Health and Safety News

Construction company fined after worker suffered multiple burns

Walden Builders Ltd has been sentenced after a worker was struck by a heated sheet of tin.Leeds Magistrates’ Court heard how on 18 September 2018, the company was demolishing an outbuilding in Littlethorpe, Ripon. During the demolition, the excavator being used struck a wall containing a 415v cable causing it to arc and ignite a fire.

Doosan develops see-through shovel bucket

Doosan uses cameras to relay images into the driver’s cab of whatever is in front of the shovel bucket, eliminating a hazardous blind spot. Doosan Infracore says that it is the first company in the world to develop and apply a front projection function with the transparent bucket for construction machines and has applied for patents in Korea, North America, Europe and China. The system records images in front of a wheeled loader with top and bottom front-loaded cameras. It shows the combined images on the cab monitor in real time using a curved projection method.

Sellafield nuclear site a 'toxic mix of bullying and harassment'

A 'toxic culture' of bullying and harassment at Sellafield could let serious safety concerns go unreported, whistleblowers have told the BBC. In a leaked letter, the nuclear site's group for ethnic minority staff described 'shocking stories' of racial abuse.

Construction company sentenced after worker sustains life-changing injuries

A construction company has been sentenced after a self-employed ground worker sustained life changing injuries in an incident involving a disc cutter.Truro Crown Court heard how on 1 June 2017, self-employed ground worker Morgan Prosser, contracted by MJL Contractors Limited, was working to complete ground works at a new building site near Bodmin, Cornwall.

Foundry fined for exposing workers to hand-arm vibration risks

Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK Limited, a large foundry in Telford, has been fined after a number of its workers were diagnosed with hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS).Newcastle-under-Lyme Magistrates’ Court heard how three employees, the earliest of which had used vibrating tools at the company since 1989, had developed and were subsequently diagnosed with HAVS in 2016.

Chemical manufacturing company fined after employee scalded with boiling water

Calachem Limited, a chemical manufacturing company, has been fined after an employee was scalded with boiling water during a cleaning operation.Falkirk Sheriff Court heard that on 4 March 2016, work was undertaken to clean down part of a production plant in Grangemouth, Scotland. The cleaning process involved filling a chemical powder charging chute leading down to a reaction vessel with water that was brought to the boil by immersing a steam hose in it.

Roofing company fined after worker suffers fatal injuries in fall

A roofing company has been fined after an employee fell through an industrial roof light, sustaining fatal injuries.Basildon Crown Court heard how on 25 February 2018, Jonathan Moore an employee of R4 Industrial Roofing Cladding Systems Ltd was undertaking repairs on a large warehouse roof in the Port of Tilbury when he stepped on a fragile rooflight, which gave way. He fell more than 10 metres to the concrete floor below sustaining fatal injuries.

Waste and recycling company fined for safety failings

A Southport waste and recycling company has been fined after an employee sustained serious injuries to his arm when it became entangled in the automatic roof sheeting mechanism of a visiting articulated truck. Liverpool Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 24 April 2019, the 22-year-old labourer had been working at Johnsons Scrap Metal Limited, assisting in loading a 44 tonne articulated third party vehicle with waste wood. He climbed onto the truck and while standing on the load, he manually levelled some wood that had prevented the automatic roof sheet from completely covering the load.

Commons defeat leaves flat owners facing huge bills to fix cladding

Amendment to fire safety bill could have spared leaseholders costs of up to £100,000 to make their homes safe. A plan to protect leaseholders from the spiralling costs of fixing fire safety problems in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster has been rejected in parliament after the government headed off a cross-party challenge.

Human behaviour: Rule following and risk perception

Group Health and Safety Manager, Joe Smith, tries to get to the bottom of why people do, or don’t, follow the rules and why it takes supervision or disciplinary action before some toe the line and work safely all of the time. My greatest challenge (and perhaps every other practitioner’s challenge) is getting people to follow rules. I get there in the end using the full toolbox of coaching, instructing, cajoling, bribing, disciplining. Whatever is appropriate for that person.