Lawford Kidd's Blog

The International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) has drafted a new international health and safety standard, aimed at reducing the impact of occupational deaths and injuries.

At a meeting in Trinidad, which was hosted by The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), the ISO published the latest draft of the new standard. Health and safety professionals from different countries, industries and cultures, were then able to discuss the proposed standard. In particular, 2,500 comments from the consultation were reviewed, clauses were examined and amendments suggested by health and safety professional from around the world.

A survey from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) has found that the legal costs for making third party whiplash-type injury claims has fallen by 65%.

According to the IFoA, the introduction of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2013 has not only led to a reduction in the cost of legal fees, but also a reduction in the cost of making a genuine whiplash claim. The introduction of the act has also led to a decrease in the number of bogus claims throughout the UK.

The IFoA findings show that the cost of whiplash-type bodily injury claims has fallen by 19%, with the frequency of the claims also dropping by 12% from the previous year.

Companies are being urged to step up their commitment to safer business driving on UK roads, by recommending organisations they employ or hire carry the ISO 39001 accreditation, which shows their drivers have met some of the highest safety standards.

The call comes from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), which recently conducted a survey revealing that 72% of people who drove for business reasons had been offered no training by their employer at all – even though 44% of them said they would welcome the opportunity.

The figures relating to driving for work accidents are alarming:

The Recovery of Medical Costs for Asbestos Diseases (Scotland) Bill Consultation process has begun, and has been backed by Clydeside Action on Asbestos. The Bill will allow the NHS to claim back millions for costs associated with caring for those suffering from asbestos related diseases such as Mesothelioma from insurance companies who have already settled civil claims with victims and their families.

Figures published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in 2014 showed that Britain is one of the safest places to work in the EU, however with 133 deaths and over 78,000 people injured in the last year alone, just how good are the health and safety standards in the UK?

Recent statistics show that as well as numerous employees sustaining injuries in the workplace, over 1.1 million employees suffer from a work-related illness, costing society, on average, £14.2 billion a year to treat.

Illnesses in the workplace cost employers 60% more than injuries throughout the working year. The report also showed that 28.2 million working days were lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury in 2013/14.