H&S News November 2007

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HSC and IoD have published 'Leading health and safety at work', written for directors, by directors.  It was launched at the IoD in London on 29th October.

A 'grey, informal building sector' has been named as one of the principal reasons for the sudden rise in deaths in construction over the last 18 months according to the Secretary of State for Works and Pensions after an urgently called summit concerning the alarming upturn in fatal accidents.

During an inspection blitz carried out in the wake of the rise in fatalities, HSE stopped work at over one in four construction refurbishment sites visited during the summer.

According to a new report for the EA, Courts are taking environmental offences more seriously, with jail sentences of more than 11 years and millions in fines last year.

According to a recent CIPD report, employers need to do more to encourage staff to use environmentally friendly forms of transport.

Even if you have an H&S team doing its job well beneath you, if you are in senior management, you still have a legal duty to pay attention to what's going on.  (Laura Cameron)

Permasteelisa (UK) Ltd fined £100,000 and costs of £31,847.20.  Newnorth Ltd fined £25,000 and costs of £7,871.80.  Steven Conlon was fatally crushed when five large panes of glass fell from an A-frame and landed on him.  The A-frame had not been stored at an incline to prevent toppling.

Lord McKenzie of Luton, the Safety Minister, visited the BSC recently. SM took the opportunity to ask him a few questions.

Musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain are the most common work-related illness in Britain, affecting one million people every year.  Adopting a good posture both at home and work would go some way towards tackling the problem.  (Adrian Vale)

Confusion over fork-lift truck legislation could have serious implications for workplace safety.  Ten of the most important myths and misconceptions.  (David Ellison)

There is a severe lack of data on workers' exposure to hazardous substances at present.  HSE is therefore working on a solution based on sharing information generated through routine risk management.  (Paul Beaumont)

How the new Building Regulation 16B and revised procedural guidance ensures a joined-up approach to fire safety design and management.  (Anthony Burd)

How added passive fire protection to the concrete lining of road tunnels can help ensure compliance with new tunnel safety rules.  (Wilf Butcher)

A fire in any mass transit facility has the potential for major loss of life - which makes the correct cable selection and installation so important.  (Mark Froggatt)

A European framework for closer co-operation of emergency responders is critical for maritime crisis response.  (Mervyn Kettle)

The fire risks posed by warehouses and a simple solution to identifying the building envelope.  (Mark Harris)

The fire performance of composite panels and compliance with the LPS 1181 fire test standard.  (Richard Wigley)

New guidance on storing and using oxidising materials has been published.  (Barbara Kay)

As the countdown to the Wansbeck Safer Working Community week-long programme of events designed to make Wansbeck a safer place to work continues, businesses across the district are likely to receive a visit from a joint team of inspectors from HSE and Wansbeck District Council.

A staged reconstruction was one of six presentations at a recent health and safety event aimed at the agriculture industry.  It involved a farmer, standing on a pallet that was balanced on the forks of a telehandler lift truck, who fell three metres to his death.  Fortunately the farmer was a mannequin.

Fatal injuries and accidents in the road haulage and warehousing sector have cost the UK economy between £117m and £145m over the last five years, and resulted in up to 20 deaths and more than 100,000 accidents.  These were the startling figures revealed at a special HSE presentation for transport managers and fleet engineers at a free seminar this week.

Safety surrounding construction vehicles is the theme of a seminar supported by HSE in Colwyn Bay on 6 November.  The event is being organised by the North Wales Working Well Together Group.

HSE and larger partners in the construction industry are joining together later this month on 14 November as part of the Working Well Together campaign, to drive home some life-saving messages about H&S to smaller building, or contracting, companies and self-employed workers.

The dangers of lone working and the importance of proper training and wearing the correct safety equipment have been highlighted in a rescue exercise involving HSE, Alnwick District Council, RAF Boulmer and the Forestry Commission.  The exercise involved a farm worker who had "fallen off" his quad bike when working alone in an isolated and inaccessible area, made worse by not wearing a helmet.

HSE and The LNRWWT are hosting two special workshops on 8 and 29 November in Leicestershire in a bid to reduce the high rates of fatalities and serious injuries in the construction industry.

Judith Hackitt, Chair of HSC, has sent out a clear message to those who hide behind so called H&S rules to stop children from enjoying a normal childhood.  She said, "Life is not free, we know that.  Our children encounter risks every day and learning to manage risks is an essential part of growing up.  Through educational activities and play we want children to enjoy themselves whilst staying safe."

HSE has published initial findings on the current burden of occup cancer associated with carcinogens in the workplace.

New statistics published by HSC reveal the real risks faced by real people every day of their working lives and the suffering that occurs when H&S processes fail.

HSC has published the latest statistics on work-related ill health and workplace injury in GB.  It shows 241 workers were killed at work during 2006-7,141,350 other injuries to employees reported under RIDDOR and 36 million days were lost overall including 30 million due to work-related ill health and 6 million due to workplace injury.  They state that their judgement is that they are NOT on track to meet the Revitalising or PSA ill-health or days lost targets.  Their judgement is that they are on track to meet those targets for fatal and major injuries.

HSE is running a Farm and Croft Safety Awareness Event on 8-9 November in an effort to remind local farmers of good practice and to encourage a reduction in risk-taking behaviour.  It will take place at Elmwood College, Cupar.

Fined £1,700 under MHSWR 1999.  Partial collapse of steel structure at major redevelopment site.

Fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Failure to provide instruction, information, training and supervision in that supervisors instructed employee to carry out temporary repairs without ensuring employee had knowledge or equipment to carry out repairs safely whereby employee fell through roof of garage.

Fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  PR relating to investigation into serious accident to an employee whilst installing an emergency light in packing area of factory.

Fined £3,500 under WHR 2005.  Inspection of refurb site with unsafe work at height on fragile roof.

Fined total of £125,000 under MHSWR 1999 and WHSWR 1992.  Member of staff suffered near fatal burns when falling through fencing into a pit of process liquor at 92C during pumping operation.  Fencing badly corroded and not covered by maintenance/inspection systems, no RA carried out for pumping operation, system of work ad hoc and required member of staff to manipulate heavy and unwieldy equipment at pit edge.

Fined £3,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Failure to adequately guard screw conveyor whereby employee came into contact with moving parts of screw conveyor and sustained serious injury.

Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Calender, particularly brake, and trip device not maintained in efficient state, in efficient working order, and in good repair.  No arrangements for checking/testing that trip device worked efficiently.

Fined total of £18,000 under CAWR 2002.  PR arising from complaint regarding an asbestos survey carried out in 2001 not being disclosed to personnel working in the vicinity of asbestos containing materials until 2006.

Fined £50,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  This case did result from the investigation of a fatality.

Fined £30,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  This case did result from the investigation of a fatality.

Port of Tilbury London Ltd fined £100,000 with £157,000 costs.  HSE has warned companies to ensure they identify the risks in their workplace and manage them following the death of a 6 year old boy at Tilbury Free Port.  Harry Palmer had been with his father and was taken for a ride on a forklift truck which collided with another.  An unsecured paper bale weighing three quarters of a tonne, rolled off the second truck and crushed Harry.

Safety experts and risk management specialists are warning that company drivers' failings could be the spur for the first corporate manslaughter prosecutions when the new law takes effect next April.

According to research published by the HSE, off-the-job manual handling training is usually ineffective as workers ignore what they have been taught.

7 November has been declared Ban Bullying at Work Day, an initiative supported by the AA and British Airways, amongst others.

The Co-operative Group has been fined £250,000 for fire safety offences at its Sussex stores.  It is one of the highest fines in a fire safety case where there was no death or injury and followed a string of offences at six branches, including an inactive alarm, fire doors wedged open, and escape routes used to store combustible shop stock.

Exel Logistics fined £24,000 and costs of £11,288.  Warehouse administrator Franca Germano was injured when cartons she was supervising the unloading of, fell on top of her.  The cartons were unwrapped and not held on pallets.  Task not properly assessed, no safe systems of work put in place for staff loading and unloading stock in the rear of vehicles.

HSE has produced a set of nine Microsoft PowerPoint presentations to support training for construction workers on the recent changes to the CDM Regs.

A report from the first Health and Safety at Work Conference in Birmingham.  (Louis Wustemann)

The Natural History Museum's head of health and safety writes about accident recording, achieving OHSAS 18001 certification and dead piglets.  (Louis Wustemann)

In this second article, how organisations need to check and revise management systems and train senior managers to help safeguard themselves against prosecution.  (Mark Tyler)

Ways to encourage employees to flag up health problems such as stress or MSDs before they become acute.  (Lucie Ponting)

In the latest of his articles for students of the NEBOSH National Diploma, Lawrence Bamber looks at environmental performance indicators.

Why, if you issue workers with gas monitors, you need to give them thorough training.  (Sarah Ursulan)

HSE has published information on REACH for manufacturers, importers and users of chemicals.

HSE has published raw data from the first of three waves of employer and employee surveys that will take place over the next three years to test the effectiveness of its Fit 3 programme (Fit for Work, Fit for Life, Fit for Tomorrow).

HSE commissioned research has found many companies are not interested in considering potential costs for anything less than their insurance excess as the time required to calculate it was not considered cost-effective and there is no other incentive to do so.

HSE has revised its guidance leaflet on welfare provision.

A project that has seen HSE and local authority inspectors reach one in five local employers in some towns.  (Lucie Ponting)

Table reviewing all HSC/E activity between 7 April 07 and 5 October 07.

Road haulage and logistics companies notified authorities of 62 fatalities notifiable under RIDDOR during the period 2001 to 2006.  To help minimise hazards for employees and MoPs, local authority and HSE inspectors are currently running a moving goods safely campaign.

NHS Plus will receive £10m next spring to try out more schemes for offering health services to small and medium sized businesses.

Scientists need to study vapour clouds in more detail before they can fully understand the cause of the explosion at Buncefield oil depot in December 2005.

The HSC have endorsed the HSE's Board's proposal to create a single HQ for HSE based in its Redgrave Court in Bootle.  Overall, gross savings of £55m - £67m will be realised.

In 2005/6 work related stress, depression and anxiety cost GB in excess of £530 million according to HSC statistics.  The number of workers who had sought medical advice for what they believed to be work related stress increased by 110,000 to an estimated 530,000.

Travis Perkins have joined forces with HSE to help reduce the risk of customers injuring themselves in falls from vehicles.  They are holding a breakfast for customers at its Haigh Avenue premises on 13 November.

Galamast Ld fined £20,000 and costs of £16,140.  When stripping out an old store in Bedford, verbal instructions were misunderstood, leading to employees, subcontractors and H&S inspectors for their client being exposed to asbestos.

Fined total of £200,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s4.  Failure to maintain an underground pipe led to a leak of LPG into an unventilated room.  Prosecution was result of multiple fatalities.

Fined total of £200,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3.  Failure to maintain an underground pipe led to a leak of LPG into an unventilated room.  Prosecution was result of multiple fatalities.

Fined £4,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  IP sustained serious crush injuries after being trapped between two trailers as one reversed past the other.

Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3.  Agency worker amputated tips of three fingers in a Gardner Mixing machine.

Fined total of £5,000 under MHSWR 1999 and PUWER 1998.  Employee suffered permanent injury on unguarded machinery.  Failure to carry out a suitable and sufficient RA which could have identified the inadequate control measures in place and prevented injury.

Shaun Michael Cosgrove fined £1,500 and costs of £3,500.  During a site visit, HSE inspectors found Cosgrove and three others working on the flat roof of his company's premises in Colne without a safe system of work in place.  Cosgrove was issued with a PN requiring him to stop all work immediately, but he failed to comply with the notice.

Potentially thousands of workers suffering from pleural plaques - a lung condition caused by exposure to asbestos - will not receive compensation  following a decision by the House of Lords that plaques are not an "actionable injury".

The prosecution of the Metropolitan Police under HASAWA 1974 over the death of Jean Charles Menezes has been attracting a lot of comment from both within and outside of the H&S profession.

The burden of H&S compliance is holding back the growth of small businesses and stifling the UK economy, according to new research.  It follows a recent survey conducted by the FSB amongst its membership.

The World Conker Championships turned into a triumph for H&S - in terms of the publicity garnered, if not for the performance of the IOSH team.

A positive approach to H&S helps businesses attract quality employees, and boost sales and workforce commitment, according to a recent study.

One in 10 hospitality workers has suffered threats or physical violence as a result of asking customers to stop smoking according to a new survey which interviewed 5,000 hospitality workers.

A full joint public inquiry into the massive explosion at the ICL plastics factory in Glasgow that killed nine people and injured 33 has been announced by the Scottish and UK Governments.

Almost one in four workers never take a break from work, and 7 per cent don't even take a holiday, according to figures released by insurer Legal & General.

What happens when a company and/or one of its employees is invited to an interview under caution after an offence has been committed.  (Michael Appleby)

We have all heard talk of 'changing behaviour' and 'leading from the top', but how do we translate the management-speak into achieving effective leadership that makes a difference to our organisation's approach to H&S?  (Karen Baxter)

Radiofrequency radiation has become such an intrinsic part of modern life that much of the UK population is constantly exposed to it.  Numerous studies have researched its effects on the human body - sorting the facts from the fiction, and helping employers prepare for EU legislation due to come into force in the UK next year.  (Ian Litchfield)

Occup health risk management and service provision within the context of the soon-to-be-published occup health standards for the construction industry.  (Francesca Machen)

A reminder of the main requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and a look at how its implementation has been addressed by H&S practitioners.  (Tony Jones and Harry Paviour)

With a new system intended to harmonise the global classification, labelling and packaging of chemicals due to come into force next year, the changes that this will bring to existing legislation.

Gloves are arguably one of the most crucial elements of PPE, helping to protect workers who have to handle hazardous substances, among other things.  They are also one of the items of PPE most likely not to be worn.

Road casualty figures released in September show the need for drivers to take refresher training and not just rely on the skills they picked up when they passed their test.

The HSE and the Disability Rights Commission have jointly launched new guidance on H&S management and disability.

The ILO has prepared jointly with the WHO an 'Outline for the Development of National Programmes for Elimination of Asbestos-Related Diseases'.

A investigation has been launched into the death of a worker after a maintenance barge collapsed at a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal site at Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire.

As National Anger Awareness Week approaches, some simple coping strategies to create an atmosphere of calm and co-operation in the workplace.

A Bradford man jailed earlier this year for asbestos waste dumping has had his assets frozen in the first case of its kind.

A firm that failed to pay 40 migrant agricultural workers, leaving them scavenging in the fields for food, has had its licence revoked by the GLA.  Baltic Work Team Ltd was investigated by the GLA and it was found that the Bulgarian workers had not been paid for 35 days.

A new TUC study and guide has been published which shows that thousands of Polish and Lithuanian workers are systematically exploited at work in the UK.

Refuse collectors in a Dorset town have been given special stab-proof trousers to protect them from being injured by sharp objects in the rubbish.

Employers may be missing out on talented and motivated staff if they refuse to look at disabled workers as a solution to their staffing needs.  Employ Ability is an initiative that aims to highlight the benefits of employing disabled people and dispel some of the myths.

HSE Construction Division has produced a simple guide for construction clients explaining the CDM 2007 Regulations.

The Falls from vehicles campaign is now well underway with new materials being regularly added to the campaign website.  A variety of support resources are available to help get involved including case studies, information sheets and posters.

Musicians are employed to make a noise, that's why the industry was given extra time to comply with noise regulations.  After much consultation and fierce debate, a guidance document has been produced.  (Pauline Dalby)

According to a recent report, safety reps play a valuable part in workplace H&S campaigns and their involvement results in real improvements.

Roadworkers are finding themselves the target of aggression by passing motorists according to a new survey which found that 80% of roadworkers have been verbally or physically assaulted by drivers.

Company car drivers trained by RoSPA are to get a bonus which will benefit them and their employers - and should keep them safer on the road.

The latest annual mortality data based on HSE's mesothelioma and asbestosis registers has been published.

An extra £1.2m has been promised to train even more van drivers in greener, safer driving techniques.

To support the corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, HSE has produced a new webpage explaining how the new law will work and providing links to further information.

Nigel Paul Chadwick of Wrexham fined £1,000 and costs of £1,000.  Chadwick repaired a leak on a gas cooker at a house in Wrexham, but failed to identify another leak in the system, greatly increasing the risk of fire or explosion.  Fortunately the householder noticed there was still a problem and reported it.

A free workshop for local trades people is being held at J T Dove Ltd, Ashington, on 22 Nov, which aims to cut the amount of accidents while working at height.  There will be a focus on ladder safety and demonstrations in putting up and dismantling scaffolding.

Self-employed CORGI-registered gas installer, Azam Siddiqi of Oldham, fined £500 and ordered to pay a contribution towards costs of £2,500.  Siddiqi had installed a gas fire at a property in Manchester and left it in a dangerous condition.

Launching the report, Sandra Caldwell, HSE Director of Field Operations, said, "On the basis of the evidence available, HSE did not find sufficient admissible evidence to be able to bring criminal proceedings against the Trust…Of particular concern to the HSE was the fact that the Trust did not have a contingency plan to help managers respond to any outbreak."

Speaking at the British Coatings Federation annual technical conference, Chair of the HSC, Judith Hackitt, congratulated the coatings industry on their continued sensible approach to H&S, and on their efforts to improve standards and promote good working practice across the industry.

Reducing farm accidents will be the theme of a free half-day safety awareness event held for Lancashire and Cumbria farmers by the HSE on 22 Nov.  The day will feature six safety scenarios that highlight the risks of certain work activities and offer practical advice for safe practice.

Fined total of £3,000 under GSIUR 1998.  Defendant claimed to be a member of persons approved by the HSE to carry out work in relation to gas fittings, but was not CORGI-registered.  Appliances serviced and installed by the defendant were subsequently found to constitute a danger if used.

Fined total of £4,700 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and MHSWR 1999.  An employee was testing a machined cut when the overhead beam inside the machine moved, trapping him against a side panel.

Fined total of £4,700 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and MHSWR 1999.  An employee was testing a machined cut when the overhead beam inside the machine moved, trapping him against a side panel.

Fined £35,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  General inspection to investigate accident on can welder.  Many alleged breaches of other issues identified, for example, guarding on machinery, working at height and workplace transport.  Failure to manage H&S standards.

Fined total of £11,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3.  Failure to comply with IN regarding the use of mobile belt conveyors.

Fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Prosecution of Stephen Jordan.

Fined total of £5,000 under MHSWR 1999 and PUWER 1998.  IP suffered amputation of middle and index fingers on left hand when operating an unguarded vertical spindle moulding machine.

Fined total of £14,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and MHSWR 1999.  In-patient fell/jumped from a first floor window sustaining serious injuries.

Fined £3,000 under CHSWR 1996.  Principal contractors.  Workers for a sub-contractor were working on the scaffolding when a hop-up collapsed and one worker fell the height of two lifts, landing on another worker below.

Fined total of £9,375 under PUWER 1998 and HASAWA 1974 s2.  A sluice gate was lifted by an FLT whose driver was untrained.  The gate fell off the FLT tines, causing an amputation to the left foot of another employee.  The gate was being lifted without any means of securing to the tines of the FLT.

Fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Worker had slung a large metal block weighing over 2 tonnes onto a pile of 4 similar blocks, separated by wooden spacers.  Some of the spacers gave way and the stack collapsed, trapping the employee, who received serious crush injuries resulting in surgical amputation of one leg.  Inadequate provision and use of wooden spacers.

Fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Employee injured after falling from pallet which had been raised by FLT.

Jaysee Glass and Glazing Ltd fined £4,500 and costs of £1,278.  Michael Norton was working as part of a three-man team, using half of a double ladder set that had been split to allow two men to work at height.  The ladders were not secured and the one being used by Mr Norton slid sideways, causing him to fall approx 2m, injuring himself.

About 40 people are killed each year in road traffic incidents involving police officers, and the number is rising annually.  A new report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) warns that strong and clear regulation is vital for reducing the figure.

A new guide to the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act, which comes into force next year, is available over the internet.

Proposed changes to the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme's multiple injury rules mean serving and former armed forces personnel who have sustained serious injuries since April 2005 will in future receive compensation for all their injuries in a single incident, up to a total of £285,000.

The Healthy Workplaces Handbook published by NHS Employers consists of 45 chapters of H&S advice for NHS trusts.

Welsh Water (Dŵr Cymru) fined £60,000 and costs of just under £70,000 after admitting supplying water unfit for human consumption following an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in North Wales.

David Billingsley has been jailed for two and a half years after he crashed his van, killing Trevor Thompson.  It is alleged that Mr Billingsley had fallen asleep at the wheel after working a 15-hour shift.

The police and HSE are continuing to investigate management practices and poor hygiene standards at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, following the publication of a Healthcare Commission report which revealed significant failings in infection control.

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has called on the Government to take concrete steps to tackle the allergy epidemic in the UK, including establishing an allergy centre in every Strategic Health Authority.

As part of the Government's first ever review of the health of the working age population, Dame Carol Black, the national director for health and work, is asking organisations and individuals for their views on issues such as rehabilitation, occup health provision and the benefits to companies of investing in the health of their staff.

Doctors have responded angrily to claims from business chiefs that an 'outdated and rigid' GP service is placing an unnecessary burden on firms.

A practical guide for managers containing advice on how to support staff with a mental illness is available over the internet.

Three new guides published by the asbestos removal trade associations ARCA and ACAD are now available, covering the safe removal of asbestos.

17% of occup injuries to NHS staff are attributed to sharps, exposing an increasing number of workers to blood-borne diseases such as Hepatitis C and HIV.  What action is being taken to reduce the number of what, in many cases, are 'preventable' injuries.  (Elizabeth Gates)

Around 3.4 million people, 12% of the working population, regularly or permanently work from home.  In the last ten years, that figure has increased by a fifth, with about one million people working in 'traditional' homeworking jobs.  But is it a case of out-of-sight, out-of-mind?  (Nick Cook)

A highlight of some of the changes taking place across the steel construction industry to improve safety for workers.  (Peter Walker)

The first meeting of the Construction Safety Forum organised by the Department for Work and Pensions took place in September.  The forum has one aim - to reduce the number of worker fatalities in the construction industry.  (Roger Bibbings)

There is to be a full public inquiry into the disaster at the Stockline plastics factory in Glasgow which killed nine and injured a further 33 in May 2004.

Roy Clarke, owner of North Eastern Roofing, is to be tried for the manslaughter of 17-year-old employee, Daniel Dennis.  Daniel was just seven days into his first real job when he fell 28 feet through a skylight at a Matalan store near Newport.

A dental nurse who was forced to quit work after developing dermatitis from latex gloves has received £200,000 in damages.

James Porter, headmaster of Hillgrove School, was fined £12,500 with costs of £7,500 after three-year-old pupil, Kian Williams, jumped off some concrete steps and died in hospital.  Teachers' unions have expressed dismay at the court's decision, claiming that it would create an impossible climate of zero-tolerance for risks.

A Conservative government will 'give children back their childhood' by making it easier for schools to provide adventure activities, the party's annual conference heard recently.

Business in the Community has warned that businesses must put the health of the nation's workforce on to the boardroom agenda.  The call comes after research showed that one third of workers believe their health is being neglected at work.

The requirement to take 'reasonably practicable' steps when managing H&S causes confusion among employers.  How the courts have interpreted the duty when deciding on the guilt of companies following workplace accidents.  (Jeanette Harwood)

With the sheer number of work-related deaths on the road and their huge cost to business, not only is it in your best interests to have good vehicle H&S policies, it is your legal obligation.  (Adam Walsh)

According to new research by respirator manufacturer 3M, lack of knowledge about the need to regularly change RPE filters could be placing workers' health at risk.  Some tips on how to ensure that your filters are changed in good time.  (Alan McArthur)

Despite your best efforts, there may still be accidents at work, and getting to the bottom of them can be a struggle.  It doesn't have to be that way.  (Sally Wearing)

B Tickle and Sons Ltd fined £2,500 and costs of £1,828.  Employee John Dyer fell 8m through a skylight on a fragile roof, breaking his arm.

Up to 70% of Great Britain's hairdressers suffer skin damage and over half of them will suffer from dermatitis at some point during their career.  In support of National Hairdressers' Day, the HSE have highlighted simple precautions that can prevent the debilitating disease.

A three year investigation and the inspection of nearly 100 offshore installations has resulted in the offshore industry receiving a stark warning from the HSE.  The sector was told that while significant improvements had been made "more must be done!"

Dunhouse Quarry Co Ltd fined £3,750 and costs of £8,177.40.  Following a routine, unannounced inspection HSE discovered that an employee had contracted silicosis and that a number of others had been exposed to levels of RCS in excess of the workplace exposure limit.

Aggregate Industries UK Ltd fined £10,000 and costs of £5,000.  Glen Whitelock was cleaning out a cement mixer when the hook securing the lid failed, crushing his hand.  Poorly-maintained equipment.

George Wimpey (North East) Ltd, principal contractor, fined £300,000 and costs of £28,367.  A W Cowan (Groundworks) Ltd, injured workers' employer, fined £20,000 and costs of £5,000.  An unsupported trench collapsed, killing Neil Dunstan, 41, and seriously injuring Karl Buck, 28.  No appropriate safety measures.

The Wansbeck Safer Community Initiative ran a series of H&S advice sessions last week on a range of subjects relating to the main employment sectors in the district.

The HSE have established 10 principles of sensible risks and local authorities are being urged to sign up to protecting workers and the community through sensible safety policies and commit to saving lives, not bureaucratic back covering.

The HSE is exhibiting in the National Painting and Decorating Show at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry on 27th and 28th November in an effort to reduce the number of accidents and instances of ill-health in construction and refurbishment industries.

Fined £700 under HASAWA 1974 s3.  Case resulted from investigation of fatality, Paul French.

Fined £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Roger Bunker was severely scalded by highly pressurised steam when a valve he was working on came off and hit him in the head.  Trust had no RA, no safe system of work, no permit to work system, no training for staff and no monitoring.

Fined £2,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  IP suffered a broken arm when he caught his hand on the input of a roll winder, which then pulled his arm in.  Employer failed to ensure that the plant and systems of work were safe, SFARP.

Fined total of £8,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and MHSWR 1999.  In-patient at Leigh Infirmary suffered a fractured ankle after climbing out of a first floor window and dropping 4.4m to the ground.  The Trusts' building maintenance programme did not ensure the window restrictors were properly fitted and working as desired.

Fined £175,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3.  Reservoir fatality.  Reasonably practicable precautions not taken with respect to security/gates to prevent foreseeable child access.

Fined £25,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3.  Reservoir fatality.  Reasonably practicable precautions not taken with respect to security/gates to prevent foreseeable child access.

Fined £35,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Fatal accident to Timothy Kynaston during maintenance work requiring access over a fragile roof.

Fined total of £35,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3.  Fatal accident to Timothy Kynaston during maintenance work requiring access over a fragile roof.

Fined £100,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3.  Fatality of S. Conlon at Bishops Square.

Fined £25,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Fatality of S. Conlon at Bishops Square.

Fined £4,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3.  Injury to member of the public (child).  Inadequate measures in place to prevent access to an area where materials and equipment were stored.

Clegg Building Ltd fined £3,200 and costs of £4,407.  Employees of Clegg Building Ltd were instructed to take down a section of wall at St Winifred's Catholic Primary School.  The wall collapsed onto a 2m-high section of fencing, which in turn struck the window of an occupied classroom, smashing the window and showering glass into the classroom.

According to the HSE's latest analysis of illness and injury figures, there were 664,000 newly reported cases of work-related ill-health last year, a 23% rise on the previous year.

Outdoor Group, owners of high street retailer Blacks, fined £150,000 and costs of £14,622.  Unmanaged asbestos in the store room at Blacks' Kensington High Street branch was contaminating goods that were being sold to the public.

The British Occup Hygiene Society has published the new edition of its free directory of occup hygiene consultants in the UK.

The construction union UCATT has greeted the launch of IoD's new safety guidance for company boards with a renewed call for statutory H&S duties for directors.

A London park worker with learning disabilities has been awarded a record £550,000 in compensation after finding his employer, Lambeth Serviceteam, discriminated against him by selecting him for redundancy using measures including days lost to sickness and whether he drove a car.

B&Q has paid almost £50,000 in fines and costs after a cascade of kitchen flat-pack doors fell from the top of racking, injuring three customers, one severely.

Questions remain about the scope of the HASAWA after the Metropolitan Police were found guilty of breaching section 3(1) - failing to ensure the safety of non-employees - over the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes. 

A House of Lords ruling that workers with the asbestos-related condition pleural plaques should not be able to claim compensation on grounds of negligence has been condemned by unions and campaigners.

According to new research from the FSB, one in three small businesses has not carried out a fire risk assessment and many small firms are preoccupied by the weight of red tape.

Paul Wakefield and Craig Whelan were engulfed in a fireball explosion during the demolition of a chimney at the Carnaud Metal Box plant in Bolton in 2002. The two families sued Carnaud Metal Box, which eventually agreed to a settlement of more than £300,000 each.

According to a senior HSE official, offshore oil companies are hiding behind an injury reduction pledge scheme, rather than putting real effort into safety improvements.

WH Malcolm fined £100,000.  Kevin West was buried alive when a 2.6m-deep trench he was working in collapsed.  Another worker, who was not qualified to drive the vehicle, had parked a dumper truck too close to the edge of the trench, which caused the earth to collapse.  Failure to provide safe working conditions. 

University of Manchester researchers have developed a photoluminescent yarn that glows when electrically charged.  The yarn will make it possible to weave battery-powered hi-visibility vests that truly glow in the dark.

Calendar of new and upcoming legislation.

An analysis of this year's pay survey of 500 H&S professionals.  (Louis Wustemann)

Business travel is an integral part of many Britons' jobs.  But what toll does it take on their H&S and how can the risks best be managed?  (Becky Allen)

An employee-centred approach to locating workplace health hazards.  (Jocelyn Dorrell)

A report on a housebuilder that has set exemplary standards in site safety.  (Sara Bean)

Ian Browning of Arco puts the lid on head protection.

The lesson for dutyholders from the Regulations' first six months is to improve their written arrangements.  (Stuart Armstrong)

The best guidance available online on DSE assessment and using mobile devices, such as BlackBerrys, safely.  (Bridget Leathley)

An outline of the role and training needs of fire marshals.

Learning the lessons from disasters shows that poor risk management and the lack of a safety culture in organisations must not be tolerated.  (Rupert Gilbey)

Leading organisations in the UK fire industry have called for more effective action - including possible changes to legislation - to improve fireworks safety.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service has contacted 4 universities and 20 colleges across the county to promote key messages, ranging from kitchen safety in shared student accommodation, through to road safety.

A new report called 'Quality of Working Life' claims that ill-health in UK emergency services has risen significantly in the past year as a culture of 'work while you're sick' takes hold.

The Government has announced that an official reception will be held later this year at Lancaster House in London to mark the heroic actions of ordinary people during the floods of June and July.

The theories behind industrial disasters and the common factors that can lead to organisational failure.  (David Holdsworth)

The successful fire safety prosecution against the Co-operative Group.  (Peter Cox, Richard Fowler)

Quantified RA should be seen as an umbrella that can encompass all aspects of a fire engineered design.  (Matthew Salisbury, Adam Monaghan)

The RA guidance PAS 79 has recently been updated.  (Colin Todd)

What needs to be in place to make emergency response at high-hazard sites really effective?  (Kevin O'Hare)

The use of gaseous suppression systems on the London Underground.  (Peter Haines)

The role of fire-resistant glazing in risk-based design.  (Mike Wood)

Issues surrounding the use of glazing in fire-resisting doorsets, from fire testing to specification.  (Kevin Hulin)

All those responsible for fire doors should be more aware of their choices and actions.  (Richard Lambert)

The compelling case for certification of fire door and shutter assemblies.  (Tony Fitzpatrick)

Ensuring the integrity of automatic release mechanisms for fire doors is the key aim of a new British standard.  (Tom Welland)

Mark Sheard fined £250 and £250 costs, and Wayne Hirons fined £400 and £400 costs.  Mr Sheard and Mr Hirons are both employed by Balfour Beatty Power Networks.  Jack Taylor, 90, died when he fell 1.5m into an unguarded excavation. 

Stockport NHS Foundation Trust fined £5,000 and costs of £1,965.58.  A male patient was admitted onto a first floor ward where he opened an unsecured window, climbed onto the sill and dropped to the ground, fracturing his ankle.  No system in place to ensure that, where fitted, window restrictors were properly applied or in use.

"The Way Ahead" Performance Report 2007 has been recently published by the HSC.  It highlights the successes and challenges facing the organisation whose desire to focus on the real causes of harm in the workplace is continuingly threatened by tales of risk adverse decisions that trivialise H&S.

Pleasureland Ltd, the former operators of Pleasureland, fined £95,000 and costs of £50,000.  William John Birchall, 59, was lubricating a ride at the amusement park when he became entangled in the moving machinery.  When he needed the ride to be immediately stopped, he was unable to contact his colleague at the controls 200m away because his radio was out of reach.

The HSE together with Wansbeck District Council targeted customers at the Focus store near Ashington last week to spread H&S messages with the help of some free burgers!

To raise landlords' awareness of the dangers of failing to maintain gas appliances properly, HSE is exhibiting in The Landlord Show at the NEC on 6 Dec.

Copelare Ltd fined £5,000 and costs of £6,783.  Darren Lawler, a roofing sub-contractor, was working at a construction site when he slipped and fell from the roof.  He narrowly missed a spiked fence, some piles of bricks and landed on a trestle at the bottom of the building, sustaining serious injuries.

T G Beighton Ltd fined £35,000 and costs of £10,000, Richard Palmer (H&S director of T G Beighton) fined £2,500 and costs of £1,000, and the site foreman Mark Winter fined £750 and costs of £150.  T G Beighton were working as the principal contractor building 11 industrial units.  During the course of this work, a tank was being installed and the excavation collapsed.  Employee John Morton sustained fatal injuries in the collapse, and his colleague Daniel Thompson sustained serious crush injuries.  The excavation was approx 3m deep and had no precautions in place to prevent the sides from collapsing.

Steven Christopher Smith, director of Wrexham Roof Services Ltd, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was jailed for two-and-a-half years.  Employee Paul Christopher Alker, 33, sustained serious injuries, and later died, after a 25ft fall through a skylight on the roof of the Comet store in Wrexham.  No safety harness provided.

Fined total of £10,000 under CAWR 2002.  Prosecution in respect of PN served in relation to conditions on site.

Fined total of £11,200 under PUWER 1998 and MHSWR 1999.  Employee injured whilst operating unguarded machinery.

Fined total of £12,000 under WHR 2005.  IP fell approx 2.5m from a ladder, which was up against a tree and being footed, whilst removing temporary lighting from the tree.

Fined total of £5,000 under MHSWR 1999 and PUWER 1998.  Operator of unguarded rotary spinning machine received a scalping injury when her hair became entangled around the chuck and tool.  No assessment of risks to operators, no prevention of access to dangerous parts of machine.

Fined total of £2,366 under CAWR 2002.  During the cleaning of the internal areas of a boiler, a high-pressure water jet dislodged an asbestos lining, which was washed over a large area of the boiler house.  The contamination was identified 24 hours after the initial cleaning operation.

Fined £2,000 under EWR 1989.  360 degree excavator struck 11kv overhead power line.  Inadequate system of work.

Fined £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.

Fined £75,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Employee received fatal injuries from a fall from height whilst working aloft on a boson's chair.  Inadequate safe system of work.

Fined £55,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Case did result from the investigation of a fatality.

Fined £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Case did result from the investigation of a fatality.

Fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s7.  Site foreman.  Case did result from the investigation of a fatality.

Fined £100,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  A 20-year-old labourer was killed instantly when struck by a wheeled loader.  Failure to ensure the safety of an employee by the provision of safe working systems.

Fined £6,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Employee injured when driving an FLT that overturned during an unloading operation.  Lack of control of vehicles operating in the yard area.

Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  IP was drilling some holes with an unguarded pillar drilling machine.  IP was wearing cotton gloves which became caught in the drill, amputating one finger near to the knuckle.  No supervision.

Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2.  Inadequately trained driver injured when quad bike overturned at the bottom of a slope.

Fined £3,500 under MHSWR 1999 and HASAWA 1974 s2.  IP was feeding an Oliver roll forming machine when he caught his finger in the lead rolls.  Machine was not safe or suitably guarded and no RA completed.