NEWS
HEALTH AND SAFETY CONFERENCE EXAMINES MARTYN’S LAW AND EMERGING WORKPLACE RISKS
Key developments on Martyn’s Law, the growing challenge of workplace stress, and other major health and safety issues were brought into sharp focus at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) Health and Safety Conference.
The conference brought together leading voices from across the health and safety sector to examine some of the most pressing issues facing professionals today, with delegates receiving timely insight into new and emerging regulatory and workplace risks.
A central feature of the programme was a crucial update on Martyn’s Law – the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, delivered one year on from the Act receiving Royal Assent and in the same week as the publication of statutory guidance for venues.
Thomas Yih from the Security Industry Authority (SIA), the regulator responsible for implementing the Act, provided delegates with an overview of what the legislation will mean in practice, and he spoke about the need to ‘get the balance right between advice and enforcement’ as the Act rolls out.
The conference also featured an important session on The Control of Asbestos Regulations and Guidance, delivered by Annmarie Staunton, Senior Policy Advisor at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Starting with the startling statistic that around 5,000 people die every year in Great Britain from asbestos- related diseases, making it the leading cause of work-related deaths, Annmarie examined recent recommendations from a Select Committee and
explained the HSE’s response, offering clarity on how asbestos regulation may evolve.
Another highlight was a panel discussion addressing the growing issue of work-related stress, often described as a ‘silent killer’, with Paul Spurrier, Head of Local Authority Team, HSE, Heather Beach, Chair of the Women in Safety Network and Founder of the Healthy Work Company and Ruth Wilkinson, Head of Policy and Regulatory Engagement, IOSH.
The discussion explored the scale of work-related stress, barriers to effective prevention, and the role of leadership and culture in protecting worker health.
Delegates also heard from Kevin Thomas, Health and Safety Business Partner at Biffa, who shared insights and raised a call to action on the growing issue of rough sleepers seeking shelter in waste containers and the risks and impact on the waste industry.
Adele Masztalerz, CIEH member and Head of Safety Management at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, who chaired the conference, said: “This year’s CIEH Health and Safety Conference delivered a wide ranging and highly informative programme, providing timely updates on the key regulatory and policy developments shaping the work of health and safety professionals. It was also a reminder of the importance of the role of the profession in keeping people safe.
“I would like to thank all of our speakers for their expertise and insight, and everyone who attended for engaging so thoughtfully in the discussions and helping to make the conference such a success.”
www.cieh.org/events
VIOLENCE AT WORK ‘OUT OF CONTROL’ AS MPS WARN WORKERS ARE BEING LEFT UNPROTECTED
A cross-party group of MPs and peers has warned that workplace violence is “out of control” and is demanding urgent government action.
A new report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health says abuse, threats and assaults are now a routine part of working life in sectors including transport, retail, prisons and education.
Ian Lavery MP, Chair of the APPG, said: “Workers are being punched, spat at and threatened simply for doing their jobs, and too often nothing happens. This is a crisis, and the government is not doing enough to stop it.”
The Group is calling for immediate action to provide legal protection for all public-facing workers, end unsafe lone working practices and review sectoral minimum staffing levels, increase funding for policing and health and safety enforcement, and address overcrowded prisons and underfunded schools as a matter of urgency.
The Group heard evidence from representatives in multiple sectors, including one bus driver who was held at gun point, and a representative of the Prison Officers’ Association who spoke of the “moral failure” of a rising number of attacks on prison staff leaving workers
6
WWW.TOMORROWSHS.COM
hospitalised on a daily basis. The report also calls for a rethink on the ban on prison officers’ right to strike.
The report warns that current approaches are failing workers, leaving them to manage violence themselves instead of preventing it.
The full report can be found here.
http://www.tuc.org.uk
https://www.appgosh.org/post/report-workplace-violence
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
