Workplace Stress
New research from the TUC indicates unprecedented levels of concern about workplace stress. Nearly 8 in 10 respondents (79%) identified stress as one of the main health and safety issues they face, making it the most frequently cited hazard in the survey’s history and significantly higher than all other reported risks.
The survey of more than 2,700 union safety reps found:
- 79% of safety reps cite stress as a major hazard
- 66% of reps say they are not aware of any assessment into the risk of stress at work – let alone action to prevent it
- 43% of safety reps say they were not consulted at all on their employer’s risk assessment process – a serious breach of safety regulations.
The TUC’s concerns are backed by the Health and Safety Executive’s official statistics for 2024/25, which show work-related stress has reached record levels.
Upcoming HSE webinar on work-related stress
Register for your free place on Thursday 29 January at 15:00 (GMT) on the upcoming webinar “Work-related stress: a proactive approach to risk management”.
Join HSE and partners, for this informative webinar covering work-related stress management standards and the Stress Indicator Tool designed to help workplaces successfully manage work-related stress.
The webinar will conclude with a live audience Q&A, giving you the chance to ask our panel of experts any questions you may have. Can’t attend live? Don’t worry, everyone who registers receives the recording of the live session and can watch it back anytime at their own convenience.
National Underground Asset Register (NUAR)
National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) progression is now open for limited access to contractors.
Access to the NUAR service is currently for Telecommunication, Energy, Pipeline, Water, Transport, Local and Highways Authority asset owners who operate underground infrastructure in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, and the authorised construction contractors working on behalf of these asset owners to install, maintain, operate and repair buried infrastructure.
For construction contractors, please contact NUAR at https://www.nuar.uk/contact-us and advise which asset owner on whose behalf you are working. They will then assist the process of the asset owner inviting you to the NUAR platform. Once you have received, completed, and submitted the registration form, your designated administrator will be given access and can invite and manage your companies’ users. Your asset owner can then link a job to you, enabling you to access the specified data.
The AFI are continuing for full member access and added asset owners to have a complete picture of underground assets so protecting fencers of this government initiative.
For more information go to http://www.nuar.uk
National Planning Policy Framework
The Government is consulting on further changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which sets out its planning policies for England and how they will be applied. By making the NPPF more ‘rules‐based’ and simpler to use, the Government is aiming to accelerate its ambition to build 1.5 million new homes, and the key proposals include:
· Introducing a new category of ‘medium development’ for sites between 10 to 49 homes with reduced compliance requirements, including the option to discharge social and affordable housing requirements through cash contributions in lieu of direct delivery
· Exempting from the Building Safety Levy sites of fewer than 50 homes or fewer than 120 bedspaces in purpose‐built student accommodation
· Ensuring housebuilding near train stations receives a default ‘yes’ if certain criteria are met, with a minimum density of 40 dwellings per hectare around all stations and 50 dwellings per hectare around ‘well‐connected’ stations · Amending the definition of ‘Designated Rural Area’ to support the additional construction of affordable housing, as well as setting clearer expectations for local authorities to identify sites for accessible housing.
The deadline for responding to the consultation is Tuesday 10 March and members can respond online. In addition to the changes to the NPPF, the Government has confirmed that it will introduce an exemption from Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements for small sites up to 0.2 hectares. Its full response to the BNG consultation held last year will be published in due course.
Reminder: Yellow General Certified Contractor Scheme
To gain your Yellow General Certified Contractor Scheme status (in addition to your AFI membership), please remember to send us your renewal documents, including:
- Valid insurance documents, and
- A positive reference (this can be in any format — a website review, social media feedback, email, or message).
Once received and approved, your Yellow status can be added alongside your AFI membership.