Health and safety

Slippery when wet

Does your building have a section of corridor which is always slippery when wet? In that case it might be considered an unsuitable surface. A care home was found to have breached health and safety regulations as a result of a wet spot making a polished floor slippery.

When a member of staff fell and was injured it did not matter that the management had issued notices and other warnings. Those might lessen the penalties, but it was not a defence.

Smoking in staff cars

Just a reminder that the regulations on smoking include vehicles used for work. It may well be the case that a car insured by the school or college to carry students qualifies. We shall have to wait for a court case before we know whether it will be an offence to smoke in a staff car when it is not being used for work.