Health and Safety News

Fines escalate for health & safety violations

Figures from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) show that fines for health and safety offences have increased by almost 450% since the introduction in February 2016 of new sentencing guidelines. The construction industry has been hit hard by this tougher regime, with penalties for health and safety offences amounting to £15.7m in 2018/19 alone, at an average of £107,000 per conviction.

Festive period travel: Keeping employees safe over Christmas

There’s the work Christmas party for one thing, which could be mean some later than usual travel. If there are shifts to be worked on bank holidays, it’s likely that public transport will be unavailable. And, during those days between Boxing Day and New Year, fewer people are around to share lifts and travel together. It’s therefore important to remember your duty of care as an employer. After work team drinks, for example, employers have a responsibility for their workers’ actions and safety because social events are seen as an extension of the workplace, regardless of the time or place. In fact, even when the event has finished, employers could still be held responsible should something happen to their staff. From both a moral and business point of view, it is imperative that all employers do what they can to make sure that staff get home safely.

Company sentenced following serious incident in sewer

A water and wastewater company has been fined following an incident in which three workers were carried along a sewer following the collapse of a 150-year-old sewer gate. Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard that, on 29 August 2017, three workers were carrying out preparatory work in a sewer for the Thames Tideway Tunnel at East Greenwich, which is controlled by Thames Water Utilities Limited (TWUL). A 150-year-old cast iron penstock failed engulfing the workers and carrying them along the sewer. The three workers suffered minor physical injuries but have been mentally affected. One worker has been treated for the long-term traumatic stress because of the incident which has prevented him from continuing work in his specialised career.

Mild steel welding fume reclassified as a human carcinogen: How to avoid the damaging health effects of welding fume

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) released a safety alert for those undertaking welding activities, including mild steel, in any industry. In order to protect workers, the HSE is strengthening its enforcement expectation for exposure control for all welding fume including mild and stainless steels, high chrome steels, armour plating and exotic metals. Prior to this new regulation there were guidelines around the risk posed by welding fumes and the types of protection that could be used and implemented. Simon explains that the level of risk posed was determined by the Health and Safety Manager in the place of work, based on the concentration of welding fumes in the working environment, the length of exposure, the type of weld fume and so on. Based on these factors, the Safety Manager then would suggest the level and methods of control required for the worker to be safe.

Protecting people with disabilities – A concern for all of us

December is a good month to think about the safety needs of everybody in our communities and to remember that those needs aren’t all the same. For all safety and security teams, not just at campuses and universities like mine, this is particularly important. We have a legal, duty of care obligation to ensure that help is accessible to people with disabilities when they need it. The need to support those with disabilities is reinforced by a variety of regulations across the globe, including the UK’s Equality Act.

Metal company fined for non-compliance

A LINCOLNSHIRE metal fabrication company has been fined for not complying with three improvement notices issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Boston Magistrates’ Court heard that, in December 2018, W S Barrett & Son Limited was issued with three improvement notices relating to testing wood dust and powder coating local exhaust ventilation (LEV), and providing LEV for welding fume extraction on its site in Boston, Lincolnshire. Improvement notices are legal documents requiring improvements to be made by a specified date. WS Barrett & Son Limited failed to comply with all three notices by the completion date. An investigation by HSE found that the company was first advised of the problem in February 2018 but did not act following receipt of a Notification of Contravention letter. A further visit by HSE in December 2018 found the company had still not made the necessary improvements. A subsequent follow up visit in April 2019 showed they still had not done the work to meet the improvement notices.

Engineering company fined after two workers suffer serious injuries

An engineering company has been fined after two workers were seriously injured after being thrown from the chuck of a large vertical boring machine. Birmingham Magistrates’ Court heard that on 5 September 2018, two employees of Sulzer Electro Mechanical Services (UK) Limited, were standing on the chuck of a large vertical boring machine at a site in Bordesley, Birmingham, to set it. The start button was inadvertently pressed and, despite the interlocked perimeter fencing access doors being open, the chuck started to rotate.

Do you need mental health first aiders in your workplace?

Trained colleagues can provide a first port of call during a crisis, but not at the expense of a more comprehensive wellbeing strategy, says Alex Read. In recent years there has been a significant shift in the way we talk about mental health, both in our personal lives and at work. However, despite growing awareness of the issue, for many talking about mental health at work is still taboo. While it’s encouraging to see more employers making changes to normalise this, the reality is that it remains an incredibly complex issue – especially when it comes to considering how to support individual employees’ needs. So it probably won’t be a surprise to learn that mental health is top of mind for many bosses, with a recent survey finding that 62 per cent of HR, wellbeing and benefits specialists agreed that mental health was their board’s biggest area of concern.

Cable strike lands cladding firm with £20k fine

Unique Envelope Façade Solutions has been fined £20,160 after failing to protect its self-employed workers from the risk of a cable strike explosion or electrocution while carrying out repairs at a site in Coventry. On 28 November 2018, two self-employed workers were using a drill to attach a prefabricated cowling to a cable tray. One of the fixings went into a cable, striking one of the phases and causing an explosion. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Unique Envelope Facade’s risk assessments and method statements did not consider the risk of drilling into cable trays containing live cables, isolating the electrics to complete work or other methods of fixing which did not involve drilling.

Worker permanently paralysed after fall

On 7 August 2018, an employee of Ian Ramsay was severely injured when he fell from height whilst installing a roof ladder on a pitched roof at a property in Mawsley, Northamptonshire. The fall resulted in the employee being permanently paralysed from the chest down. The homeowners hired Mr Ramsay to paint the exterior windows and soffit boards of their property, including the painting of dormer windows within their roof. The employee was in the process of setting up ladders to access the dormer windows when he fell from height.