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H&S
News November 2006
| Title | Comments | Publication |
|---|---|---|
| HSC/E publishes health and safety statistics for 2005/06. | The latest statistics on workplace safety, work related ill-health and enforcement action in GB. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/hssh0506.pdf HSC Press Release C026:06 2/11/06 |
| UK gets tough on gangmasters. | Under the Gangmasters Licensing Act it is now illegal for labour providers in agricultural, horticultural and food & drink processing sectors, to operate without official authorisation. | Internet: www.gla.gov.uk RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Bulletin 2006 35(10):1-2 |
| Bacterial spread. | In England and Wales since 1/8/06 there have been 127 cases of Legionnaires Disease, compared with 63 cases in Aug 2005. | Internet: www.hpa.org.uk RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Bulletin 2006 35(10):7 |
| Campus alert. | The DCLG is sponsoring a fire safety campaign for university students, aimed at warning of the potential dangers in rented accommodation. | Dept for Communities & Local Gov Internet: www.firekills.gov.uk/ RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Bulletin 2006 35(10):11 |
| Beware bomb sites. | For construction firms and property developers, CIRIA is setting up a project to produce a good practice guide on the hazards of unexploded ordnance. | e-mail: joanne.kwan@ciria.org RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Bulletin 2006 35(10):11 |
| HSE will ‘simplify’ life for employers. | The HSC/HSE’s rolling simplification programme should save employers 25% of their H&S administrative burden. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/simplification/index.htm Health & Safety Bulletin 2006 (353):1 |
| Freight operators should expect a visit from the Met. | As part of a project to improve road safety, HSC granted the Metropolitan Police powers to visit freight operators and enforce the provisions of the HASAWA. | HSC/06/06 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/hsc/meetings/index.htm Health & Safety Bulletin 2006 (353):2 |
| Council settles mesothelioma claim after exposing teacher in portakabin. | Tameside MBC and family of John Murphy have agreed £115,000 compensation. In 1970’s used a portakabin classroom, walls contained asbestos which suffered damage, releasing fibres. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/schools.pdf Health & Safety Bulletin 2006 (353):2 |
| Early guilty plea saves company from Crown Court fine. | Barkston Plastics Forming Ltd fined £20,000. Killed by clamping frame of vacuum forming machine whilst setting machine for new job. Entered machine and pulled up guard and machine started. Failed to follow safe system of work. Poor training, supervision and monitoring. | Health & Safety Bulletin 2006 (353):3 |
| Death fine is an ‘insult’ to victim’s family. | JR Crompton fined notional £200. (In administration.) Killed in enclosure of paper-rolling machine whilst setting new job. Colleague reset interlock and pressed wrong button. Employees entered enclosure 50-100 times each shift. No suitable RA. | Health & Safety Bulletin 2006 (353):4 |
| Chemicals – REACH. | HSE will be the UK’s competent authority for overseeing the European regime on chemical regulation. | Helpdesk: 0845-408-9575 Health & Safety Bulletin 2006 (353):5 |
| HSC/E appointments. | Judith Donovan and Elizabeth Snape have been re-appointed as HSC commissioners. | Health & Safety Bulletin 2006 (353):5 |
| Reasonable and practicable? | The term ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’ and the ongoing case brought by the EC. The outcome may prove anything but reasonable or practicable for the UK. (H Fidderman) | Health & Safety Bulletin 2006 (353):6-7 |
| Health and safety: the state of play. | Table reviewing all HSC/E activity between 4/4/06 – 10/10/06. | Health & Safety Bulletin 2006 (353):8-24 |
| Working days lost down by a quarter. | New HSC statistics show that in GB there were 30m working days lost due to work related injury and ill-health in 2005/06, a reduction from 40m in 2000/02. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/hssh0506.pdf HSC Press Release C027:06 2/11/06 |
| New course and qualification for young people unveiled. | Entry level 3 qualification launched by HSE, IOSH, BSC Awards and ENTO, aimed at providing Year 10 students with a basic understanding of workplace H&S. | Workplace Hazard Awareness Qualification Internet: www.teachernet.gov.uk/ E108:06 HSE Press Release 3/11/06 |
| Scale of at-work crashes revealed. | Dept of Transport statistics reveal that at-work vehicles were involved in 54,935 crashes in 2005, an average of 151 each day. | ‘Road casualties GB 2005’ Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(11):7 |
| New construction regs in Ireland. | Construction projects in the Irish Republic now require a project supervisor in place, information sharing between client / supervisor, and a safety advisor if >100 people work on the site. | Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regs 2006 Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(11):8 |
| Manslaughter boss is gaoled after all. | M Shaw, MD of Change of Style, gaoled for 15 months. The CPS appeal against leniency of 2 yr suspended sentence for manslaughter, following the death of an employee. Safety devices on machinery bypassed. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(11):11 |
| Site visitor fell into unguarded and unlit pit. | Channel Commercials fined £10,000. HGV driver injured falling into vehicle wash pit. Arrived to collect vehicle after lighting-up time. Area round pit dark. No guarding. No suitable and sufficient RA although an H&S consultant had been hired. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(11):12 |
| MD of small firm fined after forklift fatality. | Managing Director, A Cook fined £10,000 and Tony Cook Ltd fined £42,000. Yard manager killed whilst demonstrating ear defenders. FLT left in gear with keys in ignition. Defective handbrake, poor maintenance and training. RA not completed. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(11):12 |
| Fatal fall was easily preventable. | Bulldog Products Ltd fined £17,500. Killed falling 4.6m through access hole in mezzanine floor whilst shrink-wrapping a pallet of trays. Had removed chain barrier to allow access. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(11):14 |
| Two years for negligent gas fitter. | Scott L Stuart gaoled for 2 years. Teenager died after a flueless gas fire leaked high volumes of CO. Not CORGI registered for fire installation, failed to commission fire correctly. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(11):14 |
| Customers and vehicles shouldn’t mix. | J Rollings & Son fined £18,000. Customer injured by an FLT whilst collecting cement from a builders' merchants. No pedestrian/vehicle segregation. Failure to comply with an Improvement Notice. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(11):14 |
| Foreman fatally struck as he answered mobile phone. | Go Plant Ltd fined £10,250. Foreman killed whilst using a gantry to replace engine in a road sweeper. Turned to answer mobile phone when gantry collapsed. No suitable and sufficient RA. HSE not notified that factory was operating on the site. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(11):16 |
| A pair of them in it. | The Southall derailment and Network Rail / Amey Rail. How duties between main and sub-contractors are strongly interrelated rather than independent of each other. (M Appleby) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(11):19 |
| Stock take. | SHP’s annual survey – main findings. (G Jolliffe) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(11):39-40 |
| Let me entertain you. | Robbie Williams – star entertainer on tour and compliance with H&S laws. (T Weadick) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(11):43-46 |
| Fight the flu. | Advantages to companies of occupational vaccination programmes against flu. (Dr R Dawood) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(11):49-50 |
| Perilous pursuits. | What companies should consider if employees need to work in hostile situations - war, insurrection or natural disaster. (R Todd) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(11):52-54 |
| Another quiet day at the office. | Measuring worker exposure to noise and hearing loss amongst fire-fighters. (P Zymanczyk) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(11):56-58 |
| Sounds shocking. | Educating employers and employees about dangers of noise exposure and acoustic shock after the introduction of the EU Noise at Work Dir. (M Ahmadi) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(11):60-62 |
| Bad vibes. | A tiered approach towards health surveillance for HAVS. (F Machen) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2006 24(11):65-67 |
| Construction statistics 2005/06(p) – falls down, slips up. | New HSE statistics show fatal and major injuries in the construction industry continue to fall with 917 major injuries caused by falls from height and 981 caused by slips, trips or falls on the same level. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/hssh0506.pdf E109:06 HSE Press Release 7/11/06 |
| Bullying, bullying its way to the workplace. | HSE supported ‘National Ban Bullying at Work Day’ and reminded employers to tackle the growing problem of bullying at work, which costs employers 80m working days and £2b in lost revenue each year. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/stress/index.htm E110:06 HSE Press Release 7/11/06 |
| Cost effective cases. | HSE research on investment in ergonomic interventions to reduce musculoskeletal risks resulting in financial benefits. 29 case studies. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr491.htm RoSPA Safety Express 2006 (Nov/Dec):14 |
| Recovery firm failed to assess risks. | Hough Green Garage Ltd fined £96,000 and MD David Farrell fined £14,000. Garage worker killed when bus suspension failed during recovery operation. No proper RA or safe system of work. | RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2006 36(11):2 |
| Nano reporting scheme launched. | New Defra voluntary scheme for organisations working with engineered nano scale materials, to address any potential risks of nanotechnology products. | Internet: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/nanotech/index.htm RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2006 36(11):4 |
| Forum drives up H&S standards. | HSE and 8 large automotive companies in the NE have joined to improve safety standards in the industry, sharing good practice. | North East Automotive Safety Forum. RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2006 36(11):6 |
| Silica WEL reduced. | HSE’s ‘Silica Essentials’ includes the new WEL for respirable crystalline silica which has been reduced to 0.1mg/m3. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/gseries.htm RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2006 36(11):8 |
| Effective management needed to tackle MSDs. | New research, examining the employers role in tackling musculoskeletal disorders, by reducing the risk of developing the injury and managing problems should they arise. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr493.pdf RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2006 36(11):9 |
| When an inspector calls… | A construction inspector’s working day – H&S and OH. (E Gates) | RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2006 36(11):12-14,16-18 |
| Workplace transport. | Due 2007, HSE’s workplace transport route map will bring together regulations, guidance and best practice. | RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2006 36(11):20-23 |
| Counting the cost. | H&S compensation can be a positive force for improvement. (N Cook) | RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2006 36(11):28-32 |
| Good neighbours. | Scottish Higher Performers’ Forum to extend H&S outreach and influence. Following its success should the model be extended nationwide? (R Bibbings) | RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2006 36(11):46-47 |
| Tower crane safety alert. | An investigation has started after the collapse of a tower crane on a Barratt Construction site. Crane driver and local resident killed. HSE has issued a safety alert to the industry. | RoSPA Safety Express 2006 (Nov/Dec):1 |
| Three year action plan on mental health. | A 3 year action launched by the Health Minister to encourage employers to improve the way they deal with mental health at work. | ‘Action on Stigma.’ RoSPA Safety Express 2006 (Nov/Dec):2 |
| Below the belt! | Changes to the seatbelt laws and the use of booster seats for most children and its effects on those who provide a transport service for young people. | RoSPA Safety Express 2006 (Nov/Dec):5 |
| Historic challenge to Crown Prosecution Service as family fights for son killed at work. | For only the 2nd time, CPS has been brought to court in a case involving a fatality at work. 17 year old killed falling through an unfenced skylight, within a week of starting work at NE Roofing. No safety or work at height training nor harness. | RoSPA Safety Express 2006 (Nov/Dec):6 |
| Builder breaks 50 bones in roof fall. | ICON Construction Services fined £10,000. 19 year old injured falling 8m through a roof light whilst working on industrial estate. Removed harness to reach distant part of the roof. Deviation from the method plan, poor supervision. | RoSPA Safety Express 2006 (Nov/Dec):7 |
| Scaffold safety sheet. | A new information sheet to raise awareness of scaffold safety in Scotland, following investigations into 3 scaffold collapses. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/scotland/scaffolding.htm RoSPA Safety Express 2006 (Nov/Dec):8 |
| New health and safety guidance for livery yards. | New HSE guidance for the safer operation of livery yards in anticipation of new licencing legislation. | Internet: www.CIEH.org RoSPA Safety Express 2006 (Nov/Dec):8 |
| Trouble in the ranks. | Taxi drivers and operators would like better police support and regulatory changes to reduce risk. (N Cook) | RoSPA Safety Express 2006 (Nov/Dec):10-11 |
| Festival finding. | From April 2008, the music and entertainment industry will have to comply with the latest noise at work regulations. (K Smith) | RoSPA Safety Express 2006 (Nov/Dec):13 |
| ‘Where’s our spirit of adventure?’ asks report. | A BRC report argues that our national attitude to risk is becoming defensive and disproportionate, leading to too much regulation. | Better Regulation Commission. ‘Risk, Responsibility and Regulation - Whose risk is it anyway?’ Safety Management 2006 (Nov):5 |
| Ministers give ground on Manslaughter Bill. | Home Sec has pledged to amend the ‘senior manager test’ which would only allow companies to be prosecuted if there has been a gross failure by senior managers. | Safety Management 2006 (Nov):4 |
| Changes to the inquest system. | The proposed overhaul of coroners’ inquests, including the right for bereaved families to appeal, may have little impact on work deaths but could indicate how a court might consider civil claims and criminal prosecutions. (W Marshall) | Safety Management 2006 (Nov):10-11 |
| Property developer fined after tip-off. | Phillips Property Dev fined £1,000. After a call from a member of the public, inspectors found grossly inadequate H&S standards during a house demolition. No scaffolding, platforms or edge protection. Debris thrown into wagon below. | Safety Management 2006 (Nov):14 |
| Family cheats death after debris falls from skyscraper. | Laing O’Rourke Midlands Ltd fined £100,000. During construction of skyscraper, ¾ ton formwork, into which concrete is poured, landed inches away from a family’s car after falling from 40th floor. Poor RA, method statement and communication. | Safety Management 2006 (Nov):16 |
| Newspaper in Court over lift shaft plunge. | Yorkshire Post Newspapers fined £10,000 and BDC (Morley) Ltd fined £10,000. BDC employee injured falling 18’ whilst dismantling a lift shaft. Neither firm’s RA identified a safe means of working at height. | Safety Management 2006 (Nov):16 |
| Worker’s stupidity lands brothers in hospital. | Lee Smith fined £1,000. Two workers from a nearby firm were inspecting an FLT with man-ride cage owned by Premier Storage. The warehouse manager raised them to 20’ in the cage. With the cage raised L Smith reversed the FLT down sloping forecourt and turned sharply and the vehicle rolled over. | Safety Management 2006 (Nov):20 |
| Security guard fined after unauthorised lift truck use leads to serious injury. | Travers Clarke fined £250. Lorry driver injured when 728 kg pallet fell from FLT driven by 19 yr old security guard employed by White Knight Security. Specifically instructed by both employer and site owner not to use any work equipment as untrained. | Safety Management 2006 (Nov):20 |
| Best Practice Exchange returns to London in New Year. | BSC has announced the next Health & Safety Best Practice Exchange will take place at the CBI Conf Centre, London on 25/1/07. | Safety Management 2006 (Nov):22 |
| Making sure staff have a safe day. | Contract sector pressures and the safe and hygienic handling and storage of food in processing plants. (M Gannon) | Safety Management 2006 (Nov):25-26,29,30 |
| Respiratory protection – stopping the leaks. | Respiratory protective equipment – some of the common ways leaks occur and how to prevent them. (C Bee) | Safety Management 2006 (Nov):33,35-36 |
| Are you happy with your PPE selection? | Reasons why the selection and correct use of PPE is so complicated and issues from legal requirement to wearer acceptability. (J Partridge) | Safety Management 2006 (Nov):38-40 |
| Protecting against avian flu. | State Veterinary Service staff and RPE / PPE to protect against an avian flu pandemic. (M Stanley) | Safety Management 2006 (Nov):42-43 |
| Industrial workhorse or potential killer? | FLT – a deadly liability unless vital safety steps are taken. (C Chatten) | Safety Management 2006 (Nov):45-46 |
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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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