NEWSFLASH
BIRKETTS APPOINTS TEAM OF EX-HSE INSPECTORS TO OFFER ADVICE ON
WORKPLACE SAFETY Birketts Solicitors has appointed a team of former Health and Safety Executive inspectors to help organisations manage their own health and safety.
Birketts have teamed up with ex- HSE inspectors, with an in-depth knowledge of how the regulator works and what it looks for, to enable organisations to gain an insight into the health and safety issues surrounding their business.
Laura Thomas, Partner and Head of the Health and Safety team at Birketts, said: “Birketts’ health and safety team uniquely comprises specialist solicitors and barristers as well as expert health and safety consultants.
“Our team of experts can tailor their services to any organisation, industry and businesses of any size. They provide
FORK TRUCK WATCHDOG PUTS END TO BAD PRACTICE
The Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA) has revealed details of its latest initiative; Fork Truck Watchdog.
The scheme has been launched to tackle mis-selling, poor standards and rogue trading in the materials handling marketplace.
It is the industry’s first national, joined-up initiative designed to protect customers and has been created to gather evidence and provide a mechanism for taking fast and decisive action against wrongdoers.
Speaking about the initiative FLTA CEO Peter Harvey said: “Now there is someone fork lift buyers can turn to if they come across a truck being sold in an unsafe condition, unfit for purpose or dishonestly described. What’s more, they can do so with confidence that the information they give will help to eradicate bad practice nationwide.”
www.tomorrowshs.com
emergency response to incidents as well as day-to-day practical assistance and have the support of our team of specialist solicitors and barristers where needed.”
Laura continued: “Our approach has been crystallised after years of defending our clients in court over health and safety breaches. We have seen many times those businesses that ‘disown’ health and safety and entirely outsource it to a consultant, can get themselves into difficulties
The FLTA have teamed up with West Berkshire District Council, under the Government’s Primary Authority Partnership scheme, which allows one local authority to take responsibility for all regulatory advice and guidance to a business or to a group of businesses throughout the whole of the UK.
While the FLTA provides the fork lift expertise, West Berkshire District Council will deal impartially with Trading Standards on behalf of the public, truck users and FLTA members.
FLTA CEO Peter Harvey added: “If you’ve bought a truck and believe it to be in unsafe condition or missold, you can report it by filling in the Fork Truck Watchdog form
www.fork-truck.org.uk.
“If you are unsure about your complaint, or need guidance, you can ask an FLTA Member for help in evaluating the nature and scale of the problem.
because it’s all about implementation, not just paperwork.
“Our team will visit your organisation to offer audits, training, accident investigation and advice, so that you gain practical assistance that is pertinent and relevant to your particular business and which can be put in place by those within your organisation. Our safety specialists stand alongside clients, offering advice and assistance that helps you to help yourselves.”
“Should the trader’s activity constitute a criminal offence, for example a truck being sold in a dangerous condition or if misdescribed, then the complaint will be passed directly to Trading Standards.
“Importantly, because the reporting taps into a national network, poor patterns of practice by particular dealers are immediately identified. That’s a game changer as, until now, they would have appeared to be isolated instances in a number of local Trading Standards offices – all waiting, quite understandably, to gather a more substantial body of evidence before opting to investigate.”
The FLTA is keen to emphasise that every time an issue is reported through Fork Truck Watchdog it does more than tackle an individual case, it strengthens the scheme’s effect as a whole.
www.fork-truck.org.uk 7
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