|
£1,000
FINE FOR DRIVING WHILE ON THE PHONE The new offence will take effect from December this year. The Government is also planning to legislate to make it an endorsable offence, so drivers will get three points on their licence each time they are caught holding a phone at the wheel. Introducing the fines, the Road Safety Minister said: "Driving whilst using a mobile phone is dangerous. We are all too familiar with the sight of people driving along while holding and talking on their mobile phones. "Any driver will be distracted by a phone call or text message. It affects the ability to concentrate and anticipate the road ahead, putting the driver and other road users at risk. "Missing a call won't kill you, an accident quite possibly could." Research has shown that driving and using a mobile phone means motorists are four times more likely to have an accident. Hands-free calls were also distracting and still put drivers at risk, he added. Drivers already face prosecution for careless or even reckless driving if using of a phone means they do not have proper control of their vehicle. The new offence is being introduced by an addition to the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986. Most drivers will pay a £30 fixed penalty but face a fine of up to £1,000 if the offence goes to court. New legislation is needed to make the offence subject to three penalty points and that is expected to be introduced later. DIFFICULTIES
IN ASSESSING STRESS Although stress is claimed to be the largest cause of illness and absence, the HSE has not launched a single prosecution for imposing stress. One reason is the difficulty in proving that an illness was caused by stress and the stress was caused solely at work, and the employer had negligently failed to minimise the pressure on workers. This makes the large numbers of those affected by stress, reported by numerous studies, even more surprising. Furthermore it has not prevented 164,000 claims against employers for damage from stress. |
|
HEALTH
& SAFETY INSPECTORS DISH OUT NOTICES During
the sweep, notices were issued in a variety of workplaces for infractions
such as unguarded machinery, lack of edge protection for mezzanine floors,
dangerous electrical equipment, lack of assessment for manual handling activities,
lift truck driver training and consultation
with employees. The
principal inspector with the HSE’s field operations directorate in London,
said in general there were good standards, however there were some
significant deficiencies that required action as inspectors issued three
Prohibition and six Improvement Notices. The
new partnership between the HSE and local authorities is hoped to provide
a more co-ordinated and streamlined approach to the inspections of small
businesses. The
head of operations in HSE’s London Division said the scheme was one of
many the organisation was taking to improve working standards in the
capital. “Increasingly we are taking a strategic approach by working in partnership with local authorities and business organisation to improve health and safety standards – poor standards of health and safety cost firms a lot of money,” he said. WINTER
& COMPANY HEALTH & SAFETY TRAINING COURSES
For your convenience all training sessions are delivered at client's on-site locations. Training fees start from as little as £47 per person (conditions may apply). For further information or to book a training course, email us at training@health-safety.net or call Eve Horgan Free on 0800 169 1554 For information on health & safety matters in your office, including “questions & answers”, see our web site at www.health-safety.net. |