Making Sense of Health and Safety

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.

Bilston builders fined for height safety failings

Health & Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors made a routine visit to a construction site in Redditch on 8th October 2019 following a report of a fall from height. During the inspection there was evidence of poor management of work at height, and numerous other uncontrolled site safety risks. This included unsafe work on a flat roof where there was no edge protection to prevent a fall from height, even though there had been a fall from the same roof eight days earlier.

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Harvey Tyrrell death: Pub owner jailed over boy's electrocution death

A pub owner has been jailed after admitting responsibility for the death of a seven-year-old boy who was electrocuted in a beer garden.  Harvey Tyrrell suffered a huge electric shock when he touched 'defective' lighting at the King Harold in Romford, east London, on 11 September 2018. David Bearman, 73, pleaded guilty to Harvey's manslaughter and to stealing electricity from an unmetered supply.

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NI firm guilty of corporate manslaughter over roofer’s fatal fall

A roofing specialist has been ordered to pay £75,000 after pleading guilty to the corporate manslaughter of an employee on the outskirts of Belfast.  On 3 December 2016, Scotsman Hugh Thomas Jack was working on an industrial roof in Carryduff, Northern Ireland. The work involved the over-cladding of an existing roof structure with new sheeting.  The 59-year-old fell through an unsecured section of the roof and sustained fatal injuries.

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Waste co must pay £1.2m over fatal vehicle crush

Waste company Enterprise Managed Services, part of Amey, has been ordered to pay a £1.2 million fine after a worker was fatally injured by a reversing vehicle.  On 8 April 2016, Kane Beard was working as part of a four-man collection crew on a routine collection of recyclable waste in Daventry, Northamptonshire.  The 22-year-old tripped and fell under the wheels of the refuse lorry and sustained fatal crush injuries.

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8 common forklift truck hazards managers should look out for

Forklift training provider Mentor reveals some of the most common areas of bad practice that managers should look out for and promptly stamp out.  Managers are responsible for overseeing many aspects of lift truck operations on site, most importantly, ensuring that everyone is working safely. But what do good and bad operating practices look like? Here are a few of the most common examples of dangerous practice that unfortunately still persist on sites. Any issues like these, that put safety at risk, should be resolved immediately to reduce the risk of serious and costly accidents.

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Cost cutting by 'woefully unqualified' tradesmen led to Burnley building collapse

Two 'woefully unqualified' tradesmen who failed to put adequate health and safety precautions in place in order to 'save money', which led to the partial collapse of a building, have avoided prison.  Ajmal Khan, 40, and Daniel Georghiou, 40, were sentenced at Preston Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to contravening health and safety regulations and breaching general duties of an employer.

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New tools to prevent, reduce and manage stress in the workplace

Employers are being urged to review the stress-causing factors in their workplaces and the work that their employees do.  Stress, depression or anxiety account for 51% of all work-related ill health cases and 55% of all working days lost due to work-related ill health. Stress impacts on all sectors and businesses of all sizes and employers have a legal duty to protect employees from stress at work by doing a risk assessment and acting on it.

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10 reasons why health and safety is important to your business

Workplace health and safety is all about sensibly managing risks to protect your workers and your business. Good health and safety management is characterised by strong leadership involving your managers, workers, suppliers, contractors and customers. In a global context, health and safety is also an essential part of the movement towards sustainable development.

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Dorset construction company sentenced after worker falls from height

Cutler Bros. Ltd and its Director, Roger Martin Cutler have been sentenced today after a worker fell through a skylight during the construction of a new farm building in Wimborne.  Poole Magistrates’ Court heard that on 22nd February 2019, a self-employed labourer was working with another colleague to fit roof sheets to the newly constructed steel framed barn.

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Construction company fined for breaching work at height regulations

A construction company has been fined after HSE inspectors found unsafe working at height practises and unsafe crane operations during a routine inspection. Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court heard how on 15 October 2019, a routine inspection in Malvern, Worcestershire, observed a crane in an unsafe position on the roadside.

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