After the stress and strain of Christmas and New Year, some people love nothing better than just packing their bags and heading off to their favourite hotel, guest house or even health spa for a relaxing weekend getaway. However with many hotels, bed and breakfasts and guest houses having such a quick turn round between busy times of the year some may find that one or two of their guests may not be of the human type!

One guest that no hotel owner wants to find in their establishment is the flat reddy brown body of a bed bug. These pests have, in recent years reached epidemic proportions in many countries causing companies such as 'Trip Advisor' to regularly reveal information and even photos confirming the presence of bed bugs in numerous hotels. These photos of your hotel can have drastic consequences to your business. Since the bed bugs can arrive on the clothing or even in the suitcases of guests from infested homes or other hotels harbouring the pests, your hotel can be an easy target for any bed bug infestation.

Bed bugs primary food is blood which they will take from your face, neck, hands, and arms often leaving you with a small raised red itchy spot. These spots will come infected if they are scratched with a dirty finger nail. In recent times some hotel guests have even taken out lawsuits against the hotel, as they awoke to find hundreds of bed bug bites covering their bodies.

As a hotel, guest house or B & B owner, you have a duty to protect the health and safety of all your guests, not only from the obvious slip, trip and fall hazards or mandatory door signs but also the unseen pests that lurk within your bedrooms.

In recent years we've all heard stories regarding health and safety gone mad such as the school bell being banned due to hearing fears for children, children banned from playing with snowballs, office Christmas tree being banned from council buildings and the traditional 'Panto Dame' banned from throwing sweets at the crowd.

However, there is a serious point behind all these posts, the awareness of the dangers of loud noise, playing with snow and ice, the dangers of heat and dry Christmas trees and paper decorations and the dangers of kids being hit with sweets and the cost of compensation if anyone got hurt.

With us now in the run up to Christmas many homes, offices and factories will be filled with the joy of 'good will' and will spend hours decorating their homes and workplace with Christmas trees, paper decorations and tinsel. Many of these lights and flashing decorations will be turned from first thing in the morning till last thing at night. One of the problems that could occur is the possibility of overheating. With the weather being so cold many homes, offices and factories will have extra heating appliances running which will dry out your tree and decorations making them a fire hazard.

Each year thousands of fires occur worldwide due to missus or faulty Christmas lights, candles, and dried out decorations. This year think about health and safety and what you're switching on, and how long you're leaving them on for. This year make this a 'Season to be Jolly'.

When it comes to winter most of the people in Britain generally come home from work, lock their doors then crank up their heating before relaxing on their favourite seat either tuned in to the TV or settled down with their favourite book or newspaper. However, during the past week or so most of our country has been blanketed with several feet of snow causing major disruptions to our transport systems meaning that many people have had to abandon all hope of getting in to their place of work.

With many schools and work places closed it means that parents, children and even family pets headed out to find the nearest hill armed with their home made sledges such as plastic bags, dust pan lids and sheets of plastic and metal. Sledging has always been an exciting sport, however over the last few years there have been several cases of people being taken to hospital with conditions ranging from broken legs, arms, rib’s and pelvises. Last year, several girls were sledging in West Yorkshire on a home made sledge made from a car bonnet, it was estimated that they reached speeds of 50 MPH. Unfortunately, their joy turned to horror as the 'sledge' headed towards a fence killing one of the girls.

We all love to play in the snow whether it's sledging or snow ball fighting, however like all sports and leisure activities health and safety has to be paramount. Remember that with the freezing temperatures the snow will quickly be turning to ice making it even more dangerous. This year don't make your fun in the snow turn into a horror story.

Over the next few days we are all expecting the weather to change dramatically - rain, wind, ice and even snow, typical British weather. However, if you're responsible for the health and safety throughout your premises this can be a frustrating time organising safe walkways, proper signage for wet floors and not to mention the risk of employees, management and visitors slipping. Over the next few months there are going to be thousands of people that will be sliding on wet floors, roads, walkways and car parks causing them to injure themselves and then running the risk of compensation against your company.

Health and safety has to be addressed in every workplace and as this is a particularly dangerous time of the year everyone has to look out for all the dangers, not only do we have to contend with the risk of the elements but we also have fallen leaves to contend with. Wet leaves can often be as slippery as ice so they have to be swept away from entrances, paths and roads that are in your workplace, what's more when leaves build up they can hide a multitude of trip hazards again making it dangerous.

With the weather beginning to turn for the worse, health and safety managers, have to assign a team of employees that will be responsible for placing sand, salt over frozen paths, walkways and roads. Risk assessments have to be carried out, paying particular attention to the areas that are shaded as these will not defrost.

Health and safety is down to each employee if there is a problem then it has to be reported to your supervisor and then onto the appropriate departments.

Lets make Britain a safer place to work.

Some of the main reason that people start their own business is to make money and so make their life's easier as they get older, another reason is that wish to take pride in their work and obtain a good name in the market place. However there are still some businesses that are just in the market to make a quick profit, often doing work badly (or not at all) and with no regard to the health and safety of the people that are working around them, these 'cowboys' have to be stopped.

Each year thousands of construction workers are unable to attend their work due to broken bones, Musculoskeletal Disorders and even stress due to bad health and safety issues. We all know that accidents do happen however, it is down to everyone to try and prevent accidents from happening in the workplace. Good practice in health and safety is good for your business, if you have workers that are not there then your company will be losing production time and may-be even compensation claim.

As an employer there are several actions that you can do to prevent accidents from happening in your workplace:

• listening to your workers, this can often be one of the best ways in preventing accidents, your workers are often the first to see all the hazards associated with the workplace.

• Doing a proper Risk Assessment, these are very important in protecting the health and safety of your workers. These don't have to be a long documents, they should identify the hazards, work out who could be harmed and how, write down procedures to protect not only your workers but anyone that will be entering your work area.

• Improve, once you have finished consulting with your employees for a while, and given each other time to adjust to the processes you have set in place, you can start thinking about improving over time.

Making your business more Health and Safety conscious not only makes good business sense it is law.

By the end of this week many councils, organisations and clubs will be hosting their annual bonfire and firework displays, for most this will be a night filled with kids laughing and screaming, the smell of hot food meandering through the air and constant explosions of light and sound. This tradition goes back hundreds of years and was to remember the failed attempt by Guy Fawkes to blow up parliament and King James 1 and restore a Catholic monarch to the throne.

Although this is a tradition that has spanned many generations there has always been an element of danger attached to bonfire night. As people sit and watch these cardboard tubes which are filled with explosives, being lit and then travel into the night sky where they explode in an array of colour. There is another side to the laughter and good times, each year hundreds of people are rushed into hospital with severe burns to their face, hands and bodies.

Many people will be holding their own family displays in their own gardens, these are great fun for all involved however like any display they must be properly set up. Firstly, many people will be trying to save money and some fireworks may be sold in the local pub, please remember that all fireworks MUST conform to British Standard number (BS 7114).

Once you purchased your fireworks from a reputable seller there are other precautions that MUST be followed in order you have a great night spent in the garden and not in the Emergency Department of your local hospital:

• Keep all fireworks in a fireproof sealed container, only taken them out when you require them for use, reseal the container.

• Always use a torch to read the instructions.

• When lighten your fireworks do not use a lighter or matches, use a proper taper (often supplied in good firework boxes).

• Some people think it's fine to hold the lighted firework, or even place it in a bottle this is very dangerous as to WILL burn you or a bottle will fall over, always place your firework in a container filled with sand or dirt-making sure it is properly secured and will not fall over.

• Never ever return to a lighted firework even if you think it has gone out.

By following these simple rules you will ensure that your bonfire night goes off with a bang for all the right reasons.

How many workers have looked at a job, took a sharp intake of breath, then thought to themselves that doesn't look right or, even worse think to themselves someone could get hurt doing that. In years gone past workers were been told by their supervisors to simply “get on with it” regardless of the consequences, just as long as the job was finished. Nowadays tougher Health and Safety regulations have been introduced to ensure that not only employees but members of public are fully protected from any accidents happening in the workplace.

Over the last few years many companies have been embarking on improving their own health and safety records, this may include training, employing and promoting people into their new health and safety departments where, there duties will include risk assessment, health and safety procedures and ensuring that all employees are aware of new Health and Safety regulations. In today's compensation culture it is very important that all your employees are aware of all the hazards that can happen when carrying out a particular action.

Risk assessments are an important part of any job as this will determine all the hazards and dangers not only to people working on the job but to anyone who enters the workplace. These don't have to be lengthy documents as long as they identify all the hazards and that all the dangers are identified and procedures put in place to limit or control any chance of accidents. Doing a proper risk assessment could prevent the premature deaths of more than 240 people each year and over 150,000 people getting injured.

If you work in a low risk office then the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have just released their 'Quick Office' Risk assessment which should take no longer than 20 minutes. This new tool will enable you to produce a tailored assessment by selecting the relevant hazards and thinking about how you control them.

Since the new coalition Government came to power they have brought in some tough measures to try and steer Britain back on course. Although some of their proposals might seem a bit severe we can already see the effects starting to hit many sectors of our business community. Spending cuts and a higher VAT are already among some the measures and recommendations that have starting to filter through which means that our companies will be preparing for leaner times ahead.

Some companies have already starting on their cost cutting measures, such as sourcing cheaper materials, wage freeze and looking at departments which can be merged or even closed altogether. Choosing which departments to close or merge can often be down to the discretion of the directors, departments which they see as non essential, some of these may include cleaning, maintenance and even health and safety.

One of the main problems about reducing staffing levels, combining departments, and changing people’s roles and responsibilities can often lead to an increase in the risk of injury if they are not properly managed. The Health and Safety Executive have recently warned directors of workplace dangers when organisations cut costs which may lead to excessive working hours, and lack of training.

As employees are told they will be made redundant some of the remaining employees may feel a bit of resentment and start to become lackadaisical around their own workplace, this can often turn a safe working environment into a place of extreme danger. Health and Safety is not a part time job or something that can be turned on and off at a directors convenience this has to be carried out 24/7 in all working departments.

By the end of this month, the clocks will have going back one hour, making us realise that winter is on its way along with a new set of Health and Safety problems. Getting to and from work in the dark, walking in often icy conditions and driving in the wet all have to be given thoughtful consideration. One of the major problems that many employers find is that due to the cold weather, people arrive at work often not warmed up correctly. This causes musculoskeletal disorders especially with those that have heavy lifting as part of their day-to-day employment.

One of the most common complaints in the work place happens when employees think they can lift an obstacle by themselves, thus causing damage to their lower back. Musculoskeletal disorders are one of the most common workplace complaints, what's more they can easily be prevented by proper risk assessments and careful work place practices.

Risk assessments should consider all the causes which could harm employees and members of the public in any workplace.

When carrying out a risk assessment you have to consider the main five points:

• Identifying all the hazards
• Looking at who might get injured and how
• Evaluate the risks, place conditions around areas
• Document new procedures and inform employees
• Review at regular intervals, ask staff that work in area as they might have better information

Every employer has a legal obligation to protect the health and safety of their employees. Proper health and safety signage has to be displayed to inform employees and members of public regarding workplace regulations.

How many Managing Directors simply employ or promote an employee into the position of Health and Safety manager and never bother to follow up on their progress, meetings or recommendations? Health and Safety affects everyone whether employees of a company or members of the public entering your workplace. It is down to each and every member of staff to ensure that all Health and Safety measures are carried out.

In this day and age there are still some Directors and employees that think Health and Safety are just a 'bunch of people that like to interfere' where in fact they are there to help everyone including Directors and Management.

Just this month, a factory in Lancashire, was fined £16,000 and ordered to pay £8000 in court costs as they pleaded guilty to breaching s2(1) of the HSWA 1974 and one of the Directors also pleaded guilty to breaching s37(1) of the HSWA 1974 he was also fined £4000 and £2000 in costs.

In this case an employee had switched off the machine then climbed inside to clean some residue which had built up inside the drum. While he was doing this another employee, who was unaware the worker was inside, switched on the machine and the rotating blade lacerated and fatally wounded him.

The sad thing is that like most work accidents, it was totally preventable, as the management had ignored warnings from safety consultants that a number of their machines had inadequate guards.

All machines have to have a proper risk assessment and adequate Health and Safety Signage displayed for everyone to see.

Each year more than 4,000 people die in this country form asbestos and asbestos related diseases, that makes it the the greatest single cause of work related death in the UK. The scary thing is that by the year 2020 this figure is set to rise to over 10,000 deaths every year. Everyone has heard of asbestos but would you know what it looks like? Many people just think that asbestos is that white 'stuff' that is found in some roofs and electrical boxes.

There are three main types of asbestos that we use, Crocidolite or blue asbestos, Amosite or Brown asbestos and Chrysotile which is the white asbestos. Brown and Blue asbestos are known to be more dangerous than white asbestos although you cannot distinguish these types of asbestos by their colour alone this is because asbestos will change colour depending in which way it is treated or which materials that it is mixed with. During the mid 20th century asbestos was used extensively in building, shipbuilding and the car industries due to its fire retardant and sound proofing properties.

Over the last few years scientists and doctors have now realised the extreme dangers of this material and have been warning people about its deadly properties. If you suspect that asbestos is present either in you workplace, home or even garden shed Do Not Disturb It, as asbestos is harmless when not disturbed it's most dangerous when it's broken up and the fibers/dust is airborne.

Asbestos or the 'Hidden Killer' will claim the lives of 4 Plumbers, 6 electricians, 8 joiners and 20 tradesmen on average every week, don't become just another statistic - think safety.