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Health and Safety News

Occupational health and safety news and guidance

Blog posts July 2012

Recycling firm fined after worker breaks arm

A Birmingham metal recycling company has been prosecuted after a worker trapped and broke his arm in an unguarded conveyor belt.

The 28 year-old man, from Blackheath, employed as a recycler, was attempting to retrieve a piece of scrap metal that had got stuck in the conveyor at Hawkeswood Metal…

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Two firms fined after South Shields worker injured

Two firms have been prosecuted after a worker suffered serious injuries when he was struck by a pipe and fell from a stepladder.

The 37-year-old from South Shields was working for MB Air Systems Ltd. as a pipework installation engineer when the incident happened on 13 December 2010.

MB Air Sys…

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Firm fined after worker suffers serious burns

A Nottinghamshire die-casting firm has been fined after an employee suffered severe burns when he fell into a furnace.

Keith Buckley, 59, from Mansfield, was removing equipment from the top of a magnesium furnace at Meridian Lightweight Technologies (UK) Ltd. in readiness for the removal of the…

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Staffordshire man prosecuted for illegal gas work

Gas Safe Register logoA Staffordshire man has been prosecuted for pretending to be Gas Safe registered, putting tenants at risk from dangerous gas work and for breaching a legal Notice which prohibited him from carrying out gas work.

Mark David Austin, of Riceyman Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, who trades as APS, w…

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Firms fined after workers exposed to asbestos

A tour operator and a ship management firm have been fined after workers were exposed to asbestos fibres during refurbishment work on board a cruise ship.

On 23 July, Teesside Magistrates' Court heard that All Leisure Holidays Ltd. and Andrew Weir Shipping Ltd. had arranged for the work to be car…

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Worker suffers serious crush injuries at recycling firm

A Derbyshire recycling firm has been fined after an employee was crushed in a machine at their depot at Griffon Road, Ilkeston.

Thomasz Hac was working for Donald Ward Limited (trading as Ward Recycling) when the incident happened on 17 June 2009. Mr Hac and a colleague were attempting to clear…

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Director prosecuted after trainee tree surgeon severs thumb

The owner of a Hampshire arboriculture business has been prosecuted for safety failings after a trainee tree surgeon severed his thumb on a log splitter.

Rory Stamper, 18, from Church Crookham in Fleet, lost the tip of his right thumb from the base of his nail in the incident at Cedardale in …

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Builder sentenced for unsafe work after death of couple

A self-employed builder has been fined £75,000 and ordered to undertake community service after work he carried out on an elderly couple's home resulted in their death from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Mohammed Jamil had been contracted to carry out work on the garage roof at the home of husba…

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Construction firm prosecuted after workers fall from Didsbury school roof

The collapsed handrail which led to two workers falling from the roof at Barlow Moor High SchoolTwo workers were fortunate to escape with only minor injuries when they fell from a school roof in Didsbury, a court has heard.

The men had been investigating a leak in the flat roof at Barlow Moor High School when one of them leant on a wooden handrail that collapsed. The other worker tried to…

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Bolton fabric firm in court over finger loss

The machine at Tame Valley Padding Co. Ltd. in Farnworth which caused the workers injuriesA Bolton fabric manufacturer has been sentenced after one of its employees lost a finger when his hand became trapped by a rotating cog.

Tame Valley Padding Co. Ltd. was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after the 27-year-old suffered injuries to his index and ring fingers w…

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Gas fitter prosecuted for illegal inspections

A bogus gas fitter and the company he owns have been prosecuted for carrying out illegal inspections on mobile catering units in Suffolk.

Antony George Hewitt, trading as Hewitt Plumbing Solutions Ltd., unlawfully issued gas safety records under the names of legitimate Gas Safe registere…

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Burnley employees exposed to deadly dust

A Burnley firm has appeared in court after it put four of its employees at risk of contracting a potentially-deadly lung disease.

Elite 04 Ltd., which specialises in shot blasting metal components, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after the workers were exposed to a …

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Essex car parts manufacturer fined for safety failings

An Essex car parts manufacturer has been prosecuted for safety failings after an employee fell through a mezzanine floor at a Hawkwell factory.

The Auto-Plas worker required stitches to a hand injury and was off works for two weeks as a result of the incident on 17 May last year.

On 18…

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5 health and safety tips to keep in mind when setting up your own business

Being your own boss is exciting; it opens you up to the world and various opportunities. But, amidst the excitement, be sure that you have all your legalities in check too. While having entrepreneurial spirit can be exhilarating, it comes with risks – especially if you are going to need employees.

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Working with height safely: How to use risk assessment

Photo shows scaffolding at a construction sitePeople who work high above the ground have a number of things to consider so that they stay safe. From telephone line workers to tree pruners to window cleaners, all personnel who must work high above the ground need the best, most stable access equipment for height.

Equipment that provides support…

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Unsafe tree work leads to fine for Lincolnshire man

Spotted by a neighbour who was trained to assess chainsaw workA Lincolnshire landscape gardener has been fined after being spotted carrying out unsafe tree work.

John Holland and an employee were felling a tree at a house in Foxgloves, Deeping St James, on 19 August 2011. They were both using a chainsaw, despite not being qualified to do so and neither…

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Scaffold collapse leads to fines

Seventy metres of sheeted scaffold peeled away from a row of houses in Wellington Road, Hanley.Two Stoke-on-Trent companies have been fined for their part in a major scaffold collapse.

Seventy metres of sheeted scaffold peeled away from a row of houses in Wellington Road, Hanley, on 30 April 2011.

Fortunately workers were on a break so no-one was on or near the scaffolding at the time o…

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West Yorkshire firm prosecuted over unacceptable working conditions

A Keighley lighting supplier has been fined for subjecting its staff to ‘appalling’ working conditions and exposing them to risks from defective electrics and welding fumes.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector visited the premises of Keylighting Ltd. as a result of a number of compl…

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HSE Job Vacancy: Chief Medical Adviser

The post

Reporting to the Director of Corporate Science, Engineering & Analysis the Chief Medical Adviser provides a strategic medical, occupational and public health perspective to HSE’s work to improve the health of workers, and to minimise the risks to health from work activities. The post holde…

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Healthcare provider prosecuted after patient death

A  national healthcare provider has been fined £100,000 after an elderly patient died at a private hospital in High Wycombe.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted BMI Healthcare Limited for safety failings that led to the death of Michael Walsh, 85, from Beaconsfield, in Buckinghamshir…

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20 Blog Posts