Fatal industrial
accident
It is reported that a man in his 40's has died following an industrial
accident at a site in Flaunden on the border of Hertfordshire and
Buckinghamshire.
The accident occurred yesterday morning and involved an excavator.
14.02.2012 ©
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Glasgow GP convicted as
landlord
A doctor based in Glasgow has been convicted of offences as a
landlord under the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998.
His prosecution related to the offences during December 2010 at a
flatted property in Oxford accommodating students where a gas boiler
had not been maintained.
A gas installer was engaged by the landlord to repair the boiler at
the property but he refused to service the appliance and instead
called an emergency gas engineer who condemned the boiler and flue,
bringing it to the attention of the Health and Safety Executive.
The flat's boiler and flue had not been maintained for 2 years between
January 2009 and December 2010, thereby endangering the lives of the
students from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The landlord admitted breaching r.36(2)(a) and 36(2)(b) and 2 counts
of breaching r.36(3)(a) of the Gas Safety (Installation & Use)
Regulations 1998. He was given a Conditional Discharge for a period of
2 years and ordered to pay costs of £4,928. 13.02.2012
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Safety issues can be
portrayed as something silly, but ....
Following a prosecution of Talash Hotels Ltd, trading as the Allesley
Hotel brought by Coventry City Council, the Chair of the Council's
Community Safety Scrutiny Board has pointed to the fact that that
although 'health and safety issues can be portrayed as something silly,
at its heart is the protection of the public and employees from the
unsafe actions of some employers'.
Prosecution followed a catalogue of health and safety breaches at the
city hotel in Birmingham Road, Allesley Village, where staff and
customers were placed in danger.
Environmental Health officials visited the hotel having received
information from a concerned member of the public in December 2010 who
had attended an event at the venue in a partially refurbished function
room where a newly tiled floor was missing edging tiles and floor grates
were uneven, causing slip and trip hazards. Access to the kitchen from
the function room was through an area full of building materials with
rubble covering the floor and the entrance covered with a bed sheet.
The hotel was undergoing a major refurbishment while remaining open to
the public and guests and its directors had not ensured adequate
management of health and safety. There were no risk assessments or
health and safety documentation for the premises.
Locked or blocked fire
exits
During subsequent visits Council officials found rooms and corridors
full of furniture and building materials, exposing staff and guests to
trip hazards. Fire exits were found locked or blocked with building
materials and furniture. Although some previous issues had been
resolved it was clear the refurbishment works were not being
adequately managed by the hotel directors.
On another visit the officials observed someone working on the edge of
a roof parapet wall metres above ground level without
fall arrest equipment. Furthermore, in a function room officers
witnessed workers using collapsible tables stacked on top of each
other as a working platform to hang chandeliers.
Prosecution
At Coventry Magistrates Talash Hotels Ltd admitted 7 health and
safety offences relating to failure to protect employees, members of
the public and guests. It admitted another breach of the Work at
Height Regulations 2005 and in total it was fined £50,256, with a £15
victim surcharge.
The Chair of Coventry's Community Safety Scrutiny
Board commented: "Health and safety is a matter that Coventry City
Council takes seriously. While officers endeavour to offer business
support and advise wherever possible, where that fails or where
conditions are especially poor, we will take the necessary action to
protect our citizens and visitors to the city." 13.02.2012
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Fatal accident was preventable
A man died after a steel section fell on him during unloading from a
lorry on a construction site in Brentford in June 2008.
The deceased was a cleaner on the site, he was killed when the section
fell from the lorry onto the pedestrian walkway of the site.
The lorry was parked in a position not designated as a place for
unloading, and a director of steel erection company CM Structural
Services Ltd was aware one section was projecting over the side of the
lorry, but no measures were taken to restrain the load or to prevent
the section from falling. CM Structural Services Ltd began unloading
the steel using a forklift truck but it did not prevent people walking
down the walkway or erect signs warning that unloading was taking
place.
Both companies were prosecuted under S.3 of the Health and Safety at
Work etc Act 1974. CM Structural Services Ltd of Carryduff, Northern
Ireland, was fined £15,000 plus costs of £12,692.
Fisher Engineering Ltd of Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, responsible
for the manufacture, delivery and installation of the structural
steelwork, who had contracted CM to erect the steel, was fined £50,000
with costs of £16,595.
10.02.2012
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Business before lives
Haslington Hall Ltd, operators of a
14th Century Cheshire wedding venue near Crewe, has been fined £23,815
including costs for serious breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire
Safety) Order 2005.
A Prohibition Notice was served on the company on 1st October 2009 but
lifted on 30th October 2009 following completion of works. However, it
was established that the venue had been used whilst the notice was in
force, on the weekend of 24th October 2009, placing people at serious
risk if a fire had occurred at the venue.
The company pleaded guilty to failing to: provide appropriate fire
detectors and alarms; ensure that escape routes and exits could be
used as quickly and as safely as possible; provide adequate fire
resisting doors on the escape routes; make a suitable and sufficient
fire risk assessment; provide adequate and sufficient fire safety
training to employees; comply with an Enforcement Notice; comply with
a Prohibition Notice; provide emergency routes and exits with
signage, as required; provide emergency routes and exits with
emergency lighting of adequate intensity in case of failure of normal
lighting; make and give effect to such arrangements as were
appropriate, for the effective planning, organisation, control
monitoring and review of the preventive and protective measures.
The Community Fire Protection Manager for Cheshire Fire and Rescue
Service commented: "This was an extremely serious case of a business
putting people's lives at considerable risk from fire. Fire safety is
a key part of good business management and Haslington Hall Ltd showed
little or no regard for the safety of their guests or employees and
the result was a prosecution, which came to light after information
was received saying that the premises was being used as a wedding
venue." 8.02.2012
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Incident at steel tube company
A worker at Steel Tubes Ltd of Wednesbury was airlifted to hospital on
Wednesday morning after he was injured in an industrial accident.
His hand was trapped in machinery for some time before emergency
services released him.
3.02.2012
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Accidental death of
farmer
At Portsmouth Magistrates' Court an inquest jury has determined a
verdict of accidental death having listened to evidence and opinion
concerning the fatal crushing of a 58-year old farmer by a bull at a
farm in Clanfield, Hampshire, in November 2010.
The deceased was experienced with handling bulls but opinion was
expressed that the bull did not recognise him for a variety of reasons
and this provoked the hostile attack by the animal.
16.02.2012 ©
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Serious head injury
after ladder fall
It is reported that a workman has fallen from a ladder while working
at a television aerial and sustained a serious head injury.
The accident occurred at a property in Rusper, Sussex, on Monday
afternoon, the man is listed in serious condition. 15.02.2012 ©
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Fatal accident at Leeds
industrial unit
A worker died
in an accident on Saturday after railings fell on him at the premises
of Ashton Metal Fabrications on the Ashton Road Industrial Estate in
the Harehills area of Leeds. 14.02.2012 ©
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Fatality at builders' merchants
It is reported that a 60-year old man has died after being struck by a
forklift truck at Jewsons premises in Banbury, Oxfordshire, on Friday
afternoon.
13.02.2012
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Chef fell from roof
space
A Sous Chef employed by a catering business operated by Calcott Health
and Leisure Ltd fell from a roof space at its premises at Williams
Kitchen at Calcott, Inchbrook Trading Estate in Stroud,
Gloucestershire, and fractured his wrist. He was sent to the suspended
roof space above the walk-in chillers to retrieve omelette pans stored
there during March last year. He accessed the space using stepladders
and removing a ceiling tile but subsequently tripped and fell through
the ceiling to the concrete floor below.
It was related in court that an independent safety audit in 2009
identified the practice of storing items in the loft space as
unacceptable and should be stopped until adequate controls were
implemented. The Council served a prohibition notice preventing
further use of the roof space for storage purposes.
Time and money
Stroud District Council instigated a prosecution of Calcott Health and
Leisure Ltd who admitted breaching S.2(1) of the Health and Safety at
Work etc Act 1974 for which it was fined £6,500 plus costs of £2,950.
Calcott Health and Leisure Ltd informed the Court that it has
invested time and money in improving health and safety management
throughout the organisation.
The Council's Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment commented:
"This case demonstrates the importance of implementing effective
health and safety procedures when serious risks have been identified.
Whilst the Council aims to help businesses manage risk effectively we
will not hesitate to take robust enforcement action when employers
fail to protect their employees." 13.02.2012
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Bus company's risk assessment failure
A 58-year old employee of The Original London Sightseeing Tour
Limited, registered in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, was seriously
injured when a vehicle which had been raised 60cm off the ground
dropped suddenly because a wooden block resting on a column vehicle
lift failed, allowing the axle to fall and crush him.
The incident occurred at a bus depot in Rainham, Essex, HSE
investigation found risk assessments for the site had not been
adequately reviewed. The company could have used another set of
available vehicle lifts or taken it to another depot where there were
numerous vehicle pits.
The company was fined £10,500 with costs of £10,000 for breaching
S.2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. 10.02.2012
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Search abandoned for missing trawlerman
A Belgian trawlerman fell overboard in Bideford Bay 12 miles off
Hartland Point, Padstow lifeboat attended the incident but later on
Sunday Falmouth coastguard reported that the unsuccessful search had
been abandoned.
7.02.2012
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10 affected by chemical exposure
A Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service Hazardous Material Unit dealt with
a chemical spillage at the Royal Seaforth Container Base in Seaforth,
Merseyside, yesterday afternoon.
It is reported that 10 persons were taken to hospital and were treated
for the effects of inhaling the chemical, the details of which have
not been released.
7.02.2012
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Worker fell 7
metres after scaffolding had been removed
A 28-year old construction worker fell from the roof of a building
being refurbished in Belgravia, London, after scaffolding which had
protected employees and subcontractors from falling had been removed
weeks earlier.
The accident victim had been on the roof clearing up debris left over
from construction work. He was using a ladder to access the lower part
of the roof, but as he descended, the ladder fell away from the
building and he lost his footing. He fell 7 metres, fracturing his
leg, heel and wrist, as a result of which he is now registered
disabled.
His employer, R & G Construction Ltd of Harrow, admitted breaching
r.4(1)(a), r.5 and r.6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and
was fined £30,000 plus costs of £7,515.
An HSE official commented: "This was an appalling and entirely
preventable incident which has severely affected a young man's life.
Companies have a duty to take steps to reduce risks and prevent falls
using equipment such as guardrails and working platforms, or even nets
and airbags if needs be. If the company had properly planned and
organised the work and sufficiently assessed the risks of working at
height, along with the use of appropriate work equipment, the
likelihood of this happening would have been much reduced."
16.02.2012 ©
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Worker trapped in
machine
A worker in his 20's was taken by air ambulance to hospital on Monday
morning after becoming trapped by the arm in a machine at the Hinckley
premises of Hammonds Furniture Ltd. The man sustained several
fractures to his arm. 15.02.2012 ©
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Council prosecuted
after shower scolding incident
Isle of Wight Council has been fined £12,000 plus costs of £5,133 in connection with an
October 2009 incident in which a man in his 70's sustained burns when
he was doused in scalding water from a shower at The Gouldings care
home in Freshwater. The shower had no temperature limiting mixing
valve fitted, as had others found at care facilities operated by the Council, it
was later discovered. 14.02.2012 ©
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Administration 'loophole' bill proposed
The opportunity for companies, particularly in the construction
industry, to largely evade fines by going down the route of
administration may soon be blocked A 10-minute bill proposed by the
Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree aims to equip the Health and Safety
Executive with the powers to freeze the assets of a company under
investigation for serious breaches of health and safety law.
A recent example of this evasion occurred in the MP's constituency
where in the anticipation of prosecution a crane hire company entered
administration and, following prosecution, was bought by the same
directors who commenced trading under a similar name, having avoided a
£300,000 fine.
The pressure of Parliamentary time means that 10-minute bills usually
don't become law directly, however it had its First Reading last week
and the Second Reading is scheduled for April.
General Secretary of UCATT commented: "This is a vital first step in
the parliamentary campaign to stop companies who kill workers avoiding
justice. If MPs are serious about protecting the safety of workers it
is vital that this Bill becomes law."
13.02.2012
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Forestry worker killed in accident
It is reported that a 59-year old forestry worker was killed in an
accident during tree felling near Callander, Stirlingshire, on
Wednesday afternoon. One account states the incident involved an item
of timber transporting plant called a forwarder.
10.02.2012
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Asbestos work was uncontrolled
An Asbestos Insulating Board ceiling was removed in an uncontrolled
manner by a contractor, putting employees, subcontractors and
homeowners at risk of asbestos exposure. D B Construction (West Wilts)
Ltd of Bradford-on-Avon admitted breaching r.5 of the Control of
Asbestos Regulations 2006 in connection with the work and was fined
£7,000 with £3,617 costs.
The unsafe work was conducted during refurbishment of a house in
Bradford-on-Avon during November and December 2010.
The company failed to investigate whether asbestos was present in the
building before work started. Employees and sub contractors
failed to identify the material and broke up the boards, releasing
airborne asbestos fibres. 8.02.2012
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Worker dies in Yorkshire industrial
accident
A man in his 30's has died in an industrial accident at the premises
of Felt Supplies Ltd in Bradford.
The accident occurred on Wednesday morning and accounts state the
deceased worker had become trapped in machinery and died at the scene.
3.02.2012
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HMP censured over death
The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has accepted
Crown Censure in connection with failings that led to the death by
suicide of an inmate at HMP Bullingdon in Bicester, Oxfordshire. NOMS
explained to the Health and Safety Executive the actions it had taken,
and now takes, to prevent a similar occurrence at HMP Bullingdon and
other prisons.
The deceased was awaiting sentence and was discovered at 7.45pm with a
noose around his neck, trying to tie it around a light fitting. A
senior officer identified that he was at risk of suicide and/or
self-harm and he was placed in a cell which was believed safer at
about 8pm.
During the following 40 minutes he was observed by prison staff on 3
occasions, the last of which was between 8.40pm and 8.45pm but was
found hanging with a ligature, made from his bedding and fixed to a
shower rail support bracket. The bracket had been fitted to the wall
using screws strong enough to support a ligature made from bedding.
Several other points where ligatures could be attached were
identified.An
unnecessary tragedy.
The terms of the Crown Censure were that NOMS did not comply with
S.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and r.5(1) of the
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
HSE Director Southern Division said: "This was an unnecessary tragedy
and shows that all refurbishment programmes need to be adequately
controlled. The standard in this cell was far below what is
appropriate for those vulnerable prisoners in a safer cell."
The HSE investigating inspector commented: "NOMS is fully aware of
issues relating to self-inflicted deaths of prisoners. In the years
2007 - 2009 the average number of self-inflicted deaths in prisons was
69 per year. The most common method was by hanging, which represented
91% of all self-inflicted deaths. As such, the defendant should have
had a more robust system for ensuring the risk was adequately
controlled at HMP Bullingdon. Staff on duty at the prison at the time
of the death were clearly under the impression that they had placed
the deceased in a safer cell which, so far as was possible, was
ligature free." 15.02.2012 ©
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Luck that no one was
killed
The Managing Director of North West Gases Ltd of St Helens, who supply
gas, has been prosecuted in the wake of an incident in which he and an
employee suffered multiple burns in an explosion which lifted the roof
off a building and set their clothes alight.
He had, with the employee, been attempting to remove the valve on an LPG cylinder but
neglected to ensure it was empty and that no ignition source was in
the vicinity.
The Director was found guilty of breaching S.7 of the Health and
Safety at Work etc Act 1974 following trial at Liverpool Crown
Court. He was fined £22,500 with costs of £2,500.
An HSE inspector commented: "He failed to ensure that the cylinder was
empty and didn't check for any potential sources of ignition in the
building, any of which could have caused this explosion. In this case,
the fact that no one was killed was simply down to luck." 15.02.2012 ©
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Fisherman's life threatening injuries
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency airlifted a commercial fisherman to
hospital in Inverness on Friday after he fell from a vessel in
Ullapool Harbour, Wester Ross.
His head injuries are described as life-threatening. 13.02.2012
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Refuse collection incidents
An explosion and fire occurred in a refuse collection vehicle on
Wednesday as it collected household waste in Grimsby. The vehicle
operated by North East Lincolnshire Council was emptied on to the road
by the operatives and the waste extinguished by the fire service. It
was speculated that a pressurised container may have been the cause of
the explosion.
In Londonderry an operative of Derry City Council was injured last
week after apparently climbing inside the refuse wagon to free a bag
but activated the compactor, injuring his leg.
10.02.2012
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Structure collapsed under workmen
Two workmen survived a fall of 8 metres at a factory in Coleford,
Forest of Dean, in 2009 after an anchor point supporting climbing
formwork apparatus they were standing upon failed. The failure
resulted when they substituted a bolt, unsuited for the purpose, and
inserted it at an acute angle when the section of formwork went out of
alignment.
An HSE inspector explained that it is vital for safety-critical parts
of temporary work equipment to be checked before use. Principal
contractor Chalcroft Ltd had no formal procedures in place to make
these safety-critical checks which would have revealed that the
working platform was not secure.
Chalcroft Ltd of Pershore, Worcestershire, admitted breaching
r.22(1)(a) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations
2007 and was fined £14,000 with £23,236 costs.
7.02.2012
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Hants and Yorks gas incidents
Twenty homes were evacuated in Basingstoke after a gas explosion
occurred when gas leaked into the wall cavity of a house in Abbey
Road, a woman was injured in the accident.
Earlier in the weekend a gas explosion left 2 residents requiring
treatment for burns and smoke inhalation following an explosion in
Brook Row, Keighley, which saw 10 homes evacuated.
6.02.2012
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