Lawford Kidd's Blog

Incidents involving moving vehicles and cattle are the biggest causes of death on Britain’s farms, according to the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) latest fatality statistics.

Thirty three workers and four members of the public were killed on Britain’s farms during 2014/15, with around half (16) being struck or run over by farm equipment, or crushed or trampled by cattle.

The figures also show that:

A Bill that makes provision for the prosecution in Scotland of partnerships, partners and others following dissolution or changes in membership, has completed its passage through Parliament.

The Partnerships (Prosecution) (Scotland) Bill is now waiting for Royal Assent, and will come into force on the day after the assent is granted.

The Bill closes a legal loophole in Scottish partnership law, which came to light after the tragic death of 14 elderly residents in a fire at the Rosepark nursing home in Lanarkshire in 2004.

The risks facing workers across Scotland would appear to be increasing rather than falling, as the latest provisional figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reveal that 20 workers lost their lives while at work in Scotland last year - an increase of six on the previous year.

HSE disappointment

The HSE has expressed its disappointment at the figures, and has called on business to rethink workplace safety provisions and to focus on real risk in an attempt to bring the numbers down.

An Essex firm has been prosecuted after one of its employees suffered life-changing injuries when he fell from a stepladder while spray-painting a lorry.

The 51-year-old man shattered his left shoulder and collar bone, broke several ribs and received a deep cut to his head in the fall.  

The company was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found that the same employee had fallen off a stepladder just one month before the incident, but no action had been taken to improve safety at the site.