Complyatwork april 2014 singles

Comply at Work

safety snippets&

business bytes

April 2014

Tel 01204 772977 or 07792 400 503

Upcoming Training P3

First Aid Box P11

Accident Investigation P5

Unnecessary Health & Safety P6-7

Looking Beyond a Stressful Event P8

Email Security P9

Keep It Simple P10-11

In the Spotlight P12

P2 | Safety Snippets Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503

Safety

Snippets

theboltonnews.co.ukBN TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2014 13

with Nick Jackson Tel 01204 537244 Email [email protected]

TravelMoney

Duty move tofuel economy

REVENUE

HALTING fuel duty riseswill boost the economyby up to £7.5 billion over20 years, according tothe Treasury.The Government has

stopped plannedincreases, including onedue to come in thismonth, which meansduty is around 20pclower than it would havebeen, it said.But around half of the

initial lost revenue tothe Exchequer as aresult of the changeswill be generatedthrough the increasedgrowth, its analysisfound. The researchplots out the expectedimpact of policy on thelong-term growth of theBritish economy.

JOBLESS young peoplein Bolton couldsignificantly improvetheir chances ofemployment by honingtheir interview skills, anew poll has revealed.The Institute of

Commercial Management’s(ICM) study points out54 per cent of employershired young peoplebecause they were wellprepared for theinterview.The results of the

national survey havebeen released by theNational ApprenticeshipService.Two in every five of all

employers said theywould be more likely torecruit a young personor school leaver who haddone at least six weeks’high quality workexperience.

Interviewskills ‘vital’

JOBS

Legal cheerPROFITS

BOLTON Sailing Club hassuccessfully secured itsfuture with the signing ofa new 25-year lease.The club, which

operates on the 40 hectarereservoir at Belmont, hassecured the new leasewith United Utilities forcontinued use of itspresent site, when thecurrent lease expires in2015.The deal, brokered with

the help of local law firmKBL Solicitors, now meansthe clubhouse willundergo considerableimprovement thanks torecently secured fundingwhich will also fundrepairs to the jettiesdamaged in recent highwinds.Founded in 1952, Bolton

Sailing Club is one of thelongest established in theNorth West and now hasmore than 250 members.Helen Marsh, property

specialist at KBLSolicitors said: “The newlease providestremendous security forthe club and will bewelcoming news to themembers.”Bolton Sailing Club will

host an open day onSaturday, May 17, andwelcome members of thepublic interested inknowing more about whatit has to offer.Affiliated to the Royal

Yachting Association andcurrently holdingChampion Club status,the club provides sailinglessons as well as dinghyand powerboat training.

Club sailsinto clearwater

LEASE

‘Accident’ led toa healthy future!■ 10th anniversaryfor firm whichstarted ‘by chance’

SAFETY

A HEALTH and safetycompany that started lifein the corner of a Boltonbedroom 10 years ago iscelebrating itsanniversary by expandingits business.Sue Scott created Comply

at Work, helping start-upcompanies to be compliantwith health and safetylegislation, from home in2004.She said: “It all began by

accident, really, as acouple of companies askedfor my help with problemsthey were experiencing,and it went from there.”

Ms Scott won twoprestigious awards fornational examinations inOccupational Health andSafety, and is a graduatemember of the Institutionof Occupational Safetyand Health (IOSH) and aFellow of the Institution ofInternational Risk andSafety Management(IIRSM).She holds several

qualifications coveringareas of expertise in herfield, is a registeredtrainer and her business isalso a training centre fortraining awarding bodies.Over the past decade, Ms

Scott has built up hercompany with clients allover the North West.

Services include policydevelopment, noise, riskassessment and hazardoussubstances.More recently, she

moved into new premisesin Mason Street, Horwich,creating an accessiblebusiness base just near tothe motorway system.She has also created an

extension at the rear of thebuilding to house a bright,contemporary trainingroom which is alreadyproving popular withclients, especially for first-aid training courses.“Havingmy own training

room was something Ialways planned to do,”added Ms Scott. “Thebusiness has become very

busy — we’ve picked up 10new clients since the startof the year — so it madesense to put on in-housetraining.“But I’m also able to offer

out the facilities andmeeting room at areasonable rate to othercompanies andorganisations for theirtraining or staff days off-site.”The room caters for

meetings of up to 20delegates with a variety ofup-to-date equipment likea ceiling-mountedprojector, speakers, wi-fiand a large magnetic glassboard plus flip charts andother training aidsavailable.

There is also a receptionarea for breaks andlunches, and Complyincludes refreshments inthe hire cost and providequality catering using alocal company.As well as this latest

development at thecompany’s base, Complyhas also taken on a newoffice manager and an ITgraduate to cope with theburgeoning business.“It’s amazing that it all

started in such a low-keyway,” said Ms Scott. “ButI’m delighted that we havedone so well, and plan toexpand both the businessand premises even more inthe future.”

‘‘

Having my owntraining room wassomething I planned

Sue Scott

RESEARCH From the LawSociety’s LawManagement Sectionreveals that North Westlegal firms haveexperienced increases inprofitability.Another key finding

suggests a need for firmsto refocus on ensuringtheir long-term financialstability. The survey alsoshows that fee income forlaw firms increased by anaverage 4.1pc in 2013.

Australia 1.74Canada 1.77Denmark 8.76Egypt 10.65Eurozone 1.18Hong Kong 12.47Israel 5.46Japan 163.24Kenya 134.45Mexico 20.58

N.Zealand 1.86Pakistan 120.79Singapore 2.00S.Africa 16.88Sweden 10.49Switzerland 1.43Thailand 50.89Turkey 3.39USA 1.63

Sue Scott ofComply at Workoutside herHorwich premises

Safety Snippets | P3 e-mail [email protected] www.complyatwork.co.uk

Comply at Work

Tuesday 29th April

CIEH Level 2 Award in Health and Safety

One day – Accredited course With Certification and course book

plus quality buffet lunchRecommended for all employees

and Supervisors, managers or Health and Safety Reps.

Tuesday 6 May

Emergency First Aid Level 2

One day – Accredited courseWith Certification and quality

Buffet Lunch£85.00 plus VAT

UPCOMING TRAINING

Call us for further information and costings. Discounts are available for some of our courses.

Don’t delay as places are taken quickly!


Safety

Snippets

Can you stock plasters in a first aid box?

Source: Indicator

IssueAn employee had cut her finger in the workplace and a colleague tried to obtain a plaster from the first aid kit but there were none. The employee asked a manager if they could restock them but she replied that due to health and safety reasons i.e. allergies, plasters were no longer supplied for the first aid kit. The employee has since heard of other cases in workplaces that will not stock plasters in their first aid kits for similar reasons. Could you please confirm if this is just another myth.

AnswerThere is no health and safety regulation which bans the provision of plasters, in fact HSE’s own guidance recom-mends that a first aid box should stock plasters. If the concern is about the small risk of allergic reaction to some types of plaster then this can be easily managed by stocking the hypoallergenic variety or simply asking the person being treated if they are allergic to plasters before they are applied.

Source: HSE

e-mail [email protected] www.complyatwork.co.uk

Comply at Work

Safety Snippets | P5

ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION

Q&A - where did the inspector go?Q. About six months ago there was an accident on our site. Unfortu-nately, it was serious enough to attract the attention of an inspector from our local authority. During an initial meeting he implied that his investigation could result in us being prosecuted for breaching health and safety legislation. However, he’s now gone quiet on the matter. Can we hope that he’s changed his mind? Should we contact them to check what’s going on?

A. Don’t panic, this is normal practice. When an inspector investi-gates an incident such as this they have to inform you that their investigation could result in enforcement action being taken. Howe-ver, they won’t necessarily follow through. During the initial meeting, the inspector will have gathered the evidence needed to identify whether you were at fault. If they conclude that you were, enforce-ment action is a distinct possibility, if not, then it should be the end of the matter.

Don’t worry about the lack of contact, this is quite usual. Inspectors like to leave you dangling. It’s a trick they use to keep you on your toes - and encourage you to put more effort into managing health and safety risks in the future. Therefore, don’t contact them.

Tip. If you’ve completed any work to prevent a recurrence on your property, keep a paper trail. Then, if the inspector does come back, you’ll be able to show that you’re on top of the situation and don’t need to be kept under supervision.

An inspector will tell you that you could face en-forcement action following an accident. Howe-ver, it doesn’t mean that this is a certainty. If you hear nothing more, don’t worry. They don’t have to tell you that they’re not taking further action.

Source: Indicator


Safety

Snippets

Date:

27 February 2014

A new survey has revealed the lengths some small firms mistakenly go to trying to comply with health and safety. One business completed a risk assessment for using a tape measure and another introduced written guidelines for walking up stairs.

These bizarre and unnecessary actions were uncovered by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which is encoura-ging small and medium sized employers to use its free on-line tools and guidance, specifically designed to help them get their risk management right.

The H&S ABC provides simple information to help small firms save time, effort and money by identifying the things they really do and don’t need to do.

HSE’s survey shows how myths about health and safety could cause unnecessary confusion and flagged some of the most absurd things employers had been advised to do.

One in five people (22 per cent) surveyed believed they weren’t capable of managing health and safety them-selves and needed to hire a specialist consultant. Eleven percent believed that a qualified electrician must test elec-trical appliances, such as kettles and toasters, every year – another persistent myth.

Nearly a third of small businesses surveyed classed them-selves as ‘hopeful-have-a-go’s’ when it came to health and safety – aware they have to take some action but unsure where to start or if what they are doing is correct.

e-mail [email protected] www.complyatwork.co.uk

Comply at Work

Safety Snippets | P7

Revealed: The unnecessary safety measures wasting business’ time and money

HSE’s small business lead Kate Haire said:

“Health and safety is all about taking reasonable steps to manage serious risks of ill-health and injury in the workplace. If something sounds completely unreasonable, more often than not it will be totally unnecessary too.

“What’s great about H&S ABC is that it contains all the informa-tion smaller businesses need to know to manage health and sa-fety sensibly and comply with the law. It highlights the real risks in a workplace and how to put reasonable precautions in place.

“We have worked with some key industry partners who have regular contact with SMEs to make them aware of the benefits of using the free online tools and guidance HSE has to offer. We hope employers will realise health and safety does not have to be complicated or cost lots of money.”

John Allan, National Chairman, Federation of Small Businesses, said:

“The fear factor forces many businesses to adopt unneces-sary health and safety procedures which costs time and money. So to introduce a new resource to give small businesses a way of clearly identifying guidance and information designed for them can only be a good initiative. It’s a tool which will not only help to sense check compliance, it will also avoid ‘gold plating’ and show how health and safety need not be a burden on their business.”

Whether a business employs one or two people, or is expanding to multiple locations, the free online guidance will help even com-plete beginners get health and safety right. Visit www.hse.gov.uk/abc to get started with sensible health and safety. Source HSE

P8 | Business Bytes Tel 01204 77 29 77 mobile 07792 400 503

Business

Bytes

Looking Beyond a Stressful Event

If you want to perform well at a forthcoming work or social event but the mere thought of it dries out your mouth and makes your heart beat faster, try looking beyond the event and focus on how good you’ll feel when it’s behind you.

Remember too that research has found that if you convince yourself that you’re excited (ima-gine receiving a positive reaction) rather than anxious before an event, not only will your per-formance be better but you will also lower your feelings of anxiety.

Source: Equilibrium

Business Bytes | P9 e-mail [email protected] www.complyatwork.co.uk

Comply at Work

How to recognise suspicious e-mails?

You (or your spam filter) can usually tell real spam messages immediately. However, some phishing e-mails are so cleverly designed that you might have doubts. How can you find out whether a message is suspicious?

Phishing

Criminals use “phishing” in order to fish personal information out of you, e.g. your credit card number or PayPal login. You will typically receive an e-mail which appears to have been sent by your bank or PayPal. You’re asked to log in to your account by clicking on the hyperlink in the message, in order to update your data or confirm a money transfer. This link takes you to a fake website which is generally the spitting image of the real one. Unsuspectingly, you then provide your personal details which enables thieves to plunder your bank account.

Be wary

Be especially on the alert for any e-mail which asks you to log in to one of your accounts. If you receive such a message:

● check that the message is addressed to you personally. Criminals generally don’t know your name and will therefore start their messages with Dear user or Dear customer

● look at the language used. A message composed in poor English, or one composed in a different language than you’re used to from this sender, are likely to be phishing messages

● be wary when the action you’re asked to undertake is “urgent”, e.g.“Your account will be blocked if you don’t respond within three days.”

● normally speaking, banks will never ask you via e-mail to provide or update personal information. This means that such e-mails are by definition suspicious.

Suspicious! What now?

Try to confirm your suspicion by checking the following:

Where exactly does the message come from? Inspect the “headers” of the message. In Gmail, use the Show Original option in the opened message, in Outlook.com choose View Message Source , in Thunderbird go to View ;Headers ; All , and in Outlook go to File ; Properties . The name and the e-mail address in the From: header provide no conclusive evidence as they can be easily forged. That’s why you should look for lines starting with Received . In the last Received line, you will normally find the domain name from where the message was sent - for more information, see: http://lifehacker.com/how-can-i-find-out-where-an-email-really-came-from-1190061668 . If the message is from an obscure foreign site, you can be sure that it’s a phishing e-mail.

What does the link in the message really point to? Position the mouse pointer over the link. The status bar at the bottom of your browser will show the real destination of the link. Check whether this corresponds to the sender’s website, e.g. PayPal. Inspect this very carefully, because the differences may be very subtle, for instance paypal.xyz.com instead of paypal.com.

Extra tips

If you use webmail, Gmail and Outlook.com are very good at recognising phishing, so you may treat messages they send to your spam folder as suspicious. With traditional e-mail software, invest in reliable security software which recognises phishing. If you remain in doubt about a message, simply call the so-called sender or their customer service and ask for confirmation.

Be alert to any e-mail which asks you to provide personal details “urgently”. A few simple checks (Who is the sender? Are the links real?) will allow you to confirm that it’s a forged e-mail.

Source: Indicator

E-MAIL - SECURITY

Business

Bytes

Keep It SimpleSimplifying the complex is a critical skill. The better you do it, the easier others find it to understand and engage with your messages.

But it doesn’t seem easy. After all, complex things are… well, complex. The good news is: it’s easier than you think. Here’s an example to show what I mean…

If you want to be a better networker, it can seem hard to do. There are just so many things to focus on. With something as complex as networking, where do you start? Well fortunately, there are only three things you need to focus on:

● Preparation before – obtain the Guest List, set your goals, shine your shoes etc

● During – have good conversations with good people

● Follow-up after – proactive, prompt comms with these people, to ensure you achieve your goals

And, to ensure you have good networking conversations at the event? This too could be complex. But it isn’t. In fact, there are only four things that matter:

● Getting into the conversation

● Asking about them

● Speaking about you

● Closing the conversation

And this first step of networking - getting into a conversation - how to master that? Well, there are only two things that matter:

● Who to approach; and

● What to say to them

You see, to simplify complex topics - such that people understand the big picture instantly - you only need do two things:

1. Say the word “only”

2. Use a small number

Doing this immediately gives your audience context (so they “get it”) and comfort (so they think it’s do-able). See how I did this with all the examples above?


Keep It Simple (...continued)

Even better: it doesn’t always matter how you simplify it. But it matters that you do so.

For example, at the top of this Tip, I split communication into three things – before, during and after. Instead, I could have split networking into:

● face-to-face and online; or

● feel confident on the inside; say the right things on the outside; or

● feel right, look right, speak right

● and so on

It doesn’t matter. As long as the recipient sees the big picture, you’ve made a great start.

And so a question to finish: do you want to be better at simplifying complex messages? If so, the great news is that you only need do these four things when communicating it:

● Identify the action you want people to take after they have heard your message

● List the topics you need to communicate, to motivate them to take it

● Group these topics into a small number of key areas (ideally 2-3; and definitely no more than five)

● Start by saying the word “only” and the small number

Action point

Find this Tip useful?

Great – there are only three things to do (!):

● Look at this week’s diary

● Identify your first opportunity to simplify a complex message

Use the steps in this Tip to do so

Source: Andy bounds

Business Bytes | P11 e-mail [email protected] www.complyatwork.co.uk

We are celebrating 10 years in business this month! We are featured in a press release in the Bolton News - Read about it here... http://tinyurl.com/kvqkeyz

SP GAS North West Ltd has successfully achieved CHAS accreditation with our assistance. They now plan to build on this success by applying for Constructionline status.

Collins Building Solutions has also been successful in acquiring their CHAS certificate for a following yesr, the Assessor made reference to a comprehensive application of a high standard.

Well done to all our Clients!

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