October 30th, 2009
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned employers that they must adhere to regulations regarding working at height following an accident in which a man broke his spine.
Philpott Demolition and Recycling employee Gediminas Vasiliauskas had been removing roof tiles from an aircraft hangar when the tragedy occurred in April 2007.
He was not wearing a safety harness and when he lost his footing, he fell from the roof of the building. The victim had to have a metal plate inserted into his spine and lost his sense of taste and smell.
He was also unable to work for a year after the accident.
Tim Philpott, the owner of the business, was fined for breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was given a substantial fine.
HSE Inspector Nicola Surrey said: "Mr Vasiliauskas was lucky to survive this incident, which could have been avoided if his employer had taken precautions to ensure his employee’s safety."
Under Work at Height Regulations, 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, Aircraft Hangar, Demolition, Footing, Health And Safety, Health And Safety At Work, Health And Safety At Work Etc Act 1974, Health And Safety Executive, Nicola, Norwich, Quot, Recycling, Roof Tiles, Safety At Work, Safety Harness, Sense Of Taste, Spine Health, Surrey, Tragedy, Working At Height
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September 16th, 2009
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned employers that they must provide safe working environments after a man was killed in a forklift truck accident.
Shaun Porter, 31, was working at Trackline (International) in Northampton in 2007 and was attempting to move a load of material from one side of the factory to another.
There was a vehicle frame in the gangway and although Mr Porter lifted the load to avoid it, he clipped the frame with his vehicle and it overturned.
The victim was crushed and died instantly.
An investigation by the HSE discovered that there was no official gangway in the factory and no marked access routes for employees to use.
HSE inspector Jo Anderson said: "Companies must understand the importance of managing transport in the workplace in order to prevent a tragedy like this happening again in the future."
Additional statistics from the organisation show that there were 35 fatal injuries to manufacturing workers in 2007-08, as well as 5,097 reported major injuries.
Tags: Fatal Injuries, Forklift Truck, Gangway, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Hse, Man Health, Mr Porter, Northampton, Statistics, Tragedy, Truck Accident, Vehicle Frame, Working Environments
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August 25th, 2009
A company that operates extreme sports holidays has been ordered to pay £33,500 in compensation to the family of a girl who was killed on one of its holidays.
Emily Jordan, 21, had gone river rafting with Black Sheep Adventures in New Zealand last year, but tragedy struck and the traveller ended up in the water of the Kawarau River Gorge.
She was trapped under the water by a rock for 20 minutes and died at the scene.
An inquest found that the holiday company had failed to follow correct safety procedures and had not carried ropes in case of an accident.
It was fined £27,600 and ordered to pay £33,500 in compensation to Ms Jordan’s family.
Anyone who has been injured in a holiday accident and believes their tour operator or adventure sports organiser to be responsible may be entitled to claim holiday accident compensation and should seek the advice of an experienced solicitor.
Tags: Accident Compensation, Adventure Sports, Black Sheep, Extreme Sports, Holiday Company, Holidays, Inquest, Jordan 21, New Zealand, River Gorge, River Rafting, Ropes, Safety Procedures, Solicitor, Tour Operator, Tragedy, Traveller
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July 24th, 2009
The families of the victims of a fatal helicopter crash in the North Sea three months ago are taking legal action against the owners of the vehicle.
Two pilots and 14 passengers died in the Super Puma helicopter tragedy in April, when it crashed 11 miles off the coast of Peterhead, the Aberdeen Evening Express reports.
It was recently found that the crash could have been avoided and the victims’ families have now launched multi-million pound compensation claims against Bond Offshore Helicopters’ insurers.
Hearings will now go ahead to assess the claims, but if they are successful, the payouts would take into account the age of the men and the number of dependents they had.
At the time, Scottish first minister Alex Salmon said: "It looks like we might be facing the second worst helicopter support incident in history, in terms of the number of fatalities."
The worst was a Chinook crash in 1986 when 45 people died.
Tags: Aberdeen Evening Express, Alex, April, Chinook Crash, Compensation Claims, Crash Families, Evening Express, Fatal Helicopter Crash, First Minister, Helicopter Support, Helicopters, North Sea, Number Of Dependents, Puma Helicopter, Salmon, Super Puma, Support Incident, Three Months, Tragedy
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May 27th, 2009
The family of a man who died after falling 23 metres at work have secured a compensation payout from his former employers.
The unnamed employee was working on a building site for Rafaco SA and Lentjes UK when the accident occurred.
He slipped from the platform of an industrial boiler and fell to the ground below, suffering fatal injuries.
The victim’s widow took legal action against the two firms after they were prosecuted under health and safety regulations.
"For many my husband’s death is just another statistic. For me, it is an irreversible tragedy that has changed my life forever," she commented.
The companies agreed to pay the deceased man’s family an undisclosed sum of compensation as a result of their loss.
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, Deceased Man, Family Man, Fatal Injuries, Health And Safety, Industrial Boiler, Safety Regulations, Statistic, Tragedy, Undisclosed Sum, Working On A Building
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