health and safety news - april 2009

8/14/2019 Health and Safety News - April 2009

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ealth and Safety News: April 2009

Health and Safety News

explos ion United Press International - Five

in jured in Moscow p ipe l ine exp los ion

Thursday, 30 April 2 009

Sorry seems to be the hardest wordThe vast majority of UK employers fail to apologise when their staffsuffer work-related accidents or injuries, according to a new surveyfrom the National Accident Helpline.

In the survey of employees who had been injured at work, 97 per centsaid that their boss had not taken any personal responsibility for whathad happened.

John Campbell, legal director of National Accident Helpline, said thatthe results showed that employers still did not take enough personalresponsibility for the welfare of their staff: Health and safety in the

workplace must be more than just a box ticking exercise; if anemployer is not truly invested in ensuring his employees are safe andwell then, not only will he have difficulties retaining staff but he willleave himself open to financial redress should an accident occur.

Source .

at 01:11 0 com m en ts Labels: acc iden t , heal th and safety , in jury, responsib i l i ty

10 times more people die from hazardoussubstances than from workplace accidentsContact with a wide range of chemicals and other hazardoussubstances at work is endangering the health of workers acrossEurope, according to the latest report by the European Agency forSafety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA).

Expert Forecast on Emerging Chemical Risks - identifies the maingroups of substances that could pose new and increasing risks toworkers, contributing to diseases that range from allergies, asthma,and infertility to cancers.

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10% of workers in Europe report having inhaled vapours and a further19% claim to have breathed in dust, fumes or smoke in theworkplace.

Read m ore...

at 01:08 0 com m en ts Labels: al lergy, asthma , cancer , chemica ls , dust , fumes,hazard, OSHA , sm oke

Wednesday, 29 April 2009

A(H1N1) virus samples on their way to MRC flu centreVirus isolates from American and Mexican patients are on their way tothe National Institute for Medical Research for analysis and ongoingvirus monitoring work. These will come from the Centre for DiseaseControl in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Dr Alan Hay will be leading efforts at NIMR to monitor any evolution inthe virus.

He explains: These isolates come from clinical samples nasalswabs from which the virus is grown in cell culture in a dish. Theseindividual samples of the virus are needed in order to analyse how itis changing over time and from one patient to another.

The World Influenza Centre at NIMR is one of a few WHOCollaborating Centres on Influenza that together with many WHONational Influenza Centres around the world will be taking part in thismonitoring and analysis work and anticipates receiving further virussamples from patients in the UK and from countries around the world

in the coming days and weeks.

Dr Hay added: Our expertise and facilities allow us to characterisethe virus, develop antiserum and compare different cases, lookingparticularly at antigenic drift that is monitoring changes in the virusthat could have an impact on its susceptibility to drugs or thesuitability of different vaccines. This will be the crucial question in thecoming weeks and constitute ongoing work until the epidemic comesto an end.

The work on the structure and evolution of the virus will feed into thedevelopment of a potential vaccine. Scientists at NIMR are workingclosely with colleagues at the Health Protection Agency to make suretheir work is coordinated.

Responding to reports that the World Health Organisation WorldInfluenza Centre at the National Institute for Medical Research said itwas "inevitable people would die from swine flu", Dr Alan Hay,Director of the WHO World Influenza Centre made the comment inthe following context:

All flu including seasonal flu - has an associated mortality. Peoplein the UK die from influenza every year and if swine flu was epidemicin the UK then it is likely people would die. The number of cases overthe next few days and weeks will be crucial. At this stage, theconfirmed cases of swine-like flu in the UK are very few and so farpeople are only experiencing mild symptoms. Therefore it is importantto continue to remain calm.

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Source .

2009 Medical Research Council

at 09:22 0 com m en ts Labels: epidemic , heal th , MRC , pandemic , sw ine flu , WHO

Prosecuting HomicideMurder and manslaughter are two of the offences that constitutehomicide.

Manslaughter can be committed in one of three ways:

* killing with the intent for murder but where there is provocation,diminished responsibility or a suicide pact.* conduct that was grossly negligent given the risk of death, andresulted in death.* conduct, taking the form of an unlawful act involving a danger ofsome harm, that caused death.

With some exceptions,the crime of murder is committed, where aperson:

of sound mind and discretion (i.e. sane)unlawfully kills (i.e. not self-defence or other justified killing)any reasonable creature (human being)in being (born alive and breathing through its own lungs)under the Queen's Peacewith intent to kill or cause grievous bodily harm.

There are other specific homicide offences, for example, infanticide,causing death by dangerous driving, and corporate manslaughter.

Source .

at 08:36 0 com m en ts Labels: Corporate Manslaughter , law , leg is la t ion ,regula t ion

We should not panic about swine fluPROFESSOR JOH N OXFORD, VI ROLOGY EXPERT ATBARTS AND THE LONDON

If the avian flu H5N1 virus had spread from human to human like thisthen I would be extremely worried. It would be top of my Richterscale.

But this swine flu worries me less because as a population we have abasic immunity to H1N1.

And not only are we coming up to the summer, which makes it less

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likely for these viruses to spread as well, but Britain has enoughantiviral drugs for half of the population.

So we should not panic in any way. This does not look as though it isgoing to be a virus that sweeps the world and causes huge mortality.

Source .

at 08:31 0 com m en ts Labels: heal th , i l lness, n e w s , pandemic , sw ine f lu

Sw ine flu in the UKA 12-year-old girl is among five people in the UK who have contractedswine flu after visiting Mexico, the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown hasconfirmed.

Two adults - one from Redditch, Worcs and one from south London -are also undergoing treatment, as are the two previously confirmedcases in Scotland.

The girl's school, Paignton Community College in Devon, has shutand pupils will be offered anti-viral drugs.

Mr Brown sa id a l l those w i th t he v i rus w ere respondingw e l l to t rea tment .

Source .

BBC

at 08:25 0 com m en ts Labels: heal th , i l lness, n e w s , sw ine flu

Get ready for flu outbreakbusinesses warnedFollowing the deaths of around 100 people in Mexico from swine flu,and suspected cases in the UK, the Institution of Occupational Safetyand Health (IOSH), the worlds largest body for health and safetyprofessionals, is calling on employers to step up their preparations fora possible pandemic flu outbreak.

Nattasha Freeman, the President of IOSH, said that a possiblepandemic was something businesses needed to prepare for now, notonce it is happening closer to home:

The government and public health officials are already taking stepsto prepare the country for a possible pandemic, and its right that theyshould do so. But employers can play a role in ensuring their staffcope, services are maintained and businesses continue to operate.

A pandemic can spread rapidly. So organisations need to be flexibleand prepare contingency plans in case a large number of staff, ortheir relatives, suddenly fall ill because of the virus.

Theres no need to panic, but employers should follow government

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advice. It will still be possible for people to continue their everydayactivities in most cases without any constraints, she added.

Employers with workers at particular risk of exposure (e.g. healthcareworkers) are advised to follow specific HSE guidance. However, thereare some steps all organisations can take that will help to protectthem and their staff if a pandemic strikes. IOSH is advisingcompanies to consider the following 10 points:

1. Have a plan you will probably only get two weeks notice of thestart of a pandemic - but this only gives you time to communicate your

policy, not to start thinking about it.

2. Identify what tasks are essential to your core business and keystaff think about how you can cover these jobs safely during thepandemic. Training for some staff may be necessary. You should alsoidentify employees with existing chronic medical conditions likeasthma, who are more likely to be severely affected.

3. Review personnel policies and reduce bureaucracy employeeswho are ill or think they are ill need to be encouraged to stay at homeand to seek medical advice.

4. Encourage flexible working practices this might meanencouraging people to work from home or flexible hours to enable

employees to look after ill dependents, look after children if schoolsare closed and to reduce the time spent on public transport, wherethere is more chance of being infected.

5. Consider suppliers and sub contractors ensure they havecontinuity measures in place and are aware of your plan.

6. Review your cleaning contract maintaining a high level of hygienein the workplace is important. Consider disinfecting door handles andtelephones and providing anti-bacterial hand gel for staff and visitorsto use.

7. Encourage employees to take personal responsibility to protectthemselves encourage hand washing, wearing gloves on public

transport, disposing of tissues so that cleaners dont come intocontact with them and covering nose and mouth when coughing or

sneezing.

8. Consider cancelling conferences or meetings - why not hold videoconferences or online meetings instead?

9. If you decide to go ahead with an event, use a risk assessment toidentify the precautions that can be taken to minimise the spread ofinfection this might include cleaning the room and ensuring it is wellventilated, providing good hand washing facilities and trying to avoidpeople queuing at entrances or in catering areas.

10. Keep in touch with government advice.

Source .

at 07:41 0 com m en ts Labels: emergency p lanning , HSE , IOSH , pandemic , sw inef lu

http://www.iosh.co.uk/index.cfm?go=news.release&id=626http://handsnews.blogspot.com/2009/04/get-ready-for-flu-outbreak-businesses.htmlhttps://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1716755106394065386&postID=5490385471358970607http://handsnews.blogspot.com/search/label/emergency%20planninghttp://handsnews.blogspot.com/search/label/HSEhttp://handsnews.blogspot.com/search/label/IOSHhttp://handsnews.blogspot.com/search/label/pandemichttp://handsnews.blogspot.com/search/label/swine%20fluhttp://handsnews.blogspot.com/search/label/swine%20fluhttp://handsnews.blogspot.com/search/label/swine%20fluhttp://handsnews.blogspot.com/search/label/swine%20fluhttp://handsnews.blogspot.com/search/label/pandemichttp://handsnews.blogspot.com/search/label/IOSHhttp://handsnews.blogspot.com/search/label/HSEhttp://handsnews.blogspot.com/search/label/emergency%20planninghttp://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=1716755106394065386&postID=5490385471358970607https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1716755106394065386&postID=5490385471358970607http://handsnews.blogspot.com/2009/04/get-ready-for-flu-outbreak-businesses.htmlhttp://www.iosh.co.uk/index.cfm?go=news.release&id=626


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'Swine flu' misnamed?What's in a name? U.S. pork producers are finding that the name ofthe virus spreading from Mexico is affecting their business, promptingU.S. officials to argue for changing the name from swine flu.

At a news briefing, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitanoand Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack took pains to repeatedly referto the flu as the "H1N1 virus."

"This is not a food-borne illness, virus. It is not correct to refer to it asswine flu because really that's not what this is about," Vilsack said.

Israel has already rejected the name swine flu, and opted to call it"Mexico flu." Jewish dietary laws forbid eating pork.

The Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health also objectedto the name, saying the v i rus cont a ins av ian and humancom ponents and no p ig so far has been found i l l w i ththe d isease .

And there is growing sentiment in the farm sector to call it the NorthAmerican virus -- although disease expert Anthony Fauci told aSenate hearing the "swine flu" designation reflected scientific namingprotocol.

For U.S. pork producers the swine flu name has hurt, forcinggovernment officials into the position of stressing that American porkis safe to eat and that other countries should not ban imports.

Pork, soybean and corn prices have fallen in the last two days, "and ifthis continues, obviously you have significant potential, which is whyit's important to get this right," Vilsack said.

At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there was alsotalk of stripping the "swine" from swine flu, which CDC acting directorRichard Besser said was leading to the misapprehension that peoplecan catch the disease from pork.

"That's not helpful to pork producers. That's not helpful to people who

eat pork. It's not helpful to people who are wondering, how can theyget this infection," Besser told a briefing.

Source .

Copyright 2009 Yahoo! All rights reserved.

at 04:55 0 com m en ts Labels: heal th , i l lness, n e w s , pandemic , sw ine f lu

Tuesday, 28 April 2009

'Too late' to contain swine fluThe swine f lu v i rus f ir s t de tec ted in Mex ico can nolonger be cont a ined and countr ies should focus onmi t igat ing i ts e f fect s, a top UN of f ic ia l sa id .

World Health Organization deputy chief Keiji Fukuda was speaking asthe WHO raised its alert level to four, or two steps short of a fullpandemic.

UN food inspectors are going to Mexico to examine reports that

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industrial pig farms were the source of the outbreak.

The number of probable deaths from the virus there has risen to 152.

The US, Canada, Spain and Britain have confirmed cases of thevirus, but not deaths have been reported outside Mexico.

'Not inevitable'

Alert level four means the virus is showing a sustained ability to passfrom human to human and is able to cause community-level

outbreaks.

Mr Fukuda said this was a "significant step towards pandemicinfluenza" but a pandemic should not be c onsideredinev i tab le .

Orig ina l ar t ic le c ont inues. ..

BBC News

at 02:08 0 com m en ts Labels: heal th , n e w s , pandemic , sw ine f lu , Uni ted Nat ions ,WHO

Offshore worker missingAt 3am on Tuesday 28 April 2009, the Health and Safety Executive(HSE) was informed that a male worker at the Beryl Alpha offshoreplatform had been reported as missing. A full scale emergency searchand rescue response with police and the other emergency services iscurrently underway. HSE is liaising closely with Exxon Mobile and theemergency services.

Source .

at 02:05 0 com m en ts Labels: heal th and safety , HSE , missing , n e w s , of fshore ,pol ice

Friday, 24 April 2 009

B&Q death probeA 59-year-old bus driver has become the tenth person to be killed orinjured by falling objects in British and Irish B&Q stores since 1997.

Michael ORourke, who was shopping in the DIY chains outlet inTallaght, Dublin, died after fencing units fell on him from a high shelf.A B&Q worker also narrowly avoided injury in the incident last month.

Irelands safety watchdog the Health and Safety Authority told EHN itwas investigating the death.

Brian Mooney, the director of B&Q Ireland, said the firm would beworking with the HSA and the Irish police to establish the cause of the

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accident.

Were all devastated by the accident at our Tallaght store and aresupporting the HSA with their ongoing investigations, alongside ourown, to understand how its happened. Our thoughts remain with thefamily and friends of the deceased, he said.

The death comes after B&Q was named by the Local BetterRegulation Officer in the UK as one of the first four major businessesto sign up to its flagship primary authority scheme. The scheme aimsto put an end to costly inconsistent regulation by giving multi-site

businesses a single local authority to provide advice and co-ordinateprosecutions.

The LBRO told EHN it would be inappropriate to comment on theincident or on B&Qs wider safety record but expressed condolencesto the dead mans family.

The accident is currently being investigated by the HSA and thegardai, so on this basis alone it is inappropriate for LBRO tocomment. However, we would like to extend our sympathy to thefamily of the victim, said a spokesperson.

The LBRO added that the primary authority scheme applies only inthe UK and does not extend to Ireland.

The B&Q primary authority, Eastleigh Borough Council, told EHN thatit was aware of the latest incident but was satisfied that the companyhad taken steps to prevent a repeat in the UK.

Im satisfied that the steps they have taken will not result in arepetition in the UK.

The specific issues raised by this accident have been actionedcountry-wide, said senior EHO Hedley Trembath.

But he said he could not discuss the steps the company had takenbecause under the terms of the primary authority agreement he wasnot allowed to talk to the press.

It says "I am not allowed to talk to the press without the consent ofthe company". I can therefore only talk in generalities, he said.

B&Q told EHN it had made changes following the accident at theTallaght store.

We have made some immediate changes to how we store ourproducts at height and will consider any recommendations made bythe HSA as a result of their investigations for how we might furtherenhance this, said a spokesperson.

Source .

2009 Chartered Institute of Environmental Health

Fur ther In format ion about B& Q Acc idents.

2008 B&Q employee knocked unconscious when a lawnmower fell onher in the West Midlands. Fined 28,000

2007 A succession of dislodged kitchen doors fell on three customersand a paramedic in Worthing. Fined 15,000.

2004 Door display fell on a customers head in Glasgow. Fined10,000

2001 Unsecured sun loungers fell 2m on two people. Fined 5,000

http://www.cieh.org/ehn/bnq_death_probe.html?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ehn_tech_240409%20(1)&utm_content=http://www.cieh.org/ehn/bnq_death_probe.html?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ehn_tech_240409%20(1)&utm_content=


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2000 Wood pallet blown from racking hits shopper. Fined 5,000

1997 Worktops fall onto a contractor causing spinal, brain and limbinjuries. Fined 3,000

at 03:21 0 com m en ts Labels: acc iden t , B and Q, CIEH , EH N , fa ta l i t y , heal th andsa fe ty

First company to face manslaughter chargeThe first case under a new corporate manslaughter law has beenbrought against a firm after one of its employees was buried alivewhen a pit collapsed.

Junior geologist Alexander Wright, 27, was taking soil samples from adevelopment site near Stroud, in Gloucestershire, when the pit hewas working in collapsed on top of him, crushing him to death.

Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings is accused of gross negligenceleading to the death of Mr Wright last September.

One of the firm's directors, Peter Eaton, is also charged with grossnegligence manslaughter and both he and the company also facehealth and safety charges.

The aim of the Corporate Manslaughter Act is to make it easier forfirms to be brought to justice over the death of their employees. Thefirm is facing an unlimited fine, while Mr Eaton could get lifeimprisonment.

In previous cases of this sort, the prosecution was required to provethere was a "controlling mind" at fault.

Mr Eaton will appear before Stroud Magistrates' Court on June 17.

Source .

Copyright Press Association 2009

at 03:04 0 com m en ts Labels: Corporate Manslaughter , crushed , excava t ion ,fa ta l i t y , negl igence , prosecu t ion


H&S in the w orkplace - director leadershipEveryone knows that directors are used to taking responsibility for allaspects of their enterprise. Yet a recent telephone survey of 1600directors across the public, private and voluntary sectors, discoveredgaps of awareness within some sectors, including those regulated bylocal authorities.

In response the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is promoting,

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Leading health and safety at work. Written by the Institute of Directorsand HSE and endorsed by HSENI it is an informative read for councilmanagers.

The survey - carried out by Databuild, contacted 1600 directors inGreat Britain, or their equivalents, from a range of organisations withfive or more employees - found that:

25 per cent of organisations were led by directors who were aware ofthe guidance and 13 per cent said theyd read it.

Awareness levels ranged from 32 per cent (among charities) down toas low as 19 per cent (directors in the hotel and catering sector). Theequivalent figures for those who had read it were 14 and 7 per cent,respectively.

Tony Bandle, Head of HSEs Business Involvement Unit, said: Whileit is pleasing that so many people have heard of and acted upon thisadvice, the challenge now is to encourage more directors to read and use the guidance to improve health and safety outcomes.

Leading health and safety at work is downloadable from w w w . h s e .gov.uk/ leadership .

2009 LACORS

at 04:13 0 com m en ts Labels: guidance , HSE , HSENI , LACORS, leadership ,management

War on death at workHealth and Safety is often treated as the proverbial punching bag and

is associated with PC words and a general lack of action. It ismisused as a catch all excuse to prevent people doing something.How often have you heard, No you cant do that because of Healthand Safety? No explanation given, just Heal th and Safety .

People often take it as gospel that because someone has invokedH&S nothing can be done to overturn this ruling. Worse still, themyth is often perpetrated by the press with legitimate concerns takenout of context.

Health and Safety should in essence be about empowering people tocarry out their jobs in a safe environment. If it were perhaps re-branded, Preventing death and serious injury, whatever youre doing,the message would be clearer.

It may be something as simple as making sure that employees arenot burdened with damaged hearing from noise when something assimple as the employer providing earplugs would nip the problem inthe bud.

Health and Safety is not a glamorous topic but it is very importantwhich is why the Local Government Association and the Health andSafety Executive, meet on a bi-annual basis to discuss how we canimprove health and safety links with councils and beyond. The mainissue has been to try and create a national framework which can betailored to local circumstances.

While it is not a sexy issue it is important that as councillors we take

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an interest, it is about making sure that we help protect people fromunnecessary harm. We need to look at what might be included inLocal Area Agreements in England, Single Outcome Agreements inScotland and Local Delivery Agreements in Wales.

The idea is to create a safer and healthier environment for everyone -sometimes work may feel like it is killing you but we're trying to makesure it doesn't harm you either.

2009 LACORS

at 03:45 0 com m en ts

Labels: heal th and safety , HSE , LACORS

Fines after worker's thumb crushedAn engineering firm has been fined after an employee lost part of histhumb in machinery.

The prosecution follows an incident on 30 August 2007 when a

worker was making car turbochargers at Trucast's factory in Ryde,Isle of Wight.

The man's thumb became trapped in the closing clamp mechanismon the machine he was operating, causing crush injuries to his leftthumb.

Trucast, of Derby Road, Melbourne, Derby, pleaded guilty tobreaching the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulationsand the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations for failingto carry out suitable risk assessments to protect its employees.

It was fined 5,000 at Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court and ordered topay a contribution towards costs of 9,000.

Health and Safety Executive inspector Roger Upfold said: "This caseillustrates the need for employers to undertake and review riskassessments in a way that correctly identifies all of the significantrisks, and as a result ensure that an appropriate package ofmeasures including physical safeguards, safe systems of work andconsistent training are provided for the safety of all workers."

Source .


at 03:04 0 com m en ts Labels: crushed , f ine , HSE , in jury , IOSH, prosecu t ion, r isk

assessments , sa fe sys tem o f w ork

Insurers block asbestos claims law A new law giving victims of negligent exposure to asbestos the powerto seek damages in Scotland is being challenged by insurers.

The Damages (Asbestos-related conditions) (Scotland) Act was

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passed by MSPs, who overturned a landmark House of Lords rulingthat people with pleural plaques cannot claim compensation.

The decision was made last month despite opposition from Toriesand insurers, who said it ignored medical opinion and would "open thefloodgates" for claims.

Insurers including Aviva, AXA Insurance, RSA and Zurich argue that itcontravenes the European Convention on Human Rights andinsurers' economic rights.

Nick Starling, of the Association Of British Insurers, said: "Insurershave not taken this action lightly.

"But as the Act is ill conceived, ignores the fundamental legal principleof negligence and clear medical evidence, they feel they have nochoice.

"The industry is fundamentally opposed to any move that will extendcompensation to those exposed to a risk but not suffering anysymptoms, such as pleural plaques."

The association said it was making legal moves to stop the Actcoming into force in June.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "We are disappointed thatthis action to seek effectively to overturn the will of the ScottishParliament has been taken."

Source .


at 03:02 0 com m en ts Labels: asbestos , compensa t ion, IOSH , Scot land


Research finds spiralling UKcompensationculture But spirall ing down not upResearch published this week by the Univers i ty o f Warw ick sSchool o f Law , for the Health and Safety Executive, hasundermined the popular view that UK citizens are engaging in aspiralling compensation culture with ever increasing claims againstallegedly negligent companies and organisations. Instead, theevidence suggests that the number of such court claims hascontinued to fall.

The Warwick researchers remit was to survey the extent to which theManagement o f Heal t h and Safety a t Work and FirePrecautions (Workplace) (Amendment) Regulations 2003, whichremoved the civil liability exclusions contained in the Management o f Heal th and Safety a t Work Regulat ions 1999 , hadinfluenced the volume of claims taken to court in respect of workplaceincidents and accidents. In particular, the researchers were given thetask to review whether there had been an increase in claims fordamages arising from occupational injury or ill health for breaches ofthe 1999 Regulat ions , and, if so, the full extent of that increase.

Rather than evidence of increasing numbers of claims, however, the

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researchers found that the number of legal actions in this area wasconsistently falling in both the High Court and the County Courts.

Between 1999 and 2003, the number of "personal injury actions" inthe Queens Bench Division of the High Court was:

1999 1,1872000 1,0242001 1,0192002 8272003 570

The figures for "other negligence claims (including professionalnegligence)" during the same period revealed the following:

1999 3732000 2252001 2922002 2682003 128

The number of "small claims" recorded during the relevant periodunder the heading of "Negligence personal injury" and "Othernegligence" in the County Courts was as follows: Number of"Negligence Personal injury" Small Claims Heard (1999-2003)

1999 3,5602000 1,7902001 2,2802002 3,1502003 2,210

Number of "Other negligence" Small Claims Heard (1999-2003)

1999 16,7502000 8,0102001 10,3002002 7,8002003 7,290

The researchers also looked at the data on the number of civil liabilityclaims specifically arising from the introduction of the new regulat ions in 2003 and found no evidence of increase. TheWarwick researchers concluded that this was because workersalready had available to them the right to bring actions in negligenceas well as the right to bring actions for breach of statutory duty underother legislation, where there was no exclusion of civil liability. Theseconclusions were also supported by the observations of a wide rangeof legal practitioners, insurers, employers associations and tradeunions, who participated in the Warwick research. In particular, therewas no evidence of any significant numbers of claims "in the pipeline"since the coming into force of the 2003 Regulat ions .

It is expected that, once sufficient time has elapsed to measure theimpact of the new regulations on completed litigation in this area, thegovernment will be seeking a more detailed examination of thejudicial statistics and emerging litigation practice in order to build uponthe policy implications of the published Warwick findings.

Source .

at 07:02 0 com m en ts Labels: compensa t ion, heal th and safety , news , research ,sa fe ty

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Health and safety: a grave error of judgementThey have been b lamed for banning everyth ing f romconkers to c lass ica l mus ic , bu t a l l the Hea l th andSafety Exec ut ive is rea l ly responsib le for is topp le-tes t ing in cemet er ies, i ts c ha i rman says.

Judith Hackitt travels home to Oxford most nights by train. There ishardly a week that goes by, she says, when somebody doesntcome on the tannoy and say we cant bring the trolley round tonightbecause of health and safety. And actually, no.

No?

No, says Hackitt. You cant bring the trolley round because theaisles are stacked with people. Or, you cant bring the trolley roundbecause the trolley dolly hasnt turned up for work. Its one of the two.It sure isnt health and safety.

Judith Hackitt is chairman of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).People, she says, are always stealing its phrase. Its a good one tohide behind, she says.

There is Health and Safety, you see, and health and safety. Peopleare forever confusing the two. Last night, on BBC One, you may haveseen the journalist Quentin Letts in fine Panorama diatribe form. Hewas mainly having a go at the latter, but it frequently seemed as if hewas blaming the former. In the minds of the public, these things mixand match.

Hard hats on a building site, thats Health and Safety. Childrenneeding goggles to play conkers, or being banned from donkeyderbies, or bonfires, or from throwing snowballs, or tossing pancakes,or building things out of egg boxes, thats health and safety. There iseven a section on the HSE website devoted to distinguishing betweenthe two. Myth o f the month , it is called. It has also published acalendar (June: MYTH: Children cant take part in egg and spoonraces).

As a rule of thumb, she says, whenever the media is in a lather abouthealth and safety, the Health and Safety Executive has nothing to dowith it. Although not always. There were, for example, gravestonesand ladders.

Vis i t T imesOnl ine for the fu l l ar t ic le .

Last year, 229 people were killed in workplace accidents. Butactually, that is a gross underestimate, says Hackitt. Add to that the2,000 people who died prematurely last year because they had been

exposed to asbestos at work, the several thousand who had beenexposed to other harmful substances. There are 100,000 people inBritain who have been injured at work, 28,000 with amputations. Twomillion off work, half of whom will never work again The fuss abouthealth and safety, she says, makes it so much harder to promoteHealth and Safety. Forget about conkers and gravestones, she says,and lets focus on the real problems. If I find all of this rubbishdemoralising, imagine what its like for our inspectors. Theyre theones who visit families after someone has died. And to be called theHealth and Safety Taleban? Its horrible.

Source .

Copyright 2009 Times Newspapers Ltd.

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at 06:56 0 com m en ts Labels: acc iden t , fa ta l i t y , heal th and safety , HSE , in jury ,Jud ith Hack i t t , n e w s

Friday, 17 April 2 009

HSE warns companies to assess risk after workerinjured by toppled crusherThe Health and Safety Executive is warning employers to ensure staffare suitably trained for the safe movement of heavy machineryfollowing the prosecution of a Cardiff company.

The warning comes after one of its employees was severely injuredwhen an 800kg machine toppled onto him.

Pullman Design and Fabrication Ltd, pleaded guilty to a charge underSection 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, and werefined 30,000 and ordered to pay 27,500 costs at Cardiff Crown

Court this week

In September 2006, Colin Mark Davies, from Cardiff, was workingwith a colleague in moving a swarf crusher, which was part of awheel lathe. It was being used by his employers, Pullman Design andFabrication Ltd of the Train Maintenance Depot in Leckwith, Cardiff torefurbish the wheels of railway rolling stock.

The machine was being moved using skates which were beingpositioned under the legs of the machine when it toppled over,trapping Mr Davies. He suffered a broken collar bone, broken wrist,broken femur, back injuries and extensive bruising of the feet, backand legs.

HSE inspector Hugh Emment said: "Mr Davies suffered extensiveinjuries as a result of this incident. This demonstrates the need forcompanies to carry out suitable risk assessments to ensure that asafe system of work is in place and this includes all planning andtraining arrangements before work of this nature begins.

"There is a legal requirement for employers to carry out full riskassessments in situations where employees are exposed to greaterdanger."

Advice for employers on when to carry out risk assessments isavailable from HSE Infoline or from the HSE website.

Source .

at 03:00 0 com m en ts Labels: f ine , HSE , in jury, prosecu t ion, r i sk assessments ,t ra in ing

Council fined follow ing death of waste collectorThe Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today warned employers of

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waste collectors to ensure their kerbside workers are fully trained tosafely assist their drivers to reverse and avoid collision withpedestrians.

The warning follows the death of 35-year-old Stephen Welsh, anEast Dunbar tonshi re Counci l employee, who was struck andfatally injured by a reversing waste recycling lorry. The accidenthappened on January 23, 2007 in Smeaton Terrace, Torrance.

East Dunbartonshire Council was fined 13,500 at Glasgow SheriffCourt today (Wednesday 15 April, 2009) after pleading guilty to a

charge under Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work (etc) Act.

The accident happened as the employee, who was working as awaste recycling collector, was run over by the councils wasterecycling lorry during a reversing manoeuvre. The accident happenedon a dull and frosty morning about 8.45 am in a cul-de-sac.

HSE Inspector Jean Edgar commented after the case:

"Employers of waste collectors should ensure that their kerbsideworkers are fully trained to safely assist their drivers to reverse andavoid collision with pedestrians. A safe system of work should bedrawn up setting out how communication and control betweenkerbside collectors and the driver can be reliably achieved. I cannot

stress enough, how challenging a work environment the streets of ourtowns and cities are for this important group of workers and how asimple mistake can have tragic consequences."

Source .

at 02:58 0 com m en ts Labels: acc iden t , fa ta l i t y , heal th and safety , HSE ,recyc l ing, sa fe sys tem o f w ork

Shaft fall highlights height hazards at Lincolnshireschool - Northampton company finedLift manufacturers and maintenance companies are reminded of theirduties to the safety of staff and the penalties of failing to work safelyat height. The warning follows an incident in Lincolnshire where anemployee fell 6.5 metres down a lift shaft, resulting in serious injuries.

The UK Lift Company of Blisworth, Northampton, were fined 2,000and ordered to pay costs of 8,000 at Lincoln magistrates court today(15 April) after pleading guilty to contravening Regulation 4 (1) andRegulation 6(3) (Reg 6(3) is mentioned in the information and the

notes to editor) of the Work At Height Regulations 2005 in that theyfailed to carry out the repair of a school lift safely.

The case arose from an incident at North Kesteven School inLincolnshire in February last year when the company's assistant sitemanager, Michael Richards fell 6.5 metres, from the second floor,down the School's lift shaft whilst helping a lift engineer. He sufferedserious injuries including a broken pelvis, other broken bones,fractures and ligament damage as a result.

Prosecuting, HSE Inspector Judith McNulty-Green said:

"The injuries Mr Richards suffered were very serious and this incidentcould have easily been avoided. Working at a lift landing with the

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landing door open is clearly unsafe, generating a foreseeable risk of afall. This is made worse by the presence of other people, eitherassisting or unexpectedly entering the danger zone, particularly in aschool where there are pupils in the vicinity.

"Risks of this nature must be managed by carrying out a suitable riskassessment and implementing and enforcing the necessary controlmeasures. Those measures in this case would have ideally beenlocating the working platform on the second floor or installing barriersand signage.

"Had appropriate control measures been put in place when the liftwas being repaired, the injuries could have been avoided.

"Companies are required by the Health and Safety at Work Act andby the Work at Height Regulations to take all reasonable measures toensure the safety of employees and others that may be affected bythat work. The outcome of this incident - the injuries and thesubsequent fine - remind us that the results can be serious for peopleand for businesses that fail to comply"

Source .

at 02:57 0 com m en ts Labels: f ine , HSE , in jury, prosecu t ion, school , w ork at height


Fire on jetliner `was not noticed`A fire on a Boeing 777 carrying 185 passengers was not noticed bypilots preparing to take off from Heathrow Airport, says the AirAccidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).

It reports that only when a tug driver saw smoke billowing from ventsin the United Airlines aircraft was the crew alerted and thepassengers evacuated. Despite an electrical fault causing "significantsmoke", the possibility of fire "appeared to have been missed", saysthe report.

It was not until 14 minutes after the problem arose that the smokewas noticed in the cockpit. The fault had caused 1,000C droplets ofmolten metal to fall onto insulation material under an electrical panel.This damaged the aircraft's cooling ducts and wiring.

Passengers were told by the relief co-pilot that an electrical problemhad prompted some of the air conditioning and equipment cooling to

be shut down. A stewardess was told that there was a problem withthe electrics - but no fire - after she noticed "an electrical smell" in thepassenger cabin.

The report notes that the cause of the fault "could not be determined",and that recommendations including improvements to systems andfire warnings have been made to Boeing and the Federal AviationAdministration in the US.

Source .


at 06:38 0 com m en ts

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Labels: ai rpor t , f i re , hazard , heal th and safety , news

Timber firm fined after man hurtA timber firm has been ordered to pay more than 6,000 after a

worker was seriously hurt when he became entangled in machinery.

Paul Huckle, an employee of FW Mason & Sons, in Nottingham, wastrying to fix a problem with equipment which cuts timber when he wasinjured. Mr Huckle suffered cuts and damage to muscles and bone inhis leg and was taken to hospital.

The firm was taken to court by the Health and Safety Executive whichfelt his employers had not put a safe system in place for dealing withequipment.

HSE Inspector Francine Clarke said: "Today's judgment sends out afirm message to timber companies that correct systems must be inplace for when machinery fails.

"Companies must provide adequate systems and instructions so thatemployees know what action to take when machinery fails so thatrepairs are carried out safely."

FW Mason & Sons was fined 4,000 and ordered to pay 2,497 costsat Nottingham Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to breachinghealth and safety regulations.

The HSE found the firm had failed to offer workers a safe way ofreplacing dislodged drive belts on the timber equipment.

Source .

Copyright Press Association 2009at 06:37 0 com m en ts Labels: f ine , HSE , in jury, IOSH, sa fe sys tem o f w ork ,t imber

Miners w in arthritis claim rightThousands of miners forced to retire or live in discomfort due toarthritis of the knee joints have been told they can now claim helpfrom the Government.

The unions claim "Miners' Knee", otherwise known as osteoarthritis ofthe knee, is caused by years of repetitive work in cramped conditions.

Work and pensions minister James Purnell has announced thatMiners' Knee will now be covered by the industrial injuries benefitscheme and that workers who have contracted the disease throughcertain jobs may be able to get Industr ia l In jur ies Disablement Benef i t .

Mr Purnell said: "This disease has made life very difficult for a large

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number of retired miners and forced others to end their working lifeearlier than planned, so I am pleased that we are now in a positionthat we will be able to offer them valuable financial assistance."

The move comes on the back of recommendations by the IndustrialInjuries Advisory Council that coal miners with the disease who haveworked underground for over a decade should be able to claim thebenefit.

The council is an independent statutory body set up in 1946 to advisethe Secretary of State for Social Security on matters relating to the

industrial injuries scheme.

Source .


at 06:35 0 com m en ts Labels: ar th r i t i s, compensa t ion, in jury , IOSH , n e w s

Compensation law shake-up plannedThe law covering compensation for wrongful deaths should beoverhauled, Scottish politicians have been told.

A member's Bill aimed at updating legislation for such cases -including road traffic accidents and deaths in the workplace - will bebrought by Labour MSP Bill Butler.

The Glasgow Anniesland member said the changes "urgently"needed to come into effect, adding: "I want to provide justice anddignity for victims and their loved ones. The current system can beimproved so that it provides a fair level of compensation in cases ofwrongful death without the need for unnecessarily long and

distressing court cases.

"Labour has always put the needs of victims first and these sensibleproposals, which have been drawn up by the Scottish LawCommission, need to be implemented urgently."

Mr Butler said he would be approaching Justice Secretary KennyMacAskill in a bid to make the law fairer.

The Bill comes after the Scottish Law Commission made a number ofrecommendations in September last year aimed at reforming the lawin this area.

The shake-up means the relatives of victims could receive

compensation more quickly by removing the need to go to courtwhere liability has been admitted.

Source .


at 06:18 0 com m en ts Labels: compensa t ion, fa ta l i t y , law , leg is la t ion , l iab i l i ty

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Wednesday, 15 April 2009

Death crash Puma`s gearbox blamedA "catastrophic" gearbox failure caused the crash of a PumaAS332L2 helicopter in the North Sea that killed 14 passengers andtwo crew, according to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).

An initial report reveals that the main rotor sheared off and hit theaircraft`s tail, which detached from the fuselage. The report

recommends that manufacturers Eurocopter conducts additionalinspections of the gearboxes of all similar models.

The aircraft operator, Bond Offshore , said the findings confirmed ithad been complying with current systems and procedures. But oilcompany BP said it would not use the type again until safety checkshave been carried out. The 16 were flying from BP's Miller platform on1 April when the Puma hit the sea 11 miles north-east of Peterhead inAberdeenshire. A memorial service will be held in Aberdeen nextweek.

Flight International magazine aviation expert David Learmount saysthat the helicopter would have "dropped out of the sky like a stone".This "pretty rare" type of failure meant that the crew would have had

little chance to save themselves or their passengers, he said.

Source .


at 01:25 0 com m en ts Labels: AAIB , acc iden t , fa ta l i t y , he l i cop te r , IOSH , n e w s

Police target flight 'laser louts'Police are launching a crackdown on people who shine lasers ataircraft, after aviation chiefs reported a huge rise in incidents of pilotsbeing distracted during flight.

The Civi l Av ia t ion Author i t y (CAA) said the number of casesinvolving malicious "laser louts" rose from 29 in 2007 to 206 last year,and many of these incidents affected commercial airlines flying to UKairports.

Police and Government departments are now helping the CAA totrack down the perpetrators and a number of these people have

already been successfully prosecuted.A new device, which police forces across the UK are now using, canfind and photograph the exact location of where a laser beam starts,any images can then be used in court.

The new campaign also intends to highlight the penalties offenderscan face, which can result in sentences of up to five years in prison.

Head of flight operations at the CAA, Bob Jones, said: "To thoseindividuals targeting aircraft with laser devices the message is clear -don't.

"We strongly urge anyone who sees a laser being used against

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aircraft in their local area to contact the police immediately. Thesethings are not toys. They pose a serious risk to all flight safety."

Source .


at 01:23 0 com m en ts Labels: ai rpor t , CA A , p i lo ts, po l i ce, prosecu t ion, sa fe ty


Nottinghamshire company fined after two workersare injuredThe Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is reminding employers oftheir duties to the safety of staff following two incidents in Mansfieldwhere employees at the same company suffered serious injurieswithin weeks of each other.

Mansfield-based SDC Trailers Ltd were fined 3,300 and SDC Partsand Services Ltd were fined 2,600, both were ordered to pay costsof 1,824.60 at Mansfield Magistrates Court today, Wednesday 8April, after pleading guilty to breaching Health and Safety legislation.

SDC Parts and Services Ltd contravened Regulation 3(1)a of theManagement of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 in thatthey failed to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks tothe health and safety of their employees in relation to the unloading oftrailers containing lorry tyres and wheel and tyre assemblies. SDCTrailers Ltd contravened Regulation 10 of the Work at HeightRegulations 2005 in that they failed to prevent tyres loaded on acurtain-sided trailer from falling, causing injury to an

health and safety news - april 2009

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