NEWSBYTES
LONDON, April 5 (Reuters) - Circus clowns were told on Thursday to take out custard pie insurance against the risk of being sued by spectators who fail to see the joke. "With an increasingly litigation-crazy public... the ethics and legal implications of 'splatting' and 'sloshing' are expected to be hotly debated under the Big Top," Clowns International said in a statement from its annual convention. Although no clown has yet been sued by the recipient of a face-full of custard pie, the organisation fears it may be just a matter of time. Martin "Zippo" Burton, the group's honorary vice-president, said only fellow clowns and celebrities should be chosen, a white-faced clown must never be hit, and careful judgment should be used to ensure that those targeted were not averse. No this was not an April fool joke it is symptomatic of our increasingly litigious society. Health and Safety awareness is creeping in everywhere with variable targets?
Expert warns of RSI risk from text messaging 05/04/01 10:25 The craze for mobile phone messaging could lead to an epidemic of repetitive strain injuries. Director of the British RSI Association Andrew Chadwick says the process of text-messaging constitutes a perfect recipe for RSI. More than three quarters of a billion text messages were sent in the UK last December alone, with children among the heaviest users. Mr Chadwick told The Mirror: "We're talking about people making hundreds of tiny repeated movements as they use the mobile keypad." He says the repetition of such small movements could lead to circulation problems. This could create many of the symptoms associated with RSI, including tingling, shooting pains and numbness in the hands.
A claimant recently received £720,000 in damages for an industrial accident that occurred when a 40-ton truck he was driving along a dirt track on a building site slid sideways into a deep pit. The tractor unit, with the claimant inside, plunged 100 feet to the ground. The claimant brought an action in negligence against Sir Robert McAlpine alleging that the track along which he was required to drive the truck was too narrow and that the edge of the pit was not secured.
The highest fine imposed upon any individual defendant since the introduction of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 has been imposed on Balfour Beatty following the tunnel collapse at Heathrow Airport. Cresswell J ordered the company to pay 1.2 million described the incident as "one of the worst civil engineering disasters...of the last 25 years". Currently magistrates courts can only impose fines of up to £20,000 but they can refer cases to a higher court where fines up to an unlimited amount can be imposed.
Stress levels in Europe are causing people to turn to drugs for relief. 10% of the population of some European countries are using drugs commonly prescribed for anxiety, stress and relief of sleeplessness.
Many sunbed users are not aware of the increased risk of contracting skin cancer caused by using sunbeds for cosmetic purposes. 8% of the UK have used a sunbed in the last year and specialists are worried that as skin cancers can take up to 20 years to develop we will shortly start to see great increases in the occurrence of such cancers. Leaflets on skin cancer are available from +44 (0) 20 7413 1987.
Alan Meale, minister responsible for health and safety, has announced that the 25th anniversary of the Health and Safety at Work Act will be marked by a thorough review of legislation and the wider health and safety environment. Areas likely to be reviewed are occupational injury and ill health, accountability for personal injury, ill health or death and the means of dealing with harm caused by the previous two elements
Employees of the four Disney factories in China work 16 hours a day, 7 days a week despite local labour laws. Christian campaigners are calling for the central Disney Corporation to monitor compliance with their stated code of conduct even though a spokesman has stated "We are committed to ethical conduct".
Issues surrounding health and safety provision for casual workers have been underlined by the recent case of a student killed on his first day of work at Shoreham Docks. The student had only been given a couple of minutes of instruction before using a crane grab which inadvertently closed around his head and crushed his skull.
An announcement that the HSE will start to charge for its inspectors services has been met with anger from industry bodies. The proposed daily charge out rate for inspectors of £750 has been dubbed "outrageous" by many and an unprecedented financial burden on many small businesses which may be unable to support the costs.
A breathalyser to measure exposure to solvents is currently in testing; the HSE say that this method of testing is much less invasive than previous methods of testing such as blood or urine samples. The device should be widely available to industry within the next few months.
The HSE is currently considering producing an ACoP on the prevention of passive smoking so has published a consultative document (Passive Smoking at Work) on the subject. The ACoP would be based on welfare provisions rather than the health effects of passive smoking. Current thinking on combatting passive smoking is divided into two camps - those that think smoking in the workplace should be banned completely, and those that think there should be designated smoking areas in all offices.
Computer stress related illnesses are on the increase and include ailments such as heart conditions and ulcers a conference in Lithuania was recently told. As Lithuania struggles to align itself with the rest of Europe it is imperative that it improves health and safety conditions for its workers, otherwise it will pay the price.
Doubt is being cast on the safety of wall hung WCs following an incident in a government toilet when a wall hung WC came away from the wall and injured the user. The Institute of Professionals, Managers and Specialists are calling for immediate inspections of all such fittings and for such action as may be necessary to be taken.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published its provisional numbers of fatalities due to work activities for the first nine months of the current financial year. Jenny Bacon, Director General of the HSE said, "There is, understandably, a good deal of public interest in, and concern about, deaths caused by work activities. We shall therefore continue to make provisional information available at the half-year and three-quarter year stages from now on." The statistics, published today on the Internet, show a breakdown of the recorded number of fatalities of both workers (i.e. employees and the self-employed) and members of the public for the first nine months of this financial year. These figures are provisional and are subject to change. HSE statistics can be accessed on the Internet at http://www.hse.gov.uk/hsestats.htm
The Carriage of Dangerous Goods (Amendment) Regulations 1999, made on 11 February, and coming into force on 5 March, will introduce the changes required by the 1999 amendments to the ADR and RID Framework Directives. Amended guidance on the regulations is currently being prepared. In the interim, dutyholders will be able to refer to the recently revised free leaflet, "Are you involved in the carriage of dangerous goods by road and rail?". This gives an overview of the carriage regulations and has been amended in the light of the changes to both the carriage regulations and the Approved Requirements, which provide further instruction on compliance in relation to, for example, vehicle construction, classification, packaging and labeling. Until 1 July, consignors, operators and others involved in the carriage of dangerous goods will have the choice of either working to the new Approved Requirements, or continuing to work to the current Approved Requirements. However, from 1 July, they will have to work to the new Approved Requirements.
The Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) (Amendment) Regulations 1999 - CHIP 99 - came into force on the 1/3/99. This is the fourth in a series of changes to the rules for providing information on dangerous chemicals. CHIP 99 introduces the first supplement to the "Approved Supply List - 4th edition". The ASL (4th edition) was introduced by CHIP 99's immediate predecessor, CHIP 98, and sets out classification and labeling information for several thousand chemical substances. The Supplement revises the ASL by amending about 60 substance entries and adding a similar number of new entries. CHIP 99 allows suppliers of dangerous chemicals a period of eight months in which to make the necessary changes to labels and safety data sheets. They must, however, make sure that they are meeting the new requirements on 1 November 1999. As part of the CHIP 99 package, the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has adopted a revised set of EC-agreed chemical test methods as an Approved Code of Practice (ACOP). The ACOP will have effect from 1 March. It will not be seperately published by HSC, however, copies of the "Notice of Approval" issued by the HSC in respect of the ACOP may be obtained by contacting: Michael Ryan, Chemical Supply Management Unit, Health and Safety Executive, 6th Floor, South Wing, Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge, LONDON, SE1 9HS +44 (0) 20 7717 6000). Copies of the Approved Supply List (Supplement to 4th edition), ISBN 0-7176-1683-5, price £7.50, are available from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 6FS, tel: +44 (0) 1787 881165 or fax: +44 (0) 1787 313995
In light of growing concern of the health risks associated with diesel engine exhaust emissions (DEEE's) in the workplace, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued new guidance ((HSG187), ISBN 07176 1662 2, price £6.95), which offers practical help to employers and the self employed on how to control exposure from DEEEs. It will also be useful to other interested parties including managers, supervisors, safety and trade union representatives in premises where diesel fuel is used and emissions may accumulate. Employers already have a duty under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 1994 to prevent exposure to DEEEs, or where this is not reasonably practicable, to adequately control it using suitable methods. Potential health risks include irritation to the eyes and upper respiratory tract, coughing and breathlessness, particularly if there is exposure to visible white, blue or black smoke. In addition a free leaflet, Diesel Engine Exhaust Emissions, (INDG286) has been published giving advice to employees on safeguarding their own health including the action their employer should be taking.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced the formation of a new Motor Vehicle Repair Health and Safety Forum to be organised by HSE's Engineering National Interest Group, based in Birmingham. The group will act as a co-ordinating body for those involved with health and safety affecting the Motor Vehicle Repair (MVR) Industry - from major franchised motor dealers to small independent garages, tyre fitting and service centres and roadside recovery. Bernard Robinson, Head of the National Interest Group explained the reasons for this new initiative - "MVR is a major national industry employing over 170, 000 people in repair work and a similar sort of number in other activities. They are scattered over a large number of workplaces, many of them very small. The fatal and major injury accident rate for MVR work is higher than that for manufacturing and around that of agriculture, which many people think of as a high risk industry." The Forum will include representatives from most of the key trade and professional associations representing the industry as well as trades unions, equipment suppliers and the enforcing authorities - both HSE itself and Local Authority Environmental Health Officers. Any organisations wanting further information or to be involved with the Forum, can contact Bernard Robinson by fax on +44 (0) 121 607 6311.
The HSE has published a research report (CRR209/1999) which describes progress in a study of the suitability of the mathematical technique known as FORM/SORM for performing quantitative risk assessments (QRA's) of hazardous chemical installations. HSE uses QRA's to formulate its advice to local planning authorities on the siting of such installations, and on the development of land in their vicinity. The FORM/SORM methodology (alternatively referred to as the Most Likely Failure Point method) is well established in the field of structural reliability, and the new report is the third in a series of research reports exploring its potential for wider applications. If fully proven, the method will offer some advantages over the currently used QRA technique. The results of the study are encouraging and the work is likely to be taken forward into a further phase. For more information telephone +44 (0) 1787 881165 or fax: +44 (0) 1787 313995.
A Good Neighbour Forum, the first in a series of national events to promote health and safety to small businesses, was launched this week in Tyneside. Four of the North East region's biggest organisations and employers will set up a partnership offering health and safety expertise to small and medium sized companies. The organisations involved are Northumbrian Water, Northern Electric, Newcastle upon Tyne City Council and UNISON. The scheme will bring together some of the large public and private organisations, sectors which generally have good records in health and safety matters, with small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) to share advice and good practice. The event takes place during the European Week for Safety and Health.
A recent blitz on scaffolding in Westminster resulted in almost all of the erection work they inspected being stopped. The main cause of this was a lack of due care and attention to the public's safety. It was also found that the level of formal qualification was quite poor throughout the teams erecting scaffolding across the area. Lack of planning was blamed rather than cost implications as well as a general lack of knowledge in the scaffolders themselves as to what sort of precautions they should be taken. The inspections will become more commonplace and it is hoped that this, coupled with close work with Local Authorities, will lead to better standards of compliance.
The proprietors of a Pizza restaurant in London are being prosecuted under the Health and Safety at Work Act after one of their employees was killed whilst delivering a pizza. The boy was carrying an 'oversize' pizza box which was too large for the bike he was riding; the box was caught by a gust of wind and caused the boy to veer into the path of an oncoming vehicle.
AWE plc and Hunting BRAE Ltd. have been successfully prosecuted following the accidental exposure of two workers to radioactive material. Although the doses received were small the HSE continued it's prosecution "because of the importance it attaches to the maintenance of high standards in the management of safety at nuclear licensed sites". AWE plc was fined £14,000 whilst Hunting BRAE Ltd. Was fined £4,000; both companies were ordered to pay £3750 costs each.
Dr Nerys William has been appointed the head of the HSE's Employment Medical Advisory Board; she has been with the HSE as an employment medical advisor since 1992.
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