4 July Conveyor Safety – Agency Worker Injured Breadmakers Warburtons Ltd has been fined £1.9 million after an agency worker was injured when his arm got trapped against a running conveyor belt. The Crown Court in Nottingham heard how on 4 August 2015 the agency worker was cleaning parts of the bread line when his arm got trapped leaving him with friction burns which … Read More
30 May Risk Assessment Failure leads to £1.8 Million fine Risk Assessment Failure Case Study An investigation by the HSE found the company failed to identify the risk of drowning with the maintenance activity which was undertaken by RG (employee) and his colleagues on a regular basis. Truro Crown Court heard that RG, a catchment operator, was working on the sand filtration unit of the … Read More
22 May Three directors jailed Three directors jailed for health and safety offences. Three company directors have been jailed following the death of a worker who fell while working on a roof at a warehouse in Essex. An employee of Koseoglu Metalworks Ltd (NV, aged 63) died in hospital after falling through the roof of a warehouse in Harlow in … Read More
19 May tragic accident was preventable (all too often the case) “This tragic accident was preventable had all parties considered the risks involved and taken appropriate measures to reduce that risk” – too often, comments like this are made after a serious injury or a fatality. This does not diminish the truth of the statement, but it does underline a serious problem: people often don’t do the … Read More
19 April handheld mobile phone It is well established that drivers should pay attention to what they are doing. With respect to mobile phones, penalties for drivers who use their mobile phone while driving doubled on 01 March 2017. The penalty for a driver caught using their phone has recently increased to six points on their licence and a fine … Read More
11 April Brexit Health and Safety Brexit – the British exit from the European Union. What effect will this have on Health and Safety Law in the UK? Brexit Health and Safety – it is unlikely to lead to rapid major changes. Image created by Starline – Freepik.com To provide legal continuity, the government will prepare a Great Repeal Bill while it negotiates Brexit … Read More
29 March Recycling Industry – cardboard storage injury A recycling company has been fined £160,000 for a cardboard storage injury arising from a bale crush event. The Smethwick-based firm, Arrow Recycling, has been fined after its failure to safely stack cardboard bales led to a worker being crushed under more than a third of a tonne of the material and being placed in … Read More
27 March Warburtons – Work at Height Warburtons – Work at Height failing leads to fine. The national bread-making company Warburtons has been fined £2,000,000 after a worker was hospitalised following a fall from height. Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how (in November 2013) a worker, AS, was injured. He was cleaning one of the mixing machines at their Wednesbury bakery, a routine … Read More
27 March Roller Shutter Door Injury Roller shutter door injury arising from lack of maintenance. A recycling firm has been fined after a worker suffered crush injuries from a roller shutter door. The Newport Magistrates’ Court heard how an employee was injured when the door’s roller barrel fell on him resulting in three cracked ribs and a damaged spleen, causing him to … Read More
20 March Record Keeping Record keeping for matters relating to health and safety is something that many organisations are poor at, yet suitable records kept in an accurate and retrievable form can make a significant contribution to the good management of an organisation and to legal defences (when being prosecuted or sued) and also to avoiding legal action in … Read More