The Firechief team explains why there are increasing concerns over lithium battery fires from items such as e-scooters, and advises on what to use if an incident were to occur.  Historically, the focus on significant causes of fires and deaths in the domestic environment has shifted between the decades. In the 1970s and 80s, emphasis was on the presence of paraffin heaters, electric blankets and most significantly, foam filled furniture in the home, while in the 1990s it was the lack of smoke alarms for early warning and the 2000s it was white goods, particularly tumble dryers. A number of these well-publicised risk factors have had a key part to play in the development of contemporary fire safety legislation.

New HSE research has revealed that respirators/masks which rely on ear loops (including those provided with clips, ‘snuggers’ or other means of tightening the fit of the mask) to hold the respirator/mask in place, do not protect people adequately when used as tight fitting respiratory protective equipment (RPE).

The New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau (OHSB) issued a Willful-Serious citation last week against Rust Movie Productions, LLC (RMP) for the avoidable death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and the severe injury of director Joel Souza on the set of the film Rust on October 21, 2021.   Hutchins, 42 years old, was a 2015 graduate of the American Film Institute Conservatory and considered a rising star in the industry. She was killed when actor Alec Baldwin, who was also a producer of the film, accidentally fired a prop gun while rehearsing a scene of the Western. Souza, 48, was wounded in the shoulder by the same bullet.

A jam and preserve manufacturer has been prosecuted after a worker sustained multiple fractures after falling from a ladder.  Llandudno Magistrates’ court heard how on the 6 April 2020, a worker was installing a security camera on the outside of The Clarendon Food Company Limited production building in Pwllheli, using an unsecured ladder. The ladder slipped and the worker fell approximately 15ft sustaining multiple fractures to his right arm, left leg, cheekbone and a dislocation of his backbone

A North West company that manufactures soft furnishings has been fined after an employee sustained serious hand injuries whilst working on an automatic duvet rolling machine.  Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard that on 13 November 2018, two employees of Azura Soft Furnishings (UK) Limited had been instructed to sew and pack duvets by the company’s managing director, Mr Tariq Majid.  The machine was being trialled by the company.

IOSH has urged caution after a parliamentary committee recommended that the government set a 40-year deadline to remove asbestos from all public and commercial buildings.  The Work and Pensions Committee’s report, The Health and Safety Executive’s Approach to Asbestos Management, published on 21 April, calls on the government to commit to a strategy to remove all asbestos from public and commercial buildings by 2062 and to ramp up funding to boost enforcement activity.

Stonegate Pub Company has pleaded not guilty to four health and safety charges brought by Durham County Council following the death of Olivia Burt on 7 February 2018.  Burt, a 20-year-old first-year university student studying natural sciences, was killed after a metal barrier collapsed while she and her friends queued outside Missoula Nightclub in Durham city centre. Missoula is owned by Stonegate Pub Company, the largest pub owning company in the UK.

Workplace wellbeing has long been a priority for many HR professionals, managers and businesses, however, it’s only in more recent times that the emphasis has extended beyond physical health and safety to the mental and emotional wellness of employees.  The most recent guidelines published by The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on 2nd March 2022 revealed that mindfulness, meditation and yoga were most effective overall in reducing job stress and mental health symptoms and having a positive effect on employee mental wellbeing, with further evidence proving that these interventions were effective when delivered either in a group or online.

A Manchester construction company was fined after much of a three-bedroom domestic property in Stretford collapsed during a loft conversion and ground floor extension work.  Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard that on 4 May 2020, Mughal Construction Limited had been carrying out a loft conversion when it collapsed, causing workers to flee from the site. The building had insufficient temporary supports and workers did not have sufficient skills, knowledge and experience, to carry out the work safely.

MPs have called for a 40-year deadline for all asbestos to be removed from public and commercial buildings.   The Work and Pensions Select Committee said asbestos remained the biggest cause of work-related deaths in the UK.  More than 5,000 such fatalities were recorded in 2019.