HSE warning after Colne company fined £4,000 following explosion in which employees receive burns

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned businesses of the danger of using unsuitable premises by employees. The warning comes after an explosion in a shipping container being used as a tearoom, which resulted in employees David Fretwell and Martin Wild receiving burns.
J D Macadam and Son (Garages) Ltd of Hyde Park garage, North Valley Road, Colne Lancashire pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £3,372.15 costs at Reedley Magistrates Court.
HSE Inspector Sheldon Taylor said, "These two men were burnt in an explosion because the company had failed to take all reasonable measures to ensure their safety. The consequences of this incident could have been far worse. This case graphically illustrates that companies must ensure that they take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of their employees.
"The shipping container should have been modified before its use. The container was being heated with an LPG heater, which requires low level ventilation to allow escaping LPG to disperse, but the container only had high level ventilation which was wholly unsuitable.
"The LPG heater was fitted with a flame failure device which will only allow gas to be used while there is a flame, however, the heater had been modified, causing the flame failure device not to work, allowing the LPG to escape when there was no flame."Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 stated that: It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees" .LG is heavier than air. This means that any LPG which escapes from a heater will settle at low level. Low Level ventilation would have allowed the LPG to disperse.

HSE’S machinery warning after Rochdale carpet company is fined £ 1,600

Businesses have been warned by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to ensure that moving machinery is properly guarded. The warning follows HSE’s prosecution of a Rochdale company following an incident in which an employee received serious injuries. Newhey Carpets Ltd of Gordon Street, Newhey, Rochdale, were fined £1,600 ordered to pay £1,324 costs after pleading guilty to a breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 at Trafford Magistrates Court.
The prosecution arose from an incident on 24 August 2006 in which Newhey employee Gillian Handley, the main operator of a carpet-beaming machine, became entangled in the revolving machinery. She suffered a dislocated and broken shoulder, a gashed arm and multiple bruising because the machinery guarding was not fixed or interlocked and the trip wire was not in the correct position.
HSE Inspector Richard Clarke said: "Gillian Handley was injured after she became caught in accessible rotating machinery. After the incident, her jacket was found caught in a projecting large metal pin attached to the machinery. Her injuries were serious enough, but the consequences of this incident could have been far worse.
"This case graphically illustrates that companies should ensure that all their machinery is adequately guarded for the safety of all employees.

Nationwide inspections tackle biggest cause of death in construction

Last year 24 of the 59 worker deaths in construction were caused by a fall from height. A further 4,000 major injuries such as broken bones or fractured skulls were reported by the construction industry, half of which involved a fall from below head height or tripping over materials on walkways. In a bid to reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by falls and trips the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced that over 1000 nationwide inspections will take place on construction sites throughout June and July.
Stephen Williams, HSE Chief Inspector of Construction said,
"The figures speak for themselves and we are going to tackle the issue head on with enforcement led inspections. Of course, the key to success will be support from construction workers and the industry itself. However we are prepared to take action against those who carelessly flout safety precautions with devastating effects to workers and their families".

HSE inspectors are going to focus on making sure the correct precautions are taken during work at low and high heights to prevent the risk of any fall. They will also be checking that sites are kept in good order with footpaths, corridors and stairwells free of obstructions.
Mr Williams continued, "It is unacceptable that so many lives are being lost by falls and trips, especially when simple precautions can significantly reduce the risk. Employers must ensure that workers are competent and have access to the right equipment. Sensible measures like keeping walkways on site clear must be taken to see an improvement in safety".
Last year 1379 contractors were visited during the 'Fit Out campaign' a similar HSE initiative. Inspectors found that work at height was a significant problem and as a result took enforcement action against 170 firms, and against a further 29 firms due to a lack of good order on site.
More information on the 'Trips and Falls' in Construction inspections is available at www.hse.gov.uk/construction/tripsandfalls.htm

HSE to remove 4000 'dodgy' ladders through a 'ladder exchange'

Every month nearly 100 people fall off a ladder at work and suffer serious injuries costing the economy £60 million each year. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will promote ladder safety messages through a ‘ladder exchange’ which aims to remove 4000 'dodgy' ladders from workplaces in Great Britain.
Over the next 12 weeks, small businesses will get the chance to get their ladders checked and where necessary, trade them in for new ones at a discounted price. HSE is working in close association with Local Authorities, ladder manufacturers and retailers to address the safety issues around access equipment with employers and ladder users. Dr Elizabeth Gibby, HSE’s Head of Injuries Reduction Programme said "We want anyone working at height to use the right ladder for the job and to use it safely. Ladder Exchange is 'the' opportunity for small trade businesses to assess the risks involved in ladder use and adopt sensible health and safety measures."
"In 2005/06 a total of 46 workers died and a further 3351 employees suffered major injuries as a result of a fall from height in the workplace. There is still a lot of poor standard equipment out there and we will do everything it takes to educate people and get rid of ‘dodgy’ ladders from workplaces. Simple precautions can save lives and help prevent injuries."
When it comes to increasing ladder safety, always ask yourself three simple questions:

Do you need a ladder or should you use something different?
Is it the right ladder?
Are you using the ladder safely?

More information can be obtained on the HSE 'Ladder exchange www.hse.gov.uk/falls/ladderexchange.htm website.
HSE has received industry wide support to tackle this issue. The Ladder Association (LA) together with companies such as HSS Hire, SGB Taskmaster, Speedy Hire and Ladderstore.com are all promoting HSE’s message around ladder safety.

HSC calls for a stronger health and safety agenda in boardrooms

Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has called on leaders in the chemical and major hazard industries to reinforce partnership working practices with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Competent Authority. At the 12 th International Symposium on Loss Prevention and Safety Promotion in Edinburgh, Mr Callaghan emphasized on the need and significance of board-level leadership and director responsibility on health and safety to achieve a cultural change towards safety and to control major hazard risks.
Challenging the industry to support and own HSC/E’s aim to benchmark Great Britain as a world leader in the control of major hazards Mr Callaghan said, "I call upon the best of your leaders to come forward to work with the HSE and the Competent Authority to ensure that their values, their approach and achievements inspire and encourage others in the industry.
"There are many lessons learnt from a series of high profile incidents such as Buncefield, BP Grangemouth, Conoco Philips in Humberside, Terra Nitrogen in Teesside and the THORP facility. The challenge is to show greater and stronger leadership and play a greater role in major incident control by engaging with your workforce to solve health and safety problems. The industry has a clear responsibility to ensure that risks are properly controlled to reduce the chances of incidents of this nature happening again."
Currently HSE together with its Competent Authority partners is engaging with industry stakeholders with the aim of setting up an onshore Major Hazards Group to promote leadership and to take on board the lessons learnt from the recent high profile incidents.
Efforts to encourage industry to embrace high standards of health and safety are at the core HSC/E’s Chemical Industries Division’s objectives:

To reduce the probability of a major hazard accident through interventions under the Control of Major Hazard Regulations,
To work with industry and stakeholders to ensure that people leave work at the end of the day in at least as good a state of health as when they started,
To provide advice on Land Use Planning issues on the basis of risks to people offsite from on-site operations.

Other divisions in HSE also continue to focus on putting health and safety high on boardroom agendas. HSE’s Nuclear Directorate has produced principles on Leadership and Management for safety drawing upon lessons from world-wide events. HSE is using these principles to develop an integrated intervention strategy for application at corporate level within licensees. This will include more focus on influencing to achieve improvements to safety.
In conclusion, Mr Callaghan said, " Later this year we will be inviting major hazard stakeholders to a conference to address safety in your industry. This event will bring together all of the important players drawn from business, the trade unions, regulators and Government with the aim of showing how to achieve world class leadership in the control of major hazard risks. We need to make sure that our goal of becoming a world leader in the control of major hazards is achieved, not only in business terms, but also for the health and safety of those who work in the industry and for society."

HSC Chair commends the access industry forum for collaborative working

Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) today commended the Access Industry Forum (AIF) for collaborative working in improving safety and providing innovative solutions to prevent workers being injured whilst working at height. Falls from height are the biggest cause of fatal injuries in the workplace; there were 46 fatal injuries in 2005/6 arising from falls from heights. Reducing the number of fatalities is a priority for the Commission and the Executive. Making a keynote address at the AIF annual conference in Birmingham Mr Callaghan said, " Preventing falls from heights requires sensible risk management, a principle which underpins the framework of the Work at Height Regulations and all other health and safety legislation. We believe that sensible risk management is about the practical steps employers should be taking to protect the health and safety of their workers. As HSE’s guidance on the safe use of ladders and stepladders notes,
"Where work at height is necessary you need to justify whether a ladder or stepladder is the most suitable access equipment compared to other access equipment options. You do this by using risk assessment and the hierarchy of controls."
Bill Callaghan set out the benefits the annual forum and partnership between the AIF and HSE had generated, "The forum, with the support of HSE has established this annual conference as the premier work at height forum for safety practitioners and I congratulate you on that achievement and wish you well for the future. Partnerships will always remain an important area for HSE. We recognise the value of bringing together expertise to solve the safety issues that we all face.
"We have come a long way in improving conditions in the workplace but I must emphasise that more needs to be done. We need to embed the principles of sensible risk management to protect health and safety of workers. We don’t think that preventing falls from height can be addressed by putting signs on mountains or banning ladders. Improvements lie in sensible risk management, a principle which underpins the framework of the Work at Height Regulations and all other safety legislation."
HSE’s Sensible Risk campaign gained momentum with the launch of the Myth of Month cartoon aimed at burying some of the long running rumours which have plagued HSE and been a constant source of confusion to everyone trying to follow safe working practices. The first myth buster was aimed at tackling the myths around the banning of stepladders. This year HSE’s Ladder Exchange will take 4000 ‘dodgy’ ladders out of the workplace in a ‘ladder exchange’ scheme which is aimed at those who manage or control work.

HSE warns of the dangers of working with asbestos after Hereford company prosecuted

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned companies to take extra care when demolishing buildings containing asbestos cement sheets. The warning comes after Wye Valley Demolition Ltd of St Weonards, Hereford, was today (18th May) fined £6,000 and asked to pay costs of £13,621.49 at Hereford Magistrates’ Court following the release of asbestos during the demolition of a former grain store building in Bodenham.
Joy Jones HSE Principal Inspector for Construction said: "People working in the construction industry need to exercise caution when working in areas that may contain asbestos. Asbestos should not be treated lightly as it causes 3,500 deaths in Britain each year, with annual numbers predicted to go on rising into the next decade. All people working in areas that may contain asbestos need to be aware of the dangers to others and the financial penalties imposed if asbestos is mishandled. The risks from asbestos cement are lower than from other asbestos materials but contractors still need to take proper precautions."
This prosecution followed an incident between 25 and 29 June 2004 during the demolition of a former grain store building at Chapel Lane, Bodenham. The building contained asbestos cement sheets which should have been removed under controlled conditions but which instead were smashed to the ground by a machine then spread over the demolition site.
Wye Valley Demolition Ltd pleaded guilty to breaches of Regulation 10(1) and Regulation 15 of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002.

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