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H&S
News February 2006
| Title | Comments | Publication |
|---|---|---|
| HSE and EEF launch ground-breaking partnership to promote health and safety in manufacturing. | The first of its kind, the partnership will provide manufacturing companies with an improved network for communication. | HSE Press Release E008:06 27/1/06 |
| Five-digit fine for SmithKline over thumb loss. | SmithKline Beecham fined £15,000. Agency worker injured whilst operating a toothpaste filling machine. Common practice to work with guards open. Previous accident and HSE warnings. Unsafe systems of work and poor safety management. | Health and Safety at Work 2005 28(2):2 |
| Runaway digger costs firm £43,000. | Walters’ Demolition fined £35,000 + 8,000 costs. 4 year old injured by run-away CAT shovel loader. Untrained driver left machine with shovel raised to assist colleague. Digger ran downhill and toppled. | Health and Safety at Work 2005 28(2):2 |
| Fire death brings £142,000 penalty for steel contractor. | Short Bros (Plant) fined £100,000. Driver killed after quarry dumper truck, modified to take molten furnace slag, ran backwards down incline, struck waste and overturned. Diesel fuel from tank was ignited by the slag. No proper RA for process or modifications. Brakes poorly maintained. | Health and Safety at Work 2005 28(2):3 |
| ‘Couch potato’ syndrome tops list of new risks. | EASHW survey identified lack of physical activity as an emerging workplace health risk, together with psychosocial and musculoskeletal disorder, UV radiation, vibration and thermal stress. | European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.
Internet: http://osha.eu.int/publications/reports/ 6805478/full_publication_en.pdf Health and Safety at Work 2005 28(2):3 |
| A whole new order. | Outline of changes under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order due in force 1/4/06. The ODPM has announced introduction will be delayed until late 2006. (L Wustermann) | Health and Safety at Work 2005 28(2):9-10 |
| Course & effect. | The routes to professional qualifications in H&S. (S Bean) | Health and Safety at Work 2005 28(2):12-14 |
| Going it alone. | Protecting workers against aggression – the lone worker. (C Davis) | Health and Safety at Work 2005 28(2):16,18 |
| Rovers no more? | Suggests that diluting the concept of TU roving safety rep is unlikely to bring lasting H&S improvements in small businesses. (Prof D Walters) | Health and Safety at Work 2005 28(2):21-22 |
| Checked & working. | Basics of statutory plant examinations. (L Bamber) | Health and Safety at Work 2005 28(2):25-26,28 |
| Absence costs UK economy £12 billion every year. | Lord Hunt underlined the cost of sickness absence to the economy. Estimates put the cost at £12b with the private sector making up £8b of the total. | HSE Press Release E009:06 31/1/06 |
| Egg carton manufacturer fined £50,000 over asbestos. | HSE has reminded everyone about the dangers of asbestos. Omni-Pac (UK) Ltd fined £50,000. Air samples showed high level. Failed to maintain asbestos containing material throughout site and to adhere to own procedures. Possible exposure over long period. | HSE Press Release E010:06 2/2/06 |
| Patient safety and health and safety: two sides of the same coin: health and safety minister addresses ‘Patient Safety 2006’. | Addressing healthcare staff and patient safety experts, Lord Hunt stated that the costs of getting it wrong were unacceptable both morally and economically. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/slips/campaign.htm HSE Press Release E011:06 2/2/06 |
| Sorting slips and trips in construction. | Construction inspectors have started a nationwide inspection programme targeting building sites with poor housekeeping. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/construction/slips/index.htm HSE Press Release E012:06 2/2/06 |
| Flowers & Hayes Ltd | Fined £12,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 & s3. Injured by part ejected from excavator during lifting operation. | HSE Prosecution Case F230000700 (22/11/05) |
| Ashcroft Services | Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 & s3. Contracted to removed asbestos from a school. No licence and poor method of work. Employees and 3rd parties exposed. | HSE Prosecution Case F230000734 (22/11/05) |
| Mr Geoffrey Crane | Fined £1,200 under HASAWA 1974 s33. Failure to produce a Landlord’s Gas Safety Record as required by an Improvement Notice. | HSE Prosecution Case F070000545 (24/11/05) |
| Tegid Storer Davies | Fined £8,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. This case did result from the investigation of a fatality. | HSE Prosecution Case F230000666 (24/11/05) |
| Drivers win out but wider working time debate drags on. | On 6/12/05 the European Parl and Council of Ministers agreed to changes for professional drivers. New weekly driving time of 56 hrs max, increased period of consecutive daily rest from 8 to 9 hrs and weekend rest 45 hrs at least every 2 weeks. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(2):8 |
| Draft corporate manslaughter Bill needs more work, say ministers. | Joint DWP/Home Office report recommends reconsideration of the ‘senior management test’, more innovative corporate sanctions and wider territorial application as some changes to the Bill. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(2):6 |
| Rehabilitation looms large in compensation system reform. | New ABI proposals would decrease the time taken to settle personal injury compensation claims from 3 years to 6 months. | Assoc of British Insurers. Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(2):8 |
| IOSH enjoys greater recognition. | IOSH has become the first non-governmental organisation recognised by the ILO and has launched H&S guidance for MPs. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(2):10 |
| University porter almost impaled. | Univ of Salford fined £60,000. Injured whilst driving a vehicle on campus. Cab impaled by gate-type road barrier not fully opened. No suitable RA, barrier poorly marked. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(2):13 |
| Worker needed facial reconstruction after fall. | ATD Fabrications fined £14,000. Injured falling whilst positioning 200kg 3x1.5m steel plates for mezzanine floor. Stood on end of plate which pivoted and plate fell on top of him. No edge or fall protection. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(2):14 |
| Respirator helped save solvent sprayer from more serious injuries. | South Staffs Protective Coatings fined £6,500. Injured whilst spraying the inside of a 3x2m vessel with highly flammable epoxy coating. Static electricity generated which sparked, igniting the solvents. Neither spraying equipment nor vessel earthed. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(2):16 |
| Worker’s arm was ripped off by unguarded conveyor. | Aberdeenshire Council fined £12,000. Driver of telescopic handler injured whilst trying to unblock waste plant conveyor. Normally an HGV driver. Poorly maintained safety guard. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(2):16 |
| Edge protection was not installed for farm roof work. | John M Walker (Farm Buildings) Ltd fined £8,000. Injured falling 6m after walking on fragile fibre cement roof during repairs. Unsupervised. No edge protection, RA or method statement. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(2):16 |
| Answer me this. | What happens when an H&S inspector requests you give a statement as a witness to a workplace accident. (K Bridges) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(2):19 |
| Not in the wings. | H&S for the 8,000 people involved with the Terminal 5 project at Heathrow. (G Jolliffe) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(2):36-39 |
| A different light. | The Republic of Ireland’s Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and the implications for employers and employees. (G Shannon) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(2):41-44 |
| The right interventions. | Stress and the workplace – examining the options. (H Robertson) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(2):46-48 |
| Completing the competency circle. | The holistic approach to managing safety, based on the highways electrical industry model. (G Pritchard) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(2):51-54 |
| Vision on. | Protecting the eyesight of VDU users. (A Taylor) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(2):56-58 |
| Spectacular style. | Changes in the safety eyewear industry and the impact on the workplace. (R Deter) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(2):61-62 |
| BDE Plastics Ltd | Fined £6,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Trainee on night shift injured whilst changing over reels at the roll winding station at end of plastic extrusion line. Similar previous accident. | HSE Prosecution Case F080000423 (29/11/05) |
| Fuerst Day Lawson Ltd | Fined £8,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Fall from height during decanting operation. | HSE Prosecution Case F070000543 (30/11/05) |
| Schememade Ltd | Fined £16,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Transco workers injured in gas explosion. Subcontracted to lay cables for Broadband services. Severed gas pipe adjacent to pub allowing gas build-up in cellar. | HSE Prosecution Case F230000742 (1/12/05) |
| Technical Building Integration Ltd | Fined £21,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 & s22 / CHSWR 1996. Case approved following 3 inspections at site. | HSE Prosecution Case F230000744 (1/12/05) |
| Reassess risk. | The CBI has urged companies to reassess their business risk following the London bombings and Buncefield fuel depot fire. | ‘Contingency and security planning’ CBI Internet: www.cbi.org.uk Fire Prevention 2006 401 (Feb):3 |
| DVT risk increased by travel. | Results from a 2 year Dept of Transport study confirm that long distance travel leads to a small increased risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). | RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2006 36(2):10 |
| EU passes bird flu directive. | New EU Directive which introduces a number of new powers and further disease surveillance measures to help guard against the avian influenza virus. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/diseases/avianflu.htm RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2006 36(2):10 |
| Health strategy won’t work warn researchers. | The Work Foundation and London Health Comm have warned that the Government’s recent strategy on health and work lacks cohesion and will have little impact. | ‘Healthy work: productive workplaces’ Internet: www.theworkfoundation.com/pdf/Healthy_Work.pdf RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2006 36(2):12 |
| Under control – Pt 2. | Controlling the risks to employees from substances hazardous to health. (N Cook) | RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2006 36(2):14-16,18 |
| Contingency planning. | RA and consideration of major incidents such as terrorist attacks or fire. (P Ellis) | RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2006 36(2):20-23 |
| Connecting with SMEs. | HSE’s ‘Workplace Health Connect’ project and the difficulties some SMEs have in delivering OH services to their staff. (E Gates) | RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2006 36(2):26-29 |
| Governance and liability. | The corporate manslaughter offence under consideration will only apply to companies and not individual directors/ senior managers. Should those in authority accept some level of risk of being found guilty of governance failure? (R Bibbings) | RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2006 36(2):42-43 |
| Let down. | Landlords and HHSRS - understanding the new Housing Health and Safety Rating System for Residential Properties. (E Brogan) | (Pt of the Housing Act 2004) Fire Prevention 2006 401 (Feb):20-21 |
| Positive ratings. | How the Housing Act 2004 will lead to improved safety in private sector housing. (M Preston) | Fire Prevention 2006 401 (Feb):23-25 |
| Home moves. | Justification for moves towards comprehensive fire protection in the home. (N Perdell) | Fire Prevention 2006 401 (Feb):35-37 |
| Put to the test. | The suitability of CO fire detectors in sleeping risk premises such as hotel rooms. (R Davies) | Fire Prevention 2006 401 (Feb):38-40 |
| Change of pace. | The Audit Comm Report suggests that English Fire Authorities should speed-up the implementation of modernisation. (R Gilbey) | Audit Comm Rept. Internet: www.audit-commission.gov.uk/cpa/fire Fire Prevention 2006 401 (Feb):52-54 |
| Hazard warning. | The use of hazardous materials to stage terrorist attacks. (G Tomkins) | Fire Prevention 2006 401 (Feb):55-57 |
| HSE seeks views on domestic gas safety. | HSE is launching a major review of domestic gas safety with an open forum on 20/2/06 in London. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/index.htm HSE Press Release E014:06 15/2/06 |
| Statement on nuclear incidents at nuclear installations. | There was one incident in the period 1/10/05-31/12/05. | NSDI Tel:0151-951-4103 HSE Press Release E015:06 15/2/06 |
| HSE to prosecute Corus UK Ltd following incident in November 2001. | Following the conclusion of its investigation into the explosion at the Port Talbot site which killed 3, the HSE is to prosecute Corus. | HSE Press Release E016:06 16/2/06 |
| Cobalt Green Construction Ltd | Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Bricklayer injured falling from bandstand positioned near edge of 1st floor. No guarding. | HSE Prosecution Case F230000731 (6/12/05) |
| Ashcroft Services | Fined £1,500 under ALR 1983. Contracted to removed asbestos from a school. No licence and poor method of work. Employees and 3rd parties exposed. | HSE Prosecution Case F230000734 (6/12/05) |
| South Gloucestershire Council | Fined £25,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 & s3. Principal contractor and client. Company contracted to removed asbestos from a school had no licence and poor method of work. Employees and 3rd parties exposed. | HSE Prosecution Case F230000735 (6/12/05) |
| AWM Management Ltd | Fined £2,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Trainee wood machinist (1st day) injured using a circular saw. Unsafe system of work. Poor information, instruction, training and supervision. | HSE Prosecution Case F130000498 (8/12/05) |
| AA Aston | Fined £4,000 under PUWER 1998. Agricultural sub contractor injured when clothing trapped in PTO shaft. Poor guarding. | HSE Prosecution Case F100000731 (9/12/05) |
| ‘Asbestos removal law must not be relaxed’, MPs tell safety chiefs. | MPs have called for the HSC to rethink their plans to relax the law on asbestos removal. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/consult/condocs/cd205.htm Safety Management 2006 (Feb):3 |
| 1.45 million compensation for foundry worker. | Mr J Smalley awarded 1.45m out-of-court compensation settlement. Arm amputated after an explosion. His other arm amputated following a previous accident at the same plant. | Safety Management 2006 (Feb):4 |
| Employers may have to fund workplace violence compensation. | Under proposals to reform the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, employers may have to pay compensation to employees who suffer violence at work. | Internet: www.cjsonline.gov.uk/the_cjs/whats_new Safety Management 2006 (Feb):6 |
| Business friendly? | HSE and directors’ duties. Striking the balance between ensuring safety and avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy. (G Day) | Safety Management 2006 (Feb):14-15 |
| Ports – not all plain sailing. | H&S at Associated British Ports which operate 21 ports in the UK and 4 in the USA. (J Hobbs) | Safety Management 2006 (Feb):17-18,21-22 |
| Company fined £after worker’s arm trapped in machine. | Amtico Co Ltd fined £40,000. Injured in rollers of a laminator machine. No guarding. No RA on the process which had been set up 8 days prior to injury. | Safety Management 2006 (Feb):26 |
| Firm in court after worker is electrocuted. | RDJ Colloids Ltd fined £17,500. Contractor killed trimming a 6.5m hedge within 9m of OH Power line. May have touched lines with tree lopper or the electricity arced. No RA, supervision or training. Tools and scissor lift not insulated. Failed to consult the electricity company. | Safety Management 2006 (Feb):29 |
| Controlling noise and vibration at work – Noise. | Framework employers can follow to manage workplace noise risks and comply with the Control of Noise at Work Regs 2005 which come into force in April. (T Ward) | Safety Management 2006 (Feb):33-34,36,38 |
| Controlling noise and vibration at work – Vibration. | The explicit duty to provide health surveillance if there is a risk to workers’ health, under both the new Noise, and Control of Vibration Regs. (Dr M Kinoulty) | Safety Management 2006 (Feb):40-42,44,46,48 |
| Scottish corporate killing law. | Advisers to the Scottish Exec have recommended creating a new offence of ‘corporate killing through recklessness.’ | Internet: www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/ Safety Management 2006 (Feb):49 |
| Better business campaign. | New HSE website on the savings that SMEs can make by following good H&S practice. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/betterbusiness/index.htm Safety Management 2006 (Feb):50 |
| Safety tips not lost in translation. | Explanation of the reasons why HSE inspectors will visit a site have been translated into several languages including Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Punjabi. | ‘The H&S people visit my business – why?’ Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/inspectotherlang.htm Safety Management 2006 (Feb):51 |
| HSE issues insurance advice. | Updated guidance leaflet on employers’ liability compulsory insurance (ELCI). | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hse40.pdf Safety Management 2006 (Feb):51 |
| BSI updates machinery guidance. | Revised booklet on practical measures employers can take to safeguard machine operators and maintenance workers. | PD 5304:2005 Internet: www.bsi-global.com/machinesafety Safety Management 2006 (Feb):51 |
| UK gears up for power politics. | Britain has not decided on storage methods for large quantities of radioactive waste, however it is considering plans for a new generation of reactors. | RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Bulletin 2006 35(2):1-2 |
| Medical guidelines. | New Con doc on the management of healthcare waste including recent legislative changes on storage, carriage, treatment and disposal. | RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Bulletin 2006 35(2):8 |
| Transport case prompts HSE reminder on the importance of radiation protection controls. | HSE issued a reminder to companies working with radiation on the importance of protection control measures. AEA Technology Plc fined 250,000. Transported radioactive material by road with shield plug missing allowing radiation emission. Poor staff supervision. | HSE Press Release E017:06 20/2/06 |
| Stress workshop tackles sickness absence in the police. | Recent workshop for Human Resources Directors in the police service examined the underlying causes of stress and early identification. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/stress.htm HSE Press Release E018:06 20/2/06 |
| HSE issues precautionary advice to fuel depot operators. | HSE has issued advice to operators of fuel storage sites subject to COMAH Regs 1999 to review operations following the progress report on the Buncefield Oil Depot fire. | HSE Press Release E019:06 21/2/06 |
| Chris Biggs Engineering | Fined £500 under CHSWR 1996. Two employees working on a barn roof. No adequate edge protection or suitable training. | HSE Prosecution Case F010000781 (12/12/05) |
| Shaun Andrew Radford | Fined £5,400 under PUWER 1998 / MHSWR 1999. Injured whilst using a circular saw. | HSE Prosecution Case F010000782 (12/12/05) |
| DW Tomlin | Fined £2,500 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Injured falling 10’ whilst dismantling spray bake oven. | HSE Prosecution Case F130000496 (12/12/05) |
| Almac Engineering Ltd | Fined £1,000 under CHSWR 1996 Injured falling through fragile roof light. No fall prevention. No RA, method statement or safety planning. | HSE Prosecution Case F230000730 (14/12/05) |
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Whilst every effort is taken to ensure that H&S News entries are an accurate summary of the source data, at the time of publication on the HASTAM website, HASTAM cannot accept any responsibility for errors or omissions in transcription. Further, HASTAM cannot accept any responsibility for the content of the information to be found in the source materials.
HASTAM cannot accept any liability for any events arising from the use of this information. We strongly recommend that, if any information from any H&S News entry is to be used for any specific purpose, the original source is checked to confirm accuracy and to enable the user to take account of the full information. This is particularly important in the case of HSE Prosecutions where the HSE may have withdrawn a specific entry subsequent to its publication in H&S News. Entries can be checked using the search facility on www.hse-databases.co.uk/prosecutions
For copyright reasons we cannot make the articles themselves available.
HSE Prosecutions Database
The HSE did not post prosecutions for about a year from January until November 2006. There is therefore be a gap in our database from a hearing date of 24 January 2006 until 1 November 2006. Anyone not finding a case which may have been heard between January and November 2006, should therefore try searching the HSE Prosecutions database.
When the HSE relaunched the Prosecution database in January 2007, after a break of around a year, they appear to have changed the format of the case numbers. Therefore, for all entries with a hearing date before the 24 January 2006 you should search the HSE database using the defendants name instead of the case number we have quoted if you wish to check details for yourself.
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