Bryan’s Health & Safety Factsheets - a Hard Act to Follow

I write this little more than a year after Bryan Richards, co-founder of Arinite, left us. Although his early passing reminds us of the fragility of human life, his legacy lives on and continues to influence the lives of people at work. He authored numerous policies and procedures - and no fewer than 60 one-page health and safety factsheets - which have been embedded into companies’ corporate cultures in countries around the globe and published in a book (more on that in a moment). In the last year the list has grown to 75 including the recently added 12 Care Sector factsheets covering care home health and safety. Ever the consummate gentleman, Bryan had a calm unflustered demeanour, great listening skills, and an eye for detail.  He realised that a common denominator for most accidents was a lack of communication.  Few workers are going to read and digest a typical ten-page “brief” Health and Safety Executive guide, even though this may contain excellent advice. Many may not even read a two-page safety memo. All of this led Bryan to develop the Arinite factsheets.  Some are based on legal requirements, HSE guidance and industry best practice, some are Bryan’s own words and ideas based on experience. It took Bryan over four years to produce the factsheets and some reached their sixth version during his life.

The list includes:

0040 Compliance road map	0223 H&S Management - Culture
0050 Confined Spaces	0225 H&S Management Systems - 45001 and HSG65
0060 Control of Contractors	0226 Health Care - key safety considerations
0070 Directors	0230 Home Working
0080 Disabled or temporary disabled employees	0240 Ionising radiation
0090 Display Screen Equipment	0250 Laser safety
0100 DSE Mobile	0255 legionella
0110 Driving for Work	0257 LOLER - health and Social care
0115 Ebola	0258 LOLER - Industrial
0120 Electricity at Work	0260 Lone working
0125 Electromagnetic Fields	0280 Manual Handling
0130 Employee H&S	0290 New and expectant mothers
0140 Emergency Planning and Recovery	0300 Noise
0150 Environmental Management	0310 Off site working
0155 Ergonomics	0320 Office Safety
0160 Fire Marshal	0330 Overseas working
0165 Fire Safety - Responsible Person	0340 Permit to work
0168 Fire Doors	0350 Personal Safety
0169 Fire Risk Assessment	0355 PPE - A User Guide
0170 Fire Safety Awareness	0356 Pressure Systems
0172 Fire safety Management	0360 Risk Assessment
0175 Fire Extinguishers	0365 School Safety
0180 First Aid at Work	0366 Sentencing Guidelines
0182 Food Safety	0370 Slips, Trips and Falls
0185 Fork Lift Truck safety	0380 Stress at Work
0190 Guarding machinery	0390 Training
0200 Hazardous Substances	0420 Work at Height
0210 Health Risk Management	0421 Work at Height - Ladders
0220 H&S Management - Systems	0430 Work Equipment
0221 H&S Management - Policy	0440 Workplace transport
0222 H&S Management - Business Risk	0450 Young Persons

  The factsheets are laid out in a graphic, colourful style - easy to assimilate. Partly to honour departed merit, but mostly to build on Bryan’s passion for improving working conditions, the factsheets have been compiled into a single compendium for the first time. If you would like to buy the compendium, speak to your Arinite consultant, all proceeds will go The Bryan Richards Foundation (set up in his honour to help create safer working environments in countries where staff are not afforded the same protection as in the UK), or order a copy directly from Amazon.

Contact us

Arinite clients appreciate we provide practical, no-nonsense advice about what you need to do to establish and maintain a safe and healthy working environment. Our team of health and safety consultants take pride in keeping health and safety simple. If you need to call upon our expert assistance, or just for an informal chat, please contact us or call our office 0207 947 9581. Jan Mirkowski International Services Director