Newsletter

Welcome to our New Health and Safety Brief – your plain English health and safety update. Further information on all featured articles is available.

MOBILE CRANE OVERTURN

Steelmaker fined after mobile crane defect ends in overturn

Corus UK Ltd has been fined £100k after a workman escaped with minor injuries when the crane he was operating overturned at Aldwarke Steel Works in Rotherham on 4 September 2008.Sheffield Crown Court heard that although the crane had been fitted with ’safe working load’ alarms. The alarms were not operational.

 

Training of mobile operator inadequate. After the hearing, HSE Inspector Geoff Clark said: ”This is a serious health and safety breach by a company that globally employs tens of thousands of people which could easily have led to people being killed. The operator was extremely lucky to escape with only minor injuries.

“Today’s hearing highlights the importance of having an effective system in place for managing health and safety to stop easily avoidable incidents. In this case the measures in place were simply inadequate, in particular, there was a substantial failure to provide enough suitable training.” Corus UK Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the HSW Act 1974.

LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE PRAISED ON BBC PROJECT

HSE Chair pays tribute to management on major construction site

Judith Hackitt, Chair of HSE, has visited the £500m Peel Media development in Salford to see how leadership and innovation are helping to ensure site safety.

The visit focussed on how safety is paramount in delivering the 36-acre site at Salford Quays, which will be home to offices, studios, leisure facilities, a hotel and apartments. A new guardrail scaffolding system was highlighted during the visit.

NEW FREE SAFETY LEAFLETS FOR SMALLER BUILDERS

New safety leaflets for construction site builders now on HSE website Four short and plain guides for ’busy builders’ have been posted on the HSE website.

These cover the following issues: (1) Running a small construction site (2) Manual Handling (3) Roofwork and (4) Welfare.

Copies available from Christine@onestopsafetyservices.co.uk

HSE CONSTRUCTION ENFORCEMENT 2009

Construction sector proactive enforcement rising and prosecutions falling

Our provisional analysis of HSE Enforcement Registers suggests that number of HSE Construction Division proactive enforcement notices issued continues to rise and increased 22% during 2009.

The number of prosecution cases fell 9% over the same period.

SMALL BUILDER PROSECUTED FOR UNSAFE SCAFFOLD

Builder fined after workers on extension put at risk

Shane Homes Limited, of Hull has been today fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £799 costs at Beverley Magistrates’ Court on 10 March 2010 after using unsafe scaffolding. The court heard that during a routine inspection on a house extension HSE observed working on scaffolding that was unsafe and posed a risk of serious injury.

HSE ENFORCEMENT WEEKLY UPDATE

Prosecution cases and enforcement notices added to register

The records of enforcement action taken by HSE Construction Division during the week 27 December 2009 to 04 January 2010 were added to the HSE database on 10 March 2010.

There were no construction sector prosecutions added to the HSE Register during this period. There was 1 construction sector enforcement notice added to the HSE Register.

ROOFER FINED AFTER PUBLIC HOUSE VISIT

Merseyside builder fined for putting lives at risk

A Merseyside builder has been fined £1,500 after he and another man were spotted working on a pub roof in St Helens without safety equipment.

HSE prosecuted Charles Molloy (Molloy Building Contractors T/A) after an inspector spotted the men on the roof of the Black Horse Hotel on Park Road on 18 June 2009.

GROUNDWORKER CHEATS EXCAVATION DEATH

Firm fined after worker trapped for two hours in trench collapse

Vickers Construction Limited, has been ordered by Darlington Magistrates to pay over £8k in fines and prosecution costs after a ground worker was injured and trapped for more than two hours when a trench collapsed.

The court heard that the incident occurred in November 2008 as an excavator was being used to open a trench for drainage pipes on a sloping bank near Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH DEVELOPMENTS

‘Fit Notes’ and Health Advice line to support earlier returns to work

From 6 April 2010, doctors will be able to advise if a patient ‘may be fit for work’ and offer advice on the effects of their health condition. Patients may be declared able to work if temporary changes e.g. reduced hours / amended duties could be accommodated.

A new occupational health adviceline is being extended to give every small business in Britain easy access to professional occupational health advice from 1 April 2010.

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