Know your limits if drowning the shamrock this St Patrick’s Day

As people get ready to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging anyone who chooses to drink to keep an eye on their alcohol intake, emphasising the dangers of binge drinking and the effects that excess alcohol can have on our health and our safety. The PHA’s Drugs and Alcohol lead Michael Owen said: “A lot of people will be making plans to meet up with their friends and family tomorrow to celebrate St Patrick’s Day and we are encouraging them to keep an eye on their alcohol intake should they choose to drink.

Make a Delirium Difference

To mark World Delirium Day (15 March), the HSC Safety Forum, part of the Public Health Agency (PHA), and Dementia Together NI, are urging everyone to ‘Make a Delirium Difference’ and recognise the signs and symptoms of delirium. Dr Gavin Lavery, Clinical Director of the HSC Safety Forum, said: “Delirium is caused by an acute disturbance of brain function which often produces a state of sudden confusion or changes in behaviour and awareness.

This factsheet was developed by the PHA and Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland to accompany the Protect your eyes poster for employees. They both highlight the risk of eye injury in the workplace. The factsheet outlines the types of common work-related eye injuries and the steps employers can take to minimise risk, and it shows some types of protective eyewear available.

These publications have been distributed to employers in manufacturing, construction, agriculture and small business.

This poster has been developed by the PHA and Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland to highlight the risk of eye injury in the workplace. It outlines three simple steps employees can take to protect their sight and shows some types of appropriate protective eyewear.

A factsheet for employers on how they can avoid work-related eye injuries accompanies the poster and is available for download.

The poster will be translated into Polish, Lithuanian, Slovak, Portuguese and Romanian and will be available to download here later in the year.

S.aureus surveillance report quarter October-December 2016

C.difficle surveillance report quarter October-December 2016

No Smoking Day 2017 resource.

No Smoking Day 2017 resource.

NI employers explore the opportunities associated with an ‘Ageing Workforce’

Over one hundred and twenty business people from across Northern Ireland attended the fifth annual Healthy Working Lives Conference at Riddel Hall, Belfast on Thursday 2 March to explore our ageing population at work. The Age at Work conference, delivered by Business in the Community in partnership with the Public Health Agency (PHA), aimed to inform employers about the changing demographics within the workplace and encouraged them to consider the opportunities and challenges that this presents.