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H&S News December 2009
| Kettering firm fined after man crushed to death by lorry. |
| FW Abbott Ltd fined £40,000 and costs of £25,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Martin John Carswell, 47, was working underneath a 24 tonne road drain cleaning vehicle when the equipment supporting it collapsed. Mr Carswell was crushed to death. There were no health and safety systems in place to ensure that employees followed safe practices. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/103/09 27/11/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| £3m pledged to tackle dodgy employers. |
| The Government has pledged £3 million over two years to help stop migrant workers being forced to work in dangerous conditions for poor wages. The money will be split between the HSE, the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, HM Revenue and Customs, and the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, who will use the funds for projects which enforce basic workplace rights, and which work to ensure employers meet their legal obligations for all workers. |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal November 2009:2 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Laptop warning. |
| Following an investigation into an electric shock incident involving a laptop charging trolley, HSE has issued a safety alert aimed at schools and charging trolley manufacturers and suppliers. The alert concerns the risk of electric shock when the 3-pin plug supplying the trolley is unplugged due to stored electric charge, and the safety of electrical supply cables on this type of trolley. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/services/education/safety121009.htm RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal November 2009:4 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Email hotline. |
| Rail union RMT has launched a confidential email hotline so its members can alert it to planned maintenance cuts by Network Rail in their area. The alerts from members will be used by the union to compile a dosier of where the proposed cuts are hitting maintenance works, along with an assessment of the safety risks. |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal November 2009:4 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Green offices. |
| A survey of 1,000 office workers, designed to test how "green" people are in the workplace compared with at home, found that only half believe that protecting the environment during office hours is their responsibility. 39% said their company does not have a green policy designed to reduce its environmental impact and, where one does exist, 46% said that it was just for show and had no real meaning to the business and its staff. |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal November 2009:4 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Crackdown on illegal buses. |
| Tough new powers to allow the Vehicle Operator Services Agency to crackdown on illegal bus and limousine operators are now in force. |
Internet: www.vosa.gov.uk/operator-licensing-guides RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal November 2009:4 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Information sharing red tape cuts proposed. |
| A consultation is underway on proposed changes to workplace legislation, to allow the regulators responsible for enforcing employment rights to fully share information with each other. |
Internet: www.berr.gov.uk/consultations/page53064.html Closing date 17 December 2009 RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal November 2009:5 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Hearing protection. |
| Outlining the key factors required to make hearing conservation programmes in the workplace as effective as possible. (Peter Wilson) |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal November 2009:15-19 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| OH education. |
| Ensuring your company recruits or uses a relevantly qualified occup health professional is vital in order to receive the best advice and support. Some of the routes an OH nurse can take to professional qualification. (Liz Griffiths) |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal November 2009:23-25 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Planning for disaster. |
| In recent months, anyone who turned on the TV news would have seen the devastation in South East Asia caused by earthquake and tsunami. Search and rescue teams from across the globe travelled to the area to provide what assistance they could. But what would happen if a disaster of this kind happened in the UK? How prepared are we? (Nick Cook) |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal November 2009:29-33 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Brickworks fined after schoolgirl killed by boulder. |
| Carlton Main Brickworks Ltd fined £25,000 and costs of £22,833 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Amber Worth and her friends gained access to Carlton Main Brickworks which had no security fence or barrier. She was killed almost instantly when a boulder weighting almost half a tonne became dislodged and fell on top of her. The company failed to provide and maintain a suitable barrier around the boundary of the quarry, which is situated behind the brickworks. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/431/09 27/11/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Barnsley company fined after staff exposed to hazardous mist. |
| Koyo Bearings (Europe) Ltd fined £20,000 and costs of £15,280 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Employees at the company were exposed to a metal working fluid mist, which was being emitted from more than 100 metal work machines. The company had used water-based chemicals during the manufacture of bearings for the automotive industry. The process involved spraying the metal working fluid onto fast rotating tool pieces at high pressure. This created a mist, which was potentially being breathed in by employees. There was nothing in place to contain or extract the mist away from workers. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/441 09 30/11/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Fairground ride owner and independent safety examiner fined after eight injured at Suffolk's big night out. |
| Mr Walter Shufflebottom, owner of the Hellraiser ride, fined £2,000 under HASAWA 1974. Mr Frederick Meakin, an independent fairground examiner, fined £2,000 and costs of £1,000 under HASAWA 1974 s37. Fairground Inspection Services, based at Mr Meakin's address, fined £8,000 and costs of £1,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Mr Meakin had given the Hellraiser ride a clean bill of health. Several cars on the ride, a ground-level spinning machine, came loose and crashed into each other. Fire-fighters had to free 2 people trapped by the cars and several others were injured, including 3 teenagers. A 24 year old woman was taken to hospital with broken ribs and damage to her spine among other injuries. The HSE found the crash was caused by poor maintenance, which should have been spotted by the independent fairground inspector. |
HSE (National) Press Release E40:09 30/11/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Asbestos dangers on timetable for trainee tradesmen in Dorset. |
| The HSE visited Bournemouth and Poole College promoting its 'Asbestos: The hidden killer' campaign to trainee tradesmen, putting it top of the timetable. |
HSE (National) Press Release 591SWW/09 30/11/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Property developer prosecuted for dangerous scaffolding. |
| Pullan Development (Selby) Ltd fined £15,000 and costs of £5,000 under WHR 2008. During an inspection by HSE, people were seen working on scaffolding at the Sheffield Ski Village construction site that was extremely unsafe and posed a risk of serious, if not fatal, injuries due to the manner in which it was constructed. The HSE had inspected the same site 3 months earlier and ordered all work to be stopped, due to health and safety failings, including problems with the scaffolding. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/450/09 2/12/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| HSE helps 500 local farmers protect against illness. |
| The HSE has held 2 successful seminars in the Castleton and Buxton regions helping High Peak farmers to reduce the risk of injury or even death on their farms. The 'Farm Safety Health Awareness' events, run by the HSE and Lantra Awards, took place at the end of November. The fully subscribed sessions saw almost 500 local farmers educated on what preventative actions they can take to avoid death, injury or illness on their farms, improving the safety and thereby profitability of their businesses. |
HSE (East Midlands) 27/11/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| £50,000 fine after man crushed to death by scrap yard claw. |
| James Huntley & Sons Ltd fined a total of £50,000 and costs of £34,373.80 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and MHSWR 1999. Barry Collins, 24, was killed when he and his brother, Joey Collins, visited the site run by metal recyclers James Huntley and Sons Ltd. They were examining a vehicle for its parts and entered the site by the open back gate while the grab claw crane operator was elsewhere. Barry Collins was inside the van when the crane operator came back to start work. Despite his brother, Joey, trying to tell the crane drive that Barry was in the van, the operator misunderstood and thought he was being asked to pick up the van. As the crane picked up the vehicle Barry Collins was in, he suffered major neck and shoulder injuries and was instantly crushed by the crane's 5 finger grab. He died at the scene. At the time of the incident, there were no signs around and outside the site to indicate which areas were out of bounds to members of the public and there were no published site rules or formal systems of work. |
HSE (South East) Press Release 30/11/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Boat safety campaign holds water across the South East. |
| Boat yard owners use the cold weather and darker evenings as the main opportunity to carry out annual maintenance checks of vessels onshore, and the HSE is urging them to take care. Working at height, in confined spaces, with chemicals or lifting equipment is potentially hazardous and HSE and local authority inspectors will be visiting boat yards and marinas in the South East throughout December to ensure the proper precautions are being taken. They will take visit packs with them so that boat yard owners will be fully up to date with the latest info as it applies to their business. The Boat Safety campaign is being carried out in Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire where inspectors have so far made 31 visits, and have issued 19 enforcement notices (for both prohibition and for improvement). |
HSE (South East) Press Release 1/12/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Asbestos dangers on timetable for trainee tradesmen and women in Sunderland. |
| The HSE visited City of Sunderland College promoting its 'Asbestos: The hidden killer' campaign to trainee tradesmen and women. |
HSE (North East) Press Release 4/12/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Forklift operator fined for death of colleague. |
| Andrew Mason fined £1,500 and costs of £1,000 under HASAWA 1974 s7. The incident happened at haulage company Joda Freight. Mr Mason allowed his colleague Francis Roberts to use the forks of the truck he was driving as an impromptu lift to access pallets on the second deck of a two-tier lorry. Mr Roberts slipped and fell from the FLT, sustaining serious injuries that required prolonged treatment in hospital. He died 2 months later from complications, aged 48. As an experienced and trained FLT operative, Mr Mason should have known better than to allow anyone to stand on or near his machine while he was working, the court was told. |
HSE (Yorkshire and the Humber) Press Release 4/12/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Welsh Assembly Government signs health and safety pledge. |
| Five people in Wales died as a result of work-related incidents in 2008/09 and more than 1600 suffered major injuries at work. First minister for Wales, Rhodri Morgan has signed the HSE pledge on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government, an initiative which aims to bring organisations together to commit to reduce the number of work-related deaths, injuries and ill-health. |
HSE (Wales) Press Release 4/12/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Associated British Ports |
| Fined £266,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. The deceased was acting as a Rampman on the m.v. Flanders Way when he was struck by a trailer that was being pushed onto the cargo deck of the vessel. |
HSE Prosecution 4113281 21/09/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Mobile Mini UK Limited |
| Fined £80,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Fatal accident whilst employee was unloading an accommodation unit from a lorry. |
HSE Prosecution 4169373 21/9/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust |
| Fined a total of £6,500 under RIDDOR 1995 and HASAWA 1974 s33. Failure to comply with an IN and failure to report forthwith a case of occupational dermatitis. |
HSE Prosecution 4127631 22/9/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Humax Horticulture Limited |
| Fined £23,300 under HASAWA 1974 s3. An agency welder/fitter provided to an employer was asked to undertake a simple repair on a bucket tipping mechanism attached to a Daewoo Mega 160 wheel loader. The mechanism comprised of a hydraulic arm held in place by a bracket, part of which had become broken. The employer failed to establish a safe system of work for this piece of welding or provide the worker with adequate info and instruction on the risks associated with work on heavy plant. While working on the repair the raised arms on the vehicle crept downwards causing the heavy bucket to shift its position and close into the space where the worker was lying to repair the broken parts. The worker was crushed to death. |
HSE Prosecution 4140338 22/9/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Messier-Dowty Ltd |
| Fined £14,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. IP injured in manual machine centre lathe. Significant upper body and head injuries. |
HSE Prosecution 4158506 22/9/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Harlequin Heating Ltd |
| Fined a total of £2,000 under GSIUR 1998. Complaint from CORGI relating to non-registered gas installer. Gas boilers installed in 2 flats. There were allegedly a number of defects associated with the boiler and pipe work installation which have now been rectified by a CORGI engineer. |
HSE Prosecution 4158519 22/9/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Select Plant Hire Company Limited |
| Fined £100,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. No Sep Penalty under LOLER 1998 and PUWER 1998. Tower crane owned and operated by Select Plant Hire collapsed during a climbing procedure at a construction site for which Hay Mills is the main contractor. The complete jib and slew ring assembly became detached from the climbing frame and flipped over onto the roof of the adjacent hotel. The incident occurred as a direct result of a failure on the part of the erection team to ensure that the slew ring was securely attached to the climbing frame before it was detached from the uppermost mast section. The erection team had not received manufacturer's training. |
HSE Prosecution 4163356 23/9/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Eimco Water Technologies Ltd |
| Fined £12,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Injured person was levelling 2 components of a 'stop log' gate, part of a water filtration system, in preparation for joining them together. The 2 components were positioned on axle stands approx 0.6 metres above the ground. Support to one of the stop logs gave way and consequently fell on the injured person working underneath, causing fractures to his pelvis. The duty holder failed to implement a safe system of work. |
HSE Prosecution 4167897 23/9/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Thames Valley Police |
| Fined £40,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. A fire arms instructor was conducting firearms' awareness training to new recruits. He fired what he thought was a blank, which turned out to be live ammunition. |
HSE Prosecution 4162372 24/9/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| David Steven Micklethwaite |
| Fined £8,000 under HASAWA 1974 s7. A firearms instructor was conducting firearms' awareness training to new recruits. He fired what he thought was a blank, which turned out to be live ammunition. |
HSE Prosecution 4162380 24/9/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| A Schulman Inc Ltd |
| Fined a total of £18,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2, PUWER 1998 and MHSWR 1999. Employee injured whilst cleaning a probe on a bagging machine used to package plastic pellets, with amputations of 3 fingers down to the first joint. It was custom and practice to access the probe through a gap in the platform on the machine, but a rotary valve was located just above the gap. On trying to withdraw his arm from the gap the employee accidentally contacted the rotary valve. The gap was not guarded, safe systems of work were not provided for cleaning and maintaining the bagging machine and a risk assessment of operational, cleaning and maintenance work on the machine had not been carried out. |
HSE Prosecution 4166841 24/9/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Delico Limited |
| Fined £160,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. PR arising from fatal machine accident. This prosecution arises from the investigation of a fatal accident. Hygiene operator struck by door of a meat blending machine. |
HSE Prosecution 4068266 25/9/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Fairline Boats Plc |
| Fined £3,000 under WHSWR 1992. Employee struck by FLT in open yard. Inadequate measures to protect pedestrians from moving vehicles. |
HSE Prosecution 4141079 25/9/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| John William Burrows |
| Fined £2,000 under GSIUR 1998. Prosecution of John Burrows, who failed to comply with an IN served against him. The Notice was served after an investigation by HSE into a complaint that he had failed to provide a valid gas certificate to the tenant and have a gas safety check on AVC Delta gas boiler. |
HSE Prosecution 4153154 25/9/09 Week ending: 04/12/09 |
| Housing society fined £50,000 after boiler explosion fatality. |
| Severn Vale Housing Society Limited fined £50,000 and costs of £7,500 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and £15 victim surcharge. Matthew Lee, a self employed plumber hired by the housing society, fined £7,500 and costs of £1,500 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and £15 victim surcharge. Mrs Christine Goodall, 65, a tenant, was killed at her home in November 2007 when an incorrectly decommissioned boiler exploded. She lit the fire for the first time since the back boiler had been decommissioned in 1999. The decommissioning work was not properly carried out as the back boiler had not been fully drained but had been left in a sealed condition. When Mrs Goodall lit a fire, the residual water in the back boiler was heated, generating steam and building up pressure leading to the explosion of the back boiler. These types of back boilers, which sat behind open fires, were commonly installed in both private and public housing in the past when coal was a major form of heating. There are still some properties which have such back boilers in situ, although many have been replaced or decommissioned by councils, housing associations and private homeowners over the years. |
HSE (National) Press Release 611/SWW/09 7/12/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| Sellafield Ltd fined £75,000 after contractors inhale radioactive contamination. |
| Sellafield Ltd fined £75,000 and costs of £26,100 under HASAWA 1974 s3. The incident happened while removing radioactive contamination from an area of concrete floor in a room formerly used to sort and monitor material contaminated with plutonium. A patch of concrete floor, believed to be contaminated with radiation from spillage some years ago, was being drilled prior to being removed. Two contractors were drilling an area of floor, under Sellafield Ltd's supervision, when they were contaminated with plutonium by the dust produced from the drilling, some of which they inhaled. There was no immediate impact on their health but they received a significant radiation dose below annual dose limits. The two workers were monitored, undressed and removed from the enclosure. One contractor had widespread contamination on his PVC suit and while he was undressing two radiation air monitors outside the enclosed area were triggered. The enclosure was later found to be heavily contaminated. |
HSE (National) Press Release NW/049/09 4/12/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| Company fined following death of worker. |
| P J Carey (Contractors) Ltd fined £54,000 and costs of £100,000 under CHSWR 1996. Peter Prunic, 53, was killed when a telehandler at a construction site reversed and struck him. The court were told of the dangerous working environment in which the pedestrian route to the site was obstructed by rubbish skips, packs of bricks and two parked vans. In addition, pedestrian routes were not clearly signed or marked. |
HSE (National) Press Release COISE/0812 8/12/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| Would you use a ladder like this? |
| Missing rungs and bent sides, these are just a small selection of the 'dodgy' ladders that have been surrendered so far under this year's 'ladder exchange'. The exchange, led by the HSE, closes its doors on 31 December, so time is running out for businesses to trade in their old, damaged or broken ladders for some new ones. Run in conjunction with retailers, manufacturers and trade associations, the scheme offers businesses the chance to get their ladders checked and where necessary, exchange them for new ones at a heavily discounted price. |
HSE (National) Press Release NW/049/09 4/12/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| Company fined for asbestos failings. |
| Waxport Ltd fined £1,000 and costs of £8,416.43 under CAR 2006. The company, which owned an office block, had previously been issued with advice from a licensed asbestos contractor advising them to complete an asbestos survey before carrying out major refurbishment work in the building. Waxport Ltd commissioned another company to carry out the refurbishment work and advised them that asbestos was no longer present or had been encapsulated in the building. As a result, work commenced and asbestos was disturbed with work only stopping when a site worker identified the substance. |
HSE (National) Press Release 613/W/09 8/12/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| Company fined £150,000 over major Preston chemical fire. |
| Veolia ES Cleanaway (UK) Ltd fined £150,000 and costs of £90,000 under DSEAR 2002. Sections of the M6 and M55 were shut for several hours during the morning commute while 66 fire fighters tackled the blaze at the Red Scar Industrial Estate, Preston. The fire started just after 6am in an open area of the site, which is used to store drums of chemicals. Fire fighters reported seeing drums rocketing into the air and off the site after setting alight. The fire was extinguished by mid-afternoon after more than 132,000 litres of chemicals were set alight. HSE inspectors believe it was caused by lithium batteries igniting nearby waste materials. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/NW/001Veolia/09 9/12/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| Companies warned to stick to the rules when removing asbestos. |
| PW Mills (Cradley) Ltd fined under CAR 2006 and HASAWA 1974 s3. Roy Anthony Halden, company manager, received a conditional discharge, with no costs under HASAWA 1974 s36. The company pleaded guilty to the charges earlier in the year and was committed to the Crown Court, but subsequently went into receivership. At Crown Court the case was allowed to "lie on the file" as there was little prospect of any penalty or costs being paid by the company. The company removed asbestos from industrial units, but did not notify HSE of the work which is required by law. Asbestos debris was left in the work area, and the firm sent another team to clean up the site the following month, again without notifying HSE. |
HSE (National) Press Release 613/W/09 9/12/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| Agriculture safety campaign scoops top award. |
| A campaign urging farmers to 'Make the promise. Come home safe' in a bid to reduce the high rate of death and injury in the sector, has won a prestigious marketing award. The HSE's campaign scooped Gold in the 'business to business' category at the Direct Marketing Awards in London. |
HSE (National) Press Release 114/2009 10/12/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| Development company fined £5,400 following asbestos contraventions. |
| Stonehouse Design and Build Limited fined a total of £5,400 and costs of £8,267 under CAWR 2002. The company bought a former hotel site in order to convert the building into apartments. During the course of the renovation work, asbestos was disturbed and HSE was notified in confidence that the hazardous material was not being removed under appropriate controlled conditions. This included the illegal disposal of asbestos materials alongside general waste, designed for general landfill waste. Work at the site was halted by HSE inspectors and the asbestos was removed under licensed conditions then the site decontaminated by a specialist team. |
HSE (National) Press Release 615/SWW/09 10/12/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| Safety improvement on Sunderland industrial estates. |
| The safety of employees at industrial estates across Sunderland came under the microscope as the HSE and Sunderland City Council launched a joint inspection on premises. More than 65 businesses were inspected in the crackdown resulting in 15 INs being served but only one company received a PN. HSE Inspectors say these statistics should be taken as an encouraging sign that the health and safety message is getting through to businesses, but more still needs to be done. |
HSE (National) Press Release NE/446/09 10/12/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| Company fined £70,000 after gas leak nearly suffocated worker. |
| CNH (UK) Ltd fined £70,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. HSE also prosecuted the firm in a separate case after it admitted another 5 charges relating to workplace transport. It was fined £25,000. CNH (UK) Ltd were ordered to pay combined costs of £58,898. An engineer was nearly suffocated by a nitrogen gas leak in a laboratory. The man only survived because he heard gas escaping and felt cold vapour on his arms. Seeing a mist in the laboratory, he staggered out, feeling light-headed and weak. He was off work for five weeks afterwards with headaches and insomnia. |
HSE (East) Press Release 8/12/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| Death of contractor leads to £15,000 fine for Feltham company. |
| K-Line Logistics (UK) Ltd fined £15,000 and costs of £4,752 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Richard Gibbs fell 7 metres to his death through a fragile roof sheet when he was working at height to repair lights. He had not received any training as a roofer and had been given only limited instruction before starting work on this job. The group of workers had been contracted to carry out repairs on the roof by K-Line Logistics (UK) Ltd who at no point sought to assess the competence of the contractors being used. |
HSE (London) Press Release 10/12/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| Food company fined after worker's fingertip was severed. |
| Noon Products Ltd fined £20,000 and costs of £5,491 under HASAWA 1974 s2. A worker was asked to repair a dough divider machine at the company's premises. He removed the guard and was cleaning the middle part of the machine with a screw driver and an air gun. As he put his hand into the enclosed space, a dangerous part of the machine severed the tip of his right index finger. HSE found the machine was in poor state of repair and crucial safety devices were broken or had been removed. In particular, the display screen which provided safety information to the operator was illegible and critical safety switches were disconnected. The company had already been served with an IN for a separate incident, which should have alerted them to proper maintenance systems throughout the general workplace. |
HSE (London) Press 10/12/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| Cheltenham Borough Council |
| Fined a total of £14,000 under MHSWR 1999 and HASAWA 1974 s2. IP was operating a ride on mower. On the day of the accident it was a bright, dry day and the ground was also dry. The mower was manoeuvred across the grassy slope between a flower bed and a park bench to cut the grass. Mower became parallel with the back of the bench, the mower lost grip and slipped down the bank onto the back of the bench, IP catching his back on the arm of the bench. A work colleague who was sat on the bench at the time of the incident, assisted the IP and raised the alarm. An ambulance was called and the IP was taken to hospital. |
HSE Prosecution 4144981 28/09/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| North Kent Shotblasting Ltd |
| Fined £150,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Company failed to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, the safety at work of their employees whilst working on a 975kg metal floor plate. Five PNs were issued, for unsafe working conditions, on the day of the incident. One IN was issued 3 days after the incident and 4 INs were issued post-inquest (approx one year after incident). |
HSE Prosecution 4120245 29/9/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| Webber Trading Ltd |
| Fined £6,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. No Sep Penalty under HASAWA 1974 s3. IP was working with 3 others to overclad fragile roof lights in an industrial roof. He fell through a section of roof light adjacent to that being overclad, approx 7 metres to the floor and sustained severe injuries, including head injuries. |
HSE Prosecution 4174772 29/9/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| Jeffrey Robinson |
| Fined £1,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. No Sep Penalty under HASAWA 1974 s3. IP was working with 3 others to overclad fragile roof lights in an industrial roof. He fell through a section of roof light adjacent to that being overclad, approx 7metres to the floor and sustained severe injuries, including head injuries. |
HSE Prosecution 4174777 29/9/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| Carillion (AMBS) Limited |
| Fined £40,000 under WHR 2005. IP was working at height cleaning ducting. He was using a fall arrest harness, but unclipped the harness from the fall arrest system and fell between the gap in the ducting, a distance of over 6m, sustaining broken ribs, severely bruised lungs and a fractured leg. |
HSE Prosecution 4161362 2/10/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| Queen of Hearts (UK) Limited |
| Fined a total of £6,000 under PUWER 1998 and MHSWR 1999. The operator had poured a bucket of hot water into a fondant enrober well whilst the machine was still running. Mixed with left over fondant formed some hard lumps which the operator decided to try and push under the guarded bars in the wheel. Subsequently pushing the middle and index finer of left hand into the vertical rotating auger. Emergency services were called, on their advice injured fingers were tightly wrapped in bandage. The general manager found the finger tips and put them into a plastic bag as instructed, and the hospital re-attached them. The enrober was put out of use. |
HSE Prosecution 4170550 2/10/09 Week ending: 11/12/09 |
| Bus company fined £400,000 after man is crushed to death. |
| Centrewest London Buses Ltd, part of the First Group, fined £400,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Costs are to be determined at a later hearing. Robert Cherry was preparing one of the buses at a station. As he stepped in between two parked buses, the front bus lurched backwards, crushing him against the rear stationary vehicle. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/LON1812 18/12/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| EU agency highlights emerging stress risks for workers. |
| A new EU report has identified 5 main emerging psychosocial risks that European workers are facing in the workplace. The report concludes that workplace stress remains second only to musculoskeletal disorders as the most frequently reported work-related health issue. |
Internet: http://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/reports/ Health and Safety Bulletin December 2009 (384):2 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Enforcement activity remains at low ebb. |
| There was a small increase in formal enforcement activity by HSE Inspectors in the year to April 2009. Despite this, the steady decline since the 1980s in the numbers of prosecutions and enforcement notices has reached a plateau, with the totals since 2004/05 remaining relatively constant. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/index.htm "Health and Safety Statistics 2008/09" Health and Safety Bulletin December 2009 (384):3 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Agriculture - E.coli. |
| As part of the attempt to tackle the largest ever outbreak of E.coli 0157 in the UK, the HSE is inspecting working farms that, as a minor or secondary activity, also allow members of the public to have direct contact with the animals. |
Health and Safety Bulletin December 2009 (384):6 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Agriculture - tractors. |
| An average of 10 tractor deaths a year has resulted in the HSE updating its leaflet on tractor safety for farmers. |
"Tractor action: A step-by-step guide to using tractors safely" INDG185 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg185.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin December 2009 (384):6 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Chemicals - REACH. |
| The HSE reports that it is working with the Treasury Solicitor's Dept and Defra to resolve the "unintentional consequences" for the control of waste specifically containing asbestos that have arisen from the Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. |
Health and Safety Bulletin December 2009 (384):6 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| COSHH - SMEs. |
| The HSE has published research into small and medium sized enterprises and micro-businesses that helped inform the recent revision of its guidance on the COSHH Regs. |
Internet: http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr737.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin December 2009 (384):6 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Disability - risks. |
| An HSE-commissioned review of research into the links between H&S and disability has concluded that employees with disabilities do not pose a greater safety risk than able-bodied employees, and have better or similar safety records. |
Internet: http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr745.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin December 2009 (384):6 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Docks - certificate. |
| Consultation will close on 15th January 2010 on HSE proposals to remove the "docks form". The requirement to complete a "certificate of thorough examination of certain vessels used for transporting persons by water" is set out in the Docks Regs 1988, which the HSE believes is unnecessary because other, more relevant, legislation and guidance are available. |
ConDoc 226 Internet: http://consultations.hse.gov.uk/inovem/gf2.ti/f/10466/287301.1/pdf/-/cd226.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin December 2009 (384):6 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Enforcement - local authorities. |
| The HSE and Local Authorities Enforcement Liaison Committee (HELA) have published a new version of the criteria that LAs will use for selecting the injuries and diseases reported under RIDDOR that they investigate. |
Internet: http://www.hse.gov.uk/lau/lacs/22-13.htm Health and Safety Bulletin December 2009 (384):6-7 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Enforcement - record. |
| The HSE prosecuted 1,090 (completed) offences in 2008/09, a rise of 33 on the previous year. The number of convictions however, fell by 5 to 84. The HSE increased the number of Enforcement Notices that it served over the period to 8,054 from 7,758. |
Health and Safety Bulletin December 2009 (384):7 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Health - indicators. |
| There is limited research on, or evidence for, the predictive validity of leading indicators for assessing the risk of long latency diseases. This contrasts with safety where the safety climate questionnaire has a predictive reliability. The HSE-commissioned research report suggests several indicators that the HSE could take forward. |
Internet: http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr734.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin December 2009 (384):7 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Motor vehicles - repairs. |
| Changes in car technology and repair techniques have resulted in the HSE replacing two sets of guidance (HSG62 and 67) with a single publication (HSG261) on the specific H&S issues faced by employers and the self-employed in vehicle maintenance and repair. |
Internet: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg261.htm Health and Safety Bulletin December 2009 (384):7 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Woodworking - DVDs. |
| The HSE has combined and updated three videos in its "Cutting Edge" series into a single woodworking DVD, "Health and safety in the woodworking industry". |
Internet: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/woodworking-dvd.htm Health and Safety Bulletin December 2009 (384):8 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Musculoskeletal movement. |
| The European Commission is expected to publish by late Spring 2010 a proposal for a single Directive on work-related musculoskeletal disorders MSDs). The proposal will cover all MSDs and combine the provisions of the 1989 manual handling and DSE Directives, while allowing a "flexible approach" to risk assessment. |
Health and Safety Bulletin December 2009 (384):8 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Risk education. |
| EU member states are making good progress in incorporating occup safety and health and risk education into their national curricula at primary and secondary level, according to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. |
Internet: http://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/factsheets/en_82.pdf Health and Safety Bulletin December 2009 (384):8 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Revitalising "resuscitation" may be too late for ill-health target. |
| A look at the last set of injury and ill-health statistics before 2010's judgement day. (Howard Fidderman) |
Health and Safety Bulletin December 2009 (384):9-12 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Optimism over sentencing for deaths falls at the final hurdle. |
| Lamenting the Sentencing Guidelines Council's decision to ignore its advisory panel's proposals on fines for fatal failures. (Howard Fidderman) |
Health and Safety Bulletin December 2009 (384):13-18 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Back to Black one year on. |
| A look at the Government's implementation of the Black report on health and work. (Howard Fidderman) |
Health and Safety Bulletin December 2009 (384):19-24 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Clearer communication could have resolved work at height confusion. |
| A Parliamentary Committee has described the introduction of the Work at Height Regs as a "clear demonstration of how important external feedback can be in evaluation". The evidence from stakeholders stressed that WHR had achieved some success in reducing the number of falls, while the removal of the two metre rule was particularly well received for encouraging greater consideration of safety during work at height. However, some highlighted number of unanticipated costs, of which the most significant was probably an over-cautious response by some organisations in banning the use of ladders. Not only did the ladder industry suffer loss as a result, it had to spend money on advertising to combat the misconceptions. |
Internet: www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/merits.cfm SHP December 2009:6 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Blueprint for business to improve mental health. |
| NICE has launched new guidance to help employers promote mental well-being in the workplace. Work-related mental-health conditions, including stress, anxiety and depression, are believed to account for an estimated 13.7 million working days lost each year at a cost to UK employers of around £28.3 billion. |
Internet: www.nice.org.uk/PH22 SHP December 2009:7 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| School trips guidance to cut paperwork. |
| Schools minister Diana Johnson has launched a consultation on simple guidance to cut bureaucracy and make it easier for teachers and others to take young people out on educational visits. The "Health and safety of learners outside the classroom" guidance builds on the Quality Badge scheme launched earlier this year. |
SHP December 2009:8 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| HSE accused of complacency on lead exposure limits. |
| Limits on exposure to lead in the UK are too lax and could be putting tens of thousands of workers at risk of serious health problems, yet the HSE is ignoring expert advice, a new report has warned. Unpublished HSE figures obtained for the "Hazards" magazine show around 5,000 workers known to have blood-lead levels below the UK's recommended action level, could be suffering serious ill-health effects. According to the "Hazards" editor, the HSE recently said "there is no intention to review the lead standard at this point in time". |
SHP December 2009:10 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| PCT didn't inspect hospital windows. |
| North East Essex Primary Care Trust fined £10,000 and costs of £4,972 under HASAWA 1974 s3. A 68 year old patient, who was partially sighted and both mentally and emotionally impaired, and who staff had been warned to keep under observation, fell out of an open window in a day room landing 4.3 metres on the road below. He suffered multiple fractures and a blow to the head. The window could be opened up to 254mm but should have had a restrictor installed to prevent it being opened more than 100mm. |
SHP December 2009:18 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| The debate continues. |
| Now that the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanction Act has had time to bed in, a look at the arguments for and against entering into a primary-authority partnership. (Kevin Bridges and Sarah Taylor) |
SHP December 2009:23 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Talking points. |
| There has been a great deal of discussion of the necessity for a total ban on the use of mobile phones in cars by staff on business - much of it with little reference to original research into the subject. Examining some of the information available to discover if there really is a safety case for a total ban. (Percy Smith) |
SHP December 2009:36-38 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Words of wisdom. |
| We all know that crafting a safety report is never going to get you shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize, but practitioners should not underestimate the value of good writing skills in contributing to a safer and healthier workplace. (Rob Ashton) |
SHP December 2009:41-42 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Avoid the overload. |
| There is a general perception that offices are safer and healthier places in which to work than more traditional industries, where the hazards are more evident. However, the demands of new technology, and the effects of the adverse economic climate, amongst other developments, are conspiring to wreak havoc on the well-being of office-based workers. How to deal with the situation. (John Hamilton) |
SHP December 2009:44-46 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| In the eyes of the law. |
| A reminder to duty-holders of the importance of protecting employees' eyesight, particularly in the light of pending legislation on incorporating eye examinations into driving tests. (Jim Lythgow) |
SHP December 2009:49-50 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Catalogue of safety breaches at Bedfordshire printing factory leads to prosecution. |
| Colpac Ltd fined a total of £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and PUWER 1998 and costs of £5,129. Operations Director Terry Langton fined £3,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Manager Steve Burton fined 800 under HASAWA 1974 s7. When an HSE inspector investigated a worker's injury, they exposed a series of H&S breaches including electrical safety and machinery guard checks. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE-E-42 11/12/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Cotswold farm company fined £65,000 after crush death. |
| Daylesford Organic Farms Ltd fined £65,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 with costs of £27,500. Anthony Cripps was riding in the bucket of a telehandler during an elderflower harvest when he fell and was crushed to death by the wheels. |
HSE (National) Press Release 11/12/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Wednesbury firm fined for health and safety. |
| KTC (Edibles) Ltd fined a total of £12,500 and costs of £2,388 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and RIDDOR 1995. Employee, Noshad Ali, was injured when a mezzanine floor collapsed, trapping him between 1,000kg bags of rice and beans. The incident was only reported 8 months later during HSE's investigation into other health and safety concerns. HSE was first informed of the floor collapse by a Local Authority environmental health officer. An HSE inspector went to the site and was informed no one had been working in the vicinity or had been injured. Nevertheless, the inspector provided the company with advice on how to install edge protection about the hole left by the collapse. Later in the year the edge protection was still not in place and HSE served the company with a Prohibition Notice, to stop people working near the unprotected edge. During this visit the inspector identified other breaches of health and safety regs, including a person being carried on an FLT in a homemade cage and a lorry colliding with a building, narrowly missing a person. |
HSE (National) Press Release WM483/09 14/12/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Quarry fall lands company in court. |
| Tarmac Ltd fined £10,000 and costs of £6,930.85 under QR 1999. A 15 year old boy easily gained access to Tarmac's Cornelly Quarry and fell around 50ft. He suffered a broken elbow, fractured wrist and chipped pelvis. HSE's investigation revealed that a dense, impenetrable hedge had been removed in preparation of expansion of the quarry but, because work had been delayed, it had been temporarily replace by two lines of earth banks, which the injured youth, along with others had easily been able to climb. |
HSE (National) Press Release 617/W/09 14/12/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Company fined £7,500 after worker injured. |
| Ravendale Foods Limited fined £7,500 and costs of £2,865.20 under HASAWA 1974 s2. A 22 year old worker was attempting to clear away meat from the opening of a mixer onto a conveyor, his left hand came into contact with the rotating paddles. The index and middle fingers of his left hand were amputated. |
HSE (National) Press Release NE/451/09 15/12/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Second set of 2009 pesticide residue figures released. |
| The Pesticide Residues Committee has published its second quarterly report in 2009. The report found that the majority of foods had no detectable residues and those that did contain pesticides were not likely to be harmful to health. Tests found that 490 out of 933 samples of 22 different foods tested had no detectable residues. Also 431 samples contained levels below the maximum residue level (MRL) - the legally permitted amount. |
HSE (National) Press Release E:111:09 15/12/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| School fruit and vegetables tested for pesticide residues. |
| The Pesticide Residues Committee (PRC) has published findings from the Department of Health's School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme for Summer Term 2009. The third and final report for the school year 2008/9 found that the fruit and vegetable supplied to schools met legal standards with regard to pesticide residue levels and that the presence of residues would be unlikely to have any effect on those who ate the food. The report contained the results for apple, banana, carrot, pear and soft citrus fruits. |
HSE (National) Press Release E:112:09 15/12/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| M6 death prompts £65,000 fine for roadworks company. |
| Cumbrian Industrials Ltd fined £65,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. The judge deferred his decision on what costs the company should pay in addition to the fine. Graham Campbell died after hitting an unlit contractor's vehicle parked on the hard shoulder of the M6. Cumbrian Industrials had several failings. Inconsistency in the positioning of the traffic cones, between the hard shoulder and lane one, caused uncertainty to motorists about whether the hard shoulder should be used. They also failed to provide detailed drawings for a change on the layout of the traffic cones after the original plans were altered and the cones were not moved back into place after the white line between lanes one and two had been repainted. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/NW/035CumbrianIndustrials/09 15/12/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Contractor fined £750 after man dies in Wembley. |
| Chris Byrne fined £750 and costs of £750 under CHSWR 1996. A 21 year old labourer started work extending a house. He was working for Mr Byrne, who was contracted to build an extension to the property. The labourer had limited knowledge of English. On his first day he was instructed by Mr Byrne to fill earth around the concrete blocks, in an area next to the extension. Mr Byrne removed a board covering a 1.74 metre extension pit to show him that it was filled with water. Mr Byrne then left him alone on the site, leaving the excavation pit unguarded. Later that day, when Mr Byrne returned, he found the labourer head first in the pit with water up to his waist. He was pronounced dead at the scene. |
HSE (National) Press Release COILDN/1512 16/12/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Company fined after man loses leg. |
| Donald Ward Ltd fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3, costs of £1,572 and a £15 victim surcharge. A man was visiting the Donald Ward recycling plant and a pile of scrap metal suddenly moved, knocking a steel girder onto his legs. After the incident, the man had to have his left leg amputated below the knee and he also sustained serious injuries to his right leg. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/78 16/12/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| HSE publishes full offshore health and safety statistics for 2008/9. |
| Full and finalised offshore health and safety statistics for 2008/09 are now available on the HSE website. The detailed report follows the release of 'headline' statistics in August and contains figures on injury, ill-health and dangerous occurrences, including hydrocarbon releases, between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2009. |
HSE (National) Press Release 115/2009 17/12/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| "Hidden Killer" asbestos campaign wins international award. |
| The HSE's "Hidden Killer" campaign has come top in the health category of the European Excellence Awards, which honour outstanding achievements in public relations. |
HSE (National) Press Release 116/2009 17/12/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Firms across the country reminded secure your site before wrapping up for Christmas. |
| Construction Managers are being reminded to secure their sites to reduce the risks of accidents during the Christmas shut-down. The warning comes from the HSE which has had to investigate after members of the public have been killed or injured in a range of incidents, such as those resulting from material being blown off site, scaffolding collapsing, or children gaining access to poorly protected sites. |
HSE (Regional) Press Releases 17/12/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Ban sweets at panto? Oh no we don't. |
| With Christmas fast approaching, Britain's safety watchdog has moved to quell the expected avalanche of ridiculous health and safety myths. HSE is often blamed for spoiling people's fun around Yuletide by 'banning' many activities people enjoy but HSE is hitting back by saying in most cases the organisation has little to do with these decisions. Among the seasonal myths being challenged this Christmas is the idea performers cannot throw sweets into the audience at pantomimes. The watchdog says this kind of story raises its head annually and is typical of the misunderstandings that encourages the public to view HSE as a bunch of killjoys. |
HSE (Regional) Press Releases 17/12/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Alex Stephen Cotterill |
| Fined £200 under HASAWA 1974 s7. This case did result from the investigation of a fatality. |
HSE Prosecution 4118456 5/10/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Flamingo Land Ltd (Flamingoland) |
| Fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Incomplete platform on fairground ride, IP (aged 2) fell through hole, falling 2.4m. |
HSE Prosecution 4150331 5/10/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Turbo Power Systems Ltd |
| Fined a total of £3,000 under COSHH 2002. IP worked as a Printed Circuit Board Assembler and would carry out on average 5? hours of soldering a day, working predominantly with rosin based solder flux wire. |
HSE Prosecution 4166544 6/10/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Trust |
| Fined a total of £35,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. Unsafe levels of legionella were found in the water supply system for the showers, baths and sinks at the NHS Trust's hospital. The trust failed to put suitable control measures in place and to take responsibility for overseeing the control of the bacteria. The court was unable to conclude whether two patients, who both contracted Legionnaires' disease before their deaths in early 2007, were infected at the hospital or elsewhere. |
HSE Prosecution 4160269 8/10/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Doyle PLC |
| Fined £3,500 under WHR 2005. An employee fell approx six metres from the top of a scaffolding tower when it overturned and fell down an embankment whilst being moved. The tower had been specifically designed to be lifted as a single unit but the company decided to partially dismantle it and move it in two parts. |
HSE Prosecution 4163476 8/10/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Britannia Superfine Ltd |
| Fined a total of £18,000 under MHSWR 1999 and PUWER 1998. The injured person was viewing work he had been given to carry out the following day. Whilst viewing the rack and pinion gearing on the line he slipped and placed his hand out to prevent himself from falling. This resulted in his hand resting on the rack just as the pinion rolled across it. As a result his right index finger was crushed and later amputated to just above the second knuckle. No effective measures to prevent access to a dangerous part of machinery and no suitable and sufficient risk assessment. |
HSE Prosecution 4119559 9/10/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Tate & Lyle Industries Limited |
| Fined £270,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. No sep penalty under HASAWA 1974 s2. Prosecution arising from fatal accident during unloading of raw sugar from a ship's hold. A contractor attempted to access a ship's hold by riding in a tracked shovel loader vehicle as it was lifted from the dock by crane. Lifting lugs welded onto the sides of the vehicle broke away during transit causing it to fall striking the deck and then slipping into the river. Failure to specify safe means of access to holds in the event of ladders being blocked by sugar and failure to prevent employees being transported by crane. |
HSE Prosecution 4148573 6/10/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| P A Wilkinson |
| Fined £4,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Two members of the public were injured, one seriously, when their motorbike travelling on public road, was struck by the arm of a crop-spraying trailer attached to a tractor operating within a field. Mr Wilkinson turned the tractor he was driving without first raising the trailer's boom arms and as a result, one of the arms crossed the field's boundary and come into contact with the passing bike. Mr Wilkinson failed to make sure the public was not put at risk while he carried out his work. |
HSE Prosecution 4160564 9/10/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
| Superglass Insulation Limited |
| Fined £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. IP fell 3.35m from an unprotected, open platform edge while carrying out a routine maintenance activity. IP suffered significant injuries to their face, shoulder and hip. |
HSE Prosecution 4161684 9/10/09 Week ending: 18/12/09 |
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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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