Many business leaders may consider that health and safety regulations are excessive; a barrier to them carrying out necessary tasks with ease, or a bureaucratic nightmare that adds to the piles of paperwork that need to be administered. As a legal requirement, complying with health and safety regulations in the workplace is not an option.

A business has to complete a risk assessment, which involves a thorough inspection of the workplace and the identification of potential hazards. Each hazard is then rated according to whether it is a high risk or low risk hazard. Measures then have to be put in place to manage the hazard and lower the risk. In the workplace this could include the safe storage chemicals, mandatory personal safety equipment such as hard hats and the installation of fire alarms and fire escape route signage.

Even within our own homes, we may choose to install smoke alarms, cupboard lock, fire guards to minimise the risk of harm to people within our families, or visitors. Although we hope that an incident won't occur, having an early warning system such as a smoke alarm can significantly improve our chances of keeping our family safe from harm.

Protecting Our Forces

If your employees, or your family members, are heading off to volatile and hostile countries then your concerns about their safety will grow, as the risk is far higher. As the world commemorates soldiers who fought in the World War one hundred years ago, lessons still haven't been learnt. Wars between nations and civil battles are still causing death and destruction across the globe.

Soldiers are still being sent to help protect innocent people, diffuse tensions and help foreign governments to restore order. These soldiers are provided with protective clothing, combat training and armoured vehicles, but they are still heading into some of the most dangerous environments. The risks may be reduced due to the equipment that they have at their disposal, but when an incident does occur, they also need equipment that will give them the greatest chance of survival.

One such example can be installed inside an armoured vehicle. Emergency Lighting Systems, such as HaLO (Hatch Lighting and Orientation) can be retro-fitted into any military vehicle. During any normal activity, HaLO is inactive and non-intrusive. Should the vehicle be rolled during a blast from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) or when the vehicle is travelling over uneven terrain in water, the vehicle emergency lighting system is activated.

At this point, HaLO illuminates exit routes, as well as areas where emergency equipment may be stored. In providing this light in areas of maximum importance, the vehicle emergency lighting helps soldiers to get orientated quickly and know which way to head to escape. In this way HaLO works to improve survivability. In addition to being used within armoured vehicles, this emergency lighting system can be applied to military aircraft.

HaLO has been developed by UK specialists Aeroglow. It has been thoroughly tested in extreme conditions, to ensure its suitability in combat situations. This vehicle emergency lighting system is already installed into some armoured vehicles that are in active service. For more information on HaLO visit: http://www.aeroglow.com/vehicle-emergency-lighting.htm