March 20th, 2009
An inquest has heard how two men were killed in a workplace accident when an untrained colleague loosened the bolts of the crane they were working on.
Gary Miles, 37, and Steven Boatman, 45, were 105 feet up from the ground in February 2005 as they carried out work for Eurolift (Tower Cranes), which is owned by WD Bennett’s Plant & Services, Building magazine reports.
Their colleague Dave Smith loosened the bolts of the crane’s tower while the pair were in the air and then signalled for them to move the crane around.
However, the pressure on the equipment was too much and the crane collapsed.
Mr Miles and Mr Boatmen were thrown off and landed on the roof of a school. Both died at the scene.
WD Bennett’s Plant & Services had no health and safety representative onsite because he had called in sick that day, the court has heard, but the company denies breaches of health and safety regulations and the case continues.
The Health and Safety executive is in the process of drawing up a register of safety checks on tower cranes after pressure from the construction industry.
Anyone responsible for workplaces which use cranes should ensure that tower cranes are erected and dismantled by competent people who have the necessary training and experience.
Tags: Amp Services, Boatman, Boatmen, Bolts, Breaches, Colleague, Construction Industry, Crane, Dave Smith, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Health And Safety Representative, Inquest, Onsite, Safety Checks, Safety Regulations, Tower Cranes, Two Men, Workplace Accident, Workplaces
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February 27th, 2009
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued a warning to care providers that they must ensure the safety of their patients.
Its warning comes after a man staying at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield tried to open a window in May 2004.
Although the window was not supposed to open more than ten centimetres, it had not been properly maintained and swung open fully.
The 18-year-old fell 12 metres to the floor below, suffering a serious internal injury and several fractures.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was fined for breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
HSE inspector Kirsty Welsh said hospitals need to ensure that vulnerable people are not put at risk.
"The risk of falls from windows is well-known in the care sector. Hospitals have a responsibility to ensure they have preventative measures put in place," she added.
Anyone who is injured within a hospital or care home may be able to claim personal injury compensation and should seek the advice of a solicitor within three years of the incident.
Tags: 18 Year Old, Breaches, Care Sector, Foundation Trust, Fractures, Health And Safety, Health And Safety At Work, Health And Safety At Work Act, Health And Safety At Work Act 1974, Health And Safety Executive, Kirsty, Northern General Hospital, Personal Injury Compensation, Preventative Measures, Risk, Safety At Work, Sheffield, Solicitor, Teaching Hospitals, Welsh
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November 19th, 2008
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned employers to adhere to safety regulations to ensure the safety of their workforce.
Its advice comes after the prosecution of Knauf, a Kent plasterboard company, following an incident in which a man was hurt.
The unnamed employee was cleaning the rollers of a plasterboard machine with the guard off when he became trapped.
He suffered a serious injury to his hand and HSE inspector Jan Combs said the accident could have been prevented.
"If a proper health and safety risk assessment had been carried out and acted upon this incident could have been avoided. [Knauf] ignored basic health and safety rules," she remarked.
The firm was prosecuted for breaches of the health and safety regulations and was fined for its actions.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, six million working days were lost to injuries in 2007-08, with 299,000 reportable injuries occurring.
Tags: advice, Basic Health, Breaches, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Hse Issues, Lost, Plasterboard, Proper Health, Prosecution, Reportable Injuries, Risk Assessment, Rollers, Safety Regulations, Safety Risk, Safety Rules, Workforce
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November 11th, 2008
Two companies have been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive after an employee was killed in an accident.
The unnamed worker had been walking along a steel structure with platforms and walkways at various heights where boilers were being installed in July 2005.
However, floor gratings that were moved during the installations had not been replaced and the man fell 23 metres to his death.
Lentjes UK, the principal contractor and Rafako S.A., the sub-contractor, were prosecuted for breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Work at Height Regulations 2005 respectively.
HSE inspector Peter Collingwood said that had the gratings been replaced or had the fitters not been permitted to remove them, the worker’s death would not have occurred.
"Another life has been lost because of the inability to plan and implement simple and basic precautions and employers need to understand that this is simply not acceptable," he remarked.
Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, every employer should make sure that work is not carried out at height when it can be successfully carried out at ground level.
Where work at height is carried out, employers are legally obliged to take adequate steps to prevent falls.
Tags: Adequate Steps, Boilers, Breaches, Floor Gratings, Health And Safety, Health And Safety At Work, Health And Safety At Work Act, Health And Safety At Work Act 1974, Health And Safety Executive, Lost, Peter Collingwood, Platforms, Principal Contractor, Prosecution, Rafako, Safety At Work, Steel Structure, Walkways
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November 7th, 2008
An incident in which a man was crushed and suffered serious injuries in an accident at work has resulted in a prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The unnamed 17-year-old man was working for Peter David Marquis at a waste transfer station in 2007 when an excavator moved back, pushing him into a skip.
He broke his femur and pelvis and suffered serious internal injuries.
Mr Marquis was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £4,631.60 in costs for breaches of health and safety acts.
HSE inspector Stephen Garsed said the accident happened because the risks of working near machinery had not been assessed.
"It is now so easy to find that there can be no excuse for not knowing the standards to meet or for not making sure that risk assessments and operating procedures follow best practice," he commented.
All employers are obliged by law to ensure the safety of their employees under a duty of care.
They must provide a safe workplace, safe systems of work, safe equipment and safe fellow employees.
If any safety regulations are breached and an injury occurs as a result of this negligence, the victim may be eligible for compensation. The HSE will prosecute where appropriate employers that break the law.
Tags: Acts, Breaches, Duty Of Care, Excavator, Excuse, Fellow Employees, Femur, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Internal Injuries, Marquis, Negligence, Old Man, Pelvis, Peter David, Prosecution, Risk Assessments, Safe Systems Of Work, Safety Regulations
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