Critical Issues

Falls from height remain one of the most common accidents in the UK, contributing to as many as 40 deaths and over 3,000 major injuries at UK workplaces annually.

The worst roads in Edinburgh and Glasgow have been named and shamed by Eagle Couriers, which says it is spending £24,000 a year repairing damage to its vehicles caused by potholes.

West Port, Charlotte Square and the Western Approach Road have been named by delivery drivers at Eagle Couriers as having some of the worst potholes and broken tarmac in Edinburgh.

A campaign just launched calls on fleet professionals to sharpen up by ensuring employees get their eyesight tested every two years to ensure their vision meets legal standards and they aren't putting people in danger.

In today's fluid business environment, companies face the daunting task of anticipating future developments so that opportunities can be seized and action taken to negate the impact of possible threats, writes Steve Richmond, Director of Jungheinrich UK Ltd.'s Systems & Projects Division.

UKWA – the United Kingdom Warehousing Association - is embarking on a two year Knowledge Transfer Partnership project in conjunction with Westminster University to develop new ways of helping SME companies operating in the logistics sector to analyse and subsequently improve their business performance.

The UK's domestic logistics market is among the most efficient and effective in the world and without the services it provides the country would soon come to a standstill.

New data from UK online haulage exchange Returnloads.net, has offered insight into the most popular routes for haulage back loads across the UK. Returnloads.net, the online haulage exchange marketplace, has analysed data from its network of hundreds of UK manufacturer and haulier members to identify the top departure points, destinations and delivery routes for talking advantage of empty lorry capacity.

AEB (International) Ltd, provider of supply chain logistics software, has joined the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA), Britain's trade organisation representing the third party logistics (3PL) sector.

By Adrian Chamberlain, CEO, Achilles.

Chancellor George Osborne announced in his Budget that UK small and medium businesses (SMEs) are set to get five times as much from government contracts in 2014-15 as they did in 2012. But will this new scheme dubbed the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI), actually help innovative small businesses get their fair share of work in the public sector?

Companies are finding it increasingly difficult to control their supply chains at a time when the cost of failure is higher than ever, according to the risk management association Airmic. Firms are outsourcing not just production but also their reputation to suppliers without understanding how they operate or having adequate risk management strategies in place.

Incorrect product classification can have severe consequences and businesses are well advised to incorporate error-minimizing measures into their risk management strategy.