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H&S News April 2010
| Recycling firm fined for flammable material used in arson attack. |
| BCB Environmental Management Limited fined a total of £40,000 and costs of £6,110 under DSEAR 2002 and PUWER 1998. The hazardous waste recycling company failed to safeguard flammable liquid that was used in an arson attack on the business. They were processing drums of volatile chemicals close to unprotected electrical equipment and FLTs. Inspectors also found a dangerous drum crushing machine in use, which had a missing guard exposing dangerous internal mechanics and an emergency stop button that was virtually unrecognisable because of the grime in which it was covered. A joint investigation by HSE and North Yorkshire Police followed an arson attack by a former employee. The arsonist, who was later convicted for his crime, had ready access to the drums, which he ignited to start a blaze. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/129/10 26/3/10 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| UCATT launches vulnerable workers project. |
| Construction workers facing exploitation or dangerous working circumstances are to receive fresh support from construction union UCATT with the launch of its new Vulnerable Workers' Project. It will provide direct advice, training and literature to vulnerable groups, including young workers and apprentices, agency staff, migrant workers, and those at risk of asbestos exposure. |
Safety Management March 2010:5 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| New crane rules to arrive in April. |
| The long-awaited new tower crane regulations will finally hit the statute books this April. The Notification of Conventional Tower Cranes Regulations 2010 becomes law on 6 April 2010. A leaflet of guidance is available setting out information such as the types of tower crane that need to be notified to the HSE, what information needs to be notified and how. |
Safety Management March 2010:6 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg437.pdf Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| Farming fatalities down. |
| Thirty people died in the farming, forestry and horticulture industries in 2008-09, including four members of the public, according to HSE's statistical division. This is the lowest number of deaths on record, and is down by more than a third on the previous year which saw 48 people killed. |
Safety Management March 2010:7 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/resources/fatal.htm Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| Taking a hammer to a competence nut. |
| Almost two years ago a House of Commons Select Committee called on the Government to introduce recognised accreditation for health and safety consultants, with appropriate sanctions for malpractice. But the case has yet to be made for such a scheme. (Neal Stone) |
Safety Management March 2010:11 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| Take it from the top - leadership in safety. |
| In the lead-up to the BSC's conference on board level responsibility and leadership, workforce engagement and positive safety culture, why some think these are essential components of a successful business. (Joanna Gurman) |
Safety Management March 2010:13-16 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| Tech company blasted for lapse in common sense leading to explosion. |
| Chromally UK Ltd fined a total of £50,000 plus costs of £13,200 under DSEAR 2002. The company overhauls gas turbine engines. Paul Gothard had been preparing to mix metal treatment powders and was loading aluminium powder into an electric blender. He had been using a hose as a vacuum which was not the one supplied with the machine and did not have a conductive metal strip to prevent charge from building up. The mixture was ignited and exploded. It is believed that the blast was caused by a static discharge. Mr Gothard was engulfed by a fireball which set his overalls alight, causing him serious burns to his face, hands and arms. He has been unable to return to work. Previous reports by employees of receiving shocks from the hose had not been acted upon. |
Safety Management March 2010:20 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| Energy champions league kicks-off. |
| The UK's mandatory climate change and energy saving scheme is due to start in April 2010. What this means for British firms - including a new league table that determines penalties and bonuses. (Dr Keith Whitehead) |
Safety Management March 2010:28-30 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| Strength in numbers - lone workers' safety. |
| The 2008/09 British Crime Survey indicated that approx 305,000 threats of violence and 321,000 physical assaults by members of the public took place against employees during the previous twelve months. (Jo Walker) |
Safety Management March 2010:37-38,41-42 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| All in order - meeting fire safety law. |
| Since October 2006, responsibility for fire safety has rested with the employer, but many firms remain unsure of their legal duties under the relevant legislation. A reminder of what the Fire Safety Order requires. (Clive Raybould) |
Safety Management March 2010:45-48,50 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| HSE and council help businesses get safe and healthy. |
| HSE has joined forces with a host of organisations to help local businesses benefit from a new and innovative support project. The Estates Excellence project is being spearheaded by organisations committed to H&S across the South East to fulfil the need for advice and training for businesses and workers. Partners include Slough Borough Council, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, the Federation of Small Businesses, EEF, SEGRO, SERCO, SERTUC and local business groups. Specially-trained visiting staff will call on small and medium-sized businesses on industrial estates in and around Slough and offer advice to managers and workers on how to 'Get it Right', 'Get Efficient' and 'Get Fit for Work'. |
HSE (National) Press Release COISE/26-03 26/3/10 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| Plumber and mobile home park fined as residents left at risk. |
| Michael O'Sullivan fined a total of £1,000 and costs of £500 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and GSIUR 1998. Sines Parks Ltd fined £2,500 and costs of £2,000 under GSIUR 1998. Mr O'Sullivan carried out substandard and illegal work at a mobile home park, exposing residents to serious risk. He laid gas pipes underneath a property without ensuring there was proper ventilation. The pipes passed through a brick base, which the mobile home sat upon, and the lack of ventilation meant any gas leak could have accumulated underneath the home and formed a deadly mixture. Worried residents at the site contacted the HSE after discovering unsafe fittings on cylinders of Liquefied Petroleum Gas used for heating and cooking. Sines Parks Ltd, which owns and runs the park, had previously commissioned Mr O'Sullivan to carry out work on various gas fittings and pipes at the site. He was not registered to work on gas equipment and the self-employed plumber was issued with an immediate PN by the HSE, banning him from carrying out any further gas work until he was qualified and registered. HSE also warned all residents about his work. |
HSE (National) Press Release 26/3/10 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| Firm fined after worker's arm trapped in drill. |
| Briggs of Burton plc fined £5,000 and costs of £1,922 under HASAWA 1974 s2. An employee was using a pillar drill when the left arm of his overalls became entangled around the rotating drill. He became trapped and was unable to reach the off switch, suffering a broken finger and cuts to his arm. He was only freed after shouting to a colleague who rushed over to turn off the machine and release him from it. HSE investigation later revealed there was no guard or emergency stop on the machine. |
HSE (National) Press Release WM652/09 29/3/10 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| Stone workers event is resounding success. |
| A stonemasons' health and safety event in Vauxhall, South London, has been proved so successful that further events are now being arranged to answer the demand. Directors, managers, owners and supervisors of stonework companies who deal with quality marble, granite and other stone finishes for the domestic end of the market attended the event. The safety workshop held at Marmi and Granito, discussed the potential health hazards that are associated with this kind of work. In the last five years there have been at least five fatalities across London and the South East involving this area of work. |
HSE (National) Press Release COI/LDN/2910 29/3/10 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| Company fined after worker plunges through open skylight. |
| Ammex Ltd fined £10,000 and costs of £6,750 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Employee Stephen Armstrong-Esther was re-cladding a retail outlet roof when the incident occurred. He was carrying a roof panel with a colleague when he fell almost 4 metres through an unprotected skylight onto a mezzanine floor below. He sustained serious injuries including fractures to his ribs and back, nerve damage to his leg and also memory and hearing loss. |
HSE (National) Press Release 767/W/10 30/03/10 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| Contractor fined following incident at sewage works. |
| Morgan Est plc fined a total of £6,000 and costs of £2,163 under PUWER 1998 and MHSWR 1999. An engineer employed by the company lost his right arm after coming into contact with a rotating screw conveyor on a newly installed piece of equipment. Morgan Est plc, the principal contractor, was engaged by Yorkshire Water to carry out refurbishment of the waste water treatment works. A new sludge treatment plant had been installed at the works by the firm and was in the process of being commissioned when the accident occurred. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/131/10 30/3/10 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| Government minister sees construction workers doing their bit for safety. |
| The Government's health and safety minister saw first hand how an Essex construction firm is improving safety on site by getting employees to play their part. Lord McKenzie, accompanied by HSE Board Member Robin Dalhberg, visited construction workers and contractors for Higgins Construction at the Swan Housing Association site in Basildon and heard who they are benefiting from the 'Do Your Bit' training programme. The pilot course which has been running on this site has helped to inform HSE's approach to its year long initiative which includes an offer of subsidised training courses. These aim to get businesses started with worker involvement and helping to improve arrangements for getting their employees and subcontractors more involved in health and safety matters. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE-E-62 31/3/10 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| Corus fined for chimney explosion. |
| Corus UK Ltd, fined £10,000 and costs of £6,155 under DSEAR 2002. This follows an explosion in a 75-metre-tall steel chimney. Four nearby contractors were lucky to escape serious injury in the incident. The company failed to remove flammable gas from the chimney before undertaking hot repairs, and had not carried out a proper risk assessment. The chimney, known as a flarestack, required welding to put right earlier repair work on the structure. However, the stack wasn't adequately isolated from the live gas system when the welding took place, meaning traces of extremely flammable gas were present inside. The gas ignited during the work and almost blew the flarestack in half. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/141/10 31/3/10 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| Rubber company fined after coffee break saves worker's life in factory. |
| The Moseley Rubber Company Ltd, fined £10,000 and costs of £8,153 under PSSR 2000. Dave Lomas, 56, was returning from a coffee break when he saw a 5 foot iron girder fly through the factory smashing his workbench into pieces. An autoclave, a high pressure machine used to manufacture rubber rollers, had exploded after not being properly maintained. The force of the blast shot an iron girder across the factory and lifted the cement-sheet roof off the building which then fell back into place, bending all the internal roof supports. Mr Lomas suffered injuries to his chest and arm in the explosion. The factory closed down following the incident and Mr Lomas has been unable to return to work. The company failed to arrange a routine inspection of the machine and to maintain it. Also they were given 12 PNs banning use of other machines which had also not been inspected. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/NW/054MoseleyRubber 1/4/10 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| Hayle machinery firm fined for putting workers at risk. |
| Rigibore Ltd fined £3,000 and costs of £3,419.50 under PUWER 1998. HSE visited their site and found machinery without safety guards or a power cut off device to automatically stop the machine in the event of someone getting dragged into it. The company had previously been served with an IP following safety fears about machine guards. While Rigibore Ltd initially complied with this notice other offences were later committed. |
HSE (National) Press Release 771SWW/10 1/4/10 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| 1 in 4 construction sites fail safety inspections. |
| During March, 2014 construction sites across Britain were visited by HSE inspectors as part of an intensive campaign aimed at reducing death and injury. 2414 contractors were inspected during the campaign. A total of 691 enforcement notices were issued at 470 sites with orders being issued to stop work in 359 instances for either unsafe work being carried out at height, or where sites lacked "good order". |
HSE (National) Press Release 1/4/10 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| Scotcare Preservation Limited |
| Fined a total of £3,600 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s21 and WHR 2005. PR following ongoing failure of health and safety and breach of Improvement Notice. |
HSE Prosecution 4152740 18/1/10 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| Lifeways Community Care Ltd |
| Fined £100,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. DP who had profound learning and physical disabilities was put into a bath of water which was too hot by two carers and suffered scalds. She died 4 days after the incident. |
HSE Prosecution 4164109 22/1/10 Week ending: 02/04/10 |
| TV documentary helps convict Hackney firm. |
| Regentford Ltd fined £250,000 and costs of £71,603.01 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Balwinder Kumar (also known as Binder Singh) was re-pointing brickwork when he fell from scaffolding at the rear of a building. He suffered severe head injuries in the first storey fall and died a few days later in hospital. When the HSE went to investigate, the scaffolding had been removed. However, during the investigation, it emerged that a BBC television crew filming the documentary "Trauma" had been accompanying the medical staff who attended the site, and the HSE obtained footage showing scaffolding in a very poor condition with insufficient guard rails and an inadequate working platform. They were able to use this footage to help secure the conviction against the company. |
HSE (National) Press Release COILON/13-05 6/4/10 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Explosives - civil use. |
| HSE has made "minor amendments" to its proposed Regulations for implementing the Traceability of Explosives for Civil Uses Directive (2008/43/EC). |
Health and Safety Bulletin April 2010 (387):3 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/consult/condocs/cd225-responses.htm Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Leisure - events. |
| The HSE is embarking on a major revision of its "Event safety guide, to ensuring health, safety and welfare at music and similar events" (HSG165). They want to update the guidance to reflect legislation changes and improvements in industry practices. |
Info: Email Adrian.Tinson@hse.gsi.gov.uk Health and Safety Bulletin April 2010 (387):3 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Major hazards. |
| The HSE has "closed" all 23 "issues" arising from its 2007 consultation on the use of societal risk to address risks from top-tier COMAH sites and is now developing a model to estimate societal risk from major accident hazard installations. |
Health and Safety Bulletin April 2010 (387):3 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/societalrisk/technical-policy-issues.pdf Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Management - guidance. |
| The HSE has launched a new website on "Managing for health and safety". With three sections the site brings together the HSE's current management-related material and identifies some examples of best practice. |
Health and Safety Bulletin April 2010 (387):3 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/managing/index.htm Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Metal work - COSHH. |
| Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding of stainless steel "is not generally carried out in accordance with the 'COSHH essentials guidance' " according to research from the HSL. The HSL concludes that there have been no significant changes in welding practices, or the use of exposure controls, since a 1999 HSL study into stainless-steel welding. |
Health and Safety Bulletin April 2010 (387):3-4 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr770.pdf Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Migrant workers - SMEs. |
| The HSE has produced a five page web-based leaflet for small businesses employing migrant workers or others who have arrived from overseas within the previous five years - "Protecting migrant workers". |
Health and Safety Bulletin April 2010 (387):4 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/migrantworkers/employer/protecting.pdf Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Nuclear - incidents. |
| There were no reportable nuclear incidents in the UK in the three months to the end of December 2009. |
Health and Safety Bulletin April 2010 (387):4 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Quarries - ACoP. |
| Consultation will close on 30 April on HSE proposals to update the ACoP to the Quarries Regulations 1999. The amendments are caused mainly by changes to other legislation. |
Health and Safety Bulletin April 2010 (387):4 Internet: http://consultations.hse.gov.uk/inovem/gf2.ti/f/11330/305317.1/pdf/-/cd229.pdf Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Stress - management. |
| The HSE has added four case studies to its stress website. |
Health and Safety Bulletin April 2010 (387):4 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/stress/experience.htm Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Transport - workplace. |
| An HSE-commissioned evaluation has concluded that the HSE's web-based "workplace transport route map" has largely met industry expectations and acted as a trigger for safety improvements. |
Health and Safety Bulletin April 2010 (387):4 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr776.pdf Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Everyone benefits as Dorset pools enforcement resource. |
| Joint regulation is working well in southwest England. (Lucinda Ponting) |
Health and Safety Bulletin April 2010 (387):5-8 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| How to make the construction industry safer: ask the worker. |
| The use of reported significant observations to get to the bottom of accident causes. (John Kingston and Gordon Crick) |
Health and Safety Bulletin April 2010 (387):9-14 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Making complaints to the HSE. |
| A look at a "new" HSE system for handling complaints about dutyholders. Howard Fidderman) |
Health and Safety Bulletin April 2010 (387):15-17 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Death-fines guideline deficit. |
| The "definitive guideline" for courts on fixing fines for offences that cause workplace deaths is a missed opportunity. (Howard Fidderman) |
Health and Safety Bulletin April 2010 (387):18-24 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Unions blast Tories over "lunatic" inspections-bypass proposal. |
| The Conservatives have attracted the wrath of the unions by vowing, if elected, to push ahead with plans to allow "low-risk" companies to self-regulate on H&S issues. The party has pledged to sweep away what it describes as Labour's "bureaucratic inspection regime" and replace "regulator-run public teams of inspectors with a model closer to financial controls and audits". |
SHP April 2010:6 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Fire bodies champion common-sense policy on risk. |
| Fire rescue groups have endorsed a new policy statement that sets out how the Fire Service should comply with occup H&S duties in their operations. Similar to that in relation to the Police Service in October last year, "Striking the balance" sets out the HSE's intention to take a proportionate approach to dealing with risk in the Fire Service. |
SHP April 2010:6 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/services/fire/duties.pdf Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Meat-processing sector in firing line over worker abuse. |
| Pregnant workers being forced to endure heavy lifting, workers urinating on themselves after being prevented from visiting the toilet, and managers throwing frozen hamburgers at staff are some of the examples of mistreatment uncovered in a 17-month enquiry into the meat and poultry processing sector. The Equality and Human Rights Commission scrutinised the sector to find out if the working conditions and terms of pay of agency and temporary workers differed from those of their permanent colleagues, or those employed directly. One in six interviewees highlighted H&S as an area where agency workers received worse treatment. |
SHP April 2010:7 Internet: www.equalityhumanrights.com Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Proposal for independent risk-assessment audits dropped. |
| As part of its response to Lord Gill's inquiry into the fatal explosion at the ICL Plastics' Glasgow factory, the Government has determined that workplace risk assessments will not be subjected to compulsory independent audits. Lord Gill made a series of proposals including a recommendation that ministers consider whether the existing regulations for risk assessments could be made more effective, possibly via the introduction of an independent audit. The HSE consulted stakeholders on this proposal, both in relation to LPG specifically and on a more universal basis. Respondents were strongly opposed (78 per cent) to the idea of introducing such an audit for all risk assessments with 62 per cent also against this measure solely for LPG. |
SHP April 2010:8 Internet: www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/icl-inquiry-response.pdf Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Rail regulator concerned about Network Rail maintenance plans. |
| Network Rail has been criticised by the industry watchdog over safety aspects of its maintenance restructuring plans. As part of their detailed scrutiny of the plans the Office of Rail Regulation has identified a number of safety concerns, including the lack of staff guidance in place and inadequate employee engagement, and has told the company to take urgent action to address these and other issues. |
SHP April 2010:10 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| New charter sets out MSDs action. |
| Employers are being urged to sign up to a new "charter for work" that sets out positive action to help people with musculoskeletal disorders stay in their jobs. The charter was launched on March 2 by the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance. |
SHP April 2010:10 Internet: www.arma.uk.net Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| A level playing field? |
| A review of the recently published sentencing guidelines for corporate manslaughter. (Kevin Bridges and Pauline Munro) |
SHP April 2010:19 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Train of thoughts. |
| Between 1999 and 2008 there were 28 track-worker fatalities, 22 as a result of being struck by a train. Considering the nature and effectiveness of risk controls for track work and highlighting issues that may need to be addressed to reduce the risks from work in possessions and improve productivity. (David Shirres) |
SHP April 2010:37-40 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Progress of elimination. |
| The UK construction sector has reduced its injury rate significantly, but can this be sustained? An argument that further improvement is unlikely unless we test new research methods and find out what really leads to a fall in injury rates. (Andrew Townsend) |
SHP April 2010:42-44 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| I can see clearer now. . |
| Standards aimed at raising the overall quality of occup health services were launched in the UK in January this year. Summarising why they should be the lynchpin of the drive to improve workers' health. (Dr Paul Nicholson) |
SHP April 2010:46-48 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Shock value. |
| Seeing someone having a heart attack is a shock for anyone, seeing it happen to a work colleague makes it all the more dramatic. But is this really a workplace issue, or simply a 999 call and cross your fingers? (Denny Beacham) |
SHP April 2010:50-52 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Looking after No 1. |
| When an organisation experiences a huge crisis, who looks after those looking after the business during this difficult time? The impact of stress and sleep deprivation on such individuals and suggesting how H&S practitioners can contribute to planning and executing a crisis management programme. (Prof Kerry Gardiner) |
SHP April 2010:54-56 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| New tower crane regulations come into force. |
| New regulations came into force on 6th April 2010 requiring the HSE to be notified of conventional tower cranes installed on construction sites. All details notified will be contained in a register that will be open to public scrutiny. |
HSE (National) Press Release 6/4/10 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Guard-rail failure leads to near fatal fall for worker. |
| A B Waste Management Ltd fined £12,000 and costs of £1,836 under PUWER 1998. An employee was cleaning a crushing machine when a guard-rail gave way and he fell nearly three metres, narrowly missing a crushing machine. His spine was broken in two places and he suffered several deep cuts to his head that required skin grafts. |
HSE (National) Press Release WM675/09 6/4/09 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Manchester care home fined over Legionnaires' risk. |
| S J Care Homes Ltd fined £5,000 and costs of £3,607 under HASAWA 1974 s33. A routine visit to Beech House Nursing Home revealed the home did not have the required precautions in place to control legionella bacteria. An enforcement notice was issued which gave the company six weeks to write a plan for managing the level of bacteria in the water system. When the inspector called again, no action had been taken. |
HSE (National) Press Release 7/4/10 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| £70,000 fine for Clyde Valley Housing Association Ltd. |
| Clyde Valley Housing Association Ltd fined £70,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. A security guard died from carbon monoxide poisoning on a construction site. He was overcome with fumes from a petrol generator used inside the site office. |
HSE (National) Press Release SCO/135/10 7/4/10 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Veolia Environmental Services (UK) plc |
| Fined total of £130,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. An employee was killed when a 1100 litre capacity metal recycling bin fell onto his head from the top of a bin hoist of a waste recycling lorry. Examination of the lifting mechanism found a number of significant safety issues which are believed to have contributed to the incident, including poor or inadequate servicing, maintenance and/or repair during the operational life of the vehicle. |
HSE Prosecution 4110708 25/1/10 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Aviance UK Limited |
| Fined £90,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. IP jacked up a vehicle to perform some maintenance on it and the vehicle either fell off the jack or collapsed and it fell on the IP. This case did result from a fatality. |
HSE Prosecution 4169571 26/1/10 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| Frank Bruce & Company Limited |
| Fined total of £18,000 under CDMR 2007 and CAR 2006. Complaint of unsafe work at height during industrial re-roofing. Uncontrolled removal of AIB. |
HSE Prosecution 4189413 27/1/10 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| D C Kennedy (Homes) Ltd |
| Fined £7,500 under HASAWA 1974 s2. An operative died after falling five metres from an unstable ladder. The company had allowed work to be carried out on the first and second floors of a house before the stairs had been fitted. The ladder, used to reach the second floor, had not been secured and was missing its rubber feet. |
HSE Prosecution 4164263 29/1/10 Week ending: 09/04/10 |
| £200,000 fine after Kent worker falls to his death. |
| Ashtead Plant Hire Co Ltd trading as APlant fined £200,000 and costs of £15,698.30 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Phillip Pearce, aged 55, worked as a fitter for the company who provided portable accommodation units to the construction industry. He had worked for them for less than 3 months when he died. Two units were stacked on top of each other, and Mr Pearce climbed onto the top of the stack to help attach chains so the top unit could be lifted down. He fell more than 5 metres and died at the scene. The company had a written procedure for work on top of accommodation units which required people to wear safety harness and inertia reel line and climb a secured ladder. HSE found that workers had not been issued with this kit or been trained to use it, and most did not know the company had a special procedure for doing this work. |
HSE (National) Press Release COISE/13-04 13/4/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Firework fine. |
| Tudor Harries fined £20,000 and costs of £1,000 for breaching safety rules after trading standards officers found fireworks hanging above the shop floor. They were on display at Mr Harries' newsagent shop, suspended from live wires and stapled to the wall. They also discovered fireworks stored beneath boxes of lighter fuel. |
HSW May 2010:4 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Donaghy proposals: Government says no. |
| The Government has rejected most of Rita Donaghy's major recommendations for ways to improve construction safety and cut the number of fatalities in the sector. In its response to her report published on 30 March, the Dept for Work and Pensions rejected her proposals for a full-time construction minister, extension of the Gangmaster's licensing regime to building sites, and that local authorities building control officers should be given a safety enforcement role. |
HSW May 2010:5 Internet: www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/one-death-is-too-many-response.pdf Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| £100,000 fine for safety project engineer's death. |
| Hydro Aluminium Extrusion fined £100,000 and costs of £13,375 under HASAWA 1975 s2. Jens Hinrichs, an employee working on a safety improvement project at Hydro's factory near Chester-le-Street, was struck and killed by an automatic shuttle car. |
HSW May 2010:5 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Hands-free risk. |
| New research from the US finds that using a hands-free mobile phone on the road dramatically impairs drivers' performance. Drivers on hands-free mobile phones in the University of Utah study were found to take 20 per cent longer on average to hit the brake when needed, and following distances increased 30 per cent as drivers failed to keep pace with simulated traffic while driving. |
HSW May 2010:6 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Thinktank should think again say experts. |
| Unions and professional bodies have condemned a new report from right-of-centre thinktank Policy Exchange as irrelevant and misguided after it claimed that H&S is becoming a "ritual excuse not to do anything". |
HSW May 2010:10 Internet: www.policyexchange.org.uk/images/publications/pdfs/Health_and_Safety_-_Reducing_the_burden_-_March__10.pdf Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Legislative calendar. |
| Calendar of new and upcoming legislation. |
HSW May 2010:10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Danger: high voltage. |
| Unintended contact with overhead power lines causes a steady stream of accidents and prosecutions, but it's easily avoidable. (Lucie Ponting) |
HSW May 2010:20-23 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Route and branch. |
| Some of the factors you need to cover in assessing driving risk. (Duncan Lloyd) |
HSW May 2010:25-26 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Going unnoticed. |
| Being threatened with an enforcement notice need not be the end of the story. (Alison Gray) |
HSW May 2010:29-30 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Emergency communications. |
| The ways you can maintain contact with staff and the wider world in a crisis. (Dave Merchant) |
HSW May 2010:32-35 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Site specifics: REACH. |
| Pointing the way to the best web resources on the EU's chemicals Regulation. (Bridget Leathley) |
HSW May 2010:36-38 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Trainer's toolkit: In my end is my beginning. |
| How to end your lesson on a high point and gather constructive criticism. (Paul Smith) |
HSW May 2010:40-41 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Company fined after finger injuries at Lincolnshire pet food factory. |
| Fold Hill Foods Ltd fined £1,250 and costs of £1,545 under PUWER 1998. Employee Paul Knowles, 50, was working on a bagging machine when the film that formed the bags was not running through the machine correctly and needed adjusting. He opened the door on the front of the machine, at which point a safety cut-out switch should have stopped the machine. Unfortunately, the safety device was not working but Mr Knowles did not realise that as, coincidentally, the machine had come to a pre-programmed halt in its cycle. Mr Knowles put his fingers on to a belt to test its tension when the machine re-started, pulling his fingers into the mechanism. He suffered a deep laceration to his middle finger and was off work for some time. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/224/10 12/4/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Event marks launch of new group to help make North East construction industry safer. |
| Builders, scaffolders, roofers, electricians, joiners and painters, in fact anyone who works in construction, are being invited to a special event at Wynyard Park, Billingham on Wednesday 28 April 2010. The event will mark the launch of a new construction industry awareness group for the region. The event is dedicated to raising awareness of important health and safety issues specific to the construction industry in order to try and reduce the number of fatal and serious incident in construction and will consist of a series of presentations aimed at construction mangers and operatives - starting at 9.30 and 1.30pm - which will last for approximately two hours in total. |
HSE (National) Press Release NE/138/10 13/4/10 Information: http://wwt.uk.com/events/100/17/4/2010.aspx or telephone 0191 202 6209 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Gas installer prosecuted for using fake registration. |
| Paul Anthony Bailey, 54, t/a P A Bailey Plumbing and Heating has been given a 12-month community service order and ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work and was ordered to pay costs of £750. Mr Bailey falsely claimed to be CORGI registered, when he carried out gas fitting work. In addition, Mr Bailey issued gas safety certificates, using a false CORGI number. Two complaints were received about Mr Bailey's work: an industrial job where he incorrectly installed a boiler in a garage, putting workers at risk, and the installation of a new boiler for a domestic heating system. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/225/10 13/4/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Bakery company fined for failing to protect worker. |
| Country Style Foods fined £6,000 and costs of £4,570 under PUWER 1998. An employee was removing finished bagels from the machine when he spotted a build-up of dough on a roller. He used a scraper to remove the dough, but a lack of guarding allowed his hand and wrist to be dragged into the machine and become trapped between the roller and a moving belt. He broke his wrist. Though the injured man was experienced, and familiar with the type of machine he was using, the HSE investigation found the machine itself was new to the plant and no formal training or written instructions had been completed governing its safe use. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/T147/10 13/4/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| £100,000 fine for fatal airport hangar fall. |
| Rubb Buildings Limited fined £100,000 and costs of £48,795.36 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Steven Watson, 30, fell through the roof while dismantling the disused Brymon hangar at Bristol International Airport. Mr Watson fell approx 30 feet onto the concrete floor below, and died at the scene from multiple internal injuries. He had previously cut through the PVC tarpaulin roof and as he went to climb back in to the mobile work platform, he fell through the section he had cut away. There were no other protective measures in place and Rubb Buildings Ltd should have ensured that Mr Watson had no need to climb directly onto the roof. |
HSE (National) Press Release 773/SWW/10 13/4/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Leeds City Council fined for high voltage shock. |
| Leeds City Council fined a total of £10,500 and costs of £2,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. The life of a lorry driver was endangered when he lifted the tipper body of his wagon directly underneath a power line. Electricity arced to his vehicle, blowing out his tyres and putting him at risk of electrocution when he left his cab to check what was happening. HSE found that signs and barriers should have been in place preventing the incident from occurring. Lifting machinery was also in operation at the site which could have resulted in a similar incident. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/148/10 13/4/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Corus fined £240,000 after lorry driver crushed by three tonnes of steel. |
| Corus fined £240,000 and costs of £112,500 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Mr Ross Beddow, 22, who was employed by A Hingley Transport Ltd, was helping to load steel plates onto a lorry. A Corus employee was operating a crane to lift a three-tonne pack of steel from a trailer, however, the load was not level, and as it was lifted it fell on top of Mr Beddow and killed him. HSE investigation showed the system of work for loading steel was unsafe. Not all the individual tasks involved had been evaluated and there was scope for misunderstanding between workers. |
HSE (National) Press Release WM100/10 13/4/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Sheffield landlord fined for exposing tenants to gas dangers. |
| Mohammed Ikram fined £350 and costs of £750 under GSIUR 1998. The landlord failed to ensure gas appliances at a property he rented out were safe and fit for purpose. He exposed a tenant to the potential risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Mr Ikram did not have the gas fire, combination boiler and associated flues regularly checked and certified by a registered Gas Safe engineer. He also did not respond to 2 requests by HSE to get the appliances checked. This resulted in an IN being issued, requiring Mr Ikram to ensure these appliances were legal. However, he ignored the notice and when it expired the necessary safety checks still hadn't been carried out. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/149/10 14/4/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Scrap company fined £200,000 after lorry driver death. |
| Sims Group UK Ltd fined £200,000 and costs of £57,700 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Mr Adrian Turner, 50, was delivering scrap to a site and was directed to deliver his load to the metal shredder area of the yard. He left his cab and was opening the rear doors to his trailer when a one and a half ton metal bale on the scrap pile came loose and rolled down 20 feet straight into Mr Turner. He had not received any site safety induction from Sims UK Ltd and was following instructions given by Sims operatives when he was killed. |
HSE (National) Press Release 14/4/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Food firm fined after employee falls into machinery. |
| Bakkavör Fresh Cook Ltd fined £3,500 and costs of £2,091 under HASAWA 1974 s2. During the night shift a worker was cleaning a machine consisting of 3 tanks which tipped food into each other. In order to clean the machine properly, hygiene operatives needed to stand on the frame of the machine to reach various parts. As the injured worker reached up she lost her footing and fell into one of the 1.5 metre deep tanks, resulting in her losing consciousness. She was reached by colleagues who heard her shout as she fell. She was off work for 5 weeks and reported suffering from severe headaches and pains in her neck and back, for which she had taken pain killers. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/EM/227/10 14/4/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Chemical firm fined after worker suffers burns. |
| FMC Chemicals Ltd fined £13,485 and costs of £8,926.50 under HASAWA 1974 s3. In June 2008, Dean Moore was working as a temporary worker and was unblocking equipment containing lithium chloride, although he had not received suitable training, when the steam-heated substance spewed out onto him. His neck and shoulders were scalded. The company had previously received three Improvement Notices in May 2007 when a worker suffered burns to his legs during maintenance cleaning work. A further six enforcement notices were issued in December 2007 requiring improvements to safety, which the company were working towards complying with at the time of incident involving Mr Moore. |
HSE (North West) Press Release 16/4/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Metal company fined after forklift runs over worker. |
| All Metal Services Ltd fined £12,500 and costs of £4,230 under WHSWR 1992. Derek Baxter was kneeling down to measure empty pallets at the end of an aisle when a forklift ran over his right leg, trapping his foot. He broke three toes, fractured several bones in his foot, and suffered extensive skin, muscle and tissue damage. Items of stock had been left in the aisle, narrowing the route for the truck, and there was not a separate walkway for pedestrians. |
HSE (North West) Press Release 16/4/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Mental Health Matters Ltd |
| Fined £30,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. A care support worker employed by a registered mental health charity was paying a routine visit to a service user at his property, when she received fatal stab wounds in an attack by the client. |
HSE Prosecution 4110872 1/2/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Jaime Loxston t/a R H Loxston & Sons |
| Fined a total of £1,250 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and GSIUR 1998. Unregistered gas installer who had carried out gas work on worker accommodation caravans whilst not competent or CORGI registered. |
HSE Prosecution 4146044 1/2/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Graham Barnes |
| Fined a total of £8,000 under GSIUR 1998. Graham Barnes (landlord) failed to arrange for annual safety checks to be carried out on gas appliances/flues and maintain the gas appliances/flues at his residential property. A gas installer had informed landlord of defects on gas appliances. No effective action taken, when later the appliance was condemned as immediately dangerous. |
HSE Prosecution 4186599 1/2/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| The Baked Snacks Company Ltd |
| Fined a total of £2,400 under PUWER 1998. The IP was cleaning the conveyor belt when his hand was dragged into the roller. Unguarded inrunning nip/roller. |
HSE Prosecution 4186061 2/2/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Allied Glass Containers Limited |
| Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Prep work in replacement charger required lifting a section of the floor grillage for access. During a time out the injured person returned to the area alone and fell through the open grillage. |
HSE Prosecution 4157250 3/2/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Shepherd Construction Limited |
| Fined £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Injured party was working from a cherry picker which collapsed. |
HSE Prosecution 4159629 3/2/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Mr Earnest Michael Jones |
| Fined £2,000 under HASAWA 1974 s37. Failure to ensure that a suitable water management system was in place for the control of legionella bacteria. |
HSE Prosecution 4178425 4/2/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| William Anelay Ltd |
| Fined £30,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Employee developed silicosis - inadequate assessment and control. Health surveillance also not fit for purpose. |
HSE Prosecution 4123709 5/2/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Electrical Waste Recycling Group Ltd |
| Fined a total of £80,000 under COSHH 2002, CLWR 2002 and HASAWA 1974 s2. Company recycles WEEE including the recovery of mercury from fluorescent lamps. No precautions taken to protect employees from mercury or lead. Failure to monitor or prevent exposure to mercury of their employees. |
HSE Prosecution 4154476 5/2/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Craig Thompson |
| Fined £2,500 under COSHH 2002. Failure to monitor or prevent exposure to mercury of their employees. |
HSE Prosecution 4154526 5/2/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Matrix Direct Recycle Limited |
| Fined a total of £60,000 under COSHH 2002, CLWR 2002 and HASAWA 1974 s2. Failure to monitor or prevent exposure to mercury of their employees. |
HSE Prosecution 4176808 5/2/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Craig Thompson |
| Fined £2,500 under COSHH 2002. Failure to monitor or prevent exposure to mercury of their employees. |
HSE Prosecution 4176816 5/2/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Thistle Woodwork Ltd |
| Conditional Discharge under WHR 2005. MDF boards, 2440mm x 1220mm of varying thickness were stacked on edge, longways up and unsecured. IP was going through them to have a look at them and as he pulled them towards himself, they fell on top of him. At the time of the incident, the company had a sole Director and two employees, both trainee joiners, one of whom was the IP. IP had been employed by the company for 2.5 months when incident happened. IP suffered serious head injuries and a broken arm as a result. No enforcement action taken following initial visit to scene of accident as Director of company had subsequently changed the way the MDF boards were stored. No previous inspection or enforcement history of company available. |
HSE Prosecution 4188495 5/2/10 Week ending: 16/04/10 |
| Sweet factory fined for machine death. |
| Tangerine Confectionery Limited fined a total of £300,000 and costs of £72,901.65 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and MHSWR 1999. Mr Martin Pejril, 33, a starch room operator, was clearing a blockage in one of the machines. He climbed into the machine but the mechanism restarted he became trapped. Mr Pejril died of his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. |
HSE (National) Press Release 741/SWW/10 22/4/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Violence down in the NHS. |
| Incidences of violence, bullying and harassment are at their lowest ever levels according to the latest annual NHS staff survey. 21 per cent of staff suffered some form of abuse in 2009, down from 26 per cent in 2007. |
Safety Management April 2010:5 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Employers sceptical of fit notes? |
| Just five per cent of UK employers believe the new system of fit notes will reduce absence rates amongst staff. One in ten believe that the system will be hard to administer. 68 per cent of the 500 employers questioned had little or no knowledge of the change and how it would even work. The survey was held by Aviva UK Health. |
Safety Management April 2010:5 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Blacklisting Regs become law - but unions want more. |
| Members of trade unions cannot be denied employment through blacklisting under new regulations enforced from the beginning of April. Anyone found guilty of maintaining a blacklist will be fined under civil law. The Government is currently consulting on civil penalties, and is looking at a possible maximum fine of £500,000 for offences of this sort. UCATT claims the measures are so weak that they won't prevent blacklisting at all. They are arguing that the regulations are deficient as they do not make blacklisting a specific criminal offence and only prevent workers from being blacklisted for undertaking "narrowly defined" trade union activities. |
Safety Management April 2010:6 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Rail maintenance workers to strike over safety cuts. |
| Network Rail's maintenance staff have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action after the company announced plans to axe up to 1,500 safety critical jobs. |
Safety Management April 2010:7 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Ministers get it right on assessment audits. |
| The Government has made the right call in rejecting a suggestion for independent audits of all workplace risk assessments. But that may not be the end of the matter. (Neal Stone) |
Safety Management April 2010:13 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Constructing a positive safety culture. |
| Safety culture has been proven to be a significant factor in safety performance. As a result, many organisations turn to safety culture programmes to change staff behaviours and break through the plateau in accident rates which often occurs as they approach zero. Construction giant Kier is one company that has found success by implementing a safety culture change programme. (Joanna Gurman) |
Safety Management April 2010:24-27 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Corporate killing - the punishments. |
| In February, long awaited guidelines were issued for the courts on how to sentence companies for corporate manslaughter offences. What they will mean for those firms who end up in the dock. (Tim Hill) |
Safety Management April 2010:35-37 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Can you see me? Specifying hi-vis. |
| High-visibility clothing is widely used in industries like construction, rail and road maintenance to make the wearer easier to see - particularly to drivers. Some advice on its correct selection and use. (John Lloyd) |
Safety Management April 2010:39-42,44 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Migrating to a safer workplace. |
| Migrant workers can be at particular risk of injury and ill-health, not least because of unscrupulous employers and labour providers. Why this group can be so vulnerable at work and what is being done to tackle the problem. (Paul Gordon) |
Safety Management April 2010:48-51 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Former pub landlord fined for fire offences. |
| A former pub landlord has been ordered to pay £16,015 in fines and costs for serious breaches of fire safety law. Mr Bhupinder Singh Mann pleaded guilty to 16 contraventions of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Failings found by fire officers when inspecting the Star Public House included no fire risk assessment, no portable fire extinguishers, and no emergency signage. In addition to Mr Singh Mann being fined as the responsible person, Mr Bales-Smith, part of the management structure at the pub, was ordered to pay £1,015 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to two breaches of the legislation. |
Fire Risk Management April 2010:5 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| In the frame. |
| The UK Timber Frame Association is demanding decisive action on the fire risks on building sites, with more initiatives to follow. (Geoff Arnold) |
Fire Risk Management April 2010:15-16 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Risk matters. |
| Speakers at this year's RISCAuthority seminar discussed some of the issues surrounding modern methods of construction, including timber-framed buildings. (Glenn Tomkins) |
Fire Risk Management April 2010:19-21 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Home journey. |
| Groundbreaking legislation giving the go-ahead for sprinklers in all new homes in Wales is expected to get approval in the coming weeks. (Ann Jones) |
Fire Risk Management April 2010:36-39 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Carbon calculations. |
| New research says sprinklers can play an integral role in sustainable building design, reducing carbon emissions from fire to minimal levels. (FRM) |
Fire Risk Management April 2010:40-41 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Stirling defence. |
| Maintaining the historic character of Stirling Castle, alongside the protection of the public, was key to the decision to specify a unique low-pressure water mist system. (Nick Ketteridge) |
Fire Risk Management April 2010:42-43 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Learning space. |
| Fire engineering solutions can deal with often unwarranted safety concerns over the use of atria - as shown in this case study of a school design in Ireland. (Luke Goldsmith) |
Fire Risk Management April 2010:46-49 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| School resources. |
| Risk assessment and fire safety education are central to protecting schools against damage and disruption, particularly from arson. (Tom Welland) |
Fire Risk Management April 2010:50-52 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Building studies. |
| Amid the clamour for sprinklers to be fitted in schools, the vital role of passive measures to protect against fire and arson is often sidelined. (Niall Rowan) |
Fire Risk Management April 2010:53-55 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Building firm prosecuted after worker's roof fall. |
| TMN Fabrications Ltd fined a total of £22,500 and costs of £7,103 under HASAWA 1974 s2, RIDDOR 1995 and WHR 2005. The company is now in liquidation. Dean Lightowler, 28, fell four metres from the roof of a building while fitting fibre-cement roof sheeting. The company failed to provide adequate edge-protection, nets or suitable work platforms for its employees during the roof work. A month after the accident employees were again required to work on the roof without adequate safeguards. The company also failed to report the fall until more than 2 months after it occurred. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/151/10 19/4/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Buckinghamshire company fined £280,000 following death. |
| Biffa Waste Services Ltd fined a total of £280,000 and costs of £54,906.57 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and MHSWR 1999. A member of the public, Mr Dennis Krauesslar, 57, was crushed to death by a motorised loading shovel bucket used to flatten and drag the waste away from the tipping area at a Civic Amenity site. At the time of the incident, the site had a covered pit into which members of the public disposed of their waste. As Mr Krauesslar was tipping his garden waste into the pit, he was fatally injured after the bucket of the loading shovel struck him. |
HSE (National) Press Release COISE/1904 19/4/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| South London directors fined after falling stones kill man. |
| Marble City Ltd fined a total of £100,000 and costs of £47,564.00 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. Directors Gavin and Jamie Waldron fined £10,000 each under HASAWA 1974 s37. Driver Gelsomino Pacifico was instructed to park his truck and trailer nearer the yard. This meant the vehicle was parked on a slope on the road, causing the stone slabs on the trailer to lean towards the kerb. Mr Pacifico, Mr Moscelli and Mr Douglas got into the trailer to begin the unloading of the slabs. As they carried this out, six tonnes of stone slabs that had not been restrained, toppled and fell, crushing Mr Douglas. He died from his injuries in hospital a week later. Mr Moscelli and Mr Pacifico tried to catch the slabs and became trapped themselves. Both sustained injuries. Gavin Waldron was supervising the unloading operation. |
HSE (National) Press Release COILDN/0416 19/4/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Recycling firm fined for crush injury. |
| European Metal Recycling Limited fined £8,000 and costs of £5,506.50 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Employee David Lowery, 49, and a colleague were working using a machine that separates metal from dirt, eventually recycling the metal. Both workers were attempting to clear a blockage on a magnetic conveyor. The system of work and the guarding to prevent access to dangerous parts of the machinery were not adequate. The machine was re-started and Mr Lowery's right hand got caught inside. He suffered crush injuries and was left with 4 broken fingers and was off work for 6 weeks. |
HSE (National) Press Release NE/140/10 19/4/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Cambridge demolition man fined for putting lives at risk. |
| Mr Ivan Pope t/a Westwise Demolition fined £6,000 and costs of £13,483 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Two men were spotted dismantling the roof of a disused pub using just the upturned bucket of an excavator to work from. The demolition involved piece-by-piece removal of the two storey pub's roof tiles. One man sat on the roof, removing tiles and passing them to the son of the defendant, who was standing in the upturned bucket of an excavator positioned level with the edge of the roof. Once the bucket filled with tiles, Mr Pope's son climbed onto the roof before the bucket was lowered, emptied and raised back up, he then climbed in and carried on the task. There was no scaffolding to prevent the men on the roof from falling and nothing to protect those working below from any tiles dropped or dislodged during these activities. |
HSE (National) Press Release EM/HSE229/10 19/4/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Five-year ban for director after raft of health and safety breaches. |
| Brian Nixon, Managing Director of Transtore (UK) Ltd, fined a total of £17,000 and costs of £9,169 under WHR 2005 and HASAWA 1974 s33, and banned from being a director of any company for five years. Transtore (UK) Ltd was fined a total of £70,000 and costs of £27,507 under CLWR 2002, WHR 2005, LOLER 1998, WHSWR 1992 and MHSWR 1999. Also guilty of contravening on 3 occasions PNs issued under HASAWA 1974 s22. The company is now in administration. Workers at the company were exposed to lead and other harmful chemicals while paint was sprayed without the correct safety measures in place. Workers were also put at risk of falls from height with no safety equipment provided. Transtore (UK) Ltd and Mr Nixon were investigated and prosecuted after receiving a complaint from a concerned employee. Specialist inspectors took air samples as well as blood and urine samples from the workers to assess their exposure to lead, among other harmful chemicals in the plant that was being sprayed unsafely. The company was condemned for allowing workers to spray paint, containing toxic lead chromate, without adequate controls in place, leaving them to breathe in harmful fumes and absorb lead into their blood. The company allowed its employees to work on top of the tanks with no safety equipment to prevent them falling 2 metres onto the concrete floor. The workers received no training or instruction and were left to devise their own system of work. Four PNs served on the company during the HSE investigation to immediately stop unsafe work and also 4 INs. Mr Nixon ignored the notice prohibiting work at height and continued to instruct his employees to work on top of the tanks. |
HSE (National) Press Release WM103/10 19/4/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Nationwide construction firm fined for multiple health and safety failings. |
| Paddle Limited, often known as Paddle Homes, fined £10,050 and costs of £13,224,45 under CDMR 2007. At a site, an HSE inspector discovered inadequate or missing fencing to keep the public away from construction work, unsuitable sanitary and welfare facilities for workers on site despite the sub-zero temperatures, dirty portable toilet with no washing facilities, and workers were expected to eat, get changed and shelter in a dirty, unheated caravan. HSE inspectors throughout the country have found such poor working conditions that multiple PNs and INs have been issued to Paddle Ltd since 2005. These were for dangerous scaffolding, poor site welfare, unprotected excavations and failures to secure and fence their sites. |
HSE (National) Press Release 778/W/10 19/4/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Factory boss fined after worker falls through roof. |
| Mr Adam Stephen Walker of Steven Walker and Sons Ltd fined £10,000 and costs of £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s37. Employee Neil Tomkins suffered extensive bruising to his lower back after falling through a skylight onto a machine below. Mr Walker and another employee began repair work on a section of the factory roof. No risk assessment had been made, and no specialist equipment was used to prevent anyone falling through the roof apart from a small plank of wood for the employee to kneel on when making the repairs. During the lunch break, Mr Tomkins climbed on to the roof to look at the repair work and fell through a skylight. After Mr Tomkins had been taken to hospital, Mr Walker took another employee on to the roof to replace the damaged skylight, with no assessment made or specialist equipment used. The second employee however took a scaffold board with him on his own initiative. |
HSE (National) Press Release WM103/09 19/4/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Aberdeenshire man fined after employee fell from roof. |
| Mr Robert Peter Mackie, 36, t/a RDM Engineering fined £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. An employee was fixing a roof sheet onto the roof of a farm building when he slipped and fell from the edge of the roof. Falling 3 metres, he landed on an adjacent roof below, breaking his leg in two places. There were no safety measures in place, such as guard-rails to prevent falls from this section of roof and the work at height had not been planned and controlled by Mr Mackie. |
HSE (National) Press Release SCO/137/10 21/4/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Engineering Services fined after worker suffers serious back injuries. |
| Ultimate Industries Ltd fined £1,000 and costs of £2,125.20 under WHR 2005. Workers of the company were roofing a 'lean to' building that they had fabricated in a compound at Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd. A worker was on the roof of the fabricated frame fixing sheets of the ridge when he fell approx 3.7 metres to the ground resulting in serious injuries to his back. He suffered crushed vertebra and fractured bones in his back. Ultimate Industries had not properly planned the work and not provided adequate safety equipment for work at height, failed to prevent, so far as was reasonably practicable, any person falling a distance liable to cause personal injury. |
HSE (Yorkshire and The Humber) Press Release 22/4/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Firm fined after potential asbestos exposure. |
| Nationwide Building Contractors Limited fined a total of £4,500 under CAR 2006. The company had been contracted to do a refurbishing job on a hotel. When HSE inspectors visited the site, they found that work was carried out without adequate checks for asbestos or asbestos-containing materials and they served a PN. Further investigations found large amounts of asbestos pipe lagging in walls and floors voids where work had been undertaken. HSE worked with local Environmental Health Officers and hotel management to ensure that asbestos fibres had not spread to the occupied areas of the hotel. It was closed voluntarily while tests undertaken. Fortunately the test results in the public areas were negative. |
HSE (south East) Press Release 22/4/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| South Wales man jailed again for unregistered gas work. |
| Mr Kenneth Parry, 55, has been jailed for a second time for carrying out gas work after ignoring a PN issued by the HSE. He was jailed for 6 months under HASAWA 1974 s22 and GSIUR 1998. He also admitted carrying out gas work without having his competence assessed by an accredited organisation. Mr Parry illegally removed a central heating boiler and installed a new combination boiler at a property. The householder contacted Powys Trading Standards who alerted HSE. An investigation classified the boiler as "at risk". Mr Parry had not set the boiler to the correct pressure or fitted it to correctly-sized pipework. |
HSE (Wales) Press Release 22/4/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| £3,000 fine after worker suffers electric shock. |
| Hickman Engineering Ltd fined £3,000 and costs of £1,500 under EWR 1989. Mr Ben Roberts was working as a labourer and was helping to manually load a saw before his colleague cut a length of metal handrail. He was not involved in the operation of the machine, which wasn't even switched on at the time, yet he suffered an electric shock. HSE investigation discovered that the saw's electrical cable had been unsuitably repaired with tape, reducing the protection and strength in the wiring. An Institute of Civil Engineers report suggested that corroded earth connections may also have played a part. |
HSE (West Midlands) Press Release 22/4/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Lancashire man fined for gas safety offences. |
| Mr Geoffrey Hewitt, 39, of ACME Plumbing and Heating Services fined £750 under HASAWA 1974 s33. Mr Hewitt posed as Jordan Rogers of Gas Heating Services Ltd when issuing gas safety certificates and a warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to attend two previous hearings. Mr Hewitt illegally carried out work at homes and supplied forged Landlords' Gas Safety Certificates. |
HSE (North West) Press Release 22/4/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Rossendale Group Limited |
| Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s6. Dangerous occurrence on Wide line Perini crane in converting department. Crane installed by Rossendale Group plc. One of 2 wire rope anchorages failed causing spreader beam to fall. Each anchorage consisted of a standard demag rope anchorage unit modified by addition of a Rossendale bracket and screw. The screw was fixed to underslung frame of crane by 2 bolts on underside and one on top. Screw fractured between bolts. |
HSE Prosecution 4090376 8/2/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Michael John Lilley |
| Fined a total of £750 under HASAWA 1974 s7. DP hit by large digger type vehicle in tarmac compound area. |
HSE Prosecution 4123610 8/2/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Chromalloy UK Ltd |
| Fined a total of £49,998 under DSEAR 2002. Employee injured when feeding aluminium powder via pneumatic system into mixer using unearthed plastic tube. Explosion occurred causing serious burn injuries. No DSEAR assessments, no preventive measures such as avoidance of dust cloud and sources of ignition, no information, instruction and training. |
HSE Prosecution 4147685 8/2/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Charles Painting Services (UK) Limited |
| Fined £2,000 under WHR 2005. IP fell from fragile roof through fragile roof light onto workshop floor. Failed to either prevent access onto fragile roof or to provide suitable and sufficient precautions for work. There were no hand rails, working platforms, boards, guard rails etc or other means of protection. |
HSE Prosecution 4173450 8/2/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Ian D Robinson Plumbing and Heating |
| Fined a total of £3,515 under GSIUR 1998 and HASAWA 1974 s3. Unregistered installer Ian D Robinson Plumbing, installed a gas boiler at a domestic premises but claimed work done by another who is registered. Installer aware of registration requirements having been previously registered. Installer known to HSE as previously carried out gas fitting work whilst unregistered. |
HSE Prosecution 4178845 8/2/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Rust Proofing Co (Mcr) Ltd |
| Fined a total of £1,003 under HASAWA 1974 s2. An employee 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 failed to ensure the safety of its employees, regularly allowing employees to light fires around cast-iron radiators to speed up the process of removing powder coatings. |
HSE Prosecution 4159504 9/2/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Perryman Properties Ltd |
| Fined a total of £7,000 under CDMR 2007. IP fell from fragile roof causing major injury. Notice in relation to all roof work which is likely to be carried out, because a safe system of work had not been prepared that addresses and controls the risks of falling from the edges of the roof, or of falling through the fragile surfaces. |
HSE Prosecution 4184667 9/2/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| James O'Neill |
| Fined £2,000 under GSIUR 1998. Unregistered gas fitting work involving the installation of a gas central heating boiler at domestic premises. |
HSE Prosecution 4172455 10/2/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| ZNS - Victor Buyck Joint Venture Limited |
| Fined £40,000 under LOLER 1998. Sep penalty under WHR 2005. IP German National struck by steel whilst unloading lorry. Strops parted and load swung and struck IP in face. IP then fell off back of lorry. |
HSE Prosecution 4118481 11/2/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| M & M Windows Limited |
| Fined a total of £10,000 under ELCIA 1969 and HASAWA 1974 s2. Accident to employee on an OMS double headed mitre saw used to cut window frames, which resulted in one finger being amputated and another suffering a serious laceration. |
HSE Prosecution 4184418 11/2/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Bayoak Demo Ltd |
| Fined £30,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Prosecution of demolition subcontractor following death. Contractor was employer of the deceased. |
HSE Prosecution 4136631 12/2/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| John F Hunt (Demolition) Ltd |
| Fined £85,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Prosecution of principal contractor following joint investigation with Met Police following a death. |
HSE Prosecution 4136949 12/2/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Carillion JM Ltd |
| Fined a total of £150,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. Member of a work team involved in the construction of a vehicle roadway suffered major injuries when he was struck from behind by a reversing vehicle. No one was responsible for guiding the truck, which was regularly reversing up to 400 metres to drop off construction materials for the project. A pedestrian walkway to separate vehicles from pedestrians had also not been marked on the track. The company had also failed to carry out a suitable risk assessment. |
HSE Prosecution 4180345 12/2/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Bimi Ltd |
| Fined a total of £200 under ELCIA 1969. Company not insured under an approved policy against liability for bodily injury or disease sustained by employees. |
HSE Prosecution 4183998 12/2/10 Week ending: 23/04/10 |
| Worker's crush death leads to fine for East Lothian farmers. |
| Hamilton Farmers (East Lothian) fined £20,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. A farm worker was helping to build a perimeter wall at an open hay shed, when the pre-cast concrete panel toppled over and crushed him. He died from his injuries at the scene. The HSE investigation found that there had been no risk assessment carried out for the project. Whilst the telescopic handler and the slings and hooks provided with the concrete panels were all in good order, no suitable lifting attachment had been fitted to the telehandler forks. Also the investigation revealed that it was inevitable that the slings on the forks were going to slip and slide, especially as the panels needed to be properly handled and rotated. Suspending the concrete panel from lifting slings supported by the forks did not allow the panel to rotate freely as it would have done if supported by another device such as a crane hook. |
HSE (National) Press Release SCO/138/10 26/4/10 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| VOSA quizzed over HGV enforcement. |
| The conclusion of the latest parliamentary inquiry into the agency VOSA, is that it is not doing enough to address the risks to safety posed by foreign-registered HGVs on UK roads. Foreign registered HGVs constitute only 3 per cent of lorries on British roads, but cause 10 per cent of the accidents involving lorries. The worst of these are down to the poor mechanical condition of the lorry, or driver fatigue brought on by driving too long without a break. |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal April 2010:2 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Crewman jailed for manslaughter. |
| A crewman who admitted manslaughter by gross neglect following the death of a pleasure boat passenger has been sentenced to 15 months imprisonment. Passenger Jair Murillo was disembarking at the end of an evening's cruise when he fell between the vessel and Westminster Pier. Ship's mate Ryan Sandall failed to secure the boat properly when it reached the pier and did not supervise the 121 passengers as they disembarked. |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal April 2010:2 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Wrong call. |
| According to observational data collected by the Dept for Transport, the number of van and lorry drivers using hand-held mobile phones whilst driving is increasing. The survey, carried out in October and November last year, shows the number of van and lorry drivers using hand-held mobile phones whilst driving rose from 2.2 per cent in 2008 to 2.6 per cent, whilst car drivers rose from 1.1 per cent to 1.4 per cent. |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal April 2010:4 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| High voltage risks ignored. |
| J F Finnegan fined £17,500 after it failed to ensure a safe system of work was in place around high voltage overhead cables. A tipper wagon, which was in its raised position, touched a high voltage overhead cable. The 66,000 volt shock passed through the truck resulting in severe damage to the pneumatics and the hydraulics. The driver escaped without injury. Sub-contractor Saxby Surfacing Contractors Ltd was also fined £5,000 after pleading guilty to breaching the CDM Regs 2007. |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal April 2010:4 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Firm guilty of 63 driving offences. |
| EPI Coaches Ld, a Croydon coach company, has been fined £217,500 after being found guilty of abusing drivers' hours regulations. |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal April 2010:5 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Court report. |
| Recent prosecutions for offences under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 which have resulted in fines totalling £100,000 or over. (Ed Hodson) |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal April 2010:10-11 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Can't stop the music. |
| Two years on from the introduction of legislation that lowered noise levels in the music and entertainment sector - how the sector has responded. (Neil Jones) |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal April 2010:13-17 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Striking the balance. |
| The first duty of the police is to fight crime and protect the public. In doing so they are bound to face risks, sometimes life-threatening. So, do today's health and safety rules stop the police from doing their job? (Paul Heslop) |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal April 2010:21-25 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Crane registration. |
| The Notification of Conventional Tower Cranes Regulations 2010 came into force on 6 April. For the first time, employers using this type of crane on a construction site will be required to register the crane with the HSE. (Nick Cook) |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal April 2010:29-33 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Memory and resolution. |
| This month, on 28 April, Workers' Memorial Day will be officially recognised for the first time in the UK. Traditionally, the slogan for the day has been "Remember the dead, fight for the living!". Why taking time out to remember should not just be about paying homage to the fallen but must also be about remembering lessons learnt. (Roger Bibbings) |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal April 2010:42-43 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Construction - guidance. |
| HSE has published a new construction information sheet (CIS) on the minimum welfare facilities that employers must provide at construction sites. |
Health and Safety Bulletin May 2010 (388):3 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/site1.pdf Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Electricity - accidents. |
| An analysis of 57,000 accidents reported between 1996/97 and 2002/03 involving people working with or around electricity has concluded that electricity fitters were involved in significantly more accidents than other occupations. |
Health and Safety Bulletin May 2010 (388):3 HSE RR771 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr771.htm Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Leisure - licensing. |
| The annual report on the Adventure Activities Licensing Service shows the number of inspections of activity deliverers was 3.5 per cent higher in the year to 31 March 2009 than in 2007/08. |
Health and Safety Bulletin May 2010 (388):4 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Major hazards - software. |
| "Feasibility of storybuilder software tool for major hazards intelligence" has been issued. |
Health and Safety Bulletin May 2010 (388):4 HSE RR778 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr778.htm Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Musculoskeletal disorders - diagnosis. |
| "Feasibility of using urinary biomarkers to identify occupational musculoskeletal disorders of the lower limbs" has been published. |
Health and Safety Bulletin May 2010 (388):4 HSE RR773 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr773.htm Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Risk - communication. |
| An independent examination of how the HSE communicates risk has concluded that the regulator is "likely to struggle with change and situations where its competence, fairness and efficiency are no longer taken for granted". |
Health and Safety Bulletin May 2010 (388):4 HSE RR785 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr785.pdf Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Waste - composting. |
| "Bio aerosol emissions from waste composting and the potential for workers' exposure" has been published. |
Health and Safety Bulletin May 2010 (388):5 HSE RR786 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr786.pdf Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Work at height - ladders. |
| The HSE's third "Ladder Exchange" initiative has brought the overall total of "dodgy" ladders exchanged to almost 7,000 in three years. |
Health and Safety Bulletin May 2010 (388):5 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives/ Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Health and safety - the state of play. |
| HSE's latest state-of-play table reviews all HSE activity and other important developments for the six-month period to 6 April 2010. The table also reports on the current position on legislative proposals, and gives readers an early warning of important and likely developments in health and safety. |
Health and Safety Bulletin May 2010 (388):6-22 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| A new route to risk reduction. |
| The HSE believes its workplace transport route map has been a success. (Lucinda Ponting) |
Health and Safety Bulletin May 2010 (388):23-24 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Farming company fined after man is trapped in manure machine. |
| CK Hanson and Son Ltd fined £2,000 and costs of £1,395 under PUWER 1998. An employee lost his big toe and part of the heel of his left foot, broke all his toes and severely damaged the ankle of his right foot when he fell into a manure auger. Investigation found that the auger, a screw conveyor that takes the manure out of a battery hen house, had not been sufficiently guarded when the worker slipped in, trapping both feet. |
HSE (National) Press Release YH/154/10 26/4/10 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| New protection for workers from artificial light. |
| New regulations further protecting workers from the dangers of hazardous sources of artificial light come into force today. The Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations meets an European Union Directive to ensure that standards are set and harmonised across Europe to protect workers from harm arising from exposure to hazardous sources of artificial light. Some sources of artificial light, particularly UV radiation and light from lasers, can harm the eyes and skin of workers and must be properly managed. Workers in Great Britain are generally well protected from dangerous sources of light and the majority of businesses know how to manage the risks effectively. Therefore the regulations will mean few practical changes for most businesses, including those who are already managing the risks. |
HSE (National) Press Release 27/4/10 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Water companies fined after worker injured in roof fall. |
| IETG Ltd fined £1,500 and costs of £3,219 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Anglian Water Services fined £4,000 and costs of £3,261 under HASAWA 1974 s3. The company was also fined a further £12,000 and costs of £6,286 under HASAWA 1974 s2 in relation to a separate issue. Mr Matthew Morgan, 28, sub-contracted to Anglian Water Services by his employer IETG Ltd, fell through an unmarked fragile roof light while taking a reading from a rain gauge on top of a pumping station. He suffered a fractured vertebra, cuts and bruising, and has had ongoing back pain since the fall. Anglian Water Services failed to adequately identify the risks associated with working near the unmarked fragile skylight. While investigating Mr Morgan's fall, HSE inspectors found problems with the safety of a number of machines at Anglian Water Service's sewage treatment plant in Ely. Some machines were missing safety guards, which protect workers from dangerous moving parts. Some interlocking devices, designed to isolate power from the machines, were not working properly meaning the machines could automatically start up when the guards were open. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE-E-01 26/4/10 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Tregroes Waffle Bakery |
| Fined £1,750 under WHR 2005. An employee was injured whilst undertaking cleaning work on the side of a large flour hopper. She fell from a structural girder on which she was standing through an unboarded/unfenced area of the floor. She sustained a fractured rib, bruising and a cut leg. Company failed to take reasonably practicable steps to stop persons falling a distance liable to cause personal injury. |
HSE Prosecution 4183844 15/2/10 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| E Nicholson & Sons (Metals) Limited |
| Fined £45,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. When demolishing a building sign, structure fell from the building trapping and injuring two employees and fatally injuring another employee. Measures not taken to protect the safety of persons working in the area below the sign structure, failure to make a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the demolition of the building, and failure to ensure place of work was made and kept safe. |
HSE Prosecution 4076932 16/2/10 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| John Peter Metcalfe |
| Fined £465 under HASAWA 1974 s7. Prosecution of John Peter Metcalfe as an individual following an investigation into a fatal accident. A farmer was run over by a reversing tractor with a muck spreader attached. The vehicle was reversing at a minimum speed of 13 mph and visibility was poor. |
HSE Prosecution 4170139 18/2/10 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Bakkavor Foods Ltd |
| Fined £3,000 under PUWER 1998. IP trapped hand in auger of cabbage processing machine while attempting to clear a blockage. |
HSE Prosecution 4172441 18/2/10 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| J F Finnegan Limited |
| Fined £17,500 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Provided inadequate measures to prevent risk of contact with high voltage overhead lines during road surfacing works. |
HSE Prosecution 4177568 19/2/10 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Saxby Surfacing Contractors Ltd |
| Fined £5,000 under CDMR 2007. Provided inadequate measures to prevent danger arising from the passage of vehicles under high voltage overhead lines during road surfacing works. |
HSE Prosecution 4177573 19/2/10 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Mr Ali Aslan |
| Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Mr Ali Aslan was the main contractor. Case brought following a fatal accident to migrant worker. HSE has been unable to obtain sufficient information as to how he died and what he was doing except that injuries were associated with a fall from height. Case brought due to serious deficiencies on site, poor management and incompetence. Kemal Has was the client. |
HSE Prosecution 4191522 19/2/10 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
| Kemal Has |
| Fined £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Kemal Has is the client. Case brought following a fatal accident to migrant worker. HSE has been unable to obtain sufficient information as to how he died and what he was doing except that injuries were associated with a fall from height. Case brought due to serious deficiencies on site, poor management and incompetence. Mr Ali Aslan was the main contractor. |
HSE Prosecution 4191538 19/2/10 Week ending: 30/04/10 |
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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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