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H&S News November 2009
| Rice company fined £140,000 after employee is killed by machine. |
| Veetee Rice Ltd fined £140,000 and costs of £20,500 under PUWER 1998. Employee Balwinder Singh Aulkh accessed a rice silo and his leg became trapped in the underfloor screw conveyor, a piece of machinery used to take rice from the silo. He died from his injuries. The company had failed to ensure that dangerous parts of the machinery could not be accessed by members of staff, or that dangerous moving parts were stopped before anyone entered the danger zone. |
HSE (National) Press Release COSIE/011 5/11/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Diving fines. |
| British Waterways fined £87,000 under HASAWA 1974 and MHSWR 1999. Sea Technical Services fined £15,000 under DWR 1997. Christopher Drake fined £6,000 under DWR 1997. David Moore was killed while examining a section of a lock's walls which burst. BW failed to carry out a full structural survey which would have revealed that the floor of the lock was convex rather than flat. BW's fine represented 1.6% of the 2008/09 operating profit of £5.6 million. Had the Sentencing Advisory Panel been in place, it would have faced a starting-point fine of 2.5% of its £223.3 million turnover. |
Health and Safety Bulletin November 2009 (383):2 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| HSE takes the heat out of temperature debate. |
| The HSE Board had accepted that it needs to clarify the advice it provides on high temperatures in indoor workplaces. At its monthly meeting in September, however, it stopped short of making specific recommendations to ministers on exactly how it would do this and instead advised merely that it will work with stakeholders to improve the situation. |
Health and Safety Bulletin November 2009 (383):3 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Agriculture - E.coli. |
| Following the recent cases of E.coli 0157 at a visitor farm attraction in Surrey, the HSE has issued an alert to remind farmers about what they must do to reduce the risk of ill health to visitors. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ais23.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin November 2009 (383):4 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Asbestos - mortality. |
| The latest report on a survey of asbestos workers that commenced in 1970 has found that insulation workers, stripping/removal workers, and those employed in the manufacture of asbestos cement experienced the highest mortality from asbestos-related diseases. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr730.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin November 2009 (383):4 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Atypical work - lone working. |
| The HSE has updated its advice for anyone who employs or engages lone workers. The 7 page leaflet also provides useful information for self-employed lone workers. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg73.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin November 2009 (383):4 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Carcinogens - tar. |
| The HSE has published a leaflet advising people who have worked with pitch and tar and have developed a wart, to go to their doctor without delay, taking the leaflet with them. Although there are several types of tar wart, one is carcinogenic but can easily be cured through prompt treatment. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg435.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin November 2009 (383):4 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Legislation - new. |
| No new health and safety regulations came into force on 1 October, the second of this year's annual "common commencement dates for new legislation". The HSE anticipates that four new sets of Regulations will come into force on 6 April 2010. |
Health and Safety Bulletin November 2009 (383):5 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Major hazards - planning. |
| HSE reports just "minor changes" in the new version of its planning advice for developments near hazardous installations. The guide helps planners and developers work out the regulator's likely response when consulted about a planning proposal. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/landuseplanning/padhi.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin November 2009 (383):5 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Risk assessment - survey. |
| The HSE is asking individuals to complete an online feedback questionnaire to inform an evaluation of its risk assessment guidance, template and model risk assessments. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/risk/index.htm Health and Safety Bulletin November 2009 (383):6 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Vibration - HAV. |
| The HSE has revised its four guidance documents on hand-arm vibration (HAV). "Control the risks from HAV - advice for employers" INDG175 (rev 2), "HAV - advice for employees" INDG296, "HAV - the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005" L140, "Vibration solutions: Practical ways to reduce the risk of HAV injury" HSG170. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/vibration/hav/publications.htm Health and Safety Bulletin November 2009 (383):6 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Waste - recycling. |
| Changes in waste-management operations have resulted in the HSE and Waste Industry Forum producing a leaflet on material recycling facilities. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/waste13.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin November 2009 (383):6 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Educating the educators: how unions protect university staff. |
| Continuing the series on higher education by looking at the views of the staff and their unions. (Lucinda Ponting) |
Health and Safety Bulletin November 2009 (383):7-10 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Health and safety: the state of play. |
| HSE's latest state-of-play table reviews all HSE activity and other important developments since 1 October 2009. The table also reports on the current position on legislative proposals, and gives readers an early warning of important and likely developments in health and safety. |
Health and Safety Bulletin November 2009 (383):11-24 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Cutting deaths in construction - free Fife event aims to reduce risks. |
| A practical event for builders, construction workers and contractors in Fife was held this week, its aim was to reduce the death toll in Scotland's construction industry. Eleven workers in the construction sector were killed and more than 1,500 were seriously injured in Scotland last year. |
HSE (National) Press Release SCO/197/09 30/10/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| New national quarry safety team formed. |
| A new team of specialist inspectors has been assembled to crackdown on death, injury and ill-health in quarries and open cast mines across Scotland and the rest of Great Britain. The team of HSE inspectors, initially five-strong, has decades of knowledge and expertise in the sector. This new approach marks a departure for the inspectors who previously worked across a range of industries, including manufacturing and agriculture. |
HSE (National) Press Release 95/2009 30/10/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Hidden killer warning for tradesmen nationwide. |
| Every week across Britain around 20 tradesmen die from asbestos-related diseases and the numbers are increasing. Workers most at risk of exposure to asbestos are those most likely to disturb it and breathe in the fibres such as plumbers, joiners and electricians. It is these groups that the HSE is working to protect through its 'Asbestos: The Hidden Killer' campaign, which features tradesmen, or their widows, suffering from mesothelioma.. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/hiddenkiller HSE (National) Press Releases SCO/189/09 2/11/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Joint Regulatory Position Statement on the EPR Pressurised Water Reactor. |
| The UK nuclear safety regulator (HSE's ND), the French nuclear regulator (ASN), and the Finnish nuclear regulator (STUK) are currently working to assess the EPR Pressurised Water Reactor. In carrying out individual assessments, they have all raised issues regarding the EPR Control and Instrumentation (C&I) systems, which the proposed licensees and/or manufacturer (AREVA) are in the process of addressing. |
HSE (National) Press Release V4 22/10/2009 2/11/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Pressure on to tackle stress as business loses out. |
| The HSE is supporting National Stress Awareness Day as statistics reveal more than 22 million working days were lost to work related stress last year. This startling figure translates as a £4 billion cost to society and HSE wants companies to be made aware of the real cost, not only to people but also to business. |
HSE (National) Press Release 097/2009 2/11/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Food manufacturer ordered to pay almost £95,000 after Norfolk worker's hand crushed. |
| Tulip Limited fined £65,000 and costs of £29,523 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Ludmila Jurkevica, 27, had three fingers crushed attempting to clear a blockage in a Multivac packing machine. Failure to prevent access to dangerous parts of the machinery, and to make a sufficient risk assessment of the machine. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/E/33 4/11/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Chemical burns prompt HSE prosecution of Leicestershire firm. |
| Anglo Adhesives and Services Ltd fined £15,000 and costs of £5,500 under DSEAR 2002 and HASAWA 1974 s3. Two agency workers were asked to mix up a batch of adhesives. They were given instructions on a job card which told them to clean out a plastic barrel, add two solvents then use an electric mixer in a solid resin to mix them together. As they began mixing, the flammable vapour above the liquid ignited, sending a flame shooting upwards. It set fire to one of the workers hi-visibility tabard and singed the hair and burnt the faces of both men. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/09 4/11/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Updated chemical advice praised by small businesses. |
| New, easy to use guidance is available for businesses on how to deal with hazardous substances in the workplace. The revised publication "Working with substances hazardous to health" offers advice and guidance on working safely with a variety of substances - from hairdressing products to metal working fluids, from quarry dust to cleaning material. Many from those involved in developing the guidance have praised it for being practical and user-friendly. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/index.htm HSE (National) Press Release 098/2009 4/11/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Pet food firm fined £100,000 after worker crushed to death. |
| Butcher's Pet Care Ltd fined £100,000 and costs of £28,380.91 under HASAWA 1974 s2. John O'Connor, 38, was killed when a palletising machine crushed him. The machine is used to take cans of pet food from conveyor belts and stack them on layers on pallets. It is fully automatic and operated by sensors. The machine should have been fully enclosed with an interlock system to prevent anyone gaining access until the power is shut off. Mr O'Connor entered the caged area via a gap in the fencing created by the stair rails, to reposition a jammed pallet. When freed, it set the machine in motion, trapping and killing Mr O'Connor. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/84 5/11/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Fine after driver's arm amputated during Kent delivery. |
| Colin Parker (Masonry) Ltd fined £3,000 and costs of £10,603 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. A delivery driver was unloading three stone slabs, weighing 220 kilograms each, from his lorry whilst parked next to a stonemasons', when part of the stack collapsed on him. He had to have his left arm amputated. HSE criticised the company for not having a system in place to allow drivers to remove individual slabs safely. |
HSE (National) Press Release COSIE/0511 5/11/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Hidden killer message taken to key trade show. |
| The dangers of asbestos will be amongst the workplace hazards and health issues under the spotlight at the National Painting and Decorating Show in Coventry next week (11-12 November). The HSE is hosting a stand at the Ricoh Arena event to promote its month-long 'Asbestos: The Hidden Killer' campaign, which urges tradesmen to protect themselves from breathing in the deadly fibres which they may disturb through renovation projects. |
HSE (National) Press Release TBC/09 5/11/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Packaging firm fined £1,000 after worker injured. |
| Integrated Packaging Ltd fined £1,000, costs of £2,374.25 and a £15 victim surcharge. They were charged with contravening Reg 11 of PUWER 1998, thereby they were guilty of an offence contrary to s33 of HASAWA 1974. An employee reached into a Kohmann 1440 window patcher machine to remove a jammed item that had become stuck on the suction table conveyor belt. His hand became caught between the suction table conveyor belt and the delivery table conveyor belt. And he suffered a friction burn and fracture to his left wrist. |
HSE (National) Press Release NE/388/09 6/11/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Company fined £125,000 following massive explosion and fire. |
| Eco-Oil Ltd fined £125,000 and costs of £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. Ian Malcolm Cross, the Company's Director, fined £5,000 and costs of £500 also under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. The waste oil storage and processing facility held many large tanks and, on the day of the incident, major changes were being made to the plant. Contract worker Michael White was welding the roof of one tank, as part of the changes, when there was an explosion, followed by a large fire. The tank that exploded contained approx 300,000 litres of mixed lube oil and fuel. The efforts of the Fire Service prevented the fire spreading to adjacent tanks. Mr White sustained minor injuries to his leg. |
HSE (South East) Press Release 30/10/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| HSE and Sandwell Council unite to promote sensible risk management. |
| Sandwell Council is the latest authority to sign up to the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Sensible Risk charter. By signing the HSE pledge, the Council is demonstrating its commitment to managing health and safety risks sensibly by ensuring workers and the public are properly protected. |
HSE (West Midlands) Press Release 3/11/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| South West hosts first major equine safety event. |
| The first major equestrian safety event of its kind in the UK will be held in Dorset next week, when the HSE and partnership organisations offer a free training workshop to businesses from across England and Wales. It will take place at Kingston Maurward College, Dorchester on 12 November 2009, between 10.30 am and 3.45 pm. |
HSE (National) Press Release 4/11/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Lothians' stoneworkers safety event aims to clear the air. |
| Construction workers in the Lothians area are being invited to an event this Monday (9 November) to find out more about protecting themselves from Silicosis, a potentially lethal lung disease caused by breathing in stone dust. It is being held at Beatsons Building Supplies, Eastfield Industrial Estate, Penicuik EH26 8BA from 7.30am. |
HSE (Scotland) Press Release 6/11/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Limagrain UK Limited |
| Fined £35,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Overhauling a farm type trailer and taken off its axle, getting ready to be put back onto its axles and it over balanced and fell onto an employee. |
HSE Prosecution 4147679 24/8/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Rossford Dental Laboratory |
| Fined £2,500 under HASAWA 1974 s21. Failed to comply with an IN within an agreed 2 month deadline. The IN was served after an HSE inspector visited the site and found it to be extremely unclean, putting the health of workers at risk. |
HSE Prosecution 4159500 26/8/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Robert Andrew Phinn |
| Conditional Discharge under HASAWA 1974 s3. Following an inflatable bungee run, part of the display lifted from the ground in windy conditions and knocked into several people. The bungee run had been supplied by Robert Andrew Phinn and he had set the run up and trained staff to operate it. Deficiencies in the training given and in the anchorage arrangements. |
HSE Prosecution 4166937 26/8/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Hotchkiss Ltd |
| Fined a total of £14,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and MHSWR 1999. Prosecution of a separate freestanding division of Hotchkiss Ltd t/a Hotchkiss Air Supply. Hotchkiss Ltd were prosecuted because it was the legal entity, but the controlling mind was Hotchkiss Air Supply which trades independently. |
HSE Prosecution 4168076 27/8/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Cranberry Foods Ltd |
| Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. IP was not wearing a chain mail apron whilst working on the turkey line. Walked a short distance from his workplace to a sink to sharpen his knife and whilst returning he leant/walked onto the blade suffering a 4" deep stab wound to his abdomen. He sustained a major injury to his abdomen. |
HSE Prosecution 4169654 27/8/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| T.R.S. (Total Repair Services) |
| Fined a total of £1,500 under CAR 2006. A building contractor failed to carry out an adequate asbestos survey on a church outbuilding and undertook its demolition in a way that disturbed and spread asbestos insulation board that had been used as an internal lining material. Workers supplied by a labour agency carried out the demolition without realising that AIB was present. The asbestos cement roof sheets had been correctly identified and removed under appropriate controlled conditions. |
HSE Prosecution 4172035 27/8/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Secure IT Disposals Limited |
| Fined £8,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. IP suffered serious back injuries when a one ton mobile shredding machine was elevated using an FLT and subsequently fell off the forks, hitting IP but fortunately not trapping him. Elevated for maintenance purpose. |
HSE Prosecution 4161862 28/8/09 Week ending: 06/11/09 |
| Director fined for repeated negligent safety practices after worker's arm amputated. |
| Paul Richard Llewellyn James fined £60,000 and costs of £17,500 under PUWER 1998 and HASAWA 1974 s37. The charges related to two separate incidents where two employees were severely injured. Mr James, 58, was a director of James Environmental Ltd at the time of the incidents. He put the company into voluntary liquidation 3 days after the case was committed to the Crown Court. In the first incident, employee Zeke Mabbutt, was ordered to clean a moving machine that trapped and mangled his arm, requiring it to be amputated just below the shoulder. In the second incident, Mr Mabbutt's replacement at the firm, Danny Bedford, reached onto the conveyor belt by the roller to clear some shredded tyre. He did this as he had seen Mr James and other employees clear debris in this way. The guard which covered the roller was not properly fixed in place and as Mr Bedford reached in to snatch the debris out, he too had his arm pulled in by the belt and around the roller. Although Mr Bedford did not lose his arm he is still undergoing operations on his arm. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/87 11/11/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Rail jobs risk. |
| Rail union RMT has called for a halt to job losses at Network Rail after new information supplied by the company revealed that 2,549 maintenance jobs are under threat. The union is warning that the planned job cuts would present a "massive danger to the travelling public and would create the conditions for a repeat of the Potters Bar and Hatfield disasters as essential maintenance work is hacked back". |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Bulletin October 2009:3 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Energy saving bulbs "safe". |
| Mercury vapours from a broken energy saving lightbulb do not pose a significant threat to public health according to air pollution experts. Scientists have found that exposure is likely to be very small - and much lower than from other broken mercury containing products such as some types of thermometers and barometers. |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Bulletin October 2009:4 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Safety is key, says Big Brother star. |
| "Big Brother" TV star and professional builder Craig Phillips has stepped up to support HSE's ladder safety campaign. Speaking at the launch of the initiative at HSS Hire in his home city of Liverpool, Craig gave his full backing to the scheme which offers people the chance to trade in their old and damaged ladder for a new one. |
Health and Safety Newsletter (21) October-November 2009:3 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| A helping hand for SMEs. |
| A risk assessment and policy template is now available on HSE's website to help dutyholders in lower-risk, small to medium enterprises (SMEs). |
Health and Safety Newsletter (21) October-November 2009:6-7 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Solving an age-old problem. |
| Here we look at how an HSE inspector helped a Manchester bus company solve the longstanding problem of workers falling into unmarked inspection pits. |
Health and Safety Newsletter (21) October-November 2009:8-9 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Construction workers want inquiry into blacklisting. |
| A pressure group is demanding a public inquiry into the illegal blacklisting of workers by some of the UK's leading construction firms. The Blacklist Support Group held a packed meeting at the Houses of Parliament in October to lobby MPs to take action against the 44 construction firms that subscribed to a covert database containing sensitive personal information on thousands of building workers. |
SHP November 2009:6 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Europeans feel recession has harmed safety. |
| Six out of 10 people in Europe think the economic downturn is adversely affecting H&S conditions in the workplace, but British and Irish citizens are more optimistic on this issue than most. These are some of the findings of a European-wide poll on H&S carried out earlier this year by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. |
SHP November 2009:7 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Football club ignored Improvement Notice. |
| Blackpool Football Club has been fined £8,000 for failing to comply with an Improvement Notice. In a routine safety inspection Blackpool Council discovered the club had failed to carry out a risk assessment, or create a written H&S policy, to cover non-match days. |
SHP November 2009:12 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| "Management shortcomings" to blame for fatality. |
| Shanley and Sons fined £80,000 and costs of £25,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and WHSWR 1992. Bert Reeves was working on an industrial shredding machine when a waste-delivery driver was attempting to park his vehicle, but he could not see Mr Reeves who was standing in the vehicle's blindspot. He was struck by the rear of the vehicle and fell underneath its wheels. He died later in hospital. Failure to separate vehicles and pedestrians. |
SHP November 2009:14 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| When hindsight is not so wonderful. |
| A recent decision in the High Court that will be important to organisations in receipt of an Enforcement Notice and who might wish to appeal. (Michael Appleby) |
SHP November 2009:19 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| The waiting game. |
| COMAH-site operators who wait until the last minute to review their Safety Reports are missing out on the valuable information this exercise can provide, and could be putting their sites, their workers, and others at risk. (Caroline Stoker) |
SHP November 2009:43-44 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Word of mouth. |
| Workers' teeth are unlikely to be of much, or even any, concern to most H&S practitioners, but work-related dental damage is a health risk that must be assessed like any other. (Dr Chris Ide) |
SHP November 2009:46-48 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| On the right track. |
| Tube Lines is responsible for day-to-day maintenance and capital works on three of London Underground's busiest lines and so is under considerable pressure to complete work on time and to budget. How the company is meeting this challenge and, at the same time, achieving significant safety milestones. (Shane Tracey) |
SHP November 2009:50-52 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| University challenge. |
| Co-ordinating and managing a large construction programme on a "live" university site without jeopardising the experience of students is a huge test, especially in terms of health and safety. How the challenges are being surmounted. (Paul Fenwick) |
SHP November 2009:54-56 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| This way up. |
| How a major construction industry employer carried out a review of the equipment it was using for work at height in mechanical and electrical installation to determine the safest, most cost-effective and productive option. (Gerry Mulholland) |
SHP November 2009:59-61 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| With the best will in the world. |
| In the UK, H&S law - and particularly that which relates to construction - is often lambasted for its long-windedness, ambiguity and complex wording. Having investigated the equivalent legislation in a number of countries around the globe, and uncovering some good approaches, a conclusion that words are not enough to encompass the diverse nature of the construction industry. (John Anderson) |
SHP November 2009:63-64 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Blueprint for action. |
| Comparing and contrasting the concept of safety in construction design from an international perspective, looking at the frameworks under which construction professionals in the UK, US, Australia and Ireland operate, and suggestions how the territories could learn from each other. (Edel Langan) |
SHP November 2009:67-68 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Companies fined after fatal concrete collapse at Heathrow Terminal 5. |
| Laing O'Rourke Infrastructure Limited fined £75,000 and costs of £75,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. SGB Services Ltd fined £30,000 and costs of £30,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and s6. One man died and another was seriously injured when a concrete slab collapsed at Heathrow Airport in 2005, despite an earlier recall of defective equipment. Both men were part of a team building a multi-storey car park at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 construction site. 27 year old Mathew Gilbert, who was a carpenter and 21 year old engineer's assistant Parminder Singh, were standing on a concrete slab, when it collapsed and fell 17 metres to the level below. Mr Gilbert died in the collapse and Mr Singh suffered serious life-changing injuries. The HSE investigation revealed that the collapse of the concrete slab was due to the catastrophic failure of two Threaded Shoring Adaptors (TSAs), which were found to be part of a sub-standard batch manufactured for SGB Services Ltd 2 years previously. The HSE also found that Laing O'Rourke Infrastructure Ltd failed to have adequate systems in place to inspect the quality and condition of the TSAs before they were used in safety-critical applications, and had failed to remove sub-standard TSAs from use when warned. |
HSE (National) Press Release 6/11/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| HSE warns illegal gas fitters will be punished in court. |
| Monty Alexander Brittain fined £900 and costs of £650 under GSIUR 1998. He was providing unqualified gas fitting services while fraudulently posing as a CORGI registered professional. Mr Brittain illegally fitted a gas boiler using inappropriately sized pipe work that could have presented a significant danger to his customer. The customer had initially trusted Mr Brittain's claims and false registration number stating that he was a qualified CORGI registered professional. [The offence was committed at a time when CORGI ran the gas safe registration scheme, now operated as the 'Gas Safe Register'.] |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/09 9/11/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| HSE consults on EU artificial light regulations |
| HSE has released a consultation document outlining how it plans to implement a European Union (EU) Directive to protect workers from hazardous sources of artificial light. Intense sources of artificial light in the workplace, particularly from UV radiation and powerful lasers, can harm the eyes and skin of workers and need to be properly managed. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/consult/condocs/cd227.htm HSE (National) Press Release 9/11/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| South West Scotland farmers urged to sign up for safety event. |
| Farmers across Dumfries and Galloway are being encouraged to attend an event that will arm them with the advice they need to make their farms safe places to work and help reduce accidents. The HSE is running a free Agriculture Safety and Health Awareness Day (SHAD) next week (17-18 November) as a way for those working in farms to get practical advice from LANTRA instructors with an industry background. It will take place at Barony Agricultural College, Parkgate and will be split into two half-day sessions |
Contact: Nikki Jack on 07770 822099 HSE (National) Press Release SCO/186/09 10/11/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Fife farmers urged to sign up for safety event. |
| Farmers from across Fife are being encouraged to attend an event that will arm them with the advice they need to make their farms safe places to work and help reduce accidents. HSE is running a free Agriculture Safety and Health Awareness Day next week on Thursday 19 November, at Cluny Clays Activity Centre, Cluny, Kirkcaldy and will be split into two half-day sessions. |
Contact: Nikki Jack on 07770 822099 HSE (National) Press Release SCO/187/09 10/11/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Pet Food company fined after three injured in explosion. |
| Alba Proteins (Penrith) Ltd fined £20,000 and costs of £9,271 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Workers were trying to clear a blockage in the industrial cooker when large volumes of steam and offal exploded through the inspection hatches. One employee jumped over the handrail on the platform, hitting his head on the concrete, fracturing his wrist and suffering burns to his elbow. Another worker ran down the steps and suffered burns to his left arm, left ear and the back of his neck. A cleaner who had been asked to help clear the blockage did not move from his position by the cooker and his head, face and chest were badly burned. Alba Proteins didn't have basic safety procedures in place for dealing with blockages, despite there being three similar blockages in the past. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/NW/038AlbaProteins/09 11/11/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Edinburgh Council fined £14,000 for asbestos failures that put workers at risk. |
| Edinburgh Council fined £14,000 under CAR 2006. 14 of its employees were potentially exposed to asbestos while carrying out refurbishment work. The workers had been instructed to remove laboratory doors and carry out alterations at the Council's workshop. This involved cutting the doors which disturbed the asbestos core inside. The council had failed to keep accurate records of the location and condition of asbestos and did not have suitable procedures in place to inform those working on or near the substance that it was there. |
HSE (National) Press Release SCO/177/09 11/11/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Worker loses arm despite century-old protective law. |
| International Paper (UK) Limited fined £6,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. A man had to have his arm amputated when it became caught in machinery despite legislation being enacted more than a century ago to safeguard workers in these situations (The Factories Act 1891). The IP was employed as a machine assistant when a paper break occurred which meant the paper had to be re-fed, known as tail feeding. While attempting to throw the sheet of paper into the machine the man was pulled into the workings by the paper which appears to have wrapped itself around his left arm. HSE identified that the safety barrier provided was completely inadequate as a means of preventing access to the dangerous parts of the machine. |
HSE (National) Press Release SCO/206/09 11/11/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| HSE warns firms to better protect employees who work at height. |
| Pontiac Coil Europe Ltd fined £10,000 and costs of £4,867 under WHR 2005. Employee Norman Leonard Cole, 62 at the time, fractured his skull and shoulder and sustained a number of fractured ribs when he fell 2.4 metres from a mezzanine floor. He was dismantling the mezzanine floor surface. The company failed to ensure that the work was properly planned, or to take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent Mr Cole falling. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/09 11/11/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Health and safety push aims to make city a safer place to work. |
| Leeds employers are the focus of an intensive health and safety push as Leeds City Council and the HSE join forces to address potential problems in local businesses. Officials from both organisations will tour workplaces in the weeks ahead to assess what systems and procedures are in place governing health and safety, and to confirm that relevant legislation is being adhered to. It started on 9 November and runs until 20 November. |
HSE (Yorkshire and the Humber) Press Release 9/11/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Asbestos dangers on timetable for trainee tradesmen in Birmingham. |
| The dangers of asbestos will be on the timetable for trainee tradesmen at a Birmingham college with a special session led by an expert from the HSE. The visit to the National Construction College in Kings Norton on 17 November is one date in a college tour across Britain as part of HSE's "Asbestos: The Hidden Killer" campaign which launched earlier this month. |
HSE (West Midlands) Press Release 10/11/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Refurbishment jobs to be targeted in health and safety inspection campaign. |
| The HSE is hoping to cut the number of deaths in the construction sector by inspecting refurbishment jobs across Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire and Staffordshire. This campaign will run between 16-20 November. |
HSE (West Midlands) Press Release 11/11/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| New safety initiative tackles scaffolding injuries in Greater Manchester. |
| Around 180 construction workers from around Greater Manchester are expected at Stockport County's Edgeley Park ground on Thursday 19 November for a special scaffolding safety event. HSE will use the free half-day event, running from 8.00 am until 12.30 pm, to promote new scaffold fall prevention equipment which ensures guard rails are put in place before workers move up to the next level. |
HSE (North West) Press Release 12/11/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| TQR Limited |
| Fined £6,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. A 19 year old roofing worker fell a distance of 9.92 metres through an unprotected fragile roof, landing on factory floor below and sustained very serious injuries. Principal Contractor. |
HSE Prosecution 4140899 31/8/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| David O'Neil Industrial Roofing and Cladding |
| Fined £3,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. A 19 year old roofing worker fell a distance of 9.92 metres through an unprotected fragile roof, landing on factory floor below and sustained very serious injuries. Sole trader contracted to TQR Limited. |
HSE Prosecution 4140906 31/8/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| A&T Roofing Ltd |
| Fined £25,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Alleged removal of ACMs without licence. Client wanted warehouse roof removed and replaced prior to moving in. Only came to light when ex-employees of A&T complained of asbestos exposure to EHO Enfield 6 months after work completed. They visited site and found remaining AIB debris at high level before contacting HSE. No asbestos survey done prior to work, over 3000 square metres AIB removed by smashing it to the ground and sweeping it up. No DCU, no PPE, using own vehicles. A few weeks into the project it was realised that they were dealing with Amosite but work was allowed to continue. No CDM arrangements in place by A&T as PC or NGP as Client. |
HSE Prosecution 4059701 1/9/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Noble Gift Packaging |
| Fined £40,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Client in alleged ACM removal CDM job. NGP recently bought a warehouse unit and prior to moving in, they arranged for A&T Roofing Ltd to re-roof the premises. No asbestos survey was undertaken by either party. No CDM arrangements in place. The original roof lining was AIB (3000 sq. metres). This was removed by A&T using scissor lifts and smashing it to the ground and sweeping up. |
HSE Prosecution 4132702 1/9/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Brenntag UK Limited |
| Fined/Compensation £1,200 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Employee inhaled chlorine gas while filling nitric acid to an IBC on scales in an area intended for use with alkalis. While this was happening another employee was filling sodium hypochlorite (an alkali) in an adjacent area intended for use with acids. The valve of one of these containers was left partially open and the resulting leak lead to the generation of toxic chlorine gas. The IP was taken to hospital and kept in for observation overnight before release the following day. No safe system of work was in place and control measures designed to segregate hazardous chemicals were ignored. |
HSE Prosecution 4162673 1/9/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| BUPA Care Homes (CFC Homes) Limited |
| Fined £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. DP was being assisted to get up and she fell/slipped out of bed. A carer was with her at the time of fall/slip. |
HSE Prosecution 4164187 3/9/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Mansell Build Limited |
| Fined £12,500 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Principal Contractor on refurbishment project. Removal of asbestos insulating board ceiling tiles to unlicensed contractor. Other contractors allowed into work areas before clearance certificates had been obtained. Removal work not carried out in accordance with ACOP. |
HSE Prosecution 4124183 4/9/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Gary Cusack |
| Fined £500 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Subcontracted by ARB Agri Plant Ltd to remove asbestos insulation board. Not licensed to do so. Allegedly subcontracted work to another unlicensed contractor. Other contractors allowed in areas before clearance certificates obtained. Removal work carried out and not in accordance with the ACOP. Forged asbestos licence/clearance certificate. |
HSE Prosecution 4153860 4/9/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Andrew Brightmore |
| Fined £2,500 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Removal of asbestos insulating board. Non licensed contractor. Other contractors allowed into areas before clearance certificates obtained. Removal work carried out and not in accordance with the ACOP. Forged asbestos licence/clearance certificate produced. |
HSE Prosecution 4153875 4/9/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Warwick International Limited |
| Fined £12,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Employee injured during the operation of filling 25 kg paper sacks with product on the Richard Simon 25 kg filling machine. No provision of safe plant or systems of work. |
HSE Prosecution 4172602 4/9/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Warwick International Limited |
| Fined £14,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Employee injured during the operation of filling 25 kg paper sacks with product on the Richard Simon 25 kg filling machine. No provision of safe plant or systems of work. |
HSE Prosecution 4172605 4/9/09 Week ending: 13/11/09 |
| Ship repair company fined £85,000 after crane platform crush fatality. |
| A & P Falmouth Ltd fined £85,000 and costs of £21,500 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and LOLER 1998. John Datson, a painter, was engaged in moving a mobile elevated work platform by crane. The platform was suspended by chains from the crane and Mr Datson and colleagues were helping the crane driver to guide the platform towards a ship. It got stuck on the base of the crane and Mr Datson and a colleague had to free the platform. Tragically, the platform swung back striking Mr Datson who was standing between the platform and the base of the crane. He died of his injuries on site. Failure to introduce a safe system of work, especially with regard to the provision of sufficient information, instruction, training and supervision for employees using lifting equipment. |
HSE (National) Press Release WW568/SWW/09 12/11/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Fall in assaults on public workers. |
| Violence against public service staff in Scotland has reduced, but remains unacceptably high, according to trade union UNISON Scotland, which has released the results of its annual survey on the subject. The number of assaults recorded for 2008/09 was 25,046, a fall of 7,221 from the previous year's total. |
Internet: www.unison-scotland.org.uk/safety RoSPA Safety Express November/December 2009:3 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Carrying the can. |
| An examination of the impact that alcohol misuse can have on the workplace and a look at what employers can do to tackle the issue. (Keith Gorman) |
RoSPA Safety Express November/December 2009:5 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Work at height warning. |
| 1st Response Roofing Ltd fined £23,500 and costs of nearly £3,500 under Work at Height Regs 2005. Adam Lambert was working as a roofer when he fell through a skylight, falling two metres before hitting a tower scaffold which was part of a working platform, then falling another two metres onto a concrete floor, striking his head on a metal vehicle lift. There were no coverings in place on the building's skylights, the workers had not been trained in erecting a tower scaffold resulting in the platform being too low to break Mr Lambert's fall, there was no handrail installed on the platform and workers had constructed scaffolding outside the building without sufficient training. |
RoSPA Safety Express November/December 2009:6 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Damages awarded for vibration injury. |
| A worker who used a vibrating tool without adequate training has received £17,500 compensation after his shoulder was permanently damaged. John Sides was using a vibrating handheld grinder to remove paint from a floor as part of his job as a team leader for Robert McBride Ltd. It was the first time he had used the tool and after two days he severely strained his right shoulder. He is now unable to lift his arm above shoulder height. The claim was settled out of court after the firm admitted negligence. |
RoSPA Safety Express November/December 2009:6 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Injured while trying to fix machine. |
| OCS Group fined £80,000 and costs of £33,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Joseph Pathmananthan was attempting to repair a machine which sorted soiled towels after a towel became jammed in the conveyor belt. The 80 kg piece of machinery fell several feet, crushing the worker, who suffered fractures to his femurs, right tibia, ribs, left shoulder blade and spine and injuries to his lugs. |
RoSPA Safety Express November/December 2009:7 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Tyres stacked too high. |
| Kings Road Tyres & Repairs Ltd fined £30,000 and costs of £10,000 under HASAWA 1974. Failure to ensure the safety and welfare of its employees after two large piles of tyres were discovered in the firm's warehouse. One pile was 19 tyres high, while the other was leaning into an aisle. The company had been warned previously about its storage of tyres and the judge said that an accident could have resulted in serious injury or death. |
RoSPA Safety Express November/December 2009:7 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Watch this space. |
| Each year, workers from a variety of industries are killed or seriously injured whilst working in confined spaces. The dangers can often extend to those trying to rescue them. (Nick Cook) |
RoSPA Safety Express November/December 2009:10-11 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Arthritis in the workplace. |
| A survey suggests that support from employers is a crucial factor in helping workers with arthritis stay in employment. Conducted by Arthritis Care, the survey found that 75% of employed people with arthritis had received support such as flexible working arrangements and an accessible working environment, whilst only 39% of those now not in work had received the same support. |
RoSPA Safety Express November/December 2009:20 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Festival promoters fined. |
| Reading Festival Ltd, the organisers of the Reading Festival, has been fined £4,000 and costs of £21,769 after pleading guilty to two breaches of H&S legislation. Failure to carry out a proper risk assessment and failure to ensure the safety of workers. Two men were building a stage when the arm of the crane they were using came into contact with overhead power lines during preparations for the event. |
RoSPA Safety Express November/December 2009:20 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Tory plans would cut inspectors' powers. |
| Firms would be able to refuse entry to HSE inspectors providing they pass an independent external safety audit, under proposals issued by the Conservative Party. In a speech to his party conference last month, Shadow business secretary Ken Clarke spoke of "excessive regulations, countless Government quangos and too many inspectors" and said that, if elected, a Conservative Government would sweep away "excessive regulation" so the economy can be allowed to grow. |
Safety Management November 2009:4 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Pleural plaques bill reaches Lords. |
| A private members' bill which would overturn a law lords' ruling preventing compensation to those who have developed asbestos-related pleural plaques has negotiated its way across all the hurdles in the House of Commons, and has now been passed up to the lords for further debate. |
Safety Management November 2009:5 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| 35th anniversary of the HASAWA. |
| The Health and Safety at Work Act celebrated its 35th anniversary on the 1st October this year, with the HSE announcing that the number of fatal injuries at work has fallen by 73 per cent since it came into force. 651 were killed in work-related accidents in 1974, in comparison with the 180 who were killed in the 2008/09 period. |
Safety Management November 2009:7 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Near miss reporting at the London Olympics. |
| The Olympic Delivery Authority has set itself high health, safety and environment standards. How near miss reporting is helping to drive up safety during the mammoth project. (Neal Stone) |
Safety Management November 2009:10-12 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| On the buses with public transport giant. |
| One of the world's largest passenger companies, FirstGroup plc transports more that two-and-a-half billion passengers each year. As you may well imagine, co-ordinating its health and safety is a huge task. (Thomas Mendelsohn) |
Safety Management November 2009:31-35 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Road awakening - time for safety. |
| Investing in road safety is a sure-fire way to save money and cut the danger of crashing while on a work-related journey. (Caroline Scurr) |
Safety Management November 2009:37-42 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Getting in (and out) of a tight space. |
| Every year, a number of people are killed or seriously injured in the UK working in confined spaces, such as tanks, sewers, silos and pits. Advice on how to work safely in these high risk environments. (Craig Simpson) |
Safety Management November 2009:45-48,50,52 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Company fined after wall collapses on Wigan worker. |
| Hughes Brothers Building & Joinery Ltd fined £8,000 and costs of £3,517 under HASAWA 1974 s2. In July 2008, Scott Hutchinson was helping demolish offices at a site when a wall collapsed on him. He suffered multiple injuries, including fractures to the vertebrae in his upper and lower back. He is yet to return to work. The risk assessment the company had produced did not fully identify the dangers workers would face, and a manager briefly told his employees what he wanted, but failed to remain on site to check his instructions were followed. Only one of the workers had previous experience of demolition work but he did not stay on site the whole time. The others had neither the experience nor the qualifications needed to demolish buildings. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/NW/043/HughesBrothers/09 12/11/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Property developer fined for putting workers at risk. |
| Property developer and landlord Lahrie Mohamed fined £10,000 and costs of £4,103 under CDMR 2007. On two development sites, Mr Mohamed failed to appoint a competent contractor and failed to take reasonable steps to ensure that proper arrangements were in place for work to be managed safely, putting workers and neighbours at risk. Among other incidents, open flames were in use at one site which was close to a petrol station and no fire extinguishers were on site, and scaffolding was substandard or missing and had insufficient guard rails. |
HSE (National) Press Release COILDN/0211 13/11/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Safer movement of heavy goods - HSE drive to lift standards in North East and Highlands. |
| HSE inspectors will be carrying out a series of inspections at harbours, marine bases and pipe yard sites throughout the North East and Highlands of Scotland, targeting work involving the lifting and movement of heavy goods. The aim is to raise awareness, promote sensible management and improve standards at the locations visited in the coming week. |
HSE (National) Press Release SCO/207/09 13/11/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Employer without compulsory insurance fined. |
| Dipak Kumar Kantial Solanki, fined £1,000 and costs of £539.60 under ELCIR 1998. Mr Solanki failed to produce a current Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI) certificate when an Environmental Health Officer visited his store. He was issued with an ELCI "notice to produce" by the HSE. Despite this, Mr Solanki still failed to present the document. All employers who are required to have an ELCI certificate must produce a copy if required to do so by a HSE Inspector. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/E/34 13/11/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Theme park prosecuted after toddler is injured on ride. |
| Flamingo Land Ltd, fined £5,000 and costs of £3,277 under HASAWA 1974 s3. A toddler, who was two at the time, fell through a two foot square hole onto a concrete floor eight feet below, as he boarded a newly-refurbished Motion Master simulator cinema ride with his mother. He escaped serious injury, but suffered bruising to his head. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/410/09 16/11/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Failings led to drowning of seven-year-old. |
| Dundee Leisure fined £40,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Seven year old, Luke Hatton, died at the Olympia Leisure Complex, Dundee. At the end of a public swimming session, another child raised the alarm that Luke was missing and his body was then found in a covered wave pool following a 40-minute search. The HSE said that Dundee Leisure failed to have robust measures in place to ensure the safety of their clientele at all times. The Lifeguards working at the Olympia Centre were not adequately trained to ensure that every part of the wave pool was properly supervised, particularly in relation to a potential blind spot within the area. |
HSE (National) Press Release SCO/208/09 17/11/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Suspended prison sentence for gas fraud plumber. |
| Lee Underwood, trading as LPH and Lee Plumbing and Heating, was given a 52 week prison sentence, suspended for two years, under the Fraud Act 2006 after providing a fraudulent CORGI registration and a false business address on Gas Safety Certificates. He was also sentenced to 20 weeks imprisonment, to run concurrently and suspended for two years, for each of three offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 in relation to falsely advertising that he was CORGI registered. He was also ordered to complete 100 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay costs of over £4,500. |
HSE (National) Press Release EM/?/09 17/11/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Carbon monoxide awareness week warning to rogue gas fitters. |
| Rogue gas fitters are being warned that they will be taken to task over shoddy jobs that risk lives. The HSE used Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week (16-20 November) to renew its commitment to bring them to justice. |
HSE (National) Press Release E:099 18/11/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Lanarkshire stoneworkers safety event aims to clear the air. |
| Construction workers in Lanarkshire are being invited to an event this Tuesday 24 November, to find out more about protecting themselves from silicosis - a potentially lethal lung disease caused by breathing in stone dust. The time of the event is from 07.30 am and is at Beatsons Building Supplies, Glencryan Road, South Carbrain, Cumbernauld. |
HSE (National) Press Release SCO/111/09 20/11/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Farming out the safety message to students. |
| Farm safety is firmly on the curriculum for the new intake of students at the Scottish Agricultural College, with practical advice and guidance from the HSE. The latest edition of HSE's free Farmwise guide is being used to get the next generation of farmers to understand the risks they face in what is one of Britain's most dangerous industries, and the simple steps they can take to stay safe. Though agriculture employs only about 1.5 per cent of the working population, it accounts for around 20 per cent of work-related deaths every year, 26 losing their lives during 2008/09. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg427.pdf Farmwise HSE (National) Press Release SCO/210/09 20/11/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Cultivating Health and Safety - HSE provides free seminars for Derbyshire. |
| The HSE is helping Derbyshire farmers in the High Peak region to reduce the risk of injury or even death on their farms by offering free practical seminars. A 'Farm Safety Health Awareness' event is running on Tuesday 24 November at The Hollowford Centre, Castleton. Farmers can choose to attend in either the morning or the afternoon, registering at either 8.30 or 12.30pm with the courses lasting around 3 hours. Farmers who want to book should contact Ian Weeks on ian.weeks@hse.gsi.gov.uk, or 0115 971 2800. |
HSE (East Midlands) Press Release 16/11/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Scaffolder fined after worker fell 10 metres through roof. |
| Mark Wilson, trading as MWS Scaffolding Services, fined £2,566.80 under HASAWA 1974 s2. A scaffolding employee working under the direct supervision and instruction of Mr Wilson was attempting to fix scaffolding when he fell. MWS Scaffolding Services was contracted to provide frame scaffolding protection at a store to allow a roofing contractor to gain access to repair leaking roof lights. The employee fell through the unprotected fragile roof light of the building and landed more than 10 metres below in the open store. The employee suffered a broken leg, cuts and was unable to work for more than 3 months. |
HSE (London) Press Release 20/11/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Big Tops UK Limited |
| Fined a total of £3,600 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and 3 and EWR 1989. |
HSE Prosecution 4137636 7/09/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Ervin M Clarke |
| Fined Compensation/Community/Prison suspended under GSIUR 1998 and HASAWA 1974 s33. Letter from Kirklees Council, Private Sector Housing, re landlord with no gas safety certificate. |
HSE Prosecution 4157865 7/9/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Lancsville Construction Ltd |
| Guilty Conditional Discharge under LOLER 1998. |
HSE Prosecution 4162154 7/9/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Making Learning Work Limited |
| Guilty Conditional Discharge under HASAWA 1974 s3. IP was helping employee to decant petrol from a car petrol tank into a can using a pump connected to a battery. During the operation some petrol splashed onto IP. Employee on completing the task left IP briefly and when he turned his attention back to IP he saw IP's hand on fire which doused himself. Employee asked IP if he was okay and if he needed to go home or needed any treatment. IP said he was fine to remain at work. IP did not return after lunch. Work placement organisation failed to assess if the host premises were safely operated. |
HSE Prosecution 4129979 8/9/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Linmar Scaffolding Limited |
| Fined £1,800 under WHR 2005. Scaffolding collapse, the company failed to prevent the unintended movement of the scaffolding due to an unsafe system of work that did not adequately address the location and amount of ties. |
HSE Prosecution 4154746 8/9/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Greendoor Recycling Ltd |
| Fined £2,214.10 under EWR 1989. Visiting driver contacted OHPL and suffered burn injuries. No precautions in place to prevent access to area under 33kv lines or warn of danger. |
HSE Prosecution 4157743 8/9/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Andrew McLatchie |
| Fined £50 under GSIUR 1998. For carrying out work in relation to a gas fitting and installation pipework, namely the removal of an existing gas boiler and the installation of a Viso 24 gas boiler and installation pipework, when not a member of a class of persons approved for the time being by the HSE to undertake the work (i.e. CORGI registered). |
HSE Prosecution 4172747 8/9/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Andrew McLatchie |
| Fined a total of £200 under GSIUR 1998. Prosecution for undertaking work in relation to gas fittings and installation pipework when not a member of a class of person approved for the time being by the HSE (CORGI). |
HSE Prosecution 4172748 8/9/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Andrew McLatchie |
| Fined a total of £100 under GSIUR 1998. Prosecution for undertaking work in relation to gas fittings and installation pipework when not a member of a class of person approved for the time being by the HSE (CORGI). |
HSE Prosecution 4172749 8/9/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Prysmian Cables 7 Systems Ltd |
| Fined a total of £27,499.98 under COSHHR 2002. Occupational dermatitis associated with substances known to be skin irritants. |
HSE Prosecution 4131800 9/9/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| D A Green & Sons Ltd |
| Fined £2,750 under EWR 1989. |
HSE Prosecution 4172605 9/9/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| City Building (Glasgow) LLP |
| Fined £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Failure to prevent persons falling through openings, in that openings were covered with unfixed unsupported sheets of plywood whereby employee fell through opening a distance of approximately 4 metres sustaining serious injury. |
HSE Prosecution 4097076 10/9/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| Trackline International Ltd |
| Fined £7,500 under HASAWA 1974 s2. DP crushed by FLT. |
HSE Prosecution 4160606 10/9/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| 1st Response Roofing Ltd |
| Fined a total of £23,500 under WHR 2005. |
HSE Prosecution 4171483 11/9/09 Week ending: 20/11/09 |
| New interactive forum launched today by HSE. |
| The HSE opens the doors to an all-new, online "Pledge Forum" about workplace health and safety. As part of the launch of Be Part of the Solution, the strategy for improving the health and safety of Great Britain, a health and safety pledge was created. The Pledge is an opportunity for business leaders and others to publicly demonstrate their commitment to making sure that their activities do not result in death or injury to their workers, customers or members of the public. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/strategy/pledge/index.htm HSE (National) Press Release E100:09 23/11/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Travel guide. |
| A newly developed methodology, based on the concept of "travelling fires" in large enclosures, will assist with structural fire analysis. (Jamie Stern-Gottfried, Guillermo Rein and Jos? Torero) |
Fire Risk Management November 2009:12-14,16 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Field research. |
| A discussion of the ethical questions posed by the growing use of computational simulation modelling within the fire safety engineering field. (Rodrigo Machedo) |
Fire Risk Management November 2009:17-19 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Support system. |
| An exploration of the fire performance of engineered floor joists. (Tom Lennon and Danny Hopkin) |
Fire Risk Management November 2009:20-22 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Testing limits. |
| An argument that certain aspects of fire-related cable tests need revisiting to ensure cable integrity under fire conditions. (Tony Mayo) |
Fire Risk Management November 2009:28-30 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Smoke dilution - a case study. |
| A generic case study for smoke control by dilution in an atrium hotel. (Howard Morgan, Paul Harris and John Ivison) |
Fire Risk Management November 2009:31-35 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Call to action. |
| Discussing the ongoing challenge of false alarms, details of a series of best practice case studies showing how the problem has been tackled through teamwork. (Robert Thilthorpe) |
Fire Risk Management November 2009:38-41 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Alarmed by detection? |
| The components that make up an alarm and detection system are described in a new book from the FPA. (Anna Hayes) |
Fire Risk Management November 2009:42-45 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Double jeopardy. |
| Discussing the ongoing risks from fire and carbon monoxide poisoning in homes, the case for a more integrated approach. (Gerald Jones) |
Fire Risk Management November 2009:47-49 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Going digital. |
| An examination of Sir Ken Knight's report into the Lakanal tower block fire and advice on digital fire safety systems for use in high-rise multi-occupancy buildings. (Ray Puttock) |
Fire Risk Management November 2009:50-52 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Access panels. |
| New automatic extinguisher panels are coming on the market and should be more accessible to fire alarm installers. (Andrew Foster) |
Fire Risk Management November 2009:53 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Most significant. |
| Developments in semiconductor technology could be harnessed for fire detection. (Rowland Davies) |
Fire Risk Management November 2009:54-55 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Unsecured Morrisons barrier "skewered" employee's car. |
| Morrisons fined £166,600 and costs of £16,682 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. Kevin Brookshaw was approaching the barrier on his way to start work at the Crewe store when it swung across and smashed through the passenger side of his car windscreen. The barrier struck him directly in the face, causing disfiguring injuries. Morrisons had left the barrier arm, which should always be fixed either open or shut, unsecured for up to two months. A procedure was in place to manage the risks from the barriers, but staff had not been trained or supervised to ensure it was implemented. |
HSW December 2009:4 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Draft sentencing guide axes turnover ranges. |
| The Sentencing Guidelines Council (SGC) has dismissed the recommendation of its advisory group, the Independent Sentencing Advisory Panel, that the guidelines should include a fixed range of percentages of annual turnover (between 0.25% and 10%) averaged over three years, for courts to follow. Instead, in draft advice issued by the SGC, judges will be instructed to set fines for corporate manslaughter and deaths at work convictions without a fixed link to turnover. The SGC suggests fines should be set without a fixed minimum, but proposes a normative threshold of £100,000 for deaths prosecuted under HASAWA and £500,000 under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act. |
HSW December 2009:5 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| £1.2 million penalty for Network Rail and Carillion. |
| Network Rail fined £666,667 and £50,000 costs under HASAWA 1974 s3. Carillion fined £444,444 and costs of £50,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. At the same hearing, Wayne Brigden (Carillion's senior supervisor at the scene) fined £3,000, David Jones (driver of the road-rail vehicle) fined £750 and John Brady (had charge of the vehicle) fined £750, all under HASAWA 1974 s7. David Pennington and Martin Oakes were killed after the road-rail vehicle driven by Jones reversed at speed and hit the two men who were part of a team delivering new rail sets on a rail delivery train. The judge said the companies should never have allowed the two vehicles to operate on the same track together. |
HSW December 2009:8 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| DWP offers £4 million for healthy workplace schemes. |
| The Dept for Work and Pensions has announced that small businesses and local partnerships can now bid for a share of a £4 million Health Work and Wellbeing Challenge Fund. |
HSW December 2009:8 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Brewer's £350,000 payout. |
| Beer and pub company Marstons has paid out £350,000 in compensation to a drayman after a delivery lorry ran over him while delivering beer to a Worcester pub. |
HSW December 2009:9 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Diversity report. |
| The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work has issued a new report, Workplace Diversity and Risk Assessment: Ensuring Everyone is Covered, which discusses methods of inclusive risk assessment. |
Internet: http://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/reports/TE7809894ENC/view HSW December 2009:9 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| HSE's new quarrying team. |
| The HSE has assembled a new group of inspectors to focus on the quarrying and open-cast coal mining sectors. The five strong team will work with mine and quarry operators to cut accident rates. |
HSW December 2009:9 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Jamie Oliver restaurant in hot water over hot oil spill. |
| Jamie's Italian to pay a total of £12,410 in fines and costs under HASAWA 1974 s2 and MHSWR 1999. Angie Hodgkinson-Day was working at the Bath restaurant during its pre-opening training period. She told one of the kitchen workers to drain two 25 litre containers of hot oil from a fryer. As the worker moved one of the pans, it slipped and the hot oil went over their colleague's feet. Ms Hodgkinson-Day had not received any H&S training, risk assessments were inadequate, and there was no proper safe system of work. The oil takes six to seven hours to cool down. |
HSW December 2009:9 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| BP fined $87m extra after Texas City. |
| Oil mammoth BP has been fined a record $87 million US dollars (£53.4 million) for failing to remedy safety problems after the 2005 blast which killed 15 workers at the company's Texas City refinery. The US Occup S&H Administration (OSHA) found 439 new "wilful" safety breaches and said BP had failed to take the measures it had promised in an agreement with the regulator after the explosion. BP has already paid a £21.3 million fine to OSHA and says it intends to appeal against the extra fine. |
HSW December 2009:10 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Legal Brief: Threats from the past. |
| A warning that a recent judgment on hearing loss means employers aren't safe from retrospective action if they just followed the rules. In its judgment in the case of Baker v Quantum Clothing, the Court of Appeal has doled out another headache for employers. |
HSW December 2009:11 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Born unlucky? |
| Picking apart the popular belief that some people are accident prone. (Becky Allen and Tim Marsh) |
HSW December 2009:16-17 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Model behaviour - 2. |
| Continuing the look at how the virtual worlds we make can protect us in the real one. (Dave Merchant) |
HSW December 2009:18-20 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| What LOLER wants. |
| The low-down on the lifting equipment regs for NEBOSH students and others. (Lawrence Bamber) |
HSW December 2009:22-24,26 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Trainers toolkit: slide shows. |
| In the latest in the series on the basics of good training, the dos and don'ts of PowerPoint. (Paul Smith) |
HSW December 2009:28 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Table talk: consultancy. |
| Representatives from the UK's leading safety consultancies discuss what makes a good client/consultant relationship, what constitutes competence, and how to get the best value from outside help. (HSW) |
HSW December 2009:30-32,34,38 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| F for fake. |
| A report on the British Safety Industry Federation's campaign to stamp out counterfeit protective gear. (Lucie Ponting) |
HSW December 2009:40-42 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Sure footed. |
| Some of the traps employers step into when supplying safety shoes. (Phil Dryden) |
HSW December 2009:44-45 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Dock of the bay. |
| Some advice on keeping loading dock risks to a minimum. (Philip Pinell) |
HSW December 2009:48 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Fatal scaffold collapse prompts £126,000 fine. |
| McAleer & Rushe Limited fined a total of £90,000 and costs of £42,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. Lee Smith Carpentry Limited fined a total of £36,000 and costs of £28,000 under MHSWR 1999, WHR 2005 and CHSWR 1996. Two constructions firms involved in a major scaffolding collapse have been ordered to pay £126,000 for their role in the incident which left one man dead and two others seriously injured. John Robinson and his son Mark were working alongside Ivan Penkov. All 3 men were on the 40 metre high scaffolding when it collapsed. Father of three John Robinson, 49, was taking to hospital suffering serious injuries to his left leg. Three days later he died from a pulmonary embolism. John's son Mark Robinson suffered a punctured lung, broken vertebra and ribs and significant cuts and bruising in the fall. He was unable to work for a period after the incident. Ivan Penkov suffered serious fractures to his legs and arms and spent a month in hospital recovering. He has undergone a number of operations and has had to re-train as a draftsman. The scaffolding was not strong or stable enough for the work being carried out. Inspection of the scaffold was also inadequate, despite specific instructions from the HSE and McAleer's health and safety manager. |
HSE (National) Press Release E10009 23/11/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Farming out the safety message to students (North East). |
| Farm safety is firmly on the curriculum for the new intake of students at Northumberland College at Kirkley Hall, with practical advice and guidance from the HSE. The latest edition of HSE's free Farmwise guide is being used to get the next generation of farmers to understand the risks they face in what is one of Britain's most dangerous industries, and the simple steps they can take to keep safe. |
HSE (National) Press Release NE/418/09 23/11/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Firefighters help business get safe and healthy in Kent. |
| Kent Fire and Rescue Service have joined forces with the HSE and partners to help business benefit from a new and innovative support programme. Demand from small business in the South East prompted the creation of a new scheme, Estates Excellence, which addresses the health and safety needs of organisations on industrial estates in the Kent area. |
HSE (National) Press Release E:101:09 24/11/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Asbestos dangers on timetable for trainee tradesmen in Norfolk. |
| The dangers of asbestos was on the timetable for trainee tradesmen in Norwich this week with a special session led by an expert from the HSE. The visit to City College Norwich was one date in a college tour across Britain as part of HSE's 'Asbestos: The Hidden Killer' campaign which launched earlier this month. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/E/378 25/11/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Unsafe scaffolding leads to prosecution and fine. |
| Bracknell Roofing Co Ltd, fined £8,000 and costs of £2,572.80 under WHR 2005. An eagle-eyed safety inspector was lied to after he stopped to investigate unsafe scaffolding he was driving past. Inspector Steve Woods saw 3 employees of Bracknell Roofing Co Ltd using an unsafe tower scaffold to repair a flat roof. The roof and tower had no edge protection, inadequate boarding which was not properly attached and it was propped up on bricks and blocks. A manager visited the site and allowed work to continue only 45 minutes before Mr Woods arrived and found dangerous safety defects. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/95/09 16/11/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Council helps business get safe and healthy in Medway. |
| Medway Council has joined forces with the HSE and partners to help business benefit for a new and innovative support programme. Demand from small business in the South East prompted the creation of a new scheme, Estates Excellence, which addresses the health and safety of organisations on industrial estates in the Medway area. |
HSE (National) Press Release E:102:09 25/11/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Health and Safety Executive agrees proposals for new tower crane regulations. |
| Detailed recommendations for a statutorily-based tower crane register have been agreed by the HSE Board following a three month public consultation. These details will now be put to Ministers for approval. HSE received 100 responses from trade unions, construction contractors and other stakeholders. The new Regulations, developed by the HSE are intended to come into force in April 2010 and cover conventional tower cranes on construction sites. |
HSE (National) Press Release 104/2009 25/11/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| HSE reports on nuclear reactor designs. |
| Interim assessment reports for two nuclear power station designs considered for construction in the UK have been made public today. The HSE has published the reports on Step 3 of its Generic Design Assessment of the designs put forward by EDF/AREVA and Westinghouse. The GDA process enables the HSE and the Environment Agency to assess new nuclear power station designs before an application for a site licence has been received. |
HSE (National) Press Release E110:09 27/11/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Asbestos dangers on timetable for trainee tradesmen in Milton Keynes. |
| The dangers of asbestos was on the timetable for trainee tradesmen at Milton Keynes College this week with a special session led by an expert from the HSE. The visit to Milton Keynes College was one date in a college tour across Britain as part of HSE's 'Asbestos: The Hidden Killer' campaign which launched earlier this month. |
HSE (South East) Press Release 25/11/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Crown Censure of the Centre of Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas). |
| The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) has accepted a Crown Censure for health and safety breaches. (A Crown Censure is the equivalent of a prosecution for a government body.) Investigations by the HSE in October 2007 at the Cefas Laboratory identified failings in the assessment and control of substances hazardous to health for known carcinogenic substances, including a failure to maintain control measures. Inspectors also identified that Cefas had failed to provide sufficient health surveillance between 2005 and 2006. These failings breached under COSHH 2002 (as amended). The failings have since been remedied. The Censure was accepted on the basis that while the investigation identified failings in the management and control of hazardous substances, there was no evidence of harm to any employee, nor was there evidence of a defined, identified risk. |
HSE (East) Press Release 26/11/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Joiner prosecuted for working as unregistered gas engineer. |
| Mr Jim Price who trades as Jim the Joiner, fined £250 and costs of £250 under GSUIR 1998, also compensation of £1,150.74 to the affected householder. Mr Price removed an old boiler from a house and installed a new one in its place. He was not registered to do so and the installation was carried out incorrectly. The homeowner had to pay for another engineer to rectify the faulty work Mr Price left behind. |
HSE (East) Press Release 26/11/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Food retailer fined after worker suffers severe injuries in Wembley. |
| EAT Ltd, fined £1,000 and costs of £2,500 under WHR 2005. Warehouse worker Chirag Ray, 31, was seriously injured while preparing pallets for delivery to the company's retail shops. He was working in a raised man-riding cage, which was not properly fixed to the FLT. Whilst raised to height of approx 4.6 metres, the cage slipped off the forks and fell. Mr Ray was unconscious in hospital for 2 days and suffered swelling of the brain, a broken hand, broken elbow, cracked ribs, and a dislocated knee. EAT did not have adequate measures in place to control the risks of working at height. The cage used was not suitable for order picking and the work was being carried in an unsafe manner. |
HSE (London) Press Release 27/11/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Central Scotland stoneworker's safety event aims to clear the air. |
| Construction workers in central Scotland are being invited to an event on Monday 30 November to find out more about protecting themselves from silicosis, a potentially lethal lung disease caused by breathing in stone dust. The event will be held at Beatsons Building Supplies in Alloa from 7.30am. |
HSE (Scotland) Press Release 27/11/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| David John Alcock |
| Fined a total of £1,750 under PUWER 1998 and LOLER 1998. An FLT overturned, causing serious leg injuries. The FLT was subsequently found to have a number of defects. Mr Alcock was unable to produce any record to show that a thorough examination under LOLER 1998 had been carried out. Employees and others had been using the truck without adequate training. |
HSE Prosecution 4155611 16/09/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| P J Bates |
| Fined £12,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Erection of poultry shed beneath overhead electric line. Construction worker contacted line and fell from roof. No safe system for work near live overhead line and no safeguards to prevent falls from roof. |
HSE Prosecution 4142477 17/9/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Harlow Bros Limited |
| Fined £16,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Erection of poultry shed beneath overhead electric line. Construction worker contacted line and fell from roof. No safe system for work near live overhead line and no safeguards to prevent falls from roof. |
HSE Prosecution 4142481 17/9/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| John Bowler Ltd |
| Fined £16,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Erection of poultry shed beneath overhead electric line. Construction worker contacted line and fell from roof. No safe system for work near live overhead line and no safeguards to prevent falls from roof. |
HSE Prosecution 4091332 17/9/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
| Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Services Limited |
| Fined £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Services Ltd, formerly Raynesway Construction Southern Ltd. Whilst undertaking patching work in the highway an RTA between a car and IP/motorcyclist took place in the lane adjacent to the coned off works. No injuries to workers. |
HSE Prosecution 4154746 18/9/09 Week ending: 27/11/09 |
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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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