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Good start to 2022 – we won an award!

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There is no denying that last year was a tough year and the year before was a tough year…….for everyone. Let’s hope, with the easing of restrictions, everyone is beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.  Covid-19 is not gone away and will be around for another while, but the government announcement has given us hope that life will be returning to some level of normality, or a ‘new normal’ as it is called.   We all will continue to take individual responsibility to prevent the spread of Covid-19 by continuing to wash hands properly, use hand sanitisers, wear masks, and respect the space of others.

We, in EMS & Associates, had to pivot very quickly when Covid-19 hit – just like all other businesses.  Some days you were up and some days you felt like you were taking two steps forward and 10 back.  But……we got there and, we ensured that we took care of all of our staff and clients, along the way.

.  The late evening phone calls from clients, who were worried about their Covid-19 Response Plans and their overall Health & Safety management, had to be done.   We gave clients eLearning solutions and digital safety management solutions while working alongside them to ensure compliance and best practice.  In other words, we walked beside our clients, during Covid-19.

We were delighted to receive an award, on the same day as the government announcement on easing restrictions, from dulann.com in recognition of our operational excellence, and our achievements in EHS (Environmental Health & Safety) digital transformation.  We are a franchise partner of dulann.com, the Wexford based company, who deliver cloud-based eLearning and Online Compliance Management systems.  The dulann Franchise Partner Awards are held every year, with EMS finishing 2021 at the top of the leader board making us a Silver Certified Franchise Partner for 2022.

It’s great to see an Irish company, like Dulann, market leaders in their field in the provision of cloud-based systems such as eLearning, Environmental Health and Safety, Quality, LOTO, Maintenance, Procurement and Learning Management.  Niall Edwards, Managing Director of EMS & Associates, said “The Mission of dulann EMS is to make EHSQ Compliance as easy as booking a flight! We have worked hard to provide a quality service and product to our clients, so to finish off a tough year in such style, is really fantastic.  We are delighted to be recognised as leaders in our field”.

The EMS team and the Dulann Team pulled it all together to keep everyone safe and compliant.

Mar a deireann an seanfhocall: “Ní neart go cur le chéile” – There’s no strength without unity.

Blue Monday

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The third Monday in January is known as #BlueMonday because everyone is feeling the dip after the Christmas festivities, the credit card bills have come in and it seems like a long way to payday if you are paid monthly.

Let’s turn #BlueMonday on its head and look at it differently:

Be grateful and count our blessings
Look at the positives and not the negatives
Understanding of where we are and where others are
Empower ourselves and those around us

Mindset is everything. It can be difficult for many to lift themselves up if they have experienced illness or loss. However, small steps, in the right direction is what is required.

Keep going…………… and take every day as it comes.

“This too shall pass”

Onwards and upwards for EMS

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There was plenty of reason to celebrate in EMS & Associates, as all the team gathered for a training day and to celebrate their re-engagement with QQI (Quality and Qualifications Ireland). EMS & Associates are Health & Safety, Consultants, Auditors and Trainers, based in Drogheda. They are the only private QQI providers in the health and safety industry, in Louth.  They deliver accredited health and safety-related modules at Levels 4 – 6 on the National Framework of Qualifications. These modules are designed and suitable for industry, or those with an interest in developing their skills and knowledge in Health and Safety.   Niall Edwards, Managing Director, of EMS & Associates, said that “the work in compiling our new Quality Assurance Manual was a worthwhile journey in exploring our approach to teaching and ensuring the learner is at the centre of all training we deliver.  We look forward to further expanding the range of courses we offer and are excited about our future training plans”.

EMS & Associates originally got their Quality Assurance agreed with FETAC (Further Education and Training Awards Council) back in October 2007.  HETAC, FETAC and the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland were dissolved in 2012 through the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012 and QQI was born. QQI is an independent State agency responsible for promoting quality and accountability in education and training services in Ireland.  QQI promote, maintain, and develop the Irish National Framework of Qualifications, a 10-level framework for the development, recognition and awarding of qualifications in Ireland.

Construction Safety Week 2021

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Construction Safety Week is an initiative of the Construction Industry Federation. The goal is to eliminate accidents at work and to drive continual improvement in safety and health performance.

The CIF is now calling on all construction companies, organisations and individuals working in construction (and in other sectors) to get involved in Construction Safety Week in 2021, to celebrate best practices, to reinforce and promote the importance of safety, health, and overall wellbeing in work and in life.

Construction Safety Week 2021 is aligned with dates for European Safety Week 2021, the theme of which is “Lighten the Load.” Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) remain a significant hazard, with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) reporting that 3 in every 5 workers in the EU report MSD complaints in the back, upper limbs and/or lower limbs.

The daily themes are:

Is your First Aid certificate out of date?

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Instructor-led training is back and you may need to refresh your First Aid Responder course.

PHECC First Aid Responder certificates that expired between March 2020 and 31 st July 2021 will need to be renewed before 31 st July 2021. Please review this link on the PHECC website for the update on PHECC Responder level recertification (21/01/2021).

If your cert is still valid, you may need to get your certification renewed before 31 st July 2021. Don’t leave it until the last minute, places are filling up fast.

We are a PHECC Approved Training Institution and we can offer you a choice of courses:
– Instructor-led or blended (eLearning and class)
– Instructor-led: 2 days in class (Refresher)
– 3 days in class (Full course)

Blended learning: 6 hours eLearning and 1 day in class (Refresher)

9 hours eLearning and 1 ½ days in class (Full course)

Get in touch to find out more. Call Susan on 041-9822933 or book online.

World Day for Safety and Health at Work

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International Workers’ Memorial Day

There seems to be a day for everything!! International ???? Day!!  Some would argue that they are trivial, and you could agree, but some of these days require us to stop and think.  A good rule of thumb is to focus on the days recognised by the United Nations. The UN says “International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity.” A day worth pondering is 28th April each year – World Day for Safety and Health at Work and it is also International Workers’ Memorial Day.

The annual World Day for Safety and Health at Work promotes the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases globally.  International Workers’ Memorial Day is to remember dead and injured workers and is organised worldwide by the trade union movement, since 1996.  The slogan for this year’s International Memorial Day is “Workplace health and safety – it’s your right”.  

Workplace Health and Safety – It’s Your Right

Health and safety in the workplace is a right!!  It is not just about compliance.  It is about ensuring that everyone gets home safely to their families each day. We should not feel nervous going to work thinking that our safety is going to be compromised in any way – that is both our physical safety and our mental safety. We should not be asked to condone and carry out unsafe work practices nor should we be exposed to unreasonable deadlines, and stress, due to bullying practices.  

The past year has brought a great deal of stress on businesses and their employees. Businesses have struggled to stay open, and some have not been able to open at all e.g., wet pubs. Now that we are preparing, hopefully, for a reopening of society in the next few months, the pressure is going to be on businesses to be prepared for their customers i.e., the people who, ultimately, pay the wages.   However, in the midst of this turmoil, the health and safety needs of employees cannot be overlooked.  Health and safety legislation has been in place since 1989 to protect employees in the workplace. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 stipulates that employers have a duty of care to provide a safe place of work as far as is “reasonably practicable”.  

Safety Statement Review

Businesses should be constantly reviewing their Safety Statement.  It should be a living document and not something that sits on a shelf to get dusted every so often. Risk assessments should be written, and constantly reviewed as jobs change. The need for a safety statement and written risk assessments is a legal requirement under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work 2005. If you, as an employer, are not compliant, you need to start the process immediately to get your Safety Statement and associated policies and procedures compiled and your risk assessments developed. 

Importance of Good Health and Safety Practices

Some businesses resist looking after health and safety thinking it is expensive and time wasting.  In fact, good health and safety saves money for businesses as good practices result in less accidents.  Sadly, last year there were 53 work related deaths in Ireland and this year, to date, there have been 9 deaths. That is a total of 62 people, in the last 15 months, who went to work and never came home.  Workplace health and safety was their right but, sadly, this right was not met.

If you want to know more about compiling a safety statement, policies, procedures, and risk assessments, please visit our website www.emsandassociates.com.  You can also go to the Health and Safety Authority www.hsa.ie and check out www.besmart.ie which is a free Safety Statement tool.  

In the meanwhile, think of those that didn’t make it home and light a candle in their memories.