24 January Building Safety Regulator The government have announced that a new regulator, as part of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will have oversight of the design, construction and occupation of high-risk buildings. Dame Judith Hackitt will chair a board to oversee the transition. The Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said: The government is committed to bringing about the biggest change … Read More
23 September Worker died after fall from a scaffolding access ladder £53,000 fine after fatal fall from an insecure ladder An Aberdeen-based roofing contractor has been prosecuted by the HSE after a worker died when he fell from a ladder while exiting scaffolding. JF, a 56-year-old employee of Henderson and Aitken, fell from the top rungs of the ladder after it slipped sideways in Jute Street … Read More
18 June HSE Campaign – Workplace Dust HSE Inspection Campaign HSE inspectors will, over the next few weeks, be focusing some of their time and effort on construction, woodworking and food manufacturing where occupational lung diseases, including in some cases occupational cancers, are more common. They will be asking what measures have been put in place to protect workers’ lungs from the … Read More
13 June (Yet another) fatal injury arsing from a fall from height Work at height can be very dangerous. As a result, the work needs to be planned and suitable control measures put in place to avoid what can only be termed as “wholly avoidable accidents” Two contractors have been fined after a worker suffers a fatal injury following a fragile roof fall during construction work. Wolverhampton … Read More
11 June Failure to plan (a second article) and to do the basics – lifting operation Same start as the first article: Lifting operations must be planned. Not a difficult concept. Think about what is being lifted (the load) and what can go wrong, and make suitable arrangements. The construction firm BAM Nuttall has been fined more than £800,000 after a worker was struck by a large expanded polystyrene (EPS) block. … Read More
10 June HSE Campaign targeting dust Over the next few weeks, HSE inspectors will be focusing some of their time and effort on construction, woodworking and food manufacturing where occupational lung diseases, including in some cases occupational cancers, are more common. They will be asking what measures have been put in place to protect workers’ lungs from the likes of asbestos, … Read More
23 May CDM – Those in control of work I think that we would all accept that “those in control of work” have a responsibility to ensure that the work is carried out safely. Part of that responsibility is ensuring that there is a safe way of doing it (usually referred to as a safe system of work). The responsibility does not end there; … Read More
22 May Selection and Control of Contractors The Selection and Control of Contractors is an area that some businesses do not devote enough time to, and do not understand their responsibilities fully. Reliance on the use of contractors has increased dramatically over recent years in most employment sectors. Organisations are increasingly concentrating on core activities and operations and are taking on contract staff for … Read More
1 August Prison Sentence for Roofing Contractor Council H&S officers reported dangerous roof work to HSE – Prison Sentence for Roofing Contractor. A roofing contractor has been sentenced for safety breaches after workers were left at risk of falling from unprotected roof edges in February 2016. The failures of C Smith Roofing (Mr Chris Smith T/A) were discovered by local council health and safety … Read More
1 August Unsafe roof work Unsafe Roof Work – a roofing contractor employed by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council has had its unsafe working practices exposed after an employee fell through a roof light. In a prosecution brought by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), Dudley magistrates heard how people were working on the roof for Woodhull Roofing had no safety … Read More