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H&S News March 2009
| Croydon construction company fined £66,000 for fatal lifting accident. |
| P Colohan and Company Ltd was fined £66,000 and costs of £40,950 under LOLER 1998. They were a subcontractor responsible for preparing a concrete frame for a nine storey building. John Walsh, a construction supervisor, was struck by an excavator bucket causing him fatal head injuries. Four excavator buckets were being lifted by a crane to the front bucket of an excavator parked nearby when the chain and bar being used to restrain the buckets moved allowing the large bucket on top to fall. Lifting operation not properly planned. Failure to manage high risk activities effectively and failure to ensure their staff were fully competent to carry out these tasks. |
HSE (London) Press Release HSE/LON/014/2009 3/3/09 Week ending: 06/03/09 |
| Pesticide checks. |
| Field staff from HSE investigated 94 reports of pesticide problems last year. There were 32 complaints by people suspecting health effects and 62 related to the use of chemicals. |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Bulletin February 2009:4 Week ending: 06/03/09 |
| On top of things. |
| Falling off a roof usually results in a serious, possibly fatal, injury, new guidance says. Problems arise when people are working near the edges of roofs, on fragile materials or over lights or holes. HSE's new leaflet shows how to avoid common accidents when working at height and refers to relevant legislation. |
"Working on roofs" INDG 28 (rev1) Internet:www.hse.gov.uk HSE Books 01787 881165 RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Bulletin February 2009:7 Week ending: 06/03/09 |
| Company directors warned of their duty to protect staff following the death of a joinery apprentice. |
| Christopher John Pridmore was fined £7,500 and costs of £2,500 under PUWER 1998. Simon Murphy, a 17 year old apprentice, was working when a stack of MDF boards fell on him. He later died from serious head injuries. The boards were stored on top of a bench in the workshop and fell because a bracket that was intended to restrain them was not strong enough to support their weight. The bracket failed after only a week in use. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/244/08 2/3/09 Week ending: 06/03/09 |
| 1500 Refurbishment sites targeted. |
| Last year (2007/08) over half (52%) of the workers who died on construction sites worked in refurbishment, repair and maintenance, in line with a similar shocking statistic the previous year (2006/07). The HSE has announced that throughout March it again aims to inspect 1500 refurbishment sites across Great Britain, to tackle poor health and safety standards. |
HSE (National) Press Release E018:09 2/3/09 Week ending: 06/03/09 |
| 'Baby Boom' carpenters at greatest risk of developing asbestos related cancer. |
| One in 17 British carpenters born in the 1940s will die of mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung caused by asbestos, according to new research published by the British Journal of Cancer. Researchers have calculated that men who worked as carpenters for more than 10 years before they reached 30 have a lifetime risk for mesothelioma of about one in 17. For plumbers, electricians and decorators born in the same decade who worked in their trade for more than 10 years before they were 30, the risk in one in 50 and for other construction workers one in 125. |
HSE (National) Press Release E021:09 3/3/09 Week ending: 06/03/09 |
| HSE warns of the danger of poor safety precautions after worker falls in pit. |
| Dairy Crest Limited was fined £18,000 and costs of £2,675 under HASAWA 1974 s2. John Webberley, a 57 year old employee, was emptying a milk by-product effluent pit. The ill-fitting metal grating, meant to cover the pit, was not secured in place and Mr Webberley slipped and fell into the six foot (1.9m) deep pit. He sustained substantial injuries to his groin, later necessitating surgery. No measures had been taken to secure the grating or protect anyone from falling into the pit and the company had not provided and maintained a safe system of work. It is customary in practice to remove the gratings while emptying the pit but no adequate safety precautions were in place during this procedure. Plant had not been adequately maintained so the gratings could have given way at any time. |
HSE (West Midlands) Press Release WM/475/09 3/3/09 Week ending: 06/03/09 |
| Asbestos inspections for companies in Ashford, Tonbridge and Malling, Sevenoaks, Swale and Maidstone. |
| HSE, in partnership with local authorities, has carried out its third and final week of targeted inspections across Kent and Medway to make sure companies are not exposing workers to potentially harmful asbestos fibres. Last week 112 companies were visited, resulting in 28 asbestos-related INs and one asbestos-related PN. The aim of the campaign was to remind businesses of their responsibilities under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. |
HSE (National) Press Release COISE/0103 2/3/09 Week ending: 06/03/09 |
| AMD Contract Services |
| Fined £6,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Failure to ensure that the dump truck supplied to carry out construction tasks was in a safe working condition, failure to ensure persons not in [their] employment were not exposed to risks to their health and safety, failure to ensure the dump truck was maintained in an effective working order and in good repair in that it did not have a seat belt fitted and had rear brakes that were not fully functional. |
HSE Prosecution 4108068 22/12/08 Week ending: 06/03/09 |
| Leisure Profile Ltd t/a Arboreal Services |
| Fined £250 under ELCI 1988. Philip Denny was holding back the branches whilst his employee (Martin Ladd) was using a chain saw. The chain saw slipped and because Philip Denny had his arm turned inwards the saw caught his arm, causing a severe laceration. He received 8 stitches which were removed after a week. |
HSE Prosecution 4139965 22/12/08 Week ending: 06/03/09 |
| Exception PCB Ltd |
| Fined £9,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Chemical spill onto the arm of IP during the pumping of caustic chemical from IBC to bulk storage tank. Emergency water supply, provided to dilute a chemical spill and wash off spills from personnel, was out of order at the time of contamination. |
HSE Prosecution 4127901 23/12/08 Week ending: 06/03/09 |
| "Serious and deliberate deficiencies" lead to the death of a factory worker cautions the HSE. |
| Naturediet Pet Foods Ltd was fined £157,500 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Marcus Snow, a 40 year old, was working on a semi automatic 'off load machine' used to transfer finished cartons of dog food onto a conveyor, when the machine became jammed. Mr Snow crawled into the front entrance of the machine in an attempt to clear the suspected jam when the pneumatic pick-up unit descended and pinned him to the stack of trays. The continued pressure from the pick up unit on Mr Snow's chest led to his death by asphyxiation. Guarding at both the entrance and exits of the machine had been wired out allowing whole body access to the machine and access to several dangerous parts of machinery. |
HSE (South East) Press Release COISE/0203 12/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Molten metal safety alert. |
| HSE has issued a safety alert aimed at firms working with molten metal. It follows the inquest into the death of a Polish worker who died from multiple organ failure after suffering 80 per cent burns as a result of a molten metal explosion. The alert is available in English, Polish and Portuguese and calls on firms working with molten metals to review their arrangements. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/moltenmetals/safety alerts.htm RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal March 2009:2 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Govt guidance "could do better" finds review. |
| As part of the Anderson review, over 750 SMEs across a wide range of sectors and sizes were asked for their view on Government guidance. One of the recommendations from the review is that small businesses should be able to access a one-stop shop for guidance on H&S and employment legislation, to help them comply with the law without having to spend too much time and money. A third of all the SMEs questioned said that they found H&S regulation the most time consuming to comply with. |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal March 2009:3 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Network Rail fined. |
| Network Rail fined £75,000 and Cabin Club Ltd (CCL) fined £20,000. A CCL worker received an electric shock after cutting into a live cable at a depot owned by Network Rail. The man had cut into the buried cable with a hacksaw, believing it to be a redundant oil pipe. He suffered extensive burns to his hands, forearms, face, neck, groin and chest and has been unable to work since the accident because of his injuries. Network Rail failed to ensure CCL had devised a safe system of work, failed to consider the risk which might be encountered, and failed to take steps through supervision, monitoring or otherwise to ensure that CCL carried out work safely. |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal March 2009:6 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Directors' duties. |
| EEF, the manufacturers organisation, is urging HSE to resist pressures for new legal duties on company directors, after results from a survey it conducted showed that there has been a substantial increase in the number of directors taking a leading role in their companies' H&S management. |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal March 2009:6 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Truckstop campaign. |
| The union Unite has launched a telephone hotline for truck drivers to report poor quality truckstop facilities. The union is urging drivers to let them know about any problems they face in finding somewhere safe to park at night and poor standards in UK truckstops. It's the first step in a campaign against hijackers who prey on lorry drivers. |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal March 2009:6 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Council H&S guide. |
| A new free guide for local councillors highlighting their H&S responsibilities has been developed by members of IOSH Public Services Group. It is intended to help elected members make decisions that help keep council employees and the public safe and healthy. |
"Think about health and safety - what elected members of local authorities need to know" www.iosh.co.uk/files/news/ourcampaigns/ThinkAboutHealthAndSafety-Scotland.pdf RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal March 2009:6 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Working safely with FLTs. |
| The second article on working safely with fork lift trucks, provides a brief overview of the critical issues to consider when developing an FLT strategy. (David Ellison) |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal March 2009:15-17,19 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Balancing act. |
| Managing the risks to the public and firefighters from acetylene cylinders involved in fires without causing unnecessary disruption is a challenge faced by all fire and rescue services in the UK. How the London Fire Brigade's work to find the right balance has learning points for all involved in fire risk management. (Nick Cook) |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal March 2009:23-28 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Protecting through prevention. |
| With knife crime constantly in the headlines, a visit to one police force to find out what action is being taken to protect its officers working on the ground. (Paul Heslop) |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal March 2009:33-35,37 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Farmers brush up on health and safety at free HSE event. |
| More than 200 farmers from Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and South Yorkshire took advantage of free health and safety advice at an interactive event in Nottingham run by the HSE. It showed farmers how to protect their workforce from the dangers associated with farming. It included avoiding slips, trips and falls, machinery maintenance and hydraulics, safe use of tele-handlers and more. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/123 4/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Sleaford garage prosecuted after work experience student suffers burns. |
| Holdingham Garage, owned by Hockmeyer Motors Ltd, was fined £15,000 and costs of £9,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. A student from a local school was enrolled on a work experience placement when he suffered burns from a fire-ball. The fire-ball, which melted the plastic print of his t-shirt onto his skin, was caused by brake fluid which ignited after being sprayed onto a running engine by a colleague. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/889 5/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Loughborough property developer supports new safety campaign. |
| Rob Page, a Loughborough based property developer, who manages firm Mercian Building Services, is supporting a new HSE campaign designed to build awareness among those involved in developing property as part of their business. The health and safety regulator is launching this awareness raising campaign after it discovered that many people developing property for business do not know about the legal responsibilities clients have under CDM 2007. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/880 5/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| HSE warns of dangers of slips, trips and falls after Derbyshire chocolate maker is fined. |
| Thorntons Plc was fined £12,000 and costs of £4,548 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Ashley Taylor 23, was standing on a conveyor belt to cool a depositor, which puts the filling into the centre of chocolates, when he slipped on a wet mat. As he slipped, his hand was thrust inside the depositor hopper and into the rotating rollers. Although a trip bar was provided around the hopper it was not correctly positioned to protect someone standing on the conveyor and his hand was trapped before a fellow employee could stop the machine. He broke 2 bones, suffered severe tissue damage and needed the assistance of the fire service to be freed. He has not been able to return to work since. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/257 5/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| White van road show delivers health and safety messages to construction sites across the North West. |
| The road show coincides with the HSE's campaign targeting 1,500 construction sites, including 200 in the North West, aimed at tackling poor safety standards. The white van road show is sponsored by construction companies, the union UCATT and is supported by the HSE and aims to take messages about health and safety in the construction industry direct to the workers on site. |
HSE (North West) Press Release HSE/NW/0025/2009 3/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Tayside seminar aims to reduce accidents in the cleaning industry. |
| Last year over 350 cleaners were seriously injured while at work in Scotland while many more suffered health problems caused or made worse by work. A free seminar being held on April 1st in Perth, aims to reduce this toll of injury and ill health by providing practical information to the cleaning industry in Scotland. The event is being organised by the Cleaning Industry Liaison Forum and Tayside Contracts, working in partnership. The Forum is the working group where HSE and the industry work together to improve the health and safety performance of the industry. |
Info: melanie.brown@tayside-contracts.co.uk or 01382 834111 HSE (Scotland) Press Release SCO/045/09 4/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Taking steps to ensure worker safety as the visitor season approaches. |
| Injuries to people working in the building maintenance and construction industries cost the UK more than £164 million last year and most of them could have been preventable. HSE launches its latest Slips, Trips and Falls campaign, which aims to highlight the devastating consequences in the workplace. At Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire, where staff are busy preparing the stately home for the new season, there is plenty of cleaning and maintenance work to be carried out before visitors are allowed in and the workers must ensure they are well prepared for the job. |
HSE (West Midlands) Press Release WM549/09 4/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Rockingham Castle backs HSE campaign: first clean of 18th century chandeliers in 25 years. |
| In Northamptonshire 1 person died and 583 people were seriously injured as a result of a slip, trip or fall from height at work last year. Rockingham Castle is supporting the second phase of the Shattered Lives campaign to encourage employers in consultation with employees to 'take action'. HSE and Corby Borough Council Health and Safety Inspectors will be checking out the processes used by Rockingham Castle to clean their 18th century chandeliers for the first time in 25 years. |
HSE (East Midlands) Press Release WM549/09 4/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Over 40 per cent of construction sites in Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria fail safety inspections. |
| Formal warnings were issued to more than 40 per cent of the construction sites visited in Cheshire during a 2 day inspection initiative earlier this week. HSE carried out inspections at 66 sites and issued 28 enforcement notices. 14 of the notices concerned unsafe work at height and the others dealt with the welfare of workers, equipment, electrics and the general state of sites. Work stopped at just over 40 per cent of construction sites visited in Lancashire and Cumbria during a 2 day inspection. 8 notices concerned unsafe work at height, including working on dangerous scaffolding or where guard rails were missing. The rest dealt with asbestos, poor electrics and general state of sites. |
HSE (North West) Press Release HSE/NW/006/2009 5/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| South Yorkshire construction sites targeted in new health and safety action campaign. |
| HSE is to target up to 80 construction sites across South Yorkshire as part of a campaign to tackle poor safety standards. To launch the inspections campaign, HSE inspectors and contractors BAM Construction Ltd - North East, will host a media event at the University of Sheffield's Grade ll listed Arts Tower. There will be the opportunity to travel on the outside of the building to see refurbishment work being carried out to the exterior of the 19th floor. Reporters, photographers and cameramen are invited to attend - meet 10.30am at Porters Lodge at the Arts Tower, off Brook Hill/Western Bank, Sheffield. |
HSE (Yorkshire and Humber) Press Release HSE/YH/84/2009 5/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Electrical contractor to pay £70,000 after ground worker received electric shock. |
| South Eastern Electrical Plc was fined £50,000 and costs of £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Major refurbishment works were being carried out at a supermarket when the store was closed on a Sunday afternoon. A ground works subcontractor suffered an electric shock after coming into contact with a live cable during replacement of lighting columns in the car park. He was unconscious for a short period and suffered burns and bruising. |
HSE (East) Press Release HSE-E-147 5/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Make sure building sites are safe, HSE warns principal contractors. |
| Allerton Dale & Co Limited was fined a total of £3,000 under CDM 2007 and WHR 2005. Simon Hunter, a 33 year old electrician, fell 3 metres through a void on the first floor of a new sports pavilion being built. Mr Hunter was installing a fire alarm cable when scaffolding guardrails which were only properly secured at one end, collapsed as he learnt over them. He suffered serious injuries and was unable to work for a long period. He is still waiting for corrective surgery. |
HSE (Yorkshire and Humber) Press Release YH/85/09 5/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Budding property developers at University of Bolton back health and safety campaign. |
| Budding property development entrepreneurs at the University of Bolton are backing a HSE campaign aimed at reducing the number of deaths and injuries during refurbishment work. Students on the Property Development and Design for Interiors (BA Hons) course at the University of Bolton are supporting the campaign after research revealed that many of these small-scale developers are unaware of their health and safety responsibilities. |
HSE (North West) Press Release HSE/NW/006Boltonuni 6/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| 1500 refurbishment sites targeted |
| The Teesside area is the focus for North East inspections. A team of inspectors from HSE in the North East will be out and about visiting sites across the Teesside area. In support of its Shattered Lives and Hidden Killer campaigns, HSE's inspectors will be targeting Principal Contactors to see how they are managing working at height safely, good order on site and the risks associated with exposure to asbestos. |
HSE (North East) Press Release NE/078/09 6/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Packaging manufacturer fined £3,448 following serious workplace incident. |
| TWP Packaging Limited was fined a total of £3,448, costs of £4,994.95 and a £15 victim surcharge under 2 sections of PUWER 1998. Edwin Hancock suffered a serious injury to his hand while working on a machine called a notcher. It takes a "notch" out of the bottom of a piece of wood. Mr Hancock damaged his hand so severely that he had to spend some time in hospital and he is still unable to return to his normal work. |
HSE (North East) Press Release NE/079/09 6/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Construction sites targeted in Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight in bid to cut workplace accidents. |
| HSE has launched its Construction Inspection Initiative campaign. HSE inspectors visited 114 refurbishment sites across Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, to tackle poor health and safety standards. During the 114 visits, HSE inspectors issued 13 notices showing that around one in 10 construction refurbishment sites were not meeting safety regulations. Although a large number of sites were well run, the number of notices issued showed that construction sites in these areas are not all taking the safety measures they should be. |
HSE (South East) Press Release COISE/C12 6/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Company fined £4,000 after a worker is crushed to death at a Brentford stoneyard. |
| Stoneville (UK) Ltd was fined £4,000 and costs of £2,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Jerzy Tomasz Pejda, an employee of Stoneville, was helping 3 other workers unload a delivery of granite slabs and tiles. The slabs were delivered in a shipping container which held 8 wooden crates. After the first three crates had been removed from the container, Mr Pejda and another colleague climbed inside the container to unload the large granite slabs. Some slabs became unstable and fell towards the centre of the container. Mr Pejda's colleague jumped out of the container, but Mr Pejda was trapped between the falling slabs and a bundle of granite that was secured inside the container. Other workers attempted to free Mr Pejda, but were unable to do so and he was pronounced dead at the scene. |
HSE (London) Press Release HSE/LON/015/2009 6/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| HSE warns of dangers of working at height after worker falls from unsecured ladder. |
| Scandinavian Log Cabins Direct Ltd was fined £500 and costs of £500 under WHR 2005. 48 year old Raymond Martin had been working on a tower scaffold as part of his work to construct a log cabin. During a break, the scaffolded area had been removed, so Mr Martin completed his work using a section of a two-part ladder which was not tied, secured or footed. The ladder slipped and he fell 3 metres onto a concrete floor, sustaining serious injuries, a fractured pelvis and damaged hip. |
HSE (East Midlands) Press Release HSE/252/09 9/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Project to help reduce 'red tape' in food industry. |
| A group of regulators in the South West is launching a project aimed at promoting the wider Government initiative of reducing 'red tape' in businesses. The Better Regulation in Food Industry (BReIF) project, an innovative project funded by the HSE, is committed to reducing the burdens of regulation and inspection for local businesses in the food industry. The project is looking at H&S, fire, trading standards and environmental protection. The Bristol-based project team is keen to hear directly from food-related businesses of all sizes about their experiences with regulators and ideas on how practice and procedures can be improved. |
Contact: Sarah Knife on 0117 988 6025 or sarah.knife@hse.gsi.gov.uk or Karen Goodwin on 0117 988 6011 or Karen.goodwin@hse.gsi.gov.uk HSE (South West) Press Release HSE/252/09 9/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Construction companies fined after serious accident on building site. |
| Laing O'Rourke Construction South Ltd was fined £80,000 and costs of £10,000 under WHR 2005. Sub contractor Durable Contracts Ltd, was fined £25,000 and costs of £10,000 under MHSWR 1999. The 2 companies were involved in the construction of a new laboratory block and gatehouse for a pharmaceutical manufacturer. 57 year old Tony Scott suffered severe, extensive and long-lasting injuries after falling through an unmarked hole in the roof of the newly constructed gatehouse. |
HSE (South East) Press Release COISE/03-01 9/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| 48 refurbishment sites across Newcastle targeted. |
| 48 refurbishment sites in the Newcastle area were visited in a bid to crackdown on poor health and safety standards last week. A team of inspectors from HSE have been out and about visiting sites across the Newcastle area. As a result of the inspections 24 enforcement notices were issued. 8 notices were served in relation to potential exposure to asbestos, 6 notices were served due to failings to take appropriate measures to prevent persons falling, 2 notices were served due to poor housekeeping, a major contributor to the risk of injury from slips trips and falls. The other notices served related to inadequate welfare facilities. |
HSE (North East) Press Release NE/083/09 9/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Health and Safety Executive warn of danger of unguarded machines after employee has fingers amputated. |
| BASF Construction Chemicals (UK) Ltd was fined £12,000 and costs of £7,280 under HASAWA 1974 s2. An experienced employee was cleaning a Winkworth ribbon blender, which is used to mix products and is cleaned to avoid cross contamination when different colours are used. A pressure hose had been used to clean the inside of the machine but it was custom and practice for employees to use rags to dry the inside of the machine after washing. The machine operator returned to the machine and noticed a rag hanging down from the discharge chute. As he went to pull the rag clear, his left hand was suddenly dragged into the machine amputating his fingers and thumb. There was no guard on the discharge chute and no safe system of work for cleaning the machine. |
HSE (North West) Press Release HSE/NW/047BASF/2009 10/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Northumberland cheese churns up support for HSE campaign. |
| An award-winning cheese maker is churning up support for the HSE in the latest phase of its "Shattered Lives" campaign. The Northumberland Cheese Company, established in 1984, now produces a range of fine cows' and goats' milk cheeses. The Company is keen to churn up support for the Shattered Lives campaign and invited HSE inspectors into their premises to offer advice on how to avoid accidents from slips, trips and falls. |
HSE (North East) Press Release NE/087/09 11/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Nearly 40 per cent of construction sites fail safety inspections in Oldham and Rochdale. |
| Formal warnings were issued at nearly 40 per cent of the construction sites visited in Oldham and Rochdale during a day-long inspection initiative. HSE carried out inspections at 22 sites and issued 8 enforcement notices. In Rochdale 11 sites visited, 4 notices issued concerning people working unsafely at height. In Oldham 11 sites visited, 3 notices issued for unsafe work at height and 1 for poor site management. |
HSE (North East) Press Release HSE/NW/009/2009 12/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Recruitment under way to improve safety for Polish, Romanian and Indian construction workers. |
| Migrant workers make up a significant proportion of the workforce in London's construction industry and the HSE has identified them as a particularly vulnerable group within it. HSE is now recruiting outreach workers to work alongside its inspectors and Compliance Officers and increase HSE's interaction with some of the largest groups of migrant workers in construction. |
HSE (London) Press Release HSECON/LON/007 12/3/09 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Alexander Hendry |
| Prison under HASAWA 1974 s33. No Sep Penalty under GSIUR 1998. Installation of a gas boiler and removal of a gas fire subsequently identified as "At Risk", whilst not being CORGI registered nor holding any competencies to undertake such work and in breach of a PN. Further to this leaving an uncapped gas pipe following removal of the fire. Previous advice back to 1998, previous registration prior to this and prosecuted for similar offences at same time as PN served. |
HSE Prosecution 40818030 29/12/08 Week ending: 13/03/09 |
| Aberystwyth scaffolding collapse at railway station highlights construction dangers. |
| C Sneade Ltd was fined a total of £10,000 and costs of £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. MW Scaffolding Ltd was fined a total of £8,000 and costs of £6,700 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. A section of system scaffolding 52 metres in length and 3 levels high located in a building site adjacent to Aberystwyth railway terminus collapsed and obstructed the track. No-one was injured in the incident, but workers had been using the scaffold only minutes before and members of the public were also placed at risk by the collapse. Investigation by the HSE involving a scaffolding specialist identified that neither company involved on the erection of the scaffolding had undertaken specific design calculations to ensure its strength and stability, nor had they inspected it once it had been erected. The addition of debris netting shortly before the collapse contributed to the instability of the scaffolding. |
HSE (National) Press Release 159/W/09 18/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Dockers win asbestos compensation fight. |
| Two victims of asbestos exposure in the UK's dockyards have won an important High Court fight to secure compensation from the Government. Edward Rice was 67 years old when he died in 2000 from mesothelioma, his widow has been awarded damages of £120,376 plus interest of £33,429. Robert Thomson, also 67, suffers from diffuse pleural thickening and psychological injury as a result of exposure to asbestos and has been awarded £37,000 provisional damages. |
Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):2 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| EU stress agreement reaches parts others fail to reach. |
| Bodies representing European employers and workers claim that their 2004 agreement on work-related stress has resulted in improvements that would otherwise not have been granted. The EU "social partners" issued their report in December 2008. |
Internet: www.lexisurl.com/HSB414 Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):3 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Vibration doubts. |
| A study of six member states estimates that the whole-body vibration action level established by the 2002 Vibration Directive is being exceeded by operators of most off-road machinery and agricultural and forestry tractors when travel is frequent. |
Internet: "Workplace exposure ? An expert review" European Risk Observatory Report EN7 www.lexisurl.com/HSB737 Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):4 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Roller shutters. |
| Several deaths and serious injuries in recent years have led to the Door and Hardware Federation producing HSE-endorsed guidance on the design and selection of roller shutter door barrels. |
"Best practice guide ? door barrels" www.lexisurl.com/HSB786 Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):4 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Legislative changes. |
| The Control of Noise at Work Regs 2005 are to be amended to include a requirement that hearing protection supplied for use at work complies with the Personal Protective Equipment Regs 2002. It will correct an "oversight" in the 2005 Regs. |
Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):4 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| COSHH - foundries. |
| An HSE-commissioned analysis of over 20 thousand records of exposure to 30 ferrous foundry particulate and other chemicals has found that they were generally well controlled and within their Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs). |
Internet: "Analysis of CTI Foundry dataset", HSE RR67, www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr677.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):5 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| COSHH - silica. |
| The HSE is embarking on a campaign to highlight the health risks of working with Respirable Crystalline Silica. |
Internet: "Time to clear the air!" www.lexisurl.com/HSB840 Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):5 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Dermatitis - guidance. |
| HSE has published new guidance on preventing skin disease. |
Internet: "Managing skin exposure risks at work" HSG62 www.lexisurl.com/akqua Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):5 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Docks - advice. |
| The HSE has revamped its docks website to focus on vehicles, falls from height, lifting and carrying, and slips and trips. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/docks/index.htm Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):5 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Major hazards - reliability. |
| HSE-commissioned research has resulted in the identification of 17 "human reliability assessments (HRA) tools" that are of potential use to the HSE's major hazards directorates. HRA involves the use of qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the human contribution to risk. |
Internet: "Review of human methods" HSE RR679 www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr679.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):5-6 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Manual handling - airports. |
| According to a recent HSL report on HSE-commissioned research, baggage handling should be mechanised as much as possible. |
Internet: "Reducing the risks ... baggage for narrow-bodies aircraft" HSE RR674 www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr674.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):6 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Nuclear - incidents. |
| There were no nuclear incident at the UK's nuclear installations in the last three months of 2008. |
Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):6 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Risk assessment - diversity. |
| Advice on the impact of diversity issues on H&S is now available. The site looks at how RAs should take account of things such as race, gender and religion. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/diversity/risk Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):6 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Transport - roads. |
| Research from the HSL has tried to establish why loads shift during transit and then fall from vehicles, the cause of 5 fatal, 216 major an 946 over 3 day injuries in the "freight by road" industry in 2006/07 and 2007/08. They found that shifting is often due to a lack of (or inappropriate) securing, and to poor loading and stacking. There may also be deeper issues such as a lack of safety culture, and a lack of communication, engagement and standards across the industry. |
Internet: "Accidents in the transport industry" HSE RR681 www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr681.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):6 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Waste - offensive. |
| New guidance for managers of waste-management operations covers contact with "offensive" and hygiene wastes from places such as medical care practices. |
Internet: "Managing offensive/hygiene waste" www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/waste22.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):6 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Work at height - roofers. |
| With roofers accounting for nearly one in four of all workers killed in falls from height at work, the HSE has issued a third edition of its guidance. |
"Health and safety in roofwork" HSG33 £12.95 Internet: www.lexisurl.com/ulNfP Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):6 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Back to Black and rehab. |
| The Government could have done more to help and encourage employers in its response to the Black report. (Howard Fidderman) |
Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):7-12 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Slough office finds "glad rag" counselling is no defence. |
| Reporting on a Court of Appeal decision that should help workers claiming compensation for work-related stress. (Howard Fidderman) |
Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):13-17 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| It's time to clear the air. |
| With the HSE hopeful that its recent campaign will raise awareness of the dangers of crystalline silica, a look at a health hazard that's as old as the hills. (Becky Allen) |
Health and Safety Bulletin March 2009 (376):18-20 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Train risks soar. |
| The number of potentially high-risk accidents on Britain's rail network increased last year, largely due to a rise in the number of trains striking vehicles at level crossings. Figures issued by the RSSB show that there were 20 such collisions in 2008, 9 more than in 2007, resulting in the deaths of two people. 13 pedestrians were killed at level crossings in 2008, compared with 9 in 2007. |
Safety Express March/April 2009:1 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Warning after deaths at care homes. |
| HSE is warning health and social care employers to ensure that they carry out adequate risk assessments following a number of deaths in care homes. Over the last two years, 34 care service users have died in accidents. Managers are being urged to consider the suitability of equipment and training of staff in particular. |
Safety Express March/April 2009:2 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Know your rights. |
| The Government has launched a new campaign to help ensure that agency workers are treated fairly by the employment agencies that hire them. |
Internet: www.direct.gov.uk/agencyworkers Safety Express March/April 2009:2 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Asbestos survey for schools. |
| The Dept for Children, Schools and Families is conducting a survey to discover the amount of asbestos present in school buildings. The survey, in conjunction with the HSE, follows up on guidance released in 2007 on the presence of asbestos in CLASP and other system-built schools. The survey is open till 3 April for completion by Local Education Authorities or any other "duty holder" of schools or children's settings. |
Internet: www.dcsf.gov.uk/localauthorities/index.cfm?action=content&contentID=17952&categoryID=75&subcategoryID=106 Safety Express March/April 2009:3 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Fairground ride owner cleared over death. |
| Philip Raymond, the owner of a fairground ride has been found not guilty of H&S breaches following the death of one of its employees. Dariusz Antosik, a Polish national, died after his clothing became trapped in the ride's drive shaft, strangling him. |
Safety Express March/April 2009:6 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| No guard on meat slicer. |
| Waynes Foods Ltd fined £16,000 following a failure to provide adequate training to staff. An 18-year old cut her finger on a meat slicing machine with a missing guard. |
Safety Express March/April 2009:7 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Workplace noise guide. |
| The TUC has published new guidance on dealing with noise at work - a problem which, it is estimated, puts the hearing of over a million employees at risk. Aimed at H&S reps, the guide examines the legislation surrounding workplace noise and looks at ways to protect workers from possible damage to their hearing. |
Internet: www.tuc.org.uk/h_and_s/tuc-15948-f0.cfm Safety Express March/April 2009: Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Anatomy of a fall. |
| A look at what happens to the body when we slip, trip or fall and finding out that the damage can last a lifetime. (Jacky Steemson) |
Safety Express March/April 2009:10-11 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Tackling mental health issues at work. |
| A series of four short films has been released to bring the issues surrounding mental health in the workplace into the open. |
Internet: http://shift.org.uk/employers Safety Express March/April 2009:12 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Unpaid overtime levels increase. |
| The TUC has revealed that record numbers of people worked unpaid overtime last year. They calculate that 5.24 million workers in the UK did extra unpaid work, with each employee racking up an average of just over seven hours every week. |
Safety Express March/April 2009:14 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Rail union call for better cab conditions. |
| Train drivers' union ASLEF is calling for new legislation to set out a maximum temperature for the workplace. Currently only a minimum workplace temperature is defined by law (16 degrees Celsius or 13 degrees Celsius in a physically strenuous job). Although the Regs state that the overall temperature in "all workplaces inside buildings" should be "reasonable", this does not legally apply to the driving cab of a train. |
Safety Express March/April 2009:14 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Talking hands-free slows reaction times. |
| Psychology researchers conducted a series of experiments to test the response times of participants who were distracted by a hands-free phone call, compared with those with no distraction. Those engaged in conversation made 83% more errors and had reaction times that were 212 milliseconds slower than those who were not. |
Safety Express March/April 2009:15 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Liverpool hosts prestigious health and safety event. |
| Liverpool's BT Convention Centre was this year's venue for the 60th annual conference and exhibition organised by IOSH and hosted in part by the HSE which is largely based on Merseyside. The event will be chaired by a Channel 4 News presenter, who will grill HSE's Chief Executive, Geoffrey Podger in front of more than 700 delegates with a 45 minute Q&A. |
HSE (National) Press Release E022:09 16/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Latest figures on pesticide residues released. |
| The Pesticide Residues Committee today published findings from its third quarterly 2008 report. The report found that 539 out of 824 samples of 16 different foods tested had no detectable residues. Meanwhile 277 samples contained levels below the maximum residue level, the legally permitted level. It found that 8 samples contained residues above the maximum permitted levels but none of these residues were likely to cause concern for peoples health. No residues were detected in any samples of milk, pork, turkey, water or cider and perry. |
HSE (National) Press Release E023:09 17/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Costs of safety shortcuts can hit property developers even harder in the downturn, HSE warns. |
| With many property developers already suffering from the effects of the economic downturn, some may be tempted to cut corners when developing property, but compromising on safety can cost lives, cost them dear and could put them out of business. As a result the HSE is currently campaigning to increase H&S awareness among those involved in developing property as part of their business. Research shows that many small-scale developers do not know about the legal responsibilities clients have under the CDM 2007. |
HSE (South East) Press Release 13/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| A scaffolding collapse in a pedestrian walkway "could have been so much worse", warns HSE. |
| SGB Services Ltd was fined a total of £4,000 and costs of £6,000 under WHR 2005. John Davies Interiors Ltd was fined £5,000 and costs of £1,996 under WHR 2005. HSE is warning construction companies and property developers to ensure they provide safe scaffolding, which is regularly inspected, after 2 companies were fined for a scaffolding collapse. Scaffolding measuring between up to 50ft high and spanning 100ft along the side of a building, collapsed across a road as it was being used by pedestrians. SGB Services Ltd had not ensured that the working platforms they had installed were erected to ensure that components did not become accidentally displaced as to endanger workers or passers-by. John Davies Interiors Ltd had not ensured that the working platforms were not used in that position, as they had not been inspected within the previous seven days. |
HSE (West Midlands and South East) Press Release WM/525/09 and COISE/0303 13/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Free health and safety advice for migrant workers at Aberdeen event. |
| Migrant workers in Aberdeen are urged to attend a free evening workshop on Thursday 26 March at the Carmelite Hotel, Aberdeen at 7pm. Refreshments will be available from 6.30pm. Advice will be provided about their rights and responsibilities under health and safety law. Together the HSE and SCHWL have teamed up to provide migrant workers with practical information on their right to a safe working environment and what to do if they are concerned about their health and safety at work. |
HSE (Scotland) Press Release SCO/047/09 15/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| HSE launches campaign to prevent accidents in the West Midlands education sector. |
| The HSE has joined forces with Dudley College to launch a new campaign in the West Midlands to prevent accidents in schools, colleges and universities. HSE's Shattered Lives campaign is highlighting the devastating consequences that slips, trips and falls can have on people's lives, with five deaths and more than 4,200 serious injuries in West Midlands workplaces last year. |
HSE (West Midlands) Press Release WM575/09 16/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| HSE warns factory operators to ensure machinery is safe. |
| Kingspan Ltd was fined £3,500 and costs of £1,949.70 under PUWER 1998. Employee Anthony Rackham suffered serious injuries when he was pulled into a machine at a sheet steel-rolling plant. Mr Rackham was making drainage fall pipe components and was feeding a sheet of steel into a lock form machine when his gloved hand became caught in the front rollers, pulling his lower arm into the machine. His arm was crushed and sustained a double fracture. |
HSE (Yorkshire and Humber) Press Release HSE/YH/103/09 16/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| HSE teams up with Barnfield College to say "slips, trips and falls are not a joke!". |
| Luton's Barnfield College is backing the HSE's Slips, Trips and Falls campaign to raise awareness about the importance of taking health and safety seriously. The HSE visited the college to help promote the campaign, which forms the second phase of the wider Shattered Lives campaign. |
HSE (East) Press Release HSE-E-149 16/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Lessons in health and safety with Northbrook College. |
| The HSE is currently running a campaign to increase health and safety awareness amongst those involved in developing property as part of their business. At Northbrook College, students in the Construction Department, on courses such as carpentry and brickwork, were being taught the skills of their trade and lessons in health and safety. |
HSE (South East) Press Release COISE/PD2 16/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Long Clawson Dairy back HSE campaign. |
| Stilton producers Long Clawson have pledged their support to the HSE in the latest phase of its" Shattered Lives" campaign. In Leicester 1 person was killed and 679 were seriously injured as a result of a slip, trip or fall from height at work last year. Food manufacturing is one of the most common industries for slips, trips and falls. |
HSE (East Midlands) Press Release EM/254/09 16/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Putting the health in health and safety - Staff at Portsmouth Primary Care Trust help stop slips, trips and falls at work. |
| Staff from the Older Persons' Mental Health ward at Portsmouth Primary Care Trust teamed up with the HSE to show good health and safety practice as part of the Shattered Lives campaign. In Hampshire and the Isle of Wight last year 1,098 people suffered an injury following a slip, trip or fall at work. This has prompted the awareness raising campaign by the HSE. |
HSE (South East) Press Release COISESTF03 16/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| 58 refurbishment sites across Teesside targeted. |
| 58 refurbishment sites in the Teesside area were visited in a bid to crackdown on poor health and safety standards. As a result of the inspections 26 Enforcement Notices were issued. 5 were served in relation to potential exposure to asbestos. 15 were served due to failings to take appropriate measures to prevent persons falling. 1 was served due to poor housekeeping. Other notices served related to a failure to provide adequate lighting, unsafe access to and from buildings, electrical safety issues, lack of competency of site management and a failure to appoint a CDM Co-ordinator which is a requirement under CDM 2007. |
HSE (North East) Press Release NE/097/09 16/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Keeping it sweet. Canterbury chocolate shop helps stop slips, trips and falls at work. |
| Madame Oiseau, a chocolate shop, has teamed up with the HSE to show good health and safety in practice as part of the Shattered Lives campaign. HSE Inspector met the owner and staff at the chocolatiere to see how they prevent slips and trips whilst working in the food manufacturing sector. Madame Oiseau has a flawless health and safety record since setting up shop in Canterbury in 2005. |
HSE (South East) Press Release COISESTF03 16/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| HSE gets results with construction site safety checks in Leeds. |
| HSE inspectors made unannounced visits to 51 construction sites in the Leeds area and inspected 110 contractors. 8 PNs where the risk of serious personal injury was so great that work activities had to be stopped. 1 IN imposed for problems relating to unsafe work at height. 5 notices were issued as a result of more general safety concerns. |
HSE (Yorkshire and the Humber) Press Release YH/104/08 16/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| New Gas Safety Regulator. |
| In response to Public and Industry calls for change, from April 1st, consumers only need to look for the new logo of the Gas Safe Register which will appear on the engineer's identification card along with their photo. This is the only scheme gas engineers need to be a member of. Anyone who wishes to find out more can visit www.gassaferegister.co.uk A photo is available showing what the new Identity Card will look like. |
HSE (East) Press Release Gas Safety 16/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| HSE warns of importance of protective equipment as a Huddersfield worker is scarred by molten plastic. |
| Forteq (UK) Limited was fined £1,250 and costs of £2,224.40 under PPEWR 1992. An employee of the company suffered burn injuries as molten plastic sprayed onto his face, neck and arms whilst he was stripping the barrel of an injection moulding machine. The employee, who was not wearing eye, face or arm protection remains visibly scarred. |
HSE (Yorkshire and the Humber) Press Release YH/107/08 17/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Advice for London property developers at Olympia landlord and buy-to-let show this week. |
| The HSE is currently campaigning to increase H&S awareness among those involved in developing property as part of their business. To help these H&S messages to hit home, HSE is hosting a stand at the Landlord and Buy-to-Let Show at Olympia. |
HSE (London) Press Release 18/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| National Construction College Scotland investing in training to prevent slips, trips and falls. |
| The National Construction College Scotland places great emphasis on safety within their training, helping to ensure that the next generation of construction workers know all about the dangers of slips, trips and falls. The college is backing the HSE's Shattered Lives campaign. |
HSE (Scotland) Press Release SCO/050/09 18/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Slips, trips and falls are no joke - Derby College back HSE campaign. |
| Derby College has pledged their support to the HSE in the latest phase of its Shattered Lives campaign. In Derbyshire 711 people were seriously injured as a result of a slip, trip or fall from height in work last year. |
HSE (East Midlands) Press Release EM/262/09 18/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Event aims to make North East construction industry safer. |
| Builders, scaffolders, roofers, electricians, joiners and painters, in fact anyone who works in construction are being invited to a special event at Gateshead International Stadium on Wednesday, 8 April 2009. The HSE has teamed up with regional organisations and safety groups to host a day dedicated to raising awareness of important H&S issues specific to the construction industry in order to try and reduce the number of fatal and serious incidents in construction. The event will consist of a series of presentations aimed at construction managers and operatives, starting at 9.30 and 1.30pm, which will last for approx two hours. |
Internet: www.wwt.uk.com/events.htm or 0191 202 6209 HSE (North East) Press Release NE/100/09 18/3/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| IC Roofing Ltd |
| Sep Penalty under HASAWA 1974 s2. Darren Hoofe was killed falling through a fragile roof light. IC Roofing were replacing industrial rooflights using 2 crawling boards and one scissor lift. Whilst moving materials from one side of the roof to the other Darren fell through one of the roof lights. A PN had previously been served on the company in 2000 regarding working on a fragile roof. |
HSE Prosecution 4125067 5/1/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Mr Colin Cooper |
| Sep Penalty under HASAWA 1974 s37. Fatal Accident to Darren Hoofe. Mr Cooper, and IC Roofing have been found guilty of Manslaughter on a majority verdict of 11 to 1. Mr Cooper sentenced to 12 months in prison and IC Roofing fined £10,000. No separate fine for the HASAWA breaches. Mr Cooper disqualified as a Director for 3 years. |
HSE Prosecution 4125164 5/1/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Laing O'Rourke Construction Limited |
| Fined £80,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. An employee fell more than 3 metres during the construction of concrete stairs inside an apartment block. The employee sustained multiple serious head and other injuries and narrowly escaped falling 3 floors to the base of the building. Two other workers also escaped injury while working in the same unprotected area. The accident occurred because the company failed to make adequate risk assessments and plan a safe system of work. |
HSE Prosecution 4080011 6/1/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Peter Ernest Homes Ltd |
| Fined £5,000 under CHSWR 1996. Suitable and sufficient steps not taken to ensure that dismantling of scaffold was planned or carried out in a safe manner. |
HSE Prosecution 4139233 5/1/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| F&R Crawley Ltd |
| Fined a total of £5,900 under PUWER 1998 and MHSWR 1999. IP was struck on the head by a metal door that fell off a newly refurbished rear end loading skip. The company had no monitoring system in place to prevent the skip leaving its fabrication workshop in an unsafe condition. |
HSE Prosecution 4127389 7/1/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| George Farrar (Quarries) Ltd |
| Fined £3,000 under CSHHR 2002. Following accident investigation, a site inspection was carried out. Company process sandstone. They carry out wet cutting with both primary and secondary saws, as well as dry hand machining. Very poor control of exposure, therefore 1 PN served on dry machining and 2 INs served served on control measures and health surveillance.. |
HSE Prosecution 4141522 7/1/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| George Farrar (Quarries) Ltd |
| Fined a total of £6,000 under WHR 2005 and MHSWR 1999. Jacek Jurek was emptying a skip of waste stone into a tipper wagon using an overhead crane, when he fell approx 5m off the side of the wagon. |
HSE Prosecution 4142835 7/1/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Southern Cross Healthcare Group Plc |
| Fined £80,000 under MHSWR 1999. Fatal accident of Maisie Jones. |
HSE Prosecution 40617830 8/1/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Tower Hamlets London Borough Council |
| Fined £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. |
HSE Prosecution 4127528 8/1/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Associated Waste Management Ltd |
| Fined £75,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. A wagon came into the yard waiting to be advised when he could tip his load. The IP's colleague, who was acting as Banksman, asked the IP to inform the driver to remain in his position for a couple of minutes until he was ready to back him into the bay to unload the container off the back of the Roll-on-Off wagon. In the meantime another driver with a 32 tonne Roll-on-Off wagon had positioned his vehicle ready to reverse. The wagon driver had observed the site and had seen where the two operatives were positioned. He began to reverse but hit the IP resulting in a fatal accident. |
HSE Prosecution 4131524 8/1/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Christian Salvesen PLC |
| Fined £2,500 under WHSWR 1992. Condition of the yard surface. No accident or incident involved. The local management team had been patching the yard and sending capital expenditure request to head office for a number of years, with no responses. |
HSE Prosecution 4132994 8/1/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Barton Hill Settlement |
| Fined £4,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. A team of volunteers from Prince's Trust Volunteer Team 121, were working in a building and part of this work included the removal of a partition wall. This was done using hand tools and portable electric equipment. This resulted in the release of large amounts of dust and contamination of the premises. It was subsequently established that this wall was constructed from Asbestos Insulation Board. Barton Hill Settlement did not conduct their undertaking in such a way as to ensure that those not in their employment were not exposed to risks to their health and safety. They also failed to have in place an effective asbestos survey that was understood and actioned in order to prevent the volunteers coming on to site and disturbing asbestos containing materials resulting in exposure. |
HSE Prosecution 4136601 8/1/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| City of Bristol College |
| Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. A team of volunteers from Prince's Trust Volunteer Team 121, were working in a building managed by Barton Hill Settlement. Part of this work included the removal of a partition wall. This was done using hand tools and portable electric equipment. This resulted in the release of large amounts of dust and contamination of the premises. It was subsequently established that this wall was constructed from Asbestos Insulation Board. The College did not conduct its undertaking in such a way, so far as was reasonably practicable, to ensure that those not in their employment were not exposed to risks to their health and safety. The College allowed a team of volunteers to carry out work liable to expose them to asbestos with no suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk or control measures in place to combat that risk. |
HSE Prosecution 4136617 8/1/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Claire Fontaine |
| Fined a total of £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s6. As the manufacturer of the machine, failure to comply with a number of the essential health and safety requirements in the Supply of Machinery Regulations. |
HSE Prosecution 4091223 9/1/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Andrew West |
| Fined £7,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Failure to provide and maintain a safe system of work for cleaning the Kronen slicing machines. |
HSE Prosecution 4091235 9/1/09 Week ending: 20/03/09 |
| Camden Council fined £40,000 following electrocution of scaffolder. |
| London Borough of Camden was fined £40,000 and costs of £16,445 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Ralph Kennedy was employed by Beacon Scaffolding, a company to whom the council had subcontracted the work. Mr Kennedy and his colleague were dismantling a scaffold. While standing on the first 'lift' of the scaffold Mr Kennedy came into contact with an external security lamp which was attached to the wall. The metal casing of the light was conducting an electrical current of 240v and the shock killed Mr Kennedy instantly. While attending Mr Kennedy on the scaffold, a police community support officer also brushed against the security lamp and received an electric shock. |
HSE (London) Press Release HSE/LON/016/2009 25/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Clash over contrasting findings on directors' duties. |
| Calls have been renewed to put directors' duties on a statutory footing, after an HSE-commissioned study indicated that the voluntary code, published in October 2007, had failed to make an impact among company directors. But manufacturers' organisation, EEF, is against such a move, pointing to conflicting findings that directors of manufacturing companies are, in fact, taking their responsibilities seriously. |
SHP March 2009:6 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Quality Badge should act as safe school-trip marker. |
| The Royal Philharmonic and Cadbury World are among the first 65 organisations to be awarded the Quality Badge that proves to schools planning pupil outings that they have suitable risk management processes in place. |
SHP March 2009:8 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Pair cleared of manslaughter after farm fatality. |
| Roy and Michael Hill have been cleared of manslaughter charges, but have been found guilty of H&S offences. Roy Hill was fined a total of £5,000 and costs of £1,500 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and MHSWR 1999. Michael Hill was fined £2,500 and costs of £500 under HASAWA 1974 s7. The cases happened after Lee Mason died whilst apparently attempting to clear a blockage in an unguarded soil-sifting machine. |
SHP March 2009:11 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| High-street retailer failed to enforce lift-riding ban. |
| Marks and Spencer fined £20,000 and costs of £11,113 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s33. An employee was riding on the scissor lift from yard level up to the loading bay when his left foot became trapped in a recess in the loading bay floor, resulting in the amputation of part of his big toe. The combination of poorly-maintained equipment, inadequate pre-use checks, and a written rule that the lift was for "goods only" that was not enforced, directly resulted in the accident. |
SHP March 2009:11 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Hotel closed in asbestos scare. |
| Realco fined £52,000 and costs of £11,200 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and s22. Staff and guests of the Kensington Edwardian Hotel were exposed to potentially lethal doses of asbestos. |
SHP March 2009:14 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| High time for definition. |
| If the courts engaged in proper analysis to come up with an accepted definition of risk, matters would be greatly improved for employers who are unsure about what is expected of them. (Michael Appleby) |
SHP March 2009:17 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Beware rewind. |
| Several regulatory developments in health and safety are paving the way for a tougher enforcement regime in the future. Companies should exercise caution when helping the HSE with its enquiries. (Atiyah Malik) |
SHP March 2009:39-40 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Opening time. |
| Sharing the learning and challenges involved in dealing with safety culture at Airbus UK and the company's subsequent efforts to change at a time when other business pressures are significant. (Alwyn Bithell) |
SHP March 2009:41-42 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Progression by percolation. |
| Those who are serious about developing professionalism in OSH need to adopt an individualistic approach. (Linda Evans) |
SHP March 2009:43-44 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Rock-steady strategy. |
| Quarrying is one of the most dangerous industries in which to work, but since 2000, the sector-based Hard Target initiative has succeeded in greatly reducing the number of reportable injuries. Highlighting some key points from the initiative, and its follow-up, discussing how they can be applied to other sectors and organisations, and demonstrating how applying what is already known can be a formula for success. (Nigel Bryson) |
SHP March 2009:46-48 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Optical conclusions. |
| EU Member States have just over a year left to implement regulations supporting the Physical Agents (Artificial Optical Radiation) Directive. A look at the implications for companies operating in the UK. (John Goacher) |
SHP March 2009:51-52 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Keep the motor running. |
| The Field Operations Directorate is the engine room of the Health and Safety Executive, propelling it forward on the inspection, investigation, and enforcement highway. The new man in charge of keeping all the pistons firing. (Tina Weadick) |
SHP March 2009:54-56 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Information sheet. |
| A revised information sheet called 'Wood-based panel products and timber in fire', has been issued by Trada Technology and Chiltern Intern'l Fire. It links the requirements of UK Building Regs with relevant British and European test standards. |
Internet: www.trada.co.uk Non members £12+p&p Fire Risk Management March 2009:3 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Going green. |
| All of Scotland's eight Chief Fire Officers signed a groundbreaking environmental protection declaration in January. The first of its kind in Scotland, it lays down the commitments that the services will work individually and collectively to deliver. |
Fire Risk Management March 2009:4 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Fire alarm failures lead to prosecutions. |
| Brian and David Murdoch fined a total of £11,600 and costs of £39,695 under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The case followed a fire in a building which led to four tenants, who were asleep at the time, having to be rescued. Failure to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, and to ensure that facilities, equipment and devices were suitably maintained and in good working order. In a separate case, a business woman in Leicester was fined £2,400 after pleading guilty to three charges relating to inadequate fire safety provision at a Chinese restaurant she owns. |
Fire Risk Management March 2009:5 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Hazard analysis. |
| Exploring fire and explosion hazard management - including emergency planning - at onshore oil and petrochemical facilities. (Paul Watkins) |
Fire Risk Management March 2009:12-16 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Fixed position. |
| A consideration of the design of gas detection systems and the all-important positioning of sensors. (Steve Robinson) |
Fire Risk Management March 2009:19-21 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Radiation limits. |
| The role of the International Atomic Energy Agency in building national capabilities for responding to radiological emergencies. (Elena Buglova and Warren Stern) |
Fire Risk Management March 2009:22-26 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Crossing points. |
| The risk assessment for the new Tyne road tunnel, set to be the first in the UK with a fixed fire suppression system. (Eva Chan and Fathi Tarada) |
Fire Risk Management March 2009:34-37 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Studley Green - Ten years on. |
| A review of the success of the residential sprinkler project at Studley Green and a consideration of the future of such systems in social housing. (Julian Parsons) |
Fire Risk Management March 2009:41-45 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Green policy. |
| A partnership approach was central to achieving the residential sprinkler installation at Studley Green. (Sir George Pigot) |
Fire Risk Management March 2009:46-47 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Into the thin air. |
| A radically different method of fire protection that works by prevention rather than cure - oxygen reduction. (Steve Higgs) |
Fire Risk Management March 2009:49-52 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| For the record. |
| Providing effective fire protection for archive stores holding important - and often business-critical - paper records presents some interesting challenges. (Clark Priestley) |
Fire Risk Management March 2009:53-55 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| No harm down on the farm - family run farm shop backs HSE campaign to keep staff safe. |
| Ashlyn's Farm Shop in Essex, has pledged their support to the HSE in the latest phase of its Shattered Lives campaign. Staff at Ashlyn's are keen to ensure that safety remains high on their agenda whilst busy serving customers at the popular Farm Shop on the A414. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/E/153:09 23/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Newham haulier fined for fatal HGV incident. |
| John Peter Wootten, formerly trading as AEP Aggregates, was fined £4,000 and costs of £750 under MHSWR 1999. Joseph Caruana, an employee, was unloading shingle. He reversed the articulated lorry up a concrete ramp into the unloading bay and activated the tipping mechanism. He engaged the tractor handbrake but not the trailer parking brake and as he failed to release the tailgate of the trailer the single load built up at the rear of it. The weight caused the vehicle to skid down the ramp. When Mr Caruana noticed this he got into his vehicle but had no time to shut the door, the vehicle jack-knifed throwing him from the cab and under the advancing wheels of the trailer and he died of multiple injuries at the scene. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/LON/015/2009 23/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Company fined after inaccurate asbestos survey leads to exposure. |
| Bestoff Services Ltd was fined £3,000, costs of £2,091.70 and victim surcharge of £15 under HASAWA 1974 s3. The company carried out an asbestos survey on a site and reported that the site contained no asbestos. 2 members of staff began work on the site the following month and part of their job involved removing panels of fibrous board. Several days later the site manager became suspicious about the pieces of fibrous panels that had been removed and they were analysed. Results showed they did in fact contain asbestos. An additional survey was carried out which identified asbestos-containing materials in several areas throughout the building, including the area where the 2 men had been working. |
HSE (National) Press Release COI/SE/0503 23/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| HSE praises health and safety in Norfolk and Suffolk - inspectors visited Norwich, Dereham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. |
| Health and Safety standards on construction sites in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex have been praised following a series of visits by inspectors from the HSE. HSE carried out a week of targeted inspections earlier in March and the results showed a big improvement since the last round of visits on 2008. There were PNs issued on some sites. Inspectors also targeted sites in Southend and Rayleigh. 2 PNs were issued. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/E/151:09 23/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Employer fined after worker was injured in fall. |
| Mr Andrew Howard, partner in the Beechdean Dairies partnership, was fined £6,000, costs of £5,000 and victim surcharge of £15 under HASAWA 1974 s2. An employee was felting a link roof and filling in gaps between the link roof, freezers and walls, when the ladder he was standing on slipped or fell and he fell, breaking both his wrists. |
HSE (National) Press Release COI/SE/0603 24/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| HSE prosecutes scaffolders for injury to a pedestrian from a metal pole that fell. |
| Sky Scaffolding (Midlands) Ltd, was fined a total of £4,000 and costs of £1,761 under WHR 2005 and MHSWR 1999. Scaffolding was being erected on the pavement outside the front of a building. The pavement had not been closed or restricted and pedestrians were passing-by. Two qualified scaffolders were working approx 5 metres above ground and one had momentarily leant a short pole against a guardrail. As he turned away the steel pole, weighting several pounds, fell onto a passing member of the public injuring her with a significant gash on her leg, requiring hospital treatment. The company was charged with not taking suitable and sufficient steps to prevent any person being struck by falling material or object liable to cause personal injury. They were also charged with not conducting a suitable and sufficient risk assessment. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/WM/586/2009 24/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| HSE warns Cambridge firms after visiting 18 construction sites during March. |
| Inspectors targeted 18 locations in Cambridge, visiting projects where refurbishment, repair and maintenance projects were taking place. Issues being looked at were work at height, good site order and risks associated with removal of asbestos. 7 PNs, which order work to stop until it may be performed safely, were served. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/E/156:09 24/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Museum staff watch their step whilst preparing to open to public. |
| Staff and volunteers at the Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey have pledged their support to the HSE in the latest phase of its Shattered Lives campaign. Whilst busy preparing to open the museum to the public on April 1st, staff and volunteers took care to avoid any nasty accidents whilst unveiling artefacts and preparing displays. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/E/155:09 24/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Catering for the future - College puts health and safety on the menu. |
| Catering staff at Suffolk New College have pledged their support to the HSE in the latest phase of its Shattered Lives Campaign to highlight the devastating consequences of slips, trips and falls in the work place. Catering staff and students have no worries about the excellent service they provide, they were keen to ensure they had safety high on their agenda and invited HSE inspectors into their premises to offer advice on how to avoid accidents as part of the Shattered Lives campaign. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/E/158:09 25/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Work stopped at one in three Aberdeen refurbishment sites. |
| HSE and City of Aberdeen Council had to take formal action to stop work at 1 in 3 of the construction sites they visited during a recent inspection initiative. Inspectors visited 19 sites and saw 24 contractors on those sites. They issued 6 PNs, 5 for dangerous working at height and 1 for poor site order. Staff were diverted from the inspection campaign to deal with a serious accident in Turrif, where a man working on a fragile roof fell about 25 feet, suffering serious injuries. |
HSE (Scotland) Press Release SCO/051/09 23/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Inverness cheese producer churns up support for HSE campaign. |
| Connage Highland Dairy is a thriving family business, produces a range of fine organic cheeses. Their Connage Crowdie was last year declared the Best Scottish Cheese at the 2008 British Cheese Awards. The Company and staff were keen to help churn up support for the Shattered Lives campaign and welcomed HSE inspectors onto their premises to show them their modern production area and the steps they take every day in order to avoid accidents from slips, trips and falls. |
HSE (Scotland) Press Release SCO/053/09 23/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| HSE warns of the dangers of roof work. |
| Richard Moulton Ltd was fined a total of £4,000 and costs of £1,000 under WHR 2005. The system of work used by the company on work undertaken to the roof of a building was determined to be so unsafe that the work was stopped by serving a PN. The company which had failed to put the required scaffolding around the building, put at risk not only the safety of the worker but also members of the public. There was a risk of falling objects or materials at an entrance to their workplace and when they were in the office, as the roofing job was taking place overhead. |
HSE (Yorkshire and the Humber) Press Release YH 117/09 23/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Medical School backs Shattered Lives Campaign. |
| The Peninsula Medical School is supporting the second phase of the Shattered Lives campaign, which aims to highlight the devastating consequences of slips, trips and falls in the work place and to encourage employers in conjunction with their employees to 'take action'. |
HSE (South West) Press Release WW183/SWW/09 24/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| HSE cracks down on refurbishment sites. |
| Health and safety inspectors in the West Midlands will continue to crack down on dangerous construction and refurbishment sites following an investigation that showed workers lives are still being needlessly put at risk. HSE targeted 200 principal contractors following the revelation that 52 per cent of the people who died on building sites in 2007/08 were carrying out refurbishment, repair and maintenance work. From those inspections, 39 notices were issued to stop work immediately, mainly for problems concerning working at height, poor electrical installations and failure to deal adequately with asbestos. |
HSE (West Midlands) Press Release WM589/09 24/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Time to clear the air - Edinburgh event tackles issue of ill-health among stoneworkers. |
| It is estimated that over 500 stonemasons in Great Britain have silicosis, a serious lung disease that can increase the chances of developing lung cancer. Proportionately more stonemasons and others processing stone in Scotland have the disease and now a free event being held in Edinburgh aims to give employers advice on how to protect their workers. The safety and health awareness day is being held at the City of Edinburgh Council's Business Centre in the City Chambers on Wednesday 1 April 2009. |
Booking: Send name, company/organisation and daytime phone number to admin@scotlime.org HSE (Scotland) Press Release SCO/052/09 23/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Top London Business support HSE campaign to prevent injuries at work wrecking lives. |
| Following shocking statistics on the number of fatalities and injuries in the capital's workplace, seven London businesses announce their support for the HSE campaign to reduce the number of slips, trips and falls at work. This initiative aims to demonstrate to all London employers how they can make a positive difference to safety in their workplace by introducing simple measures. They are Brent Cross Shopping Centre, Tamarind Indian Restaurant, Billingsgate Fish Market, Greencore Group, Kensington Prep School, Royal China Club Restaurant and The Chinese Takeaway Association. |
HSE (London) Press Release E:000:09 25/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| HSE warns 'still room for improvement' on Highlands construction sites. |
| Following a series of inspections of sites throughout the Highlands this month, inspectors from the HSE said they are reasonably happy with standards but warned that there was still room for improvement. Inspectors visited 23 sites and saw 39 contractors on those sites. They issued 2 PNs for dangerous working at height. |
HSE (Scotland) Press Release SCO/063/09 25/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| HSE warns Bedford firms after visiting 7 construction sites during March. |
| Inspectors targeted 7 locations in Bedford, visiting sites where refurbishment, repair and maintenance projects were taking place. The main issues being looked at were work at height, good site order and the risks associated with removal of asbestos. 2 PNs which order work to stop until it may be performed safely were served. |
HSE (East) Press Release HSE/E/157 26/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Teesside "chippy" puts fish and slips on the menu as it backs HSE campaign. |
| Award-winning "chippy" Barnacles has put "fish and slips" on the menu in a bid to give accidents a battering as it pledged its support for the HSE in the latest phase of its "Shattered Lives" campaign. The firm which runs fish and chips restaurants and takeaways across Teesside and County Durham, is keen to support the campaign, and invited Stockton Council's Environmental Health Unit staff into its Billingham branch to talk about the campaign. |
HSE (North East) Press Release HSE/E/158:09 26/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Durham and Darlington Trust backs drive for safer work places. |
| County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is backing the HSE's latest campaign to help raise awareness of the dangers of slips, trips and falls in the workplace. |
HSE (North East) Press Release NE/120/09 26/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Work activity stopped on one in five Edinburgh refurbishment sites. |
| Inspectors from the HSE had to take formal action to stop work activity at almost 1 in 5 of the construction sites they visited during recent inspection initiative. HSE has described the results as very disappointing. Inspectors visited 39 sites and saw 48 contractors on those sites. They issued 4 PNs for dangerous working at height and 2 PNs for very poor conditions when using power tools on stonework. In all, seven of the sites visited required formal action to be taken. |
HSE (Scotland) Press Release SCO/0067/09 27/3/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| R E Hill |
| Fined a total of £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 and MHSWR 1999. Employee trapped in conveyor belt roller of top soil screening machine after guard had been removed. Prosecution result of fatal accident investigation. |
HSE Prosecution 4095047 13/1/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| M G Hill |
| Fined £2,500 under HASAWA 1974 s7. Employee trapped in conveyor belt roller of top soil screening machine after guard had been removed. Prosecution result of fatal accident investigation. |
HSE Prosecution 4095586 13/1/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Veolia ES (UK) Limited |
| Fined a total of £29,000 under HASAWA 1974 and MHSWR 1999. Four employees of Veolia were affected by fumes from an unwarranted reaction between acidic wastes in storage. |
HSE Prosecution 4119736 13/1/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Supaglazing Ltd |
| Fined £4,500 under GSIUR 1998. Supaglazing erected a conservatory which adversely affected the safety of a gas boiler which was in use by the home owner. |
HSE Prosecution 4133142 13/1/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Denis Gale |
| Fined £3,000 under PUWER 1998. Employees seen using Edwards Pearson metal cutting guillotine without front guard in position. Interlocking devices defeated allowing access to dangerous parts created by the moving clamps and blades. |
HSE Prosecution 4142672 13/1/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Fox (Moving & Storage) Ltd |
| Fined a total of £3,500 under MHSWR 1999 and PUWER 1998. Employee received crush injury between removal van and wall during reversing manoeuvre. |
HSE Prosecution 4135571 14/1/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
| Tricorn Construction Limited |
| Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Principal Contractor on site. Conversion of former harbour building to 12 residential flats. 3 men, all self-employed sub-contractors, were carrying out work in connection with the capping of an internal lift shaft at 4th floor level when scaffold platform on which they were standing gave way without warning. Two men fell through gap between floor and lift shaft wall, one man falling 10 metres, the other 2 metres. Both men sustained injuries. Third man not physically injured. |
HSE Prosecution 4119451 16/1/09 Week ending: 27/03/09 |
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HSE Prosecutions Database
The HSE did not post prosecutions for about a year from January until November 2006. There is therefore be a gap in our database from a hearing date of 24 January 2006 until 1 November 2006. Anyone not finding a case which may have been heard between January and November 2006, should therefore try searching the HSE Prosecutions database.
When the HSE relaunched the Prosecution database in January 2007, after a break of around a year, they appear to have changed the format of the case numbers. Therefore, for all entries with a hearing date before the 24 January 2006 you should search the HSE database using the defendants name instead of the case number we have quoted if you wish to check details for yourself.
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