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Health and Safety News

Occupational health and safety news and guidance

Blog posts October 2012

Essex firm fined after contractor fell seven metres

The platform from which the worker fellAn Essex manufacturing firm has been fined after a contractor suffered multiple fractures to his skull, leg, back and wrist when he fell from an unsecured platform.

The 34-year-old from Colchester, who does not wish to be named, was replacing a light fitting from a makeshift work platform der…

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Blackburn firm fined over unsafe work on school roof

Workers on the roof a primary school in Clayton le WoodsA Blackburn firm has been fined for allowing work to be carried out on a primary school roof without safety measures in place.

An inspector from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was passing Clayton le Woods Primary School, near Chorley, on 31 January this year when he spotted four men work…

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West Yorkshire council in court after caretaker's injury

The hole from the roof void where Mr OHanlon fell at the former Beckfoot School in BradfordBradford Council has been fined for breaching safety regulations after a school caretaker was left with permanent disabilities when he fell through the school hall ceiling five days before his retirement.

David O'Hanlon, 62, was putting a new light bulb in a roof void of the old Beckfoot Scho…

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Machinery manufacturer prosecuted for safety failings

The trailer chassis which crushed Mr Makowskis legA Buckinghamshire farm machinery manufacturer has been fined after an employee sustained multiple fractures when a trailer crushed his leg.

Waldemar Makowski, of St Annes Road, Aylesbury, was building a farm vehicle trailer chassis at K Two Sales Limited in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire when the inc…

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Why your business will benefit from a competent person service and health and safety support

According to the HSE (Health and Safety Executive), in the working year 2010/11, 1.2 million people were suffering from a work related illness. 26.4 million working days were lost due to work related illness and workplace injury.

It is the legal responsibility of every employer to make sure that…

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Nursing home fined for elderly man's fatal fall

Reginald GibbingsOn 15 October, Truro Crown court heard that an elderly man with dementia was able to wander into another resident's room at his nursing home and fall to his death from a window.

Reginald Gibbings, 89, fell 3.6 metres from the room at Hillcrest House, Barbican Road, East Looe on 15 July 2008.

H…

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Somerset firm fined after worker crushed under bales

The collapsed stack of bales at the Cannington Enterprises Ltd. siteA worker had his lower body crushed when a stack of bales, each weighting a quarter of a tonne, collapsed on him as he sorted waste in a processing shed in Somerset.

Aleksandras Fomenkouas, 40, who lived in Bridgwater at the time, suffered serious injuries in the incident on 8 September 2011 …

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Driver fined after unstable lorry topples over and injures worker

The overturned lorry after the incidentA worker unloading scaffold materials from a flatbed lorry was thrown from the vehicle and hit by its load of boards and tubes when it overturned a court was told (on 12 October).

Martin Sapec, 54, of Edwardsville, Treharris suffered a broken pelvis and ankle in the incident at Bryntirion, Mo…

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Do I have to PAT test?

Do I have to PAT test?

Do I have to PAT test? How often should I PAT test? How do I know that my portable electrical appliances are safe?

These questions are examples of what I’m regularly asked by managers / business owners who are concerned with regulatory compliance or just want to be sure the electrical applia…

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Leigh cardboard company in court over crush injuries

A Leigh cardboard box manufacturer has appeared in court after one of its employees almost lost his right arm when it became trapped in a machine.

The 26-year-old from Leigh was trying to retrieve a piece of card to clear a blockage when his arm was dragged under a roller, causing severe cr…

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Safety failings by steel firm led to worker's death

One of the steel girders with the overhead crane with hook in the backgroundA South Yorkshire firm has been ordered to pay £142,000 in fines and costs for serious safety breaches after a worker died when he was crushed by a one and a half tonne steel girder.

Steelworker John Mott, 47, who had worked in the steel industry since leaving school, received fatal injuries…

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Gas leak leads to prosecution

National Grid Gas PLC has been fined after gas leaked into a Halesowen home.

Engineers were replacing the gas supply to a property in Bromsgrove Road, Hunnington, when the leak occurred on 20 August 2010.

The existing supply was connected to a low pressure main on the opposite side of the road s…

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Yorkshire ice cream maker in court

A North Yorkshire ice cream manufacturer has been sentenced after a factory worker had his forearm broken when it got caught in a conveyor belt.

Sam Goodall, 20, of Northallerton, was working on the ice cream production line at R&R Ice Cream Ltd., in Leeming Bar, when his glove got caught a…

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Personal protective equipment; stay protected at work

personal protective equipmentMany people are engaged in jobs that include hazardous materials or processes that can cause damage to the human body either short-term or long-term. Those working with heat, electrical current, biological pathogens or other substances should utilize personal protective equipment to minimize risk an…

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CSCS tests: Why construction site health and safety is important

CSCS cardsBetween April 2010 and March 2011, 50 workers were killed on UK construction sites. The construction industry accounts for just 5% of employees in Britain, but 27% of fatal injuries happen on construction sites.

When you look at the figures, it’s clear that construction sites are some of the most d…

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Salford firm sentenced over canal boat death

Richard Ferriss canal boat at Worsley Dry DocksA Salford firm has been fined £50,000 over the death of a canal boat owner at a dry dock on the Bridgewater Canal.

Richard Ferris - a father of four and grandfather of nine - suffered critical injuries after he slipped on a plank and fell head first to the concrete floor below at The Boatyard …

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Tyneside firm fined after worker suffers toxic chemical burns

A Tyneside firm has been fined after a worker was soaked with a concentrated, corrosive chemical and suffered serious burns.

Michael Reid, 66, of North Shields, was employed as an electroplater at DMI (UK) Ltd. when the incident happened on 30 January 2011.

In a prosecution brought by the Health…

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Redhill company fined £167,000 over worker's death

A Redhill-based construction company has been ordered to pay £210,000 in fines and costs after an employee died following an explosion on a construction site in central London. The explosion occurred following damage to an 11,000 volt live cable within an excavation.

Ioan Boboc, 22, a constr…

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Severed finger leads to prosecution of food manufacturer

A Herefordshire food manufacturer has been fined after an employee severed her finger in an inadequately guarded machine.

Ewalina Giedziun, aged 29, from Hereford, sustained the injury while working on a suet packing line at Q Cold Limited's Ledbury site on 17 October last year.

The tip of her…

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Company fined after worker suffers horrific head injuries

A West Midlands company has been fined after a worker suffered severe head injuries in a pneumatic metal press.

Wayne Hill, a maintenance engineer at H&E Knowles (Lye) Limited, was repairing the press when it unexpectedly started working and crushed his head. He was trapped for around ten minut…

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20 Blog Posts