June 4th, 2009
A carpenter who fell from a window while attempting to tighten its shutters is to receive £5,000 in compensation.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was involved in the construction of a new school in Waltham Forest in October 2007, where he was working for Bouygues UK.
He was attempting to fix shutters and brackets on the window and leaned out past the guardrail that had been put in place.
However, he slipped and fell five metres onto a hard platform and suffered fractures to his ribs and collarbone, as well as blood in his chest cavity.
The man was unable to work for six months.
Health and Safety Executive inspector Dominic Elliss said: "This case clearly demonstrates the importance of following the hierarchy of controls when planning any work at height."
The victim is now to receive a compensation payout after the firm was prosecuted for breaching safety regulations.
Any work or movement at height near an exposed edge should be considered a hazard and employers must put adequate measures in place to prevent injuries and accidents.
Tags: Accidents, Adequate Measures, Bouygues, Bouygues Uk, Brackets, Carpenter, Chest Cavity, Collarbone, Dominic, Elliss, Fractures, Guardrail, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Hierarchy Of Controls, Ribs, Safety Regulations, Shutters, Waltham Forest
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December 4th, 2008
A man whose father died from asbestos-related cancer has launched a battle for compensation on his behalf.
Leslie Wood, 87, died from mesothelioma – which was caused by asbestos poisoning – last year, the Norwich Evening News reports.
He was a retired carpenter, but may have come into contact with asbestos at several points during his working life.
His son Ivor Wood is now calling for anyone who may have information about his father and his exposure to the deadly building material to come forward.
"This is not about compensation, but for justice to the suffering people have had to endure. To think there are still people out there now who are risking their lives and working with asbestos, something needs to be done," said Mr Wood Jr.
Last month, 68-year-old Gerald Chumley was awarded compensation of £110,000 when he developed mesothelioma after working for the Western National Omnibus Company, ThisisDevon.co.uk reported.
Tags: Asbestos, Building Material, Cancer, Carpenter, Chumley, Leslie Wood, Mesothelioma, Mr Wood, News Reports, Norwich, Risking Their Lives, Several Points, Suffering, Wood Jr
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November 28th, 2008
Bowthorpe 53-year-old Ivor Woods has vowed to seek compensation for his father’s death from mesothelioma, the Norwich Evening News has reported.
Leslie Woods was exposed to asbestos during his career as a carpenter, which resulted in the malignant lung condition that took his life at the age of 87 in September last year.
However, his son is not sure precisely where or when the exposure took place and is asking for information that could help him identify the location.
He believes his father may have come into contact with asbestos at a number of hospitals in London during the 1970s when he was employed by Anglian Widows.
A spokesman for Anglian Home Improvements said the company could not comment on the case before it gains specific details of how, when and where Mr Woods worked for them.
Giving insight into why he is seeking compensation, Mr Woods said: "I never want to see anyone be so afraid through struggling to breath and be so scared as he was in his final hours."
The Health & Safety Executive recently launched a campaign designed to raise awareness that asbestos is still a danger to workers, particularly those in the construction industry.
Tags: 1970s, Amp, Anglian Home Improvements, Asbestos, Career, Carpenter, Compensation Claim, Construction Industry, Health, Hospitals In London, Insight, Leslie Woods, Lung Condition, Mesothelioma, Norwich, Safety Executive, Spokesman, Widows
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August 27th, 2008
The widow of a man who died from the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma has secured compensation of £200,000.
Jenny Rattray was awarded the sum in a settlement with her late husband James’ employer, the Basingstoke Gazette reports.
Mr Rattray had worked as a carpenter and joiner for the South Central Strategic Health Authority for nearly 30 years before being diagnosed with cancer in 2004.
He died as a result of the condition the following year at the age of 64.
In January 2008, the organisation admitted that he had been negligently exposed to asbestos through his employment.
In a statement, a spokesperson said: "The health authority is pleased that agreement has been reached with the family of Mr Rattray in relation to a claim while he was working at Park Prewett Hospital in Basingstoke."
According to the Health and Safety Executive, asbestos is now the greatest single cause of work-related deaths in the UK.
Tags: Asbestos Cancer, Asbestos Mesothelioma, Basingstoke Gazette, Being Diagnosed With Cancer, Cancer Mesothelioma, Carpenter, Deaths, Employment, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Jenny, Park Prewett, Rattray, Spokesperson, Strategic Health Authority, Wins
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June 11th, 2008
A company has been fined £25,000 after a workplace accident left an employee unable to work almost a year and a half after it took place.
David Morgan, a carpenter from the Rhondda area of Wales, fell five feet off an extension ladder in November 2006.
He suffered a badly broken ankle and wrist, in addition to facial injuries caused by a 25kg piece of wood he was carrying at the time.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Steve Richardson said the company did not have safe methods of moving materials from ground level to the loft space where the work was taking place.
"Slips, trips and falls can be viewed as being minor, funny accidents but the effects are not. It can lead to major injuries, a lifetime of disability and in worst cases, fatalities," he commented.
Loft conversion firm Allied Welsh Ltd was also ordered to pay court costs of £8,600.
According to the HSE’s Shattered Lives campaign, 23 people died in 2007 as a result of falls in the construction and plant maintenance industries.
Tags: Accidents, Carpenter, David Morgan, Disability, Extension Ladder, Facial Injuries, Five Feet, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Loft Conversion, Loft Space, Maintenance Industries, Moving Materials, Plant Maintenance, Slips, Steve Richardson, Time Health, Welsh, Workplace Accident
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