Latest News & Articles

Asbestos - Can Your Team Recognise the Risks?

The HSE (Health and Safety Executive has announced this week that Marks and Spencer plc and two of its contractors have been convicted for putting members of the public, staff and construction workers at risk of exposure to asbestos-containing materials during the refurbishment of two stores.

Asbestos is the biggest single cause of work-related deaths in the U...

Companies fined £640,000 for double deaths in a confined space

Two companies have been fined a total of £640,000 following the death of two fish farm workers on a barge moored at a salmon farm on Loch Creran, Argyll & Bute.

Scottish Sea Farms worker, Campbell Files and engineer Arthur Raikes - employed by Logan Inglis Limited, Cumbernauld - were fixing a hydraulic crane on the barge when they went below deck to find cabling and pipework.

The oxygen leve...

Renew Street Works Qualifications with Merit Skills

Following changes in legislation on 6th April 2011, it is now mandatory for those wanting to renew their street works qualifications and apply for SWQR cards to undertake a reassessment.

Each reassessment paper consists of a 10 question multiple choice exam paper which must be completed within a 30 minute period. The pass rate has been set at 80%.

We offer a range of solutions to suit the ne...

Do You Need Quality Confined Spaces Training?

Merit Skills gained City and Guilds approval to train and asses candidates in Working in Confined Spaces back in April 2011. Following the installation of a purpose built confined space to support practical training and assessment. The new facility meets all of the new requirements set out by City and Guilds for the 6150 scheme.

Since then the confined spaces training provision has gone from s...

Merit Skills Secures New Premises

Merit Skill is pleased to announce that today is Moving Day!

Merit Skills has secured new premises which means that we now have training and meeting rooms coupled with space to carry out practical training such as streetworks, confined spaces and much more.

In conjunction with moving to new premises we have also launched a new 2011 open course training calendar. Our training calendar incorpo...

Train to Gain Funding Secured

Merit Skills Ltd has successfully been awarded Train to Gain funding for 2010-2011.

The team are really pleased to have secured this funding as it will allow them to offer funding to those clients wishing to support their employees through NVQs.

Maria Fulluck of Merit Skills commented "successfully securing Train to Gain funding for NVQ programmes as well as Apprenticeship funding is a real ...

First Approved Provider for Safe Control of Mains Connections by EUSR

WaterSkills is excited to announce that we are the first in the country to have our Safe Control of Mains Connections programme approved by the Energy and Utility Skills Register (EUSR).

As of 1st April 2010 the final connection of a water company's main to a new site main has become a contestable activity, giving accredited self lay organisations (SLOs) the opportunity to carry out routine in...

Are you complying with HSE Code of Practice for Legionella Control?

Following the recent sad news reports from South Wales, there is no better time to check that you are complying with The control of legionella bacteria in water systems - Approved Code of Practice and guidance L8 published by the HSE.

There has been 22 people linked to the outbreak of leg...

Water Regulations Review Delayed

Review of the Water Regulations has been delayed and will probably not happen in during 2010 or be complete until late 2011 or early 2012.

Peter Jiggins of the Water Availability and Quality department of Defra said that a Water Fittings Regulations review was probably some time off, as it would have to await the outcome of a white paper on broad environmental perspectives to be published in Ap...

Apprenticeship funding has been secured for 2010-2011

We are really pleased to have secured apprenticeship funding for 2010-2011.

We are beginning by offering the Water Engineering framework, and wish to expand into the relevant Gas Industry frameworks as soon as we appoint someone into our new Gas Training Manager role.

The Water Engineering framework covers all aspects of the water industry and currently exists at Level 2 and Level 3. Form mo...

HSE prosecute employers for working at height accidents

There have been three prosecutions by the HSE in recent days relating to people falling in the course of their work activities.

These three cases all highlight the serious risks attached to working at height and the need to ensure that safe systems of work are in place at all times. They also demonstrate that companies contracting out dangerous work are still responsible for ensuring that contr...

WIRS cut off dates are looming

Significant dates are approaching with regard to the Water Industry Registration scheme.

Those registered, or needing to be registered on the Experienced Worker route within the scheme need to be aware of the following:

• The deadline for new "experienced worker" registrations is 30th June less than 2 weeks away
• All "experienced worker" cards cease to be valid on 31st December this year...