Health and Safety News

Nuclear site pleads guilty over high voltage injury

The operator of the world's largest nuclear site has been fined £320,000 after an electrician’s eyelashes were burned off and his shirt caught fire while working on high voltage equipment. Sellafield was prosecuted following what an inspector described as an 'entirely avoidable' incident in which a worker suffered 15-20% burns at the site near Seascale in West Cumbria.

Tesco must pay £300,000 after roll cage crush

Supermarket giant Tesco has been prosecuted for safety failings after a worker was crushed by a roll cage. Piotr Grzela was unloading a lorry outside a Tesco Metro store in Oxford when a trolley stacked with juice cartons toppled on to him and crushed him against the pavement. He sustained two severe open leg fractures, severed blood vessels and a wrist fracture. He spent six weeks in hospital and is yet to return to work.

Drivers warned of financial implications of drink drive convictions

Road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, has warned motorists of the severe financial penalty they could face as the consequence of a drink drive conviction. The charity has calculated that the personal financial cost of drink driving could be as high as £70,000 or more when taking into account fines, legal fees, higher car insurance premiums, alternative transport costs and potential loss of earnings following conviction.

Yoghurt and dessert manufacturer prosecuted after agency worker’s fingers amputated

A food company specialising in dairy products has been prosecuted after an agency worker suffered severe injuries when their fingers were caught in machinery. Walsall Magistrates’ Court heard that following the incident on 12 July 2016, an agency worker had to have their middle finger amputated below the second knuckle, lost half their index finger and had their third finger amputated to the first knuckle. The agency employee was working as a box maker on a machine known as a tray erector, at the company’s Minsterley site in Shropshire, when the incident occurred.

The NEW Official HSE Health and Safety App - guidance at your fingertips

HSE's mission is to prevent death, injury and ill-health in Great Britain's workplaces. Ensuring that guidance is available and accessible in a variety of formats is central to achieving this objective. The HSE app is now available as a public beta and can be downloaded at an introductory rate of only £2.99 from the Apple iOS store and the Google Play Store.

'Landmark' city centre hotel fined £24,000 for health and safety failings

The owners of Bradford’s iconic Midland Hotel have been fined £24,000 after admitting a number of health and safety charges, including that they failed to act fast enough to deal with asbestos in the building. But Peel Hotels was told that it would have been fined “a six figure sum” had the company, and the hospitality industry in general, not been left in such a perilous financial situation due to the Covid 19 pandemic.

Company fined after worker suffers crush injury

Chemical company, Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare (UK) Ltd (Reckitt Benckiser Ltd), was fined for safety breaches after a worker had his left arm crushed in a bottle filling machine. The 25-year-old worker suffered an open crush injury to his left forearm at the company’s site in Dansom Lane South, Kingston upon Hull. He also sustained tendon damage to the forearm, wrist and hand, Grimsby Magistrates Court was told.

Oldham business owner loses appeal against conviction over health and safety failings

A MAN jailed over health and safety failing which led to his building in Oldham to collapse into the ground in the middle of the day has lost an appeal against his conviction. King’s House building was being converted from an office space into a shisha bar in August 2016 when disaster struck the day after it was reported to the local authority over business concerns.

AWE pleads guilty to health and safety offence

THE ATOMIC Weapons Establishment (AWE) has been fined £660,000 after pleading guilty to an offence under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act (1974). AWE was also ordered to pay costs of £9,945.71 during a virtual hearing at High Wycombe Magistrates Court.

Safety experts take season’s goodwill to those sleeping in bins

While the Christmas story celebrates a magical night in a stable, a sad and dangerous reality of the festive season for a growing number of people sleeping rough in the UK is taking shelter in a waste bin. Sadly, there will be thousands of vulnerable people who are tempted to do this, not just over Christmas but all year round, risking unimaginable death or injury from crushing by being unknowingly tipped into a bin lorry.