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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September 10th, 2008
A company has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for failing to implement the appropriate measures for working at height.
It was ruled that Profile Construction & Interiors, based in Hampshire, had not provided sufficient crawling boards for an employee.
In August 2007, the unnamed worker was standing on two crawling boards working on a roof.
However, no guard rails had been provided and the employee fell 3.5 metres, suffering a broken collarbone, fractured ribs and a fractured skull.
HSE inspector Joanne Woodcock said: "This type of accident is unfortunately very common in the construction industry and totally preventable. In this case the injuries were not life-threatening but this is often only a matter of chance."
The company was fined £234, as well as costs of £200 and a surcharge of £15.
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 and injury.
Tags: Adequate Steps, Amp, Broken Collarbone, Construction Industry, Fractured Ribs, Fractured Skull, Guard Rails, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Hse, Joanne Woodcock, Measures, Profile Construction, Surcharge, Working At Height
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August 13th, 2008
A company has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following an accident in June 2007.
An unnamed worker at Goodyear Dunlop in Birmingham was inspecting tyre casings when a pallet fell off a forklift truck passing by.
They fell onto the worker, fracturing two of his ribs, Abeceder reports.
Goodyear Dunlop pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was ordered to pay a fine of ?13,500 plus costs of £2,888.
The firm also had to pay ?4,000 to the injured worker.
HSE inspector Amarjit Kalay said: "The injuries inflicted could have been significantly worse, or even fatal. Operators of lift trucks must ensure that they operate them in accordance with training and employers must ensure that they are used safely."
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. The construction industry also has its own safety guidelines for specific circumstances.
Tags: Amarjit, Casings, Construction Industry, Duty Of Care, Fellow Employees, Forklift Truck, Goodyear, Goodyear Dunlop, 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, Kalay, Pallet, Ribs, Safe Systems Of Work, Safety At Work, Safety Guidelines, Tyre
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August 5th, 2008
The construction industry in Ireland has a higher rate of fatal accidents than many other countries, it has been found.
According to a study conducted by academics in Tokyo’s Teikyo University, of 25 countries studied, Ireland was exceeded only by Turkey in terms of its construction fatality rate.
Indeed, its rate was six times that of the UK, with 333 deaths per 10,000, compared to 49 for the UK, the Times reports.
"It’s very disappointing that Ireland is so far down the international comparison, but it’s not too surprising in light of the experiences of some of our members on construction sites," stated Sylvester Cronin, health and safety officer at the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union.
He added that there is almost a "cowboy attitude" to health and safety in the Irish construction sector.
Figures produced by the Health and Safety Executive revealed that 228 workers were fatally injured in the UK in 2007-08.
Tags: Academics, Construction Industry, Construction Sector, Construction Sites, Cowboy Attitude, Cronin, Deaths, Experiences, Fatal Accidents, Fatality Rate, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, International Comparison, Ireland, Irish Construction, Safety Officer, Six Times, Sylvester, Teikyo University, Tokyo
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