Congratulations Kevin Smith you are our Delegate of the Month for June

Well done to Kevin Smith who has been picked as our Delegate of the Month June.  Kevin left the armed forces in June 2011 and decided on a career in ‘Civvy street’, as a Service leaver Kevin was able to apply for Enchanced Learning Credits (funding from the MoD for further training for service personnel wishing to obtain accredited qualifications for employment in Civvy Street). Kevin  booked the Full House Package, a package of NEBOSH courses put together by CRS  for MOD  service leavers who are now leaving the Armed forces for a new civilian  life. Kevin has now completed the  NEBOSH National General Certificate at our Colchester training venue and is currently taking the NEBOSH Certificate in Environmental Management at our Southampton Training venue, in November he will complete the course package by taking the NEBOSH Fire Safety & Risk Management Course at our Reading venue. Kevin will receive his results for the NEBOSH National General Course in July.   When we asked Kevin why he chose CRS he said “I searched the website initially and then spoke to a few colleagues who recommended CRS”. We asked Kevin what he really liked about the course and he said “I was amazed at the in depth knowledge of the tutor – Andy,  and the speed of the delivery, the other delegates where a great bunch of people and the course was a most enjoyable experience”
Kevin has three young children 2 girls and a boy and in his spare time is a safety powerboat coxswain, his hobbies are many but he likes playing golf and football. Kevin is currently employed as a Senior Technician with Arrowsmith Engineering, Alton, Hants
Kevin now joins five other delegates of the month for the annual prize draw for a £50 M&S voucher which will be drawn at the beginning of December. If you would like to be our next ‘Delegate of the Month’ please ask your tutor for the nomination form when you attend your course.

Development company guilty of repeated safety breaches

A development company has been sentenced for breaches of the Work at Height Regulations.
Landrose Developments Limited of North Circular Road, London, pleaded guilty to safety failings after a routine site inspection on 6 February 2013, which resulted in enforcement action being taken.
Landrose were carrying out construction of 20 domestic properties, including 10 houses and 10 flats at a site in Willesden when HSE inspectors arrived.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard that despite this action, the breaches were repeated at the construction site and resulted in further enforcement action.
However, despite the previous action, the breaches were repeated on the 30th August 2013 at the construction site, without any adequate means to prevent persons, materials or objects falling a distance liable to cause personal injury. This resulted in further enforcement action.
Landrose Developments Limited was fined £16,000 with costs of £2,221 after pleading guilty to breaching Regulations 6(3) and 10(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. There was also a victim surcharge applied.
This was a proactive prosecution for repeated work at height breaches on more than one site, without any adequate means to prevent persons, materials or objects falling and causing injury.
NEBOSH Certificate in Construction Health & Safety

Queen's Speech 2015: Energy security and climate change on the agenda

Collaborating with other nations to combat climate change and the release of a new Energy Bill to increase energy security in the UK were among the key announcements in the first all-Conservative Queen's Speech since 1996.
In the presence of MPs, peers and other dignitaries in the House of Lords, Queen Elizabeth II today (27 May) set out the government's legislative plans for the year ahead, marking the official State Opening of Parliament.
The Queen gave just two mentions of energy and the environment in her 10-minute speech, to the disappointment of green groups and sustainability professionals alike.

Queen Elizabeth II reads out the speech written for her by the Prime Minister's team

First, she said "measures will be introduced to increase energy security," and later she stated that the new Tory Government "will seek effective global collaboration to sustain economic recovery and to combat climate change - including at the climate change conference in Paris later this year."
Energy Bill
On energy security, the Conservatives have issued a new Energy Bill which aims to "ensure there will be affordable and reliable energy for businesses and families."
The Energy Bill - just one of a 28-Bill package announced today - proposes to formally establish the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) - an independent regulator "charged with the asset stewardship and regulation of domestic oil and gas recovery".
The new Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Amber Rudd, would see her existing regulatory powers transfered to this new OGA, but her regulatory functions in relation to the environment would not be transferred.
Renewables
On renewable energy, the Energy Bill also contains a clause handing local authorities “consenting power” for all onshore wind applications.
However, the impact of such a change may be negligible, given that local authorities already have these powers for wind farms below 50MW - there are just two operational wind farms in England with more than 50MW capacity, and the changes are expected to affect only one planning application.
The full Energy Bill document goes on to state that the commitment to end new subsidy for onshore wind farms - as reiterated by Rudd earlier this month - will be delivered separately, and DECC will be announcing measures to deliver this soon.
Climate change
The background notes to the Queen's speech elaborated: “A global deal is the only way we can deliver the scale of action required.
“The most cost effective and competitive way to achieve this is an international, legally binding, rules based agreement covering every country.”
The Government document argued that a global deal is strongly in the UK’s interest because it will “create new opportunities for our low carbon industries.”
It also claimed that the UK needed to avert the direct threats of climate change - such as floods and heatwaves - as well as the indirect threats such as "rising costs and regional instability".
The document continued: “There is widespread support from business, NGOs and the wider public both in the UK here and internationally.”
CRS’S Head of Environment commented ‘Climate Change and the environment continues to be part, if only a small one, of the Governments agenda. The Queen’s speech and upcoming changes to ISO 14001 later this year lay out the landscape for organisations for the short to mid-term; making now an ideal time to develop a clear strategy for environmental improvements for organisation.’ CRS offer a broad range of courses such as the NEBOSH Environmental Certificate, for those looking for a strong environmental management understanding, the IEMA associate Certificate for those wishing to develop into an Environmental Practioner or workforce courses such as the CITB SEATS or CIEH Environmental Principles short course. Please call Stephen Armishaw or David Hancock-Dexter on 01283 509175 or email advice@crsrisk.com for more information.
source edie newsroom

Hazardous Waste Regs – What’s Changing In June

How businesses deal with their packaging waste is due to change soon. From 1 June 2015, the way waste will be assessed and classified in the UK changes significantly. Waste producers will need to comply with the revised guidance set out in WM3, the joint UK environmental regulators’ guidance on classification of hazardous waste.

The current guidance, “Hazardous waste: Interpretation of the definition and classification of hazardous waste (3rd Edition 2013)”, known as WM2 for short, is a comprehensive technical guidance document on the assessment and classification of hazardous waste. June sees WM2 updating to WM3. The forthcoming WM3 regulations will introduce new requirements as a result of several changes to the law including: amendments to the list of waste (or European Waste Catalogue), a major revision of hazardous properties and the adoption of the new systems of chemical classification (Source: www.gov.uk/government/publications/waste-classification-technical-guidance).

Packaging that cannot be proven to be free of any residue or contamination from a hazardous substance has to be classified and treated as hazardous waste. Under the new WM3 guidance, the framework for determining hazardous properties will change, meaning that some additional wastes may become hazardous. Anyone buying in products, will need to assess the hazardous properties of their waste packaging and will need to demonstrate a fully auditable trail of what happens to it.

But this doesn’t mean that companies will have to compromise on environmentally-friendly ways of dealing with their waste.

Paul Rendle-Barnes, group senior development manager at Avanti Environmental, highlighted at Avanti, when we collect 1,000-litre intermediate bulk containers (IBCs)/flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs), 205-litre and even 10-litre packaging containers, we decontaminate and process these via a “polymer separation” process. This polymer separation process means that the containers are decontaminated, washed and then reprocessed through the Avanti integrated recycling plants. The regulated process closes the loop and produces multiple grades of raw material that can be remanufactured into new bins, drums and even kerb stones.

Processes such as these undertaken by Avanti not only meet all regulatory compliance requirements, but also avoid the risk of fines or costly prosecutions. Additionally, by ensuring the waste is fully recovered and recycled into new products, this hugely contributes to sustainability and a company’s corporate social responsibilities.

Chartered Waste Manager, and Commercial Projects and Recalls Manager at Avanti, Chris Vasey, offers some advice to help waste producers: “Packaging just ‘being emptied’ doesn’t count. In order to be fully compliant with the new regulations, businesses will need to work with their waste management supplier to ensure:

1. The premises from where waste is removed must be registered as a hazardous waste producer
2. The waste packaging must be consigned correctly. Any packaging that has contained a hazardous product and has not been decontaminated by an approved method (with appropriate treatment of the decontamination residues), is to be automatically considered hazardous in nature, regardless of its weight or concentration of the hazardous substance originally contained in the packaging
3. The site receiving the waste must have a suitable authorisation to receive that waste
4. The site receiving the waste must send quarterly consignee returns for hazardous waste to the relevant regulating agency and waste producer.”

Not sure of whether this applies to your organisation, contact CRS sales team on 01283 509179 or contact advice@crsrisk.com to discuss your needs further.

 Source CIWM

Mighty Mini Podium Finish - Rockingham

It was a leisurely morning with qualifying not happening until 11.30 and meant the team had time to catch up with fellow racers and get the new CRS graphics onto the Mighty. Many of the other drivers had tested on Friday as it was a new circuit to them but Caroline wasn’t allowed as she had raced there within the last 5 years. A few laps into the session and the team held out 9^th place for qualifying Caroline thought that was pretty good as she hadn’t driven the circuit since 2012. As the session continued 9^th became 8^th became 5^th and then 3^rd which would have equalled Caroline highest ever qualifying position however she managed to go one better and put the car on the front row of the grid in 2^nd place.
Although Caroline made a great start pole man Liam Sullivan and 4th place Brayden Fletcher soon pulled away leaving Caroline in a 6 car fight for third. She spent much of the race watching the drivers bash each other at every opportunity and decided that it was better to sit back and take 7^th place with an undamaged car for the following days race than challenge too hard for places especially as one of the other minis was driving round with the boot open and bits of metal threatening to fly out the back of the car! Caroline took 7^th place and was rewarded when the reverse grid for race 2 was the top 8 putting her once again on the front row in second place.
Caroline made an excellent get away in Sundays race and lead the field of 21 minis onto the infield for the first time. Stuart Coombs was soon alongside and started to pull away as Caroline once again started to battle with Maria Brown and Peter Bonas. Sullivan & Fletcher worked together to get through the traffic and once at the front pulled away. Coombs dropped back as he overheated his engine and with race 1 it became all about the  fight for 3^rd place. Caroline played the waiting game. As soon as they made a mistake she pounced and within half a lap she was into third and pulling away as they continued to battle behind her. It felt like the longest 4 laps of the circuit every but Caroline crossed the line in 3^rd place for her first Mighty Mini podium finish.
Caroline is currently sitting third overall in the championship table and lead lady.
Next round in Brands Hatch Mini festival 27/28 June.

Thank you Bovington Barracks

CRS took to the road again on Wednesday 6th May when Ros Stacey visited the MOD Barracks at Bovington for their annual Resettlement/Education/Training Day, the event was organised by Nick Mullings of the MOD. With over 30 exhibitors offering training, jobs, employment and  higher education and around 150 service and ex-service personnel it was a very busy event. CRS currently have over 21 Health Safety & Environmental training course packages for service leavers who wish to use the Enhanced Learning Credits. Course dates now available for January 2016.

Unlimited fines for health and safety and environmental offences in the magistrates' court

New Legislation came into effect on 12 March 2015 providing for all maximum fines in the Magistrates' Court of £5,000 or more to become unlimited in England and Wales. The legislation is contained in section 85 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. Health and safety offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 were capped at £20,000, while the cap for environmental offences varied between £5,000 and £50,000 depending upon the nature of the offence. Henceforth, there will be no cap on the level of fines which can be imposed by Magistrates for these offences.
Make sure that your organisation does not fall foul of the law by ensuring you meet your requirements by getting Health & Safety training for your employees. Contact the sales team on 01283 509175 to discuss your requirements.

Sentence after nine-year-old girl flung from fair ride

The owner/operator of a fair ride has been sentenced after a nine-year-old girl was flung from her carriage as it span at excessive speeds. 
Northampton Crown Court heard the youngster was thrown from the Twister ride when the safety bar flew open. She was slammed into a metal safety barrier in the incident at Holowell Steam Rally and Heavy Horse Show in Guilsborough, Northamptonshire, on 3 November 2012.
The girl, from Kent, who had been attending a bonfire night event with her family, suffered severe internal bruising and was off school for two weeks and not able to join in PE lessons until the next term.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the incident found the ride, which was owned and operated by Patrick McGeough, was operating 50 per cent faster than its maximum design speed of 11 rpm which increased the ejection force on the riders.
It also found the secondary locks for the safety bars, which keep riders in their cars, were not in use.
A Prohibition Notice and a direction to leave undisturbed was served preventing the ride’s further use until it had been inspected and faults rectified. An Improvement Notice was also served requiring Mr McGeough to fit a means to ensure the ride could not be operated beyond its safe maximum speed. Both Notices were complied with.
Patrick McGeough, 28, of Greetham Inn Lane, Greetham, Rutland, admitted breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc act 1974 and was fined £1500 and ordered to pay costs of £1500.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Neil Ward said: “Members of the public quite rightly expect fair rides to be safe. This one was not and it led to a traumatic incident for a young girl and her family.
“The incident could however easily have been prevented. Operating the ride beyond the speed it was designed to be run at, and without the secondary locks in place was a recipe for disaster.
IOSH Managing Safely

Possible release of Lynx in the UK

The BBC has reported that the Lynx trust is considering applying for a licence to release Lynx into a number of sites in the UK
The Lynx UK Trust is holding a consultation into bringing the big cats to Norfolk, Cumbria and Aberdeenshire. It is now considering Kielder Forest, in Northumberland, as another site as it has a large deer population - the main prey for lynx.
Sheep farmers have raised concerns about the animals attacking sheep. The scheme would see four to six lynx, wearing radio tracking devices at each site, each of which are rich in deer and tree cover.
Once the Lynx UK Trust's consultation is completed, it will lodge a formal application with Natural England and Scottish Natural Heritage.
A spokesman for the trust said this could take many months. Lynx cubs can expect an average lifespan of 10 years in the wild
Chief scientific specialist Dr Paul O'Donoghue, of the Lynx Trust, said: "These are beautiful cats which will fit beautifully into the UK environment. "They're extremely shy animals which have never attacked a human anywhere they live, and everywhere they live their preferred prey is deer which we have a serious overpopulation issue with in the UK.
"Concerns raised by some sheep farmers at the plans have been met with assurances of a comprehensive and generous compensation program, and extensive research from Europe showing that lynx very rarely predate on sheep anywhere they live, preferring the hiding places of remote forestry to the open environment of farms or sheep moors.
In response English Nature have released the following statement:
‘Any application to introduce lynx into England would need serious consideration in terms of its impact right across the UK.
The Eurasian lynx has been absent from Britain for about 1300 years. As it is no longer recognised as a resident species, the release of lynx into the wild in Britain would be unlawful unless licensed. Natural England is the appropriate licensing body in England. So far Natural England has had a single preliminary meeting with the Lynx Trust’s legal advisers to describe the extensive process that would need to be undertaken before any licence submission could be considered.
Any application to introduce lynx into England would need very serious consideration in terms of its impact right across the UK. If such an application were made, Natural England would consider it in line with prevailing legislation; international guidelines; following proper public consultation and evidence gathering, and taking into account any input from government.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines consider the socio-economic impacts of the introduction as well as impacts on the environment and the animals themselves.’
Source: Natural England and BBC

New cars’ CO2 emissions well below Europe’s 2015 target

New cars sold in 2014 emit on average 2.6 % less CO2 than those sold in 2013 and almost 7 grammes of CO2/km below the 2015 target, according to provisional data published today by the European Environment Agency.
The average emissions level of a new car sold in 2014 was 123.4 grammes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) per kilometre, significantly below the 2015 target of 130 g, according to provisional data from the European Environment Agency (EEA). Since monitoring started under current legislation in 2010, emissions have decreased by 17 g CO₂/km (12 %). Manufacturers will, nevertheless, have to further reduce emissions to meet the target of 95 g CO₂/km by 2021.
CRS’S Head of Environment highlighted, ‘Pressures on organisations to develop technologies to minimise carbon output of their products is a clear focus of the legislative agenda. It is vital that organisations consider environmental business risks as part of their longer term strategic plans. The Automotive manufacturing sector is the current focus but this will extend in the future’.
CRS offer a range of environmental courses such as the NEBOSH Environmental Management Certificate for those wishing to gain a broad understanding, while the IEMA Associate Certificate focuses on Carbon Management in its first module. Click here for more information or call 01283 509175.
Key findings  

• A total of 12.5 million new cars were registered in 2014, the first overall increase since 2007. Registrations increased in all EU Member States compared to 2013, except for Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands.
• A new car sold in 2014 emitted on average 123.4 grammes of g CO₂/km, significantly below the 2015 target of 130 g CO₂/km. Europe had already reached its 2015 target by 2013, two years ahead of schedule.
• Average emissions levels in 2014 were below 130 g CO₂/km in 17 of the 28 Member States.
• Significantly more efficient models were bought in the pre-2004 EU Member States compared to the newer EU Member States. The most efficient cars were bought in the Netherlands (107 g CO₂/km), Greece (108 g CO₂/km) and Portugal (109 g CO₂/km), while the least efficient cars were bought in Estonia (141 g CO₂/km), followed by Latvia (140 g CO₂/km) and Bulgaria (136 g CO₂/km).
• Diesel vehicles remain the most sold vehicles in Europe, constituting 53 % of sales. Countries with high proportions of diesel sales include Ireland (74 %), Luxembourg (72 %), Portugal (71 %), Spain (66 %), France and Greece (64 %), Croatia (63 %) and Belgium (62 %).
• Despite minor fluctuations in the past, the fuel efficiency of petrol cars has been catching up with that of the more fuel-efficient diesel cars in recent years. The average emissions gap between petrol and diesel is currently below 3 g CO₂/km, around one seventh of the gap in 2000.
• Around 38 000 electric vehicles were registered in 2014, up by 57 % compared to 2013. The largest number of registrations was recorded in France (more than 10 700 vehicles), Germany (around 8 500 vehicles) and the UK (around 6 700 vehicles). Nevertheless, electric vehicles continue to constitute only a very small fraction of new registrations (0.3 %).

EEA activities
In accordance with EU Regulation (EC) No 443/2009, the EEA collects data on all passenger vehicles registered in Europe and makes it available online. The data collected includes information on CO₂ emissions and vehicle mass. It is reported by all Member States in order to evaluate the performance of the new vehicle fleet towards the 2015 CO₂ emissions target (130 g CO₂/km).
Type approval test procedure
Member States report new vehicles’ CO₂ emission levels, calculated on the basis of a standardised driving cycle. This cycle allows a comparison of emissions by manufacturers, but it does not necessarily represent real-world driving conditions. Later this year, the EEA plans to publish a separate report highlighting the key reasons for the growing differences observed between official and real world driving emissions.
Next steps
While the average target for the collective EU fleet has been met ahead of the deadline, it has not yet been confirmed whether different manufacturers have met their own specific annual targets, based on the average mass of the cars they sell. The EEA will publish the final data on manufacturers’ individual performances in the autumn
Source: http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/new-cars2019-co2-emissions-well

NVQ Level 5 Diploma in OH&S - The Best Route to CMIOSH FREE Seminar - Last few places

CRS have just a few places left for our FREE seminar to find out more about  how  you can become a Chartered Member of IOSH (CMIOSH) one of the most sought after Health & Safety Qualifications in the Health & Safety sector. (A follow on after NEBOSH National General Certificate)
You may now be considering the  next step in your career development. The NVQ 5 Diploma is that next step and the best route to CMIOSH. The NVQ level 5 Diploma is delivered by distance learning so no exams, and the course works with you within your job role. Its fully mentored and supported by our team of expert tutors all CMIOSH.

Come and find out more at our FREE Seminar on Friday 29th May  to be held at Sahara Force India F1 HQ, Silverstone.
Richard Ball will be presenting the seminar and we will get a chance to look at the first unit (501) of the Qualification so you can see if it’s for you. (try before you buy, or if you have already booked this may help you to get started)A guest speaker from City & Guilds will also be giving us an insight into the City & Guilds qualifications.

Places are limited but the event is free. If you would like to attend please let Ros Stacey know rs@crsrisk.com or telephone 01283 509175 to get your name on the guest list.

Paper driver licence counterpart to be withdrawn on 8 June 2015

The DVLA has announced that the paper driver licence counterpart will be withdrawn from use on 8 June 2015. Employers will now be unable to check an employee's licence history and endorsements using the counterpart driving licence. Instead, the DVLA is creating an online 'Share Driving Licence' website which will allow members of the public to share their driver licence history with organisations of their choosing. Further information can be found here.
Accordingly, CRS recommends that employers should update their policies, terms and conditions and offer letters accordingly to seek consent from employees to access this information.
Contact us for more details at www.crsrisk.com, advice@crsrisk.com or 01283 509175.

Congratulations David Whiting you are our Delegate of the Month

Congratulations David you have been chosen as our Delegate of the Month.  David was nominated by CRS Tutor Andy Newborough whilst attending our  NEBOSH National General Certificate course in Colchester. David is employed by Interconnector UK Limited, London as  a commercial operator for this sub gas pipeline company. Some of the past jobs David has found himself doing are Merchant deck officer, Oil tanker surveyor and Rope access technician. When our Sales Director Ros Stacey caught up with David to let him know the good news that he had been selected as the Delegate of the Month (May) David was very surprised and said ‘I’ll try not to let the success go to my head!’ Ros asked David  why NEBOSH National General Certificate? He said ‘I have worked in some quite risky environments but never really had any H&S training and really needed to know how to comply with the latest legislation etc.’ David then went on to say ‘I really enjoyed being tested by the course and learning lots of new skills. I was very fortunate to have some excellent fellow delegates who made this course really enjoyable and a great tutor…’
David is married  and has two young daughters 2 and 4, his hobbies are Clay shooting and lusting over fast cars. Now David has completed his NEBOSH National General Certificate he may wish to consider the NVQ Level 5 Diploma in Occupational Health & Safety. CRS are running their next FREE seminar at Sahara Force India F1 (fast cars)on Friday 29^th May maybe we will get David to come.
David will now be entered into our Delegate of the Month prize draw which will take place in December and has the chance to win a £50 M&S voucher.
If you would like to be nominated for our next delegate of the month please contact your tutor or Ros Stacey rs@crsrisk.com. For more information on the NVQ Level 5 Diploma seminar –please contact Ros on 01283 509175 or email rs@crsrisk.com to reserve your place.