Features

    Shop worker in wheelchair iStock lise gagne

    Disability – inclusion starts with a conversation

    Creating truly inclusive workplaces where disabled people can thrive brings many benefits for a business – and it all stems from supportive and sensitive conversations during the recruitment and workplace adjustment process.

    By Lucy Hendley, Lewis Silkin LLP on 01 April 2024

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    Cancer in the workplace: are you ready for the tsunami?

    With the number of people diagnosed and living with cancer in the UK expected to rise, it’s vital that managers know how to support affected colleagues to remain in and return to work during and after treatment.

    By Barbara Wilson, Working With Cancer on 01 April 2024

    Office worker with neck pain iStock Ridofranz

    Hybrid work – don’t let it become a pain in the neck

    Employees working from home can be prone to problems like back pain due to poorly designed workstations and a lack of rest breaks, but digital tools like apps can help employers spot and correct the problems at an early stage.

    By Ed Harnett, Habitus Health on 01 April 2024

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    Preventing hearing damage and cutting costs: practical noise control is key

    Employers often wrongly assume that noise control techniques for machinery are both costly and impractical. In fact, simple, very low-cost engineering modifications that anyone can implement are often all that are required – and they may even be self-financing.

    By Peter Wilson, Industrial Noise and Vibration Centre (INVC) on 14 March 2024

    Man in high Vis with Clipboard Shutterstock

    Make sure you buy quiet

    Noise emission data from machinery manufacturers can help purchasers identify the most suitable machine when buying or hiring new equipment, but it’s also essential to maintain the machinery correctly to minimise the noise levels.

    By Darren Hugheston-Roberts, TÜV SÜD on 15 March 2024

    Minuendo Hard Hats

    Why personalised noise monitoring is critical for preventing noise-induced hearing loss

    Intelligent hearing protection technology is now available that provides personalised data about an individual’s noise exposure, making it easier to both spot workers at greatest risk of hearing damage and identify ways of reducing noise exposure.

    By Neal Muggleton, Minuendo on 12 March 2024

    Man in Eave Ear Protectors 1

    How smart hearing protection is driving reductions in noise exposure at work

    Smart hearing protection technology can provide feedback to workers on harmful noise levels and identify noise sources overlooked by conventional workplace risk assessments, as shown by recent research on the HS2 railway construction project.

    By Dr David Greenberg, Eave on 11 March 2024

    Istock 1220075448 Credit Sumit Saraswat 500 Min

    India’s Budget for 2024-25: small steps towards social security benefits for workers

    The central government recently announced that community health support workers are to be granted basic healthcare cover, but commentators say the entire social security system for people in all forms of low-paid and precarious employment needs a major overhaul to ensure adequate healthcare and social security protections for all.

    By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 07 March 2024

    Istock 94098855 Credit Frhuynh 500 Min

    Firecracker factories: an explosive mix

    The latest in a long series of fatal explosions at India’s firework factories has prompted calls from trade unions and politicians for much more vigorous enforcement of fire safety rules by local fire authorities.

    By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 07 March 2024

    Woman Snapping Cigarette iStock PixelsEffect

    Time to stop: kicking smoking and vaping into touch

    No Smoking Day on 13 March is a great opportunity for employers to launch workplace campaigns and programmes helping employees to quit tobacco and vaping.

    By John Dicey, Allen Carr's Easyway on 03 March 2024