This week (15-19 June) is UK Health & Safety Week 2015! This annual event - now in its second year - was set up both to celebrate the UK's outstanding dedication to health and safety and to highlight areas that are still in desperate need of improvement.

According to the official Health & Safety Week website, the aim of this year's observance is "to inspire employers and employees to embrace health in the workplace by instigating inintiatives and programmes throughout the year". The organisers have drawn particular attention to the following occupational health issues:

• Mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses
• Respiratory diseases
• Musculoskeletal disorders
• Skin complaints
• Hand arm vibration
• Stress and mental health problems

Employers can prevent all of the above issues - or minimise the likelihood of their occurence, at least - by simply paying attention to health and safety guidelines and putting the right measures in place to protect their staff.

How you can help

If you are an employer, here are some ways in which you can make the most of Health & Safety Week and help to protect workers everywhere:

• Tweet about Health & Safety Week to spread the word to other employers. Remember to use the #HSWeek15 hashtag!

• Maintain a positive attitude towards health and safety - British newspapers love a good 'elf and safety' circus, but don't let stories like these affect your feelings about H&S as a practice. Remember, the laws are there to keep everyone safe, not to ruin their fun!

• Look for ways to prevent occupational health issues (such as those listed above) in your workplace. For example, if there is asbestos present on your premises, use the correct asbestos warning signs to identify the hazard and contact an asbestos specialist to get it removed. You might also consider putting some safety posters up in your office to educate staff and promote safe practices.

• If you see something unsafe, don't stay quiet - report it!

Click here for more ways to get involved with Health & Safety Week 2015!

Here at Label Source, we sell a variety of electrical tags that can be used to keep people safe around potential electrical hazards. You probably see these tags - or tags just like them - every so often, but do you know how they're supposed to be used? Are you aware of any installations in your workplace that ought to be tagged?

In case you're unsure, here are some examples of when and where our electrical tags should be used:

• If service personnel are repairing, maintaing, or otherwise working on a piece of electrical equipment, the machine in question should be labelled with a tag like this one to prevent anyone else from attempting to use it in the meantime. Many workers have been injured and even killed because somebody started a machine that they were in the process of servicing - don't let your employees suffer the same fate!
  
  
• Has one of your machines broken down? You may wish to use an Out of Order tag to ensure that everybody knows the score. If somebody attempts to operate a machine while it is out of order, they may end up causing even more problems, so it's best to label any out-of-action equipment right away.
  
  
•  We don't just sell electrical tags - we can also supply tags to warn of non-electrical hazards such as asbestos, gas, and poison.

These are merely examples; we recommend visiting our Electrical Tags section to browse our full range. We aim to provide a safety tag for every situation, and our tag collection covers everything from general electrical warnings (e.g. High voltage) to specific instructions (e.g. Do not close valve).

From rollercoaster accidents to fancy dress costumes, it's been a busy week in the world of H&S...

• The health and safety story that's been dominating the headlines this week is the incident that occurred at Alton Towers on Tuesday. According to the Metro newspaper, 4 people were hospitalised - and a further 12 injured - in a collision between two carriages on the 'Smiler' rollercoaster at the Staffordshire theme park. Other sources (including the BBC) have reported that the park's staff did not call 999 until 11 minutes after the crash. The Health and Safety Executive is currently conducting an investigation, and the park remains closed at time of writing.
   
• A representative for Hugo Boss UK Ltd plead guilty to charges of contravening health and safety regulations on Wednesday, and the company will be sentenced later this month. The charges were brought against Hugo Boss after four-year-old Austen Harrison was crushed by a two-metre-high mirror that was not properly fixed to the wall in the company's Bicester Village store in 2013; the boy suffered severe brain damage as a result of the accident, and eventually died after being taken off life support.
   
• Claudia Winkleman has successfully forced a number of big-name retailers to tighten their health and safety standards with regards to children's fancy dress costumes. Winkleman's eight-year-old daughter suffered serious burns after her Halloween costume caught fire last October; according to the Express, the Strictly Come Dancing host was "incensed to discover that the costumes only have to be tested to the same level as toys". Since the accident, Winkleman has been campaigning for stricter regulations on children's fancy dress products, and it seems that her hard work has been rewarded - several large British supermarkets (including Sainsbury's, Tesco, and Asda) will now ensure that all children's costumes meet the same health and safety standards as nightwear products.
   
• The UK's first privately-funded NHS hospital was also under scrutiny for fire safety failings this week. The Cumberland Infirmary (located in Carlisle) was criticised by Cumbrian's Fire Brigades Union who called the hospital a "major" safety risk and highlighted the inadequacy of the building's fire proofing measures, which - according to the Independent - "did not meet the required protection standard to allow for save [sic] evacuation". The fire fighters have urged the hospital's stakeholders to re-assess the fire safety procedures and materials that have been put into place, warning that "vulnerable patients" could be in particular danger if changes are not made.

• Technology giants Apple found themselves at the centre of yet another fire safety story this week when their Beats Pill XL speakers were recalled on the ground of being a potential fire hazard. The product was launched back in 2013, but - as thefourohfive.com pointed out - "it remains Apple's responsibility to identify, alter or discontinue fault goods being sold under their jurisdiction". The company's official statement is as follows: "Apple has determined that, in rare cases, the battery in the Beats Pill XL may overheat and pose a fire safety risk".
   
• We end this week's round-up with yet another example of somebody blaming health and safety for something that has absolutely nothing to do with health and safety. Of course, we're used to ridiculous "elf 'n' safety" fiascos in Britain, but this particular story actually comes to us from the USA: it seems that the Louisiana Girl Scouts are refusing to accept transgender members due to - you guessed it - "health and safety" concerns. The HSE haven't covered this story on their brilliant Myth Busters blog, but if they did, we imagine they'd advise the Louisiana Girl Scouts to stop blaming H&S for their own personal views on who should or shouldn't be allowed to join!

Follow @LabelSourceUK on Twitter for more H&S news and discussion!

A safe working environment relies on a multitude of different factors, but perhaps the most important of all is information. As an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure that your staff are up to speed with all of the health and safety regulations that affect their work.

This, of course, means that you have to provide health and safety training for everyone who joins your workforce; however, bear in mind that a single training session on initiation day may not be enough to fulfil your obligations as company owner. People generally won't remember everything you tell them on their first day at work, and that's why you have to ensure that your employees are frequently reminded of the relevant safety information.

One way to do this is with health and safety posters. Placing these brightly-coloured notices around your workplace is a great way to keep safety at the front of everybody's mind, and the information printed on the posters may just save somebody's life one day.

Here are some of the workplace safety posters available from Label Source:

Office Safety Poster

This poster features several pieces of general guidance that are applicable to most office environments.

Manual Handling Poster

If your workers are frequently required to lift heavy loads, this poster will help them to ensure that they stay safe while doing so.

 Fire Safety Poster

You never know when a fire might break out. This poster will inform your employees of what to do in the case of such an emergency.

Workplace First Aid Guide

Most workplace safety posters aim to prevent accidents. This one gives advice on what to do if prevention fails and a life-or-death situation arises.

These are just a few of the safety posters available from Label Source's website - click here to see our full range.

Electrical Safety Month is nearly over, but that doesn't mean we should stop thinking about electrical hazards and the harm they can cause. Electrical safety should be a continuing concern for everybody (especially employers, who must always take responsibility for the health and safety of their workers).

With that in mind, we'd like to close Electrical Safety Month with these helpful tips for preventing electrical accidents:

• Only carry out electrical work if you are competent enough to do so. Not all electrical jobs have to be carried out by qualified electricians - for example, most people are capable of changing a light bulb or replacing the fuse in a plug. However, you should NEVER undertake ANY electrical work unless you are completely sure of what to do; if you don't know the correct way to safely complete the task at hand, call someone who does.
  
  
• Pay attention to warning signs and labels. If you see an electrical warning sign or safety label, be sure to heed its instructions before continuing. Those warnings are there for a reason!
  
  
• Provide warning signs and labels for others. Of course, electrical safety warnings don't magically appear on any potentially hazardous equipment - they have to be put there by a responsible person. If that person is you, be sure to use the correct signs and labels to help protect your employees and the general public from harm.
  
  
• If you see something unsafe, report it. It could be an electrical installation that isn't properly labelled, a cable that has become unfit for us, or even a co-worker carrying out electrical work in an improper manner - whatever the hazard, be sure to let somebody know. Report it to the person responsible for health and safety in your workplace, and if they don't take action, contact the Health and Safety Executive for further guidance. You should never stay quiet about a potential safety risk - inaction costs lives!
  
  
• Educate yourself and others. It's easier to prevent electrical accidents if you know exactly what can happen. For starters, we recommend visiting the HSE's Electrical Safety page and brushing up on the do's and don'ts of electrical work. Be sure to share the information with others, too - you won't be able to keep everyone safe on your own!