http://www.personneltoday.com/en-gbTue, 19 Aug 2008 10:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/08/19/47134/health-and-safety-fine-of-22000-for-hospital-guilty-of-exposing-employee-to-hazardous-chemicals.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/08/19/47134/health-and-safety-fine-of-22000-for-hospital-guilty-of-exposing-employee-to-hazardous-chemicals.html A hospital trust has been fined £22,000 after it allowed an employee to become exposed to a dangerous chemical while cleaning - despite no immediate harTue, 19 Aug 2008 10:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/08/19/47133/small-business-owners-work-50-hour-weeks.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/08/19/47133/small-business-owners-work-50-hour-weeks.html UK small business owners are clocking up 50 working hours every week, according to a survey by Bank of Scotland Business Banking. The study of 1,003 small business managers found the latest figure was an average increase oTue, 19 Aug 2008 09:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/08/18/47127/hr-workload-and-happiness-levels-soar.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/08/18/47127/hr-workload-and-happiness-levels-soar.html HR professionals have seen their workload increase more than any other profession, along with their happiness, a survey has found. The Happiness at Work Index</AMon, 18 Aug 2008 14:32:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/08/13/47094/health-and-safety-lapses-cost-tyre-firm-20000.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/08/13/47094/health-and-safety-lapses-cost-tyre-firm-20000.html The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned employers to ensure sufficient protection measures are in place after a company was forced to pay more than £20,000 inWed, 13 Aug 2008 14:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/08/07/47025/driving-skills-under-scrutiny-as-derby-and-st-edmundsbury-councils-fit-black-box-monitors-to-bin-lorries-and-other-vehicles.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/08/07/47025/driving-skills-under-scrutiny-as-derby-and-st-edmundsbury-councils-fit-black-box-monitors-to-bin-lorries-and-other-vehicles.html Council bin men and other drivers could soon find themselves rated for how well they drive while working. Two local authorities are to install black box-style technology in council vehicles to monitor whether employees are driving safely anThu, 07 Aug 2008 13:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/08/05/46988/counter-terrorism-police-unit-publishes-security-guides-for-employers.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/08/05/46988/counter-terrorism-police-unit-publishes-security-guides-for-employers.html A specialist UK police unit has drawn up response plans for organisations likely to experience terrorist attacks, and has begun running training courses for employers. The National Counter Terrorism Security Office (<A hrTue, 05 Aug 2008 10:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/08/04/46963/promised-health-and-wellbeing-schemes-delayed.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/08/04/46963/promised-health-and-wellbeing-schemes-delayed.html Government pilot schemes to help employers promote health and wellbeing among staff have yet to start, although it is six months since they were suggested, Personnel Today has learned. The news has angered HR profeMon, 04 Aug 2008 00:47:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/08/01/46971/friday-podcast-unions-warn-against-redundancies-future-labour-policies-emerge-and-workplace-health-scheme-stalls.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/08/01/46971/friday-podcast-unions-warn-against-redundancies-future-labour-policies-emerge-and-workplace-health-scheme-stalls.html Our weekly HR news podcast this week includes: Unions legal experts warn organisations not to use the economic downturn as a justification for redundancies We hear about potential new plans to emerge Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:56:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/30/46939/workplace-wellbeing-schemes-prove-their-worth-in-tests.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/30/46939/workplace-wellbeing-schemes-prove-their-worth-in-tests.html A government-funded pilot scheme has found that employers can make significant improvements to the health of their staff. The Well@Work proWed, 30 Jul 2008 00:14:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/28/46900/recruitment-consultants-are-most-stressed-employees-in-uk.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/28/46900/recruitment-consultants-are-most-stressed-employees-in-uk.html Recruitment consultants are the most stressed out workers in the UK, according to a new survey. The Stroke in Business</Mon, 28 Jul 2008 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/25/46884/friday-podcast-council-ceo-merry-go-round-proceeding-delay-verdict-and-rate-your-employer-online.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/25/46884/friday-podcast-council-ceo-merry-go-round-proceeding-delay-verdict-and-rate-your-employer-online.html Our weekly HR news and analysis audio programme includes: news that councils are increasingly poaching chief executives from rival local authorities, avoiding having to promote from within or train private sectFri, 25 Jul 2008 12:23:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/24/46845/health-secretary-alan-johnson-calls-on-employers-to-help-tackle-obesity.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/24/46845/health-secretary-alan-johnson-calls-on-employers-to-help-tackle-obesity.html Health secretary Alan Johnson has again urged employers to help combat dangerous obesity levels in the UK. Speaking at an <A href="http://fabians.org.uk/events/events-news/alan-johnson-public-health-Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:30:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/22/46809/meps-support-iosh-injury-at-work-campaign.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/22/46809/meps-support-iosh-injury-at-work-campaign.html Three MEPs have backed a campaign to reduce the number of young people injured at work. Conservative MEP Chris Heaton-Harris, UK Independence Party representative <A href="http:Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:39:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/21/46855/lack-of-rehabilitation-support-hinders-government-return-to-work-efforts.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/21/46855/lack-of-rehabilitation-support-hinders-government-return-to-work-efforts.html Government efforts to get the long-term sick off benefits and back to work risk being undermined by the low levels of rehabilitation support offered in the workplace, according to the HR body the <A href="http://www.cipd.co.uk"Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:01:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/21/46860/online-tool-launched-to-calculate-economic-benefit-of-investing-in-health.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/21/46860/online-tool-launched-to-calculate-economic-benefit-of-investing-in-health.html National director for health and work Dame Carol Black has unveiled an online tool that will allow companies to evaluate and measure the economic benefits of investing in employee health programmes. TMon, 21 Jul 2008 13:30:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/18/46866/som-chief-urges-oh-doctors-to-be-clinical-lead-in-fit-for-work-pilots.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/18/46866/som-chief-urges-oh-doctors-to-be-clinical-lead-in-fit-for-work-pilots.htmlNoel O'Reilly reports on the annual scientific meeting of the Society of Occupational Medicine held this month in London. Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:20:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/18/46841/rising-job-pressure-and-lack-of-support-behind-uk-stress-levels.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/18/46841/rising-job-pressure-and-lack-of-support-behind-uk-stress-levels.html A combination of increasingly demanding, complex 'knowledge' jobs and poor management are behind the UK's rising stress levels, a think-tank has argued. A <A href="http://www.theworkfoundation.com/abFri, 18 Jul 2008 14:12:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/17/46753/private-health-cover-costs-could-rocket-by-60-in-next-five-years.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/17/46753/private-health-cover-costs-could-rocket-by-60-in-next-five-years.html Employers have been warned that the cost of providing medical benefits to staff could rise by 60% by 2013. Rising costs, rising concerns: Medical Inflation, published by Mercer HR Consulting, found the cost of providThu, 17 Jul 2008 09:42:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/14/46705/six-million-people-sue-their-employer-over-injury-at-work.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/14/46705/six-million-people-sue-their-employer-over-injury-at-work.html Up to six million people have sued their employers in the past year after receiving injuries or illnesses at work, according to research. Pollsters YouGov interviewed 1,979 adults for insurance firm RSA and calculated that Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:30:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/14/46691/cipd-calls-for-tax-breaks-to-encourage-take-up-of-occupational-health.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2008/07/14/46691/cipd-calls-for-tax-breaks-to-encourage-take-up-of-occupational-health.html Tax breaks should be offered to companies that provide good-quality rehabilitation services to help the long-term sick back to work, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has insisted. <P alignMon, 14 Jul 2008 08:00:00 GMT