8 May Work at height – life changing injuries from a fall Another workplace accident involving a fall from height. In this case, a Southampton worker suffered life-changing injuries after he fell five metres through a hole in a South East London church roof while it was being repaired. The 58 year old father of three (AS) sustained a collapsed lung, smashed pelvis and head injuries in the … Read More
28 April Work at Height Prosecutions, fatal fall from scaffold Work at height prosecutions The co-directors of a former London scaffolding firm have faced work at height prosecutions after a trainee worker fell to his death from a poorly constructed scaffold in Westminster. The trainee (SH), who was aged twenty, sustained multiple head injuries in the six-metre fall at Whitehall Place on 24 April 2008. He … Read More
25 April Machinery Safety Prosecution The HSE carried out inspections at two premises belonging to a Tyne and Wear floral foam manufacturers, SOUK, following an incident in which a machine operator suffered a partial amputation of her left middle finger and a broken left index finger while operating a milling machine. Sunderland Magistrates’ Court heard that at the time of the incident (09 … Read More
10 February Construction Site Safety – news from the HSE Construction Site Safety is proving to be an important theme for 2014. According to a recent HSE Newsletter (Issue 37), dangerous practices and poor standards were found at nearly half of the building sites visited during a month-long safety drive by HSE. The nationwide campaign saw inspectors visiting 2607 sites where refurbishment or repair work was taking place. The … Read More
20 December Suspension Trauma [Note this archived article is from December 2013 and guidance has since changed.] All too frequently, the emergency planning element is often not considered when work at height is being planned. Largely, this is because: there is a general lack of awareness of suspension trauma and its consequences employers often fail to appreciate where and … Read More
20 December Setting Up A New Business The exact nature of what you need to do with respect to health and safety depends on what your business does, or will do. The management of health and safety does not need to be complicated, but it does need to be proportionate to the level of risk created by your undertakings. Also, it does … Read More
20 December Pressure systems There are several fatal or serious injuries each year arising from somewhere in the order of 150 dangerous occurrences concerning the failure of pressure equipment in the workplace. The rules are, fortunately, quite simple and straightforward, although a little wordy. Under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, users and owners of pressure systems are required to demonstrate … Read More
29 November HSE Accident Statistics 2008 – 09 Company fined £50,000 following death of a manager. Dudley Metropolitan Council was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay £20,000 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act. A council employee and the driver of the vehicle, pleaded guilty to two breaches of Section 7 of the … Read More
29 November Fire Safety – Health and Safety News Swine Flu – find out more. First prosecution for corporate manslaughter charge under the new act. Landlords must have a gas safety check carried out – read about Gas Safety Changes. Forthcoming Legislation – At the end of this year, the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 will come into force. New Health Safety Law … Read More
29 November Manual Handling – Reducing the load Manual handling relates to the movements of loads by human effort, as opposed to the use of mechanical handling equipment such as lift trucks, etc. It is estimated that in the order of one third of all reported workplace accidents arise from some form of manual handling activity. The associated risks include: musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), … Read More