News on 05 April 2001
Swiss Re has reappointed Cochrane McGregor& Associates (CMA) to update the workplace health and safety systems at five of the company’s buildings.
CMA will develop an updated H&S Manual, carry out risk assessment of the buildings and support the implementation process. Last year, Swiss Re appointed the consultancy for the reorganisation of two floors in one of the London offices, with the aim of creating a more efficient and comfortable work environment.
l Last week, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) - in partnership with local authorities - launched a new incident-reporting service, which will cover all employers and businesses in the UK, to deal with the 210,000 H&S incidents reported every year.
The service, operating from a new contact centre, will provide employers with a 'one-stop shop' for details of all reportable work-related accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences. The centre will also publish reported incidents on its web site, broken down by type of incident, geographical region and sector.
HSE Director General Timothy Walker said: "As part of our modern approach to doing business, the centre will provide a more streamlined service to employers. We are trying to ease the administrative burden by providing firms with a choice of how they notify us about work-related health and safety incidents. For those
who require it, we will even fill in the paperwork for them.
"But there is a trade-off. Employers are required by law to notify us of all reportable incidents, yet we estimate that only around one half of non-fatal injuries are currently being brought to our attention. Effective H&S regulation depends upon a successful partnership between HSE and local authorities.”
