Global arms manufacturer BAE Systems has been handed a £198,000 penalty following a fatal explosion at its Lancashire munitions plant.Lynda Wilkins died on 2 March 2005 while using lead styphnate, a highly volatile primary explosive used in detonators, which can be set off by static discharges from the human body. Though the HSE said it was unable to determine the exact cause of the blast, as Wilkins had been working …

Encouraging staff to tell their line managers what they think of them could reduce workplace stress, according to new research co-funded by the HSE, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the HR standard provider Investors in People UK.The study, presented this week at the British Psychological Society’s occupational psychology conference, focused on the line manager-employee relationship, which it found to be the most commonly reported cause of work-related …

The HSE has posted new information on its website on the changes to the Seveso II Directive – EU legislation implemented in the UK by the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations (COMAH) – that may change some facility’s classification as COMAH sites.The Seveso Directive covers any business that uses, stores or generates dangerous substances and there is a section on the website explaining the scope of the directive and …