Health and Safety News
We scour the Internet for Health and Safety related news items on an almost daily basis.
The news articles and clippings, curated by MD Safety, highlight the requirements for compliance with UK Health and Safety Legislation and best practice across all industry sectors.
The majority of the information and cases will apply to a greater or lesser degree to our broad range of Clients and lessons to be learned will be able to be gained.
Violence and abuse against shop workers increasing
Violence and abuse against shop workers is on the rise but the perpetrators are rarely prosecuted, according to new research. The retail trade body, the British Retail Consortium (BRC), says there were on average 455 incidents a day in 2019, up 7% on the previous year. It said things have worsened during the coronavirus pandemic and called for greater legal protections for retail workers.
Read MoreJuice manufacturing company fined after worker loses fingers
Fruit juice manufacturer, AMC Freshly Squeezed (UK) Ltd, has been fined after an employee had three fingers of their right hand severed whilst cleaning a screw conveyor.Liverpool Magistrates’ Court heard that on the 25 July 2019, a production operative was carrying out the daily process of cleaning the extraction area at their premises in Whitemoss Business Park in Skelmersdale.
Read MoreNadhim Zahawi says mask wearing will be expected after 19 July
Minister signals harder stance on face coverings in England as soaring Covid infections cause concern. Masks will still be expected in crowded places such as public transport when most remaining Covid restrictions are lifted later this month, a minister has said, in a marked toughening up of rhetoric amid concerns over soaring infection rates.
Read MoreHSE releases annual workplace fatality figures for 2020/21
Provisional data released today shows that a total of 142 workers were killed at work in Great Britain in 2020/21, an increase of 29 from the previous year, though the number of deaths in 2019/20 (113) was low compared to other recent years. In statistical terms the number of fatalities has remained broadly level in recent years – the average annual number of workers killed at work over the five years 2016/17-2020/21 is 136.
Read MoreNew research shines light on technology’s role in lone worker safety
New research amongst over 120 health and safety specialists has highlighted the rising importance of technology to help prevent, manage and respond to workplace risks and adapt to changing working practices, The report, published by lone worker protection specialists Peoplesafe, documents how COVID-19 has created a rise in employee safety requirements and lone working for more than three quarters (77%) of businesses, accelerating technology adoption and making personal safety and mental wellbeing a primary concern.
Read MoreHealth & Safety Executive approach to asbestos management examined
The Work and Pensions Committee launches an inquiry into how the Health & Safety Executive manages the continued presence of asbestos in buildings. Despite the importation, supply and use of the material being banned in the UK since 1999, asbestos remains the largest single cause of work-related fatalities, with more than 5,000 deaths each year from diseases including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.
Read More£1/4 million fine for G4S after employee’s life-changing assault injuries
A security company has been prosecuted after an assault at a young offender’s training facility left a secure care officer in an induced coma. G4S Care and Justice Services (UK) Ltd was fined £250,000 after an employee suffered life-changing injuries when he was assaulted by four young offenders at a training facility in Milton Keynes.
Read MoreGrenfell prompts creation of building safety regulator
A new regulator will be set up with the power to prosecute property developers that do not meet safety standards, the government has announced. The new safety regime is designed to prevent any repetition of the Grenfell Tower disaster, which killed 72 people in 2017.
Read MoreContractor fined after pedestrian dies in its trench
M&S Water Services (Utilities) Ltd was excavating a footpath on Devon Road, Luton to access a stop tap that needed replacing. The stop tap could not be reached by hand and so it was left protected by plastic barriers until a deep dig team could attend a few days later. Luton Crown Court heard that on 28th May 2017, over a bank holiday weekend, a member of the public, Matthew Wilmot, was walking home when he fell into the excavation site. His body was found the next morning.
Read MoreConstruction suicide rates on the increase
Glasgow Caledonian University analysed suicide statistics from 2015 to 2019 and found that the number per 100,000 for construction workers rose from 26 to 29 over the four years. The issue is most acute for construction’s unskilled and blue collar workers, where the suicide rate increased from 48 to just over 73 per 100,000.
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