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H&S News May 2009
| Companies warned of the danger of failing to carry out risk assessments after an employee is killed by heavy machinery. |
| George Robertson Graham, the senior partner at Auto Recoveries, Carlisle, fined £100,000 and costs of £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Two employees were moving a five tonne press brake, a heavy machine used to bend metal. While the machine was being moved, it toppled over and crushed one of the employees to death. |
HSE (North West) Press Release HSE/NW/002Graham/2009 28/4/09 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Manslaughter fines guidance delayed till end of year. |
| The long-awaited sentencing guidelines on fines for corporate manslaughter and fatality prosecutions under HASAWA 1974 have been put back again until the end of 2009. |
HSW May 2009:2 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Director fined. |
| Peter Bacon, a director of Norfolk waste company Baco-Compak, has paid £5,333 in fines and costs after an employee's arm was trapped and broken in a waste screening machine. |
HSW May 2009:3 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Inspectors snap unsafe roof work. |
| Tomahawk Hotels has been fined a total of £15,000 and costs of £7,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and MHSWR 1999. Hotel maintenance manager John Partridge fined £1,500 under HASAWA 1974 s7. Two employees were photographed by council health and safety inspectors whilst working without safeguards on a fourth story roof, taking down a flagpole without a proper risk assessment or any safety equipment. |
HSW May 2009:7 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Indesit pays supervisor £150,000. |
| Kitchen appliance manufacturer Indesit has agreed to pay £150,000 in compensation to a warehouse supervisor after he was crushed under a dishwasher. |
HSW May 2009:8 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Construction schemes merge for mutual health. |
| The Construction Skills Certification Scheme, the competence card scheme for the industry, and occup health initiative Constructing Better Health, have announced they are to merge. |
HSW May 2009:8 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Legislative calendar. |
| A calendar of recent and upcoming legislation. |
HSW May 2009:8 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| A woman's work. |
| With almost equal numbers of men and women in the UK workforce, should we be paying more attention to the effects of gender on health and safety? (Becky Allen) |
HSW May 2009:16-18 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Life of PI. |
| The best ways to deal with employee personal injury claims. (Jocelyn Dorrell) |
HSW May 2009:20-22 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Machine age. |
| Introducing a new series on harnessing the technology on your desktop and in your pocket to make cheap and effective safety training and recording systems. (Dave Merchant) |
HSW May 2009:24-26 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| BS OHSAS 18001: the standard approach. |
| Demystifying the process of meeting the global safety management systems standard. (Lucie Ponting) |
HSW May 2009:28-30 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Eyes down. |
| New research which suggest many health and safety managers are still hazy about their optical obligations under the DSE Regulations. (Jim Lythgow) |
HSW May 2009:32 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Site specifics: respiratory protection. |
| The best sites on the web for guidance on protection against dust and fumes. (Bridget Leathley) |
HSW May 2009:34-36 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Changes to the regulation of underground gas storage. |
| A change in the regulation of underground gas storage has taken place. Gas storage in depleted reservoirs is now within the scope of the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1999. Previously, storage had been regulated by HSE under the Borehole Sites and Operations Regulations 1995. |
Info: www.hse.gov.uk/comah/gasstorage.htm HSE (National) Press Release E036:09 27/4/09 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Construction employers and developers warned to control risks and protect workers and the public at refurbishment sites. |
| Bukan Singh Hothi fined £10,000 and costs of £7,500 under HASAWA 1974 s3. The HSE has warned construction employers and developers that the risks on refurbishment sites must be controlled to protect the safety of both workers and the public. The warning follows the prosecution of a developer after the collapse of a building which was undergoing refurbishment. |
HSE (National) Press Release EM/23/09 27/4/09 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Spot-checks highlight danger of unrestrained vehicle loads. |
| More than three quarters of vehicles stopped during safety checks in England and Wales were not loaded safely, putting motorists and loading staff at risk. Officials from the HSE and the Vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA) stopped 40 vehicles during three days of checks in Wrexham, Birmingham and Humberside. Although the majority needed remedial action to make the load safe for onward travel and unloading, in most cases drivers were able to solve the problem safely within minutes. Further checks are now planned. |
HSE (National) Press Release E037:09 28/4/09 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Revised guidance for tanning salons and their customers. |
| New advice for businesses in England and Wales about safe operations of sun beds has been published by the HSE. The revised guidance, which was produced in support of the Department of Health's Cancer Reform Strategy, provides recommendations about how to safely operate ultraviolet tanning equipment, including advice about potential hazards and risk assessments. Two key changes have been made from previous versions. HSE now recommends that under 18s do not use sun beds and that all coin-operated salons are supervised by trained staff. A poster and leaflet spelling out advice to operators and customers have also been published. These are available to download from a number of websites and distributed free from HSE books. |
HSE (National) Press Release E038:09 1/5/09 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Inverness event bids to cut death and injury toll among construction workers. |
| Last year in Scotland 11 construction workers died and almost 1,500 were injured at work. An event was held recently to help reduce that toll by providing free health and safety advice to local construction workers. |
HSE (Scotland) Press Release SCO/098/09 28/4/09 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| HSE to host seminar on workplace transport safety. |
| Workplace transport will be top of the agenda at an upcoming HSE seminar in Shropshire. Targeting those firms that move goods and products around their premises with a variety of vehicles, such as forklifts, vans and trolleys, the event will cover everything from driver competency to falling from vehicles. Organised by HSE, with the Marches Health Safety & Fire Group, the event will be held on Tuesday 19 May at the Lord Hill Hotel in Shrewsbury. The all-day event costs £25.00 per person, with members of the Safety Group entitled to attend for free. |
Info: Phone Sarah Wilson on 01782 602363 or email sarah.wilson@hse.gsi.gov.uk HSE (West Midlands) Press Release WM156/09 28/4/09 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Factories warned over machine safety after Oldham worker suffers serious injury to his fingers. |
| Ribble Packaging Ltd fined £10,000 and costs of £2,769.50 under HASAWA 1974 s2. The employee lost the top of his index finger on his left hand while he was working at a cutting wheel in the factory. He had been trying to remove waste cardboard when the incident happened. The HSE found that an automatic safety switch, which should have stopped the machine when the access gate was opened, had not been working. This meant the wheel continued to rotate when staff were close to it. |
HSE (North West) Press Release HSE/NW/005/09 29/4/09 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Company fined after gas leak and fire close Slough shopping centre. |
| Keltbray Ltd was fined £18,000, costs of £20,469 and victim surcharge of £15.00 under HASAWA 1974 s3. They were the principal contractors for the refurbishment of a retail unit within a shopping centre and they failed to ensure that all services were switched off before the sub-contractor cut through a live gas pipe causing a fire. |
HSE (South East) Press Release COISE/0204 29/4/09 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Region's construction companies challenged: 'Is your workforce trained to be aware of asbestos?' |
| Construction is one of the country's biggest and most dangerous industries. There is a growing awareness of the risks involved and the need for site safety, yet many small construction firms and trades people know much less about one of the main risks to the health of their workers, asbestos. From 5 - 29 May 2009, as part of the construction industry's Working Well Together campaign, the HSE and its industry partners will be staging a number of training events aimed at tackling this problem by improving health and safety among small and micro businesses in South Yorkshire and the Humber region. |
Info: Places are £10 per person, contact Jan Foers on 07786 190398 for Booking form HSE (Yorkshire and the Humber) Press Release YH/185/09 29/4/09 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Warning after two firms fined over use of hazardous chemicals. |
| Garnett Dickinson Print Ltd fined £1,330 and costs of £2,520 under COSHH 2002. Pulse Printing Products Ltd fined £340 and costs of £839 under CHIP 2002. A summons was issued against a third company, Scheffer Inc of USA which related to SMSR 1992. This was withdrawn as there was no practicable means of compelling the company's attendance. The prosecution came after an investigation into cases of dermatitis arising from the use of UV curable lacquers used to apply a glossy finish to products such as magazines covers. The lacquer was applied by a machine supplied by Scheffer Inc at the end of a printing line installed in 2006. |
HSE (Yorkshire and Humber) Press Release YH/186/09 29/4/09 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| HSE warns employers to safeguard employees after worker's little finger was amputated. |
| Sunrise Medical Ltd was fined a total of £500 and costs of £2,287.76 under PUWER 1998. An employee's little finger was amputated in the unguarded rotating part of a pedestal drill. |
HSE (West Midlands) Press Release WM/130/09 30/4/09 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Correction - Blue Parrot events Company, East Kilbride. |
| Statement. The HSE would like to make it clear that it was Blueparrot Production and Events, Edinburgh and not The Blue Parrot Events Company, East Kilbride that was convicted. The Blue Parrot Events Company of East Kilbride was in no way connected with the incident that led to the prosecution. Furthermore, Blue Parrot Events Company of East Kilbride asks us to make clear that it has no connection with Blueparrot Production and Events, Edinburgh. HSE apologises for this error and any misunderstanding it may have caused. |
HSE (Scotland) Press Release SCO/102/09 30/4/09 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Guardian Lock & Engineering Ltd |
| Fined £1,500 under PUWER 1998. Employee injured whilst operating unguarded milling machine. |
HSE Prosecution 4147574 16/2/09 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| James H Smith |
| Fined £2,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. An employee suffered major injuries when he fell 7.5 metres through a gap between the building and scaffolding whilst working on a barn roof. James and Patricia Smith, husband and wife partners at the JHS Group, were prosecuted for failing to make sure that the scaffolding was properly erected. |
HSE Prosecution 4136442 19/2/09 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Patricia Smith |
| Fined £2,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Fined £2,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. An employee suffered major injuries when he fell 7.5 metres through a gap between the building and scaffolding whilst working on a barn roof. James and Patricia Smith, husband and wife partners at the JHS Group, were prosecuted for failing to make sure that the scaffolding was properly erected. |
HSE Prosecution 4136446 19/2/09 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Calder Valley Skip Hire Ltd |
| Fined £1,100 under PUWER 1998. The IP was tidying up from loading a skip wagon. It was an articulated skip wagon and one of the colleagues had got on a loading shovel and lifted the IP up to remove some waste which was hanging over the edge of the trailer. In doing so the IP was trapped between the trailer and the loading shovel. |
HSE Prosecution 4144245 19/2/09 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Mr Shahid Hussain |
| Fined £40,015 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Tenant died of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by high levels of carbon monoxide being emitted from a New World radiant convector gas fire that had neither been installed nor maintained correctly. |
HSE Prosecution 4074205 20/2/09 Week ending: 01/05/09 |
| Company fined £135,000 following death at Isle of Dogs construction site. |
| Laing O'Rouke Construction South Limited fined £135,000 with costs of £18,313.10 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Kieron Denney was working as a steel worker at a construction site on the Isle of Dogs, when he fell more than 10 metres to his death. He was working on a core - a concrete pillar within the structure of a building - on a jumpform, a system that allows the construction of internal walls, slabs and beams ahead of the structural walls. No one witnessed the incident but a colleague heard a loud bang, looked through a hole in the deck, previously covered with plywood and noticed Mr Deeny's body in the basement level of the core. Risk assessments and method statements had been carried out on site, but weekly and monthly checks identified as necessary by these assessments, were not being adequately carried out. |
HSE (National) Press Release E038:09 6/5/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| BERR "Don't prosecute" clause condemned. |
| The Government has been strongly rebuked by the TUC for producing a report saying that safety enforcers "should not generally prosecute or impose a punitive sanction" on SMEs provided they have made "reasonable" attempts to prevent accidents. TUC's head of H&S said that there was no evidence that safety inspectors were taking unjustified prosecutions. They also said that the law is there to protect working people and if employers obey it they have nothing to fear. |
Safety Management April 2009:4 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Union anger as vulnerable workers' helpline outsourced. |
| Operation of the forthcoming advice hotline for vulnerable UK workers is to be outsourced privately, much to the disgust of PCS, the public and commercial services union. PCS claim that it "could fail vulnerable workers" as staff would not have the necessary expertise and links with the relevant enforcement bodies. |
Safety Management April 2009:4 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| New night shift cancer risk emerges. |
| Following a study by the World Health Organisation, fresh fears have arisen that working night shifts can cause cancer. Night shift work has now been categorised by WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer as a "probable cause of cancer". A preliminary summary has noted that epidemiological studies seem to have "found a modestly increased risk of breast cancer in long-term employees compared with those who are not engaged in shift work at night". |
Safety Management April 2009:5 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Construction blacklisting scandal "hits site safety" says UCATT. |
| H&S activists have been targeted for blacklisting by major construction firms, UCATT has claimed. The union made the allegation in the wake of the scandal in which around 40 of the UK's largest building companies were found to be breaking data protection laws and paying for information on potential employees. UCATT has called for immediate action to outlaw blacklisting, which it says has "huge implications" for construction safety. |
Safety Management April 2009:6 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Shattered Lives initiative marches on with second E-tool on the way. |
| HSE is developing another free interactive tool for dutyholders as part of the second phase of its "Shattered Lives" campaign. Set to be launched in the coming months, the so-called WAIT (Work at height, Access equipment, Information Tool) e-tool aims to help small businesses select the safest type of access equipment for work at height. |
Safety Management April 2009:7 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Total liable for Buncefield damages. |
| Oil giant Total could be facing a damages bill of more than £750m after the High Court ruled it was liable for the infamous explosion at the Buncefield oil depot in 2005. |
Safety Management April 2009:7 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Middle-aged machinists not wearing glasses. |
| The College of Optometrists say that ninety per cent of people working with heavy machinery aged between 35 and 55 do so knowing that their eyesight is not up to scratch. Over a fifth of those surveyed also admitted that they put off going for an eye sight test for up to five years after noticing deterioration in their eyesight. |
Safety Management April 2009:7 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Edinburgh Council badly botches asbestos clean-up duties. |
| City of Edinburgh Council fined total of £17,600 under HASAWA 1974 s2 & s3 and CAWR 2006. Dalkeith Demolition Ltd fined £11,333 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and CAWR 2006. During minor refurbishment work at Castlebrae High School, asbestos insulation board was discovered. The Council hired Dalkeith to remove the material as the firm were on their register of licensed contractors. Dalkeith neglected to take any precautions for dealing with the asbestos and, as a result, exposed its employees and some council workers to the deadly material. No PPE was provided to staff, who were untrained and simply broke up the material and slung it into the back of their van leaving toxic fragments around the school. |
Safety Management April 2009:18 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Creature comforts - vetting PDSA's safety. |
| National veterinary charity PDSA has been tending to the sick and injured pets of those who cannot afford private care for generations. A visit to their head office to find out how it tackles H&S. (Thomas Mendelsohn) |
Safety Management April 2009:27-30 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Protective clothing - getting it right. |
| Protective clothing plays a vital role in protecting workers from hazards as diverse as the cold, heat, chemicals, and moving vehicles. Some of the types available and how to correctly select them. (Nigel Alexander) |
Safety Management April 2009:33-36,38,40 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Getting involved with worker involvement. |
| Worker involvement is one of the cornerstones of HSE's new strategic direction, yet so many employers fail in their duties to consult their own staff. Some of the things you can do to get your team more involved in their own wellbeing. (Nigel Bryson) |
Safety Management April 2009:42-45 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Asthma risk in British bakeries. |
| Thousands of British bakers could be at risk of developing a debilitating respiratory condition unless they take sensible precautions, the HSE has warned. Bakers are about 80 times more likely to develop occupational asthma then the average British worker. Tuesday 5 May was World Asthma Day and to mark that day the HSE is sending bakeries copies of a pocket card containing advice for workers on what they can do themselves to protect their health. The card gives examples of good working practices. |
HSE (National) Press Release E039:09 5/5/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Hairdressers wave goodbye to bad hand days. |
| A trial commissioned by the HSE has revealed that hairdressers say 'yes' to reducing their very high chances of getting dermatitis and other uncomfortable skin conditions by wearing non-latex gloves during their work. Owing to the amount of contact that hairdressers have with chemicals in hair products and water, hairdressers are 17 times more likely to suffer from work-related skin damage, including dermatitis, than any other group of workers. |
HSE (National) Press Release E035:09 7/5/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Company fined after worker falls through fragile roof. |
| Keen Construction Ltd fined £6,600 and costs of £3,625 under WHR 2005. A self-employed worker fell 5 ? metres through a fragile single skin asbestos cement roof during replacement of leaking roof lights. There were no crawling boards in use and no safety net or crash desk below the working area of the roof. The victim suffered broken ribs and injuries to his pelvis, vertebrae and lung. He was unable to return to work for over a year. |
HSE (South East) Press Release COISE/0105 1/5/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| HSE warns of the dangers of working with bailing machinery following the deaths of two Staffordshire farmers. |
| The inquests into the deaths of Anthony Mardling, aged 61 and Malcolm Bennett, aged 50, recorded verdicts of accidental death. Mr Mardling died after being pulled into bailing machinery and Mr Bennett was fatally injured when he was stuck by a part of a bailing machine. HSE said the accidents were unlikely to have happened if the farmers had followed the "safe stop" procedure. |
HSE (West Midlands) Press Release WM161/09 1/5/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| HSE aims to cut accidents and injuries in the North East forestry industry. |
| Forestry workers across the North East are being invited to a free special event at Dalby Forest Visitor Centre on Tuesday, 12 May 2009 in a bid to help cut the high rate of fatal and major accidents in the industry. During the last five years, over 400 people working in the forestry industry have suffered a major injury and 22 people have been killed. |
HSE (North East) Press Release NE/182/09 5/5/09 and HSE (Yorkshire and Humber ) Press Release YH/195/09 6/5/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Wolverhampton company fined £8,000 after employee falls from height. |
| MES Environmental Ltd fined a total of £8,000 and costs of £3,532.55 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and WHR 2005. A 40 year old employee suffered serious injuries as a result of falling about 6m from an overhead crane onto a concrete floor. The man was working on a cross travel beam of the crane to clean built up dirt when he fell, suffering multiple fractures to his skull, a broken collarbone and several broken ribs. He remained in hospital for several weeks after the accident due to doctors' concerns over swelling on his brain and has not yet returned to work. |
HSE (West Midlands) Press Release E038:09 6/5/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Company fined after employee killed at work. |
| Avery Dennison Materials UK Ltd fined £75,000, (reduced to £50,00 to take into account their early guilty plea) and costs of £50,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. An employee was crushed between a large roll of paper, weighing over one tonne and a paper slitting machine. The worker later died of his injuries. |
HSE (South East) Press Release COISE/0105 6/5/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Boston school and builders prosecuted after oil tank burns. |
| St Bede's Catholic Science College fined £2,000 and costs of £900 under MHSWR 1999. R Harvey Builders was fined £1,000 with £800 costs under HASAWA 1974 s3. An employee of R Harvey Builders was burned by flaming sawdust. Sawdust had been used to soak up waste oil from a tank being removed but when builders cut up the tank with an angle grinder, sparks set it alight. The fire service was called and students were evacuated. The college admitted failing to plan the work properly and give the builders proper instructions for the work. R Harvey Builders admitted failing to carry out a risk assessment. |
HSE (East Midlands) Press Release EM HSE/2709 7/5/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Lift Truck Rentals Limited |
| Fined £16,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Carl Nunn (service engineer employed by Waveney Fork Trucks Ltd) was fatally crushed under a Hyster FLT. He sustained fatal head injuries whilst he was working underneath the FLT trying to repair a water leak. The FLT was raised at the rear by a scissor jack. Evidence indicates that the jack popped out resulting in the FLT falling on the IP. There was inadequate support provided for the raised FLT. 3 INs served requiring suitable and sufficient RA for raising and supporting FLTs, provision of suitable monitoring arrangements for safety equipment (including support blocks) on vans, and for marking and thorough examination of scissor jacks. The company also failed to provide safe system of work. The sister company Waveney Fork Trucks Ltd working from the same location and under the same management was also responsible for equivalent breaches and hence the same enforcement action was appropriate. |
HSE Prosecution 4083244 23/2/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Waveney Fork Trucks Ltd |
| Fined £16,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. This case did result from the investigation of a fatality. The sister company Lift Trucks Rental Limited working from the same location and under the same management was also responsible for equivalent breaches and hence the same enforcement action was appropriate. |
HSE Prosecution 4083260 23/2/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Mr C L Harvey |
| Fined £1,000 under GSIUR 1998. PR Breach of absolute duty to be Corgi registered. The fitting of gas meter, box, all pipe work, electrical cabling, room thermostat, was found all faulty. The installation needed to be re-installed by a Corgi registered installer. |
HSE Prosecution 4147294 23/2/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| 600 UK Limited |
| Fined £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. IP was milling a part on a vertical milling machine, when their overall caught/trapped between the cutter and work piece. Subsequently the IP's arm was pulled around the spindle, possible a full revolution causing fracture and bone to protrude from the skin. First Aider attended the scene and summoned the emergency services. |
HSE Prosecution 4147417 23/2/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Waite Construction Ltd |
| Guilty - fine under CAR 2006. |
HSE Prosecution 4132723 24/2/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Transition International Limited |
| Fined £20,015 under HASAWA 1974 s3. IP died from burns following explosion at electric induction furnace. Poor control of potential (water) contamination entering furnace. Poor use of molten metal PPE. |
HSE Prosecution 4139334 24/2/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Richard Atterby |
| Fined £1,000 under COSHH 2002. Mr Atterby employed as Director and Health & Safety Consultant by SMS Europe Ltd, who in turn are contracted by Sentient (trading arm of Eatons Solicitor - Bradford) to provide consultancy service at George Farrar's. HSE inv into accident and employee exposure to respirable crystalline silica on site. |
HSE Prosecution 4141508 24/2/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| DG Engineering Company Ltd |
| Fined a total of £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s21. Despite promptings, the company failed to carry out repairs to a workshop roof and then failed to comply with an IN requiring the repairs, putting the health and safety of employees at risk. |
HSE Prosecution 4143968 24/2/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Dalkeith Demolition Limited |
| Fined a total of £11,333 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and CAR 2006. Spread of asbestos during removal by unlicensed contractor. |
HSE Prosecution 4097756 25/2/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| City of Edinburgh Council |
| Fined a total of £17,600 under CAR 2006 and HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. Spread of asbestos during removal by unlicensed contractor. |
HSE Prosecution 4097761 25/2/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
| Fined £18,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Failure to maintain window restrictors. Fatal Accident. The deceased was being treated in hospital and devices intended to limit the opening of windows were not maintained in efficient working order. |
HSE Prosecution 4131605 25/2/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Wynbrook Limited |
| Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. A subcontractor injured after falling 2.5 metres involving a man carrying cage. The driver of the vehicle was an employee of Wynbrook Ltd, the Principal Contractor on site. The driver had not received adequate information, instruction and training to lift people using a telescopic materials handler (telehandler), in that he did not fit pins behind the forks to secure the cage and did not engage the lock for the tilt mechanism on the vehicle. As the cage was brought down the angle of the forks dropped and the cage slid off the forks of the telehandler. Unsafe system of work had been followed earlier in the day when another subcontractor was lifted many times in the same cage. Wynbrook had not risk assessed the use of the man carrying cage and none of the workers lifted in it wore a harness and lanyard. |
HSE Prosecution 4137279 25/2/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Naturediet Petfoods Limited |
| Fined £157,500 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Employee of company crushed to death by semi-automatic tray unloading machine, which was used in the manufacture of dog food. The photo electric guards at the tray entry and exit points to the machine had been disabled. |
HSE Prosecution 4096461 26/2/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Egger UK Ltd (not Egger Barony 210227253) |
| Fined a total of £20,000 under PUWER 1998 and MHSWR 1999. Amputation of right leg below the knee following crush injuries when IP's leg became trapped in-between a conveyor and another roller set on tongue and grove line. |
HSE Prosecution 41068590 27/2/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Egger UK Ltd (not Egger Barony 210227253) |
| Fined a total of £5,400 under MHSWR 1999 and PUWER 1998. Failure to provide a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk from clearing blockages on the Pessa, or suitable and sufficient training, or a suitable means of mechanical isolation. |
HSE Prosecution 4155887 27/2/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| P Colohan & Company Ltd |
| Fined £66,000 under LOLER 1998. This case did result from the investigation of a fatality. |
HSE Prosecution 4133385 27/2/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Return to Splendour Limited |
| Absolute Discharge under HASAWA 1974 s2. Employee working on a fragile roof without adequate precautions which resulted in a fall from height sustaining a major injury. |
HSE Prosecution 4146201 27/2/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Adam Stuart Kerr |
| Fined £7,015 under HASAWA 1974 s37. Employee working on a fragile roof without adequate precautions which resulted in a fall from height sustaining a major injury. |
HSE Prosecution 4147003 27/2/09 Week ending: 08/05/09 |
| Firm admits system wasn't failsafe. |
| Forbo Nairn Ltd fined £333,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Oliver Byers was crushed to death by a mechanical hoist whilst cleaning a machine. |
SHP May 2009:12 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Corporate view. |
| Effective H&S policies are fundamental to corporate responsibility, according to BERR. In line with HSE policy, it wants chief executives and directors to lead improvements, promote high standards and send out messages to employees that good H&S management is a core business function. |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Bulletin April 2009:9 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Promising response. |
| Thousands of farmers have responded to HSE's latest campaign to prevent deaths on British farms. The campaign highlights the key causes of work-related death in a newly published booklet called "How lives are lost on British farms". |
For copy call 0800 141 2805 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture Health and Safety Newsletter April-May 2009 (18):6 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Making it easier to comply with the law. |
| HSE has published a new version of the approved H&S Law poster. Why it has been changed and how it will affect you ... |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/business/law.htm Health and Safety Newsletter April-May 2009 (18):7 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Developing a safer culture. |
| Information about H&S for those who are developing property that they do not intend to live in - their likely legal responsibilities for H&S. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/property Health and Safety Newsletter April-May 2009 (18):8-10 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Director disinterest fuels "credibility gap". |
| According to HSE commissioned research, only a quarter of organisations with five or more employees have board-level awareness of official guidance for directors. The research was released shortly before HSE's Chair, Judith Hackitt, accused directors who claim safety as their main priority of creating a "credibility gap". |
Health and Safety Bulletin May 2009 (378):2 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Danes compensate night worker breast-cancer victims. |
| Thirty seven women who developed breast cancer following prolonged night-shift work have received compensation after the Danish Occup Diseases Committee recognised their cases as industrial injuries. |
Health and Safety Bulletin May 2009 (378):2 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Absence - leadership. |
| According to HSE-commissioned research from the HSL, the effects of leadership in the public sector are "indirect or not significant in the predictions of forthcoming reduced absence". |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr648.htm Health and Safety Bulletin May 2009 (378):4 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Absence - management. |
| A tool for helping SMEs tackle sickness absence has proved of some value, according to research for the HSE by the University of Glasgow. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr690.htm Health and Safety Bulletin May 2009 (378):4 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Construction inquiry. |
| The HSE is providing "full funding" and the secretariat for the Government's "independent" inquiry into construction fatalities. The HSE reports that the inquiry is "proceeding rapidly". |
Health and Safety Bulletin May 2009 (378):4 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| COSHH - silica. |
| Exposure to respirable crystalline silica may be "higher" than previous HSE and industry estimates, according to the Silica Baseline Survey of four sectors (brickworks & tile manufacture, stonemasonry, quarrying and construction). |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr689.htm Health and Safety Bulletin May 2009 (378):4 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Economics - regulation. |
| A new HSE-commissioned study has thrown light on the cumulative impact of H&S regulation. The Centre for Strategy & Evaluation Services report concludes that much of the impact of H&S on businesses is addressed primarily from the perspective of costs. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr692.htm Health and Safety Bulletin May 2009 (378):4-5 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Lead - exposure. |
| The number of workers under medical surveillance for lead in the 12 months to 31 March 2008 fell by 628 to 8,069. |
Health and Safety Bulletin May 2009 (378):5 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Major hazards - pipelines. |
| There were five dangerous occurrences in the year to 1 April 2008 at COMAH sites involving the UK's onshore gas and pipelines industry. |
Health and Safety Bulletin May 2009 (378):5 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Migrant workers - risk. |
| An HSE-commissioned review of research into the H&S of migrant workers has confirmed that there is a lack of evidence to reach firm conclusions. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr691.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin May 2009 (378):5 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Safety alerts - review. |
| The HSE is planning to launch a "safety bulletin" system in May 2009 for providing information that has arisen from its investigations to employers and others. The system will include safety alerts and less urgent advice, as well as information on product safety. |
Internet: http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/meetings/hseboard/2009/250209/b24.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin May 2009 (378):5 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Hard times? Why the effects of the recession are unclear. |
| The likely impact of the recession on health and safety standards is a complex affair. (Andrea Oates) |
Health and Safety Bulletin May 2009 (378):7-10 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Health and safety: the state of play. |
| Table reviewing all HSE activity and other important developments from 7 October 2008 to 2 March 2009. |
Health and Safety Bulletin May 2009 (378):11-24 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Costs of worker ill-health predicted to soar. |
| The burden of chronic disease in the UK will grow significantly over the next 20 years, so employers need to start putting in place measures that mitigate the associated risks. This is one of the key findings from a major report exploring the challenges and opportunities in managing and preventing ill health among UK workers. |
Internet: www.bupa.co.uk/about/html/reports/health_at_work.html SHP May 2009:6 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Executive to open dialogue on statutory crane register. |
| The HSE has announced it will launch a regulatory exercise this summer to determine the full nature of a statutory crane register, and how it will operate. |
SHP May 2009:6 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Miners win arthritis-claim right. |
| The Government has announced that miners suffering from osteoarthritis will be allowed to claim Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit. Work and Pensions Minister, Kitty Ussher confirmed on April 15 that osteoarthritis, more commonly known as miners' knee, would be added to the list of prescribed diseases in the summer, allowing sufferers to apply for state compensation. |
SHP May 2009:7 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Waste-sector injury rate still too high. |
| Injury rates in the waste and recycling industry have fallen by 15 per cent over the last four years, according to new research published by the HSE. However, the rate is still more than four times the "all-industry average" and is double the number reported by the high-risk manufacturing and construction industries. |
SHP May 2009:7 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Artist failed to heed warning signs. |
| Maurice Agis fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. He had previously been tried for two charges of gross-negligence manslaughter but the jury had been discharged after failing to reach a verdict. Chester-le-Street Council fined £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Brouhaha International Ltd fined £4,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Clare Furmedge and Anne Collings were killed when the Dreamspace Artwork was lifted 30 feet into the air by a gust of wind. Twenty seven other adults and children were also injured. |
SHP May 2009:11 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Music firm takes rap for forklift folly. |
| Universal Music Ltd fined £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and costs of £9,626. David Shipman had been working in an aisle in the warehouse when a two-tonne man-rise forklift reversed into the aisle and collided with him. Mr Shipman suffered severe swelling and bruises to his right foot resulting in his being off work for five months. The system of straps across the aisle entrances had not been subjected to a good maintenance regime resulting in many being left broken for months. |
SHP May 2009:12 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Everybody's responsibility. |
| An argument that detailed investigations are needed so that employers are not always blamed for incidents, and to underline to employees that they too have duties in relation to health and safety. (Michael Appleby) |
SHP May 2009:17 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Soft issue with a sharp edge. |
| As a concept, safety culture is not new but safety culture management is. To do it effectively, organisations must first understand the culture they currently have and then adopt a proactive approach to achieve the culture to which they aspire. (Rebecca Luther and Chris Lloyd) |
SHP May 2009:40-42 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Shift aid. |
| According to the HSE, some 3.5 million people are employed as shift-workers in the UK in a wide variety of industries. Poorly designed shift-working arrangements and inadequate rest and recovery periods can result in fatigue, accidents, injuries, and ill health. Some practical pointers for both employers and employees to help them avoid these problems. (Richard Byrne) |
SHP May 2009:44-46 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Insider impetus. |
| As economies and markets become increasingly global, the concept of self regulation is helping to raise international health and safety standards. (Rob Cooling) |
SHP May 2009:48-50 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Regeneration game |
| Struggling companies facing prosecution over alleged health and safety failings that led to the death or personal injury of an employee, or a member of the public, may consider voluntary liquidation as a means of bypassing the entire Crown court prosecution process. The pros and cons of companies choosing this route, and the HSE's stance on enforcement in such cases. (Glyn Thompson) |
SHP May 2009:52-54 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Ray of light. |
| The five years since the duty to manage asbestos was introduced have seen an explosion in the number of asbestos-surveying service-providers - many of whom are nowhere near competent. The problems and an outline of the developments that should see things improve. (Martin Stear) |
SHP May 2009:70-72 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Where to next? |
| Stress has proved a tough nut to crack but the HSE has not rested on its laurels since the introduction of its Management Standards in 2004. A look at the progress that has been achieved and suggestions for further efforts that could be made to tackle the issue even more effectively. (John Hamilton) |
SHP May 2009:74-76 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Fleet first. |
| Health and safety professionals can be much more proactive in improving the road-safety performance of their organisations. A discussion of some of one man's research he has been involved in and the experience he has had with various organisations. (Dr Will Murray) |
SHP May 2009:78-80 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Back to work. |
| In manufacturing, delays and problems with rehabilitating employees are costing businesses more than £600million a year. But much of it can be avoided by companies that pursue best practice in H&S, and that work proactively to create a high attendance culture among employees. The characteristics of such companies. (Prof Sayeed Khan) |
SHP May 2009:83 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| One in five construction sites fail health and safety checks. |
| One in five construction sites failed health and safety checks during the latest national inspection initiative carried out by the HSE, figures released reveal. Inspectors from Britain's workplace regulator visited 1,759 refurbishment sites during March and checked on how 2,145 contractors were complying with health and safety regulations. On 348 sites sufficiently serious risks were discovered to warrant enforcement action being taken, either stopping work immediately or ordering improvements to be made. Close to five hundred enforcement notices were issued. |
HSE (National) Press Release E040:09 12/5/09 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| New strategy to be launched 3 June 2009. |
| The HSE will launch its new strategy Be Part of the Solution on Wednesday 3 June. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions will give the keynote address. He will be joined by Judith Hackitt CBE, Chair of HSE, and other guests. There will be an opportunity for questions to the panel. The HSE's new strategy will be launched at a press conference on 3 June at 10am at Westminster Central Hall - Storey's Gate Westminster, London, SW1H 9NH. |
Contact: Maria Mansfeld, Weber Shandwick on 020 7067 0464 or email mmansfeld@webershandwick.com HSE (Operational Notice) Press Release E042:09 13/5/09 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| HSE announces appointment of new Chief Statistician. |
| HSE has announced the appointment of its new Chief Statistician, Kate Sweeney. Kate, who is a Chartered member of the Royal Statistical Society was appointed to the role following an open competition. |
HSE (National) Press Release E043:09 15/5/09 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Digital TV safety campaign launched in Devon and Cornwall. |
| Inspectors from the HSE and local authorities are taking part in a joint safety campaign aimed at TV aerial and satellite dish installers during the digital switchover across Devon and Cornwall. Over the next few months officers will be making contact with electrical retailers and installers to provide advice and self-check guides. Visits are also planned to a number of shops and tradesmen in the region. |
HSE (South West) Press Release WW268/SWW/09 11/5/09 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Company fined after employee is paralysed in workplace incident. |
| Fine Construction UK Ltd was fined £15,000 and costs of £8,091.99 under HASAWA 1974 s3. An employee, a builder, was involved in building an extension to a domestic property when he fell more than 3 metres through a roof light void onto a concrete floor. There was no boarding to cover the roof lights and no crash deck underneath to limit the impact of a fall. The employee suffered serious back injuries as a result of the fall and no longer has the use of his legs. |
HSE (London) Press Release COILDN/0205 12/5/09 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| North East and North West hairdressers urged to wave goodbye to bad hand days. |
| Hairdressers across the North East and North West are being urged to wave goodbye to bad hand days as a trial commissioned by the HSE revealed that hairdressers say 'yes' to reducing their very high chances of getting dermatitis and other uncomfortable skin conditions by wearing non-latex gloves during their work. Owing to the amount of contact that hairdressers have with chemicals in hair products and water, hairdressers are 17 times more likely to suffer from work-related skin damage including dermatitis than any other group of workers. This means that 70 per cent of hairdressers may suffer from skin damage at some point during their career. |
HSE (North East) Press Release NE/194/09 13/5/09 and HSE (North West) Press Release HSE/NW/003Hair/09 15/5/09 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Company fined after employee killed at work - Amended. |
| Avery Dennison Materials UK Ltd fined £75,000 and costs of £50,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. A worker was crushed between a large roll of paper, weighing over one tonne, and a paper slitting machine. The worker later died of his injuries. |
HSE (London) Press Release COISE/0105 13/5/09 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| HSE warns employers to safeguard employees working at height. |
| Thornett Mechanical Services Ltd fined £2,500 and costs of £2,151 under WHR 2005. The employee was constructing the roof of an acoustic booth at a height of 3.5 metres. Access to the roof was via a mobile tower scaffold. It was necessary for the employee to work on the roof and use 2 planks to keel and stand on. He was kneeling on the roof perimeter when his drill bit broke, jolting him forward. As a result he lost his balance and fell 3.5m onto a concrete floor. He dislocated 2 fingers, fractured his left wrist and injured his eye socket. The company failed to carry out a risk assessment or plan a safe system of work. |
HSE (West Midlands) Press Release WM184/09 14/5/09 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| HSE warns companies to assess safety risks after a man's leg had to be amputated. |
| Pete Mellor Ltd fined a total of £12,000 and costs of £2,500 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and MHSWR 1999. An employee was repairing an FLT, which involved removing the counterbalance weight. The 1.8 tonne weight was not supported, it fell off and landed on a self-employed worker who was walking past at the time. The weight crushed the man's leg which had to be amputated below the knee. |
HSE (East Midlands) Press Release HSE/EM/3509 14/5/09 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Chris Pridmore |
| Fined £7,500 under HASAWA 1974 s37. Prosecution against owner of the company following fatal accident. |
HSE Prosecution 4089785 2/3/09 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Randalls (Groundwork) Ltd |
| Fined £30,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Employee suffered serious lacerations to his legs when the roller he had been operating fell into an excavation. |
HSE Prosecution 4092709 2/3/09 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Mather Landscapes |
| Fined £150 under ELCIR 1998. |
HSE Prosecution 4148953 5/3/09 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Laing O'Rourke Construction South Limited |
| Fined £80,000 under WHR 2005. IP is a roofing supervisor contracted to Durable Contracts Ltd, to carry out roofing works. Laing O'Rourke Construction South Ltd are the PC. The IP was working on the Gate House, which is single storey building with a flat roof and on it a single roof light, which was yet to be fitted and the hole was covered by a piece of plywood. The plywood was not secured down and had no warning sign on it. As the IP picked up the plywood he fell 3m down the hole, hitting the concrete floor. |
HSE Prosecution 4085480 5/3/09 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Durable Contracts Ltd |
| Fined £25,000 under MHSWR 1999. IP lifted ply sheet and walked forward and fell 3m into the hole. They were working for the principal contractor Laing O'Rourke Construction South Limited. |
HSE Prosecution 4125041 5/3/09 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Hockmeyer Motors Ltd |
| Fined £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. A work experience young person suffered burns following the use of a flammable solvent as a spray cleaner. |
HSE Prosecution 4113865 5/3/09 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Allerton Dale and Co Ltd |
| Fined a total of £3,000 under WHR 2005 and CDMR 2007. IP was working at first floor level adjacent to a void in the floor. They were installing pyro-electrical cable in the blockwork wall and standing next to the handrails to the void. He learnt over the handrails and in doing so the rails fell as they were not supported at the blockwork wall end (they were butted up to the wall). The scaffolders for the site were KSL Scaffolding Ltd. They were not contracted to undertake scaffold inspections. They were to be carried out in-house by Allerton's site manager. The original site manager did undertake and record scaffold inspections. There was then a change of site managers who did not have any training in scaffold inspection and it would appear that none was carried out after the original site manager had left the site. |
HSE Prosecution 4135537 5/3/09 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| TWP Packaging Limited |
| Fined a total of £3,448 under PUWER 1998. Serious injury to IP while working as an employee on a wood working machine called a notcher. They tried to release a broken piece of timber while the machine was still moving which resulted in his hand coming into contact with the machine. The guards at the rear of the machine were not in place and there was no interlock. IP suffered laceration to the hand and received hospital treatment. |
HSE Prosecution 4141582 6/3/09 Week ending: 15/05/09 |
| Out of sight, out of mind. |
| New guidance urging employers to take action to ensure workers can see clearly enough to drive safely has been published by Specsavers, in preparation for the introduction of a new EU law requiring more frequent eye tests for drivers. The legislation, set to come into force in 2011, will mean that commercial drivers will have to have their eyes tested every 5 years and private motorists every 10-15 years. |
Info: "Guide to Driving Legislation" Free, 01481 232486 Safety Express May/June 2009:15 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Best practice survey. |
| A European-wide survey of how H&S risks are managed in the workplace is underway. Around 40,000 managers and H&S reps in 31 countries will be interviewed. The findings will help the European Agency for S&H at Work to better target ill health and injury prevention campaigns. |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal May 2009:2 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| European action on level crossings. |
| Rail and road safety organisations from across Europe have pledged to work together to improve safety at level crossings. The organisations, including the UK's Rail Safety and Standards Board, agreed to work together to educate pedestrians and drivers about the dangers of level crossings and to share best practice solutions on accident prevention. |
Internet: www.levelcrossing.net RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal May 2009:3 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| No increased cancer risk found in test veterans. |
| Members of the UK armed forces who took part in chemical tests at the MoD's Porton Down site do not have an increased risk of dying from cancer, according to a new study. |
Internet: www.bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmj.b613 RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal May 2009:4 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Fire risks repeatedly ignored: £90,000 fine. |
| Augean Treatment Ltd fined a total of £90,000. A drum of stored waste chemicals, which react with water, was left open on a wet day and the contents caught fire when they reacted with the rainwater. Inspectors also found drums identified as spontaneously combustible waste being stored amongst hundreds of tonnes of flammable solvent waste. Further incidents occurred at later dates. The company pleaded guilty to six charges relating to careless operational practices and keeping waste in a manner likely to cause pollution or harm to human health. |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal May 2009:6 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Be on your guard. |
| With little change over the last few years in the number of workers being injured, in some cases fatally, when using machinery, the measures employers should be taking to protect their staff. (Edward Hodson) |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal May 2009:19-23 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Feeling the strain. |
| Stress is something that we incur on a daily basis and often we thrive on a little pressure to help us achieve our goals and outcomes. But in some instances, stress can develop to such levels that it can endanger our health. (Jo Johnson) |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal May 2009:27-30 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Confined spaces. |
| Revised guidance on working safely in confined spaces has recently been published by the HSE. Whilst in practical terms the changes to the second edition of the Approved Code of Practice "Safe work in confined spaces" are minimal, the release is a timely reminder of the hazards associated with confined space work and the need to control those risks. (Nick Cook) |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal May 2009:35-39 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Current affairs. |
| In testing economic times, employers need to take a common sense approach to ensuring the safety of electrical equipment, as any cutbacks on safety procedures carry considerable risks. (Jim Wallace) |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal May 2009:46-47 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| MORR goes global. |
| A report on the first global conference on work-related road safety held in Washington USA. (Roger Bibbings) |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal May 2009:66-67 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Confined space warning. |
| Richards Dry Dock and Engineering Ltd fined £25,000 and costs of £35,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Kevin Hall was carrying out repair work in the hold of a ship in dry dock, whilst two other welders were working above deck. They inadvertently allowed water to flow into the hold where Mr Hall was working. He was electrocuted and died before reaching hospital. Rescue attempts were made difficult by the confined space as well as the risk of electrocution to others. |
Safety Express May/June 2009:1 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Police injured by "horseplay" in training. |
| A Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) report has revealed that of the 382 police officers involved in major accidents between January 2007 and December 2008, 19 per cent were injured as part of their training. |
Safety Express May/June 2009:2 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Safety first. |
| During 2007/08, 288,000 injuries in the workplace were reported. Wherever and whenever injuries and illnesses occur, taking immediate action can be vital, knowing first aid can save lives and prevent minor injuries becoming major ones. |
Safety Express May/June 2009:5 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Officer wins damages for prison fall. |
| Michael Blinkhorn, a former prison officer, has been awarded compensation of £8,000 after being injured while restraining an inmate. The prisoner had smashed up his cell, spilt cleaning fluid over the floor and was wielding a broken broom handle. Officers entered the cell wearing protective clothing, in an attempt to disarm him. Mr Blinkhorn had not been issued with non-slip footwear as it had not been available in his size. He slipped and sustained ligament and tendon damage. |
Safety Express May/June 2009:6 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Man dies after load blocks driver's view. |
| Alex Smiles Ltd fined £15,000 plus £5,000 costs under HASAWA 1974. James Johnston was transporting sheets of plywood loaded at the front of a 20 tonne dumper truck. He admitted that he often drove with the load obscuring his view and that he had to steer using instinct alone. In addition, he was told that his eyesight was poor and needed treatment. David Liddle was walking across the yard when the vehicle struck him from behind, killing him instantly. |
Safety Express May/June 2009:7 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Company fined for forklift accident. |
| BCE Ltd fined £40,000 with costs of just over £10,000. Clive Starr was driving a forklift which had two long-standing faults and developed another problem on the day before the accident. Despite service engineers being called, it was not taken out of action. Mr Starr attempted to use the truck but fell to the ground when it started suddenly at high speed. The vehicle ran over his right leg, which later had to be amputated. BCE had previously been warned about the need for risk assessment procedures to be carried out. |
Safety Express May/June 2009:7 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Untrained driver injured as truck overturns. |
| A Carpenter and Sons Ltd fined £7,000 and costs of almost £6,000 under HASAWA 1974. An untrained employee suffered leg injuries in an accident involving a dump truck he was driving overturning. |
Safety Express May/June 2009:7 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Red alert. |
| In the first part of an investigation into dangerous jobs, a look at the hazards faced by firefighters and the range of methods they use to minimise the risks. (Nick Cook) |
Safety Express May/June 2009:10-11 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Driven to distraction. |
| Many of us are aware of the dangers of using a mobile phone at the wheel, but what impact does talking to passengers, using a sat nav or tuning the car radio have on our ability to drive safely? A new survey aims to find out! |
Internet: http://is.gd/loXb Safety Express May/June 2009:15 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| "Be safe on site, be safe on the road", HSE urges. |
| The message from safety specialists speaking at the RoSPA Road Transport Conference is "Be safe on site and be safe on the road". During the last three years, 14 people have been killed and more than 2,000 people have been injured by cargo falling from vehicles when they are being loaded or unloaded. |
HSE (National) Press Release E041:09 15/5/09 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| HSE says, "Safety checks on inflatables must be carried out properly". |
| HSE is warning inspectors of inflatable play equipment that they must conduct comprehensive safety checks or face prosecution. The warning follows the prosecution of Mr Peter Morrell. Safety concerns were expressed by Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council regarding the safety of inflatable play equipment, sparking HSE's investigation into the validity of safety certificates and inspections carried out by Mr Morrell. The prosecution case resulted in Mr Morrell receiving three conditional discharges, one for twelve months and the other two for two years. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/WM/411/2009 15/5/09 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| HSE warns employers about the safety of equipment after worker's hand is damaged by rotating blades. |
| HSE is warning employers to ensure they assess the safety of equipment and ensure that it is sufficiently guarded after an employee's left hand was severely damaged by the rotating blades of a valve that forms part of the extraction system in a metal recycling process. JBM International Ltd fined a total of £5,000 and costs of £2,614 under PUWER 1998 and MHSWR 1999. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/WM/191/2009 19/5/09 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| HSE prosecution prompts warning to householders - beware of unregistered gas fitters. |
| Thomas Dalton jailed for 12 months under HASAWA 1974 s3 and s33. In April 2005 Mr Dalton, a self-employed plumber, was served with a PN specifically prohibiting him from carrying out any work on gas fittings. In spite of this he continued work in May 2005 and was sentenced to 3 months in prison in December 2005. At that time he asked for 13 other offences to be taken into account. In January 2007 he deliberately ignored these warnings and broke the PN again by installing a gas boiler in such a way that the pipe work and flue could have leaked carbon monoxide into the house. |
HSE (Yorkshire and Humber) Press Release YH/213/09 19/5/09 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Local authority fined after employee suffers electric shock at work. |
| London Borough of Havering fined £10,000 with costs of £9,810 under HASAWA 1974 s2. An untrained temporary council worker was helping install a bench, using an hydraulic breaker to dig holes and struck a buried 11,000 volt cable buried under the pavement. He suffered flash burns and electric shock. The Council failed to provide a safe system of work, as a result of which an employee was injured. |
HSE (London) Press Release COILDN/0305 20/5/09 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Double fatality - HSE warns aquaculture industry of the dangers of confined spaces. |
| The HSE and Police are reminding all those working in the aquaculture industry of the dangers of working in confined spaces which can often be found in a variety of the workplaces used in fish farming. The warning follows a recent incident in which two workers died and a third was rendered unconscious in a confined space on a barge in a fish farm. The investigation is at an early stage. |
HSE (Scotland) Press Release SCO/110/09 21/5/09 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Scandinavian Log Cabins Direct Ltd |
| Fined £500 under WHR 2005. An employee was injured when the ladder he was working on at approx 3m slipped out. No risk assessments for working at height, no effective planning or organisation of the work. |
HSE Prosecution 4112569 9/3/09 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| BASF Construction Chemicals (UK) Ltd |
| Fined £12,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. IP was working on a ribbon blender when their hand was dragged up an unguarded discharge chute during cleaning whilst machine was running. Their fingers and thumb of their left hand were amputated when the hand contacted the blades. |
HSE Prosecution 4150310 10/3/09 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Barr Limited |
| Fined £12,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. A partition wall, located within the entrance of a store, collapsed into the store placing members of the public at risk to their health and safety. The wall was not of sufficient design and construction having regard to the forces placed on it to prevent it from collapsing. |
HSE Prosecution 4104151 12/3/09 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| Thorntons plc |
| Fined £12,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Employee injured whilst cleaning inadequately guarded feed hopper, slipped on wet belting, hand taken in to moving feed rollers. Unsafe system of work necessitated close approach and operative to stand on wet belt. Previous accident on the same machine. |
HSE Prosecution 4147681 12/3/09 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| SGB Group Limited |
| Fined £4,000 under HASAWA 1974. Scaffolding collapse. |
HSE Prosecution 4144059 13/3/09 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| John Davies Interiors Limited |
| Fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974. Scaffolding collapse. |
HSE Prosecution 4144068 13/3/09 Week ending: 22/05/09 |
| HSE warns about the dangers of working close to overhead power lines. |
| Thomas Thomson (Blairgowrie) Ltd and Managing Director, Thomas Peter Mackie Thomson were fined a total of £10,800 under HASAWA 1974 s2. A team of employees, including Mr Gerard Faltynowski, 26, and 11 other migrant workers, started to erect the steel frame of a polytunnel across which ran three overhead power lines carrying 11,000 volts of electricity. Short metal pieces measuring approx 0.5m were to be attached to each end of the metal hoops from which the tunnel was being constructed. Mr Faltynowski needed to bring a number of the extension pieces up the field and he slotted 13 together and carried them vertically. The topmost extension piece touched the overhead power lines and Mr Faltynowski was electrocuted. Following the fatal incident, HSE issued a PN to stop work being carried out so close to low overhead power lines. |
HSE (National) Press Release COI/SCO/114 26/5/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| CPS brings first charge under corporate killing Act. |
| The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has authorised the first ever charge under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007. A charge of corporate manslaughter has been brought against Gloucester-based Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings over the death of employee Alexander Wright. The company has also been charged with breaching Section 2(1) of HASAWA 1974. Company director Peter Eaton has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter and with breaching Section 37 of HASAWA 1974. |
HSW June 2009:5 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Lloyds TSB pays out for hazardous step. |
| Lloyds TSB has paid almost £9,000 compensation to a bank cashier who suffered knee and ankle injuries when she tripped on an unmarked step while carrying heavy boxes. |
HSW June 2009:6 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Lightening strikes twice at Marks & Spencer. |
| Two months after receiving its first ever H&S fine, Marks & Spencer has been handed a penalty of £3,150 following an incident when a door fell on a worker. George Blair was struck by a warehouse door that had been left hanging from its hinges. |
HSW June 2009:8 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Ministers mark Memorial Day. |
| The Government has announced it intends to officially recognise Workers' Memorial Day, to commemorate the thousands of people who have been killed, seriously injured or made ill through work. A consultation exercise will look at how 28 April could be marked officially in the UK. |
HSW June 2009:12 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| The greatest shows on Earth. |
| Ten years ago, Larry de Wit swapped life on the flying trapeze for a career in health and safety - a look at why. (Becky Allen) |
HSW June 2009:18-20 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Only human. |
| Systems should function as users expect, or else they will have to learn to ignore their instincts about what should happen. |
HSW June 2009:23-24,26 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| 2012: Out of the ground. |
| As work begins on the stadium and other venues, accident rates on the Olympics site in East London are still a fraction of the industry norm. (Louis Wustermann) |
HSW June 2009:28-30 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Grow your own e-learning. |
| Continuing the series on getting value from the technology you own, by explaining how to make computer-aided and remote learning packages on everything from PPE use to ladder checks. (Dave Marchant) |
HSW June 2009:32-34 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Think outside the box. |
| Enclosing plant to bring noise down to acceptable levels is an expensive and often unnecessary option. (Peter Wilson) |
HSW June 2009:37-38 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Site manoeuvres. |
| Workplace transport and safe vehicle movements. A revision article for NEBOSH National Diploma students. (Lawrence Bamber) |
HSW June 2009:40-42 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Ready and able? |
| Are you fit to give competent advice? A report on growing pressure for a clearer definition of what makes practitioners competent, and the HSE's refusal to get involved. (Lucie Ponting) |
HSW June 2009:56-58 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Prosecution of Sellafield Ltd following contractors' exposure to radioactive contamination. |
| The HSE is to prosecute Sellafield Ltd for alleged breaches of health and safety law under HASAWA 1974 s3. This follows HSE's investigation into the exposure of two contractor employees to airborne radioactive contamination at Sellafield Nuclear Licensed Site in Cumbria. The initial court date has been fixed for 24 July 2009. |
HSE (National) Press Release ON004:09 22/5/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Employee safety warning from HSE after child falls from raised vehicle ramp. |
| Pentre Motors Ltd was fined £6,000 and costs of £4,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. A motorist took her vehicle in to fix problems with the braking system. Her twin children were in the vehicle asleep at time of arrival. The proprietor of the company, Dean Martin, raised the vehicle on to the service ramp to check for faults. During this inspection one of the children inside the vehicle opened the front passenger door and fell to the floor of the garage, suffering injuries to her face and teeth requiring approx 30 stitches. The Company failed to identify the risks associated with vehicle ramps, in particular the risk allowing children to remain in the vehicle once raised from ground level. The car should never have been raised on the ramp with 2 children asleep in the rear. |
HSE (National) Press Release COI/W/306/09 22/5/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Company fined after employee is injured in dumper incident at work. |
| Shorts Group Ltd was fined £5,000 and costs of £1,772.80 under HASAWA 1974 s2. A demolition labour was operating a skip-loading dumper on which he had received no formal training or instruction. During the work the dumper overturned and the employee became trapped underneath it, sustaining serious injuries to his foot. The company failed to provide the employee with suitable instruction, information and training and this was clearly a contributory factor to this incident. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/E/305:09 22/5/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Automotive manufacturer fined £3,200 following serious workplace incident. |
| International Automotive Components Group Ltd was fined a total of £3,200, costs of £2,636 and a £15 victim surcharge under PUWER 1998. Trevor Rollin became trapped after a tooling rack collapsed while he was using an overhead crane to unload tools from the rack. He suffered multiple fractures, cuts and bruises. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/NE/204/09 28/5/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Unregistered gas fitter given conditional discharge following prosecution. |
| Mr Alan Baker, was given a 2 year conditional discharge under GSIUR 1998 (due to his limited financial means) and ordered to pay £100 towards the overall prosecution costs. Mr Baker carried out work on a number of properties while he was unregistered with CORGI and falsely claiming to be an approved member of that body. |
HSE (South West) Press Release 300SWW/09 22/5/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Plymouth City Council fined £5,000 following gas offences prosecution. |
| Plymouth City Council was fined £5,000 and costs of £6,500 (plus £15 victim surcharge) under GSIUR 1998. The Council failed to systematically carry out any gas safety checks in Local Education Authority schools between July 2003 and October 2005. The HSE investigation was prompted by a report of a dangerous gas fitting at a school kitchen in February 2006. It subsequently found defective gas appliances at a number of schools. HSE is satisfied that remedial action has since been taken to remedy the breaches. |
HSE (South West) Press Release 302SWW/09 22/5/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| HSE encourages tyre industry to tread carefully to cut number of injuries. |
| A 3 hour event is being organised by the HSE with the National Tyre Distributors Association and the British Tyre Manufacturers Association. It will take place on Tuesday 9 June at the Novotel, Newcastle Airport. Workers whose job involves handling tyres are being invited to the special workshop in a bid to increase awareness of the potential dangers and cut the number of injuries caused each year. Musculoskeletal disorders often resulting from poor manual handling practice are the most common cause of occupational ill health in Britain. |
HSE (North East) Press Release NE/200/09 22/5/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Spotlight on health and safety in the region's care homes. |
| The HSE has joined forces with local authorities (LAs) across Yorkshire and the North East to ensure that H&S is a top priority for some of the region's most vulnerable people and the staff who care for them. In February, residential and nursing care homes around the region were invited to attend H&S awareness events. As a follow up to these, HSE and LA inspectors will be carrying out a series of unannounced inspections over the next six months. |
HSE (North East) Press Release NE/202/09 and (Yorkshire and Humber YH/218/09 27/5/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| HSE warns companies not to take unnecessary risks while working at height. |
| Eazyfone Ltd fined £6,000 and costs of £2,285 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Eazyfone allowed an employee to fit a CCTV bracket to the side of a building while raised on a pallet on the forks of a FLT. The incident was observed by 2 HSE inspectors who were passing the company's offices. They saw the man raised more than 2 metres to carry out the work and took action as a result. |
HSE (North East) Press Release HSE/EM/3509 27/5/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| HSE warns Lancashire homeowners not to risk lives with illegal gas fitters. |
| Stephen Bechler was fined £100 and costs of £75 under GSIUR 1998. He was carrying out gas-fitting work without being registered. |
HSE (North West) Press Release HSE/NW/016/09 27/5/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Working Well Together celebrates 10 years of good health and safety practice on construction sites. |
| The Working Well Together (WWT) London and South East group has celebrated its 10th anniversary by taking its white van tour on the road again. It will set out on a 2 week tour visiting 2 sites a day and will give staff on site the opportunity to find out more about staying safe on site by watching DVDs and speaking to H&S practitioners. |
HSE (London) and (South East) Press Release HSE/01-28 28/5/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Mr John Wootten t/a AEP Aggregates |
| Fined a total of £2,000 under MHSWR 1999. Deceased was unloading shingle, he reversed his articulated tipping trailer up to the unloading bay which is on a slope and activated the power takeoff shaft without first releasing the tailgate. The vehicle became unstable and moved down the slope, deceased jumped back into cab, the lorry reached the bottom of the slope and jack-knifed, throwing him out of the open door and under the wheels of the vehicle. No safe system of work in place for tipping load, no risk assessments, no provision of instruction/training, and no monitoring/supervision of drivers. |
HSE Prosecution 4030440 16/3/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| C Sneade Limited |
| Fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Scaffolding erected adjacent to a railway line fell over, resulting in the entire 50 metre length laying over the tracks. |
HSE Prosecution 4093799 16/3/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Eurolift Tower Cranes |
| Guilty - Deferred under CHSWR 1996 and HASAWA 1974 s2. Tower crane collapse - double fatality. |
HSE Prosecution 41196210 16/3/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Kingspan Limited |
| Fined £3,500 under PUWER 1998. IP's hand pulled into unguarded feed rollers. |
HSE Prosecution 4141425 16/3/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Forteq (UK) Ltd |
| Fined £1,250 under PPEWR 1992. Whilst working on the injection moulding unit, there was a problem with the barrel. The IP was dismantling the unit to assess the fault, hot plastic came out of the barrel catching the IP on the arms and on his face. |
HSE Prosecution 4146139 17/3/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Bacocompak (Norfolk) Ltd |
| Fined £4,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Entanglement in a conveyor belt roller leading to fracture of arm. |
HSE Prosecution 4108676 18/3/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Peter Groves Bacon |
| Fined a total of £6,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s37. Entanglement in a conveyor belt roller leading to fracture of arm. |
HSE Prosecution 4138852 18/3/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Karl Thackrah |
| Guilty, no Sep Penalty under HASAWA 1974 s7. Two men were working from the platform of a lorry mounted mobile elevated platform at the front of a property. The boom of the platform was struck by a passing LGV and the platform spun round throwing both men from the platform to the floor - approx 7 metres. |
HSE Prosecution 4122509 18/3/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| A Carpenter and Son |
| Fined £7,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Untrained employee injured whilst driving 1 tonne dumper truck which overturned. No safe system of work for moving concrete from delivery point to construction site. |
HSE Prosecution 4139363 19/3/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Richard Moulton Ltd |
| Fined a total of £4,000 under WHR 2005. Replacing glass rooflights working from a tower scaffold and ladder, and walking on the roof carrying armfuls of slate. |
HSE Prosecution 4144132 20/3/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Shell UK Exploration & Production |
| Fined £12,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. A contractor's employee was crossing the site/security road adjacent to contractor office block when he was struck by the wheel of a moving Manitou Rough-terrain fork lift truck. No designated crossing point and workplace not organised in such a way as to ensure that pedestrians and vehicles could circulate in a safe manner. |
HSE Prosecution 4130442 23/3/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Alex Smiles Ltd |
| Fined £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Employee sustained fatal head injuries when run over by a 20 tonne Komatsu loading shovel. |
HSE Prosecution 4135537 23/3/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Bestoff Services Ltd |
| Fined £3,000 under HASAWA 1973 s3. Inadequate asbestos survey which put workers at risk of possible exposure. |
HSE Prosecution 4144879 23/3/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Andrew John Howard |
| Fined £6,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. No safe system of work for working at height. Employee injured whilst filling in gaps at height working from unsecured ladder and unprotected work at height on a roof. Prosecution of Mr Howard in his capacity as a partner in Beechdean Dairies. |
HSE Prosecution 4148382 23/3/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
| Hugh L S McConnell Ltd |
| Fined £6,000 under HASAWA 1973 s3. IP was standing on a Youngman's board on top of an asbestos cement roof, adjacent to a rooflight. He was collecting a pile of old rooflights, lost his balance and fell 9.5 metres through the rooflight onto the concrete floor. |
HSE Prosecution 4148860 23/3/09 Week ending: 29/05/09 |
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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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