Health & Safety Laboratory

News - Latest

Take a Peak - Launch of HSL's Newsletter
HSL Annual Report and Accounts 2007/08
Department of Transport (DfT) Horizons Programme
HSL Appoints New Head of Science
HSL Staff on the Road to Fitness
HSL Scientist Appointed BOHS Topic Leader
ScottishPower Visit to HSL
WHO Re-Designation for HSL
Work and Pensions Select Committee Visit
HSL Hands Over Pendulums to Museum
Conferences/Seminars
UK Forum on Engineering Structural Integrity

Take a Peak - Launch of HSL's Newsletter

In response to customer comments that they’d like information about other work that HSL is involved with, we have decided to launch a newsletter. ‘The Peak’ is a quarterly publication that aims to be interesting to a wide audience and represents HSL’s diverse range of projects – plus we also wanted to make it good to look at!

You can download the first copy of ‘The Peak’ here and remember to keep checking back for future editions!

Download first issue of 'The Peak' (936KB)

HSL Annual Report and Accounts 2007/08

HSL's Annual Report and Accounts for 2007/08 has now been published. This gives details of HSL's excellent performance against its published annual performance targets and provides a brief insight into some of the scientific and technical activities undertaken during 2007/08.

To view the full HSL Annual Report and Accounts, please click here

Department of Transport (DfT) Horizons Programme
(June 2008)

HSL has successfully completed two projects under the Department of Transport (DfT) Horizons Programme. The Programme supports innovative horizon scanning research that anticipates longer-term challenges and opportunities that DfT might face 10 to 30 years in the future. Traditionally, the transport sector has had a heavy reliance on hydrocarbon fuels, however, a range of technologies and options are being developed that may help to break this dependency. One of these possibilities is the use of hydrogen as a fuel.

In response to this DfT, in December 2005, launched an open call for projects to explore different aspects of the practicality and timing of the introduction of the infrastructure required to support hydrogen-fuelled vehicles. After a peer review of the bids, five projects were selected for funding, two of which, one on assessing the safety of delivery and storage of hydrogen and the other a review of the regulatory framework around hydrogen refuelling, had been submitted by HSL.

Further details of the Horizons programme and copies of the HSL reports are available on the DfT website - click here

HSL Appoints New Head of Science
(May 2008)

Mary Trainor is HSL’s new Head of Science. Her responsibilities include raising HSL’s scientific profile through setting standards for scientific work; developing HSL scientists in the advancement of their careers; strengthening links with universities and professional institutions; and developing the laboratory’s science plan. As a Senior Scientific Advisor to HSE’s Chief Scientist, she will be working with HSE in ensuring that HSE and HSL are effective in the commissioning and delivery of science to improve the health and safety of workers and reduce risks to the public arising from workplace activities.

Mary has a first class honours degree in Physics from Imperial College, and a PhD in High Energy Nuclear Physics from Birmingham University. She held a fellowship at CERN, the European Centre for High Energy Nuclear Physics, in Geneva before working at Oxford University. In 1992 she joined HSL and since then has specialised in the assessment of risks to health and safety. This included heading HSL’s Risk Assessment Section which she built into a multi-disciplinary team spanning human and organisational factors as well as engineering and the physical sciences.

HSL Staff on the Road to Fitness
(May 2008)

Not only will HSL staff be helping to run a unique study to encourage more physical activity in the workplace but they will also be taking part in the work-based activity trial. The study, run by a team from the University of Leeds Institute of Psychological Sciences in partnership with HSL is funded by a £300,000 grant from the BUPA Foundation.

The study into physical activity and health – believed to be the first of its kind in the UK- will train employees to support and encourage their colleagues using a specially designed toolkit. The trial will investigate changes in behaviour, health and work for employees over the one year period of the study.

A team from HSL will be carrying out health checks on participants in the trial whilst psychologists from Leeds University will help motivate workers to get fit. Along with HSL staff, the team have recruited employees from Wrexham Council, a leading Yorkshire teaching hospital and the Leeds and York depots of transport business FirstGroup, where the trial is also being supported by the UK’s largest trade union, Unite.

HSL’s Chief Executive, Eddie Morland said: ‘I have given my full support to this study and have encouraged staff at HSL to participate. Being active is important in all aspects of life. Physical activity can not only improve physical health, it can also benefit mental health and help reduce stress and depression.’

For further information about the study please contact Dr Lawton, Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology on 0113 3435714 or email R.j.lawton@leeds.ac.uk

HSL Scientist Appointed BOHS Topic Leader
(May 2008)

Dr Rosemary Gibson, a senior scientist at HSL has been appointed BOHS Topic Leader for nanotechnology. Rosemary leads HSL's programme of work investigating the potential human health effects of nanomaterials. HSL is already very active in the nanotechnology area, having launched the Centre for Interdisciplinary NanoReseach(CiNR) last year. Rosemary will ensure that BOHS has an active techical programme on nanotechnologies and is responsive to the implications of the new technologies.

For further information about HSL's Centre for Interdisciplinary NanoResearch (CiNR), please click here

Conferences/Seminars

ESREL 2008 & 17th SRA Europe - Annual Conference
22-25 September 2008
Valencia, Spain

'Implications for the EU Seveso II Directive of the Adoption of the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) in Terms of Acute Toxicity to People', Mary Trainor, Anna Rowbotham, Jill Wilday, Aubrey Thyer, Sue Fraser and Ju Lynne Saw (all HSL), & David Bosworth, HSE

For further information visit http://www.esrel2008.com/

ESIA2008
Engineering Structural Integrity Assessment – Its Contribution to the Sustainable Economy
21-22 October 2008
Manchester, UK

ESIA 2008 - Call for Papers

For futher information about ESIA 2008 - please click here

UK Forum on Engineering Structural Integrity - (FESI)

Philip Heyes, HSL's Investigations Manager, is HSE's representative on the UK Forum on Engineering Structural Integrity (FESI). FESI has been established in response to the ongoing need for assurance of the integrity of engineering structures and components across a range of industry sectors e.g. Transport, Civil Construction, Power Generation, Petrochemical and Offshore.

FESI will provide within the UK a forum that draws together the expertise to communicate within and across industries appropriate best practice in management processes, methodologies and supporting technology necessary to ensure adequate engineering structural integrity throughout life.

For further information about FESI , please visit www.fesi.org.uk