Health and Safety News

Poor lighting leads to fire escape death and £80,000 fine

Aberdeen Market has been fined £80,000 after admitting to safety failures, following the death of an 80-year-old man in June 2018. Mr Frank Finnie was discovered at the bottom of a fire escape stairwell at the market, with poor lighting found to be the primary cause of the incident after an investigation was carried out. The operator has been prosecuted over a contravention of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005.

Plumbing and heating company fined after employee suffered burns in explosion

A plumbing and heating company has been fined after an employee suffered serious burns following an explosion at a domestic property in Preesall, Lancashire. Blackpool Magistrates’ Court heard that on 13 March 2019, John Leadley Limited had been replacing a gas boiler in the hallway of a bungalow. As part of this work, an employee was soldering new water pipes when there was a sudden explosion, which caused serious burn injuries. The homeowners were in the property at the time of the explosion and were also put at risk of serious injury. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that a flammable atmosphere had developed within the hallway of the property, which was subsequently ignited by a blow torch.

Figures reveal that numbers of people killed have fallen, yet agriculture continues to have the highest rates of worker fatal injury

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has today published a report that reveals agriculture has the worst rate of worker fatal injury in Great Britain. Last year, 21 people were killed in agriculture, one was a child. The report, Fatal injuries in agriculture, forestry and fishing in Great Britain 2019/20, has been published to coincide with the start of Farm Safety Week (20 – 24 July). Led by the Farm Safety Foundation charity, the week shines a light on safety and wellbeing in the sector. The HSE statistics highlight that agriculture continues to have the worst rate of worker fatal injury; eighteen times higher than the average rate across all industries.

Draft Building Safety Bill announced by UK government

Alongside the Fire Safety Bill and fire safety consultation, the Building Safety Bill is said to be bringing the “biggest improvements to building safety in nearly 40 years”. The Draft Bill was announced yesterday (20 July) by Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. The 334-page long bill is in response to the findings of Dame Judith Hackitt’s Building a Safer Future, originally published in May 2018 following an independent review of fire safety in buildings as a result of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

HSE hits northern hot spot for COVID compliance spot checks

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is targeting Yorkshire for COVID compliance spot-checks after a spate of outbreaks. The regulator said it is checking that businesses are aware of the Safer Workplace guidance and advising where necessary on improvements needed to ensure the workplace is COVID secure. 'Inspectors are out and about visiting businesses across the city [of Bradford] and surrounding areas, putting employers on the spot and checking that they are complying with the latest guidance,' said the safety watchdog in a statement.

Firm fined £310,000 after workers’ fingers amputated

A meat processing firm has been fined after two workers had their fingers amputated by machines. A 37-year-old employee was working on the Lorne sausage processing line at what was then the Halls of Scotland factory on Glenburn Road, Prestwick.

COVID-19 risk assessments: better late than never

Last week finally saw the publication of a comprehensive guide to what should be included within the COVID-19 risk assessments the government has been imploring businesses to prepare since early May. Containing consistent themes for our new world of work, here are the top 10 things that struck me upon reading it.

Bow crane collapse: One dead and four injured in crane collapse

A woman died and four people were injured when a crane collapsed on to houses and a block of flats which were being built in London. The 20m (65ft) crane crashed on to the development and two terrace houses in Compton Close, Bow, before 14:40 BST. The woman was found on the first floor of one of the houses and died at the scene. Four others were injured, including two people taken to hospital for head injuries.

COVID spot checks ramp up for the HSE

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is carrying out spot checks on businesses that have reopened since the UK went into lockdown. The UK regulator’s inspectors are visiting workplaces across a range of sectors following up any reports or concerns about safety in the workplace including over COVID-19 and ensuring compliance. They are also carrying out proactive checks to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to protect workers from COVID-19, the safety authority confirmed to IOSH magazine.

HSE releases annual workplace fatality figures for 2019/20

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has today released its annual figures for the number of work-related fatalities in 2019/20, as well as the number of people known to have died from the asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma, in 2018. The provisional annual data for work-related fatal accidents revealed that 111 workers were fatally injured at work between April 2019 and March 2020 (a rate of 0.34 deaths per 100,000 workers), the lowest year on record. This represents a fall of 38 deaths from the previous year, though it is likely that this fall was accentuated by the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on the economy in the final two months of the year.