BUSINESSES MUST HEED MOBILE PHONE DRIVING BAN, OR FACE FINES OF £2,500
The ban on using a mobile phone while driving begins on Monday 1st December, although there will be a two-month grace period until the new penalties kick in.

The punishments for holding a handset to make a call when in the car will not be put into effect until February "in order to assist in the education of drivers" the Association of Chief Police Officers has said.  However, officers will be able to impose the new fines on anyone who they believe to have caused serious potential danger or to have contributed to a collision as of Monday 1st December.

Using a hands-free kit will still be allowed as long as the phone unit is cradled securely. Drivers are not allowed to touch the phone during a conversation.

The ban, which restricts the use of mobile phones "while driving" includes, beyond the obvious definition, sitting in the car while it is stationary with the engine running.

The sole exception will be when making 999 or 112 emergency calls where it is unsafe to stop to make the call.

According to a recent survey, 70% of small business bosses will not be taking any risks and will ban workers from using the phone while behind the wheel under all circumstances.  With good reason; small firms risk fines of up to £2,500 unless they draw up a formal policy forbidding mobile phone use by their drivers.  Employers ought to explicitly state that they forbid the use of mobile phones while driving if they are going to minimise their risk of liability.  In addition, insurers are unlikely to pay out if after investigating a crash they find that the driver was speaking on the phone.

NEW ACCIDENT REPORT BOOK

The Information Commissioner, whose role is to enforce the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA), has ruled that businesses must change their accident book to comply with the DPA by 31 December 2003. The new design allows for accidents to be recorded, while details of individual(s) can be stored separately in a secure location.

The new publication, the HSE Accident Book (BI510), has been revised as most existing accident books allow personal details and information to be seen by anyone reading or making an entry in the book. The previous version, produced by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), and other similar books do not comply with the DPA. In revising the Accident Book, DWP has passed responsibility for production to the Health & Safety Executive.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:
What is R.I.D.D.O.R?
R.I.D.D.O.R. is Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. It is an offence to fail to report an accident at work or at another site where R.I.D.D.O.R. applies, eg. in the event of a death, absent for over 3 days as a consequence of injury, specified dangerous occurrences and diseases, any fracture other than to fingers, thumbs or toes, any amputation, dislocation of the shoulder, hip, knee or spine, loss of sight, a chemical or hot metal burn to the eye, or any penetrating injury to the eye, an injury resulting from electric shock and burn, and any admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours.

OFFICE BASED INJURIES - THE STATISTICS
The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has published a key fact sheet on injuries and deaths of employees within office-based industries, as reported to local authorities for the period 1996/97 to 2001/02.

The report relates to those injuries reported to local authorities by employers and others under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR). The report highlights that the most common type of accident, representing 30% of over-three-day injuries was handling, lifting or carrying in 2001/02. Almost 25% of such incidents involved portable containers, including bottles and crates for example.

Slipping and tripping injuries accounted for nearly half of major injuries in 2001/02 and just below 30% of over-three-day injuries. Over one-quarter of non-fatal injuries involved stairs or steps. Other key figures were as follows.

• In the 10 year period to 2001/02, employers reported 17 fatalities to office-based employees.

• The rate of fatal injuries per 100,000 employees in 2001/02 was 0.21 and is one of the lowest rates across industry.

• The most common kinds of accident were falls from height and being struck by a moving vehicle.

• In 2001/02 employers reported 851 major injuries and 2,526 over-three-day injuries in office-based premises.

• The rate of major injury to employees (which includes some injuries reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)) increased by 65% to 32.9 in 2001/02 from 19.9 in 2000/01.

• The rate of over-three-day injury (which includes some injuries reported to HSE) has risen from 66.9 per 100,000 employees in 2000/01 to 100.5 in 2001/02.

WINTER & COMPANY HEALTH & SAFETY TRAINING COURSES
Training courses are provided on these topics:-

• Office Health & Safety

• Warehouse Health & Safety

• Manual Handling

• Display Screen Equipment

• Fire Health & Safety

• Director & Senior Manager Awareness

• Stress In The Workplace

For your convenience all training sessions are delivered at client's on-site locations. Training fees start from as little as £32 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.