Archive for the Uncategorized Category

Management Masterclass Returns!!!!!

As you may remember I’m a great fan of Phil Brown and his management style - remember him keeping the Hull team on the field at half time? 

Whoopy – he’s back post his sacking by Hull!

I look forward to more man management gems and will pass them on.

 Coming to the Championship near you, but only for 90 minutes, Phil Brown is back. Get your pie before half time though, some of his best work is done during the interval.

What have Preston let themselves in for?

Written by John Hill our FD

Help With Compliance

We’re pleased to announce and support two of our existing suppliers, Claire and Aileen, who have formed a partnership “Business Compiance Services”.

Their aim is to offer companies a more robust solution in complying with regulations surrounding H&S, quality and environment. If you want to know more look at their website www.businesscomplianceservices.co.uk

The Health & Safety Offences Act 2008

Directors, employers and employees need to be aware of the harsher sentences for Health & Safety breaches contained within the Health & Safety Offences Act, which came into force on January 16th 2009.  The Act does not create any new offences but increases the maximum penalties available to the Courts in respect of many health & safety offences.There are significantly increased powers to imprison by altering the penalty framework set out in the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, which was considered too cautious with regards to criminalising offenders.  The new law reflects the current view that health & safety offences should be taken more seriously and that health & safety issues should be given more priority by companies.  It is primarily aimed at those who cut corners, thereby potentially putting workers and the public at risk.Most breaches of the Act will now potentially carry a custodial sentence of 12 months imprisonment for a conviction in a

Magistrates Court

and 2 years for a conviction in a Crown Court.  Fines which may be imposed by a

Magistrates Court

have been increased from £5,000 to £20,000, whilst fines imposed by a Crown Court remain unlimited.Prosecutions for health & safety breaches can be brought alongside prosecutions brought under the Corporate Manslaughter Act (see website article article).What action should companies be taking to protect themselves?·           Undertake a “healthcheck” of the existing safety management system to identify level of compliance to legislative requirements and best practice·           Ensure suitable and sufficient risk assessments are in place for any significant hazards·           Consult regularly with employees in respect of any issues which may affect them·           Provide suitable Information, Instruction and Training to enable employees to execute their duties in a safe manner·           Conduct regular reviews of the Arrangements in place to ensure they remain suitable

·           Ensure support and advice is provided by a competent person

Or just contact EMS at enquiries@emseff.co.uk

Taking the pain away!

FROM TENDER SUBMISSIONS AND THIRD-PARTY AUDITS On many occasions the interpretation, preparation and completion of the pre-qualification questionnaires required by the majority of client organisations may fill you with dread? For small and medium size enterprises this exercise can prove daunting and extremely time consuming for those unfamiliar with the requirements and the standards involved.EMS Management Consultants can provide a useful service to bridge the gap - working with their customers to identify what they do already and formalise it into an acceptable format to present to outside agencies.

EMS also works with companies to identify any gaps they may have – a potential drain on profits.  We support them in building up formal workable systems that reduce risk and increase legal compliance; as well as enabling them to meet stringent third-party audit and certification requirements. Our experienced personnel are familiar with Constructionline, Safecontractor, CHAS, Achilles and the British Safety Council requirements.If you are experiencing difficulty in preparing for an audit or pre-qualification for tender, either through lack of time, resources or expertise, then let

EMS help you. We can either do the work for you, or provide suitable training to enable your own employees to produce documentation and systems to the standards required.
 

For further information on how

EMS can help your business contact enquiries@emseff.co.uk

Age Discrimination Awards………….££!

Simone Greasley our HR expert writes:

The Employment Tribunal statistics for 2008/2009 show that the average award for an Age Discrimination claim was £8,000.00.

Message to all employers? Know the rules. If you need some help contact us at enquiries@emseff.co.uk

Environment in the Construction Industry

Are you in the construction industry? Do you want to be part of delivering sustainable construction?   Then visit www.constructionproducts.org.uk  The Construction Products Association aims to work with the construction products industry in the development of products and processes that contribute to a more sustainable built environment. 

There has been several updates this month in NetRegs:  Lights Out for Inefficient Bulbs: Restrictions on the type of lamps and light bulbs that can be manufactured and imported are being introduced to improve energy efficiency and reduce mercury emissions from lamps. Certain types of inefficient lamps and light bulbs will be banned. Site Waste Its Criminal - 10m tonnes of construction products are wasted every year, at a cost of £1.5 billion. Much of this site waste is harmful to the environment and costly to your business. Site Waste Management Plans (SWMPs) will help you manage site waste more effectively, reducing potential harm to the environment and human health. SWMPs are now a legal requirement in

England for all construction projects that were started after 6 April 2008 with an estimated construction cost of over £300,000.

 

Do you need assistance with your site waste management plans? If so why not give

EMS a call

.

Written by our environment expert.

Keeping your Company Driving Policies in Line

Managers are not doing enough to prevent accidents in their vehicle fleets, research by a leading insurer has found 87% of fleet drivers on the road don’t have basic eye checks and Companies do not carry out checks on the licenses of driving employees. You’re probably breaking the law!! 

We can work with you to produce a Driving at Work Policy and Fatigue Management Plan. Contact us now - enquiries@emseff.co.uk

Written by one of our H&S practitioners

Personal Protective Equipment

Are you providing adequate PPE? A factory was fined £27,500 and ordered to pay £10,700 costs on 9 September after pleading guilty to breaching reg.6(1)(a), 7(1), and 7(3) of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. The Company had failed to provide adequate PPE to an employee who had contracted dermatitis after being regularly exposed to hazardous substances. The continued exposure with his skin caused him to suffer skin irritations across large parts of his body. As a result of the illness he has been left with permanent scarring and has to avoid contact with a large number of substances that cause further skin irritation. He has been unable to return to work and has been forced to retire on medical grounds at the age of 48. 

Do you need an assessment of your workplace to ensure compliance with legal and other requirements? If so why not give

EMS a call.

Written by one of our H&S practitioners

Environmental Help

Our environmental expert has identified the following help for businesses. The Carbon Trust is offering expert guidance and £100m in interest-free loans to companies prepared to do away with old, power-hungry equipment and replace it with modern energy-efficient equivalents. For more details have look at the following link www.carbontrust.co.uk or contact enquiries@emseff.co.uk

Business and Education

We will be updating our website late in October ‘09. In this update we will include an article by Tony Storey OBE entitled “Doing Business With Secondary Schools”.

We thought you’d like to know that Tony, Britains longest serving Secondary School Headteacher until he retired last year, is in the process of publishing a book “An Educated Life - A Boys Own Story”

If you want a copy you can contact us on enquiries@emseff.co.uk or Tony direct on  tonystoey.66@btinternet.com.

Price is £7.50 (plus £1.50 p and p)