Consultation published for updated Bread and Flour regulations
- 24 September 2022
Scotland is to be part of a UK-wide consultation on proposed amendments to the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998, which requires the addition of certain nutrients to non-wholemeal wheat flour to protect public health. The 12-week consultation, which launched on 1 September, is being led by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), in […]
AQMA in East Dunbartonshire to be revoked
- 22 September 2022
East Dunbartonshire Council have announced that their Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) in Bearsden can now be removed due to improvements made, with backing from the Scottish Government and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency. The AQMA covers a 60 metre-wide corridor along the A809/A810 to the junction with Antonine Road, to the south beyond Canniesburn […]
Smoking banned near hospital buildings
- 20 September 2022
Patients and healthcare staff will no longer face second-hand smoke at hospital doors as a nationwide ban came into effect on Monday 5 September. The new legislation The Prohibition of Smoking Outside Hospital Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2022 means anyone found lighting up within fifteen metres of a hospital building could face a fixed penalty notice […]
Facemasks no longer recommended in social care
- 20 September 2022
Social care staff and visitors are no longer being advised to wear facemasks at all times under new guidance published. The recommendation has been lifted due to a sharp drop in coronavirus infections and a reduction in severity of illness, which has been driven by Scotland’s successful vaccination programme which has so far seen more […]
E.Coli O157 Outbreak in East Lothian Update
- 20 September 2022
A total of 56 confirmed cases have been linked to an E.Coli O157 outbreak in East Lothian. The outbreak resulted in the closure of five nurseries, all of which have since reopened following inspections from East Lothian Council environmental health team, the Care Inspectorate and NHS Lothian Public Health team. NHS Lothian formed an Incident […]
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
- 8 September 2022
The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland would like to express our deep sadness at the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Our thoughts and condolences are with the Royal Family.
Regular asymptomatic testing for COVID-19 paused in NHS and Care homes in England
- 25 August 2022
The UK Government has announced that regular asymptomatic testing for COVID-19 in all remaining settings in England will be paused from 31 August, as COVID-19 cases continue to fall. The settings include NHS and care homes. Free testing for the public ended on 1 April as part of the government’s Living with COVID plan, but […]
Now’s the time to get gas checks says HSE
- 25 August 2022
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are encouraging homeowners to get gas checks to keep homes safe. Recent domestic gas incidents have attracted significant media coverage. HSE is reassuring people they need to be careful but not unduly concerned. Gas incidents can be devastating but remain extremely rare. There were 25 gas related fire and […]
Tests on CBD products in Kent find most contain illegal substances
- 25 August 2022
Scientific analysis on a number of CBD (Cannabidiol) products has found that the majority of those tested contained illegal drugs. The testing has been carried out on behalf of several local authorities by Kent Scientific Services, the Official Control Laboratory operated by Kent County Council. At the same time, several products were found to contain hardly any […]
Decline in HSE’s “proactive” construction inspections highlighted in Unite’s research
- 25 August 2022
Research by the trade union Unite has highlighted a significant decline in the number of ‘proactive’ inspections that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has made in the construction sector since 2013/14. HSE’s unannounced inspections of construction sites have fallen by 31% over the past eight years, according to Freedom of Information (FOI) data obtained by the Unite […]
One year until Scotland’s deposit return scheme
- 21 August 2022
Scotland’s deposit return scheme will go live for consumers in one year’s time (16 August 2023), giving businesses and consumers an easy way to boost recycling. The scheme, which will be the first in the UK, will play an important part in Scotland’s journey to a circular economy. Estimates by Zero Waste Scotland suggest that […]
Update on Non A-E Hepatitis investigation in Scotland
- 19 August 2022
Two new UK research papers explain the likely causes of sudden onset hepatitis seen in children aged 10 and under, is due to co-infection with adenovirus 41F and a second virus AAV2 (or less commonly HHV6). The two investigations, one led in Scotland by the University of Glasgow, the Medical Research Council, Centre for Virology Research, […]
