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…
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A Festive Quiz
Over the last year I have written a few blogs for RRC’s website. Most of these have been aimed squarely at students studying towards a NEBOSH health and safety qualification; though much of the advice in them is relevant to any course of study with a formal exam at the end. If you want a quick reminder of topics covered they have included: Revising and preparing for the exam (You make your own luck) Examination technique (Just read the instructions) Handwriting tips (Doctor’s handwriting) Studying as a distance learner (Studying as a distance learner – I know; not very creative – I was going to go with “The loneliness of…
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The Risks in a Lead Workshop
Outside of health and safety, I have an interest in old buildings and their conservation. A couple of years ago, on a field visit as part of a course I was doing, I went on a tour of the stained glass conservation workshops at Salisbury Cathedral. Here they repair and refabricate stained glass panels for the historic windows in the cathedral and for other churches in the surrounding area. The coloured glass pieces are held together by lead strips, cast, extruded, cut, bent and soldered together by a small team of craftsmen. As I was reasonably familiar with the health effects of lead from a theoretical and control point of…
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Health and Safety is Common Sense Self-Protection
I recently came across this on an H&S checklist issued to volunteers at an event and it started me thinking about the phase ‘common sense’, its origins, definition, uses and, of course, its application to health and safety. A search of the HSE website (www.hse.gov.uk) revealed ‘Common Sense Common Safety’ (5). In this, Lord Young opines ‘Above all it means applying common sense not just to compensation but to everyday decisions once again’ and ‘My report highlights the role that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities have in promoting a common sense approach to health and safety’. The Prime Minister of the day, David Cameron, claims that…
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Tackling Issues of Sustainable Development with ISO 14001
A rather dry necessity routed in process and procedures? Something usually put in place because it is required by supply chain partners and clients? Or to get ahead in a procurement process? Or, is ISO 14001 an important piece of the sustainable development jigsaw – addressing environmental sustainability issues, engaging employees and customers, opening up new opportunities and markets and actually something that can be used to stimulate strategic and cultural change? It depends on how it is used and who is using it. I have always argued the second point – and the updated version of the environmental management standard ISO 14001 makes that argument more compelling. Treat it…
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RRC Middle East Newsletter – September 2016
The September 2016 Edition of the RRC Middle East Newsletter is out! Download it now for the latest news and information from RRC, including: Hasan’s thoughts on Shifting Attitudes to Health and Safety in the Middle East The last few spaces available on Middle East courses this Autumn Our new Fire Safety Consultancy RRC Middle East in action, as well as celebrating recent student success Click here to download the latest RRC Middle East Newsletter.
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Radio Frequency Radiation – NEBOSH Diploma
NEBOSH Diploma questions are written to ensure that candidates don’t just have knowledge of a wide range of safety topics, but that they can also demonstrate that they can apply that knowledge. This means that they’ll often face questions about particular scenarios which they haven’t personally come across before. Students are not expected to have learnt about every possible situation or scenario that could arise, but are expected to be able to apply their knowledge to novel situations, working from first principles. They have to apply basic health and safety principles in their answer, giving enough specific detail to show that they have understood the issues associated with that particular…
