Welcome to the archive section of Health & Safety News.
H&S News June 2009
| HSE research shows surprising attitudes towards health and safety. HSE launches new strategy for a common sense approach to risk at work. |
| Workplace deaths and injuries have fallen over the past 30 years but thousands still die every year as a result of work-related accidents and ill heath. On 3 June, the HSE launched a new nationwide strategy "Be Part of the Solution" designed to reduce the number of workplace accidents and take a common sense approach to ensuring that risk management is an enabler for business not a burden. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/strategy/index.htm HSE (National) Press Release 3/6/09 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Government resists calls for schools asbestos removal audit. |
| The Government has denied there is any need for a policy change on dealing with the epidemic of asbestos in schools, despite awareness that teachers are at a higher risk of mesothelioma. Parliamentary under-secretary Sarah McCarthy-Fry said the Government will continue to follow HSE's advice on asbestos management saying it is safer "to leave undisturbed asbestos in place and carefully manage it" than to run a complete removal from schools across the UK. |
Safety Management May 2009:5 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Provisional at-work death tally down this year. |
| Provisional figures from HSE suggest that 16 per cent fewer people died at work between April and December 2008 than during the same period in 2007. 137 workers died during this period compared with 167 the year before. |
Safety Management May 2009:5 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| "Concentrate on construction" BBC tells HSE. |
| HSE urgently needs more frontline inspectors, the influential BBC television programme Panorama has said. H&S should also concentrate its efforts far more on heavy industry and construction, and less on trivialities like unnecessary signage and gravestone topple-testing, the programme concluded. |
Safety Management May 2009:6 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Migrant workers face much higher risk of workplace accidents and injuries. |
| Foreign workers are more likely to die at work in Britain than their native colleagues, new research carried out by the Centre for Corporate Accountability has shown. The construction sector has the worst safety record, with migrant workers in the industry at least twice as likely to be killed as UK workers. A dozen migrant workers died in construction in 2007/08, 17 per cent of the total number of fatalities in the sector that year. This is despite the fact that HSE estimates that migrant workers make up a mere 8 per cent of the sector's workforce. |
Safety Management May 2009:7 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Aging population to exacerbate workplace illness. |
| British business will be affected by increased rates of illness by 2030, private healthcare BUPA has warned. The company estimates that chronic conditions in workers will rise by 7 per cent, to more than 4m. |
Safety Management May 2009:7 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| HSE to publish names of the deceased. |
| The names of people killed at work are to be released every month by the HSE, following a ruling by the Information Commissioner. Work deaths will now be listed in the HSE Chief Executive's monthly report to the board as soon as an inquest opens, and the information will also be available from www.hse.gov.uk/foi. |
Safety Management May 2009:7 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| New guidance on long-term sick leave. |
| The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has recently issued guidance on managing long-term sickness absence and incapacity for work. |
Internet: www.nice.org.uk Safety Management May 2009:7 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Going green: ways of getting started. |
| With industry and commerce coming under increased legal, financial and moral pressure to improve their environmental performance, it makes clear sense for firms to take steps to reduce waste, and cut energy and water use. Where to start. (Erica Russell) |
Safety Management May 2009:31-33 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Money going down the drain? |
| The business case for addressing workplace water wastage, explaining that it is not only industrial plants that can achieve real savings through water efficiency measures. (Claire Sweeney) |
Safety Management May 2009:34-35 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Legal reminder of Kings Cross fire. |
| Trade union pressure has led the Government to retain railway station standards brought in after the Kings Cross fire in 1987. Following lengthy talks with the RMT, fire chiefs, MPs and the railway industry, ministers have agreed legal reforms at subsurface and underground stations. |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Bulletin May 2009:1-2 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Coventry company prosecuted for third time over unguarded machinery. |
| The Amtico Company Limited was fined £75,000 and costs of £23,721 under HASAWA 1974 s2. An employee was working on a 'calendar machine', which consists of a number of heated rollers that stretch flooring material. A strip of material failed to fall onto a return conveyor and the employee went under the machine to cut it away, but his left glove became caught between the high speed rollers. He lost his ring finger and suffered crushing and burn injuries to his other fingers and forearm. At the time of the incident, there was no guard to prevent access to the dangerous moving parts of the machine. |
HSE (National) Press Release COI/WM/197/09 29/5/09 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| HSE warns employers to ensure they effectively manage all traffic movement on site. |
| BAM Construction Limited (formerly HBG Construction Limited) was fined £15,000 and costs of £13,540.90 under HASAWA 1974 s3. A sub-contractor was working under the control of BAM Construction tasked with installing the fire protection system on site. Fitter with Pyrotect Limited was at the time of the incident carrying a piece of plasterboard and walking in the opposite direction to the FLT when he was unexpectedly reversed over by the vehicle. The FLT driver stopped, thinking he had reversed onto a piece of fallen plasterboard which was obstruction his path. On investigation he found the sub-contractor underneath the plasterboard. The fitter suffered a broken tibia, fibula and ankle to his left leg, and dislocated a bone in his other leg. Almost two years on he has still not returned to work. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/35 2/6/09 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| HSE prosecution of West Yorkshire firm prompts warning to print industry about reel handling. |
| Waddington and Ledger Ltd was fined £14,000, costs of £3,205 and £15 victim surcharge under HASAWA 1974 s3. A visiting driver suffered serious injuries, when he was struck by a moving reel of paper nearly a metre wide and weighing around 1.5 tonnes whilst helping to unload a delivery. The driver was removing securing chocks to large paper reels to allow them to be rolled to the back of a trailer for unloading when a large reel at the back rolled towards the front of the trailer crushing the driver between two other reels. |
HSE (Yorkshire and the Humber) Press Release YH/221/09 29/5/09 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Company fined after worker suffered fatal crush injuries. |
| Biffa Waste Services Ltd was fined £190,000 and costs of £50,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Mr Charlie Smith was selecting and removing potentially valuable waste items from the rest of the rubbish, known as 'totting'. While doing this, he was run over by a large mechanical shovel loader which was moving backwards and forwards through the area Mr Smith was working in, causing fatal crush injuries. Mr Smith died later in hospital. The incident could have been avoided if the working practices had separated moving vehicles from people on foot. |
HSE (South East) Press Release COISE/0405 29/5/09 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Take care to protect workers warns HSE after quarry worker trapped in machinery. |
| North East Concrete Limited and North East Plant Sales were fined a total of £8,333 (£3,333 and £5,000), costs of £5,558 (£2,779 each)and victim surcharge £30 (£15 each) under QR 1999 and HASAWA 1974 s2. Michael Snaith, a quarry worker, tripped on a piece of metal at the top landing while checking the head drum area of the main incline conveyor. Mr Snaith fell into the belt area and his right arm was dragged into the belt mechanism up to his shoulder, where he became trapped. |
HSE (North East) Press Release NE/207/09 1/6/09 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Construction company is fined after fall from height. |
| Bouygues (UK) Limited was fined £18,000 and costs of £2,796 under HASAWA 1974 s3. The organisation was also ordered to pay the worker £5,000 compensation. A carpenter fell over 5 metres while attempting to secure concrete shutters. To manoeuvre and fix the shutters and brackets, workers had to lean out beyond the area protected by the guardrails. The carpenter reached beyond the edge protection bracket, while reaching he fell to the platform below. He suffered fractured ribs and collar-bone, air and blood in the chest cavity and a dislocated thumb. |
HSE (London) Press Release COILDN/0206 3/6/09 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| HSE warns employers to safeguard employees after worker's hand is fractured. |
| ThysennKrupp Tallent was fined a total of £14,000 and costs of £3,776 under PUWER 1998 and MHSWR 1999. A 26 year old employee was machining a small bracket when his glove caught in the unguarded cutter, forcing his fingers to bend until they snapped. Fortunately a nearby colleague hit the emergency stop allowing the injured man to pull his hand from the glove that was left entangled in the rotating cutter. The company failed to ensure that effective measures were taken in order to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery. Also two other machines were missing their guards. |
HSE (West Midlands) Press Release WM/201/09 4/6/09 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Forbo-Nairn Limited |
| Fined £330,000 under HASAWA 1974. IP was found underneath the Banbury Basket. It descended and crushed him at the bottom of the hoist pit. This case did result from the investigation of a fatality. |
HSE Prosecution 4093561 24/3/09 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| R J Heale and Company Ltd |
| Fined a total of £5,000 under CHSWR 1996. IP was dismantling a mezzanine floor. He had unscrewed the flooring boards and was in the process of prizing the boards off the structure, when he appeared to either slip or step back into an opening that he had already made in the floor. He fell approx 2.85m and landed on a concrete slab below. Dismantling work not properly planned or conducted, with no safe systems of work to prevent or mitigate falls from height. |
HSE Prosecution 4137159 24/3/09 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Rigid Containers Ltd |
| Fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Entrapment of hand in the inward running nip of 2 rollers of a printer folder gluer machine resulting in partial loss of 2 fingers and thumb. |
HSE Prosecution 4149056 24/3/09 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Sky Scaffolding (Midlands) Limited |
| Fined a total of £4,000 under WHR 2005 and MHSWR 1999. A member of the public was hit by a scaffold pole that fell from scaffolding under erection. Company failed to take steps to prevent a person being struck by a falling object. Also the risk assessment for persons not in their employment did not take into account the hazardous erection and dismantling phase of the job, only the inherent risks from a stationary scaffolding structure on the pavement. |
HSE Prosecution 4149995 24/03/09 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Mr A Ahuja |
| Conditional Discharge under HASAWA 1974 s33. Mr Ahuja was served with an IN requiring that a gas safety check be carried out on the gas appliances in the property and that a copy of the certificate arising from the check should be provided to the tenant by a certain date. From enquires made with the tenant after this date, it appears that no safety check has been undertaken and the tenant has not seen a certificate. |
HSE Prosecution 4103195 26/3/09 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Brouhaha International Ltd |
| Fined £4,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Inflatable art exhibit broke free from its anchorage and 2 persons were killed. |
HSE Prosecution 4111681 26/3/09 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Chester Le Street District Council |
| Fined £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Inflatable art exhibit broke free from its anchorage and 2 persons were killed. |
HSE Prosecution 4111692 26/3/09 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Specialist Heat Exchangers Ltd |
| Fined a total of £11,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and WHR 2005. Investigation into two incidents at the site. Fall from height from a damaged stepladder and finger dislocation resulting from unsafe system of work when using reaming machine. |
HSE Prosecution 4112879 26/3/09 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Richard Dry Dock and Engineering Ltd |
| Fined £25,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Whilst working in Chain locker (confined space) on a vessel in dry dock, ingress of water came into tank. This case did result from the investigation of a fatality. |
HSE Prosecution 4094600 27/3/09 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| W D Bennett's Plant and Services Ltd |
| Guilty - deferred under HASAWA 1974 s3 and CHSWR 1996. Prosecution relating to tower crane collapse. |
HSE Prosecution 4117072 27/3/09 Week ending: 05/06/09 |
| Company fined after worker dies on Barking building site. |
| Bouygues (UK) Ltd was fined a total of £160,000 and costs of £21,698.20 and victim surcharge of £15.00 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. The company was building additional teaching accommodation at a school when a worker died at the scene after being struck by a reversing vehicle. He was carrying materials across a designated vehicle route from a storage area when he was hit. |
HSE (London) Press Release COILDN/0206 8/6/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Engineering graduates embrace risk education. |
| An initiative to improve knowledge of risk among engineering students appears to have been successful, claims an HSE-commissioned report prepared by the HSL and the University of Liverpool Engineering Dept. |
Internet: "Integrating risk concepts into ? " RR702 http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr702.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin June 2009:2 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| New scheme targets inconsistent councils. |
| A new initiative started on April 6 to improve the consistency of LA enforcement of business-related legislation for employers with sites in different locations. The Primary Authority (PA) scheme, which can include H&S regulation within its scope, is available to all businesses that operate across two or more LA boundaries. |
Internet: http://www.lbro.org.uk/Pages/Article.aspx?id=292 Health and Safety Bulletin June 2009:4 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Agriculture - information. |
| The HSE has relaunched its agriculture website, adding topic pages on the main causes of illness and injury. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture Health and Safety Bulletin June 2009:6 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Agriculture - Leptospirosis. |
| The HSE has updated its two-page Leptospirosis leaflet. Anyone who is exposed to rat or cattle urine, or to fetal fluids from cattle, is at risk. |
Internet: "Leptospirosis - are you at risk?" www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg84.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin June 2009:6 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| First-aid - training. |
| The HSE has revised its guidance for first-aid training organisations. The new document covers the new training regime for workplace first-aiders which will come into force on 1 October 2009. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/web41.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin June 2009:6 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| RIDDOR - website. |
| The HSE has relaunched its RIDDOR website, which now comprises five clear sections: how to report, the RIDDOR requirements, what employers must do, what is reportable, and resources. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/index.htm Health and Safety Bulletin June 2009:7 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Slips and trips - footwear. |
| The HSE has published slip-resistance testing results for a further 20 footwear samples, six of which are new footwear. The results update 2005 and 2007 HSL reports. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/slips/additionalfootwear.htm Health and Safety Bulletin June 2009:7 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Waste - collection. |
| The HSE and Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) Forum have produced guidance on waste collection services. Although intended for household collection services, the principles can also be applied to all waste and recycling collection services. The guidance is aimed at clients in control of contracts, and employers who operate the services. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/waste23.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin June 2009:7 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Waste - website. |
| The HSE has redesigned its website on waste collection, processing and disposal. New features include: safety alerts, a "focus" page linking to information and guidance, and resources links. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/waste/index.htm Health and Safety Bulletin June 2009:7 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Government pulls strings as Anderson proposals are go. |
| A look at yet more Government plans for helping SMEs. (Howard Fidderman) |
Health and Safety Bulletin June 2009:8-10 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| "New sheriff in town" needs to clean up tarnished OSHA. |
| A look at the worrying state of the US's principal health and safety enforcement body. (George Binette) |
Health and Safety Bulletin June 2009:11-12 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| "Happy families" as enforcers become more and more alike. |
| Local authorities and the HSE are moving from coexistence to co-regulation. (Lucinda Ponting) |
Health and Safety Bulletin June 2009:13-15 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Employers must reduce risks - regardless of an assessment. |
| A look at an important Court of Appeal decision on reducing manual handling risks. (Howard Fidderman) |
Health and Safety Bulletin June 2009:16-17 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Borders farm fined £6,650 after employee died in quad bike crash. |
| The partnership known as R & J McDonald (the owners of Kellos Mains Farm) was fined £6,650 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s33. Mr Grant Shannon, 34 year old, had taken up employment on the farm as a dairy worker just 3 days before he died. He was told to use an ATV (also known as a quad bike) to assist another employee in moving cattle from one part of a field to another. Mr Shannon had never driven an ATV before and had not received any formal training on how to do so. He was not wearing head protection and the ATV was later found to have a number of defects, the most serious being incorrect tyre pressure which is critical for the safe operation of ATVs. Four worn tyres and ineffective rear brakes were also discovered. |
HSE (National) Press Release COI/SCO119 8/6/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| HSE warns employers to safeguard employees after worker suffers double-fracture to finger. |
| Metal Containers Ltd (formerly trading as Greif UK Ltd) was fined a total of £7,000 and costs of £5,735 under MHSWR 1999 and HASAWA 1974 s2. As part of the lacquering process, lids for the large ends of steel drums sometimes become jammed on the chained conveyor where they enter an oven to bake the lacquer. Robert Smith, a 55 year old operator, was trying to clear the backlog of lids when his hand became drawn into the unguarded chain drive. Mr Smith was able to withdraw his hand before it became further entangled but it had already been injured by the teeth of the chain sprocket. The company had failed to identify the risks involved in clearing blockages and the need for guarding on the machine's exposed moving parts. They had not taken sufficient measures to guard its employees from dangerous parts of machinery. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/WM/129/2009 8/6/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Construction company fined after worker dies in Dundee. |
| Discovery Homes (Scotland) Limited was fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Mr Richard Lionel John Pratt, a Director of the same company, who also performed the duties of site manager, was fined £4,000 under HASAWA 1974 s37. Andrezej Freitag, a 53 year old from Poland, fell nearly 3 metres down an exhaust shaft at a block of flats. There was not a robust barrier on the edge of the shaft and Mr Freitag later died from his injuries. Mr Pratt, the site manager, failed to do enough about the risks associated with working at height. He used the type of barrier normally found at roadworks site as protection at the top of the shaft, which is totally unsuitable for that purpose. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/SCO/120/09 8/6/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| HSE warning on gas safety following prosecution. |
| Mr Kevin Hall trading as Norfix Plumbing and Heating was jailed for 84 days under HASAWA 1974 s33 for carrying out gas work in contravention of a PN. The HSE started an investigation into work Mr Hall had carried out after receiving a complaint. Mr Hall had replaced an old gas boiler after falsely claiming to be CORGI registered. (Until April of this year, when the Gas Safe Register was introduced, gas engineers were legally required to be registered with CORGI.) Mr Hall used another engineer's CORGI registration number on paperwork that he gave to the householder. When work was inspected by a CORGI registered engineer, it was found to be 'not up to current standards' although it appeared to pose no major risk to the occupants. A PN was issued but Mr Hall carried out further boiler installations in contravention of that order. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/WM/138/09 10/6/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| HSE highlights importance of training and risk assessments following the death of employee of SF (UK) Ltd |
| SF (UK) Ltd, trading as British Gas, was fined a total of £35,000 and costs of £65,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and MHSWR 1999. Ricky Corin, an engineer, was attending a call-out. While repairing a washing machine motor fault he made contact with live parts after removing the back panel and was electrocuted as the power was left on. Mr Corin was only in his 5th week of employment with the company, although he did have previous experience. As part of the induction programme he was accompanied on the job by a more experienced colleague. The HSE found that the induction training provided by SF (UK) Ltd was insufficient and there was a lack of adequate risk assessments for the task. |
HSE (National) 10/6/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Firm fined £30,000 following fatality in silo. |
| Silocheck Limited was fined £30,000 and costs of £15,000 under CSR 1997. Paul Sharp, company employee, collapsed while suffering heat exhaustion during cleaning work inside a silo. The company had no appropriate systems of work, particularly with regard to access. Had there been a winch available, then rescuing Mr Sharp from inside the silo would have been much quicker and easier. |
HSE (South West) Press Release 325/SWW/09 5/6/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Heathrow Airport Ltd fined after worker fell off terminal roof. |
| Heathrow Airport Ltd was fined £10,000 and costs of £3,130 under HASAWA 1974 s3. A contractor maintenance worker was walking from one part of the terminal roof to another, when he fell 2.2 metres into a deep gully and received serious injuries to his leg. There was no edge protection around the gully and local lighting was not working. The injured worker suffered life changing injuries and is now unable to do the work that he used to do. |
HSE (London) Press Release COILDN/0306 5/6/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Hundreds to visit Blackpool for Health and Safety advice. |
| Hundreds of managers from businesses across the UK visited Blackpool at The Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) conference to get advice on improving health and safety this week. |
HSE (North West) Press Release HSE/NW/009/09 8/6/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| HSE helps industry 'Sign Up Safely'. |
| Signs play a vital part in our lives, without them we could end up at the wrong football ground on big match day or heading the wrong way up a one-way street. Sign manufacturing can involve the use of dangerous machinery, exposure to harmful paints and solvents, musculoskeletal disorders and so on. The HSE is now joining forces with the British Sign and Graphics Association and other partners to stage 'Sign Up! Safely'. The event, aimed at improving awareness of H&S among workers in the industry, will take place on Tuesday 30 June 2009 at Barnsley Rugby Union Football Club. There will be two free half-day training sessions, run between 8.45am and 12 noon and 1.45pm and 5.00pm. |
Info: Robert Ryan Clark 0114 291 2307 or Robert.clark@hse.gsi.gov.uk HSE (Yorkshire and the Humber) Press Release YH/235/09 8/6/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Food packaging manufacturer fined £3,500 after worker's finger is amputated. |
| HFW Plastics Limited was fined £3,500 and costs of £2,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. A member of staff had the little finger of his right hand amputated while clearing a jammed tray from the stacking station of a thermoforming machine used to produce plastic food trays. |
HSE (North East) Press Release NE/218/09 9/6/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| West Yorkshire quad bike prosecution brings safety warning. |
| Gerald Parker, a 64 year old farmer, was fined a total of £500 and costs of £958 under HASAWA 1974, PUWER 1998 and PPEWR 1992. Mr Parker used a quad bike to carry two employees to an outlying field where some cattle had broken out, he lost control of the vehicle which then toppled upside down into a 12 foot ditch. Not only was Mr Parker not wearing a safety helmet, but he failed to provide head protection for his two passengers. |
HSE (Yorkshire and the Humber) Press Release YH/237/09 9/6/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| HSE warns Aberdeen conference - offshore workers, employers and the regulator working together is essential to drive up safety standards. |
| The safety challenges facing offshore industry and the importance of co-operation between unions, management and HSE were top of the agenda at a major meeting of oil workers near Aberdeen. The Workforce Involvement Event was organised by the Offshore Industry Advisory Committee, whose members include HSE, employers and worker representatives. Gordon MacDonald, Head of the Hazardous Installations Directorate at HSE, spoke to around 150 delegates at the conference. |
HSE (Scotland) Press Release SCO/0123/09 11/6/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Northamptonshire animal feed company fined after worker falls from height. |
| Dodson and Horrell Limited was fined £2,000 and costs of £2,255 under MHSWR 1999. A 53 year old local worker was oiling the chains on a machine that stacks bags of animal feed onto pallets, when he fell approx 6 feet, resulting in bruised ribs and a punctured lung. |
HSE (East Midlands) Press Release EM 39/09 11/6/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Abercorn Homes Ltd |
| Fined £1,000 under WHR 2005. Edge protection missing while working on industrial roof. |
HSE Prosecution 4051827 30/3/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Cronite Castings Ltd |
| Fined £1,500 under LOLER 1998. Employee injured while lifting a 205 kg casting that dropped from the grab he was using, fracturing his leg. The grab had not been thoroughly examined on its scheduled date. When it was thoroughly examined after the accident, it was found to be 'not safe to operate'. |
HSE Prosecution 4131766 30/3/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Swancote Foods Ltd |
| Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. IP suffered injuries, severe lacerations and damage to tendons on hand, forearm and elbow when their arm became trapped in an in-running nip on a potato conveyor. |
HSE Prosecution 4138752 30/3/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Mr Sandeep Rajput |
| Fined £1,200 under HASAWA 1974 s36. Two gas fires were condemned and no GSC was produced. |
HSE Prosecution 4148816 30/03/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Sanctuary Housing Association |
| Fined £1,500 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Valve controlling hot water temperature not maintained whereby resident was scalded and died of injuries received. |
HSE Prosecution 4050900 31/3/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Essilor Ltd |
| Fined £16,000 under PUWER 1998. Employee severely injured by Topirex robot after entering the robot cell whilst it was still capable of automatic movement. |
HSE Prosecution 4110630 31/3/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Turning Point Scotland Limited |
| Fined £4,500 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Failure to ensure that employees were trained in safe bathing of clients and that a system of testing bath water temperatures was in place. A client was scalded and died of injuries received. |
HSE Prosecution 4125278 31/3/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Lite Structures (GB) Ltd |
| Fined £4,900 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Injured party was working under supervision on a vertical milling machine. Whilst placing piece of box section in the machine vice, the back of his gloved hand caught on the drill pulling his hand into the chuck. |
HSE Prosecution 4149064 31/3/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Dr A Al-Helu |
| Fined a total of £1,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and CDMR 1994.Unsafe working practices. |
HSE Prosecution 4151201 31/3/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Robert Charles Fenner |
| Fined £3,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Employee was working on a fragile roof without appropriate safety equipment. The partnership has previous history of unsafe work at height practices. |
HSE Prosecution 4122216 2/4/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Lance Wells |
| Fined £2,500 under WHR 2005. |
HSE Prosecution 4142089 2/4/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Tee-Kay Packaging (Peterborough) Ltd |
| Fined a total of £12,000 under PUWER 1998 and MHSWR 1999. Failure to ensure H&S of employee who was setting a job on printing machine. He injured his hand (amputated fingers) when it was caught between the print rollers. |
HSE Prosecution 4148142 2/4/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Millennium Inorganic Chemicals Ltd |
| Fined £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. IP (agency worker engaged by contractor) sustained a fracture to his left wrist and crush injury to left forearm when it became trapped between the pedestal cap of a Cooper bearing and horizontal fixed steelwork above. The cap was lifted vertically by a shaft passing through a drum. The drum was made buoyant by liquid in a sump beneath. Failure to make a suitable and sufficient risk assessment to provide comprehensible information on foreseeable risks. |
HSE Prosecution 4099402 3/4/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Millennium Inorganic Chemicals Ltd |
| Fined £40,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Release of Titanium Tetrachloride into the atmosphere during a rodding operation. |
HSE Prosecution 4140487 3/4/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| P C Harrington Contractors Limited |
| Guilty Deferred/Fine under HASAWA 1974 s2. |
HSE Prosecution 4158369 3/4/09 Week ending: 12/06/09 |
| Health and Safety leader calls on Lancashire businesses to use common sense. |
| One of Britain's top health and safety figures has called on business in Lancashire to make common sense the cornerstone of their approach to protecting employees. Geoffrey Podger, the Chief Executive of the HSE gave the keynote speech at the 52nd annual conference of the North West Regional Association of Occupational Health and Safety Groups in Preston. |
HSE (National) 17/6/09 Week ending: 19/06/09 |
| Crown censure of HM prison service. The HSE has called HM Prison Service to account over a case of Legionnaires Disease at Nottingham Prison. |
| HSE has called HM Prison Service to account over a case of Legionnaires disease at Nottingham Prison. An inmate was diagnosed, HSE conducted a thorough and detailed investigation to determine the likely source of exposure. High levels of legionella bacteria were discovered in the hot and cold water system in the prison's Health Unit. HSE found the Approved Code of Practice for controlling legionella bacteria in water systems had not been followed. Breaching HASAWA 1974 s3. HM Prison Service attended a formal Crown Censure Hearing and accepted the Crown Censure after explaining the action it had taken to prevent a recurrence at Nottingham Prison or its other prisons. |
HSE (National) Press Release E47:09 12/6/09 Week ending: 19/06/09 |
| LPG pipe work replacement programme gets under way. |
| A major programme to assess and improve the condition of underground services pipe work carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from bulk storage tanks to industrial and commercial premises in England, Scotland and Wales has been launched. |
HSE (National) Press Release E045:09 15/6/09 Week ending: 19/06/09 |
| Statement on health and safety in schools. |
| The HSE has called for a common sense approach to health and safety in Great Britain's schools. HSE Chair Judith Hackitt today responded to a poll published by Teachers TV. |
HSE (National) Press Release E48:09 19/6/09 Week ending: 19/06/09 |
| Health and Safety inspectors will visit properties in Warrington on 17 June as part of a campaign to improve standards on refurbishment projects. |
| HSE is targeting small-scale projects in the town to make sure work has been property planned and is being carried out safely. In 2007/8, 38 people were killed while working on property refurbishment, repair and maintenance in the UK, more that half of all construction fatalities. The majority of deaths were caused by falls from height. The inspectors will be looking at work carried out at height, hazards that could cause slips, trips or falls, the tidiness of sites, welfare facilities including toilets and whether suitable equipment is being used. |
HSE (National) Press Release 15/6/09 Week ending: 19/06/09 |
| HSE takes safety message to Royal Highland Show. |
| The HSE will be on hand to give advice at high-profile agricultural shows this summer as part of its ongoing commitment to improve health and safety in on of Britain's most dangerous industries. The first will be the Royal Highland Show, 25 to 28 June, where experts will be available to answer questions on issues about farming, arboriculture, forestry and aquaculture. |
HSE (National) Press Release 16/6/09 Week ending: 19/06/09 |
| Mark W Rooke |
| Fined £900 under WHR 2005. IP was on the roof and stepped back onto a sky light, falling through it. Crawling boards only, no guardrails or side of boards protection. |
HSE Prosecution 4148274 6/4/09 Week ending: 19/06/09 |
| Adrian Ellis esq |
| Fined a total of £11,300 under GSIUR 1998. Gas safety issues at 2 properties at which Mr Ellis was landlord. Case closed pending re-opening when warrant to appear has been served on Mr Ellis. Mr Ellis was not found despite repeated attempts by warrant office and continued research by HMI. Further attempts to find Mr Ellis. Newer addresses found for him. Warrant served to appear in court. |
HSE Prosecution 4011133 8/4/09 Week ending: 19/06/09 |
| Roger Lee Lavender |
| Fined £6,666 under CAR 2006. Mr Lavender is the Managing Director and sole share holder at company where asbestos stripping took place. 2 asbestos surveys had been produced and Mr Lavender acted contrary to the information contained within. 2 company employees carried out the removal (approx 40 boards taking between 4.5 and 6 hours) with few precautions - ie dry stripping. |
HSE Prosecution 4116761 8/4/09 Week ending: 19/06/09 |
| SDC Parts and Services Limited |
| Fined £3,300 under MHSWR 1999. Accident to David Andrew Straw. |
HSE Prosecution 4118462 8/4/09 Week ending: 19/06/09 |
| Matthew Triggs |
| Fined £25,000 under HSASWA 1974 s2. PR following accident. Serious leg and other injuries when loading shuttering onto a trailer at a farm. |
HSE Prosecution 4122775 8/4/09 Week ending: 19/06/09 |
| Richard Triggs |
| Fined £25,000 under HSASWA 1974 s2. PR following accident. Serious leg and other injuries when loading shuttering onto a trailer at a farm. |
HSE Prosecution 4122778 8/4/09 Week ending: 19/06/09 |
| S D C Trailers Ltd |
| Fined £2,600 under WHR 2005. Accident to two employees. |
HSE Prosecution 4137846 8/4/09 Week ending: 19/06/09 |
| Dufaylite Developments Ltd |
| Fined a total of £19,5000 under MHSWR 1999 and HASAWA 1974 s2. Maintenance Engineer received crush injury to left hand while carrying out maintenance activity. Failure to ensure safety to employees. Failure to provide training to injured person and supervising Maintenance Engineer. |
HSE Prosecution 4152385 8/4/09 Week ending: 19/06/09 |
| BAM Construction Limited |
| Fined £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and Absolute Discharge under CDMR 2007. IP was subcontracted to HBC Construction Ltd (Now BAM Construction Ltd). As IP was carrying a board from one unit to another an FLT reversed into him and ran him over resulting in major injury to his legs. |
HSE Prosecution 4154697 8/4/09 Week ending: 19/06/09 |
| Merseyside companies urged not to ignore health and safety warnings after a chemical factory was ordered to pay nearly £55,000. |
| T J & S Jenkinson Ltd fined a total of £30,000 and costs of £24,527 under COSHH 2002, PUWER 1998 and HASAWA 1974 s33. The HSE served 19 ENs between September 2004 and October 2008. Decision to prosecute for persistent failings which put employees at risk of serious harm to the health and safety. The company failed to adequately control the exposure of an employee to hazardous substances in its powder plant room, failed to comply with an IN requiring training to be given to employees exposed to hazardous substances and failed to maintain a Hyster FLT which had a history of steering problems. |
HSE (North West) Press Release 22/6/09 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| Construction blitz reveals failure to get to grips with basic safety measures. |
| One in five construction sites failed H&S checks during the latest national inspection initiative carried out by the HSE. Inspectors visited 1,759 refurbishment sites during March and checked on how 2,145 constructors were complying with H&S regulations. They found sufficiently serious risks on 348 sites to warrant enforcement action being taken. |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal June 2009:2 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| Drivers warned on load dangers. |
| More than three quarters of vehicles stopped during safety checks in Wrexham, Birmingham and Humberside were not loaded safely, putting motorists and loading staff at risk. |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal June 2009:2 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| Arrests over fire deaths. |
| Four people have been arrested in connection with a blaze at a vegetable packing plant in which four firefighters lost their lives. Three men and one woman were arrested in May on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. They have been released on bail pending further inquiries. |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal June 2009:3 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| Working all hours. |
| Shift work is an important H&S issue. If not managed correctly, factors such as fatigue and inadequate rest breaks can lead to adverse effects on an employee's health and can also increase the risk of workplace accidents. (Sarah Tullett) |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal June 2009:13-17 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| Business continuity. |
| All businesses should have a plan in place to ensure they can continue to function as much as possible in the event of a major emergency or natural disaster. (RoSPA) |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal June 2009:21-24 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| Don't shoot the messenger. |
| Would you speak out if you identified H&S failings in your workplace? Or would you say nothing for fear of victimisation? For those who do expose malpractice, either internally or externally, there is some legal protection. (Nick Cook) |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal June 2009:29-33 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| Directors' duties. |
| An examination of the issue of directors' H&S duties and whether regulation should be introduced to enhance directors' leadership of H&S. (Roger Bibbings) |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal June 2009:42-43 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| Pet bedding company fined after migrant worker injured in shredder. |
| Snowflake Animal Bedding Ltd fined a total of £16,900 and costs of £8,655.16 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and PUWER 1998. An employee, a migrant worker, was standing on a conveyor belt which fed hay bales into the shredder, cutting strings that were holding bales together. As the bale fell apart, the man lost his balance and fell into the shredder. He suffered very serious injuries to his hand, wrist, feet, legs and hip. Some of his wounds were very deep and he needed several skin grafts. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/2009 22/6/09 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| Fatal injuries to workers in Britain at record low. |
| The number of people killed at work in Britain has fallen to a record low, new figures from the HSE reveal. Provisional data shows that 180 workers were killed between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2009, a rate of 0.6 per 100,000 employees, down from 233 in 2007/08 and 17 per cent lower than the previous lowest total of 217, recorded in 2005/6. [The HSE has published Regional Press Releases giving provisional figures for individual regions across Great Britain.] |
HSE (National) Press Release E50:09 24/6/09 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| Factories urged to put safety first after Greater Manchester company ignores rules for 8 years. |
| Crest Engineering Company Ltd fined a total of £13,000 and costs of £3,003 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and PUWER 1998. The HSE found safety guards missing or not in use on several 'milling' machines, which are used to shape metal. The company took a deliberate decision to remove the safety guards on the machines despite receiving a formal warning from the HSE about the issue. The HSE first served Crest Engineering with an EN in 1999 for failing to have a safety switch on a piece of machinery. When inspectors visited them again in 2001, they served 8 ENs after finding safety guards missing on several machines. Inspectors took the decision to prosecute after a further visit in 2007. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/NW/015crest/09 24/6/09 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| Sentencing for Health and Safety breaches that led to the deaths of two workmen. |
| Eurolift (Tower Cranes) Ltd fined £50,000 and costs of £1,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and CHSWR 1996. The Judge said that the breach was serious enough for a fine in the region of £100,000 to £200,000, but taking into account the current financial state of the company imposed the lower fine. The company exists but is no longer trading. WD Bennett's Plant & Services Ltd had also been convicted in March and has since been put into administration and its name has been changed to 'WDB1'. The deceased men, Steve Boatman and Gary Miles, had been working on the jib of a crane. A third man, who was injured in the incident was working on the mast of the crane. He was instructed to start de-torquing the mast bolts of the crane. He was not trained in the correct procedure for this job causing the crane to collapse as it was turned, throwing the two men from the crane. |
HSE (South East) Press Release 24/6/09 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| HSE warns employers to ensure that vehicles in the workplace can circulate in a safe manner on surfaces which are correctly maintained. |
| Dairy Farmers of Britain Ltd fined £10,000 and costs of £2,916 under WHSWR 1992. A ride-on pallet truck and an FLT collided on site between the main fridge and the production areas, injuring the ride-on pallet truck driver. The injured man, Mr John Reader, suffered multiple fractures to his lower right leg. Traffic routes were not organised in such a way that pedestrians and vehicles could circulate in a safe manner. Although not a contributory factor to the incident, it was also identified that the floor surfaces on the traffic routes were unsuitable. |
HSE (East Midlands and North West) Press Releases 24/6/09 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| Owners of a Brechin rendering plant have been convicted of failing to ensure proper health and safety standards were in place after two workers were overcome by fumes produced by rotting animal waste. |
| Sacone Environment Ltd fined £12,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. The men were overcome by hydrogen sulphide as they delivered animal waste from the neighbouring abattoir to a waste pit in preparation for incineration. They collapsed and lay unconscious in the waste intake area of the plant before being rescued and taken to hospital. The waste intake area had no gas monitors or alarms installed and its enclosed nature meant there was little exchange of air, effectively making it a confined space. To reduce emissions the plant is enclosed by the fabric of the building. Access to and exit from the building was controlled by 2 sets of doors, only one which can be opened at a time. Waste is tipped into a pit and may remain there for hours or days before being processed and incinerated. |
HSE (Scotland) Press Release 25/6/09 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| Pullman Design & Fabrication Ltd |
| Fined £30,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. The company had built a new extension and were installing a wheel lathe in it. A swarf crusher was needed to be lowered and positioned in a pit under the lathe. A team of employees lowered the crusher into the pit. Whilst putting skates under the legs, so as to enable them to pull it along the floor of the pit the crusher tipped over and an employee was trapped underneath causing several broken bones. Unsafe system of work and no risk assessment. |
HSE Prosecution 4090899 14/4/09 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| The UK Lift Company Ltd |
| Fined a total of £2,000 under WHR 2005. Employee of a school suffered serious injuries where the company were maintaining a lift. |
HSE Prosecution 4137188 15/4/09 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| F W Mason & Sons Ltd |
| Fined £4,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. |
HSE Prosecution 4141119 15/4/09 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| Mr Darren Fowler |
| Deferred under HASAWA 1974 s3. This case did result from a fatality. A wall collapsed on DP. DF charged with HASAWA s37 as well as acting as director while disqualified. |
HSE Prosecution 4133409 16/4/09 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council |
| Fined £11,500 under HASAWA 1974 s3. An elderly member of the public tripped and hit her head whilst inside a bowling club pavilion. She later died from her injuries. Council had failed to maintain the floor and to carry out an adequate risk assessment of the flooring after it had suspended safety checks at the pavilion. |
HSE Prosecution 4118565 17/4/09 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
| Mitie Property Services (UK) Limited |
| Fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Contractors removed fire doors using power tools, put dust sheets down, no PPE. Removed door closers ripped out. Notifier believes doors were AIB fire doors, dust everywhere, used cleaner's hoover to clean up. |
HSE Prosecution 4133954 17/4/09 Week ending: 26/06/09 |
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Whilst every effort is taken to ensure that H&S News entries are an accurate summary of the source data, at the time of publication on the HASTAM website, HASTAM cannot accept any responsibility for errors or omissions in transcription. Further, HASTAM cannot accept any responsibility for the content of the information to be found in the source materials.
HASTAM cannot accept any liability for any events arising from the use of this information. We strongly recommend that, if any information from any H&S News entry is to be used for any specific purpose, the original source is checked to confirm accuracy and to enable the user to take account of the full information. This is particularly important in the case of HSE Prosecutions where the HSE may have withdrawn a specific entry subsequent to its publication in H&S News. Entries can be checked using the search facility on www.hse-databases.co.uk/prosecutions
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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.