The flats near Cardinal Park were found to be unsafe and in breach of fire safety regulations.  Fire service bosses say they have sent a “clear message” to those who put “lives at risk” after a property firm was found to have endangered residents of flats.

Continuing our series of blogs in the run-up to the General Election, health and safety consultant Carly Hughes CMIOSH looks at some of the key areas she believes the next Government needs to invest in.  

A construction company has been fined following the death of a worker.  Gary Webster lost his life two days after drowning in the River Aire on 30 October 2017.  Mr Webster and another worker had been on a boat removing debris at the bottom of the weir gates at Knostrop Weir when their boat capsized. The boat had been pulled into turbulent water, caused by the considerable flow of water flowing over the top of the weir.

A car wash firm in Devon has been fined £40,000 after it repeatedly failed to protect workers and members of the public from electrical safety risks.  Investigators from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out multiple visits to Best Car Wash Ltd in Tavistock between July 2021 and November 2022. They found employees were carrying out car washing outdoors, using electrical appliances such as pressure washers and vacuum cleaners.

A Wirral hospital trust's 'world-class health and safety practice' has been recognised with a top achievement award for the fifth year running.  By attaining five consecutive Gold Awards, Wirral University Teaching Hospital (WUTH) Trust has received a Gold Medal Award from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) at the 2024 Health and Safety Awards.

Tata Chemicals Europe Limited has been fined after a young father died following an incident while erecting a scaffold tower in a chemical plant in Northwich.  Michael Densmore, from Halewood in Merseyside, died following complications to the wound he sustained after his right foot slipped into a trough containing a liquid chemical calcium hydroxide – more commonly known as ‘milk of lime’ – causing chemical and thermal burns.

A family run and owned skip hire, waste and recycling business in Scotland has been fined £24,000 after a worker sustained serious injuries to his left hand and forearm on the blades of a machine.  Barry Edward Pae, formerly known as Barry Edward Vaughan, an employee of W M Russell & Sons Limited was injured while he attempted to change the blades of a rapid granulator machine. He sustained serious and irreversible injuries which included complete amputation of his left index, middle and ring fingers, and an open fracture to his left wrist following the incident on 9 April 2021.

The long-term health of workers at a wood waste recycling centre was put in danger due to excessive exposure to the dust their work created, a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution has found. Esken Renewables Limited, a waste and recycling company that specialises in generating biofuel from renewable waste, ran a wood waste recycling centre in Middlesborough that processed mixed wood waste, hardwood and softwood into biofuel. 

A worker suffered burns to his face and body after the crowbar he was using came into contact with a live electrical conductor.  The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted a waste management company following the incident on 14 July 2021.

SEVEN IN 10 organisations operating in some of the UK’s biggest industries admit that they are unlikely to comply with on-the-spot Health & Safety Executive (HSE) inspection due to a lack of data proving that their fixed and moveable assets are managed and maintained to the required regulatory standards.  Nearly one fifth (17%) have received enforcement action in the past due to assets not meeting HSE compliance standards, with over 10% receiving an HSE fine.