Today (5 February) is Time to Talk Day - a reminder to make mental health a regular part of workplace discussions.
Time to Talk Day is a chance to take the first step in breaking down barriers around mental health at work. Whether it’s a quick check-in or a more in-depth conversation, listening and understanding how colleagues are feeling can help support wellbeing and prevent work-related stress.
HSE’s Working Minds campaign provides practical tools and guidance to help employers, managers, and workers prevent and reduce work-related stress.
One key approach is the Working Minds '5 Rs':
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reach out and ask a colleague how they’re actually doing, then listen
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recognise when someone seems off, and gently check in
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respond by thinking about what your team could do differently to reduce pressure
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reflect on what’s working
- make it routine, not just a reaction to crisis
Find out more:
The worker died laying a bathroom floor when he inhaled toxic vapours from flooring adhesive.
The hose to the pressurised glue canister became damaged, releasing a large amount of adhesive into the poorly ventilated bathroom. The worker lost consciousness and collapsed, with emergency services having to force entry to the bathroom to reach him.
HSE's investigation found the housing association maintenance company had failed to take appropriate precautions to ensure substances hazardous to health are not used when safer alternatives are available. They were fined £400,000.
Read more about the incident in our press release: maintenance company fined £400,000 after worker dies from toxic glue exposure.
For more health and safety headlines visit our website for news including:
Employers must make sure workers get immediate help if taken ill or injured at work.
Our step-by-step guide on first aid in work explains how you must have the right arrangements, including:
- a first aid kit
- training for workers
- first aid for homeworkers
- first aiders appointed
You can also access more first aid guidance on our website, including guidance on legislation, first-aider, employer, employee and offshore work.
HSE training courses are delivered by experts to help organisations comply with the law and keep workforces healthy and safe.
Our HSE inspectors' guide series provides a practical understanding of what our inspectors are looking for based on investigation and enforcement experiences.
Upcoming dates include:
View the full range of HSE's training courses.
11 February, 10.30am to 11.30am.
Join an exclusive webinar from HSE and our publishing partner TSO, where we will focus on improving organisational safety culture. Topics covered will include:
- the ASCENT (Achieving Safety Culture Excellence Now and Tomorrow) programme, which is a practical, evidence-based approach designed to help organisations build and sustain a strong safety culture
- an exclusive preview of the latest benchmarking data
- real-world examples demonstrating how the Safety Climate Tool (SCT) is being used to deliver measurable improvements in safety culture
The webinar will conclude with a live audience Q&A.
Register for our webinar: Achieving safety culture excellence.
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