HEALTH AND SAFETY SERVICES

This month, at Nova Vita Health and Safety, we’ve been busy preparing for our upcoming DSEAR Awareness training for one of our clients, with over 80 delegates expected to participate. In the midst of our preparations, we saw an opportunity to make a positive environmental change. While we considered the idea of printing with white font on white paper to reduce our impact on the environment, we ultimately opted for plastic-free training materials as a meaningful yet feasible step. This not only reduces plastic waste but also allows us to share our commitment to sustainability with a wide audience and might even (you never know!) inspire others to follow suit. Switching to plastic-free training materials also brings practical benefits. These materials are more compact and take up significantly less space, making logistics more streamlined and efficient. We understand that even small changes can make a significant difference, and we remain committed to exploring further opportunities for reducing our ecological footprint.

At Nova Vita Health and Safety, we are pleased to announce another achievement within our team. Our lead consultant has recently obtained his NEBOSH Environmental Diploma, further strengthening our commitment to environmental practices and management. The NEBOSH National Diploma in Environmental Management is an internationally recognized qualification offered by the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) . It is specifically designed for professionals who want to further develop their knowledge and expertise in environmental management and sustainability practices. It covers a wide range of topics, including environmental legislation, risk assessment, and sustainable resource management. Environmental management plays a crucial role in today's world, where businesses face increasing pressure to minimize their ecological footprint. Effective environmental management enables organizations to identify and mitigate risks, achieve regulatory compliance, reduce waste generation, conserve resources, and improve overall sustainability performance. By partnering with Nova Vita Health and Safety, you can receive environmental consulting services tailored to your specific needs. We will collaborate with you to identify areas where you can reduce your environmental impact, conserve resources, and promote circular economy principles. We will offer advice and guidance on how to implement effective strategies to minimize environmental liabilities and enhance sustainability performance. At Nova Vita Health and Safety, we believe in the importance of creating a sustainable future for generations to come. Together with our clients, we can work towards building a greener, more resilient world, step-by-step minimizing environmental impact, promoting circular economy principles, and embracing eco-friendly practices.

Recently, the HSE shared details of a case where a Scottish civil engineering contractor was fined £800,000 for the death of a 10-year-old boy who fell down an un-covered manhole on a building site in July 2020 ( Construction company fined £800,000 after death of 10-year-old boy | HSE Media Centre ). While there have been various discussions around this case, my first thoughts go out to the boy's family and friends. As someone who has completed NEBOSH Diploma, I know that there is a duty to secure and prevent access to construction sites under the Occupiers Liability Act 1984 . In this case, the area being worked on was adjacent to residential areas and it is evident from the published photos that the perimeter fencing was in a poor state of repair. We must understand that children and members of the public are often attracted to construction sites due to their perceived novelty and adventure. In the past, there have been similar cases, such as Herrington V British Rail Board 1972 , where a six-year-old boy was electrocuted after wandering onto a live railway line through a damaged fence from an adjoining play park. It is for this reason that one of the first checks we as H&S consultants complete for our CDM clients is a perimeter walk to check the integrity of the perimeter. It is very easy with the day-to-day operations for fences to become damaged with heavy plant and materials being moved around. With sites often being “dynamic” the fences must be adjusted and moved. Gaps can form, as such regular inspections with prompt action to fill / repair fences is important. We also ask our clients to enclose and put secondary fencing around their ground penetrations / open trenches etc. this not only provides a secondary means of protection in case of un-invited people getting on site, bit it also provides protection to your workforce. Setting such base line standards help to send the message and establish a good H&S culture. We have come a long way since the introduction of Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 was introduced, with advancement of how we look after people, but we still have a lot of work to get the culture of a many trades and companies to not just do the bits we now accept as what we must do, but to also understand why we do it and give it the priority it needs.

We are thrilled to share the exciting news of our recent IOSH Managing Safely training program, which took place from 27-29 March 2023, in March, Cambridgeshire. Though our group of delegates was small, we believe in going above and beyond to provide exceptional customer service, so we held the training as planned for our 3 delegates. Being a part of a small group provides delegates with multiple benefits , including more opportunities to ask questions, share ideas and participate in discussions. A smaller group can be more flexible, allowing the trainer to adjust the pace and content of the training as needed to suit the needs of the delegates. We are delighted to report that all of our delegates passed the test with flying colours and produced outstanding projects. It is with great pride that we can confidently say our pass rate carries on being 100%. We couldn't be happier with the outcome and are looking forward to posting out the well-deserved IOSH certificates to our successful delegates. At our company, we are passionate about delivering high-quality training that equips our delegates with the skills and knowledge they need to excel in their roles. We firmly believe that even a small group can have a big impact, and we are grateful for the opportunity to provide training that makes a difference. Thank you to our delegates for their commitment to learning and growing, and for trusting us to deliver a top-notch IOSH Managing Safely training program. We are honoured to have played a part in their success and look forward to serving them and others in the future.

Hey everyone, we are so happy, albeit cautious, to tell everyone that we are doing face-to-face training again and planning on seeing delegates on our open class IOSH Managing Safely training in September (provided we are allowed then) in Wisbech. It's been so long since we could do it in the groups in the classes! And although online training is a good option for many reasons, being able to see your classmates and share your views and experience, learn something new not just from the books but from each other - is invaluable. Face-to-face training is not only about new skills and certificates, it is also about connection, networking. And didn't we miss it?! We, here at Nova Vita, certainly did. Looking forward to seeing you soon. Nova Vita

“Your new permit book looks like it’s been in a battle, and it’s been only a month since you got them. Maybe we need to find a new printing company?” my partner said recently. But if the issuing permits done correctly - on site at the point of use, where you can assess the actual hazards and that controls and isolations are in place, and not from the comfort of the cosy, dry and warm office, then that’s how they inevitably end up looking, regardless of the book quality. Sure, you can reinforce the backs and spines, use some protective covers, but with the life span of few weeks for most permit books, before you need a new one, anyway, you can find a better use for your time. What permitting method you have used to control hazards and risks for site works that works for you?

Our customer AJS Control & Automation have just successfully completed another turnkey project for one of their key customers in the FMCG sector, where they undertook the role of principal contractor and appointed us - Nova Vita, as an independent third-party CDM Advisor to ensure CDM and general H&S compliance throughout. From the planning stages and through to the execution of the project, we aided in compiling and distributing PCI and CPP, prepared and delivered CDM site inductions, workplace inspections and permit issue and provided exceptional (as AJS have put it) contractor control on site. Nova Vita facilitated communication and co-operation between client and contractors. This allowed the project to run smoothly with project handover being on time and no injuries. “I feel our customer has not only had effective management of the site from a safety perspective but also overall leadership of program and work streams. This in turn has created great value for money.” Said Steve Edgeley AJS Operations Director. With the construction and manufacturing industries combined accounting for around 49% of fatal injuries to workers in 2019/2020 and around 127 000 non-fatal injuries at work each year, I am pleased to say that the project we have just completed, did not add to any of the gruesome statistics under our watch. HSE stats for construction industry HSE stats for manufacturing industry

3 days of intensive studying, filled with new information, case studies, tips, advise, questions, quizzes, games, jokes, ideas and banter. We were happy to meet and get to spend those 3 days with our new delegates, and feel grateful and honoured that they trusted us to do the training for them. The group was diverse, with their unique experiences, requirements and expectations - supervisors, H&S managers, directors, coming from Health Services and Air Ambulance, Manufacturing, Construction and Retail. One thing was in common – they and their companies care about the Health and Safety and want to do things right. Now the exam is done. We are waiting for the projects to be completed by the delegates and sent over to us for marking. Will Nova Vita retain the right to claim that all of our delegates always passed? We will soon find out. In the meantime, we hope that they all feel more confident and competent to perform their roles and tasks, doing risk assessments, investigating incidents (which hopefully will never turn into accidents) and using the appropriate control measures to prevent hazardous events from happening. Now off to Swindon to deliver another training.