Another day, another silly "elf and safety" story. With a solar eclipse due to darken much of Europe for a few minutes tomorrow morning, school chiefs are reportedly planning to keep pupils indoors during the event so as to protect the children's eyes.
One ring to rule them all...
As usual, the newspapers have painted this as a case of 'health and safety gone mad', but in fairness to the school workers in question, solar eclipses can be very harmful. The sun's rays can damage human eyesight even during an eclipse, and it's important to note that only the northernmost parts of Europe will experience a full eclipse tomorrow - the rest of us will still be able to see part of the sun. In some ways, looking at the eclipsed sun is actually more hazardous than looking straight at the sun on a normal day, because your body's natural reactions (squinting, looking away) won't kick in due to the darkness.
Still, this doesn't necessarily mean that Britain's schoolchildren should be robbed of this opportunity (which, after all, doesn't come along every year). Instead, here are a few quick safety tips for tomorrow's eclipse - remember, health and safety is here to keep you safe, not to ruin your fun!
- Know the dangers. Staring at the sun (even during a total eclipse) can cause irreversible damage to human eyes, scorching the retinas and potentially triggering a variety of ocular disorders and even blindness. If you are taking children outside to enjoy the eclipse, make it clear to them that looking straight at the sun is dangerous, and be sure to explain what may happen if they try it.
- Don't look at the sun (even with sunglasses on!) No commercially-available pair of sunglasses will be sufficient to protect your eyes from direct contact with the sun's rays, so don't even try it. Of course, you can buy special eclipse glasses that are specifically designed for eclipse viewings, but be sure to buy with caution - there's no way to guarantee that every pair of so-called 'eclipse glasses' will actually protect your eyes.
- Make a pinhole camera. This is a time-honoured way to view solar eclipses safely, and it can double as a fun craft project for children. Simply take a piece of cardboard and poke a pin-sized hole in the centre; then, during the eclipse, hold your card up to the sun (remember not to look!) and hold another piece of cardboard underneath. A vision of the eclipse will be projected onto the second piece of card, allowing you to watch as it happens.
- Steer clear of selfies! This is one "elf and safety" warning that's totally justified - many experts are concerned that people will try to take 'selfies' during the eclipse and, in doing so, inadvertently glance up at the sun. We recommend that you stay safe and hold your selfies until afterwards!
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Label Source supply a range of electrical and electronic equipment labels to identify electrical safety features such as electrical earth or ground. These are to assure users of the equipment that they are safe from injury from the electrical shock. In addition, these markers can provide evidence of the performance integrity of appliances, lightning protection and prevention of static electrical charge.
Amongst the range of electrical safety symbols are electrical earth, safety earth, ground, protective conductor, neutral conductor, potential equalisation, direct current (DC), alternating current (AC), positive and negative.
In addition, we have several other label ranges for electrical equipment marking.
If you have any made to order requirements involving electrical equipment markers, please contact us by e-mail (sales@labelsource.co.uk ) or by telephone 0800 3761693 (UK), or +44 1443 842769 (outside UK).
As we've mentioned previously, asbestos is extremely dangerous. Its dust can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, and a variety of other diseases, and statistics suggest that 20 lives are lost every week to asbestos-related illnesses.
With this in mind, you may shocked to learn that asbestos can reportedly be found in 86% of UK schools. A BBC News article posted earlier this week claims that asbestos, which was commonly used for insulation before the turn of the millennium, is "still present in nearly nine out of ten schools in the UK - higher than previous official estimates."
If true, this news is cause for concern indeed. Last month, the Health and Safety Executive ran a #BewareAsbestos campaign, repeatedly quoting statistics about the number of tradespeople (roughly 5,000) who allegedly die from asbestos-related diseases every year. These figures were alarming enough on their own, but we are now forced to consider how much larger the numbers become when you factor in non-trade workers. The BBC report claims that 158 schoolteachers have died of mesothelioma in the last decade, and it is probably safe to assume that more have been taken by cancer, asbestosis, and the other diseases for which asbestos has been held responsible over the years.
Perhaps even worse is the thought of our children being exposed to asbestos dust. Exposure can cause serious health problems in later life, and the oft-quoted fact that 'asbestos is safe if left undisturbed' is not especially reassuring given the circumstances. After all, if asbestos exists in a school environment, the chances of it being "left undisturbed" are slim indeed!
What can be done about asbestos?
- Where possible, asbestos should be removed by professionals using the proper PPE
- Asbestos warning signs can be utilised to warn people of areas where asbestos is present
- We can educate people (especially children) about the dangers of asbestos using informational posters and other means
Here at Label Source, we've got quite the comprehensive range of Environmental Management Signs & Tapes. Most workplaces have an ISO 14001 Environmental Management System in place, so you'll be more than familiar with our various environmental signs and tapes, however, there are still many workplaces who currently don't have an enviornmental management system in place
Recycling Signs
Environmental management systems are designed to help you and your business organisation to reduce waste and help save the planet by helping the environment, and must comply with ISO 14001 which is a set of industry standards for environmental management systems. If your organisation doesn't currently have one in place, then there are a number of simple steps you can take to help recuce your carbon footprint and make your contribution to saving the planet.
The added bonus of having an environmental management system in place is that it will help you keep your business costs down and you'll be wasting fewer resources. So how do you get started?
- Encourage recycling and waste segregation by popping the correct recycling signs above your bins to ensure staff are recycling the appropriate materials
- Make sure all of your bins have the proper wrap recycling signs on them
- Warn of any contaminated areas by ensuring the appropriate labels are in place
- Promote energy-saving practices with signs to ensure staff turn the lights off when they leave
- Prohibit access to spill areas with the appropriate control barrier taps
Spill Control Barrier Tapes
Label Source's range of environmental signs & tapes are broken down into the following categories:
Contaminated Land Signs
All of our Environmental Management products are compliant with ISO 14001 regulations, so if your business is looking to put an environmental management system in place, rest assured you're always in safe hands with Label Source. For any information about our Environmental Signs & Tapes, please call 0800 3761 693.
Resource Conservation Signs & Notices
Falls from heights remains the most common cause of workplace fatalities in the UK, with 39 deaths in 2013-14, which was 29% of total fatalities as reported by the HSE. It is a figure that remains stubbornly high, while there has been progress in reducing numbers, reported by employees, from other causes in the last five years. While the level of reported non-fatal injuries from falls was 2895 in 2013-14, well below the peak of 4684 of 2008-09, still there is much more training and safety education required to continue this downward trend.
Furthermore, fall injuries led to 567,000 working days (as reported by employees) lost in 2013-14, and there were 5952 recorded fall from height injuries from the same grouping.
The major industry for fatalities continues to be construction, including electricians and roofers, with other high risk sectors being agriculture, water supply, manufacturing, transport and storage, administration and support (the last mentioned including landscape gardeners, window cleaners and even social care workers).
In 2013-14 there were 73 convictions for breaches of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, slightly down on the peak figure of 81 in 2012-13, and the average fine was in excess of £8000.00.
Major causes of falls from height include falling through fragile surfaces, being hit by falling objects, operating in dangerous areas, coming into contact with machinery as a result of a fall, use of inadequate work equipment, or misuse of such equipment.
To emphasise the dangers of working at heights, Label Source supply a range of health and safety signs to warn of the inherent risks and dangers, as well as mandatory notices for the use of personal protective equipment, and maintenance labels and tags for use on work equipment.
