8. Physical hazards at work



Key changes and developments since last year



• the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published new advice on manual handling training in March 2018 making clear that general training in lifting techniques is an ineffective way of controlling the risks of manual handling;


• in May 2018, Dame Judith Hackitt published her final report on building regulations and fire safety, commissioned by the government in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, and called for a “radical rethink of the whole system”, with 50 recommendations for government; 


• in a landmark case in March 2018, the High Court found the Royal Opera House was responsible for failing to provide protection for the hearing of its musicians and for causing acoustic shock to a former viola player; and 


• new IonisingRadiations Regulations 2017 came into force in January 2018, repealing and replacing the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999 and implementing the requirements of the European Basic Safety Standards Directive (2013/59/Euratom) (BSSD).