Worker injured by falling roofing material
Two roofers have received suspended sentences after a Derbyshire office worker was injured when a roll of roofing felt crashed through the ceiling of her office. The woman was sitting at her desk when the metre-long, 37kg roll fell through a roof light and came through the ceiling, hitting her on the shoulder. She was […]
New figures show continued fall in workplace ill health and injury
New figures have shown that the ongoing trend for falls in the number of people injured and made unwell at work has continued. The statistics published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that in Britain between April 2010 and March 2011: The new data confirms that Britain continues to have the lowest rate […]
Two thirds of Scottish workplace deaths in agriculture
Nearly two thirds of Scots killed at work last year worked in agriculture, analysis of figures published earlier this year by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have shown. Of the fifteen workplace fatalities that occurred between April 2010 and March 2011, nine were in agriculture. Across Great Britain, the five year average rate of […]
Company fined after worker loses part of leg
A national malt company, Pauls Malt Limited, has been fined after a worker had to have the lower part of his left leg amputated, when he became entangled in machinery inside a grain silo. His right leg was also badly broken and is still held together by plates and pins. An investigation by the Health […]
Marks and Spencer fined £1 Million for safety failings
Marks and Spencer plc and three of its contractors have been fined for putting members of the public, staff and construction workers at risk of exposure to asbestos-containing materials during the refurbishment of two stores in Reading and Bournemouth. Asbestos is the biggest single cause of work-related deaths in the UK, with an estimated 4,000 […]
Firm fined over cooling tower drowning
A maintenance contractor must pay a total of £155,000 after a man fell into a water filled sump at a North Wales power station and drowned. Michael Benn, 37, from Glenrothes, Fife was one of a team of three working to remove sludge and debris from part of a cooling tower at Connah’s Quay Power […]
Call for employers to help reduce work-related road deaths
A health and safety body has urged employers to do more to reduce the worrying number of work-related road traffic accidents (RTA). The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) made the call after research it commissioned with TRL (Transport Research Laboratory) revealed that many companies are spending money on road safety strategies, with little […]
Changes to HSE incident reporting
New incident reporting arrangements introduced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have come into operation with effect from Monday 12th September. Only fatal and major injuries and incidents will be able to be reported by phone to the HSE, with all other work-related injuries and incidents reportable under RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases […]
Glasgow demolition worker fatally injured
Whiteinch Demolition Limited, a Glasgow demolition contractor, has been fined after a worker was killed when a weight from a face shovel machine fell on him. On 12 May 2008 Bernard McCarroll, aged 68 years from Croy, was dismantling a hydraulic excavator at the company’s yard in Glasgow by the process known as burning, using […]
Judge allows tick bite claim to proceed
A Court of Session judge has ruled that a forestry worker can proceed with his damages claim against the Forestry Commission, reports the Scotsman. Iain MacEchern is claiming £80,000 in damages after a tick bite left him seriously ill with lyme disease. The 57-year old had to spend a number of months in hospital, and […]