H&S News April 2007

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The new CDM Regs 2007 come into force on 6 April.  They aim to improve the level of H&S performance in the construction industry by clarifying the responsibilities of each duty holder and focusing on effective planning and risk management.

The new EU strategy on H&S at work has been criticised by unions for its lack of focus on the risks workers face from occup diseases.  The EC's five year strategy aims to reduce work-related accidents and illnesses by 25% by 2012. 

Park Care Homes Ltd, which owned and operated Ravenscroft Park Nursing Home (now closed) fined £200,000.  A fire started in the basement of the care home with heavy smoke spreading throughout the entire property, but locked exits and blocked corridors prevented escape.  Unsuitable and insufficient RA and emergency plan.

H&S professionals are being asked to comment on how the new REACH Regs should be enforced in the UK.

A survey published in the TUC-backed magazine 'Hazards' has found that many union safety reps are not getting their legally allowed time off for training and to undertake inspection, investigation and other crucial workplace safety functions.

The Government's 'THINK!  Driving for Work' campaign is targeting 'White Van Men' in a bid to reduce road deaths and casualties.  The campaign focuses on removing many of the hazards van drivers face.  The Government is also rolling out the 'Driving for Work Business Champions' initiative, which aims to encourage business leaders to communicate directly with fellow employers about the benefits of managing work-related road safety.

The TUC's ongoing campaign for meaningful penalties for safety offences, including higher fines and a new safety duty on directors, is one of the entries in The Labour Party's 'Labourspace' online competition to find the best work-related campaigning issue.

An 'occup health toolkit' to help non-medical practitioners play a greater role in tackling illness and absence caused by occup health issues is now available on the IOSH website.

A survey commissioned by The British Lung Foundation has found that more than a third (37%) of the British public is still unaware that contact with asbestos can cause cancer, while nearly two thirds (65%) have never heard of mesothelioma and only half (55%) are aware that their boiler cupboard could contain the deadly building material.

Results from the fourth 'European Working Conditions Survey' show that around one third of European workers feel their H&S is at risk because of their job.

A former employee of toiletries giant PZ Cussons who developed dermatitis through wearing latex gloves has been awarded £10,000 in compensation.

A new warning symbol to supplement the traditional three-cornered trefoil radiation sign is now in use.  With radiating waves, a skull and crossbones and a running person, it is hoped the new symbol will contribute to reducing deaths and injuries caused by exposure to large radioactive sources.

Specialist ambulance crews which will respond to major incidents are to be set up across the UK, as part of the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) project.

As the new and long awaited Construction Design and Management Regs 2007 come into force this month, some recent H&S prosecutions involving construction firms.  (Edward Hodson)

Driving is the most dangerous activity that the majority of people do in the course of their working lives.  What action employers can take to manage occup road risk.  (Jo Stagg)

A massive construction project to redesign and refurbish over 900 jobcentres and social security offices around the UK is recognised by the industry as an example of exemplary H&S practice.  The approach taken by the project team which ensured an accident rate ten times lower than the construction industry average.  (Nick Cook)

The Government wants us all to die of old age - no more developing serious diseases in our 50s and ruining the quality of our last years of life - hence 2004's 'Choosing Health' white paper which outlines the Government's public health priorities.  Projects targeting the UK workforce are already taking place.  (Elizabeth Gates)

The practical steps the safety community can take to adjust the tone of its key messages and help change the way people see safety.  (Roger Bibbings)

Section 34 of the Employment Relations Act 1999 states that limits on various awards and payments must be index-linked.  New limits in the basic minimum award for unfair dismissal on H&S grounds announced.

Primary legislation for the UK is now available in electronic form from the statute law database at no charge to the public.

Radical reforms in the regulation of health professionals are put forward in a new Government White Paper.  They could mean changes to councils regulating doctors, pharmacists and other individuals so that members are independently appointed and not biased in favour of professionals.

Hospital trusts will share in a £50 million Government fund for installing facilities to tackle infections.

Adis Scaffolding Ltd fined £10,000 and costs of £3,046.  Matthew Nash, a 15 year-old work experience student was injured after getting off an FLT while it was still moving.  The FLT was being driven by an unauthorised 16 year-old employee with Nash travelling as an unauthorised passenger.  Inadequate supervision.

HSL has announced that they will be launching the new CiNR towards the end of this month.  This represents the latest step in a £1m programme of nanotechnology research funded by HSL in partnership with HSE.

The HSE has published a consultation document seeking views on how best to deal with societal risk around non-nuclear major hazard sites.

A report by the HSE into the Barrow Legionella outbreak sets out the steps that organisations need to take to avoid such outbreaks in the future, and what HSE intends to do to secure proper standards of control.

Over the last 18 months, inspectors from the HSE's Offshore Division have made 74 inspections of offshore installations, focusing on the management of lifting operations.  The key findings have now been presented to the oil industry.

The warning follows an investigation into the tragic death of Lindsay George Redpath who died when sleeping overnight in a pheasant-rearing shed.  CO from the gas-fired poultry brooder heater accumulated in the shed and Redpath was overcome as he slept.

For the period 1 October 2006 to 31 December 2006 there was one incident at Sellafield which met the reporting criteria.  This involved a major injury to a worker.

Briggs and Forrester (Electrical) Ltd fined £60,000 and costs of £30,000.  B & W Asbestos Removal Specialists Ltd fined £30,000 and costs of £10,000, and Mr Marcus Buckle, MD of B & W Asbestos Removal Specialists Ltd fined £10,000 and costs of £5,000.  During work to upgrade the schools electrical system, asbestos ceiling tiles at Southfield School, Kettering, were removed and asbestos was released into the air.  The school closed for six months while it was stripped out and refitted at a cost of £6.5m.

Fined total of £12,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3.  Breach of PN for work at height and use of wet cement products with no hot water available.

Fined total of £12,000 under HASAWA 1974 s37.

Fined £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Contractor fell through fragile roof whilst carrying out repairs.

Fined total of £3,000 under HASAWA 1974 s36.  Gas issues.

Fined total of £5,000 under PUWER 1998 and MHSWR 1999.

Fined £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  DP working when some solvent based adhesive was spilt  and ignited.

Fined £2,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3.  Mr Clark and two other self-employed persons were working on a roof with no precautions to prevent falls.

Fined £1,000 under HASAWA 1974 s37.  Demolition company with history of poor performance and Enforcement Notices.  Failure to respond to advice including the need to appoint a competent person.  MD's daughter currently standing in since his disqualification as a director.

Fined total of £400,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3.  Gas release, approx 8.1 tonnes.

Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Accident to employee.

Fined £3,000 under WHSWR 1992.  Very high risk of employees slipping due to oil on floors.  Inadequate risk control measures.

Fined £18,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3.  IPs were working on a new house build when the floor section collapsed.

Fined £2,500 under MHSWR 1999.  No suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the H&S of employees, including Dean Lewis, in relation to the polishing of metal components.

HSE and LAs have launched 'Safer Working Communities' - a series of events designed to raise awareness of H&S issues with the emphasis being placed on sensible risk management.

The revised Construction (Design and Management) Regs (CDM) came into force this month, following consultation with the construction industry.  The main revisions and what to expect.

Infoline is HSE's public enquiry contact centre.  Every year, its team of operators deal with more than 250,000 phone and 32,000 written enquiries.  A look behind the scenes at the Caerphilly-based centre to find out how it all works.

A quarter of all manufacturing injuries occur in the food and drinks industry.  In the ten-year period April 1996 to March 2006 there were 41 deaths and over 98,700 workers suffered a reportable injury.  An ongoing Recipe for Safety initiative between these sectors and HSE has resulted in the injury rate dropping by over a third since 1990/91.

Workplace Health Connect (WHC) provides confidential, practical and free advice to small businesses in England and Wales on workplace H&S, management of sickness absence and return-to-work issues.

The Construction (Design and Management) Regs 2007 are in force from 6 April 2007.  This new Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) provides practical advice on complying with the main duties set out in the Regs.

The revised leaflet, 'Preventing contact dermatitis at work' tells you what to look out for, how to prevent it and points you to more detailed practical advice for specific jobs and workplaces.

Lord McKenzie has announced a new scheme to improve domestic gas safety.  The new regime will be overseen by HSE and delivered by industry via a reformed gas installer registration scheme.  A single provider will be responsible for driving and co-ordinating industry action to raise public awareness of gas safety.

Fishers Electrical Mechanical Ltd fined £2,500 and costs of £2,278.80.  Employee Steven Davieson suffered severe injuries after falling approx 6m through a fragile roof.  HSE has warned companies that they must make appropriate assessments of jobs and take suitable precautions.

Agrilek Ltd fined £2,500 and costs of £1,811.65.  Employee Douglas Moore was injured while using a guillotine.  Inadequate guarding.

William Beach, a director of Techlink Enterprises Ltd fined £2,000 and costs of £1,000 for failing to comply with two Improvement Notices.

That's the message from HSE as it launches its 'myth of the month' cartoon series aimed at dispelling some of the stories attached to RA.  As part of its 'Sensible Risks' Campaign, the HSE will post a new cartoon on its website every month, illustrating a popular myth, with a caption setting the record straight.

The UK has been praised for having one of the lowest rates of work-related accidents in the EU, and for not allowing the recent influx of thousands of migrant workers to have a negative effect on its occup H&S record.

Hope has been offered to mesothelioma sufferers in the form of a Government proposal to provide compensation more quickly for those diagnosed with the asbestos-related disease.

The HSE's plans on 'worker involvement' have been attacked by unions for failing to address the issue of specific legal duties on employers to deal with safety representatives.  The criticism came after the HSE presented a paper on the findings of its worker involvement exercise to the HSC at a public meeting.

According to a new report from UnumProvident, more than 10 million working days were lost because of stress, depression and anxiety in 2005/06, at a cost to the economy of £10 billion - a figure that could be reduced by more Government spending on early intervention for sufferers.

With UK construction output predicted to grow by almost 11% over the next five years, and the subsequent need for an estimated 87,600 trained new recruits a year, unions have raised fears about worker safety, particularly with regard to the influx of migrant workers.

A new project to review H&S training provision hopes to lead to streamlining of the number of courses and qualifications available and thus improve the level of uptake among employers who may be confused by the current plethora of options.

In the face of increasing attacks on postal workers, Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union have introduced 'The Walk Safe' Policy to help staff avoid being verbally and physically assaulted.

Interpipe fined £100,000 and costs of £30,618.  Warehouse operator Paul Hopkins was fatally injured when a 5-tonne stack of steel fell on to him.  Systematic failure to ensure the safety of employees.

Parkins Fee Construction and its director, Robert Parkins, each fined £12,500 and costs of £6,000 between them.  Philip Stafford was digging a trench when torrential rain caused a freestanding wall to collapse into the trench, pinning Stafford beneath it, causing fatal injuries.  No proper planning, supervision or management of work.

HBR (North) fined £10,000 and costs of £2,124.  Bernard Blakelock was seriously injured after falling 2m through a hole left by the removal of a dust extractor,  bringing a 120kg compressor down on top of him.  The company failed to plan or supervise the work, with no consideration of maintenance or the risks that would be involved in future work at height.

Improvement and Prohibition Notices served by H&S inspectors can be challenged but never ignored.  (Kevin Bridges)

Are you fed up with being blamed for banning conkers or tired of being teased for dealing with trivia?  (John Gilbertson)

Many practitioners operate as self-employed consultants, or provide services for clients via consultancy firms or companies.  A basic understanding of loss prevention will help them stay bullet-proof and avoid the legal claims that might cause crippling financial losses.  (Steven Francis)

Many organisations are very good at understanding the technical causes of accidents and incidents but struggle to gain a deep understanding of why the people involved behaved as they did.  An award-winning project that successfully tackled this issue.  (Ronny Lardner, Richard Scaife)

The population in Britain is ageing, so our view of what makes up a 'normal' workforce needs to change to accommodate increasing age diversity.  Understanding this is important for organisations if they are to manage an ageing workforce successfully and maintain a competitive edge.  (Amanda Griffiths)

Whether you are jealous of them or not, chances are that you have responsibility for some of the nation's estimated 3.8m homeworkers.  An employer's H&S duties.  (Nick Wilson)

Aggression can affect a wide range of occup fields.  It manifests itself in different forms, placing people's safety at risk and causing serious disruption.  In short it is a genuine problem that more and more companies and organisations need to address.  (Aran Dharmeratnam)

Violence and aggression against firefighters and paramedics is on the rise in Ireland and the UK.  Some of the issues the emergency services face, and comparisons with those of colleagues around the world.  (Paul Carolan)

Government funding for the fire and rescue community is always in demand and, with the modernisation and regulatory changes seen in recent years, has tended to go to the sharp end - often at the expense of research and development.  (Rupert Gilbey)

Under a new policy move by the Department for Education and Skills, new schools or those undergoing refurbishment will have to use a new RA and cost-benefit analysis tool to determine if they should be protected by sprinklers.

According to a new assessment report from the Audit Commission, most fire and rescue authorities in England are doing a good job in planning for and delivering emergency response to their local communities.

The campaign to introduce reduced-ignition propensity (RIP) cigarettes in Europe has stepped up a gear after the UK's RIP Coalition joined forces with the European RIP Alliance to call for action.

An urgent warning to the public regarding the use of tealight candles has been issued by the coroner carrying out an inquest into the deaths of two firefighters and a member of the public in a flat in Stevenage in Feb 2005.  The fire was caused by tealight candles placed directly on top of a TV set.

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) has published a new edition of 'Fire Protection for Structural Steel in Buildings', also known as the 'Yellow Book'.

'Fire and rescue: A shared vision towards 2017' explains how the fire and rescue service should evolve, adapt and prepare to meet future challenges and opportunities.

Fire Gateway, the national fire safety web portal for England, was officially launched mid-March.  Described as a one-stop shop to help prevent fires, the online service is designed to enable fire and rescue services to communicate more effectively and be more accessible to their communities.

The Court of Appeal has ruled that co-responding - providing a first response to a life-threatening medical emergency in advance of an ambulance - is not part of the contractual duties of fire service personnel.

'Guidance for the Safe Management of the Disposal of Explosives' has been introduced for those responsible for managing the disposal and destruction of explosives, as well as professional explosives users.

The Door and Hardware Federation (DHF) has published a free guide to fire door and shutter certification.

The UK fire and rescue service needs a more effective network for sharing information and better training and support for its personnel.  (Dawn Dcaccia)

With European nations collaborating more than ever, is it about time that Europe had a more integrated and strategic approach to fires?  (Dennis Davis)

There may be general agreement that fire needs a greater role on the European stage, but what form that role should take remains an issue of great debate.  (Rupert Gilbey)

The groundbreaking FireGrid project aims to predict the behaviour of fire in buildings and provide emergency responders with critical fire-related information.  (John Holden)

A new three-year research project examining the behaviour and spread of fire in car parks.  (Martin Shipp)

An investigation into a fatal house fire has highlighted the phenomenon of 'clean airway fire deaths'.  (David Needham, Craig Dooley)

The toxic fumes generated by burning plastics pose significant safety and environmental risks.  (David Townsend)

The need to provide adequate fire protection for curtain walls and floor slab edges.  (Andy Kay)

How the issues relating to fire-resistant glass highlight the need for regulators and the fire industry to consider a new property protection strategy.  (Mike Wood)

The new fire safety regulatory regime and the need for appropriate products and systems has come under discussion.  (Vanessa Hatton)

The issues around the performance of insulated panel systems for non-domestic buildings.  (Mark Harris)

With different procurement techniques used to construct commercial buildings, the case for more joined-up thinking on fire protection.  (Graham Ellicott)

The Control of Asbestos Regs 2006 were further strengthened on 6 April 2007 by the requirement that anyone who certifies premises to be safe to be re-occupied following asbestos work must be accredited.

Robertson Homes Ltd fined £2,500 and costs of £2,889.  Employee Gary Gray was working at the Sun Gardens development in Thornaby-on-Tees when he fell approx 5m down an open stairwell while ascending an unsecured ladder.  Failure to ensure the safety of employees and compliance with Work at Height Regs 2005.

28 year-old Darren Brownbill died after falling through a fragile roof light while working on an extension to a warehouse operated by Unichem plc.  Telford Tower & Scaffolding Ltd, Darren's employer, fined £35,000 and costs of £20,000, Pochin (Contractors) Ltd, the main contractors, fined £25,000 and costs of £15,000, and Unichem plc, the clients, fined £3,000 and costs of £2,407.  David Isherwood, the project designer, and Ian McCann, the planning supervisor, each fined £2,500 and costs of £1,500.

Dunelm Property Services Ltd (DPSL) fined £44,000 and costs of £1,784 for failing to comply with the requirements of Improvement Notices relating to conditions on a housing construction site at Lakeside Gardens, Barmston, where the company were acting as principal contractor.

Morgan Cole Solicitors will be leading an event in which Huw Llywelyn from Costain Construction will play the part of a director being questioned on a fictitious workplace accident.  The interview under caution will be held before a group of spectators, also from the construction industry.  The event, organised by the South Wales Working Well Together Group is being held at Pentwyn Leisure Centre, Cardiff, on 24th April.

Fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Employee was severely injured when he fell approx 2.8m from a ladder while carrying out works at Boston West Business Park.  Unsafe system of work.

Fined £14,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  IP sustained serious injuries while using a head press machine due to an overridden interlock switch.  This meant the machine ran whilst the guards were lifted.  No other safety devices or emergency stop buttons provided at workstation.

Fined £4,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  IP was cleaning the rotary air seal on the base of a cyclone when the production manager inadvertently switched on the main panel, causing the machine to start.  Local isolator not isolated.

Fined £12,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Accident to technician whilst using circular saw.

Fined £2,000 under HASAWA 1974.  Elderly member of the public tripped and fell at a site of roadworks.  Section of footway in unsafe condition with inadequately guarded obstruction, and inadequate signage and lighting.  IP later died in hospital.

Fined £4,000 under CHSWR 1996.  Employee injured by 7-tonne excavator operated by co-defendant, Jamie Collier-Baker.  Collier-Baker was neither qualified or sufficiently experienced to operate plant safely.

Fined £350 under CHSWR 1996.  Employee of co-defendant, Willowbrook Property Services Ltd, injured by 7-tonne excavator operated by Jamie Collier-Baker.  Collier-Baker was neither qualified or sufficiently experienced to operate plant safely.

Fined total of £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and MHSWR 1999.  Lobomir Tihlar was killed when slabs of granite he was helping to unload fell on top of him and trapped him against his vehicle.

Fined total of £23,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and PUWER 1998.  Failure to adequately control risks arising to residents from use of bed rails, including suitability of equipment, failure to provide H&S information and written instructions and training for staff.

Fined £2,500 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Outbreak of legionella.  Failure to adequately control the risk from legionella arising particularly from a chiller system.

Fined £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Employee was killed whilst attempting to move a 2-tonne (approx) safe up a stairway.

Fined total of £25,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s33.  Shaun Edwards fatally fell from height when working on an aerial on a town house.

Fined total of £4,500 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3.

Fined £1,500 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  IP had one foot on a pitched roof and was leaning over when the roof gave way and he fell approx 3m.  IP had not had a roof permit completed.

Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  M. Sankey, aged 16, fainted on his second day of work and fell 5.9m down an open lift well on a new building site.

Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  M. Sankey, aged 16, fainted on his second day of work and fell 5.9m down an open lift well on a new building site.

Fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Employee killed when he began welding inside a petrol tanker which had not been properly purged.  System of work failures.

Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s37.  Employee killed when he began welding inside a petrol tanker which had not been properly purged.  System of work failures.

Fined £5,250 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Dumper overturned on construction site.  IP severely injured.

Fined £1,500 under WHR 2005.  IP, a self-employed contractor, fell approx 3m when the portable ladder he was ascending slid down the wall onto the floor.  No arrangement to prevent ladder from slipping.

Fined total of £14,000 under EWR 1989 and HASAWA 1974.  Accident to Hayden Halford.

Fined total of £1,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s33 and WHR 2005.  Non-compliance with Improvement Notice.  Exposing employees to risk of falls from unprotected edge of mezzanine storage area.

Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3.  2 fires at Manywells landfill site and injury to contractor.

Fined £1,500 under CHSWR 1996.  IP fell over 2.5m from loading bay.

Fined £3,500 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  IP was using a Halco 450 drilling machine when he became entangled with a drill bit.  Failure to provide safe system of work.

Fined total of £7,000 under PUWER 1998 and MHSWR 1999.  Employee injured whilst clearing the forming station of a thermoforming machine.  No guard in place, pre-check lists failed to identify missing guard.  No monitoring undertaken of use of pre-checks or training provided.

Fined £42,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3.  12 year-old girl was fatally injured when some railings outside Osmaston Park collapsed on her.  Railings hadn't been maintained, no inspection programme in place.

"We take any death at work very seriously.  We share UCATT's concern that there are too many deaths in the construction industry.  Nobody, least of all HSE, underestimates the devastation that the death of a loved one can cause, but that should not be the basis for bringing a prosecution.  We do not prosecute without proper justification - both evidential and public interest."

Unions are demanding that the Government reverses its policy of cutting safety inspectors after new figures revealed an alarming rise in construction deaths.

David Cameron has put forward an Early Day Motion calling for the proposed reforms to the CDM regs to be scrapped.  The Tories are concerned that small firms carrying out building work will be adversely affected.

Leigh Carlisle, 27, believed to be the youngest known sufferer of asbestos cancer, may seek compensation.  It is thought she contracted mesothelioma as she walked to school in Manchester as a small child.  Her route took her across the yard of an asbestos-handling factory.

A recent Court of Appeal judgment overturning a £150,000 compensation claim against the Royal British Legion has been hailed as a 'victory for common sense'.  Yvonne Cole broke her leg after tripping over a maypole hole on the village green at East Dean in 2001.

According to a new study conducted by New Zealand's Medical Research Institute, a third of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) patients in hospital were office workers who worked for hours at a computer.

If there is an accident at your workplace, you may be subject to an HSE investigation.  How inspectors gather evidence - and decide if a prosecution should follow.  (Mamata Dutta)

The Bank of China fined £9,000 and costs of £1,795.49.  An office handyman was injured after he fell from an unsafe stepladder while changing a light fitting at the bank's Manchester branch.  Failure to ensure generic risk assessments and suitable safety procedures were implemented at branch level.

Piggotts Family Butchers fined £2,000 and costs of £992.  Philip Woolgar, 17, was injured after a meat boiler tipped over, pouring boiling water over his feet.  The company had not carried out risk assessments for work at the site, provided staff with safety training or ensured they were supervised properly.

Employers in England have less than 100 days left to go smokefree.  A look at the new law and what businesses need to do to comply with it.  (Fiona Andrews)

PPE provides the safety manager with two problems - how to make sure that the right equipment is selected and getting employees to actually wear it.  Safety Management speaks to safety managers across industry to find out their solutions.

After seven years of wrangling in Europe, tighter controls on workplace chemicals are on the way, but what will they mean for employers?  A closer look at the controversial new REACH regs.  (Hugh Robertson)

Employers have a duty under HSFAR 1981 to provide qualified staff and suitable equipment to assist workers in emergencies.

Network Rail fined £4m over the fatal Ladbroke Grove collision in 1999.  The private inquiry into the crash revealed serious underlying causes such as shortcomings in training and recruitment procedures and bosses ignoring drivers' warnings about problems in track layout and signal visibility.

RoSPA has introduced new training courses to update employers and managers on recent regulatory changes.  It is also offering skills courses to help staff comply with their duties under H&S legislation.

Lakeland Underfloor Heating Specialists Ltd fined £2,000 and costs of £2,732 over the faulty installation of a boiler at Bank House Farm by employee Andrew John Major, who was not registered with CORGI.  HSE is warning businesses and residents to check that gas workers are appropriately accredited by CORGI before allowing them to carry out gas fitting or repair work.

Dawson Wam Ltd fined £75,000 and costs of £34,425.  Piling rig operator Peter Roberts was clearing a blocked concrete pump with compressed air when an attached hose whipped upwards and struck Roberts on the head, causing fatal injuries.  No formal RA nor safe system of work.

Speaking at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Occup Nurse Forum Scotland, Stewart Campbell, Director of HSE Scotland, welcomed the downward trend in recent years of workers taking days off due to ill health and accidents, but stressed the need to work together to maintain the downward momentum.