21 January Teacher injured by delivery vehicle Cambridge Crown Court heard that in February 2016, the 48-year-old teacher was on a trip to the UK, bringing students to the college from Italy. Whilst at the front of St Andrew’s College (Station Road, Cambridge) the driver reversed over the teacher, only stopping his delivery vehicle after members of the public alerted him. The … Read More
18 January Fall from height death – and a forged signature It may be tempting to try and cover things things up when something goes wrong. Don’t do it. At the least, the Company (and yourself) will fail to learn the necessary lessons, and in the worst case your actions may result in a prison sentence. This is yet another example of work at height not … Read More
16 January Annual assessment of fire and rescue services in England In his first annual assessment of fire and rescue services in England, Her Majesty’s Chief inspector of Fire and Rescue Services Sir Thomas Winsor acknowledges the strong commitment from firefighters to protect the communities they serve. The sector’s greatest strength is in how it responds to emergencies, with demonstration of a number of life-saving initiatives … Read More
16 January Fall from height – loading an aircraft Another case of an avoidable fall from height incident leading to serious injury. A company providing a range of airline ground support services has been fined after an employee fell from a height of more than two metres and suffered skull fractures and brain injury Luton Magistrates’ Court heard that in December 2016 RS (of … Read More
16 January Free Defibrillator Training We are offering Free Defibrillator training to our neighbours on Fridays – Ask for Defib Friday. Defib Fridays is a regular event for the businesses in the Office Village, Loughborough. We can offer this to other businesses, but you need to come to us! When the new Defib Unit was provided in the Office Village, … Read More
5 January DSEAR – Understand your risks Leeds Magistrates’ Court heard that in June 2016, the fire started during a chemical dispensing operation in a warehouse in Pocklington. Heptane (which is a highly flammable liquid) was being decanted from a bulk storage container into 4-litre metal cans. The operator dropped the can he was filling, exited the warehouse quickly and raised the … Read More
24 December Fire Safety Bill for 2020 The Fire Safety Bill was announced in the Queen’s speech, to … “ensure an appalling tragedy like Grenfell can never happen again” The Bill suggests that it will support the findings of the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry Phase One Report, released earlier this year. Outlined as the “main benefits of the Bill”, there is mention of … Read More
24 December New Building Safety Bill for 2020 Although it has taken a lot of time to get here, we now seem to be on the verge of new Building Safety legislation. The government says the Building Safety Bill will “place new and enhanced regulatory regimes for building safety and construction products, and ensure residents have a stronger voice in the system” The … Read More
23 December Forklift Truck Overturn Forklift trucks often seem really solid and stable. This can change when simple tasks are performed, such as driving across a slope, or manoeuvring with a raised load. As a result, some forklift truck overturn risks are ignored. The Chorley based firm Staveley’s Eggs Ltd has been fined after a forklift truck overturned on a … Read More
23 December Effective Segregation and Safe Systems of Work When vehicles hit people, people invariably come off worse. This is just as true if the vehicle is a Fork Lift Truck. One of the simple Control Measures to put in place following your Risk Assessment is Adequate Separation of people and vehicles. While this may seem simple, it is too often ignored in some busy … Read More