It is now clear that the Government is unwilling to commit the necessary resources to our nation’s defences – Griffith

Nia Griffith MP, Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary, responding to the
International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Military Balance report, said:

“This report exposes the Government’s complete and shocking
failure to maintain its commitment on defence spending to our Armed Forces and
to the country.

“Just weeks after the Prime Minister was lecturing our allies
about increasing spending to meet the 2 percent NATO commitment, it is now
clear that her Government is unwilling to commit the necessary resources to our
nation’s defences.

“As the Defence Select Committee has shown, the MoD was already
barely scrapping over the 2 percent mark and had changed its accounting methods
to give the illusion of keeping the commitment. To be spending less than 2
percent of GDP on defence is utterly unacceptable, particularly in this time of
immense global uncertainty.

“Labour is committed to spending at least 2 percent of our GDP
on defence spending, as we consistently did when in government.”

ENDS




HSL: Slips and Trips – Falls Prevention – London, 9 Mar 2017

Book Course

HSL is to run a 1 day course on Slips and Trips – Falls Prevention – LONDON.

THIS COURSE IS TO BE HELD IN LONDON

9 March 2017

PLEASE NOTE THIS COURSE IS TO BE HELD IN LONDON

Introduction

Slips, trips and falls are the leading cause of major injuries in the workplace. These injuries can be devastating for the individual involved and they generate a huge financial burden on industry. Almost all slips and trips can be prevented, often with simple inexpensive interventions.

Slips and trips can happen for a number of reasons, but all too frequently people jump to conclusions about why they happen rather than looking for the true cause, or assume that it is ‘just one of those things’ and do nothing.

The biggest challenges when trying to reduce slips in the workplace are knowing where to get reliable information on flooring, understanding the ins and outs of cleaning, and knowing how to select footwear. Understanding the science behind slips and trips makes it easier to identify the true cause of a fall and prevent future incidents.

This course will help you understand the causes of slips, trips and falls, and highlight successful interventions that offer a great starting point for organisations looking to reduce falls. It is delivered by experts in accident investigation and has a practical focus on understanding the causes of slips, trips and falls and reducing the risk of future incidents.

Previous attendees of our slip, trip and fall training courses have reported a reduction in incidents of up to 50%.


Course includes

  • Why people slip – the slip potential model
  • Characterising flooring, which tests work, which don’t and why
  • The role of contamination in slip accidents
  • The effect that good and bad cleaning techniques can have on slips
  • How footwear can help in reducing slip accidents
  • Preventing trips
  • The causes of stair falls and how to reduce the risk

There will also be an opportunity to visit the Falls Prevention Team laboratory and see slip testing in action.


Who should attend

Anyone who is involved in managing slips and trips, particularly those responsible for selecting flooring or footwear in their business. Employees involved in critical operations such as cleaning.

The course can also be tailored to suit all businesses and employees. Bespoke versions of this course for specific organisations can be developed on request.

Venue

ETC Venues – Marble Arch
Garfield House
86 Edgware Road
London
W2 2EA

Cost

The cost of this course is £525 per person (includes course notes, lunch and refreshments).

Book Course

Please note the invoice option is not available within 4 weeks of the course date, or for overseas customers.  If you are selecting the invoice option for payment, it will be mandatory to input a purchase order/reference number as we are unable to process booking forms without this.

For further dates and additional information email: training@hsl.gsi.gov.uk or contact the Training & Conferences Unit
at HSL directly on +44 (0)1298 218806.

Back to Health & Safety Training Courses




West End Community Council Update

I have today launched my February 2017 Update to West End Community Council.

Subjects covered are :

Seabraes Lift
Riverside Drive improvements  
West End Road Safety Improvements

You can download a copy of the Community Council Update here.

The Community Council meeting takes place at Logie St John’s (Cross) Church Hall in Shaftesbury Terrace at 7pm tonight – all residents welcome!



Inspection teams dispatched to check on migrant workers’ wages

 

Premier Li Keqiang asks locals if any migrant workers did not get their pay on Jan 23 during a visit to Ludian county in Southwest China’s Yunnan province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] 

The State Council has sent teams to inspect why some migrant workers are experiencing delays in wage payment, according to a news release on Monday night.

Inspections will focus on the construction sector, especially those involved in government-invested projects, and urge full payment for migrant workers each month.

Malicious delays will be investigated and punished while channels for migrant workers’ complaints should be opened, such as portal websites and the “12333” hotline.

These teams also will check out the progress of establishing a long-term mechanism to comprehensively tackle delayed wages, with a focus on establishing a blacklist of violators with full public disclosure.

Provincial-level governments are required to take full charge while city and county governments carry out specific measures to ensure punctual payments for migrant workers.

The government should put forward a long-term solution to protect the rights of migrant workers and ensure they are paid on time, Premier Li Keqiang told a State Council executive meeting on Feb 3. It’s a significant part of the government’s proactive employment policy, he added.

Wage delays have often been burdening China’s 280 million migrant workers who travel from rural areas to cities for better-paid opportunities.

In late January, a 47-year-old farmer Gan Yongrong complained about wage delays to the premier during his visit to Ludian county in Southwest China’s Yunnan province. Gan’s earned wages of 50,000 yuan ($7,352) had been delayed for two years.

“This is the responsibility of companies and the government. Legal rights of migrant workers must be protected,” the premier told local officials on site.




Eight dead, three missing in C.China coal mine blast

Photo taken on Feb. 14, 2017 shows the scene where a blast hit a coal mine in central China’s Hunan province. [Photo: Xinhua]

Eight people have been confirmed dead and three are missing after a blast hit a coal mine in central China’s Hunan province on Tuesday.

The incident occurred at 1.37 am at the Zubao mine in Lianyuan, located 190 kilometres from the province capital Changsha, local authorities said.

A total of 29 people were working underground when the incident took place, with 18 people rescued, according to a statement from China’s national safety regulator, the State Administration of Work Safety.

One person is injured and three people remained unaccounted for, Yang Guangrong the vice governor of Hunan who headed the rescue work said.

The cause of the blast has not been identified but the site is considered a “high gas mine”.

The mine is owned by Tengfei Coal Mine Co. Ltd in Doulishan township in Lianyuan.