A recent audit revealed that Brenton Park School in Leeds was far from being up to date on their health and safety procedures, with worrying concerns in terms of fire and asbestos safety. Not only was their fire safety risk-assessment found to be unsuitable, but it was also revealed that the asbestos surveys were out of date, putting staff and students at risk.

While the school has since responded to these concerns by appointing a safety and facilities manager, it is worrying to consider the possibility and likelihood that there are many similar cases of neglectful health and safety throughout the country. As is the case with many schools, Breton Park's facilities are ageing, making it even more important to consider health and safety issues on a regular basis. When staff, and particularly students are being put at risk by insufficient health and safety procedures, questions must be asked about the quality of the institution overall.

To ensure that your school is performing to the best of its ability while ensuring the safety of staff and students, read and follow the list of 3 essential steps below:

• Assess: Make sure that all the required internal/external audits and assessments are completed, in order to identify any issues and ensure that policy is up to date.
   
• Inform: Make sure that all staff and students are aware of the fire safety measures, and make all relevant information visible via fire safety signs. If there is asbestos present in certain areas, be sure to use asbestos hazard signs to reduce the risk of someone coming into contact with the material.
   
• Communicate: Report any issues straight away, and encourage others to do the same.

To view our full range of Safety Signs click here, or follow us on Twitter for regular health and safety news and updates!

With Christmas drawing ever closer, people are looking for fun ways to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones. This could include going to watch the Christmas lights being turned on in the town centre, going to a charity Christmas gig, going to watch a church choir, or simply just enjoying the Christmas tree in the centre of your village. These activities all sound very appealing – until health and safety gets involved!

Christmas is a period during which UK residents traditionally get enraged over silly 'elf and safety' scandals, with many left feeling that H&S regulations are solely in place to ruin people’s fun at Christmas.

We have searched the internet to find you some of this year’s most absured ‘Elf and Safety Stories:

Solihull, a small town on the outskirts of Birmingham did not enjoy an official Christmas lights switch on this year – because of health and safety concerns. Traditionally the town enjoyed local celebrities, Santa clause, Sport stars, charities, choir groups and local dance groups turning on the town’s spectacular Christmas lights. However, this year the event organisers decided not to comply with tradition because they were expecting huge crowds of people on the night, which could have presented the town with health and safety issues.

Click here to read more about this story.

Onto Saltdean, where a charity Christmas show, that had already sold 150 tickets out of 200,  was cancelled due to health and safety concerns regarding the buildings fire escapes and the lighting in the venue. A chairwoman of the trustees of the SCA stated “From the sale of the bar we could have £500, which we didn’t think outweighed the risk.”   After 5 years of showcasing the local rock talent this year was going to be the last year that this Christmas charity show was due to run. The event manager stated that he was “devastated” that the show was unable to go on.

Read more of this story here.

In two South Tyneside Villages Christmas trees have had be cut down to size because of ‘elf and safety rules. In Cleadon and East Bolton it was decided that their 8 meter festive firs were too close to power lines, and it would be unsafe for workers to plant the trees using a crane. It was explained that “to ensure we do not have a safety-related incident on site, during tree installation and removal, the crane wagon boom and lifting  equipment comes into contact with the energised supply cables we should reduce the height of these two trees as a matter of public and worker safety.” – The councillor is furious with the decision stating that this decision is “utter madness”

Click here to read the full article.

Even though some of the health and safety stories you may read over the Christmas and winter period may sound ridiculous, please remember that health and safety is in place to protect people – not to ruin your Christmas fun!

For more stories like this, be sure to follow Label Source on Twitter!

Digital Fire and Security was brought before Dungannon crown court in Northen Ireland, after being contracted to install a new fire alarm system. Digital Fire and Security failed to request a copy of an asbestos management plan before commencing their work. This negligence led to employees cutting though an asbestos insulation board ceiling during installation and was exposed to the lethal asbestos. Digital Fire and Security was ultimately fined £1000, plus £800 costs.

To ensure that this does not happen to your business, we, at label source, have taken the time to outline exactly what asbestos is, illnesses caused by exposure to asbestos and What needs to be included in your asbestos managemant plan. 

What is asbestos?

Asbestos is a fibrous material which was regularly used in buildings until recently (1999). Asbestos was generally used as a means of fireproofing and insulating building, and many companies used asbestos in ceiling tiles, boilers, roof tiles, and pipe insulations.

There are 3 different types of asbestos;

Chrysotile, widely known as white asbestos. Chrysotile can resist high temperatures making it an ideal material for insulation and fireproofing. It was this type of asbestos which became banned in 1999.

Amosite, known as brown Asbestos was banned in 1986. Amosite was primarily used in the manufacture of insulation and anti-condensation products. Records indicate that 5% of all asbestos used in buildings before 1986 was of the amosite variety.   

Crocidolite is commonly known as Blue asbestos. Crocidolite forms natural bundles of long, straight sharp needles making it exceptionally easy to inhale, making Crocidolite the most hazardous form of asbestos. Unlike Chrysotile and Amosite, Crocidolite is not heat resistant, therefor it was used less in the construction of buildings, it is recorded that on 4% of buildings built before 1980 contain Crocidolite asbestos.  Because of the lack of heat resistance, Crocidolite was added into cement to increase its strength and durability.

Where can you find asbestos?

Asbestos can be found in industrial and residential buildings built or refurbished before 1999. Asbestos was used in many common building materials such as:

Cement, Ceiling tiles, Boilers, Pipes , Vinyl tiles, Fire blankets, Panels, Gutters, Roof tiles and Wall Panels to name a few.

Illnesses caused by asbestos

Asbestos fibres are fatal when inhaled and is known to cause serious lung diseases listed below:

Mesothelioma - Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that affects the pleura (lining of the lungs), and your lining of the lower digestive tract. Inhaling asbestos fibres cases them to get lodged in the lining of your lungs, causing irritation to the pleura, increasing the possibility of causing mutations that can lead to growth of cancer.

Mesothelioma is almost exclusively related to asbestos exposure, and is extremely hard to diagnose. By the time mesothelioma is diagnosed it is almost certainly fatal.   

Asbestos related lung cancer - When someone inhales asbestos, the fibres can get lodged in the lining of their lungs. Once lodged these fibres cause enough irritation and cell damage they can generate tumours.

Researchers reported that 3mm fibres of asbestos are more likely to get lodged in the lining of your lungs whereas 5mm fibres are more likely to get lodges in the lungs tissue, increasing the risk of developing asbestos related lung cancer.

Asbestosis - Asbestosis occurs after many years of exposure to asbestos. This condition’s characteristics are serious scarring of the lungs, which can cause shortness of breath. In severe cases this can be fatal – if you have been exposed to asbestos in the past and are experiencing this you should contact your doctor as soon as possible.

Pleural thickening - Like Asbestosis, pleural thickening occurs after heavy or prolonged exposure to asbestos. Pleural is the lining of the lungs, is asbestos is inhaled this can cause the lining of your lungs to swell; this can cause extreme discomfort and shortness of breath.

Abestos management plan

If you are managing or are in control of non – domestic premises you have a duty to identify and locate all materials that potentially contain asbestos. This information should be stored in an asbestos management plan and should be passed on to anyone who is contracted to work on the building.

This plan should contain a floor plan outlining the areas that contain asbestos, an asbestos action plan (what work is going to be carried by who and when) and a communication plan, including the placement of warning signs.

If you have been asked to carry out maintenance, refurbishment or installations on a commercial building, those responsible for the work, project manager or company should ask for a copy of the management plan before commencing their work.

To avoid being fined please ensure that you are keeping you employees safe where there is a risk of potentially being exposed to asbestos.

If you manage a non domestic premises and are devising an asbestos management plan, then make sure you view our vast range of asbestos signs, labels and tapes, and clearly highlight areas of potential risk. 

However you celebrate the holiday season, it should be a safe and largely stress-free environment for you and your loved ones to enjoy. Sadly, this is often not the case, as Christmas it is in fact the time of year when most accidents occur. While there is no way to ensure total safety at this or indeed any time of the year, there are many simple steps you can perform in order to avoid the chances of causing a Christmas calamity.

Here are a few simple but efficient measures you can perform in order to avoid accidents, and prevent some not-so-merry mishaps:

• Avoid dangerous situations when shopping: If you're planning a trip to the shopping centre either in the lead up to Christmas or during the sales, be sure to stay hydrated and do your best to avoid over-crowded areas. Obviously you won't be able to avoid crowds altogether, but try to use your better judgement to stay out of situations where crushing could occur. You should also avoid rushing if you can help it, as you could easily slip an injure yourself in the cold and damp conditions.

• Don't overload plug sockets: Fairy lights are a much-loved element of Christmas, but please be mindful of attempting to recreate the huge displays organized by your local council! An extension lead or socket should not use more than 13 amps or 3,000 watts of energy, so be sure to check the specifications of all your electrical items before use. These days there are lots of battery and solar powered options available for indoor and outdoor use, so this may be worth considering to reduce the number of plugs.

• Don't leave open flames unattended: Candles and open fires are a part of the traditional Christmas ideal, but they should always be treated with caution! People are 50% more likely to die in a house fire at Christmas than at any other time of year, so make sure that you are not leaving flames unsupervised, particularly around cards and paper decorations. On the same note, be sure to buy the correct batteries for any electrical items that have been purchased as gifts; you shouldn't be tempted to remove them from your smoke alarm!

• Use the proper equipment when reaching for something at height: When decorating your home or removing things from the attic, please be sure to use the proper ladder or step required for the height, do not use chairs and stools!

• Take care in the Kitchen: Be sure to keep children away from hot water and cooking fat, and avoid the consumption of alcohol when cooking. Also ensure that everything is properly cooked and in-date before serving, to avoid food poisoning.

• Keep Christmas plants away from children, animals and vulnerable people: Mistletoe, orange berries and the Christmas rose are all poisonous, so be sure to keep them out of harms way, or avoid them in favour of faux versions if you can.

• Be extra wary of choking hazards: Small parts from broken ornaments, packaging, crackers and the like could be lethal to small children, so be on the lookout for any stray items in their reach.

• Don't drink and drive: It may seem like a rather obvious point to make at any time of the year, but at Christmas people are more likely to relax and loose track of how much alcohol they've consumed, or are more willing to take risks on Christmas Day because they expect the roads to be quieter. Please use the same caution at Christmas as at any other time of the year to stay safe and well!

Please share these tips on Facebook and Twitter, to ensure safety for all this Christmas!

You can follow us @LabelSourceUK and find our Facebook page here.

We at Label Source don’t just specialise in warning signs and labels, we also supply businesses with a large variety of printable labels:

Laser and inkjet printer Labels

We stock a comprehensive range of printer labels all suitable for use with an inkjet laser printer or a photocopier. Our printing labels come in a wide variety of shapes, from small rectangles to circles, we are confident that we have the exact printing label that you are looking for, and they come in packs of 500 sheets making these labels super cost effective!

Fluorescent A4 Printer labels

We have a staggering 21 different label sizes available within our fluorescent A4 Printer Label Range. With a permanent adhesive bond you can be confident that these labels will stay in place one fixed. Supplied in packs of 100 sheets these versatile labels are also suitable for use with a standard inkjet laser printer and photocopier.

Industrial Grade Laser Labels – White

These industrial grade labels are waterproof and weather, heat and chemical resistant. These labels are ideal to be used as equipment markets, asset identification, maintenance labels, testing labels, racking and shelf labels and more! These versatile labels have a clear acrylic permanent bonding adhesive, and are available in packs of 25.

Polyester labels starter packs

These labels are suitable for most mono and colour printers and photocopiers. Available in 3 colours, white, silver and yellow, these labels are waterproof, weather, heat and chemical resistant and can be used for indoor or outdoor application.

Cable Marking Labels

With 5 colour block options these durable polyester labels are colourfast, waterproof, abrasion and chemical resistant. These high quality labels have a coloured printed block with a  clear wrap around tail, and self-laminated protection. These cable wraps can be printed on with your inkjet laser printer, photocopier or hand written. If you need printable cable marking labels you need not look elsewhere.

Click here to view our full range of printable labels.

Here at Label Source, we pride ourselves on our truly comprehensive range of fully customisable printable labels. In the unlikely event that you cannot find the labels that you require, you can contact a member of our customer service team on 0800 3761 693 or email us on info@labelsource.co.uk.