Building Sites ARE NOT Playgrounds!
The Health and Safety Executive has warned children not to play on building sites.
The message comes after a property developer Virendra Kotak and builder Stephen Patterson were fined a total of £29,000 at Northampton Crown Court after an investigation into the death of a two year old boy on a building site. On 7 July 2003 Declan Elton was playing with friends on a patch of grass near Ranworth Walk, Leicester, when several of the 300kg concrete retaining wall slabs he was playing on, which were to be used for wall units, fell on top him. At earlier hearings, Stephen Patterson, of Main Street, Awsworth, Nottinghamshire, was found guilty of breaching Regulation 8(5) of the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996, in that he failed to store materials and equipment in such a way as to prevent danger to any person arising from the collapse, overturning or unintentional movement of such materials or equipment.
"This tragedy is a sobering reminder that construction sites are dangerous places for children, extra care needs to be taken to ensure that sites are secure and that materials and plant are stored safely. "It should have been obvious that children would be tempted to play on the large concrete units left outside a construction site next to homes and a large public play area. Clearly Kotak and Patterson failed in their duty to make the site as safe as possible, but parents and children should also remember that building sites aren't playgrounds. "Everyone involved in construction projects including property developers must take proper precautions to protect the public, particularly children, when carrying out their work and storing materials".
HSE initiative for waste and recycling industry
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a three-year initiative with the waste and recycling industry to address the high number of fatal and serious incidents that occur during collection and processing of municipal waste and recycling activities. Part of the initiative involves visits to private companies and half of all Local Authorities that either manage their own, or contract out services. Inspectors are assessing the management of health and safety, concentrating specifically on the design, specification and management of contracts, workplace transport, manual handling and employee welfare. At initial visits, inspectors are looking at policies and control measures in place and how these are managed, and will follow up one year later to check that employers required to produce an action plan of improvements have carried these out. The initiative is supplemented by a rolling programme of advisory seminars to local authorities assisting in contract design and the management of contracts/contractors. The newly launched HSE waste/recycling webpage www.hse.gov.uk/waste/index.htm guides the industry to current sources of guidance and best practice. A checklist setting out the framework for effective planning, organising, controlling, and monitoring of activities, including a review of protective and preventive measures needed to ensure the health and safety of employees and others, is available from the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/waste/checklist.doc
£7,500 for site death
Cicleworth Ltd, London-based construction company, was fined £7,500 at the city of London magistrates court on Friday 11 March 2005. The prosecution, brought by the health and safety executive (HSE), followed its investigation into the death of Mr Edward Smith following an accident on 18 November 2002 during the refurbishment of a domestic residence. Mr. Smith, a 63-year old self employed carpenter when he fell approximately 2.4 metres from the exterior access scaffold. No appropriate ladder had been provided to access the scaffold. The ladder that was used on the day of the accident was too short for the purpose. Speaking after the case, HSE investigating inspector Kevin Shorten, said: "'the tragic death of Edward Smith and the grief suffered by his family and friends at the firm, could have been avoided if the company had ensured that the ladder used to access the scaffold was long enough to extend 1m past the landing point and was secured in place. Any contractor or site foreman who reads about this case should make sure they check the ladders in use on their sites."
Worried about ladder safety, try Safety Points Use a Ladder? Safety poster. Details from stan@allen1889.freeserve.co.uk, 0208 653 4648 phone and fax or Stans Stall on this site
Hampton report response from HSE
Bill Callaghan, chair of the Health and Safety Commission, has welcomed publication of the final Hampton report "Reducing administrative burdens/effective inspection and enforcement." He said: "The report has a wide ranging set of recommendations, many of which align with the commission's strategy published last February. For example, the commission has for some time wanted higher penalties for health and safety offences. So we strongly welcome the recommendations to increase penalties. I am glad too that the report has recognised the legitimacy of our partnership approach with local authorities. We have been working hard with our local authority fellow regulators to make effective partnerships deliver the health and safety targets agreed by government. And we will continue with other strands of our work in support of achieving the revitalising targets . Particularly those initiatives which involve trade unions, their health and safety representatives and workers."
The report recognises that there is a judgement to be made on the right balance between inspection and the provision of advice.
Work at height regs
New work at height regulations will come into effect on 6th April 2005.They will apply to all work at height where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury and will place on employers, the self employed and any person that controls the work of others. They require duty holders to ensure that all work at height is properly planned and organised, that those working at height are competent, that risks are assessed and appropriate work equipment selected and used, the risks from fragile surfaces controlled and equipment for work at height properly inspected and maintained. It also details guard rails, working platforms, nets, air bags, work restraints, fall arrest devices and ladders These regulations will soon be available via HMSO website at http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si20050735.htm and a simple guide will be published.
RIDDOR Rethink!
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) were last revised in 1995. The HSE is currently holding meetings to get views on options for an upgrade. Part of which could well be that work related road injuries should be RIDDOR reportable. The Safety Point poster RIDDOR Reporting gives basic details of the scheme contact Stan@Allen1889@Freserve.co.uk , phone or fax 0208 653 4648 or visit Stan's Stall on this site.
Masterclass on Fire Risk Assessment and Business Continuity Planning and Management
This One-day Masterclass on Fire Risk Assessment and Business Continuity Planning and Management is to be presented on Monday, 12 September 2005 at the Bonnington Hotel, Southampton Row, Russell Square, London by Les Moseley - Director of the Coventry Centre for Disaster Management and Programme Manager - University of Coventry , UK and Dennis Davies CBE, OStJ, QFSM, CEng, CCMI, FIFireE(Life), MEI - Independent Fire Adviser - International Committee for the Prevention and Extinction of Fire (CTIF) and formerly HM Chief Inspector of Fire Services, Scotland. It is aimed at OSH managers, risk managers and emergency and business continuity planners in industry, commerce and local and central government. Organised by Angel Business Publications and Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd, the Masterclass will be followed by the EurOhse2005 conference that will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, 13 - 14 September 2005 at the Bonnington Hotel, Southampton Row, Russell Square, London, UK. This is the third year for this very popular, informative conference that keeps you up-to-date and provides excellent networking opportunities and will provide key points for future activities for all those responsible for securing good standards of health and safety in the workplace, and excellent networking opportunities. Contact here is Jesse Bhadal Conference Manager Angel Business Communications Ltd 34 Warwick Road Kenilworth CV8 1HE Warwickshire, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1926 512424 Fax: +44 (0) 1926 512948 email: jesse@angelbc.co.uk
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