A small freedom, or a burden on office resources? Some companies ban personal packages from being delivered to work, but is this the right thing to do? Laura King unpacks the dilemma.

Businesses pay for water three times — once when they buy it from the water utility company and again when it is discharged as waste effluent, plus a standing charge for both services. A 20% VAT charge is normally added.

Leading British businesses have called on Theresa May to make mental health first aid mandatory in the workplace. What could this mean for your organisation?

The UK has one of the strictest and most complex planning application processes in the world. Dave Howell assesses how this could change in the wake of the Raynsford Review.

A rope access job might look dangerous, but it is in actual fact a very safe way of working. Laura King outlines some steps to check that contractors are competent and undertaking work properly.

As discussions concerning Brexit gain momentum, certain key issues are being raised in the calls from Croner-i subscribers, with four new entries in our top five and a distinct HR flavour to some of them. For advice on these or any other health and safety issue, speak with a qualified consultant on 0844 561 8149.

Vaping has dramatically risen in popularity in recent years, and is increasingly seen as a viable aid to quitting cigarette smoking. Consequently, employers need to ensure they set out clear policies in order to deal with e-cigarettes in the workplace, particularly since official health advice now unequivocally states that vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking. Vicky Powell examines the work-related health implications of these trends.

Having a competently-written, clear and concise safety management system (SMS) can mean the difference between a safe workplace and a hazardous one writes Fiona Burns, who is health, safety and environment consultant at Croner.

As one of the last areas of a business’s operations to feel the full force of digitisation, what is the future of the mailroom? Dave Howell reports.

On 21 December 2018, Oxford Crown Court fined Thames Water £2 million following pollution of raw sewage into Oxfordshire steams.