (see the campaign press release here). The photo that accompanies the headline shows a happy, young farmer with a newly-shorn sheep. Slightly misleading but there you go. I don’t think sheep kill many people each year (though you can catch some interesting zoonotic diseases from them – but that’s another blog). The text of the article talks about cattle. Ahhhh… [No; not as in ‘cute’; as in ‘interesting’] Because it puts me in mind of the blog…
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Health & Safety – Shifting Cultural Norms
When I was 18 years old I was knocked off my bicycle in a road traffic accident (or road traffic collision to use the modern parlance). I hit the tarmac quite hard; landing head first and sliding along the ground a bit before coming to a stop. As I lay on my side staring at the sky I could taste salty liquid trickling down my throat. When I turned my head a straw-coloured liquid dripped out of my nose to form a little puddle. That’s when I knew I had a fractured skull. When I tell people about this accident they often ask if I was wearing a helmet. And…
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Thinking About a Career in Health and Safety?
Careering into it As a health and safety tutor I routinely meet people who already work in the field of occupational health and safety (OHS). And one thing that always strikes me is that they are a diverse bunch with a very wide range of ages, educational backgrounds, workplaces and work/ life experiences. From 21 to over normal retirement age. From left school at 16 with diddly-squat to PhDs in biomechanical engineering. From building society office to offshore oil and gas platform. From none at all to 35 years in the chemical engineering and manufacturing industries. And some of them have had life experiences that have made the hairs on…
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New Year’s Resolution; Less Harry Potter, More Gordon Gekko
It has become something of a tradition in our household to do a Harry Potter marathon (of sorts) over Christmas. i.e watch all eight films over eight consecutive evenings over the festive period. My daughters grew up with Harry. My youngest’s impression of Moaning Myrtle is exceptional (apparently my own “Expecto Patronum!” is quite good too). Spoiler alert Harry kills Voldemort at the end. Good conquers evil. Morality wins the day. The books and the films are so satisfying because the right and proper outcome is achieved. If only it was as simple in the world of occupational health and safety. Most of you will be familiar with the moral…
