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H&S News February 2010
| Slips, trips & falls cost the UK around £800m per year. |
| HSE figures show that slips and trips are the most common cause of major workplace injury in Britain and cost society an estimated £800 million each year. More workplace deaths are triggered by falls from height than any other cause, according to official statistics. In response, HSE is launching a new phase of its Shattered Lives campaign, aimed at reducing slips, trips and falls in the workplace. The hard hitting campaign involves raising awareness of the impact of slip, trips and falls in the workplace and directs people to the new Shattered Lives website for practical advice and guidance. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives HSE (National) Press Releases 123:2010 1/2/10 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Business department to subsidise insured advice for small firms in the north west. |
| Small and medium sized businesses in the north west are set to receive free access to providers of insured advice on health and safety and employment law until September as part of a new pilot. |
Internet: www.bis.gov.uk/insuredadvice Safety Management January 2010:5 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| A poignant message from young workers. |
| 150 delegates from both the education and business sectors - and a host of young people - attended the British Safety Council's first ever Young Worker Safety Event in London at the start of December. |
Safety Management January 2010:10-11 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Young workers' safety - it's NOT child's play. |
| Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, every 40 minutes, a young person will have been injured at work in the UK. The BSC's mission is to change this. (Paul Gordon) |
Safety Management January 2010:12-14 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Fit for purpose - how to take care of staff. |
| Encouraging physical exercise and healthy eating at work can have considerable benefits for both workers and a business itself. Healthy staff may have better concentration, be more mentally alert and have a greater rapport with colleagues. (Lisa Purcell) |
Safety Management January 2010:33-36 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| An education in the environment. |
| With its 400-acre site, you would expect co-educational boarding school, Haileybury, to have a size nine carbon footprint. But thanks to the efforts of domestic bursar Peter Bailey, the school has made huge environmental strides in recent months - including slashing its considerable laundry bill by £50,000 a year. (Joanna Gurman) |
Safety Management January 2010:39-42 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| The big bang theory - understanding DSEAR. |
| Employers have a legal duty to assess and control the risks of fire and explosion from dangerous substances such as chemicals. An overview of what is required. (Jim Creak) |
Safety Management January 2010:45-48 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| EU risk assessment base. |
| The EU-OSHA safety agency has launched a pan-European risk assessment database with more than 200 guides and checklists for a broad spectrum of industries and activities. These range from baking to cement manufacture, and passenger transport to museum curating. Many have the advantage of being in several European languages, such as Polish and Estonian, as well as English. |
Internet: http://osha.europa.eu/en/practical-solutions/risk-assessment-tools/index_html HSW February 2010:4 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| £450,000 damages for worker's ladder fall. |
| Home improvement company Rhino have paid damages of £450,000 to Keith Waring, an electrical engineer, following a four metre fall which left him with shattered ankle injuries so severe that he had to have his left leg amputated below the knee. He had been up a ladder removing some cabling from the outside of a house when it came away and he lost his balance, falling to the paved patio below. |
HSW February 2010:5 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Legislative calendar. |
| Calendar of new and upcoming legislation. |
HSW February 2010:8 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| COMAH pages revamp. |
| The HSE has updated the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) section of its website. The COMAH Competent Authority (CA) has reviewed the way major hazards are regulated, and there is a separate section explaining changes in the regulatory process from April 2010. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/comah/index.htm HSW February 2010:11 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Talking out of turn. |
| Common tactics used by the police and HSE inspectors in interviews after workplace incidents. (Stuart Armstrong) |
HSW February 2010:14-16 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| 2010: Ring the changes. |
| Some of the most prominent figures in UK health and safety offer their thoughts on the challenges they expect the profession to face this year. (HSW) |
HSW February 2010:18-20,22 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Down to penalties. |
| The revised proposals for guidance to judges on how to set corporate manslaughter and fatality fines has polarised opinion. (David Bergman) |
HSW February 2010:24-26 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| RU a D15PLY U5R? |
| What's the best way to apply the DSE Regulations to handheld devices and mobile phones? Best not to try. (Dave Merchant) |
HSW February 2010:28-30 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| All systems go. |
| Setting out the basics of safe systems of work - for NEBOSH National Diploma students. (Lawrence Bamber) |
HSW February 2010:32-34 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| The long and the short of it. |
| Don't forget the needs of the tallest and smallest and overweight workers in ergonomic assessments. (Duncan Abbott) |
HSW February 2010:36-38 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Trainers' toolkit: Body talk. |
| The importance of body language in keeping trainees onside. (Paul Smith) |
HSW February 2010:41 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Safety podcasts: words in your ear. |
| A roundup of some recent audio downloads. (Bridget Leathley) |
HSW February 2010:42 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Preston farm safety event follows deaths and injuries. |
| Hundreds of farmers were expected to attend a safety event in Preston this week, after new figures revealed an agricultural worker is seriously injured in Lancashire every fortnight. The HSE organised a free training day and offered tips for farmers on staying safe. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/NW/025SHAD Preston 1/2/10 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Southport farm safety event follows death and injuries. |
| Hundreds of farmers were expected to attend a safety event in Southport this week, after new figures revealed an agricultural worker is seriously injured in Merseyside every fortnight. The HSE organised a free training day and offered tips for farmers on staying safe. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE.NW/026SHAD Southport 1/2/10 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Didcot landlord fined for ignoring gas safety. |
| Graham Barnes fined £8,000 and costs of £1,957.70 with £15 victim surcharge under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. The HSE brought the prosecution after the 49 year old landlord failed to have gas appliances at the property he rented out, safety checked. Between Jan 2009 and July 2009 Mr Barnes failed to arrange the annual safety check to be carried out on gas appliances and flues at a residential property he owned and also failed to maintain gas appliances at the same property. Despite being warned by a gas installer in Feb 2009 there were defects in the appliances, he failed to address the problem and the gas boiler was condemned in June 2009. |
HSE (National) Press Release COISE/01-02 1/2/10 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Unregistered gas fitter fined after 700 lives put at risk. |
| Jamie Loxston fined a total of £1,250 and costs of £550 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and GSIUR 1998. The unregistered gas fitter has been fined after admitting putting more than 700 seasonal workers in danger. Mr Loxston was working at a caravan site used as accommodation for migrant workers employed by a large soft fruit grower. He had been contracted to install appliances, connect and disconnect pipework and conduct gas safety inspections of LPG fuelled appliances in up to 200 caravans. Gas appliances in 5 randomly selected caravans at the site were examined by independent CORGI registered gas engineers from the H&S Laboratory. They identified numerous defects with their installation and operation. The most serious of these defects included significant gas leaks from pipework and spillage of carbon monoxide from appliances, which was a significant risk to the safety of occupants. It emerged that Mr Loxston was not CORGI registered at the time and a Prohibition Notice served on him, requiring him to cease gas work until he was registered. |
HSE (National) Press Release WM560/09 1/2/10 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Mental health charity fined after death of support worker. |
| Mental Health Matters Ltd fined £30,000 and costs of £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. They failed to do all that was reasonably practicable to ensure the safety of Ashleigh Ewing, a 22 year old support worker who was attacked and killed by service user Ronald Dixon while visiting his home. Ashleigh had started work for Mental Health Matters exactly six months prior to the date of her death. The attack occurred on the final day of her probation period. Ashleigh's employment by Mental Health Matters exposed her to certain risks, particularly in the context of her dealings with Mr Dixon. His mental health was known to be deteriorating and Mental Health Matters failed to respond to a number of warning signs. They also failed to afford Ashleigh the level of protection that the nature of her job warranted. |
HSE (National) Press Release NE/032/10 1/2/10 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Joint marine industry inspections mark new partnership. |
| Marine businesses across Dorset will be among the first companies in the South West to benefit from a joint HSE and Local Authority (LA) partnership aimed at improving safety standards in business. The marine sector inspection will be launched on 8 February and last one week, with inspectors from HSE and Dorset LAs planning to visit up to 55 small and medium-sized businesses in the higher risk categories. These categories will include manufacturing (diving equipment, consoles, fittings, propellers, etc), engineering, repair and maintenance, boatyards, sail-making and chandlers. |
HSE (National) Press Release 669/SWW/10 2/2/10 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Firm fined £2,400 after factory worker injured. |
| The Baked Snacks Co Limited fined £2,400, costs of £2,000 and £15 victim surcharge under PUWER 1998. A 22 year old man was working as a mixing operative at the company's factory, where it produces baked snacks. His duties included cleaning his work area and other areas of the production line, among them the cooling conveyors. While cleaning the cooling conveyor at a point where there was no guarding of an in-running nip while the machinery was running, his right hand became trapped between two rollers and was badly injured. |
HSE (National) Press Release NE/038/10 1/2/10 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Construction firm fined after worker injures skull. |
| Shepherd Construction Limited fined £20,000 and costs of £6,900 under HASAWA 1974 s3. A contractor on a construction site drove a cherry picker over a concealed manhole cover. The cover gave way under the weight of the machine and the cherry picker toppled over, leaving its driver with serious injuries to his skull, back and legs. The long reaching arm of the machine crashed to the ground, landing in a busy area that had been occupied by pedestrians and vehicles only seconds before. Following the incident the street was blocked off for almost 6 hours. |
HSE (East Midlands and Yorkshire and The Humber) Press Release 3/2/10 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| HSE welcomes IAEA report. |
| The HSE has welcomed the publication of a second report into its Nuclear Directorate (ND) from the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency. A team of senior nuclear regulators from across the world visited the UK in October 2009 to perform a second peer review of ND's work in regulation safety at Britain's nuclear facilities, the first being in 2006. |
HSE (National) Press Release 123/2009 5/2/10 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Bottle company fined over worker plunge. |
| Allied Glass Containers Ltd fined £10,000 and costs of £3,173 under HASAWA 1974 s2. They were also ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge, the proceeds of which will be spent on services for victims and witnesses. A worker sustained serious injuries when he plunged two metres onto a concrete floor. Urgent maintenance work at the factory required a mezzanine floor to be opened up so faulty equipment could be removed and replaced. A three-square-metre gap was created for equipment to be transferred using a block and tackle pulley system, which was subsequently left open in case adjustments were required before the maintenance team took a break. One worker was called back to the upper level after a problem was identified, but he lost his footing and plunged through the gap, falling 2 metres onto a concrete floor below. He sustained multiple injuries, including fractures to his back and skull and bruising to his brain and kidney. He spent 11 days in hospital and has yet to return to work following the accident last January. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/035/10 3/2/10 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Brighton & Hove's new football stadium shoots and scores in new safety campaign. |
| Brighton & Hove Albion's new football stadium is scoring well with the HSE's new hard-hitting campaign, Shattered Lives. HSE inspectors and the construction company, Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd, gave a tour of the stadium's East Stand, including its 3 floors and roof area. The company highlighted the simple steps it has taken to prevent slips, trips and falls from height. This has included gritting surfaces due to recent cold weather, adding in extra lighting for clear visibility and cleaning up debris and materials as a priority. |
HSE (South East) Press Release 4/2/10 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Director fined for neglecting legionella risk. |
| Mr Ernest Jones, director of First Metal Finishers Ltd, fined £2,000 and costs of £1,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Inspectors visited a site to look at control of legionella bacteria in two cooling towers. The towers were in operation at the time of the visit, but it became evident no management system was in place for the control of legionella, nor had there been for at least eight months. Also, none of the required test checks or monitoring were being undertaken. A PN was issued on site to stop the towers operating and an IN was issued for a management system to be put in place. The failings identified in the investigation showed neglect on the part of managing director Ernest Jones. |
HSE (South East) Press Release 4/2/10 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Safety inspections of businesses in Hammersmith and Fulham. |
| Business and organisations in Hammersmith and Fulham may receive a visit from HSE Inspectors next week in a bid to clampdown on any unsafe working practices. The intensive inspection drive on the 9 and 10 February will focus on how risks are managed in relation to such areas as workplace transport, machinery safety, manual handling, slips and trips, work at height and asbestos to best protect workers. Though the focus will be on providing help and advice, inspectors will also take enforcement action if necessary to ensure any essential improvements are made. |
HSE (London) Press Release 5/2/10 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| McAleer & Rushe Limited |
| Fined a total of £90,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. The scaffolding in the west elevation collapsed and partial collapse on the north elevation. Not sure how many people injured at time. Subsequently established that there were 3 casualties, one of which died 4 days later. |
HSE Prosecution 4150668 23/11/09 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Lee Smith Carpentry Ltd |
| Fined a total of £36,000 under CHSWR 1996 and WHR 2005. Scaffold collapse that injured 3 workers, one of which died 4 days later. |
HSE Prosecution 4150671 23/11/09 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Tinsley Bridge Limited |
| Fined £12,000 under HASAWA 1973 s3. Accident to 2 IPs following fireball explosion. Company Risk Assessment had identified the need for inspection of the hydraulic hoses on the tools on the 288 bending press but was never implemented. Previous history of incidents. |
HSE Prosecution 4136146 25/11/09 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Bracknell Roofing Co Ltd |
| Fined a total of £8,000 under WHR 2005. Three men on tower scaffold with two Youngman boards across top, no edge protection, re roofing top of bay window. |
HSE Prosecution 4143408 25/11/09 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| I S Maintenance Ltd |
| Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Polishing steel shafts in lathe with emery cloth, his gloves got wrapped around shaft pulling hands round shaft. No safe system of work. |
HSE Prosecution 4149680 26/11/09 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Jim Price |
| Fined £250 under GSIUR 1998. Installation of boiler whilst not being CORGI registered, several faults identified with installation, previous warning of gas work without being registered. |
HSE Prosecution 4163340 26/11/09 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Eat Ltd |
| Fined £1,000 and costs of £2,500 under WHR 2005. Accident to Mr Chirag Ray. |
HSE Prosecution 4174032 26/11/09 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| James Huntley & Sons Ltd |
| Fined £50,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. No Sep Penalty under MHSWR 1999. Barry Collins, a regular visitor to the site, was inside a scrap vehicle when it was picked up by the on-site grab crane causing him severe trauma and rapid loss of life. It appears that at the time the crane was started and operated the crane operator was unaware that a person was inside the vehicle. |
HSE Prosecution 4155563 27/11/09 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Carlton Main Brickworks Limited |
| Fined £25,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Report from police of a young girl found dead inside the quarry on premises. |
HSE Prosecution 4171388 27/11/09 Week ending: 05/02/10 |
| Company and director prosecuted for mercury exposure. |
| Electrical Waste Recycling Group Ltd (formerly known as Matrix Direct Recycle Ltd) fined a total of £140,000 and costs of £35,127 under HASAWA 1974 s2, COSHH 2002 and CLWR 2002. Craig Thompson, company director, fined £5,000 under COSHH 2002. Twenty employees had levels of mercury in their system above UK guidance levels, and five of them showed extremely high levels following the exposure between Oct 2007 and Aug 2008. EWR recycles electrical equipment, including fluorescent light tubes containing mercury, and TV sets and monitors containing lead. Ventilation problems at the plant meant employees were being exposed to potentially harmful emissions from both substances. Several workers had reported ill health as a result of the exposure, including a pregnant worker who was concerned that her unborn baby was at risk. HSE issued 5 INs and 1 PN to the company in relation to the incident. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/041/09 5/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Compensation culture linked to rise of gangs, says Tory MP. |
| Tory MP, Julian Brazier, has asserted that the number of young people involved in gangs has grown partly as a result of a claims culture that has limited the opportunities for them to take part in adventure training and sport. It is part of a paper submitted as part of his party's inquiry into H&S. The paper argues that concerns about getting sued or prosecuted are the primary obstacle to encouraging volunteers to help organise adventure activities for young people, and also contends that these fears have arisen from poor legal judgments, not urban H&S myths. |
SHP February 2010:6 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Rise in personal injury awards to offset costs reform. |
| Personal injury lawyers who win their cases should have their so-called success fees paid by their clients rather than recovering them from the losing party. This is the conclusion of a review of civil litigation costs by Lord Justice Jackson, who suggests a complementary proposal of a rise in damages awards to ensure that successful claimants are properly compensated for their injuries and losses. |
SHP February 2010:6 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Insurers appeal after asbestos law challenge fails. |
| A group of insurers has lodged an appeal after it failed in its bid to overturn a law in Scotland that allows people with asbestos-related pleural plaques to claim for compensation. |
SHP February 2010:7 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Tough challenge for 2012 chiefs. |
| The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has reaffirmed its commitment to health and safety at the start of what is likely to be the toughest year yet for London 2012. ODA chair, John Armitt, praised the H&S record of the project, which, so far, has notched up eight sets of a million hours worked without a reportable accident. |
SHP February 2010:7 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| MP seeks positive H&S duties for directors. |
| A labour MP had introduced a bill to amend the Health and Safety at Work Act in respect of the liability of company directors. At the first reading of the Bill on 19 January, Frank Doran MP said that while directors can be prosecuted under s37 for failing to carry out duties in relation to H&S, prosecutors are hampered by having to prove that a director was aware, or should have been aware, that an offence had been committed. |
SHP February 2010:7 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Untrained worker overturned telehandler. |
| Meldrum Construction Services Ltd fined £4,500 and costs of £2,342 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Tom Lincoln was operating a telehandler during the construction of a residential property when he extended the boom and the vehicle overturned as it became unbalanced, being on an incline. Mr Lincoln was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown against the controls. He suffered injuries to his right arm which have left him with limited mobility in his shoulder. The company had failed to ensure that Mr Lincoln had the necessary training to use the machine and had not reviewed their processes to ensure that unauthorised personnel did not have access to specialist machinery onsite. |
SHP February 2010:11 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Time for a reality check. |
| The new Vetting and Barring Scheme - another layer of regulatory compliance for employers that safety and health practitioners should be aware of. (Kevin Bridges) |
SHP February 2010:17 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Temping fate. |
| A look at recent employment law cases concerning agency/contract workers that could spill over into the area of H&S law, and these implications in the context of the roles and responsibilities of the various parties involved when contract labour is used. (David Branson) |
SHP February 2010:30-32 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| The tipping point. |
| How one company has worked together with clients, suppliers and equipment manufacturers to address a perennial problem in the construction and utilities industries - instability of mini-excavators. (John Mcilhagga) |
SHP February 2010:34-36 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Stretch to the limit. |
| New thinking on safety culture, which safety practitioners can use to inform and convince senior management, and those holding the purse strings, that the recession is no time to cut back on, or abandon, good H&S practices. (Tim Marsh) |
SHP February 2010:39-42 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Under the weather. |
| Blizzards, black ice and buffeting winds have affected most people around the country in recent weeks, and none more so than those who had to go out to work in such hostile conditions. A reminder of the havoc winter weather can wreak on open-air work, and the measures that can be taken to mitigate the effects. (Melvyn French) |
SHP February 2010:44-46 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Confronting competency. |
| In 2007/08, falls from height accounted for one in five recorded fatalities among employees and nearly half of deaths among the self-employed. A look at two key issues in relation to work at height - training and competence - and unravelling what they mean in practice for workers, supervisors and managers. (Peter Bennett) |
SHP February 2010:49-50 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Collective bargain. |
| The role of collective protection in relation to the hierarchy of risk management contained in the Work at Height Regulations, and stressing the importance of scaffold planning and product selection at the outset. (Gary Gallagher) |
SHP February 2010:52-54 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| A high watermark. |
| It is coming up to five years since the Work at Height Regulations came into force amid a storm of controversy. But have they had the desired effect in improving standards of safety? (Mike Battman) |
SHP February 2010:57-58 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Peckham blaze prompts call for urgent action on timber-framed projects. |
| The FPA and CFOA have called for urgent action to improve fire safety in timber-framed buildings under construction following a large blaze in Peckham, south London, when more than 300 residents had to be evacuated. |
Fire Risk Management January 2010:3 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Restaurant fine. |
| Hanif Ali fined a total of £31,500 plus costs of £8,500 under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Fire officers inspecting his restaurant discovered a number of shortcomings, including blocked escape exits and no firefighting equipment. |
Fire Risk Management January 2010:3 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Estates safety. |
| Kent Fire and Rescue Service is working with the HSE to deliver a new scheme, Estates Excellence, which provides advice to small and medium sized businesses on industrial estates. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/estatesexcellence Fire Risk Management January 2010:4 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Super size. |
| Discussing the challenges in evacuating super-high-rise buildings - the differing approaches being taken for lift evacuation. (Stuart Kerr) |
Fire Risk Management January 2010:29-32 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Structural support. |
| The importance of effective fire risk assessments remains an ongoing talking point for the fire safety industry. The need for assessors to consider passive fire protection. (David Sugden and Mike Wood) |
Fire Risk Management January 2010:38-41 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Penalty points. |
| Fire safety failures at a house in multiple occupation in north London have resulted in a £32,000 fine. An outline of the prosecution. (Ed Watson) |
Fire Risk Management January 2010:42-44 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| School levels. |
| Looking at the proposed design of new schools in Derbyshire, how the fire safety levels, determined from applicable guidance, may not be as safe as face value would suggest. (Eoghan Given) |
Fire Risk Management January 2010:46-49 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Surrey company convicted after worker severely injured by falling MDF. |
| Thistle Woodworks Ltd was given a conditional discharge for three months and costs of £1,544.40 under WHR 2005. A stack of MDF (medium density fireboard) panels, which were more than 2 metres long and over a metre wide were stacked vertically against a closed door to the workshop. A number of these boards fell on top of one of the employees who, as a result, suffered fractures to the left side of his forehead, his eye socket, cheek bone and left arm. |
HSE (National) Press Release COISE/0502 5/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Stonemasons fined after workers suffer long-term lung damage. |
| William Anelay Limited fined £30,000 and costs of £6,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Two employees who had been working at the company as stonemasons for many years, fell ill after being exposed to uncontrolled levels of respirable crystalline silica, which is caused primarily by dry stone carving without extraction ventilation or use of protective equipment. The exposure occurred between May 1994 and July 2008. High levels of airborne silica had been identified 14 years earlier during a monitoring survey, but subsequent measures taken to protect employees were not adequate. As a result of the exposure both men have been left with long-term lung damage. So severe are their disabilities that one of them has since been forced to take early retirement and the other man has been unable to return to work as a stonemason. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/042/09 5/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Crane manufacturer fined following near-miss in Sheffield. |
| Rossendale Group Limited fined £10,000 and costs of £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s6. The company had supplied a Sheffield based paper manufacturer with an electric overhead moving crane to lift reels of paper. During a routine lifting operation, an anchorage point on the crane failed, causing the crane to drop its combined weight of 1.8 tonnes from a height of approx 1.2 metres. Had the load fallen moments earlier, it would have fallen into the path of the crane operator. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/044/10 8/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Prosecution follows worker's life-changing injuries. |
| Charles Painting (UK) Ltd fined £2,000 and costs of £1,000 under WHR 2005. Employee John Henderson suffered multiple fractures to his legs and arm when he fell through a fragile roof surface, and incident which has seriously changed his life. The fall happened while Mr Henderson was preparing to clean roof lights at a business premises. He was pulling water pipes across the roof in preparation to clean, when he fell 7 metres through a roof light onto the workshop floor. There were no working platforms, guardrails, scaffold or sufficient means of protection provided on the roof or underneath to prevent the fall. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/045/10 8/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| HSE calls for careful driving in depots |
| Dudley Metropolitan Council fined £30,000 and costs of £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Michael Lilley, a council employee, fined £750 and costs of £500 under HASAWA 1974 s7. George Pagett, a council employee who was described as a well-liked, professional manager, was struck and killed by a wheeled shovel loader, driven by Mr Lilley. He drove against the direction of the site's one-way system and had the loading shovel at a height that meant he couldn't see in front properly. He also didn't take suitable precautions to make sure he didn't damage any other vehicle or harm pedestrians. Mr Pagett had been wearing a high visibility jacket and was facing the oncoming traffic in the yard when he was hit in the upper back by the blade of the wheeled loader shovel's bucket. Other employees tried to warm Mr Pagett and divert Mr Lilley, but the vehicle did not stop until after the front wheel had run him over. |
HSE (National) Press Release WM333/09 8/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Keeping Alive - Borders church minister backs safety message for Scotland's farmers. |
| A Borders' minister is urging farmers in his parish and throughout Scotland to come home safely from their fields as he lends support to the HSE 'Make the Promise' campaign. Rev Robin McHaffie, Minister of Yetholm Parish Church, has been distributing 'promise knots' to farms in his Borders parish, encouraging farmers to put them up around where they work as reminder to take care in a bid to help reduce the number of needless farm accidents each year. |
HSE (National) Press Release SCO/010/2010 9/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Buckinghamshire company pleads guilty following death. |
| Biffa Waste Services Ltd, has pleaded guilty under HASAWA 1974 s3 and MHSWR 1999. The case follows HSE's investigation into the death of Dennis Krauesslar, a member of the public who was killed at a Civic Amenity Site. The case has been committed to Reading Crown Court for sentence. |
HSE (National) Press Release COISE/0902 9/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Stockport company fined after worker's legs set alight. |
| Rust Proofing Company (Manchester) Ltd, fined £1,003 and costs of £2,997 under HASAWA 1974 s2. The worker received severe burns to his legs when a can of paint thinner, which he was pouring onto a fire to get it going, ignited causing an explosion. The company regularly allowed employees to light fires around cast-iron radiators to speed up the process of removing powder coatings. The employee was in hospital for 3 months and needed extensive skin grafts. He is still undergoing treatment for his injuries nearly 2 years later and has been scarred for life as a result of the injuries he suffered. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/NW/024Rust/09 9/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Beware illegal gas fitters warns HSE. |
| James O'Neill fined £2,000 and costs of £1,000 under GSIUR 1998. The 27 year old illegally fitted a gas central heating boiler in a home when not Gas Safe registered (formerly CORGI). When the work was checked for safety by the gas registration body, numerous defects were found. After the case HSE again urged homeowners to be vigilant when having gas work carried out on their properties. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/048/10 10/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| HSE guidance to baggage handling industry. |
| HSE works alongside the aviation industry to help develop guidance on baggage handling, and continues to stress the need for increased mechanical support. Through HSE's continued involvement with the airlines and ground handling companies, they were successful in convincing the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to introduce the new lower recommended individual bag weight of 23-25 kilos, introduced in the 2009 edition of the IATA Airport Handling Manual. HSE recognises that the weight load is only one risk factor in manual handling and other factors should also be taken into consideration to reduce risk, including work systems and frequency of manual handling. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/airtransport/baggage.htm HSE (National) Press Release 11/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Finger amputation at work leads to £10,000 fine. |
| M&M Windows Ltd, fined a total of £10,000 and costs of £2,500 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and ELCIA 1969. Employee Jeremy Adams was cutting window frames on a double pivoting head mitre cutting saw when his hand was caught by the blade. His left index finger was amputated and his middle finger needed major surgery and reconstruction. Mr Adams has been unable to work since the accident. It later emerged that the company was not insured against injuries to its employees, as it believed it was exempt because it employed mainly agency staff. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/workers/agencyworkers.htm HSE (National) Press Release WM549/09 11/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Bin man's death leads to £130,000 fine for company. |
| Veolia ES (UK) Ltd (formally known as Onyx UK Ltd) fined a total of £130,000 and costs of £220,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. Employee David Ives, 56, was collecting refuse outside a pub, when a recycling bin fell from the bin hoist on the recycling lorry and landed on his head, killing him. If the bin on the recycling lorry had been maintained, this incident would never had happened. In the same trial, Brian Currie Milton Keynes Ltd was found not guilty of breaching HASAWA 1974 s3. |
HSE (National) Press Release COISE/0502 12/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Cambridge College cooks up safe kitchen. |
| Kitchen staff at Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge have backed a national campaign by the HSE to make people aware of the potentially devastating consequences of slips, trips and falls in the workplace. HSE has re-launched its 'Shattered Lives' campaign. The college's head chef, Stephen Mather, runs a kitchen with 25 regular staff, preparing over 1000 meals a day. New staff at the college are not allowed in the kitchen until they have completed a checklist of training and are aware of the dangers. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives HSE (East) Press Release 8/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Illegal gas fitter fined for putting Reading residents at risk. |
| Ian Duncan Robinson fined £3,500, costs of £1,500 and £15 victim surcharge under GSIUR 1998 and HASAWA 1974 s3. Mr Robinson was removed from the official gas register in April 2007 but continued to operate by claiming that he was sub-contracting to registered installers. He was responsible for the installation of a boiler as part of a larger building project at a property. However, the gas boiler was left in an unsafe condition, putting the residents of the property at serious risk. He claimed to be a registered gas engineer and allowed the boiler to be installed in a small dark space in the roof which meant it was not easy to reach to operate, inspect or maintain. He also failed to leave instructions for the boiler and to register the boiler with the relevant authorities. |
HSE (South East) Press Release 8/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| East of England loses at least 7,500 working days to slips and trips at work. |
| New figures from the HSE show the extent to which slip, trip and fall accidents at work affect business. The cost to British society of all these incidents was around £800 million in 2008/9. |
HSE (East) Press Release 9/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Fall through roof prompts prosecution. |
| Perryman Properties Ltd fined £7,000 and costs of £4,486.35 under CDMR 2007. Demetrius Michael, fined £6,000 and costs of £4,430.13 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Perryman Properties Ltd employed Mr Michael to carry out construction work without managing the project properly or checking he was competent. The building to be refurbished had been used as manufacturing premises. Mr Michael was instructed to partition it into approx 30 separate units and he subcontracted some of the work to Ahmet Ergun, a self-employed builder trading as Ergun Building Services. An unskilled labourer was working with Mr Ergun, who had been instructed by Mr Michael to inspect part of the roof. He stepped onto a section of asbestos cement sheeting and fell about 6 1/2 metres onto a concrete floor, suffering 2 fractured vertebrae. |
HSE (London) Press Release 10/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| National Construction College Scotland backs HSE campaign to prevent falls from height. |
| HSE figures show that three out of five fatalities in Scotland last year caused by slips, trips and falls from height were in the construction sector. In response, HSE has launched a new phase of its Shattered Lives campaign. The hard hitting campaign involves raising awareness of the impact of slips, trips and falls in the workplace and directs employers and workers to the new Shattered Lives website for practical advice and guidance. The National Construction College is Europe's largest construction training provider. Its campus, based near Glasgow, provides first class training to both apprentices and adult learners in a variety of specialist trades. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives HSE (Scotland) Press Release 11/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Food company fined after employee injured. |
| Moy Park (head office in Northern Ireland) fined a total of £35,000 and costs of £3,115 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and PUWER 1998. Maintenance engineer Michael May worked on a machine at the company's site near Sleaford. He leaned into the crossover conveyor, used to move boxes from one part of a conveyor to another, when the moving mechanism shifted, crushing his arm between the frame of the cross-over and the moving arm. Mr May suffered severe crush injuries and his arm was broken in several places. |
HSE (East Midlands) Press Release 11/2/10 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Walter Shufflebottom |
| Fined £2,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Dangerous Occurrence. |
HSE Prosecution 4140694 30/11/09 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Fairground Inspection Services Limited |
| Fined £8,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. |
HSE Prosecution 4140728 30/11/09 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Frederick Meakin |
| Fined £2,000 under HASAWA 1974 s37. Frederick Meakin is the Managing Director of Fairground Inspection Services. |
HSE Prosecution 4140738 30/11/09 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Koyo Bearings (Europe) Ltd |
| Fined £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Failure to ensure that employees exposure to substances hazardous to health, namely aerosols containing metal working fluids, were prevented or controlled. |
HSE Prosecution 4165558 30/11/09 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| P J Carey (Contractors) Ltd |
| Fined £50,000 under CHSWR 1996. Fatal accident. Struck by reversing telehandler driven by Carey driver. Mr Prunic employed by Clancy Docwra. |
HSE Prosecution 4087429 2/12/09 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| F W Abbott Ltd |
| Fined £40,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Fatal accident where an employee, servicing large drain cleaning tanker, was crushed beneath the rear of the vehicle when equipment used to raise and support the vehicle collapsed. The company failed to instruct and train employees in a safe system of work. |
HSE Prosecution 4097948 2/12/09 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Pullan Development (Selby) Ltd |
| Fined a total of £15,000 under WHR 2005. Previous advice given regarding PNs issued for scaffolding, excavation and access to site cabin at new bowling alley. |
HSE Prosecution 4147838 2/12/09 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Andrew Mason |
| Fined £1,500 under HASAWA 1974 s7. IP was checking the pallets on a trailer whilst he stood on the forks of an FLT. He slipped off the forks down onto the floor breaking his pelvis and ribs. |
HSE Prosecution 4178513 4/12/09 Week ending: 12/02/10 |
| Major company fined £185,000 after truck runs over worker. |
| Carillion JM Ltd fined a total of £185,000 and costs of £9,821 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3 and MHSWR 1999. A Ford Transit truck was reversing on a construction site when it hit Michael Gresty. The 56 year old was helping to build a new track around a large pond at a business park at the time. He spent 4 weeks in hospital following the incident and is unlikely to ever return to work due to the extent of his injuries. Mr Gresty lost his left kidney, broke seven ribs, left shoulder and right foot, fractured his spine, dislocated his right hip and required a pin through his right knee. He has lost an inch in height, has 4 needles in his spine and still suffers constant pain in his back and ribs more than a year later. No one was responsible for guiding the truck, which was regularly reversing up to 400 metres to drop off construction materials. A pedestrian walkway to separate vehicles from pedestrians had also not been marked on the tracks. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/workplacetransport HSE (National) Press Release HSE/NW/040Carillion/09 12/2/10 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Crossing death investigations continue. |
| As the investigations into A fatal accident on A level crossing in Herefordshire in January continue, Network Rail has issued a statement stating that "the accident is most likely to have been due in some way to Network Rail". |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal February 2010:2 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Scotland outlines plans for radioactive waste. |
| The Scottish Government is asking for views on its proposed solutions for managing the country's legacy of radioactive waste. The consultation closes on 9 April 2010. |
Internet: www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2010/01/14151207/0 RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal February 2010:3 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Bullied manager awarded £150,000. |
| An NHS manager who suffered a nervous breakdown following three years of alleged harassment has been awarded £150,000 in compensation. The courts found Carmarthenshire NHS Trust liable for the bullying Nanette Bowen suffered. |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal February 2010:5 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Retail assaults increase. |
| Incidents of violence and abuse against shop staff doubled last year. Physical abuse rose 58 per cent and verbal abuse by 37 per cent according to a survey held by the British Retail Consortium. |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal February 2010:5 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Court report. |
| Some recent prosecutions as a result of accidents involving telehandlers which show that warnings are going unheeded. (Ed Hodson) |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal February 2010:10-11 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Mountain rescue. |
| Throughout the year, night and day, volunteers respond to 999 calls from people trapped or injured on mountains in the Lake District. These mountain search and rescue teams face extremely challenging environments and often great personal risk. (Paul Heslop) |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal February 2010:13-16 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Aiming high. |
| How trade associations, industry and regulators are working together to improve hazard awareness and reduce injuries in the scaffolding industry. (Nick Cook) |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal February 2010:21-25 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Care homes. |
| Summarising the main H&S issues facing care homes in relation to resident safety and outlining some of the measures that can be used to address them. (Sarah Tullet) |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal February 2010:29-31,33-34 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Safety footwear. |
| Outlining the factors which contribute to ensuring footwear is right for the work environment. (Wolfgang Plein) |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal February 2010:39 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| End claims culture confusion. |
| An argument that the current system of personal injury compensation is failing consumers on the grounds of access, fairness, cost effectiveness and quality of advice and representation. (Roger Bibbings) |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal February 2010:43-44 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| First OH standards. |
| National director for health and work, Dame Carol Black, has launched the first performance standards for occup health services as part of a wider move to nationwide accreditation planned for 2011. |
Internet: http://www.facoccmed.ac.uk/library/docs/standardsjan2010.pdf HSW March 2010:5 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Power lines electrocution. |
| W A Fairhurst & Partners fined £25,000 under HASAWA 1974 after trainee surveyor Russell Donald received a fatal shock when a metal pole he was carrying touched an overhead electricity cable. Although the firm had trained Donald, it had neglected to warn him not to use a surveying pole near electricity lines. |
HSW March 2010:5 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Penalties landed on Punch twice in a week. |
| The Punch Pub Company fined £65,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 & s3 and WHSWR 1992. A hygiene consultant fell through decayed stairs when a rotten step on an outside staircase gave way under him. It was the main access to the kitchen, and the fire escape. The company had consistently failed to replace the staircase though they had been patched on several occasions. Failure to have arrangements to ensure the staircase was kept in safe order, failure to maintain the workplace. In a separate case, the company was also fined a total of £47,500 plus costs of £5,830 under WHSWR 1992, HASAWA 1974, EWR 1989 and hygiene law. The second case involved trip hazards from poorly repaired carpets and excessively slippery floors in the bar and kitchen areas, plus a hazardous electrical installation, hygiene offences and endangering the public by leaving a flooded yard open beside a children's play area. |
HSW March 2010:6 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Lamp post saved passers-by in building collapse. |
| Citytex UK fined a total of £10,000 plus costs of £35,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. They must also pay £200 each to four people in the building when it collapsed. During structural work at a premises, the building and scaffolding collapsed due to an unidentified cause. The scaffolding caught on a lamp-post preventing most of the debris from landing on passers-by. |
HSW March 2010:8 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| £90,000 damages for 12-metre fall. |
| A scaffolder has received £90,000 in an out-of-court settlement after he suffered several fractures and a dislocated shoulder following a 12-metre fall. Trevor Cox, employed by Cape Industrial Services, had been dismantling scaffolding when he fell through a platform made of plastic de-mister packs, sheets of plastic knitted mesh, and broke ribs, injured his spine and damaged his left shoulder. He had assumed the platform was metal and would hold his weight. |
HSW March 2010:10 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Legislative calendar. |
| Calendar of new and upcoming legislation. |
HSW March 2010:10 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| UK to honour Workers' Memorial Day. |
| Unions and safety bodies have welcomed the Government's decision to recognise Workers' Memorial Day officially for the first time on 28 April 2010. |
HSW March 2010:11 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| In the line of duty? |
| Health and safety professionals often advise on preventing bullying and violence at work. But what happens when they're on the receiving end? (Becky Allen) |
HSW March 2010:16-17 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| For the record. |
| What you should look for in reporting software. (Bridget Leathley) |
HSW March 2010:18-20 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Home cooking. |
| Practitioners should be more confident in serving up safety systems tailored to their organisations. (Duncan Spencer) |
HSW March 2010:23-24,26 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Trainers toolkit: this time with feeling. |
| Continuing the series on improving your training techniques with tips on keeping trainees' attention. (Paul Smith) |
HSW March 2010:28-29 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Close to the wind. |
| A personal view on the risks of working tens of metres up, by heavy machinery, in remote locations. (Dave Merchant) |
HSW March 2010:32-34,36 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Right on course. |
| The features of sound work at height training. (Andrew Murphy) |
HSW March 2010:38 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| On the label. |
| Tagging WAH equipment may not be mandatory, but it can be another useful line of defence. (Chris Nix) |
HSW March 2010:40 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Two demolition companies fined after man killed by falling steel prop. |
| John F Hunt Demolition Ltd fined £85,000 and costs of £25,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Bayoak Demo Ltd fined £30,000 and costs of £8,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Mr Przestrzelski, 29, was employed as a labourer by sub-contractor Bayoak Demo Ltd. Project was managed by John F Hunt Demolition Ltd, acting as principal contractor. Rafal Przestrzelski was told to remove a number of steel (Acrow) props supporting a slab of concrete, during the demolition of a building. There were originally 13 props, but, as each one was removed, the load increased on the remainder until the final one was carrying the entire load. When the props were removed, the concrete slab fell to the ground and an overloaded prop struck Mr Przestrzelski causing fatal internal injuries. Investigation found a full structural survey of the section of the building being worked on was not undertaken. A section of a partially demolished link-bridge structure collapsed when the props supporting it were removed by Mr Przestrzelski. A collapse was inevitable as the structure was not physically tied onto the building as was assumed by the management. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/042/09 5/2/10 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Company fined after worker's four-foot fall. |
| Tregroes Waffle Bakery Ltd fined £1,750 and costs of £1,374 under WHR 2005. An employee was cleaning the side of a flour hopper at the company's factory when she fell more than four feet, and suffered a fractured rib, bruising and a cut leg. She would have fallen nearly twice as far had she not landed on a bulk container directly below. The employee was exposed to unnecessary risk as there was nothing to stop her falling. The company took immediate action to prevent similar incidents occurring in the future, and co-operated fully throughout the investigation. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/041/09 5/2/10 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| "Be afraid?" HSE Chair warns the energy industry. |
| Judith Hackitt, Chair of the HSE and a chemical engineer with more that 25 years experience in the industry, spoke about the importance of properly maintaining ageing on- and off-shore facilities, at an Energy Institute seminar during the International Petroleum Week conference in London. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/044/10 8/2/10 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Liverpool construction workers warned over killer dust. |
| Construction workers in Liverpool are being warned they could be putting their lives in danger if they regularly cut stone, concrete or masonry. Silica dust kills more than 500 construction workers every year but the HSE is concerned that many people are unaware of the dangers. HSE arranged an event in Liverpool, where it raised awareness about the dust, which is the second biggest cause of lung disease in workers after asbestos. Companies are being urged to use methods to break materials which do not create dust, to damp materials when cutting to stop dust getting into the air, use dust suppressant tools or to use special vacuums to suck up dust. Workers should also wear high-quality protective masks. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/NW/027Silica Liverpool 15/2/10 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Safety event for South East farmers to help reduce death and injury. |
| Three hundred farmers from across Surrey, Sussex and Kent attended a free agriculture safety event in a bid to bring down the high number of death and injury in the sector. The event provided farmers with advice and information to highlight what the hazards may be in such areas as transport, working at height and manual handling and what simple measures can reduce the risks. |
HSE (National) Press Release COILDN/1102 16/2/10 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Farm worker fined for running over his employer. |
| John Peter Metcalfe fined £450 and costs of £1,000 under HASAWA 1974 s7. He was driving at speed when the incident happened. Mr Metcalfe had returned to the farm at the end of the day to park the tractor, which was attached to a muck spreader. He was reversing through the farmyard in the vehicle with restricted visibility, when he ran over his employer, Edward Arthur Fox, 73, who later died of his injuries. Mr Metcalfe had received a number of previous warnings about driving at speed. The HSE investigation also revealed a four and a half metre skid mark in the ground where Mr Metcalfe had tried to stop the vehicle after hitting Mr Fox. |
HSE (Eas Midlands) Press Release 18/2/10 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Food giant prosecuted after employee's hand is crushed. |
| Bakkavör Foods Ltd fined £3,000 and costs of £2,000 under PUWER 1998. An international company that supplies food to all major UK supermarkets fined after a worker's hand was crushed in machinery. This happened as an employee assisting colleagues in clearing a blockage in a cabbage washing line. The employee reached into the screw conveyor, which is used to shred the cabbage, to try to remove several cabbages blocking the machine. Although the machine had a guard to prevent anyone reaching the screw conveyor, it had been disabled to allow the machine to run without it. Unfortunately, the machine had not been properly isolated and when the blockage was cleared, it started up again crushing the man's hand. Bakkavör Foods Ltd operates 3 subsidiaries in the UK. Their head office is in Iceland. |
HSE (East Midlands) Press Release 18/2/10 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Former window cleaner urges others to take care after fall from ladder. |
| A former window cleaner who broke his hip and wrist when he fell from a ladder while cleaning first floor windows is supporting the HSE's drive to eliminate workplace injuries caused through slips, trips and falls. Ken Bradley, 63, was cleaning the windows of a house when the ladder slipped and he fell. He was cleaning windows following redundancy the previous year. The fall left Ken so badly injured that he had to give up the fledgling venture and now works as a school crossing warden hear his home. Despite the severity of his injuries when he fell, Ken realises that things could have been even worse. |
HSE (West Midlands) Press Release 12/2/10 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| HSE helps to prevent accidents on Western Isles fish farms. |
| An event in Stornoway to get Scottish Fish Farmers to thinking about whether they could be doing more to protect themselves has proved so popular that it is fully subscribed. Its aim is to get farmers to think about the hazards in the work they do and whether they could be doing more to protect themselves. It follows the success of similar events held in Oban and Shetland last year. |
HSE (Scotland) Press Release 15/2/10 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| HSE event puts construction site safety under the spotlight. |
| Building control managers across South Yorkshire, Humberside and the East Midlands are being offered access to expert advice on how to reduce accidents, injury and ill health in the workplace. A unique event, the first of its kind in Britain will take place at Legacy Chesterfield Hotel on Wednesday 24 February. It will address the main hazards found on construction sites and the precautions that need to be taken to avoid them. Free places are available to building control surveyors from both local authorities and private sector. |
HSE (Yorkshire and The Humber) Press Release 18/2/10 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Waxport Limited |
| Fined £1,000 under CAR 2006. Lack of an asbestos management plan resulting in the accidental disturbance and contamination of asbestos material. |
HSE Prosecution 4152510 7/12/09 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Veolia ES Cleanaway (UK) Limited |
| Fined a total of £150,000 under DSEAR 2002. Fire in packaged waste storage area, compound B spreading to compound C, major incident. |
HSE Prosecution 4152753 7/12/09 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Roy Anthony Halden |
| Conditional Discharge under HASAWA 1974 s36. Company currently occupies unit next door to where asbestos disturbed. Landlord employed Tersus to carry out air tests and P W Mills identified asbestos on pipework. Tersus issued a Certificate of Reoccupation, notifier believes fraudulently. Client, G & P Batteries, were not satisfied so contacted Bradley Environmental to visit where they discovered asbestos insulation on floor, presumably knocked off during 'cut and wrap'. Complainant believes that certificate issued fraudulently and also concerned that workers of G & P Batteries possibly exposed to asbestos during move into unit. Landlord contacted P W Mills to clean area. Complainant has photographic evidence showing asbestos insulation on floor. |
HSE Prosecution 4153283 7/12/09 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Severn Vale Housing Society Limited |
| Fined £50,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Explosion of a redundant solid fuel back boiler in one of their homes which caused the death of tenant. Housing Association provided an inadequate decommissioning specification. |
HSE Prosecution 4165412 7/12/09 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Matthew Lee |
| Fined £7,500 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Explosion caused by redundant solid fuel back boiler. Deceased tenant and her dog died at the scene. Defendant was contract plumber engaged by a housing association to decommission the back boiler. |
HSE Prosecution 4165422 7/12/09 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| CNH UK Limited |
| Fined a total of £25,000 under PUWER 1998 and LOLER 1998. Failure to conduct statutory examinations of lifting equipment (FLTs, man cages, lift), failure to maintain plant, lack of pedestrian/vehicle segregation, section 4 issues wrt to DSV employees in warehouse. |
HSE Prosecution 4112833 8/12/09 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| CNH UK Limited |
| Fined £70,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Mr Michael Ward, test engineer, was partially overcome by oxygen depletion in test room, which is a confined space. He was working in a HALT (highly accelerated life test) lab where liquid nitrogen is vaporised and used to cool electrical components being tested. A nitrogen leak in the room, which was apparent due to the noise of leaking gas and a considerable amount of fog around the machine, appears to have resulted in some degree of oxygen depletion. No confined space risk assessment, or general risk assessment had been carried out since the equipment was installed, although a general RA had been started about 2 weeks before this incident. The company had failed to act on advice given by BOC. Also failed to act in response to concerns about the risk of fatal accidents in the lab and the need for fixed oxygen depletion monitoring expressed by Mr Ward over several years. Employees had not been given adequate training, information and instruction in relation to the risks of working with nitrogen. No emergency procedures were in place. |
HSE Prosecution 4145318 8/12/09 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| K Line Logistics (UK) Ltd |
| Fined £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Accident involved a fatal fall from the roof of the company's premises during roof repair work. |
HSE Prosecution 4173229 8/12/09 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Stonehouse Design and Build |
| Fined a total of £5,400 under CAWR 2002. Demolition activities within hotel under refurbishment, involved uncontrolled work on asbestos containing materials. Asbestos panel materials broken up and disposed of as general waste. No controls to reduce exposure of work force during removals process or to prevent spread of asbestos throughout the building. No information or training of workforce as to risks involved. Inadequate enquiries prior to onset of work as to the extent or type of asbestos material present within building. |
HSE Prosecution 4185213 8/12/09 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Mr Stephen Burton |
| Fined £800 under HASAWA 1974 s7. Employee injured whilst operating unguarded machinery, plus range of other breaches. |
HSE Prosecution 4170123 10/12/09 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Mr Terry Langton |
| Fined £3,000 under HASAWA 1974 s37. Director of Colpac Ltd, with responsibility for health and safety. Machine accident to employee whilst operating unguarded machinery and other breaches (failing to provide safe plant and systems of work and adequate and comprehensive information, instruction, training and supervision). |
HSE Prosecution 4170151 10/12/09 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Colpac Ltd |
| Fined a total of £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and PUWER 1998. Employee injured whilst operating unguarded machinery plus range of other breaches (failing to provide safe plant and systems of work and adequate and comprehensive information, instruction, training and supervision). |
HSE Prosecution 4170155 10/12/09 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Noon Products Ltd |
| Fined £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Injured person was cleaning the Dr Robert Dough Cutting Machine and inserted his finger into the Cutting Head Holding Pin and as a result sustained his injury. Inadequate inspection and maintenance regime, failure to prevent access to dangerous parts, and failure in the management of health and safety. |
HSE Prosecution 4173226 10/12/09 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Daylesford Organic Farms Ltd |
| Fined £65,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Anthony Cripps was run over by JCB Loadall when he fell out of its bucket in which he was travelling across a field to collect elderflower. Employer had unsafe system of work for actual incident. A second prosecution for lifting a person in the bucket to work at height on a date after the accident to Anthony Cripps. |
HSE Prosecution 4159400 11/12/09 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Tarmac Western Ltd |
| Fined £10,000 under QR 1999. The quarry produces dry aggregate and asphalt. Night shift on the asphalt plant was in progress, otherwise quarry was not working. The IP and three other youths entered the quarry over an earth bund next to steel locked gates with warning signs fixed to it. They climbed over an inner bund and gained access to the quarry face. IP fell over the face, approx 15m and landed on loose rock next to an aggregate stock pile. Ambulance and police summoned. IP suffered a chipped pelvis and broken wrist. Police took away the other three. Inadequate measures to deter trespassers. |
HSE Prosecution 4159809 11/12/09 Week ending: 19/02/10 |
| Rotherham Council and contractor fined after employee killed by reversing truck. |
| Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council fined £75,000 and costs of £18,350 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Brocklebank & Company (Demolition) Ltd fined £30,000 and costs of £12,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Gordon Duffield, a Council employee, was killed when he was knocked down by an eight-wheeled tipper lorry operated by Brocklebank as it delivered asphalt to a site. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/073/10 26/2/10 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Bupa to fit sprinklers. |
| Bupa, the private health insurance company and care provider, is to install residential sprinkler systems and automatic fire door control systems in all of the new residential care homes it builds. This policy will not only ensure the safety of the residents, but will also allow design freedoms to be included in the layout and use of the buildings. |
Fire Risk Management February 2010:3 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Landlord and vehicle servicer prosecuted. |
| In two separate prosecutions under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, a landlord and a vehicle servicing company have received substantial fines. Mohammed Khan was fined a total of £10,000 for seven breaches of the Order. In an inspection fire officers found no risk assessment had been carried out, there were no fire safety procedures in place, storage was blocking the escape route, smoke alarms had been removed and tenants had not been informed about the fire safety arrangements. An EN was served highlighting the work that needed to be done, but it hadn't been at a further visit six months later. Since July 2009, Mr Khan only fully complied once with his obligations under the Order. In the second case, ATS Euromaster in Southampton was fined £7,500 for failures including an obstructed fire exit, inadequate lighting on the escape route, and insufficient fire safety training for the manager. |
Fire Risk Management February 2010:4 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Local focus. |
| From pandemics to fire safety, the emergency planning challenges facing local authorities across England and Wales were explored at a recent conference. (Rupert Gilbey) |
Fire Risk Management February 2010:16-19 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Similar situations. |
| In the wake of a tragic blaze in a Russian nightclub, a look at four other disasters which offer similar fire safety lessons. (Andrew Brown) |
Fire Risk Management February 2010:22-26 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Fit for the future. |
| When it comes to fire detection and alarm systems in residential flats, it is important to get installation right first time and reduce false alarms. (Graham Ellicott) |
Fire Risk Management February 2010:38-40 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Natural resources. |
| The fire strategy for protecting the innovative "cocoon" at the Natural History Museum's Darwin Centre. (Andy Nicholson) |
Fire Risk Management February 2010:42-45 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Mixed results for road vehicle inspectors. |
| More dangerous commercial vehicles and drivers are being removed from the road than ever before, but the body responsible still needs to make more of an impact, according to the National Audit Office. During 2008/09, 36,500 HGVs and public service vehicles were taken off the roads, compared with 28,900 in 2007/08. NAO say that VOSA needs to do more to educate commercial drivers on road safety, and to identify the most dangerous vehicles. |
Safety Management February 2010:5 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| High sickness rates in waste industry. |
| According to a new report from the Health and Safety Laboratory, the UK waste and recycling industries have much higher sickness rates than other branches of local government. They found employees took an average of 12.8 days per annum, compared with 9.6 days for local authority workers in general. |
Safety Management February 2010:5 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Shot police worker wins payout. |
| The civilian emergency control room worker who was mistakenly shot during a firearms exercise has received a six figure compensation payout from Thames Valley Police. |
Safety Management February 2010:5 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Outcry at Government retreat on corporate manslaughter fines. |
| There has been widespread condemnation of the Government's retreat on "percentage" levels of fines for companies convicted under the Corporate Manslaughter Act 2007. A range of groups have expressed dismay at the plans which would see a minimum fine of just £500,000. |
Safety Management February 2010:6 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Agency workers win better rights. |
| Britain's estimated 1.3m agency workers are set to win stronger employment rights under new regulations currently before Parliament. The Agency Workers Regulations 2010 will ensure that agency workers who have been in a job for 12 weeks will earn the rights to the same pay, holiday, working time, overtime and breaks as direct employees. |
Safety Management February 2010:7 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| M&S facing asbestos charges. |
| Marks & Spencers and three contractors have been charged with asbestos-related offences in relation to refurbishment work carried out at three of the chain's stores. It is alleged that staff and members of the public were exposed to asbestos-containing materials. M&S has pleaded not guilty to six counts under HASAWA 1974. |
Safety Management February 2010:7 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Case for new directors' duties - still unproven. |
| A new series which will give an opinion on some of the topical issues affecting today's health and safety world. This month - legal duties for directors. (Neal Stone) |
Safety Management February 2010:11 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Top to bottom - safety leadership at E.ON. |
| Effective health and safety performance can only be achieved when a firm's directors and managers lead from the top, laying the groundwork for a positive safety culture throughout the organisation. How one well known firm - leading energy provider E.ON - achieves this. (Joanna Gurman) |
Safety Management February 2010:23-25 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Hearing protection - keeping it real. |
| Hearing protection is a vital tool for preventing work-related hearing loss, but in many cases it fails to work effectively. Some of the reasons for this and some potential solutions. (David Leonard) |
Safety Management February 2010:35-38,40 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Giving you bad vibrations? |
| Around one million workers are exposed to potentially harmful levels of hand-arm vibration, but effective management of tool appendages, such as drill bits, could help prevent this. (David Wilson) |
Safety Management February 2010:43-44,46 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Fear for Merseyside roofers after formal warnings double. |
| Roofing companies in Merseyside are being urged not to put their employees in danger after the number of formal warnings issued last year more than doubled. The HSE handed out 69 enforcement notices in Merseyside in the first ten months of 2009 covering unsafe work at height, compared to 30 during the same period in 2008. HSE is concerned that some companies may be trying to save money by allowing employees to work on roofs without scaffolding or other safety equipment. It is launching a joint venture with Trading Standards to raise awareness about the dangers and standards of work expected in the industry. More than 400 roofers across Merseyside are being contacted and asked to attend a safety awareness event (held this week), or risk an unannounced visit from an inspector. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/NW/023Roofers 19/2/10 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Warning to construction sites after high voltage incident. |
| JF Finnegan fined £17,500 and costs of £2,126 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Saxby Surfacing Contractors Ltd fined £5,000 and costs of £708 under CDMR 2007. Both companies were involved in building a private road. During the work, a tipper wagon, which was in its raised position, touched a high voltage overhead cable. The 66,000 volt shock passed through the wagon, resulting in severe damage to the pneumatics and the hydraulics. It also endangered the lives of workers. This was the third similar incident at the site, yet HSE inspectors found a lack of suitable signage warning of overhead danger or height restricting posts in operation. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/061/09 19/2/10 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Salford construction students warned following deaths. |
| HSE has arranged for leading specialists to meet more than 300 undergraduates at Salford University this week to make them aware of the risks they face in their new careers. On average, construction workers suffer more than 600 serious injuries in Greater Manchester every year. And across Great Britain, there were 53 deaths and over 11,000 serious injures in the industry in 2008/9. Experts from HSE, Shepherd Construction, Mott MacDonald and Bovis Lend Lease will now visit the university to give students tips for staying safe when they enter the industry. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/NW/023ConstructionSalford 22/2/10 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Penrith farm safety event follows deaths and injuries. |
| Hundreds of farmers were expected to attend a safety event in Penrith this week, after new figures revealed an agricultural worker is killed or seriously injured in Cumbria every eighteen days. The free training day organised by the HSE offered tips for farmers on staying safe. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/NW.029SHAD Penrith 22/2/10 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Repeat prosecution for illegal gas fitter. |
| Royston Edward Godsell, fined £450 and costs of £1,346.90 under GSIUR 1998. Mr Godsell, 70, supplied and fitted a gas fire at a private property without being registered with the Gas Safe Register. The fire failed to work and was subsequently isolated and reported to HSE by a registered engineer. Mr Godsell had already been warned on several occasions by the HSE not to undertake gas work until he was competent and registered to do so. This is the second time HSE has prosecuted Mr Godsell. In July 2008 he was fined £1,000 for a series of gas-related offences. |
HSE (National) Press Release 707/SWW/10 22/2/10 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| North East forestry workers urged to sign up for safety event. |
| In an effort to reduce the high number of injuries in one of Britain's most dangerous industries, forestry workers from across the North East of Scotland are being encouraged to attend a free event next month. HSE has again teamed up with the Forestry Commission Learning and Development (previously Forest Training Services) to host the free event on Wednesday 24 March at Bin Forest, Aberdeenshire. The day will be dedicated to raising awareness of important H&S issues specific to the forestry industry. For further info or to book a place(s) at this event, (indicating whether you wish to attend the morning or afternoon session) please e-mail glenda.benger@hse.gsi.gov.uk by Wednesday 17 March 2010. Applications will be confirmed upon receipt. |
HSE (National) Press Release SCO/117/10 23/2/10 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Bradford property dealer fined for failings at Hull site. |
| HQ Leisure Limited fined £10,000 and costs of £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3, CDMR 2007 and WHR 2005. HSE found a number of safety problems that could have caused a serious injury or fatality at a site where a refurbishment project of a row of four-storey terrace buildings were being converted into 28 apartments. Problems included: dangerously unstable scaffolding missing structural supports, roofing materials being thrown into an area where other contractors were working below, unsuitable ladders, insufficient and unsecured boards used in the roof space left workers at risk of falling through the ceiling joints, voids created by demolition of rear extension had not been guarded to prevent falls out of the building and no toilet had been provided for the workers and washing facilities were inadequate. An HSE Inspector commented that HQ Leisure blatantly disregarded the importance of a safe working site and leaving their workers at risk of serious injury or even death. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/067/10 23/2/10 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Warburton's staff use their loaf when it comes to workplace safety. |
| Staff at Warburton's bakery in Newcastle this week backed a campaign to reduce slips, trips and falls in the workplace as they showed off some of the new safety measures at their bakery. In response, the HSE is running a new phase of its 'Shattered Lives' campaign to raise awareness of the impact of slips, trips and falls in the workplace. The bakery at Newburn, which produces bread and morning goods for shops and supermarkets across the North East is currently being upgraded with new non-slip flooring and a new high-level walkway. The company has also invested in a range of mobile step platforms to make it easier for staff to work safely at height and hopes that these and other measures being introduced will help to continue to prevent slips, trips and falls in the bakery. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives HSE (National) Press Release NE/072/10 24/2/10 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Leicester man fined for unsafe work at height. |
| Dean Paul Shaw, t/a Streamline Guttering and Cladding, fined £4,950 and costs of £1,314.40 under WHR 2005. Mr Shaw, 44, allowed work to take place on a roof without adequate safety equipment to stop him or his workers falling. Mr Shaw and two employees were working on the roof of a seven-metre high building. They accessed the roof by a mobile tower at the front of the building, however they were also working in the back of the building, which had no tower or scaffolding in place. By not providing adequate safety equipment, Mr Shaw failed to ensure that the installation of new guttering was properly planned, did not provide supervision and failed to prevent, as far as reasonably practicable, any person falling a distance liable to cause personal injury. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/10 24/2/10 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Firm fined £80,000 over death of nine-year-old boy. |
| Faulkner Gates Limited fined £80,000 and costs of £40,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Jason Keet, 9, died when his head was crushed by the gates at the entrance to a private block of flats. The young boy was visiting his grandparents with his mother when he tried to open the electric gates. He put his upper body around the gate pillar and pressed the button on the inside, meant for use of people leaving the block of flats on foot. The gates were built in such a way that there was a gap large enough for him to get between the edge of one of the gates and a brick pillar. Because Jason had reached through to press the button, his head and upper body was in this gap when the gates started to move, the opening narrowed and his head was crushed between the gate and the brick pillar. The company played its part in designing and building these gates but failed to properly control the risks that were being created. Had the company undertaken a suitable and sufficient risk assessment and communicated its findings with the other companies involved, it is unlikely this tragedy would have happened. |
HSE (National) Press Release 627RV/SWW/10 25/2/10 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Blackpool's highest window cleaner backs national safety campaign. |
| Dave Hulme, who hangs under the glass floor at the top of Blackpool Tower to clean it, is backing a national safety campaign. He carries out maintenance work to the outside of the 158 metre high tourist attraction and is giving his support to the HSE's Shattered Lives campaign. Dave, who works for Cumbrian engineering company MP Marine, started work at Blackpool Tower in 1983 and now oversees its maintenance. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/NW/01ShatteredLives 25/2/10 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Shropshire firm fined for near-miss hand injury. |
| Richard Burbidge Ltd fined £5,000 and costs of £5,842 under PUWER 1998. An employee came into contact with the rotating rear cutters of the machine used to plane wood. As well as cutting his middle finger, the machine also fractured the employee's thumb from the top of the first joint and severed both tendons. HSE investigation revealed that the cutters were partially exposed because a guard had not been fitted and that the machine also took almost half a minute to stop. |
HSE (National) Press Release 24/2/10 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| East London men fined after worker is found dead at a construction site. |
| Ali Aslan fined £10,000 and costs of £8,038, also a £15 victim surcharge under HASAWA 1974 s2. Kemal Has fined £15,000 and costs of £8,038, also a £15 victim surcharge under HASAWA 1974 s3. Otari Davidovich Hudoyan was employed as a construction worker at a site in Rainham. His body was found on site and an investigation found he had suffered fatal injuries that were consistent with a fall from height. There were no witnesses to the incident. Mr Aslan, the contractor, who was Mr Hudoyan's direct employer, had failed to ensure work was carried out in a safe manner, or that his workers had adequate training. Mr Aslan had also failed to properly plan the work being carried out at the site, nor had he ensured the equipment was safe for workers to use. Mr Has, as the property developer, failed to produce H&S information for his contractor about the nature of the building. He had also failed to appoint a competent Principal Contractor. |
HSE (London) Press Release 19/2/10 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| The Cube contractor is recognised for its good practice in Slips, Trips and Falls campaign. |
| With the work almost complete on Birmingham's landmark development, The Cube, the developer has been recognised for the way it has worked closely and positively with the HSE to reduce, slips, trips and falls. The on-site management team for Buildability, Birmingham Development Company's own construction arm, has been in regular, ongoing talks with HSE's construction team, working closely to ensure on-site safety is a priority. In Birmingham there were 180 major injuries caused by slips and trips in 2008/09, with a further 69 caused by falling from height. In the West Midlands this rises to 1,001 major slip and trip injuries, 395 caused by falls. |
HSE (West Midlands) Press Release 24/2/10 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Scaffolding collapse at Tameside gym prompts £24,000 fine. |
| Craven Scaffolding Ltd fined a total of £24,000 and costs of £7,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and WHR 2005. They failed to tie the scaffolding to the building, despite it being in a windy location. The structure, more than 40 metres wide and nearly 6 metres high, was forced over by high winds early one Saturday evening. It collapsed onto a neighbouring residential street, damaging several parked cars, luckily no one in them at the time. There is a primary school nearby and by sheer luck this incident happened in the evening. The scaffolding collapsed because basic H&S procedures were not followed when it was put up. If it had been tied to the building, it could not have been forced over by high winds. |
HSE (North West) Press Release 25/2/10 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Suffolk company fined after worker fell through roof. |
| Eastern Hardware Company Ltd fined £3,000 and costs of £3,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Employee Paul Garrod, 54, was installing some air conditioning ducting when he fell a metre through a fragile roof. Mr Garrod landed on internal steel duct work and suffered significant bruising as a result. HSE found the company had failed to provide adequate information, instruction and training for working at height. They had also failed to undertake suitable and sufficient risk assessments or implement safe systems of work for the job. There was no recognition that there was a fragile roof and suitable work at height equipment was not provided. |
HSE (East) Press Release 25/2/10 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| HSE launches crackdown on dangerous construction sites. |
| HSE inspectors are to launch an intensive inspection initiative aimed at stopping dangerous practices on building sites in the Norfolk coastal area from Kings' Lynn to Great Yarmouth. The HSE wants to raise awareness of construction site risks and prevent unnecessary injuries and deaths. Construction is one of Britain's most dangerous industries. During 2008/9 136 people were injured in Norfolk while working in construction. The inspection initiative will start on 1 March. Inspectors will be making unannounced visits to sites. |
HSE (East) Press Release 25/2/10 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Mr Chris Byrne |
| Fined £750 under CHSWR 1996. Prosecution of Mr Chris Byrne following investigation into accident. |
HSE Prosecution 4152159 14/12/09 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Ravendale Foods Ltd |
| Fined £7,500 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Employee was removing meat from a blocked discharge chute on an Orbmix Auto mixer conveyor belt. His left hand came into contact with the rotating paddles, two fingers were amputated. |
HSE Prosecution 4178453 14/12/09 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| KTC (Edibles) Ltd |
| Fined a total of £12,500 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and RIDDOR 1995. Unguarded mezzanine floor and late reporting of injury. Evidence of employees working near to open edge of mezzanine floor, a person carried in home-made cage by an FLT, lorry collided with building, narrowly missing a person. |
HSE Prosecution 4178789 14/12/09 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Cumbrian Industrials Ltd |
| Fined £65,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. A member of the public suffered fatal injuries when his car collided with the rear of a parked traffic management vehicle on the hard-shoulder within road works on the M6. Failure to secure adequate site safety. |
HSE Prosecution 4130363 15/12/09 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| T F Jackson Portable Accommodation |
| Fined a total of £11,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and MHSWR 1999. Employee has fallen approx 3m through a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) roof light. Unsafe system of work for work at height and no suitable and sufficient risk assessment carried out. |
HSE Prosecution 4178921 17/12/09 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Centrewest London Buses Ltd |
| Fined £400,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Employee fatally injured when crushed between two buses. Failure to properly segregate employees and vehicles during morning run out from bus garage. |
HSE Prosecution 4129851 18/12/09 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Tuffnells Parcels Express Ltd |
| Fined £35,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. IP was loading parcels from a dock into the rear of a 7.5 tonne vehicle. On stepping onto the vehicle the driver pulled away from the dock causing IP to fall from the back of the vehicle approx four feet to the floor. |
HSE Prosecution 4170882 18/12/09 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
| Ian Brian Griffiths |
| Fined a total of £3,500 under WHR 2005. Fall through asbestos cement roof. |
HSE Prosecution 4182895 18/12/09 Week ending: 26/02/10 |
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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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