Lawford Kidd's Blog

There has been a 16% rise in the number of fatalities on Scotland’s roads, with totals rising from 172 in 2013 to 200 in 2014, according to the latest provisional figures from Transport Scotland.

There was also a 1% increase in the number of people seriously injured. However, the total number of casualties has apparently fallen by 2%, from 11,504 to 11,240.

Looking at the figures in more detail, they show that 18 more pedestrians were killed in 2014 than in 2013, but five fewer pedal cyclists. In addition, the number of motorcyclists killed on the roads increased by eight and car users by four.

The Government's response to Sir Bruce Keogh's recommendations for overhauling the cosmetic treatment industry is welcome as far as it goes, but overall is ""too little, too late" according to the patient safety charity, Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA).

AvMA has had to advise and support people who have been harmed by sub-standard cosmetic treatment, and submitted evidence to Sir Bruce's review.

Whilst the Government has accepted the vast majority of Sir Bruce's report "in principle", it has not committed to full regulation of the industry or ensuring appropriate avenues for redress for patients who have been harmed.

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has urged politicians to put greater emphasis on good occupational health and wellbeing.

Tragically, 148 people were killed in Britain last year, while more than 12,000 died from diseases caused by what they have done for a living. These statistics are too high and the Government and employers must do more to prevent further failure, says IOSH.

This autumn, IOSH is meeting with politicians at all three of the main political party conferences to make the case that good health and wellbeing at work can boost productivity, morale and profit – and must no longer be the ‘Cinderella’ of workplace management.

The temporary grounding of Super Pumas is a “proportionate response” to last week’s fatal accident in the North Sea, said the UK’s largest professional body in occupational safety.

However, an outright ban of the helicopter model, intended to restore confidence in the transport of workers to and from oil and gas platforms, would be “too simplistic” a solution at this stage, warned the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

The Helicopter Safety Steering Group, comprising oil and aviation industry representatives, has recommended that all models of the Super Puma series should be grounded for “all commercial passenger flights to and from offshore oil and gas installations within the UK”.