14 May Safe Isolation of Plant and Equipment – Part 1 Safe Isolation of Plant and Equipment The safe isolation of plant and equipment is essential to allow various processes to take place, such as cleaning, maintenance, repair, and modification. Although no health and safety legislation covers this area specifically, there are several general legal drivers, such as the Health and Safety at Work Etc Act … Read More
14 May Fall from height fatality – Religious Charity Volunteer A fall from height fatality can happen in many settings. This case is not unusual: warnings were ignored and money was saved. A religious charity from Liverpool has been fined £65,000 for breaching health and safety laws following the death of a volunteer who fell through a roof void whilst undertaking insulation work. The fall … Read More
11 May Lead poisoning prosecution Lead poisoning is still an issue in some workplaces. Recently, a court heard that nine workers at a ceramic tile factory in North Wales had levels of lead in their blood above national safety limits putting them at risk of serious health problems. The employees of a specialist firm (CBD of Denbigh) were tested after … Read More
9 May Isocyanates Isocyanates are used in certain two-pack paint systems and polyurethane systems as a hardener. Isocyanates are hazardous to health and cause occupational asthma and respiratory sensitisation. They are well known respiratory sensitisers and exposure to them can ruin lives. Isocyanate can cause asthma by inhalation Control exposure to stop occupational asthma developing. Even short-term exposures can … Read More
8 May Fire Safety – common problems In my business, we visit lots of premises to carry out fire risk assessments and to help people with their fire safety. One of the disappointing things that turns up again and again is blocked and/or obstructed fire escape routes. We hear all to often that “its not usually like this” or “what can you … Read More
8 May HSE Fee for Intervention – What is a Material Breach? Not everyone understands that the HSE Fee for Intervention (FFI) is based on material breach (of relevant health and safety law). Further to this, many do not know what a material breach is. A material breach exists when you have broken a health and safety law and the inspector judges that it is serious enough for … Read More
2 May Gas Cylinder fire – Unsecured load This gas cylinder fire and explosions is what can happen to an unsecured gas cylinder load when it is transported. This video was originally uploaded by Jay Patterson (USA) and depicts a real event in Russia Read More
25 April Work at Height Prosecutions, April 2014 Most work at height prosecutions are avoidable (by taking sensible and appropriate measures). A roofing firm and its managing director have been fined after they allowed workers onto a house roof to use a jet washer without safety measures in place. After being alerted by a member of the public, the HSE visited the premises … Read More
12 February Health and Safety in Schools and Academies – Conference speech I have delivered Health and Safety presentations at two conferences organised for Schools and Academies and I have been ask to deliver similar talks at two further conferences. It is important that Health and safety in schools and academies is managed well. At each conference, I delivered two talks: one aimed at schools and the other … Read More
8 February Construction site safety, the HSE and Enforcement action Construction site safety, the HSE and Enforcement action Since the start of 2014, I have seen a great deal of evidence that the HSE are increasingly active in their enforcement visits to construction sites. In the month since starting the New Year, I have dealt with several enquiries relating to construction projects that have received a … Read More