H&S News August 2007

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Rigid Containers Ltd fined £65,000 and costs of £10,650 and G4S Security Services (UK) Ltd fined £50,000 and costs of £7,900.  Robert Campbell, a security guard for G4S Security Services, suffered serious head injuries after being struck by a car leaving the premises of Rigid Containers.  No separation of vehicles and pedestrians, area was poorly lit and road signs and markings to direct traffic were insufficient.  Mr Campbell had not been issued with a high-visibility vest and torch.

The HSE has pledged to expand its work in occup health, while maintaining its commitment to workplace safety - despite facing departmental cuts of 5%.

The TUC is urging bosses not to demonise employees who smoke now that a workplace smoking ban has come into force across the UK.

The EEF's annual workplace absence survey of 600 members found that reductions in sickness absence are being held back by employee and GP resistance to rehabilitation, as well as limited NHS resources.

The CCA has urged safety chiefs to back the introduction of new safety duties for company directors.  The HSC agreed to support the introduction of directors' duties in 2005, but decided to delay making the recommendation while the corporate manslaughter bill was being debated.

Detailed advice on the new CDM regs has been published by the Construction Clients' Croup (CCG).  Aimed at small, infrequent and one-off construction clients, the free booklet sets out a three-stage best practice model for firms to follow.

The HSE has launched an action pack to help employers take part in this year's European Week for H&S.  The action pack includes an explanation of the HSE's 'Lighten the Load' campaign, information on the Good Practice Awards that accompany the initiative, three MSD fact sheets and a poster.

The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has taken up more than 100 Introductory Awards in H&S to help its development work in the country.

Stress accounts for over one-third of all reported cases of work-related ill health in the UK.  Phil Flaxton, Chief Executive of Work Wise UK, expresses the view that more flexible working practices can improve employees' lives and boost productivity.

The growing use of laptops is enabling more and more workers to escape the confines of the office.  However, as Duncan Abbott of EnricoSmog explains, out of sight should not mean out of mind when it comes to DSE users' safety.

For the past year, Speedy Hire has been raising awareness of hand-arm vibration risks in the construction industry.  Health, Safety and Environmental Manager Mark Turnball explains how new exposure limits will affect employers.

Under a draft Bill published by the Government, the HSE and local authorities will have the opportunity to ask to impose fixed fines and permanent prohibition from hazardous activities on safety offenders without taking them to court.

EEF has reminded employers that reduced limits on exposure to vibration came into force for the use of new equipment on 6 July.  For equipment provided after this date, employers must comply with the limits specified in the Control of Vibration at Work Regs, but for equipment provided before 6 July the limits do not take effect until 2010.

Colin Parker Masonry fined £18,000.  Paul Bocking was manually moving marble slabs when several fell against him, trapping and asphyxiating him.  No RAs covering manual handling of stone pieces and no safe system of work.

The Office of the Chief Constable of Northern Ireland fined £30,000.  Kieran Connolly, 28, died after heavy mechanical security gates at Strabane police station closed on him as he tried to get out of the station grounds.  This was due to disabled sensors, which had been discovered some time before the accident.  Steps had been taken to address the faulty gates, but the problem had not been remedied.

According to new research published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), musculoskeletal disorders and mental health conditions pose the greatest risk of lost working time for organisations.

Construction workers will be asked to carry smart cards stating whether they are fit for safety-critical work under a new occup health scheme due to launch this year.  Major construction employers will be expected to pay for periodic health screening for site workers, who would then be classed as 'safety critical' or 'increased risk' if any medical conditions raise the level of risk to themselves or their co-workers.

Raymond Shanks, a former shipyard worker at Swan Hunter, has won a £948,565 payout after he contracted the deadly asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma.  Mr Shanks worked for Swan Hunter for four years, where he came into close contact with laggers and others working with asbestos.  Doctors estimate he will live until early 2009.

According to new figures from the Energy Networks Association, injury rates and days lost to ill health rose in the electricity industry last year.  The rate of fatal and major injuries rose from 63 to 76 per 100,000 employees and the working days lost due to injury leapt from 8,051 per 100,000 to 15,207.

The HSL has published its research into the slip resistance of safety shoes.  The report reveals the performance of named brands that claim slip-resistant qualities.

HSE head Geoffrey Podger talks to Louis Wustemann about the HSC/E merger, managing staff cuts, and the H&S profession's image problem.

How do you make sure risk assessments don't become an end in themselves?  (Lucie Ponting)

Sara Bean talks to a chemicals manufacturer where unsafe acts are unlikely to be overlooked.

The best sources of advice on the web to help with your COSHH risk assessments.  (Bridget Leathley)

What can you do if employees won't wear their protective gear?  (Lucie Ponting)

The ins and outs of face fit testing for RPE.  (Helen Collins)

Richard Newton comes clean about safely laundering protective clothing.

To coincide with the HSE's ladder exchange, Dave Elson offers a quick guide to checking your ladder is still up to the job.

The HSE has announced a competition to run a new gas installer registration scheme aimed at beefing-up domestic gas safety standards.  The new scheme is set to bring benefits to both gas consumers and gas installers across Great Britain.

HSE safety statistics for the offshore industry for 2006/07 show that 2 workers were killed and 39 suffered major injuries.  This compares to 2 fatalities and 50 major injuries in 2005/06.  The combined fatal and major injury rate decreased by 35%.

Ken Parry jailed for four months for carrying out work in breach of a PN issued by HSE.  He also pleaded guilty to charges relating to carrying out work while not CORGI-registered and making false entries on landlords' gas safety records.  Parry and his company Ken Parry Heating and Construction Ltd were served with PNs as a result of an investigation into gas fitting work undertaken, where there was a spillage of combustion products from the appliances concerned.

Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire workers are being urged to ditch their 'dodgy' old ladders and learn more about ladder safety.  Ladder exchanges are being organised in Milton Keynes, St Albans, Great Yarmouth, Ipswich and Peterborough by the HSE, where old ladders can be traded in for a discount on a new model.

As the summer holiday season starts in earnest, thousands of children across the South West region will be playing on or near farms.  Tragically, some of these children will be injured - or killed - by farm machinery, so the HSE is urging both the public and the farming community to be extra vigilant around farms at this time of year.

Pann Krisp Ltd fined £25,000 and costs of £8,696.  Employee Percy Vaughan Guest was run over by a FLT resulting in both his legs being broken, leaving him unable to walk for almost two years.  Another employee, Patrick Brindley was injured when the truck he was operating fell down a gap between a refrigerated trailer and a loading platform.

Fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s6.  Accident to employee of Sovereign Manufacturing (UK) Ltd who was using an unguarded flat bed cutter machine.  PG Graphic Services Ltd had sold Sovereign Manufacturing (UK) Ltd the machine without a guard.

Fined £110,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3.  Deck operator fatally struck by slick line tool which fell 12m.  No formal written instruction, permit to work or RA for operation.  An IN had previously been served a few weeks before the accident for failings in the RA process.

Fined £6,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Unguarded machinery.

Fined £1,000 under CHSWR 1996.  Employee injured during premature collapse of Elliot-type building.  Failure to ensure any part of structure did not become unstable or in a temporary state of weakness or instability.

Fined £3,250 under CHSWR 1996.  Employee injured during premature collapse of Elliot-type building.  Failure to ensure that there was a safe system of work for the demolition of the office building.

Fined £8,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  IP's leg needed to be amputated after it became entangled in rotating part of curing oven.  No emergency stops on or near oven.  Guarding was not adequate to prevent his foot coming into contact with protruding bolts on moving parts. 

HSE has led an initial investigation into biosecurity issues at the Pirbright laboratory facilities.  The investigation included support from relevant experts.

As the school holidays begin, the HSE is warning schoolchildren and parents to be aware of construction sites and not to treat them as playgrounds.

Children and their parents are being reminded by the HSE to stay safe on farms.  In the last 10 years, 32 children under 16 have been killed on farms in the UK from a variety of causes including falls from height, struck by vehicles, barn fires and poisoning.  Six of these fatalities were during 2005 - 6.

HSE reminds Scottish businesses that no matter where your ladder is being used, a museum or building site, make sure it is fit for the job.  Between 2001 and 2005 seven workers were killed and 1,074 injured after falling from ladders in Scotland.

Fined £1,800 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Employee injured when muck skip being raised from access shaft broke free.  Failure to ensure safe system of work followed.

Fined £1,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3.  Prosecution followed investigation into fall through fragile roof light.

Fined £3,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3.  Prosecution followed investigation into fall through fragile roof material.

Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Contractor fell through  fragile roof and suffered fatal injuries.  Dutyholder failed to ensure the safety of his employees or contractors employed to install grain dryer.

Fined £9,000 under HASAWA 1974 s21.  Failure to comply with IN requiring inspection and remedial works to fixed and portable electrical installations.

Fined total of £9,875 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and WHR 2005. 

Fined total of £8,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and MHSWR 1999.  Employee seriously scalded.  Failure to recognise and respond to unsafe system of work, failure to risk assess the task.

Fined £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Employee fatally injured when FLT he was helping unload slipped off ramp.  Being unrestrained by fitted lap restraint, employee jumped to the ground and the truck followed and fell on top of him.

Fined £2,500 under CHSWR 1996.  IP was loading lightweight blocks on first floor joist.  The floor collapsed, IP fell through and blocks fell on top of him.

Fined £3,000 under CDMR 1994.  IP was loading lightweight blocks on first floor joist.  The floor collapsed, IP fell through and blocks fell on top of him.

Fined total of £9,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3.  Operatives carrying out demolition work from an excavator bucket and tower scaffolds with no edge protection.  Members of the public not excluded and one MoP standing next to excavator.

The Concrete Company fined £75,000 and costs of £89,000.  Owner Timothy Dighton has been jailed for 12 months and his area manager, Roy Burrows, has been jailed for 9 months.  Christopher Meachen was killed after he became entangled in an unguarded slew conveyor.  Total lack of H&S measures at the site.

The future of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill was hanging by the slimmest of threads as HSB went to press on 18th July.  Since HSB last reported on the Bill (HSB 360 p.3), there have been six parliamentary debates, most recently on 18th July, all on the single issue of the application of the new offence to deaths in custody.  This issue aside, the Bill is otherwise agreed.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has warned employers that genetic testing during pre-employment health screening amounts to discrimination.

According to a new guide from the TUC, employers, safety reps and the HSE all need to do more to improve the H&S of migrant workers.  Although most migrant workers are not low skilled, many carry out low-skilled jobs in high-risk sectors.  The TUC says this, along with long hours, language problems and inadequate enforcement, increases the vulnerability of migrant workers.

Access to rehabilitation services should increase as a result of new standards developed by the Vocational Rehabilitation Association (VRA).  The standards cover service delivery, client protection, and professional and business development.

On 5th July, HSE published a new leaflet for small catering businesses on the prevention of dermatitis in kitchen workers: 'Look after your hands in the kitchen'.

New workplace exposure limits will come into force on 1st October 2007.  The HSE has published a legally binding list - EH40 - which should be used in conjunction with the COSHH 2002 regs, 'List of approved workplace exposure limits'.

The HSE has completed a construction site blitz focusing on falls from height.  The blitz involved 1,000 inspections in June and July, and follows the HSE's Fit Out campaign in 2005 and the Watch Your Step initiative in 2006.  The HSE advises that it is too early to comment on any findings and enforcement action.

The HSE has focused on electrical testing as the latest subject in its 'Monthly myths' series.  The July myth for rebuttal is: "All office equipment must be tested by a qualified electrician every year".  The reality, advises HSE, is that the law requires employers to assess risks and take appropriate action.

The HSE has published the guidance that it gives its inspectors on the impact on enforcement of the Human Rights Act.  The operational minute (OM) concludes that the "flood of problems" predicted by commentators has "not, as yet, emerged but this may change".

On 6th July, the HSE published new case studies on noise control.

On 14th June, the HSE published research into operator exposure to static and switched-gradient fields from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems.

The HSE finally published the evaluation of its Watch Your Step campaign, which ran between October 2005 and March 2006.  The report includes information from an evaluation carried out by Synovate, which is published separately as RR 563.

The HSE has published research that will form the basis of an information table to help HSE and local authority inspectors provide advice to dutyholders on appropriate footwear.

The HSE has published advice from the HSL to Luton Borough Council on how it might communicate with small and medium-sized companies (SMEs).

On 26 June, the HSE updated the advice it gives employers to help decide whether they need an external provider to help implement the stress management standards.

The HSE will run a major campaign in October to raise awareness of the risks of falling from vehicles.  The campaign will cover falls while accessing, and working at height on, vehicles.  Every year, 5 workers are killed and 2,000 seriously inured in falls from a vehicle, 90% of which are from below head height.

A look at a major attempt by the HSE and local authorities to address the delivery and collection of goods in a coherent and coordinated manner.  (Lucinda Ponting)

The UK has won its fight to use "so far as is reasonably practicable" in H&S law. (Howard Fidderman)

New research shows how employers and their workers could benefit from "tailored" H&S interventions.  (Howard Fidderman)

A look at the lessons of the Constructing Better Health pilot.  (Lucinda Ponting)

A look at new health standards in the construction industry.  (Lucinda Ponting)

A new study by Loughborough University vehicle safety research centre has shown that vehicles equipped with electronic stability control are 25% less likely to be involved in a fatal accident than other vehicles.

The Chair of the HSC, Sir Bill Callaghan, has received a Distinguished Service Award from RoSPA in recognition of his outstanding contribution to H&S management at work.

Construction inspectors from the HSE stopped work on a number of construction sites in South Yorkshire during July and August because significant H&S risks on sites were not being controlled.  During the period HSE inspectors visited 86 sites and issued 31 PNs and 7 INs.

In the clean-up operation after the floods, the HSE is advising workers to be wary of using potentially dangerous ladders.

The HSE has praised Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum in County Durham, for finding the right kind of ladder to use safely for a spot of decorating.  Instead of using an old unsafe ladder, they have found a new one which meets their safety requirements but also blends in with their period appearance.

Dairy Crest Ltd fined £5,000 and costs of £3,599.  Employee David Pennycook suffered two breaks and severe muscle damage to his left arm after a milk bottle filling machine started unexpectedly whilst his arm was inside an open hatch, the machine catching his sleeve and pulling his arm further in.  Faulty interlocking device, inadequate management system to ensure checks on guards were carried out properly.

Found guilty under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Two employees inadvertently exposed to asbestos in a service trench.  Overalls on but no RPE.

Fined £2,000 under PUWER 1998.  IP crushed her finger in a power press.

Fined £1,600 under PUWER 1998.  Employee was operating a beaming machine when her jacket got entangled in the beam drive mechanism and pulled her under the machine.

Fined £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Galvanising operator was seriously injured and subsequently died after being struck by a falling steel beam during a lifting operation.  No safe system of work.

Fined total of £3,000 under LOLER 1998.  A gate leaf to be mounted into a support frame was hanging on an FLT when the strap holding it snapped and the gate leaf fell, catching the IP.

Fined £1,000 under PUWER 1998.  During routine inspection, carding machine seen running with defeated trapped key interlock.

Fined £100,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3.  An excavator driver was struck by a dumper and died as a result of his injuries.

Fined £1,000 under HASAWA 1974 s7.  A pedestrian was struck and killed by a dumper truck.  Driver of the dumper.

Fined £2,500 under HASAWA 1974 s7.  A pedestrian was struck and killed by a dumper truck.

Fined £4,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Explosion of an LPG heater which injured two employees and a visiting milkman.

Fined £65,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Philip Macken was fatally crushed against a machine. Safety devices not fully operational, therefore dangerous parts could be accessed.

Fined total of £3,000 under WHR 2005.  IP was painting a roof when he fell through a skylight that had been painted over.

Fatalities in the construction industry last year leaped up by 25%, prompting calls for the HSE to abandon its influencing and informing approach and instead beef up enforcement in the industry.

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill has finally come to the end of its tortuous journey to the statute book.  The main part of the Bill will be implemented by 6 April 2008, while the only remaining sticking point between the Commons and the Lords is the timeframe for including deaths in police and prison custody within the Bill.

The HSE may find itself having to define exactly which reasonably practicable steps should have been taken by the defendants in H&S prosecutions, following the latest twist in an ongoing case revolving around the legal points of foreseeability and negligent actions of employees.

The HSE looks likely to lose a swathe of skilled staff after it decided at its July board meeting to take forward proposals to move to a single headquarters in Bootle, Merseyside.  The decision, which has yet to be approved by the HSC, will affect the 400-or-so staff at the HSE's Rose Court office in London, most of whom will be required to relocate, or find alternative employment.

IOSH has used new Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Cabinet reshuffle to call on the new ministers to push forward an agenda that will improve workplace H&S for years to come.  IOSH president Lisa Fowlie has urged that the "twin evils" of workplace accidents and ill health are tackled.

The main finding of a survey of almost 2,000 employers from various industries in the UK has found that more than three-quarters of company bosses don't treat H&S as a priority because they are just too busy.

Asbestos campaigners have lauded the decision by NICE to revise its guidance to the NHS on the prescription of Alimta, a drug that can extend the life of sufferers of mesothelioma.  Under the new guidance, it could be recommended for patients whose cancer is advanced, and for whom surgery is inappropriate.

The Cancer Prevention Coalition has slammed the HSE's strategy on occup cancer, accusing the regulator of "shocking complacency" and "gross underestimation of the risks".

A raft of recommendations for emergency response and planning at fuel storage and distribution, and other high-hazard sites, has been issued by the board investigating the catastrophic Buncefield explosion.

Britain's only national advice service for families bereaved by work-related deaths faces possible closure in the autumn unless significant new funds can be raised.

The Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions draft Bill has been issued for consultation by the Cabinet Office.  The Bill aims to secure more effective and less burdensome approaches to the way in which regulations are enforced by local authorities.

Asda fined £80,000 and costs of £17,500.  Debbie Evans, 42, was stacking shelves in a warehouse and was bending down with her leg extended behind her.  An FLT that was being driven down the same aisle collided with her, and the pallet on the truck ran over her leg.  She is now a registered wheelchair user.  Systematic series of faults within the company.

B&Q plc ordered to pay £230,000 in fines and costs.  An employee suffered severe foot injuries while carrying out his banksman's duties, when he was forced to jump out of the way of a passing vehicle, driven by a customer, into the path of an FLT operated by a B&Q driver.  No site-specific RA for traffic management at the store.  The banksmen were not wearing high-visibility vests on that particular day, as they were not readily available.

Stoke-on-Trent Council fined £13,500 and costs of £13,426.  Bricklayers employed by the council carried out repair work on the chimney of 83-year-old Martin Towey.  Mr Towey and his dog Ben were found dead the next morning.  Tests showed they both died as a result of inhaling fatal concentrations of carbon monoxide gas generated as a result of incomplete combustion within the solid fuel fire.  The bricklayers had received no instructions or training on the checks they should have made once building work was completed.

Judges will have to think carefully about levying fines in excess of £100,000 except in the most serious cases.  The implications of a recent Court of Appeal judgment.  (Kevin Bridges)

London Underground's award-winning five-year Health Improvement Plan, focusing primarily on the work the transport provider's occup health team has done on stress, anxiety and depression, and on empowering employees to address and improve their own health issues.  (Dr Olivia Carlton)

When the 'workplace' is on the road, the host of responsibility and liability issues regarding H&S presents practitioners with unique and specific challenges.  How these can be overcome.  (Chris Chidley)

Biological hazards are present in many workplaces, but particularly so in hospitals and the health-care sector.  They can pose a significant threat to human health, but a suitable and sufficient RA, coupled with effective infection control, should help reduce any risks.  (Lee Moy)

How investigating the problem of presenteeism - when employees come to work despite feeling unwell - can potentially reduce sickness absence.  (Zara Whysall)

Media coverage of poor risk decisions has done little to further the cause of H&S.  The question is, can the profession dissolve the traditional enmity between it and the media and dispel the negative messages?  (Louise Ward)

eLearning is taking off in the H&S industry and is often hailed as a training panacea in today's global market-place - particularly in relation to compliance-based subjects - yet some practitioners remain unconvinced of its benefits and insist that true training has to be face to face.  (Mike Stevens)

The BSI has issued an updated version of the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 79: 2007: 'Fire risk assessment.  Guidance and a recommended methodology', to take account of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Industry needs to change its attitude to RA and cooperate with neighbours to improve disaster prevention and recovery.  (Paul Frankland)

Despite their benefits, fire service integrated risk management plans still raise property protection concerns for insurers.  (Mark Newton)

In the push to construct and refurbish buildings, fire protection measures during construction may be overlooked.  (Dean McGrail, Simon Lay)

Dusts are used and handled in a variety of industries, and their potential explosion risks must be considered by both risk assessors and firefighters.  (Alan Tyldesley)

The safety risks posed by the storage of aerosols prompted third-party logistics firm CERT FMCG to upgrade its facility in South Yorkshire.  (John Hamilton)

A large quantity of illegally stored fireworks was involved in a fire in West Yorkshire in late 2006.  The firefighting operation and the recently-concluded prosecution.  (Roger Marris)

Using lifts to evacuate a significant proportion of tall building occupancies can no longer be avoided.  (Suzanne Freed)

The different kinds of evacuation aids for the mobility-impaired.  (Bob Parkin)

An overview of fire detection systems, the initiating link in the evacuation process.  (Martin Phillips)

Designers need to work more closely with fire engineers to establish how occupants will evacuate buildings in an emergency.  (Paul Bryant)

The application of sounders and beacons as early warning devices in modern fire detection systems.  (Rowland Davies)

The regulation, which is currently being negotiated by European Union Member States, will eventually replace the existing classification and labelling system that many chemical suppliers will know through the Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regs - known as CHIP.

On a visit to St Austell's Imerys china clay quarry, Chair of the HSC, Sir Bill Callaghan, congratulated the industry on its continuing drive to improve its H&S performance.

David Riley, Education Presenter from Dudley Zoological Gardens (DZG) and Sarah Hilling-McCann from HSE demonstrated safer ways of using ladders at Dudley's snake enclosure.

Speedy Hire has extended its support to the HSE's 'ladder exchange' to December in a bid to remove 4,000 dodgy ladders from the workplace across the UK.

The two events, organised by HSE were due to be held on 5th September.  However, they have now been rescheduled, and will take place on 24th October.  The events will cover topics including power take-offs, all-terrain vehicles, workplace transport, animal handling and tractor safety.

Corus UK Ltd fined £125,000 and costs of £17,763.  An employee suffered extensive, life-threatening burns when they fell feet first into a pit of hot chemicals whilst carrying out a pumping operation at the company's site in Scunthorpe.  Poor workplace maintenance regime, no RA.

Between 2001 and 2005, 3 East Midland workers were killed and 374 seriously injured after falling from ladders.  HSE Principal Inspectors from the region have said, "We want anyone working at height to use the right ladder for the job and to use it safely."

Wear Valley District Council fined £18,000 and costs of £7,722.  A complaint was made in 2006 by a maintenance worker who discovered that the plant room in Woodhouse Close Leisure Complex where he had worked for many years contained asbestos.  A survey carried out in 2001 had identified asbestos-containing materials, but the information was not acted upon and no-one working in the plant room was made aware.

The Occup H&S mapping document was commissioned by the Partnership on H&S in Scotland (PHASS) to explain the activities of professional bodies in Scotland.  It is web-based and provides advice and guidance, in particular, for small and medium-sized businesses on where they can go for competent advice.

In support of the HSE's ladder exchange campaign, staff in the carriage museum at Shibden Hall, Halifax, have stepped up to the challenge to highlight the life-threatening injuries that can happen from a fall from height.

Fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Accident to employee resulting in the amputation of his finger.

Found guilty under DSEAR 2002.  Two employees, aged 17 and 18, sustained burns whilst cleaning a vehicle pit.  Brake cleaner (highly flammable liquid) had been used to clean pit walls/floor.  Hot air gun being used by one employee ignited brake cleaning vapour.  Both employees in pit at time.

Fined total of £8,500 under WHR 2005 and HASAWA 1974 s2.  Tower scaffold being used as a working platform, with no edge protection, to remove roofing materials.  Failure to protect workers from falling.

Fined total of £125,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and MHSWR 1999.  IP amputated left arm below elbow whilst cleaning a compounding machine.

Fined total of £20,000 under MHSWR 1999 and HASAWA 1974 s2.  IP was attempting to empty a downgrade bin when it fell from the forks of an FLT, pinning him to the ground.  He sustained serious injuries that have left him permanently paralysed.  FLT driver not trained, bin should have been more secure on forks, no RA.

Fined £100,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Employee was fatally crushed between two steel coils.  Information alleges coils were not stacked or moved safely, SFARP.

Fined total of £35,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3.  Scaffold erected to gain access to flat roof above communal stairs fell over onto a 4-year-old girl, killing her.  Scaffold not tied properly.

Fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s7.  Scaffold erected to gain access to flat roof above communal stairs fell over onto a 4-year-old girl, killing her.  Scaffold not tied properly.

Fined £4,500 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  IP fell 20-25ft when one of the scaffolding planks he was standing on snapped.

Found guilty under GSIUR 1998.  Fire leaking CO, no landlords' gas safety cert.

Fined total of £4,600 under MHSWR 1999 and PUWER 1998.  Accident in which employee's hand was drawn into a machine.  Failure to prevent access to dangerous parts of machine, unsuitable and insufficient RA.

Fined total of £60,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3.  Employee and sub-contractor received flash burns while attaching new power supply.

ICL Plastics Ltd and associate company ICL Tech Ltd each fined £200,000.  The HSE welcomes the completion of the criminal prosecution, which arose out of the joint investigation into the explosion and building collapse at the ICL site in Maryhill, Glasgow in 2004.

The MoD has signed-up to a new incident recording system to improve its collection and analysis of H&S incidents involving its 300,000 employees.

Consultation on a new policy to improve the way dangerous liquids are stored is underway.  The policy sets out ways to increase the protection of people and the environment from potential spillages or outbreaks of dangerous liquids and chemicals.  The proposals will apply to all oil and fuel storage installations across Britain that fall under the COMAH regs.

English Welsh and Scottish Railways Ltd (EWS) fined £30,000.  Andrew Wickham sustained serious burns to 30% of his body when he came into contact with a live overhead conductor carrying 25,000 volts, as he worked on top of an electric locomotive.  Failure to ensure a safe system of work was in place.

Injury rates in the food and drink manufacturing industry have halved since the start of the 'Recipe for Safety' initiative, a combined project by the industry, HSE and trade unions, which started in 1990.

The BSI's British Standard OHSAS 18001, which specifies requirements for an occup H&S management system to enable an organisation to control risks and improve performance, has been updated.  It is now called BS OHSAS 18001:2007.

Adam Jones, a freelance sound engineer, has been awarded damages after he was hit by the arm of a wind turbine and left paralysed whilst he was working on location for the BBC.  Judge Gary Hickinbottom said the BBC "substantially failed" in its duty as an employer.

A new vocational rehabilitation task force has been set up by the Government.  Key issues to be examined by the group include why so few employers currently offer occup health support or vocational rehabilitation to their employees, what barriers are preventing wider provision, and what needs to be done to change this.

Graham Mansfield, an ex-motor mechanic, has received £135,000 in compensation from three of his former employers - Trent Motor Traction Company Ltd, Speeds Motor Group Ltd and Evans Halshaw (Northern) Ltd - after being diagnosed with the asbestos-related disease, retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF).  He claims that it was whilst working for these companies that he was exposed to asbestos fibres.

UKAEA fined £15,000 after two employees were exposed to plutonium as they disposed of lead bricks that had previously been used where radioactive material was manipulated.  The bricks were not marked as radioactive and had not been stored in special protective drums.  Neither employees had received training for handling radioactive material and were not fully aware of the risks they faced when handling the bricks.

Cadbury Ltd fined £1 million and costs of £152,000 for distributing chocolate products contaminated with salmonella.  The contaminated chocolate resulted in 42 people being taken ill, 3 of whom required hospital treatment.  Cadbury first discovered salmonella was present in 2002 and further positive samples were taken between 2003 and 2006.  However, it did not inform the authorities until June 2006.

James Quinn, a former machine driver, has successfully claimed compensation from his former employer, Mone Brothers Civil Engineering Ltd, for the dermatitis he developed through daily exposure to lubricant grease and diesel, hydraulic and engine oil.  The company did not supply adequate washing facilities or provide adequate PPE, in the form of gloves.

According to research commissioned by Investors in People, UK employers are failing to recognise the needs of employees when it comes to creating a healthy workplace, with around a third of senior managers equating "healthy working" to eating healthily at work.

Constructing Better Health (CBH), the occup health project aimed at the construction sector is now available nationally, following a pilot project which ran for nearly two years in Leicestershire.

Under new powers given to the Healthcare Commission, Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust has become the first NHS Trust to be issued with an Improvement Notice, ordering immediate changes to its infection control practices.

A scientific indicator of how easily distracted people are has been designed by a UCL (University College London) psychologist, who says the assessment tool has particular benefits in fields where employee distraction could lead to fatal errors.

An examination of some recent H&S prosecutions as a result of workplace transport accidents.  (Edward Hodson)

Leisure/sports centres present a unique challenge to H&S advisers who have to ensure the safety of both the workforce and the many members of the public who come through the door.  Nick Cook visits his local sports centre to see how management there deal with this challenge.

Rural stress and depression have reached almost epidemic proportions.  According to the HSE, farmers have the highest rate of suicide in any working group and are twice as likely to commit suicide as a member of the general public.  (Elizabeth Gates)

In a world where the way in which care is commissioned and provided is becoming more person-centred, giving people a greater say in, and control of, the care they receive, the care of the carers is an area that is causing increasing concern.  (Roy Benjamin)

RoSPA is currently working on advice for employers (or more specifically line managers) on health issues that need to be considered in the context of managing occup road risk (MORR).  A discussion of the issues raised when setting health standards across all industry.  (Roger Bibbings)

On 30 September, Sir Bill Callaghan will be stepping down after eight years as Chair of the HSC.  HSN asked him to reflect on his time at the helm and to share his views on current workplace H&S challenges.

'Are you doing enough to protect your employees from losing or damaging their hearing?'  That's the question HSE is currently putting to managers in the woodworking, plastics and concrete products industries.  In many cases, employers think they are covered if they provide hearing protection - but that's usually not enough.

Broken bones, insurance claims, and time off work are just some of the results of slips and trips in the workplace.  With annual costs to employers running to hundreds of millions of pounds, it's time to ask - can you afford to pay the price?

'Vehicle safety on farms' is a DVD containing a compilation of five HSE training films that look at safety with farm vehicles, plus a series of short Worksmart stories that have appeared on HSE's website.

'Kidsafe' is a compilation of child-safety films ideal for teachers of both primary school pupils and young secondary school children.  It consists of two films previously only available on video from HSE plus a series of short Worksmart clips that have been available to view on HSE's website.

Myth: Egg boxes are banned in craft lessons as they might cause salmonella.  Reality: This story started after a school briefly banned children from using cardboard egg boxes to make things, as they were concerned that children might catch salmonella.  Within a few days the school realised there was guidance from the county council and CLEAPSS, making it clear that, as long as egg boxes and toilet roll centres look clean, there is no reason why they should not be used.

The new strategy on occup H&S, Improving Quality and Productivity at Work: Community Strategy 2007-2012 on H&S at work, was published in Feb 2007.  It encourages EU member states and the EC to work together to improve the occup health of all of Europe's workers.

The HSE and Unite have published a research paper that evaluates the effectiveness of involving safety reps in delivering H&S initiatives in the workplace.  According to the report focusing on HSE's recent Better Backs campaign, safety reps' involvement has resulted in real improvements in the workplace.

W. E. & I. Wright Ltd fined £4,000 and costs of £2,500.  An employee was seriously injured after being trapped and crushed between two heavy goods vehicles as one reversed past the other.  The precautions identified by an RA that was carried out less than a year before the accident had not been implemented, meaning the company had almost no physical or organisational measures in place to control workplace transport risks.

Central Demolition Ltd fined £50,000.  Mr Gideon Irvine, 44, died when a large section of the former Caledonia Mill which was being demolished at the time, fell onto him without warning as he was operating an excavator on the site.  The company had not carried out a survey of Caledonia Mill in order to identify structural hazards and did not seek the advice of a competent structural engineer.

Staff at Normanby Hall near Scunthorpe have stepped up to the challenge on behalf of the HSE to highlight the life-threatening injuries that can happen from a fall from height.  Members of staff will demonstrate the safe use of ladders as they prune plants in the Hall's Victorian walled garden.

Between 2001 and 2005, three East Midlands workers were killed and 374 were seriously injured after falling from ladders.  The HSE is promoting ladder safety messages through a 'Ladder Exchange' which aims to remove 4,000 'dodgy' ladders from workplaces around the country.

Fined total of £6,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3.  Construction groundworker was electrocuted when the concrete pump he was working with came into contact with an 11kV overhead power line.

Fined £25,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3.  Construction groundworker was electrocuted when the concrete pump he was working with came into contact with an 11KV overhead power line.

Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3.  IP was seriously injured when he was struck by one or two falling recycled paper bales.  No assessment of risks to members of the public.

Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  IP was seriously injured when he was struck by one or two falling recycled paper bales.  No assessment of risks to members of the public.

Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3.  IP was seriously injured when he was struck by one or two falling recycled paper bales.  No assessment of risks to members of the public.

Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Crate of glass fell off an FLT onto an employee's feet.

Fined total of £1,800 under CHSWR 1996.  Failure to make suitable and sufficient welfare provision over a long period of time, despite advice given.

Fined total of £18,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and MHOR 1992.  An employee suffered fatal injuries after being crushed between large marble slabs.

Fined total of £12,000 under GSIUR 1998.  Failure to carry out duties as a landlord.

Fined £2,500 under PUWER 1998.  IP seriously injured hand in a beam panel saw because part of perimeter fence missing and interlocks defeated, with evidence of previous access.

Fined total of £12,500 under WHR 2005.  A number of WAH issues found during routine inspection.

Fined £6,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  IP sustained serious injuries after falling 20-25 feet from a ladder.

Fined total of £750 under MHSWR 1999 and PUWER 1998.  IP trapped his fingers in a plastic injection machine.  Failure to carry out a suitable and sufficient RA for the H&S of employees.  Failure to ensure work equipment was maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.