Jargon Busted: Just What Does No Win No Fee Mean?

There are a lot of confusing terms thrown around when it comes to the law. It can all be a bit of a struggle to unpick what terms like no-win no-fee solicitors and employment law services really mean. this video does a simply fantastic job of explaining it all in a way that anyone can understand.

Walpole Winners

Walpole Winners, a gallery on Flickr.

The Walpole Medals are given out to celebrate the achievements of the British luxury industry. They are sponsored by a the private wealth management specialists Adam & Co.

Health and Safety and the Law

The Health and Safety law is quite broad. However, here a number of the main laws and points I have compiled to be what I hope is a useful basic guide to  Health and Safety Law.

The Law around heath and safety training is quite tight and offers little room for escaping from protection and no looking after employees. The main law is the Health and Safety at Work etc Act of 1974. This requires a person who owns a company to provide information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to make sure, so far as is reasonable practible the health and safety at work of your employees.

This act essentially states that you should do everything that is reasonable to ensure that no accidents can happen in your work place. 

This is expanded and added to with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulation of 1999. This act looks into the essential areas where training is needed, such as when people begin work, start a job they have never done before  or are at risk because of exposure to a new job or work environment. This also covers areas where existing skills are considered rusty and need updating.

The law also states that you must provide the employees with training, however this training can't be outside of the hours of work, and should not be charged to your employees. You must also provide special arrangements for part time workers or workers who work unsociable hours.

When you conduct your business you must look into the risks of the business to employees and look into people who may be affected by the way you conduct your business. This allows you to identify certain areas and take charge of them, thereby limiting any problems for the future and making your business safe for work and health. This includes training and the provision of information to employees.

Most employees can't provide such information n off their own bat and need to bring people into help them. Ideally you should look into hiring a current employee to do the work. However, if no one in house is trained to do so, then you may bring someone in to do the work.

Another important acts are The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 and the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996. These state you must get in touch with employees and ask them about safety issues. Representatives you discuss such matters with are entitled for time off with pay when they fulfil these training duties. Learners work experience is also covered under The Health and Safety (Training for Employment) Regulations of 1990.

You should also note that by law, anyone who is working under you as a self employed person is subject to the same health and safety rules as any full time workers. This means you have to take appropriate action to ensure they are catered for.

Obviously laws are subject to change with time, as are situations and so you should try and ensure you keep up with the,. However, following such rules ensures your business adheres to Health and Safety law.

East Africa Famine Infographic

(Click to enlarge)

Created by eLocal.com in partnership with The Washington Post


This infographic really hammers home why people are talking about the food crisis in the horn of Africa. Oxfam are running a East Africa Appeal.

Sounds Aound The Home

Check out this awesome video with a piece of music being made by just the sounds made by ordinary things you can find about the house. Mental!



http://www.viddler.com/explore/mashuptastic/videos/18/

Sexy CPR

I had to go on a three day first aid course once. It really bored the life out of me, but the presentation could have had the potential to be a lot more interesting...



Of course doing CPR can save lives, so it is a great idea for everyone to learn what to do - so I think this is a really good thing - as long as it doesn't lead to delays in treatment while first responders strip downand put on womens underwear!

Super Vans

Take a look at this video that shows some of motoring history's forgotten stars.



The big advantage of a van when it comes to track modifications is its large body. The extra capacity can be filled with a beast of an engine. Those two in the video are pretty old school. It would be really cool to see an updated version, with the improved brakes etc. that you can find on vans for sale now it could be quite awesome.

I Guess That Would Be Helpful

This is the viral video that is quite literally setting the Internet on fire. The first couple of times I watched it, I have to confess I didn't 'get' it. It did grow on me however and it set me thinking.

I thought about all my experiences with various banks over the years. From being talked down to when I opened my first account, to being robbed blind for breaching my overdraft limit when I was a student. I can't say it was a happy history.

If only my bank had been staffed with real people,then maybe I would not have had such a bad time. When you know the people you are dealing with things work out better. I have to say the more I hear about this whole 'helpful banking' lark the more it appeals. If only we got some of that spirit from this lame duck coalition government.

On The Fly

That is a look inside one of Etihad's planes. Awesome! I normally hate long haul flying, but I reckon I could even handle regular flights to Sydney if I flew with them...

The Real World

Wow, I can't believe it has been so long since I posted anything up on here.  Life just has a way of making actually doing anything such an uphill struggle.  I don't know, it is easy to lose perspective, there are some actual real problems out there.  I saw this video today, and I think it illustrates one of the more pressing ones with fairly alarming clarity:




it is all a bit alarming, but for me there was one very clear take away message from it. That message was that climate change is definitely real, definitely the very definition of an uphill struggle to do anything about, but that there is hope.

Hope can be a dangerous thing, but hope can set you free.