A company which provides shipping services, cargo handling and storage has been fined after a worker severed part of his finger while at work.  Dundee Sheriff Court heard that on 13 July 2021 Gordon McMillan, 55 at the time of the incident, works as a ‘stevedore’ (steve-eh-door), a role which involves the dockside loading and unloading of ships and goods vehicles, was injured when operating a table saw.

MD Safety comment:  Agan this unfortunate case highlights the need for FLT operators to wear seat belts.

An Oldham-based haulage company has been fined more than £85,000 after a fork lift truck driver was killed while loading a heavy goods vehicle (HGV).  Ian Dawson, 60, of Rochdale, was loading pallets onto the HGV at Chorlton Express Transport Limited on 19 November 2020. As he was doing this, the HGV moved forward, causing the fork lift truck to overturn. Mr Dawson, who was not wearing a seat belt, was trapped beneath the vehicle, and died as a result of his injuries.

A food manufacturer has been ordered to pay fines of more than £800,000 for safety failings after two separate incidents led to two workers having their fingers amputated.  On 16 November 2022, a 22-year-old worker at Pork Farms’ bakery in Nottingham had one of his fingers amputated after his hand became trapped trying to clear a blockage on a conveyor. Little more than a month later, on 24 December 2022, 19-year-old Mahamad Hassan also had a finger amputated after his hand came into contact with a rotating conveyor driveshaft at Pork Farms’ nearby Riverside Bakery. We spoke to HSE inspector Tim Nicholson about the two cases and how he investigated both.

UV protection at work should be a priority for all, but laissez-faire attitudes are a cause for concern. How can OSH professionals raise awareness and safeguard workers?  Working outdoors poses many risks for employees, including exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. But according to a YouGov survey of 4435 respondents, of whom 558 were outdoor workers, precautionary measures are not always taken (SC Johnson Ltd, 2023). It found that a third of outdoor workers never apply sunscreen at work, and 34% of them claimed nothing would encourage them to do so. A third of those who never use UV protection at work said that they didn’t think it was necessary and 28% stated that they didn’t burn easily in the sun, citing this as their reason. 

A company in Doncaster has been fined after an employee was killed when a mixer wagon fell onto him.  The 52-year-old man was fatally crushed by the vehicle at Booth Mixer Hire Limited’s site at Bankend Quarry on 9 December 2019.  He had been replacing the wagon’s two front wheels when it fell on top of him.

A company has been fined after an inspection by Britain’s workplace regulator found workers were being exposed to excessive levels of wood dust.  Breathing in wood dust excessively can cause asthma and nasal cancer.  The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited Target Furniture Limited’s workshop on Studland Road in Kingsthorpe, Northampton on 26 May 2022 and found significant amounts of wood dust around the site and unsafe machinery, requiring Prohibition Notices to be issued.

A company that grows mushrooms has been fined after an employee’s leg became trapped in a machine and was later amputated.  Luka Ilic’s right leg was caught by the rotating blades of a mushroom filling machine and became stuck in the device’s moving parts on 16 October 2019.

Dr Karen McDonnell, RoSPA’s Occupational Health and Safety Policy Adviser, discusses the benefits of having older workers and the considerations employers should make to ensure they remain safe and healthy.

This April, Britain’s bosses are being invited to follow five simple steps to prevent and reduce stress in their workplace.  The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Working Minds campaign has called on employers to support workers mental health during Stress Awareness Month.

An investigation has been launched after a reality TV star died after falling from height at work.  George Gilbey, who appeared in Gogglebox and Celebrity Big Brother, was working as a self-employed electrician at a site in Essex.  According to local news reports, Essex Police said they had arrested a man on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection to the 40-year-old's death.