Chamber Risk insurance Broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson, have been telling us just how easy it is to have a accident! Take a look for yourselves and try to stop your eyes watering!

ROSPA have released annual injury figures for the following, you have been warned!

Trousers Accidents: 9,410 (Women 4,614) (Men 4,797)
How: Getting “things caught in zips, tripping over wide-flared trousers, putting on trousers too quickly!

Socks, Tights, Stockings Accidents: 69,700 (Women 34,150) (Men 35,560)
How: Slipping, tripping while walking on ice without shoes, dropping heavy items on feet, falling over while putting them on!

High Heels Accidents: 8,508 (Women 8,323) (Men 185)
How: Running and slipping. One man stated that his heels were “just too high”!

Bags Accidents: 5,248 (Women 4,448) (Men 800)
How: Tripping over them, getting hit in the face when swinging them!

Coats Accidents: 3,465 (Women 1,886) (Men 1,579)
How: Tripping over, taking off and pulling muscles,

Hats and Scarves Accidents: 923 (Women513) (Men 410)
How: Slipping on silk scarves, pulling muscles when scarf gets caught!

Belts Accidents: 882 (Women 410) (Men 472)
How: Trying to put extra holes in the belt with knives or getting hit in the face with the buckle while playing, puncture wounds from stepping on the buckle!

And last but not least!

Underwear Accidents: 451 (Women 287) (Men 164)
How: Scalded with hot drinks when only wearing underwear, falling when pulling up in the bathroom!

You can contact Liverpool Chamber Risk Insurance on 0845 347 1517 and get a 10% discount for Chamber members on a range of insurance including packaged property, employers’ liability and products liability insurance.

The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) is the official government body responsible for granting Intellectual Property (IP) rights in the United Kingdom (UK).

These rights include:
.    Patents
.    Designs
.    Trade Marks
.    Copyright

The UKIPO is part of the Department of Innovation University and Skills (DIUS) and is responsible for the role of IP rights support innovation through our core legal functions.

We also support innovation by ensuring that IP law and policy reflect the needs of an evolving, knowledge based, competitive economy. Our IP awareness raising activities promote the benefits of IP, which in turn encourages innovation.

If you would like more information on our services please join us at the Liverpool Medical Institution on the 15th November for a FREE seminar.  For more information please contact Emma Brenton at emma.brenton@ipo.gov.uk

This event will be held on Tuesday 9th October 2007 at The Jubilee Suite, Haydock Park Race Course, Newton - Le - Willows, WA12 0HQ.

Excellent speakers will be on hand to advice companies on any business matters.

South Africa will be hosting FIFA 2010 World Cup with many areas of opportunity for UK companies, details of these will be discussed at the event.

This event will begin at 9am and conclude at 2pm with the opportunity to network with delegates and chat one to one with our expert speakers.

A buffet reception is included in the price of £40.00 VAT (£47.00)

Book your place online here.

More details of the South Africa Seminar [PDF]

The National Traveline Board have decided to change the number used since the launch of the service in July 2000. This is as a result of measures to improve price transparency and strengthen consumer protection in respect of 0870 numbers.

The new number, 0871 200 22 33 will run in parallel with the existing number (0870 608 2 608) until January 2008, after which an answer service will advise callers to ring the new number.

Calls to the new number will cost 10 pence per minute from landlines with calls from mobiles varying in cost depending on the supplier and package.

Calls to the current 0870 number are set at the national call rate (for landline calls the cost varies from 1.5 - 8.5 pence per minute depending on time and day of call).

The average call is under two minutes  so a caller will be charged 20 pence for their call using the new number (previously the cost would have been 17 pence at peak times and 3p at off peak).

Only around one in very ten Merseyside small and medium size companies is successfully trading overseas. However, there are UK government and European incentives designed to help businesses take this step.

If your company is considering trading internationally for the first time, or looking to expand into additional overseas markets, the International Trade Centre in Old Hall Street can provide free or subsidised assistance.

Mark Critchley, Liverpool Chamber’s International Trade Executive said: “Many companies ask similar questions about the best overseas markets for their products and services, how to make a sale and setting up contractual arrangements when they do. We can help with all this guidance. We are also experts in helping you understand the business culture and overcome any language barriers.”

Mark continued: “Unfortunately some people only approach us when something has gone wrong rather than at the start of the process. One Liverpool company was successfully exporting food until his distributor suddenly stopped paying him. If he’d spoken us before he had problems, we could have helped him to identify and minimise the risks involved.”

If you are a Merseyside company with under 250 employees and you would like advice on expanding into new markets, come along to the International Trade Clinics on Friday 14th September.

The centre will reserve a free 1-2-1 meeting with specialists on a number of key countries worldwide, and gain new contacts and information for you, broadcast a free Euro Info Centre business offer or request for partners in any of 40 countries across the European continent and beyond, and help you seek advice on specific international trade issues you are facing.

Please email mark.critchley@liverpoolchamber.org.uk or call us on 0151 227 1234 and ask for more information about International Trade Clinics.

Dropped a clanger in work? Over-ordered on the widgets to the tune of twenty grand? Lost that contract? Thrown your boss’s lunch out of the fridge by mistake?

We’ve all had that heart-stopping moment when we realize we’ve made a terrible, terrible mistake at work. So here’s an article from Life Learning Today on what you can do to get back in the good books, quickly recover from your mistakes and save face. Most of the tips involve sucking it up and taking responsibility.

Read the full article here. 

This article was originally found at Lifehacker.

Or you can always ignore the problem, hope it goes away and blame someone else if it doesn’t…

To a fanfare of employment lawyers sharpening their pencils, the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 came into effect on 1st October 2006.

The Regulations make it unlawful to discriminate in a variety of situations on age grounds. But, it may be fortuitous in that they address issues becoming more prominent as we live in a society with an increasingly ageing population. Today it’s estimated over a million people choose to work beyond state pension age. In future many more of us will have to continue working longer to support ourselves and maintain the ratio of workers to non-workers. Previously no legislation existed in this country to protect older workers’ rights. Perhaps the time’s now ripe for that, as there will be a lot more of us!
Read the rest of this entry »

John Lewis Direct has now launched its new ‘Solutions for Business’ service. With the aim to make corporate gift solutions easy and exciting, the selection has not only expanded but is also available all year-round.

It’s never been more important to recognize the contribution of your customers, colleagues and clients. The new service will help you reward, congratulate, motivate and thank the people you value in a way they’ll appreciate and remember.

Account Manager Corporate Gift Vouchers, John Bohan, says, “We now have an unrivalled range of ideas tailor-made to suit every situation, from our multi-channel gift vouchers, fine food hampers and luxury chocolates to world-class Waitrose wines and fresh flowers. Plus we are introducing a new range of fantastic gifts.”

This new range of gift solutions include exclusive Molton Brown gifts sets, digital photo frames, stylish Cross pens and pure evoke DAB radios. However, although there are pre-prepared gifts for one-off events, John Lewis Solutions for Business also offer tailor-made and bespoke gift solutions as well as ongoing reward schemes. The idea is to find the perfect solution for every business, every time and making sure that anything you do is saying the right things about your company.

To learn more about John Lewis Solutions for Business visit www.johnlewis.com/solutionsforbusiness or call their dedicated team on 0845 6037979.

Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the North West now have the benefit of their own recycling adviser, thanks to WRAP’s (Waste & Resources Action Programme) Recycle At Work Advisory Programme.

Sarah Downes, WRAP’s Manager English Regions, says: “Many companies want to recycle their waste but find it difficult to access appropriate recycling services, because they think it is more costly and time consuming and they lack information and internal human resource to get started - this means good recyclable materials are going to landfill.

“Recycle at Work Advisers can offer practical support to SMEs to increase and improve recycling in their business as well as raising awareness of the environmental and cost benefits.”

Neill Gatley, has been appointed to the new post of Recycle at Work Adviser for the North West, one of the first advisers to be appointed in England.

Neill says: “Our aim is to be a one-stop shop for SMEs who want to start recycling at work or recycle more things. We are developing an on-line searchable database of recycling service providers and providing support to SMEs to help them through the process, advising what can be recycled and how best to store and segregate materials for recycling.

“In addition we can provide on-site training that suits the needs of their specific business. We are particularly keen to hear from SMEs who want to recycle their office and packaging waste, and from pubs, clubs and hotels.”

He will provide one-to-one support to SMEs to help them recycle more materials by finding appropriate local recycling services, assessing what can be recycled, developing in-house recycling schemes and providing training to staff to encourage them to use them.

Neill will also work with local recycling service providers to help get additional services into new areas and materials, making it easier and more convenient for SMEs in the North West to recycle their waste.

For further information on Recycling At Work, contact Neill on Tel: 01925 856234 or email: neill.gatley@wrap.org.uk

Economics students at Liverpool Community College are looking to investigate a company that is expanding into Europe.

Lecturer, John Bainbridge explained: “Business don’t need to visit the college, although the opportunity of guest speakers is always welcome. Instead, we looking for a student to visit the company to analyse their situation. We expect this interview to take no more than 45 minutes.

“I would expect the employer not to have to meet with the student more than three times and the total time that the business would have to commit no more than four hours, although they may wish to commit more if they feel the work is of real value, which I would hope that it would be.

“As the student develops the work it would be useful for them to be able to get feedback from the employer. I am not looking for them to be on a placement, rather to have a real-life situation to think about and work on. They are studying for BND Business, it is the equivalent of 3 A Levels and are expected to produce work of an appropriate academic standard.”

The students will be producing a report on the following:

1) Explain the major implications of expansion into a specific export market.

2) Analyse the key implications of a significant and increasing reliance on specific export operations

3) Evaluate the by the increasing scale of a specific export market

If you are interested in taking part contact John Bainbridge at Liverpool Community College on 0151 252 3839 or email John.Bainbridge@liv-coll.ac.uk