There are a number of steps you should take following an accident at work. Below is a basic, 5-step checklist to help you to make sure that you gain any assistance you are entitled to following a work accident, and to reduce the likelihood of another, similar accident happening in your workplace.

1) Record your injury in the accident book

All employers, other than very small companies, are required to keep an accident book. As an employee, it is in your interest to record any work injury in this book, as it can serve as evidence if you need to make a work accident claim at a later date. The accident book also enables your employer to keep track of problems and to make any changes necessary to prevent future incidents

2) Make sure serious accidents are reported to the HSE

If an employee suffers a serious injury at work, their employer is required to report it to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The type of incidents that should be reported include major injuries like broken arms and ribs, as well as any other injury which prevents an employee from doing their normal work for over three days.

The responsibility for reporting the injury rests with your employer, but if you have suffered a serious injury it is best to make sure this has been done.

3) Find out about your rights to accident pay

Your contract or written statement of employment will contain information about sick pay or accident pay. Usually, employees are entitled to statutory sick pay for any time off work due to an accident or sickness. However, your employer may have a scheme for paying extra, or may decide to pay more, according to the nature of the injury you have sustained.

4) Address any health and safety issues

If there is a persistent health and safety issue at work which led to your accident, it is important to make sure it is rectified so that the same thing will not happen to somebody else. Point out any health and safety issues to your employer, or to your employee safety representative. If problems are still not dealt with, you should call the HSE Infoline.

5) Consider making a work accident claim

If you have been injured at work and it wasn’t your fault, it is a good idea to initiate a work accident claim as soon as possible, and it must be within three years of the incident (there are some exceptions to this, such as asbestos poisoning).

You will need a personal injury lawyer to represent you. Personal injury claims can be made through specialist solicitors on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis, meaning that if you lose the case, you will not have to pay any money.

Your employer will be insured against compensation claims, meaning that, if they lose, it is their insurer who will pay out your compensation. It is against the law for your employer to sack you because of a personal injury claim.

National Accident Helpline are specialists in work accident claims.

[tags]no win no fee, claim, compensation, personal injury, accident, injury[/tags]

Ten years ago, the ‘paperless office’ was the dream - everyone was convinced that everything in the workplace would be electronic; customer details would be stored on hard drives, we would send emails instead of writing notes, and we would never need a hard copy of anything. Looking around most offices, it seems that the dream never really came true. Even companies who make their living from computers such as web designers still seem to be swamped with paper work, be it in the form of ‘while you were out’ notes, meeting minutes or client/ financial files.

As nice as it is to have a hard copy, be it to show to potential clients, or a way of keeping up with customers histories, a filing cabinet takes up valuable space in an office and as time progresses, filing cabinets have a habit of multiplying, making your workspace cramped with files that you don’t always need directly to hand. With this in mind, many companies have recently been looking into ways of archiving their old files and other items which clog up their offices and find themselves choosing self storage units as the solution.

A self storage unit can be the perfect way to free up space in your working environment, whether you choose to use it as a place to stow unused desks, computers or similar items which are unused but you don’t want to sell or dispose of, or if you use it to archive old filing cabinets, they prove an effective and versatile way to create space.

Most good self storage providers will offer units in a range of sizes, from a locker to rooms over 1000 square feet in size, meaning it should be very easy to find a unit of suitable dimensions if you are needing to make some space in your office. They will also typically offer a unique key which only you the client will hold and will allow seven day a week access, sometimes even outside working hours, meaning that if you need to access files you have archived, or you find yourself in need of some of the furniture you have stored, getting access will not be a problem.

Often available for less than you may be expecting, a self storage can be the ideal way to archive either old files or unused furniture; freeing up space in your office in a manner which is convenient and affordable for you.

Anna Stenning is a business manager with many years of experience organising her workplace. Find out more about self storage at http://www.safestore.co.uk/

[tags]Self storage[/tags]

Maybe pronouncing the shelf ‘dead’ is a little dramatic - they were never alive in the first place - but more and more business owners are looking towards alternative storage solutions when it comes to handling their stock, from large distribution centres for mail order companies to the backrooms of local shops, many people are looking to save space and increase their efficiency in a manner which most shelving units simply do not provide.

Floor-based storage solutions have been enjoying something of a resurgence of late, with sales of stillages and pallets rising. These methods of storing stock offer several notable advantages over large shelving units, mainly their mobility and the ease of access that having stock stored at floor level provides. This helps to keep managers on top of their inventory as a stock take becomes a simple matter of counting items which are on the floor rather than climbing ladders and stretching desperately, trying to count the items jammed right at the very back of the shelf.

Floor level storage solutions tend to fall into two main groups - pallets and stillages and both offer advantages and disadvantages. Pallets, for example, tend to be cheaper than stillages and are one of the most popular alternatives to shelving, whereas stillages have the advantage of having sides to them, giving added stability and safety of the items stored within.

Pallet based storage solutions are ideal for a warehouse where stock is constantly either on the move or being sent out for distribution; a packing plant, for example, or a distribution centre, as pallets are the most manoeuvrable method of storage on the market. Providing it is safely stacked, a pallet is only ever a pallet truck lift away from another end of the warehouse or delivery truck, giving them a valuable mobility advantage over most other methods of storage.

Stillages are often compared to a pallet, but with sides and as such, they tend to be a more stable storage method. Some are also available with lids, giving them a versatility which is hard to beat in the realm of warehouse storage. There are a wide range of sizes and styles available, from mesh-sided models which will fit under a workbench through to the ones used for airport cargo, meaning that whatever the needs of your warehouse or business it is likely that you will be able to find a suitable range of stillages.

Ultimately, the kind of storage solution you employ for your warehouse or business will come down to personal preference. You may well be happy with the traditional shelving method, or you may be looking for something in the way of a backup. All alternative methods offer their advantages and disadvantages so it is largely a case of looking into your requirements and making your decision based on that.

Anna Stenning is a warehouse manager with many years of experience working with storage equipment. Find out more about storage solutions at http://www.avatan.co.uk/

[tags]Storage solutions[/tags]

The modern warehouse can be a cramped place, with stock everywhere and many different kinds of items stored within, it’s often easy for them to fall into chaos. It’s just a small step from having items on shelves to having them piled on the floor because the shelves are full. From this point, your business is usually only one employee not looking where they’re going away from a legal claim, as such it makes sense to keep your warehouse and stock organised, and stillages are an excellent way to achieve this.

Stillages provide one of the safest and easiest storage methods on the market, often being compared to a pallet but with sides, which will stop the contents spilling out, helping you to keep your warehouse organised and safe, while still providing a valuable storage space which can be used either on its own or in conjunction with shelving either as an overflow or a separate storage solution entirely.

Most good providers will offer stillages in a range of sizes and styles, from mesh sided models which can fit under a desk or shelving unit to heavy duty ones designed for airport cargo. Some will have lids and some will not, meaning that should be entirely possible to find a stillage suitable for the needs of your workplace, whatever they may be.

Though having all your warehouse’s stock on the floor in the manner of pallets or stillages isn’t always the best way to keep your warehouse organised, these methods can provide a valuable backup in the event of your primary storage becoming overfilled the way shelving has a habit of doing, especially in the current economic climate where people are purchasing less, meaning that more stock is remaining in warehouses for longer periods of time.

That said, some warehouses swear by floor-based storage solutions such as those offered by a pallet or stillage, and providing it is properly implemented there is no reason why it should be less efficient than shelving. Indeed, having all stock at floor level can make viewing the inventory easier, and this can be an excellent way to keep on top of your record keeping.

Often available for less than you may expect, a stillage-based solution can be the ideal way to keep your warehouse functioning smoothly and safely without needing to worry about stock overflowing onto the floor and causing either clutter, which will slow your workforce down, or an injury to a staff member which could well lead to a legal claim, or at least a lowered work rate since your business will be an employee short while they recover.

Anna Stenning is a warehouse manager with a great deal of experience organising stock. Find out more about stillages at http://www.avatan.co.uk/

[tags]Stillages[/tags]

So many small businesses treat Health and Safety with certain contempt because of the wrongly held belief that the cost to implement Health and Safety procedures properly is a waste of time and effort.

Well, I want to show you some evidence to prove that absenteeism could be draining your profits. In fact you will come to realise that you will actually start to save not only time and money, but gain many other benefits as well.

Any company not monitoring absenteeism within their workforce is pouring a percentage of their profits down the drain. These companies blindly accept that someone taking a few days off through sickness is just a fact of life that they have to put up with and can do nothing about. The real fact of life is that they can improve absenteeism rates if only that had a few simple Health and Safety procedures in place and the cost of time and effort in doing so would quickly be repaid by savings in lost and down time.

Here are the latest Health and Safety Executives figures regarding illnesses, injuries and working days lost which may make some employers reconsider their opinion on the matter. Just take a look at these facts and then take a few minutes to digest them. I think they will give you plenty of food for thought.

Illness
2.1 million people were suffering from an illness they believed was caused or made worse by their current or past work.
1.3 million of these cases were suffered by people working during the year, of which 563 000 were new cases.
2056 people died of mesothelioma (2006), and thousands more from other occupational cancers and lung diseases.

Injuries
229 workers were killed at work, a rate of 0.8 per 100 000 workers.
136 771 other injuries to employees were reported under RIDDOR, a rate of 517.9 per 100 000 employees..
299 000 reportable injuries occurred, according to the Labour Force Survey, a rate of 1000 per 100 000 workers.

Working days lost
34 million days were lost overall (1.4 days per worker), 28 million due to work-related ill health and 6 million due to workplace injury.

Amazing figures I think you will agree. But these and your own health and safety statistics can be improved, proving a benefit to both your business and your employees.

No matter what the size of your company you can save money from lost productivity if you make the effort to implement some simple procedures to monitor absenteeism through illness within your workforce. You owe it to yourself and your company as well as towards your employees to do something about it now.

Steve runs his own health and safety advisory service for small to medium sized business in the Bournemouth and Poole area of Dorset in the U.K..
So if you are in need of some health and safety advice visit his website which is at http://www.healthandsafetyadvice.net

[tags]health and safety, absenteeism,[/tags]

The benefits of good health and safety business practices are far more ranging than just having a safe place of work. Here are just five benefits, there are many more, you may not have considered when thinking about your health and safety plans. Be honest with yourself, good practices are the means to achieving success in every aspect of life, so why should health and safety be any different.

The obvious benefit of implementing and maintaining good health and safety practices is to provide a safe environment for you, your employees and visitors to be in and this should always be your first priority when putting your procedures in place. However, by achieving this aim you will also receive additional benefits, more than you ever thought possible, as if by magic. Success breeds success.

Having a safe and pleasant workplace will make your business somewhere your employees will enjoy being, and a happy workforce will produce benefits in the following areas. Something every business surely wants to achieve. Visiting clients will feel comfortable and more prepared to do business with you, now that could be a big benefit by itself. Anyway I digress, here are the five main benefits I want to help you achieve.

Higher productivity.
Better working relationships between management, workers and clients.
Less time away from work due to stress, sickness and duvet days.
Improved willingness to learn and develop new and existing skills and work knowledge.
Management peace of mind. Only a dream for far to many businesses.

Believe it or believe it not, but all five of these benefits will self generate just by planning, implementing and monitoring good health and safety practices. And any money spent on setting up your health and safety procedures will come back to you threefold if done properly. In fact just one of the benefits by itself will make you savings as well as the outcome it brings, a sound investment if ever there was one. Something that will put a smile on the face of your bank manager as well as your own.

Because of this I can always tell on my very first visit to a client whether they have a good working health and safety plan in place before I even check on it, the people I meet are happy to be there, cooperative and quick to praise management and their co-workers and I always get a cup of tea. So grab yourself these five benefits and feel good about yourself by reviewing your own health and safety procedures now.

Steve runs his own health and safety advisory service for small to medium sized business in the Bournemouth and Poole area of Dorset in the U.K..
So if you are in need of some health and safety advice visit his website which is at http://www.healthandsafetyadvice.net

[tags]health and safety,[/tags]

Sharing the load is always a good way of dealing with life and Health and Safety is no exception to the rule. Consulting with your employees is a legal requirement anyway but if you only pay that token lip service then you don’t know what you are missing out on - genuinely!

Getting your employees involved in a positive and constructive way will produce some amazing results for your business, it is a proven fact that you should not ignore. However I know that many employers do ignore it because when I mention employee consultation when I am carrying out an audit I can see the fear in the Managers eyes.

Fortunately when I show them the benefits that they can achieve the fear diminishes very quickly in deed. The benefits I mean are listed here.

Better working relationships.
Higher safety rates and performances.
Better working practices.
Better working conditions/environment.
Less time wasted moaning and groaning.
Improved attendance records.
Less time spent investigating accidents, incidents and near misses.

Now consider this for a moment or two.
These benefits will not only improve Health and Safety within your workplace, they will improve performances in every area of your business, from productivity to profit margins. The money and time you invest in Health and Safety and your employees involvement will be returned to you time and time again. You can prove it to yourself by answering the following questions, if you do not know the answers then I am afraid you have a big problem.

How much time do you lose through illness/sickness/stress?
How much money do you spend paying wages for the above?
What productivity problems does the above give you?

How much time do you spend giving first aid to minor injuries caused by things like slips, trips and falls? (Don’t forget to include the first aiders time as well as the injured persons, along with completing accident reporting and investigation forms etc.)

I have only scratched the surface here and I am sure that now you have your thinking hat on you can thing of lots of other areas where you may be losing time and money needlessly. Oh, and if you didn’t know the answers to those questions then I can only assume that you don’t mind pouring unknown amounts of time and money down the drain - straight off your bottom line!

Remember, your employees are no different to you, they like to feel involved, a part of your team giving a worthwhile contribution to your business success and the more you can encourage that the better off you will be Health and Safety wise as well business wise.

Steve runs his own health and safety advisory service for small to medium sized business in the Bournemouth and Poole area of Dorset in the U.K..
So if you are in need of some health and safety advice visit his website which is at http://www.healthandsafetyadvice.net

[tags]health and safety, employee consultation,[/tags]

Mission is born from values. Values are deeply held beliefs about what is good, right, and appropriate and they are deep-seated and remain constant over time. We accumulate our values from childhood based on teachings and observations of our parents, teachers, religious leaders, and other influential people.

Life is much more fulfilling when we orient around our true values. Our values are an expression of our true selves. Unfortunately, we have all been overly influenced by fear and guilt that comes from have-to, to the point that what we really value has often been buried deep inside us.

As such uncovering our personal values and creating a mission or purpose statement is not always easy. There can be many layers to uncover. There are also many compelling reasons for what we do in our lives: survival, family, money, status, adventure, novelty, excitement and pleasure and so on. Our values are at the core of who we are. Without these things, you would not be you and I would not be me.

Your values help you make choices about what you commit to in your life. If you commit time and energy to something that violates or neglects one of your core values, you will start to feel resentful or frustrated or perhaps just a persistent niggling that something is not right. If you are not honouring your values when you make choices about activities and relationships, you will get a sense that something is missing or wrong in your life.

Values are fundamental to your mission or purpose. Knowing both your values and your mission enables you to integrate yourself fully with your work and your life. This helps you identify what gives you long term fulfilment, and therefore sustainable success in all you do.

Aligning your personal mission with that of a business isn’t always straight forward; particularly if you are an employee of the company and not the owner. In this situation, alignment of the two missions will likely require some level of compromise.

As such the question is,are you prepared to compromise your true values?

Once you have a clear understanding of your values, you can undertake an alignment exercise with that of your business values. First, you will have to uncover your business values. Many businesses have mission and values statements for you to draw on.

However, if the business values are not immediately apparent, you may need to do some digging. One word of caution… business mission statements are often full of buzzwords; if these are unfamiliar to you make sure you find out what they mean.

To complete the exercise, simply list your personal values in a column to your left and the business values in a column to the right. Then map your personal values to those of the business by drawing lines that connect matching values.

What you are looking for is a common thread, i.e. consistency between your personal values and those of the business. If there aren’t many connecting lines and you’re unhappy in your work that could be a leading reason why.

However, at the end of the day, it’s not about what you and the business says the business values are, it is how the values translate to into reality. Many businesses only pay lip service to their values. You may have to redo the exercise with the values evident in practice vs. the values in writing.

Now the big question is what happens next? If there isn’t alignment in your personal and business missions and you don’t own or can’t influence the business values, what will you do?

Robert Bylett provides individualised and affordable solutions that are practical, and accelerate the profitability, enjoyment and results you get from your business. Find out more atthe link text you want

extraordinarypeople.co.uk

[tags]Personal Values, Business Values, Mission Statement[/tags]

Our world is a fearful place to live in nowadays. With the economic uncertainties besetting most companies, an empowered leader is needed who can boldly face the challenges in an unpredictable and sometimes scary business environment. Today’s leader must be ruthless in as humane a manner as possible. An outstanding business leader must not only be capable of being in charge of others, he should also learn how to be in charge of himself.

It does not matter what position you hold in your organization, we all lead from where we are, why delay, in today’s times it wouldn’t be wise to just wait for your great leader to come out. In these times of economic uncertainties, a leader has no choice but to handle the crisis. With a self empowered mindset you will be prepared to face challenges and to come up with solutions. I know you can do it, you’ve done it before.

There are certain things a great leader must keep in mind all the time. As an executive coach I am observing how some leaders are resorting to panic and control while others stay engaged in effectively influencing the direction of their organization, their team and themselves. In difficult situations, deal with yourself first. It wouldn’t be possible to lead if you are out of control. Take care of your emotions and immediate needs, and basically empowering yourself before being available to others who are in need.
Being a great leader also requires having a positive mind set. Ask yourself what you want instead of focusing on what is not working, what you don’t want. This has been proven to have worked well with outstanding athletes. They are known to clearly envision a perfect performance in order to achieve it. This also applies to every leader who wants to achieve a set goal.

There will come a time when you begin doubting yourself and feel negative or defeated. But you should remember that you had overcome obstacles before which made you see a clear path towards achieving your goals. When these things happen, a leader’s spirituality also plays an integral part. Faith has a big role in keeping you motivated. Have faith in yourself, you can do it, I know you can, and deep down, I daresay you know you can… otherwise you would never have entered the managerial arena. You are one of the great leaders; lead the helm with determination and influence!

Debora McLaughlin: Executive/Business Coach, Speaker, Consultant & Mentor. She works with executives, business owners & managers to optimize profits, people & performance. Author of several books including Blueprint for Success with Stephen R. Covey & Ken Blanchard. http://www.opendoorcoaching.com

[tags]management, corporate, career, coaching[/tags]

Recent legislation, green issues, the current economy, choosing a good motor fleet insurance policy with a cost effective fleet insurance quote, the huge amount of administration involved and all the other logistics makes managing a fleet a Herculean challenge.

Additionally some fleet managers are feeling the effect of the leasing industry’s end of contract recharges. They feel that the leasing industry is taking a tough position on this. These changes brings to light that there is an underlying issue which is that although there are guidelines they do not go deeply enough to envisage cases where there is a lot of damage and how to prices these recharges fairly.

Managing a fleet efficiently means that these issues need to be addressed in the same way as a manager has to be clear at the outset of how much the car fleet insurance is going to take from his allocated budget.
What makes the charges regarding the leasing companies more complicated is that in recharge bills some are receiving charges for smaller items or damage that previously would not have been included.

Julie Jenner, AFCO chairperson, said that although this is happening to some fleet operators as yet it is not reached the stage where leasing companies are increasing their charges on a grand scale.

It is obvious however that these grey areas need attention to iron out potential problems. The BVRLA (British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association) chief executive John Lewis confirmed that its members were concentrating on maximising revenue from every vehicle. Naturally in the current economic client, with the recession the residual values are less certain and therefore they feel the need to apply refurbishment charges so they can optimise the disposal value of their vehicles.

Again in the same way as one would consider all the small print very carefully before choosing a motor fleet insurance policy, fleet managers are being advised to make themselves familiar with the BVRLA’s Fair Wear and Tear Guide. This will ensure that they are fully au fait with the minimum standard they need to keep their vehicles in.

In reality historically these charges had not been applied with much force, but nowadays the contract hire service providers are left with little choice but to chase up all money possible out of all deals. The residual values are much lower than what had been more than likely predicted four years ago and the losses on disposal continue to mount up for these service companies.

The best cure is prevention, which in this instance means a thorough knowledge of the BVRLA Fair Wear and Tear Guide, and establishing policies throughout the fleet drivers to try to adhere to these guidelines. The potential charges should also be accounted for in a contingency plan, but first and foremost the drivers should have some form of responsibility and discipline put in place.

It is recommended to communicate as soon as possible with the leasing company in the case of damage. The fleet manager should also keep a file of detailed digital photos of the vehicle or vehicles in question. Be realistic, put in place reforms for the drivers to be aware and educate yourself. As a fleet manager your policies and how your carry them through can be a great asset to your motor fleet insurance management and cost saving efforts.

Jackie de Burca is co-owner of CWA, which is an International search marketing consultancy.

Cover4Commercial can offer you time saving advice and good rates for your motor fleet insurance policy.

[tags]motor fleet insurance, fleet insurance policy,[/tags]