Employers must provide welfare facilities and a working environment that's healthy and safe for everyone in the workplace, including those with disabilities. This means you must have: welfare facilities a healthy working environment a safe workplace Find out in more detail what you must provide for a safe and healthy workplace.  Employers are also required to provide enough toilets and washbasins for those expected to use them. Follow our guidance for toilets and washing facilities. |
HSE is inspecting manufacturing businesses that use metalworking fluids or coolants in their machining processes. Inspectors will be focused on how employers are ensuring workers are protected from exposure to fluid or mist generated by computer numerical control (CNC) machines and that regular health checks are in place.  There are 3 areas where manufacturing companies, particularly smaller companies, commonly fall down on compliance: not having Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) not completing regular fluid quality checks not providing regular health checks for lung and skin conditions Find out more See our campaign website for more details including: guidance on buying and using local exhaust ventilation machining with metalworking fluids information sheet how to look after your metalworking fluid setting up occupational health and health surveillance Earlier this year HSE published its eighth Annual Science Review. This year there is a focus on our activities enabling the safe deployment of net zero energy technologies. One of the case studies featured highlights HSE's research into hydrogen-fuelled vehicles in tunnels and confined spaces.  Find out more by downloading this year's science review or watching our YouTube video. There is a collective responsibility to create workplaces where individuals are truly supported, valued and empowered. HSE published non-statutory guidance, including a set of simple core principles, which will help employers create workplaces that are safe and supportive to enable disabled workers or workers with long-term health conditions to thrive.  Our Talking Toolkit will help employers and managers apply these core principles and includes questions you can use to start practical conversations with workers.  We encourage you to think about your workplace and really consider the support available to colleagues and workers.  You can also visit theâ¯Work Right for Everyone campaign website. Research on noise induced hearing loss shows around a fifth of workers could be exposed to high noise levels while doing their job. While new cases of occupational deafness have significantly dropped over the past decade, HSE is urging workplaces to consider the shout test to manage noise at work and ways to give workersâ ears a break.
HSEâs noise specialist Chris Steel said: âIf you are shouting at work and canât be heard from 2 metres away, the chances are thereâs a noise issue. Try it out for yourself and see if you can be heard."  HSE has important guidance in relation to noise at work although evidence suggests new cases of occupational deafness is in decline.  Find out more by reading our noise at work article. | 