HSE PROHIBITION NOTICES SERVED ON SAFETY TRAINER!
Posted Thursday, February 13, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
Prohibition notices have been issued to a UK plant training company following an HSE investigation. As a consequence of evidence of malpractice found during the investigation the HSE has named David Harris and his company Future International Training Ltd as the recipient.
These notices require an immediate halt to the issue of training certificates, plant operators licences or any other indication that training and testing has been carried out unless a proper scheme has been followed.
Such notices are only issued where an activity is deemed to involve, or will involve, a risk of serious personal injury. It has the effect of stopping the activity immediately or after a specified time period, and not allowing it to be resumed until remedial action is taken. The Notice is served under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSW Act), and failure to comply is an offence which could lead to a fine of up to £20,000 and/ or six months in prison on summary conviction by a Magistrates' Court.
WARNING
Under the circumstances, generally, the HSE wishes to alert the industry over training certificates and plant operator licences. The warning concerns the practice of claiming affiliation or accreditation to the Association of Industrial Truck Trainers (AITT)/Independent Training Standards Scheme & Register (ITSSAR) and other nationally recognised organisations such as the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), Lantra and City & Guilds where no current accreditation exists. Mr Harris and his company did hold accreditation with AITT/ITSSAR until 21 April 2001. However, this accreditation was not renewed.
EVIDENCE OF COMPETENCE
HSE reminds employers, employees and the self-employed that under health and safety legislation workers require to be properly trained to operate plant and work equipment. To assist with compliance several nationally recognised training providers have developed schemes to train and test plant and machinery operators. Once trained and assessed under these schemes plant operators are usually issued with a plant operators licence which is typically valid for five years with further renewal by reassessment.
Other health and safety courses, such as the detailed registration scheme for streetworks operatives and supervisors or the more general 'safety awareness training', are frequently completed with the issue of a training certificate and a credit card size identity card.
Employers and the self-employed have come to rely on these as evidence of competence in particular categories of plant. Part of these arrangements should involve checks to ascertain the validity of training certificates or plant licences. If the authenticity is in doubt, the accreditation body whose name appears on the certificate or licence can be contacted. Employers and the self-employed must not allow people to operate plant or equipment unless they are competent to do so.
TRAINING RESOURCES, SCHEMES & CONTACT DETAILS
The Major Contractors Group (MCG) has committed its members to a fully trained workforce on all MCG sites by December 2003. The scheme MCG uses is the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS). To work on these sites workers need to obtain a credit card style CSCS card. Workers with existing plant licences, etc, from an organisation accredited to the new scheme may be able to transfer existing entitlement into the CSCS scheme. Further information on the scheme can be obtained from www.cscs.uk.com or by telephoning 01485 578777.
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) can be contacted on tel: 01485 577877.
The Independent Training Standards Scheme & Register (ITSSAR) can be contacted on tel: 0118 989 3229.
City & Guilds can be contacted on tel: 020 7294 2468.
Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for the environmental and land-based sector, can be contacted on tel: 02476 696996 or further information is available from www.lantra.co.uk/nto .
The National Proficiency Tests Council (NPTC) provide an up-to-date skills assessment service for land-based and a range of other industries, contact on tel: 02476 696553 or further information is available from www.nptc.org.uk .
TEACHER’S SLIP COSTS COUNCIL £45,000!
Posted Thursday, February 13, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
Former schoolteacher Carol Harper, 57, slipped and fell down a stairway at King Edward VI High School, Stafford, in May 1999, causing her to fracture an ankle. She maintained her slip was as a result of food dropped on the stairs.
The fall has precipitated an early end to her career and she has been awarded £44,650 compensation at the High Court, however Staffordshire County Council denies liability for her loss.
DEMOLITION COMPANY HAD EXCELLENT SAFETY RECORD BEFORE EMPLOYEE’S DEATH
Posted Thursday, February 13, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
A London based demolition company Brown and Mason has been fined a total of £40,000 with £3,750 costs at Newcastle Crown Court for its part in an accident that led to the death of an employee in May 2001 while engaged on its Blyth Power Station project.
It failed to meet the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act in the circumstances of the accident and failed to assess risks involved in the demolition activity.
During the project a 400kg junction box was released and fell from a height striking and killing the employee.
£78,000 FOR MANUAL HANDLING INJURY
Posted Thursday, February 13, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
A former employee of KP Billingham, a Teeside food processing company has received in settlement a sum of £78,000 from the company in respect of her loss due to injury to her back while at work there. The woman maintained her activity at a flow wrapping machine during September 1998 precipitated a degenerative back condition that now prevents her from working.
One feature of the case is that she warned superiors of her back pain at the time but no action was taken to address the problem.
GMB facilitated the woman's claim for compensation, it's spokesman Kevin Curran commenting: "Whether it is a substantial amount of money, an employee or their reputation, they must realise that by looking after their employees they are ultimately looking after themselves."
TRAWLER SURVIVES IMPACT OF COLLISION WITH 20,000-TONNE TANKER
Posted Thursday, February 13, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
The 6 man crew of the Brixham trawler De Vrouw Marie, which survived a collision with a 20K-tonne chemical tanker, the Panamanian-registered Oriental Jasmin, have been left shaken & reflective by the collision some 33 miles off Start Point which left them with damage to the towing boom & warp & an indented stern above the waterline.
Roger Brimacombe, Brixham Coastguard watch manager, said: "It's extremely fortunate the fishing vessel did not incur more damage. The chemical tanker is 10 times its size & if it had hit just a couple of feet to starboard, or lower down, the damage could have caused many more problems for the skipper & his crew. We have informed the Marine Accident Investigation Board."
The trawler skipper had tried in vain to make contact with the coastguard but unfortunately was out of range on VHF, although the coastguard was able to monitor subsequent dialogue with a vessel in the vicinity while the incident was being co-ordinated by French authorities.
Three of the crew were in bed at the moment of impact, one described the trawler's derrick holding gear as being bent in half & the tanker taking 3 hours of circling to stop after the trawler had correctly veered to starboard to avoid the collision.
EMPLOYERS LIABILITY INSURANCE SET FOR REFORM
Posted Thursday, February 13, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
The Government's review of ELCI (Employers Liability Compulsory Insurance) is a unique opportunity for a fundamental reform of the system of compensation for workplace injury and ill health, says HSC chair Bill Callaghan.
Mr. Callaghan welcomed news that the government was proposing to consider the whole of current employer liability and worker compensation arrangements, but warned short-term technical adjustments were not the complete answer.
Mr Callaghan said: "It does not drive better health and safety performance or rehabilitation. It deals with consequences rather than prevention. It is not economically efficient. The costs of the system are out of line with the compensation payouts, and include a heavy element of legal fees. Neither does it cope well with occupational diseases that might have a long latency period. Recent high profile crises in the industry had demonstrated that.
Costs recognised and borne by those who create them
"If the costs of health and safety failures were better known and borne by those who created the risks, a better and more efficient allocation of resources could follow. And the business case for investment in health and safety would be clearer to all organisations - remember that prevention and rehabilitation provides savings, so it is not all about new financial burdens".
Mr. Callaghan questioned the value of adversarial relationships as the most efficient way to secure compensation or encourage prevention or rehabilitation and wished to see the option of a 'no fault' system explored.
He concluded: "I have outlined how we might make work a better place to be - a better and safer place to be for all those workers who now leave employment because of sickness and ill health. It is also about a more efficient system. Ensuring that costs are recognised and borne by those who create them. Creating incentives for good health and safety performance. Penalising poor performers.
I do not minimise the difficulty of reform. But if we get this right we could make a real difference."
PILOT FALLS FROM AIRCRAFT DOOR
Posted Thursday, February 13, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
Ken Rutherford, 46, a pilot employed by EasyJet, is critically ill in hospital following a fall from height as he closed a fuselage door after passengers had disembarked a Boeing 737 at Edinburgh Airport last weekend.
He was discovered on the tarmac below the boarding steps. It has been suggested that strong winds may have been a factor in the accident.
A spokeswoman for EasyJet said pilots only shut doors if they are the last ones to leave their aircraft. Mr Rutherford has serious back injuries & is in stable but critical condition. The airline & the British Airports Authority in Scotland are investigating the accident.
LOCAL AUTHORITIES RESIST INSURANCE COMPANY PRESSURE FOR SPRINKLER SYSTEMS IN SCHOOLS
Posted Thursday, February 13, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
A recent steep rise in losses arising from arson attacks on schools is moving insurance companies to press local authorities to consider the installation of sprinkler systems in new school buildings.
One such authority, Edinburgh City Council, soon to acquire many new schools, remains unconvinced of the merits. It argues that it meets regulatory requirement in full without sprinkler systems, despite statistics showing 90% of fires are arson and that Scottish local authorities experience 30% of UK school fires with only 16% of total properties.
A spokesman for Insurers Zurich Municipal said: "As far as we are aware there are no sprinklers in any of the schools we cover in Scotland. We are, however, encouraging the installation of sprinkler systems in new schools."
The argument for sprinklers is perhaps more acute in Scotland given the poor quality, design and use of inappropriate and more flammable building materials used during the fifties and sixties.
Zurich's Larry Stokes commented on the statistics and costs: "These figures make a compelling argument for the installation of sprinklers. The cost of schools protected by sprinklers is estimated to be only one-tenth of the cost for unprotected school buildings."
‘CLUBERS’ REPORT DAMAGE TO SKIN & EYES
Posted Thursday, February 6, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
Some patrons of the Flares nightclub in Leeds have sought medical treatment for skin burns and eye problems following a night out last week. One theory put forward is that a defective ultra-violet light fitting caused the problem.
One young woman complained that she too had reacted badly to the exposure, saying she was aware of another woman treated for burns and eye problems in hospital.
POLICEMAN KILLED WHILE ATTENDING ROAD ACCIDENT
Posted Thursday, February 6, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
A 34-year old Cambridgeshire police officer was killed while attending an accident scene on the A1 northbound at Alconbury around 08.15 on Wednesday.
The unnamed policeman had responded to a call to attend a 4-vehicle crash and was understood to be on foot at the locus when he died.
PROTECTING SCOTTISH DOCTORS AND NURSES - NEW GUIDANCE
Posted Thursday, February 6, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
Scottish Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm has launched the Managing Health at Work Guideline, published by the Partnership Information Network (PIN) Board. It considers the major issues that affect the wellbeing, health and safety of staff in their every day working environment and offers model policies on:
STRESS
LONE WORKING
ATTENDANCE
VIOLENCE & AGGRESSION
MANUAL HANDLING
BIOLOGICAL &
CHEMICAL DANGERS.
VIOLENT ATTACKS
The Minister said at the launch of the guidance: "I take this opportunity to launch the new 'Managing Health at Work' PIN Guideline which should go some way to improving the working environment for NHS staff. This new guideline has been drafted by the health service, for the health service and now needs to be implemented by the health service. NHSScotland must be recognised as a modern employer.
The Health at Work PIN Guideline covers all the major health and safety issues that could affect staff as part of their day-to-day work. For the first time ever, these guidelines will provide NHS Boards with an ultimate sanction of withholding treatment from violent patients.
This sanction - backed by staff - is the right step for us to take to deter attacks against health service workers. This new guidance will help staff deal with the small minority of individuals who make such violent attacks and ensure that all NHS staff feel safer and more secure at work."
WITHHOLDING TREATMENT
The guideline reflects the Scottish Executive's priorities for NHSScotland. SEHD will work closely with other UK Health Departments to maximise all our efforts in the occupational and health and safety field and avoid duplication.
Withholding treatment in the guideline has been carefully drawn up to ensure that it will not apply to cases where a patient, in the expert opinion of a clinician, is not considered competent for their behaviour, e.g. where a patient is mentally ill.
Treatment will not be refused also in cases where patients require emergency treatment.
TRANSCO FACES CULPABLE HOMICIDE CHARGE!
Posted Thursday, February 6, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
Transco is to be the first ever company in Scotland to face culpable homicide charges over the December 1999 gas explosion that claimed four lives of one family in Larkhall.
The case is anticipated to be highly complex and involve lengthy process, the company is to contest the charges in the High Court, Edinburgh.
According to one report, proceedings involve the culpable homicide charge with a contravention of Section 3 and 33 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 as an alternative.
ANNIVERSARY REMINDER ON SEATBELTS
Posted Thursday, February 6, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is marking the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the introduction of law requiring the compulsory wearing of seatbelts in cars to remind motorists and their passengers to belt-up in the back.
RoSPA, whose efforts were instrumental in bringing about the seatbelt legislation, claims thousands of motorists have survived crashes because of the seatbelt law.
RoSPA says failure to wear a seatbelt still costs around 160 lives a year in the UK & thousands of injuries - many because people won't belt-up in the back.
UNBELTED PEOPLE IN THE BACK CAN KILL PEOPLE IN THE FRONT!
Since 1991 it is compulsory to wear seatbelts in the back of cars. RoSPA's Head of Road Safety Kevin Clinton says: "Thanks to Lord Nugent and RoSPA thousands of people are alive today who otherwise might have been killed in road accidents. But even 20 years on we see people flouting a law which was designed with their interests in mind. About 90% of drivers wear their belts in the front - still far too low - while in the rear the rate is still below 60%.
Television commercials have illustrated graphically how those who are not belted up in the back can kill people in the front, and this has led to some improvement. Let's hope that people get the message that even if they are not worried about their own safety in a car, they should at least wear their belts to protect others."
CONSTRUCTION SITE SAFETY & SECURITY
Posted Thursday, February 6, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
Advice on stemming the considerable losses suffered by the construction industry through the theft of plant, materials & damage by fire on construction sites has been published by the Foundation for the Built Environment (FBE).
Between £600 million & £1 billion was lost because of plant theft alone from construction sites across the UK in 1997, with a sizable proportion of this attributed to inefficient or even non-existent security.
FBE has published a report on how some of these losses occur & how they can be prevented through effective planning & management. Based on a comprehensive review of site security, case studies of varying build types - new residential, science park, transport link, office block & petrol station are used to illustrate measures available. In all of these it was clear that security, crime prevention & asset protection were not considered particularly important. No specific security budgets were included & in most cases the emphasis was on the contractor to 'sort it out'.
Guidance on policies & procedures for construction site safety, security & guidance for on-site practice are given in Construction site security and safety. The forgotten costs!, which can be purchased from http://www.brebookshop.com .
CONTRACTOR PROSECUTED FOR FAILING TO ADEQUATELY CHECK TREE-FELLER'S COMPETENCE
Posted Thursday, February 6, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
HSE is stressing the need for clients and contractors to take adequate steps to determine the competence of those carrying out tree-felling operations. The matter is illustrated by a recent incident that came to a prosecution this month in _______* Magistrates' Court when a building and property development company pleaded guilty to a charge under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, S.3(2).
The company, ______*, was fined £2,000, with £664 costs, for failing to check the tree surgeon involved was competent to carry out the work. The tree surgeon felled a large branch from a 20-metre poplar tree in an uncontrolled manner & it subsequently fell into a neighbouring garden which had shortly before been occupied by a mother & child. No warning had been given to stay inside.
CHAINSAW CERTIFICATES OF COMPETENCE
Adrian Hodkinson of HSE's Agriculture and Wood Sector comments: "This incident and prosecution sends out a clear message that clients engaging contractors to undertake tree work need to carefully check they have the necessary skill and competence.
Tree work is hazardous; to be done safely it requires properly trained and experienced people. It would have been advisable for the client to obtain two or three detailed quotes.
The client should have asked for details of how the work was to be done and checked that the contractor held chainsaw certificates of competence relevant to the task. I would encourage all clients to examine the qualifications and skills of people they engage.
Arboricultural trade associations can supply details of approved contractors and information to help you choose a competent tree work contractor.
It is not surprising that the job went wrong and it is very fortunate that no one was injured."
PUWER AND CHAINSAWS
The Approved Code of Practice to the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations1998 states that: "All workers who use a chainsaw should be competent to do so. Before using a chainsaw to carry out work on or in a tree, a worker should have received appropriate training and obtained a relevant certificate of competence or national competence award, unless they are undergoing such training and are adequately supervised."
* THE PROVISIONS OF THE CONTEMPT OF COURT ACT APPLY AND CERTAIN INFORMATION IS WITHHELD.
E-THROMBOSIS!
Posted Thursday, February 6, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
Researchers in the European Respiratory Journal have warned of the risks of a disorder dubbed 'e-thrombosis', citing the case of a 32-year old man who possibly developed a potentially fatal blood clot from spending 18 hours a day working at his PC.
Two exercises can help stave off such risks for heavy PC users - get up for a short walk (ideally every half hour or so) every hour or so to engage the powerful "pump" muscles in the thigh and calf, an activity which also benefits the smaller muscles at the keyboard - and practise vigorous foot pumping (of the toe to knee movement principle) if sedentary for over an hour, or leg raising.
COLLEGE FACES HSW CHARGES
Posted Thursday, February 6, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
Ystrad Mynach College, South Wales, is facing charges that it breached the Health and Safety at Work Act in that it failed to meet a duty owed to student Jason Dalton, 17, who drowned on a field trip to Craig y Ddinas, Pontneddfechan in August 2001.
Mr Dalton lost his life attempting to rescue another student and a member of staff who were experiencing difficulties in the river Sychryd. The first hearing will be held at Neath Magistrates Court in March.
SOURCE OF IGNITION WILL NEVER BE KNOWN
Posted Thursday, February 6, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
Roman Jaskowiak, a Polish seaman, died in an explosion on board the coal-bearing cargo ship Paloma on the River Humber in 1996. The force of the blast blew Mr Jaskowiak from the ship's hold out in to the water.
Investigators could only speculate over the source of ignition, one suggestion being that the seaman's footwear may have raised a spark from the treads of a metal ladder.
An inquest jury returned a unanimous verdict of accidental death, Mr Jaskowiak's having drowned in the river.
IRELAND ACTS ON SMOKING BAN WHILST BLAIR & CO DITHER!
Posted Saturday, February 1, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
The Irish Government has decided, it is understood, to implement plans to ban smoking in its public houses & restaurants, further isolating the position of the UK government in Europe. The ban will be general for workplaces.
It had been anticipated that any ban would only extend to places where food was served. The action follows a joint report by Ireland's Health and Safety Authority & the Office of Tobacco Control which has revealed the extent of the damage to workers' health from passive smoking. The news has not been welcomed by The Vintners' Federation of Ireland who describe the proposal as "unworkable, untenable & unenforceable."
Irish Minister for Labour Affairs, Frank Fahey, will table the report which estimates that service industry employees exposed to passive smoking face a 30% greater risk of contracting heart disease than non-smokers & that 150 Irish bar workers died each year of ill-health from passive smoking.
Clive Bates, Director of the anti-tobacco campaigning group ASH commented on the news: "It is a bold & brilliant move for public health, but all they've done in Ireland is to allow people to earn their living without working shrouded in clouds of toxic & cancer-inducing fumes. The contrast with Britain couldn't be more dismal, the Irish have gone with the science & put health first.
The British government talked the talk about public health & the rights of workers to a clean environment, but when it comes to actual delivery, they shuffle off wheezing their way towards a sell- out."
BRITISH LAB DEVELOPING DVT SEAT SENSOR
Posted Saturday, February 1, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
QinetiQ, a British government science & technology research agency, is progressing with a range of developments for tackling air passenger problems such as DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) & air rage.
A seat with movement sensors in its back support & base will alert the passenger on a personal video screen, or the crew monitoring station, of a prolonged sedentary position & a consequent risk of potentially fatal blood clots forming & travelling to the lungs or heart.
Similarly, it will serve as a monitor of restless behaviour, a possible precursor of air rage.
Another ongoing study is the significance of lighting interiors in psychological terms, with a view to designing interiors which reflect more natural light, while creating lighting interiors with an illusion of sunrise & sunset.
FURNITURE FAILED FLAMMABILITY TESTS
Posted Saturday, February 1, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
Pricebuster Furniture Limited of Stockton, Teesside & its director Ajaib Singh have been fined £6,500 plus costs for offering for sale a three-piece suite that failed to meet legal requirements for flammability. Teesside Magistrates heard how furniture seized by trading standards officials failed flammability tests & did not have appropriate fire safety warning labels. The company was also unable to provide the trading standards officers with details of the manufacturer.
Stockton Council's trading standards David Kitching commented: "It is important all upholstered furniture meets stringent fire safety standards. The level of the fine clearly reflects the seriousness with which the matter was held by the courts & should serve as a warning to other traders."
MAN'S HEAD PIERCED LIKE AN ARROW!
Posted Saturday, February 1, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
A worker who sustained serious head & facial injuries is recovering in Dundee's Ninewells Hospital after an accident with a woodworking machine resulted in a 300mm arrow-like piece of wood being ejected & lodging in his head.
Mr Leslie Hall's accident occurred at his employers, Trojan Metals, in Dundee while he was working with an industrial planing machine, when a splinter caught in the drive & was ejected, entering at his temple & emerging from his ear. A company spokesman said: "We're all very shocked by what's happened."
GAS FITTING COMPANY APPEALS AGAINST EXCESSIVE FINE
Posted Saturday, February 1, 2003 by Ahmed Khan
Avon Lippiatt Hobbs (Contracting) Ltd of Westbury, Wiltshire, who were prosecuted and fined for their part in an accident in Abercynon, Rhondda, in May 2000 have been given permission to appeal on the basis that their fine was excessive.
A workman sustained serious injuries in the explosion during domestic gas fitting, and the company was found to have breached the Health and Safety at Work Act on two counts.