Mecsafe Limited

Health & Safety Training

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01302 775900
Unit 9 Snape Lane Industrial Estate, Harworth, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN11 8SP

It’s been ages!

We’ve been very busy at MECsafe over the last few months, hence no blog! Primarily, improving our NVQ portfolio has been taking up a lot of our time, but it has been worth it, as we are now able to offer you the following NVQ’s:

Level 2
– Construction Operations
– Decorative Finishing and Painting
– Formwork
– Interior Systems (Dry Lining Fixing)
– Cranes & Specialist Lifting
– Forklift Trucks
– Plastering (Solid)
– Steelfixing Occupations
– Trowel Occupations (Bricklaying)
– Wood Occupations (Site Carpentry)

Level 3
– Decorative Finishing and Painting
– Occupational Work Supervision
– Plastering (Solid)

Level 4
– Site Supervision

Level 6
– Construction Contracting Ops
– Site Management

Level 7
– Construction Senior Management

 

We’ve also been scheduling lots of courses at Doncaster, including:

UKATA Asbestos Awareness – 1st Oct

CCNSG – 1st & 2nd Oct

IPAF scissor lift & cherry picker – 1st Oct

If you need an NVQ for a CSCS card or simply just for CPD etc.  or would like to book on a training course, please contact us 01302 775900 ext 1.

 

Anyway, enough about us, let’s talk about general news this week:

The NHS to save ‘hundreds of millions’ in landmark drug ruling. Novartis and Bayer were trying to stop NHS doctors from prescribing a cheaper treatment for a serious eye condition. Health bosses said the judgement in the High Court may reduce the power of companies to set prices. Drug company Novartis said they were “disappointed” because patients were being asked to accept an unlicensed treatment to save the NHS money. The case centred on the treatment of patients with the common eye condition, wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Facebook will no longer send employees to work at the offices of political campaigns during elections, the company has announced. The social network used to offer dedicated staff to political campaigns to help them develop their online advertising campaigns. Donald Trump’s digital director for the 2016 presidential election has said Facebook’s assistance helped him win. Facebook said rival Hillary Clinton was offered the same support, but declined. The social network is the second largest online advertising broker, behind Google.

In construction news this week…

Are safety fines are getting out of control? Galliford Try and Costain were fined £1.4m each this week after a worker lost three toes at a water treatment plant.

Caddick takes workforce plastic-free. Caddick Construction is pushing to become a single-use plastic free workforce by handing out reusable water bottles across the Yorkshire company.

 

That’s all for now folks!

 

More Political Scandals

The head of the British Army will warn today that the country’s ability to respond to Russian threats will erode if the UK does not keep up with its enemies. General Sir Nick Carter will use a speech to the Royal United Services Institute to highlight how Moscow is building an increasingly aggressive and expeditionary force that already boasts capabilities that outmatch UK forces.

UKIP’s ruling committee has unanimously backed a vote of no confidence in party leader Henry Bolton, just hours after he warned the party ‘is probably over’ if he is forced out. Mr Bolton, whose leadership of the party was called into question following revelations that his girlfriend Jo Marney sent racist text messages, told TV show ‘Peston on Sunday’ it could not survive another leadership contest.

Today marks a year since President Trump took office, and his administration is once again mired in controversy amid a costly federal funding row that has led to a government shutdown.

 

In construction news this week…

Sheffield United submits plan for South Stand. Sheffield United have submitted plans for a new South Stand to add more than 5,400 seats, new executive boxes and a media centre at Bramall Lane.

Kier fined £100,000 for hospital oil spill. Kier and its subcontractor BKP Waste Recycling Limited have been sentenced for polluting groundwater with over 11,000 litres of diesel during the redevelopment of Christchurch Hospital, Dorset.

Site safety stand-down to cover whole of construction. Sites across the whole construction sector will stop work as part of a safety stand-down in April.

 

In MECsafe news this week…

We still have plenty of availability on the following courses:

SSSTS (Supervisors) – 1st & 2nd Feb 2018

H&S Awareness (required for the green Labourers CSCS card) – 7th Feb 2018

IPAF 3a & 3b – 8th Feb 2018

If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Happy New Year!

We hope you all had a lovely Christmas and 2018 has got off to a great start!

A cabinet shuffle is often the chance to reassert a prime minister’s authority and refresh a party’s image. But Theresa May’s reshuffle didn’t go exactly to plan when several cabinet ministers refused to move, according to sources. Education Secretary Justine Greening refused to be transferred and handed in her resignation and Jeremy Hunt is said to have kept his role after “persuading” Mrs May not to move him. To further complicate things, the Conservative party tweeted out Chris Grayling as the new chairman, when the role actually went to the immigration minister Brandon Lewis.

Brighton left it late to beat rivals Crystal palace 2-1 in the third round of the FA Cup, after striker Glenn Murray scored the winning goal in the dying minutes. The FA Cup game marked the debut for the new Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology, which is a new system designed to keep referee mistakes to a minimum. The VAR will only intervene when the referee makes a clear and obvious error. But in last night’s cup tie, the new system remained unused despite Murray’s controversial winning goal which looked like he handballed into the net.

Nearly 200,00 Salvadorans face deportation from the United States by September 2019 after the Trump administration ended special protection status for people from the Central American country. The decision made by the Homeland Security will have a heavy impact on parts of New York, Los Angeles and New York with a large Salvadoran community.

 

In construction news this week…

Health fears raised over construction nanotechnologies. Tiny particles in building materials could pose asbestos-style dangers.

Jailed payroll cheats ordered to pay back £3.5m within 3 months or serve longer prison terms and still owe the money. Accountant Aquil Ahmed, 61, and construction services company director Victor Shearer, 44 were jailed in October 2016 after they cheated HM Revenue and Customs of £6.9m in VAT, income tax, National Insurance Contributions and Construction Industry Scheme deductions.

Huge blaze hits Balfour Bristol university site. Balfour Beatty started on site early last year on a £19m contract to renovate and extend the Grade II listed building.

 

In MECsafe news this week…

We still have plenty of availability on the following courses:

PASMA (Mobile Towers) – 15th Jan 2018

SSSTS (Supervisors) – 18th & 19th Jan 2018

UKATA Asbestos Awareness – 22nd Jan 2018

If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Another day, another Twitter outburst!

An insult about Donald Trump’s age was enough to prompt another Twitter outburst from the US president. In response to being called “old” by Kim Jong-un, Trump wrote on Twitter: “Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me “old,” when I would NEVER call him “short and fat?”.

Northern Ireland’s World Cup dreams are over, after they failed to beat Switzerland in the second leg of their World Cup qualifier game. The green and white army had to overturn a 1 0 deficit they suffered in the opening leg, but failed to break the deadlock in the city of Basel and drew the match 0 0.

 

In construction news this week…

Worker set on fire by cable strike. Court hears how site was not mapped out properly and worker had no training.

Kier tops October contracts league after 30 wins. HMRC win in Cardiff gives McAlpine biggest new work haul over 12 months.

 

In MECsafe news this week…

We still have plenty of availability on the following courses:

SSSTS (Supervisors) – 16th & 17th November

UKATA Asbestos Awareness – 20th November

SSSTS Refresher – 24th November

If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Finally Allowed – Poppies on the Pitch

FIFA will allow football players to wear poppies and remove it from its forbidden list. Once the new rules are agreed, players will be allowed to wear poppies on the pitch, but only on the conditions that the opposing team agree.

Donald Trump has been heavily criticised after calling NFL fans to boycott games if the players kneel during the American national anthem. At Sunday’s NFL game in London at Wembley stadium, a high number of players from both teams went down on one knee in an apparent response to Mr Trump’s comments. Players have been taking the stance in protest of perceived racial injustice and police brutality in America.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has won for a fourth term as the general election exit polls showed her party (Christian Democrat Union) took the largest share of the vote. The results also revealed the far right anti-nationalist party is set to become the third largest party in Germany’s parliament.

 

In construction news this week…

Scaffold inspectors caught faking safety certificates. Pair sentenced after worker fractures spine falling through signed-off scaffold.

Caddick launches £300m Leeds SOYO district plan. Wetherby-based construction and property giant Caddick Group has unveiled ambitious plans for a £300m scheme to create a new neighbourhood in central Leeds.

Bidding to begin on £165m Edinburgh tram extension. Edinburgh City Council is to start bidding for its £165m tram extension project after approving the outline business case last week.

 

In MECsafe news this week…

We still have plenty of availability on the following courses:

SSSTS Refresher – 29th September

SSSTS – 5th & 6th September

IPAF 3a & 3b – 6th September

If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Microchipping humans??

Would YOU let your company implant a microchip in your hand if it meant you could log into your computer, open doors, buy snacks and more with just the wave of your hand? A company (the first to action this in the states) is offering the procedure to employees – and some are taking them up on it! Last year, a report found that a third of Brits say they would be microchipped at work if their privacy was 100% guaranteed.

The Duke of Cambridge will today begin his last shift as an air ambulance pilot before moving on to life as a full-time member of the royal family, carrying out more public engagements and charity work. Prince William announced in January he would be ending his career with the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA). Next week his grandad, the Duke of Edinburgh, completes his last official engagement for the Royal Family.

And, we couldn’t submit a blog without mentioning Trump!…
Donald Trump has announced transgender people will not be accepted or allowed in the US military “in any capacity”. In a series of tweets, the US president said that he had consulted with military experts and cited “tremendous medical costs and disruption”. The Obama administration decided last year to allow transgender people to serve openly in the military.

 

In construction news this week…

Balfour and subcontractors hit with £1.27m in asbestos fines. Balfour Beatty and two of its subcontractors have been fined a total of £1.27m after workers were exposed to asbestos while refurbishing a school in Waltham Forest.

Green light for London ‘Jenga tower’. Plans to build a 53-storey landmark tower near to Blackfriars Bridge in London have gained planning.

Shopping centre giant confirms £679m construction plans. Retail giant intu has confirmed development plans worth £679m up to 2020.

 

In MECsafe news this week…

We still have plenty of availability on the following courses:

SSSTS (Supervisors) – 10th & 11th August

CCNSG Refresher – 11th August

Emergency First Aid – 14th August

If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Here We Go Again…

Nicola Sturgeon has announced that the process to instigate a second referendum on the independence of Scotland will commence next week.

The first referendum took place on September 18, 2014, with the question: ‘Should Scotland be an independent country?’ The ‘No’ side won, with 2,001,926 (55.3%) voting against independence, and 1,617,989 (44.7%) voting in favour. The turnout of 84.6% was the highest recorded for an election or referendum in the United Kingdom since the introduction of universal suffrage.

Since then, ‘Yes’ voters have continued to campaign for a break away from the UK, and last year’s EU Referendum which was in favour of ‘Brexit’ has complicated things further. Many Scots do not want to leave the EU and feel that this major development should be a factor in Scottish people deciding their future – either as part of the UK or part of the EU.

Sturgeon has stated that a “choice must be offered between autumn next year, 2018, and spring of 2019”. The EU would need to clarify whether Scottish Independence would mean they simply remain within the EU, or seamlessly re-enter.

 

In construction news this week…

More than 600 businesses have registered interest in the first phase of Trumps $21bn Mexico wall project. The 600 businesses have formally registered interest since 24 February, when the Department of Homeland Security issued a presolicitation notice for contractors to perform the “design and build of several prototype wall structures” for the border.

Plans in for Manchester £1.3bn vertical village towers. Developer Allied London has submitted final detailed plans for a cluster of five towers in Manchester’s St John district.

Barnsley Council to fully fund town centre scheme. Barnsley Council has decided to fully fund its £120m retail-led scheme to transform the town centre.

In MECsafe news this week…

We still have plenty of availability on the following courses:

If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

It’s Awards Season!

The UK government has rejected a petition calling for Donald Trump’s state visit invitation to be withdrawn.

It said it recognised the “strong views” expressed but looked forward to welcoming the US president once details have been arranged.

More than 1.8 million people signed the petition, which said a state visit would cause the Queen “embarrassment”.

A counter petition calling for the visit to go ahead attracted more than 309,000 signatures.

For more information on what happens during an official state visit, who decides who gets an invitation, and which other controversial world figures the Queen has hosted a state visit for, click here.

 

Sunday evening (12th Feb) saw the Grammy awards take place in LA and the BAFTA’s in London.

Beyoncé lead her peers with nine nominations while Drake, Rihanna, and Kanye West were all tied with eight. But Adele had the biggest win, taking home 5 Grammy awards. Click here for a full list of winners.

Meanwhile, the BAFTAs heard plenty of different political opinions whilst stars excepted their awards. You can view the full list of winners here.

 

 

In construction news this week…

Worker loses leg in rebar horror. A steel reinforcing specialist has been fined £277,000 after a worker had a leg amputated after being crushed at its Canvey Island plant.

Laing O’Rourke construction MD Paul Sheffield quits. Chairman Ray O’Rourke said that the business plans to 2020 were now complete and the group’s vision to 2025 was well advanced and would be ratified in May this year. He said: “Paul and I feel that now is an appropriate time for him to step off and make way for others currently in the business with longer horizons”. 

Plan for £49m Bristol music hall revamp. Bristol Music Trust has unveiled ambitious plans for the £49m revamp of the city’s Colston Hall into a world-class music hub.

 

In MECsafe news this week…

We still have plenty of availability on the following courses:

If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

One Million sign petition to stop Trumps UK visit

A petition to stop US President Donald Trump’s UK state visit has gathered more than a million signatures.

Numbers of signatories have been rising rapidly since a US clampdown on immigration came into effect over the weekend, causing anger worldwide.

PM Theresa May announced the visit during her recent US trip. Downing Street has rejected calls for it to be cancelled as a “populist gesture”.

Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn urged the PM to postpone the visit.

Graham Guest, a solicitor from Leeds who began the petition, said he wanted it to “put the spotlight” on Mr Trump.

On Sunday, he told the Press Association news agency: “A state visit legitimises his presidency and he will use the photo opportunities and being seen with the Queen to get re-elected.”

On Friday Mr Trump signed an executive order halting the US refugee programme for 120 days, indefinitely banning all Syrian refugees and suspending the entry of all nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Moves to implement the measure triggered anger and protest across the world.

On Saturday afternoon the petition had just 60 signatures but reached 100,000 needed to be considered for debate by Parliament just after midday on Sunday.

MPs will discuss the debate on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, signatures on the petition continue to increase: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/171928

 

In construction news this week…

Jaguar Land Rover fined £900,000 after worker injured. National car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover has been fined after a worker lost their leg following a car accident.

Three construction companies fined after worker fall. Three companies from Essex have been fined after a worker fell over seven meters through a fragile roof he was replacing.

Asbestos Analyst fined for falsifying documents. An asbestos analyst has been fined after he falsified an asbestos air clearance certificate, following licensed asbestos removal in Manchester.

 

In MECsafe news this week…

We still have plenty of availability on the following courses:

  • CCNSG (2 day) – 6th & 7th Feb 2017
  • IPAF 3a & 3b (scissor lift and cherry picker) – 8th Feb 2017

If you would like any further information on any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

It just won’t stop!

Unless you have been hiding under a massive rock for the last week or so, you will be well aware Donald Trump has been elected President of America.
Every. Single. Day. He seems to be hitting the headlines for one reason or another. This weekend has seen Trump calling for a boycott of the sold out play “Hamilton” after the cast delivered a serious message to Vice President-elect Mike Pence.
Pence was booed by the audience as he walked in, then after the show all the cast made their way to the stage to deliver an open letter to Pence.
Although Pence has commented it has not offended him and “this is what freedom sounds like”, bizarrely Trump is demanding an apology from the cast and ridiculing their ability to ‘learn their lines’.
You can listen to the speech by clicking here.

At this side of the pond, French ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy has been knocked out the contest for a centre-right presidential candidate and signalled his withdrawal from politics.
Admitting defeat, Mr Sarkozy endorsed Francois Fillon, a moderate who finished first in Sunday’s first round, according to near-complete results.
Alain Juppe, who like Mr Fillon is an ex-prime minister, finished second.
They will face each other in a run-off next Sunday. The winner will compete in next year’s presidential election.
The winner of the Republican primary is likely to make the presidential run-off, where he or she will probably face far-right leader Marine Le Pen.


In construction news this week…

Crane hirer Hewden’s is fighting for survival after talks to find a new backer are understood to have stalled. The firm is seeking to refinance £190m of borrowings, which are due to expire in the coming months.

Buckingham Palace to get £369m M&E refit. Government funding has been agreed for a £369m overhaul of Buckingham Palace.

Mace set for £54m Twickenham East Stand revamp. Mace is in the front row to extend Twickenham rugby stadium’s east stand as part of a plan to improve the match day experience for supporters.


In MECsafe news this week…

We still have plenty of availability on the following courses:

Fire Warden – 25th Nov

Health & Safety Awareness (CITB) – 29th Nov (ask us about completing your CSCS test on the same day)!

SSSTS (CITB Supervisors) – 1st & 2nd Nov

CCNSG (ECITB) – 5th & 6th Dec

If you would like any further information on any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact us.