New course from Skill Boosters: Domestic Abuse

Domestic abuse can take many different forms and is not always easy to spot – in fact, even the person on the receiving end may not recognise it for what it is. There can be many reasons why people experiencing domestic abuse are reluctant to speak up or seek help, from fears around their personal safety to concerns about being judged by their friends and family, employer or colleagues.

With many people working from home for a protracted period during the Covid pandemic, instances of domestic abuse have increased dramatically and had a devastating impact both on employees’ physical and mental health and on their performance at work. Being able to spot where domestic abuse may be occurring and taking appropriate action to protect and support their staff is therefore a crucial aspect of employers’ duty of care. 

continue reading

Why is GDPR good for business?

The newly implemented General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) across Europe has been dramatised, as critics have suggested that GDPR is going to cost businesses a lot of money to implement the regulations. However, this isn’t necessarily the case. In-fact, businesses will benefit from GDPR, as the new regulations offer security, co-operation and the opportunity to process data efficiently. If your business implements GDPR in advance, you will be one step ahead of your competition, and on track to create a stable and fair platform for data management.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is here to help:

Critics have attempted to scaremonger businesses with the threat of the ICO, the public body responsible for administering the repercussions of a data breach. The ICO does have the legal right to fine an organisation up to €20 million or 4% of the business’ global turnover, but this is rare.

The threat of a fine from the ICO appears intimidating, but this is the ICO’s most severe penalty, and one which they will only impose on the most extreme data breaches. For example, the ICO in 2016 only fined 16 organisations out of the 17,300 cases which they had to deal with.

Elizabeth Denham, the British Information Commissioner, has clearly addressed the role of the ICO and attempted to debunk myths surrounding it. Essentially, the ICO is established to protect a citizen’s data rights, not to punish businesses unfairly. Denham notes that the ICO prefer to guide and help businesses with their GDPR compliance, not to punish them.

Consequently, the ICO administer warnings, corrective orders and reprimands, more so than they do monetary fines. However, warnings and corrective orders can tarnish a business’ reputation, therefore it is wise to avoid these penalties.

The ICO offer advice and guidelines for businesses to help them with administering their protection regulation, so that penalties don’t have to occur. Therefore, the ICO is a supportive public body, which should not be feared by businesses. The GDPR and the ICO simply want to ensure that a citizen’s rights are prioritised, and therefore this should not shock or intimidate any businesses.

Why GDPR compliance is beneficial to a business:

Data management will fall under the scope of many sectors in a business, therefore the transmission of data across a business creates a co-operative and interactive environment. From the security team to the sales team, data management needs to be conducted in a uniform process. Therefore, different teams in the business are now forced to work together to achieve data protection and really make the data valuable.

The articles set out in the GDPR aim to achieve transparency, accuracy and accessibility of personal data in a business. Through advertising qualities such as these, a business appears to be more competent and secure, therefore customers would rather store their personal data in a business which is GDPR compliant, instead of a business which is not. Consequently, the business which is GDPR compliant, achieves a competitive edge.

Implementing GDPR is an incentive to modernise your business. So, not only will data protection allow your business to become transparent, it will also encourage a business to consider their customers’ rights and needs. Customers who are supplying their personal data to businesses, want to trust that particular business. Therefore, businesses need to consider how they can further satisfy their customers.

Which industries will benefit from GDPR compliance the most?

To demonstrate how GDPR compliance can benefit a specific business, we can look to the insurance industry. The majority of insurance companies have welcomed the changes brought about by GDPR. This is because insurance companies hold the personal data of many customers, therefore they have welcomed changes to their data management procedures.

The GDPR demands that data subjects must be able to access their personal data easily through data access requests. Consequently, businesses have been encouraged to consolidate their personal data banks, ensuring they are accurate, up-to date and all kept together in a clear, concise fashion. Therefore, businesses can now locate and utilise this data more easily than before. Insurance companies have referred to the consolidation of personal data banks as “the golden record” or the “Customer 360 view.”

Aviva, the renowned British insurance company, issued notices to their customers via their website to let their customers know that Aviva’s GDPR compliance procedure is under way. Therefore, it appears that Aviva are embracing the GDPR changes and ensuring their data management is cemented to uphold the new protection regulation.

It is essential that businesses are not intimidated by the changes which they will have to make to become GDPR compliant. To avoid data breaches and to ensure your business it as competitive and successful as possible, implementation and GDPR compliance is a must.

Step by Step: Reducing Slips, Trips and Falls in the Workplace

Slips, trips and falls may seem trivial. We’ve all slipped on a surface, tripped over an obstacle or fallen down a step. It’s all too easy for individuals and employers to overlook the seriousness of this type of incident in the workplace. When we think of risks to our health and safety, we tend to focus on what makes the headlines: fires; building collapses; machinery and vehicle crushes; or exposure to hazardous substances. Yet, the reality is that slips and trips are the most common cause of reported workplace injuries. 

According to the UK regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE),  slips, trips and falls on the same level caused almost one third (29%) of all reported non-fatal injuries at work in 2019/20. They can also lead to other types of accidents, such as falls from height or falls into machinery. It isn’t just staff who are at risk. Slips and trips cause half of all reported injuries to the public in workplaces where they have access, such as hospitals, shops and restaurants.

Shattered lives

The HSE has long recognised the individual, organisational and societal consequences of slips, trips and falls. It even went as far as to call its last major awareness-raising campaign “shattered lives”. Unlike some common safety hazards, slips and trips aren’t limited to certain industries; they can happen to you wherever you work.

The personal consequences can be devastating. As well as suffering pain from injuries, people may experience emotional distress, and even lose their livelihood. Physical injuries from a slip, trip or fall can range from sprains, cuts and bruises to broken bones, permanent disability and sometimes death. 

In one case, a woman tripped on a hole in the linoleum floor while entering a bowling club pavilion. She fell, hit her head, and later died. In another case, a cook at a busy fast food outlet slipped on a floor that had recently been wet mopped. As he put out his hand to save himself, he pulled over a nearby deep fat fryer, which spilt 35 litres of boiling hot oil. He suffered extensive burns and needed skin grafts. Another employee at the outlet received serious burns to her right leg and ankle.

Hidden Costs

The HSE estimates that organisations lose more than 1.5 million working days each year from these types of incidents. And the costs don’t stop with lost time. There can be other more hidden costs, such as damage to plant and equipment, production delays, as well as the loss of expertise and experience. On top of this there may be other financial penalties, including fines, compensation payouts and reputational damage. 

Last year, retail giant Tesco was ordered to pay fines of £733,333 after a customer slipped on liquid leaking from refrigerator units at one of its stores. He fell and suffered multiple hip fractures. Data obtained and reported by the BBC shows Network Rail paid out nearly £1m in the five years to 2018/19 for slips, trips and falls at its stations across the UK. The largest single pay-out was £39,631 after a passenger slipped on liquid at Charing Cross station.

Not Inevitable  

The HSE identifies the main barriers for organisations trying to reduce slips, trips and falls as:

  • employers and employees failing to take the risks seriously;
  • poor understanding of how these incidents happen;
  • a belief that slips and trips are inevitable – that they are simply a fact of life; and
  • inadequate risk assessments and management controls.

In guidance for its inspectors, the HSE notes that “many employers do not give slips and trips the priority they deserve. They treat them as being outside their control, inevitable or simply the employee’s fault.” It goes on to state, however, that “slipping and tripping are not inevitable, unless, of course, hazards are allowed to remain uncontrolled. Effective action can be taken to dramatically reduce slipping and tripping accidents.”

Most of these actions are simple and low cost (see box). But too many organisations are still falling down on basic organisational, planning and housekeeping issues, and missing the importance of human factors (such as distraction or fatigue) and worker involvement. Issuing slip-resistant footwear or putting up safety signs may seem like you are tackling the problem – and such controls have their place – but unless you tackle the causes further back in the chain, you will never achieve lasting improvements.      

Getting ‘Buy-in’

In reducing the likelihood of slips, trips and falls, staff training and engagement is crucial. First, people need to understand the consequences of incidents that can often seem insignificant or even humorous. Then they need to know where the hazards are and what they can do to help prevent incidents.

The HSE’s inspector guidance advises that “getting workforce ‘buy-in’ to initiatives to reduce slips and trips is crucial” and that to obtain long term reductions “attitudes and perceptions must change”. The guidance further notes: “Sensible measures should be taken to control and minimise risk, but personal responsibility and worker participation are also essential if these measures are to be effective.”

When it comes to informing and engaging employees, EssentialSkillz can help make the difference. Our Slips, Trips and Falls course sets out the practical ways employees can work with their employers to reduce the risk. But in tackling some of the HSE’s key barriers to improvement, our online training goes further. The newly updated course sets the context, dispels myths and outlines the sometimes devastating consequences of what we all too often dismiss as inevitable, or even humorous, incidents. Like all EssentialSkillz training, the course can also be customised to meet the specific needs of your workplace and staff.

Ten Practical Steps 

  • Design tasks to minimise potential leaks or spillages; fix any leaks from machinery or other equipment  immediately
  • Plan pedestrian routes to avoid potentially contaminated areas
  • Use the correct cleaning methods for the surface; don’t clean during busy times
  • Choose and maintain flooring carefully – if flooring gets loose, damaged or worn, repair or replace it
  • Look at the wider environment – ensure lighting is good and that any slopes or steps are easily visible
  • Always ensure walkways, stairs and work areas are clear of any obstructions or trailing cables
  • Select the right footwear for the environment and task
  • Think about people and organise work to avoid rushing, overcrowding or distractions
  • Provide and maintain the right equipment for any unavoidable work at height, and train staff in safe practices
  • Involve staff in task and safety decisions, such as choosing protective footwear or altering cleaning methods

 

Step by step: reducing slips, trips and falls

Slips, trips and falls may seem trivial. We’ve all slipped on a surface, tripped over an obstacle or fallen down a step. It’s all too easy for individuals and employers to overlook the seriousness of this type of incident in the workplace. When we think of risks to our health and safety, we tend to focus on what makes the headlines: fires; building collapses; machinery and vehicle crushes; or exposure to hazardous substances. Yet, the reality is that slips and trips are the most common cause of reported workplace injuries. 

According to the UK regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE),  slips, trips and falls on the same level caused almost one third (29%) of all reported non-fatal injuries at work in 2019/20. They can also lead to other types of accidents, such as falls from height or falls into machinery. It isn’t just staff who are at risk. Slips and trips cause half of all reported injuries to the public in workplaces where they have access, such as hospitals, shops and restaurants. 

Shattered lives

The HSE has long recognised the individual, organisational and societal consequences of slips, trips and falls. It even went as far as to call its last major awareness-raising campaign “shattered lives”. Unlike some common safety hazards, slips and trips aren’t limited to certain industries; they can happen to you wherever you work.

The personal consequences can be devastating. As well as suffering pain from injuries, people may experience emotional distress, and even lose their livelihood. Physical injuries from a slip, trip or fall can range from sprains, cuts and bruises to broken bones, permanent disability and sometimes death. 

In one case, a woman tripped on a hole in the linoleum floor while entering a bowling club pavilion. She fell and hit her head, and later died. In another case, a cook at a busy fast food outlet slipped on a floor that had recently been wet mopped. As he put out his hand to save himself, he pulled over a nearby deep fat fryer, which spilt 35 litres of boiling hot oil. He suffered extensive burns and needed skin grafts. Another employee at the outlet received serious burns to her right leg and ankle. 

Hidden costs

The HSE estimates that organisations lose more than 1.5 million working days each year from these types of incidents. And the costs don’t stop with lost time. There can be other more hidden costs, such as damage to plant and equipment, production delays, as well as the loss of expertise and experience. On top of this there may be other financial penalties, including fines, compensation payouts and reputational damage. 

Last year, retail giant Tesco was ordered to pay fines of £733,333 after a customer slipped on liquid leaking from refrigerator units at one of its stores. He fell and suffered multiple hip fractures. Data obtained and reported by the BBC shows Network Rail  paid out nearly £1m in the five years to 2018/19 for slips, trips and falls at its stations across the UK. The largest single payout was £39,631 after a passenger slipped on liquid at Charing Cross station.

Not inevitable  

The HSE identifies the main barriers for organisations trying to reduce slips, trips and falls as:

  • employers and employees failing to take the risks seriously;
  • poor understanding of how these incidents happen;
  • a belief that slips and trips are inevitable – that they are simply a fact of life; and
  • inadequate risk assessments and management controls.

In guidance for its inspectors, the HSE notes that “many employers do not give slips and trips the priority they deserve. They treat them as being outside their control, inevitable or simply the employee’s fault.” It goes on to state, however, that “slipping and tripping are not inevitable, unless, of course, hazards are allowed to remain uncontrolled. Effective action can be taken to dramatically reduce slipping and tripping accidents.”

Most of these actions are simple and low cost (see Ten practical steps below). But too many organisations are still falling down on basic organisational, planning and housekeeping issues, and missing the importance of human factors (such as distraction or fatigue) and worker involvement. Issuing slip-resistant footwear or putting up safety signs may seem like you are tackling the problem – and such controls have their place – but unless you tackle the causes further back in the chain, you will never achieve lasting improvements.      

Getting ‘buy-in’

In reducing the likelihood of slips, trips and falls, staff training and engagement is crucial. First, people need to understand the consequences of incidents that can often seem insignificant or even humorous. Then they need to know where the hazards are and what they can do to help prevent incidents.

The HSE’s inspector guidance advises that “getting workforce ‘buy-in’ to initiatives to reduce slips and trips is crucial” and that to obtain long term reductions “attitudes and perceptions must change”. The guidance further notes: “Sensible measures should be taken to control and minimise risk, but personal responsibility and worker participation are also essential if these measures are to be effective.”

When it comes to informing and engaging employees, EssentialSkillz can help make the difference. Our Slips, Trips and Falls course sets out the practical ways employees can work with their employers to reduce the risk. But in tackling some of the HSE’s key barriers to improvement, our online training goes further. The newly updated course sets the context, dispels myths and outlines the sometimes devastating consequences of what we all too often dismiss as inevitable, or even humorous, incidents. Like all EssentialSkillz training, the course can also be customised to meet the specific needs of your workplace and staff.

 

Ten practical steps 

  • Design tasks to minimise potential leaks or spillages; fix any leaks from machinery or other equipment  immediately
  • Plan pedestrian routes to avoid potentially contaminated areas
  • Use the correct cleaning methods for the surface; don’t clean during busy times
  • Choose and maintain flooring carefully – if flooring gets loose, damaged or worn, repair or replace it
  • Look at the wider environment – ensure lighting is good and that any slopes or steps are easily visible
  • Always ensure walkways, stairs and work areas are clear of any obstructions or trailing cables
  • Select the right footwear for the environment and task
  • Think about people and organise work to avoid rushing, overcrowding or distractions
  • Provide and maintain the right equipment for any unavoidable work at height, and train staff in safe practices
  • Involve staff in task and safety decisions, such as choosing protective footwear or altering cleaning methods

What has Health and Safety Done for Us?

It’s safe to say “health and safety” doesn’t always get a good press.

Blamed for everything from stopping fun events to banning conkers, health and safety legislation is more often portrayed as a grumpy killjoy than the reason the United Kingdom has one of the lowest workplace mortality rates in Europe.

To even the score, we’ve gathered some of the reasons we should all be on Team Health and Safety:

Work is an Adult-Only Environment

Some people had a good time in school; some people didn’t. But we can all agree our time there was infinitely preferable to being forced to go up a chimney or down a mine to feed our families – something that was a reality a few generations ago.

Health and safety reform has marched hand in hand with other kinds of workers’ rights, and with good reason.

Children were often exploited in early industrial workplaces. In factories, their smaller stature meant they were used to climb into hard-to-reach parts of the machinery to repair it – meaning they bore the brunt of the injuries. Likewise, their size made them suited for chimney sweep work, exposing them to dangerous fumes and causing disastrous health problems.

If this nightmarish scenario sounds alien to the life we live today, it’s advances in health and safety policy we have to thank.

Our Streets Don’t Stink (Usually)

Work-related health and safety isn’t just for the good of employees. Every year, even now, thousands of members of the public are injured due to work-related activities. The toll that pollution is having on our health and environment is well-publicised.

Regulations controlling hygiene, waste disposal and air pollution have a long history in the UK. Many 19th century Public Health Acts displayed a growing recognition of the idea of sanitation. The links between filthy living conditions and the health of the populace were clearer than they had been. These reforms paved the way for things like modern plumbing and waste practices – something we’re all thankful for every time we walk down a city street!

We’re Less Likely to Die of Infection

Florence Nightingale was an instrumental figure in improving hospital hygiene. During her work as a nurse, she noticed most deaths weren’t down to the illnesses or wounds patients arrived with, but due to the infections they later developed. She pushed for reform of hygiene standards and saw related deaths lower significantly.

Nowadays, anything related to healthcare, food preparation or waste disposal is governed by strong health and safety legislation. Some might call this red tape, but if it stops us getting ill from preventable diseases, we’re all for it.

Canaries Will Thank Us

It’s not just humans who have benefited from health and safety policy! Canaries were famously taken down mines to warn of carbon monoxide or other poisonous gases. As a sentinel species, canaries are particularly sensitive to such atmospheric problems. Their reactions – or sometimes deaths – would allow the miners to evacuate before feeling the effects themselves. Surprisingly, this practice didn’t die out in the UK until 1986, when the introduction of higher tech, automatic devices for detecting carbon monoxide replaced the canaries. Presumably, the canaries were chirping with glee about not being used in this way anymore.

So next time you hear the phrase “health and safety gone mad”, remember all the great things this legislation has brought us – humans and canaries alike.

Compliance and training trends – 2019 in review

2019 was another important year of growth from VincWorks, with 38 new compliance courses, 9 webinars with industry experts and the release of our new revolutionary compliance tracking tool, Omnitrack.

With the dust settling on GDPR, we focused our attention on new compliance topics and areas on the regulatory horizon. Below is a list of the areas that we focused on in 2019 and will continue to be a focus in 2020.

Compliance training roundup

During 2019 users completed an average of 4 compliance courses and 1.5 hours of compliance training.

The most popular compliance training topics were:

  • Cyber security
  • Anti-money laundering
  • Data protection
  • Anti-bribery
  • Criminal Finances Act
  • SRA regulation
  • Diversity and inclusion

Those topics constituted over 80% of all compliance training time in 2019.

The ten most popular courses were:

continue reading

Every VinciWorks webinar in 2019

In 2019 we hosted nine free webinars with industry experts on hot compliance topics. Through the webinars, we helped hundreds of businesses by answering several hundred compliance questions on GDPR, the SRA’s Standards and Regulations, competition law, whistleblowing, health and safety and more. All webinars are available on-demand:

We are committed to continuing to bringing top experts to our webinars in 2020. Our first webinar of 2020 will be on January 15th and will focus on compliance with the new Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive. Register for free below.

The Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive – What Now?

Health and safety at work: How to conduct a workstation display screen equipment assessment

What is a display screen equipment assessment (DSE)?

The DSE Regulations require that, as well as providing a suitable workstation for their DSE users, employers must also take steps to protect workers from the health risks of working with display screen equipment (DSE), such as laptops, tablets and smartphones. Looking at these devices for extended periods, or using them incorrectly, can result in fatigue, eye strain, upper limb problems, back and neck problems, repetitive strain injury, stress, headaches and more. It is vital for your long-term health to take DSE safety seriously, set up your workstation properly, and properly use all the equipment you need to do your job. DSE rules are there to protect you and your colleagues’ health.

Improper use of DSE is associated with neck, shoulder, back, arm, wrist and hand pain.

Read more

What should be on your compliance agenda in 2019?

Combination lock showing 2019

This time last year, GDPR dominated the compliance agenda for 2018. Like many promised cliff edges, the data protection ravine many feared business would collapse into didn’t quite materialise. While some websites are still blocking users from the EU due to alleged ‘GDPR’ issues, the shift to a new data protection regime seemed to go not too badly. This isn’t because GDPR isn’t being taken seriously, quite the opposite. The promise of eye-watering fines and enforcement action spurred a multi-industry push to get GDPR compliance right.

For that reason, GDPR stays in the lead of our top compliance trends for 2019.

1. Moving from GDPR compliance to best practice

As GDPR day on 25 May 2018 approached, businesses big and small rushed to get their privacy notices updated and flooded all of our inboxes asking us to accept their new terms of re-give consent. Most of this was pointless and unnecessary, not to mention greatly annoying to us all. Plus it exposed a rather gaping failure to grasp the six conditions for processing data under GDPR and the myth that consent is always the best or strongest condition.

continue reading

Prepare for GDPR – free on-demand GDPR webinars

GDPR webinar banner

Over the weeks leading up to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into force, VinciWorks has hosted a number of webinars on the topic, answering hundreds of questions in the process. You can get instant access to all our GDPR webinar recordings by clicking on the links below.

Understanding the Data Protection Act 2018

In our webinar on understanding the Data Protection Act 2018, VinciWorks’ GDPR experts Nick Henderson and Gary Yantin explored the newly enacted DPA 2018 and the key differences and derogations from GDPR you need to know about.

Watch webinar

Full-day GDPR webinar

On 24 May, the day prior to GDPR coming into force, VinciWorks hosted a full-day webinar including live Q&As, interviews with GDPR experts and helpful advice on complying with the new regulation.

Watch full webcast

GDPR – Data Protection Impact Assessments

During this webinar, Nick guided listeners through the process of conducting a DPIA. He also answered questions on the topic of DPIAs and gave guidance on next steps to those who have already begun the process.

Watch webinar

continue reading