Employee Lucky to be alive after falling on Spikes

One employee suffered some serious injuries after he tried to load up a hopper grill. After climbing on top of the hopper grill he fell and was impaled on the spikes of the machine.  The spikes are what the machine uses to rip open the sacks which are placed into the machine.

During the accident Simon Lowe aged just 30 years old suffered some extremely painful injuries.  The spikes broke his pelvis and he was also left with a fractured spine.  Mr Lowe had internal bleeding and he lacerated the tendons in one of his thumbs.  A year has passed since his fall and he is still unable to return to work and is receiving treatment for his injuries.

Health and Safety Consultants Could Have Spotted the Dangers

An investigation showed that the firm that Mr Lowe worked for, Dupre Minerals Ltd, allowed their employees to be left alone without supervision and there were no controls in place to prevent their employees from climbing on to the hopper grill.

Once again this case highlights how important it is to make use of the health and safety services offered by companies such as Veritas Consultants. One way to prevent such awful accidents, which could easily have proved to be fatal, is by conducting in depth and adequate risk assessments.

The Firm Pleaded Guilty and Were Subsequently Fined for Their Failures

The company was taken to Fenton Magistrates Court where they pleaded guilty for breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act and they also pleaded guilty for not making suitable or sufficient assessments for the risks that the employees are exposed to at work, which is Regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations.

The judge fined Dupre Minerals £8000 and the firm was also ordered to pay the costs which added up to £5236.  The health and safety inspector, Wayne Owen, spoke to the press after the court hearing.  He mentioned the fact that the company had not carried out a suitable risk assessment.  These are provided by health and safety consultants and there really is no excuse for not having an adequate assessment carried out.

In this case there employees had not been given the proper training which could have stopped the employees from climbing on the hopper grill. The Health and Safety Executives discovered that many of the employees had been operating in the same was as Mr Lowe for some time. If they were given training by health and safety consultantsthey would have been made aware of the dangers and a new method of operation could have been used.

Contact the Professionals

If you run a business you must make sure that you do everything possible to prevent accidents and injuries in your work place.  There are multiple health and safety services which include the process of risk assessments and many health and safety consultants also provide training. Call 0800 1488 677 to speak to Veritas about their available services.

Famous High Street brand due for sentencing over Asbestos Safety failings

Asbestos needs to be taken seriously and unfortunately many companies are failing their employees and the public when it comes to this deadly substance.  In the news this week there was a piece about Marks and Spencer, the hugely well-known retailers, who exposed people to asbestos.  If you talk to your health and safety consultants about asbestos surveys they will help you to create a safe plan of operation to remove the asbestos if any is found on your premises. They are due to be sentenced on 26 September 2011.

Removal of Asbestos Containing Materials Was Unsafe

Marks and Spencer have been found guilty for failing to safely remove the material from two of their shops.  One of the Marks and Spencer shops is located in Bournemouth and the other in Reading.  The Health and Safety Executive decided to prosecute the retailers along with two other contractors who they hired to remove the asbestos.

At Winchester Crown Court the judge was informed about the lack of time given for the removal of a material from the Marks and Spencer stores which contained the asbestos. The contractors had to work during the night so that by the following morning the shops would be able to be opened to the public as usual.  Small enclosures were made and the aim was to complete small sections until the entire job had been completed.

Own Rules Were Followed At Reading

Rather than following the correct procedures the Health and Safety Executive claimed that Marks and Spencer made up their own rules.  One of the health and safety services offered by Veritas is the asbestos survey and if you have any doubts as to what the rules are when it comes to the removal of the material you should make contact with the health and safety consultants right away.

Marks and Spencer paid no attention to the guidance in place, and the contractors, PA Realisations, followed the requests of the retailers rather than the laws.  The contractors put the public at risk as they did not try to stop the asbestos from being left on the floor leaving lots of asbestos contamination.

Bournemouth Store Had Poor Plans in Place

In Bournemouth the job of removing the material containing asbestos was given to Willmot Dixon Construction.  The Health and Safety Executive found that when they worked they failed to put any sort of plan in place and did not carefully monitor or manage the removal process.  The other point raised was the lack of an asbestos survey such as the ones offered by health and safety consultants.

These issues raised showed that both the contractors and Marks and Spencer were at fault.  They have all been found guilty for putting the lives of the public and the employees at serious risk.  Around 4000 deaths are attributed to asbestos every single year, which is why it is so important to make use of the health and safety services offered by firms such as Veritas Consulting. Call 0800 1488 677 to find out about the asbestos surveys service.

British Safety Council hosts Work Safety Conference

Earlier this month, the British Safety Council hosted a conference titled Changing the Health and Safety Landscape, where health and safety professionals came together to discuss the current state of safety laws and the challenges that lie ahead. Conferences like these allow British Safety Council award winners to network with other experts and share their thoughts on best practice. They also provide the opportunity to hear panel discussions and address expert speakers concerning fundamental health and safety issues.

It takes more than the best safety footwear to protect staff; employers need to keep abreast of the latest health and safety developments. British Safety Council chief executive-designate Alex Botha said the conference was an opportunity to debate major reforms in the UK workplace and the effects of these reforms on businesses. According to Mr Botha, a growing number of business owners are realising that a strong health and safety policy leads to a more productive and efficient workplace. However many of them are finding the ongoing Government health and safety review to be a challenge. The British Safety Council chief urged business leaders to make health and safety compliance their top priority; while some might see it as nothing more than red tape and an unnecessary strain, it does in fact have long-term positive effects on business and profit.

One of the crucial topics at the British Safety Council conference was the fee for intervention proposed by the HSE. This would mean that the Health and Safety Executive to recover costs incurred by workplace safety inspections, such as time spent on a site and for follow-up work carried out. This is good news as it means that non-compliant businesses rather than tax payers will be paying for breaches of health and safety laws. The HSE has also initiated a Red Tape Challenge, allowing businesses to respond to the latest health and safety laws, giving feedback on what works and what doesn’t.

Speaking to press about the British Safety Council conference, Alex Botha said “We all agree that no one should be killed, injured or made ill by their work, but how we achieve and sustain this principle is key”. Let’s hope the number of business owners adhering to the correct workwear and work safety requirements continues to grow as a result of the British Safety Council’s efforts.

Fall Results in Loss of Life for Father of Two

Health and safety consultants offer risk assessments for companies in order to prevent accidents and to keep employees and the public safe. A risk assessment must be deemed as adequate which is why it is important to use the health and safety services offered by a reputable company.

A tragic accident which was not prevented due to an inadequate workplace risk assessments resulted in the death of an employee and the prosecution of two firms and a company director due to their failings. The father or two, Carl Pearson, was working in Bournemouth on a building when he fell. He had been hired to replace some lights on the roof which had been damaged, and tragically fell through a roof light.

Mr Pearson suffered terrible injuries to his head, and he passed away the following day in hospital. He had been hired by Cladcoat UK who were contracted by TRN Electrical, the original contractors for the work on the Bournemouth building Mr Pearson was working on.

Risk Assessment Could Have Prevented the Accident

After the fatal accident the Health and Safety Executive investigated the scene. There had been some sort of risk assessment and a method statement produced. However, these were both discovered to be very inadequate. Mr Pearson had been working at height on a roof which was very fragile. He had no safety measures in place to prevent a fall and no fall mitigation in place either.

Both of the firms, Cladcoat UK and TRN Electrical LTD were fined as well as the Director of CladCoat. Cladcoat UK from Longham pleaded guilty to the charges brought against them involving breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at work Act 1974. They were fined £10,000 and no costs. TRN Electrical were fined for breaching the same section and also pleaded guilty.  They were fined £30,000 and an additional £14,850 in costs. The director, Jeremy Walton, was given a conditional discharge after putting in a guilty plea for the breaches of section 3(1) and section 37 of the same act.

Know Your Duties

After the case a health and safety inspector told of the tragic loss of Mr Pearson, stating the accident was completely preventable. An adequate risk assessment offered by health and safety consultants would have highlighted the risks and a system of work could have been established to prevent Mr Pearson from falling. The inspector also went on to say that the two firms were not aware of their duties in the eyes of the law.

Health and safety consultants are there to help you meet all the demands of the Health and Safety at Work Act. If you are unsure of your duties give health and safety consultants, such as Vertitas Consulting, a call. They will be able to offer you a number of health and safety services, such as the risk assessments and method statement writing.  To ask about the risk assessment health and safety services call 0800 1488 677 today.

Hearing Loss Causes and Symptoms

Hearing impairment is an extremely common problem in adults and children and can range from temporary poor quality hearing to permanent deafness. Some sufferers may notice their problems begun with a very slight reduction in the quality of their hearing which gradually worsened. This type of hearing loss can often be noise-induced and unbeknown to many sufferers, the effects are irreversible. However, if hearing is slightly damaged as a result of noise damage hearing aids and hearing protection can be used to assist hearing and prevent further deafness.

Many people believe slight hearing loss poses no major health risks, which is generally why they assume it’s no cause for concern. In reality, slight hearing loss can progress quickly if left undiagnosed. If anyone suspects their hearing may be impaired they should have a hearing test to be sure their quality of hearing isn’t below the norm.

Noise-induced hearing loss can be a major workplace issue particularly for those who work in industrial environments consisting of loud machinery and those in the armed forces. In work environments where people may be exposed to dangerous frequencies, ear protection should be provided to employees. Many workplaces displays signs to remind their employees that ear protection is required to maintain auditory health.

Many people are deterred by the concept of ear protection due to their perception of being old fashioned and ineffective, meaning the person’s hearing is muffled when wearing ear protection. However, ear protection has evolved from the days when cotton wool was probed down the ear canal in an attempt to protect hearing. Nowadays hearing protection is designed to repel dangerous frequencies whilst allowing safe volumes to still be audible. This makes hearing protection extremely efficient in a noisy workplace where verbal communication is still required.

It is important for workplaces to ensure appropriate hearing protection is provided if noise levels exceed the safety limit. Failure to do so is classed as a breach of the health and safety act 1974 and is a prosecutable offence which could result in the company being sued.

There are of course, other causes of hearing loss other than loud volumes. Ear infections, build-up of Cerumen (earwax) and diseases can also cause hearing problems. Ear infections are common in swimmers which is why many use ear protection, life guards may find they require ear protection if they are prone to infection.

Those who already suffer from hearing loss are advised to schedule an appointment for a hearing test. Should they be told their hearing is impaired they should take extra precautions and wear appropriate ear protection. Hearing aids can be used to improve the person’s hearing quality. Modern designs such as Phonak hearing aids can be very discreet so wearers needn’t worry about the hearing aid attracting unwanted attention.

Many people take their hearing for granted and expose their ears to dangerous frequencies and volumes, expecting their ears to withstand it. In order to protect their hearing, people should invest in ear protection where necessary and wear reputable brands such as Oticon hearing aids if their hearing is already impaired.

Employees Exposed to Asbestos, Health Seriously Jeopardised

One of the health and safety services which can help to prevent health conditions and even save lives are the asbestos surveys. Asbestos is responsible for thousands of deaths every year.  It is the duty of the building owner/occupier to ensure that no one comes into contact with asbestos that is not specially trained to remove it, and has all the correct safety gear.

Rotherham Firm Puts Lives at Risk

One firm who neglected to make use of an asbestos survey delivered by a health and safety consultants firm has recently been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive.  They were found to allow their workers to be exposed to this toxic material, even though they had been given advice from their local council on how to deal with the problem.

The Health and Safety Executive were forces to ban anyone from entering two of the warehouses which were owned by Rotherham Bonding Company. The firm runs a storage business and they only took their workers out of the dangerous warehouses once the prohibition notices was served.

The storage firm ran the warehouses but they were owned and the sold by their sister company, known as Fosters of Thrybergh , to the council.  The council had ordered a complete asbestos survey from health and safety consultants.  However the warehouses were being cleared using the staff from Fosters of Thrybergh as organised by Rotherham Storage Firm.

Asbestos Found In Both Warehouses

All around the warehouse were broken pieces of asbestos, and the workers were constantly in the presence of the nasty material as the worked and operated fork lift trucks. Despite the council informing both the companies about the asbestos, they still permitted their staff to work in the environment.

Rotherham magistrates’ court heard that the HSE saw that there were both the white and brown types of asbestos in the warehouses. A complete asbestos survey was then carried out and this showed that eighteen of the samples taken from the buildings had a large amount of asbestos present.

The storage firm’s sister company Fosters of Thrybergh were fined £5,500 and ordered to pay £6,250 in costs after pleading guilty for two of the charges from the Control of Asbestos Regulations.  These were regarding the need to assess if asbestos was present, and to not allow workers to be exposed to asbestos.

The asbestos surveys from health and safety consultants are able to help duty holders and employees meet the demands of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006.  Once the report has been made the proper removal of the substance can be arranged.

Veritas Health and Safety Consultants provide Asbestos Surveyor Surveys in the West Midlands and the UK. It is a tragic fact that 20 tradesmen die from the effects of being exposed to asbestos every week.  It is your legal duty to deal with this substance responsibly and help protect your workers and the public from this killer. Call 0800 1488 677 to ask about the health and safety services available, including the asbestos survey.

Health and Safety took the fun out of Learning; Now the fun is coming back

Schools have found that the health and safety laws regarding school trips have been too much to cope with.  As a result there have been fewer school trips in recent years.  Gone are the days when teachers take children out to enjoy a summer day.  However the Health and Safety Executive have decided to cut down on all the red tape involving school trips and excursions to allow teachers more freedom to control their outings.

Too Many Guidelines Led to Confusion

Although the school health and safety risk assessments are not one of the services offered by health and safety consultants, it is still an interesting turnaround from the Health and Safety Executive.  The risk assessment which has to be completed by the teachers was confusing and off putting.  The guidance pages consisted of over 150 pages to help the teachers when filling in the form.

However it appears that schools have got the wrong end of the stick, and perhaps the extensive guidelines have been the cause of this confusion. It is little wonder that with so much paperwork the school trips began to become less common.

The HSE has reduced the guidance booklet to just 8 pages, which they hope will help to bring the fun back into schools and give children more free learning experiences which extend outside of the school grounds. Many schools previously believed that the risk assessment, and relevant permission slips from parents were needed for every single trip, although the government have said that this is not the case.

When Risk Assessments Aren’t Needed

The new guidelines inform teachers that routine local visits do not require risk assessments.  This may include swimming trips to local pools, visits to the local museums or libraries or local visits within school hours.  In the guide are some simple guides for teachers and the heads to let them know where they stand within the laws and regulations.

When Risk Assessments Are Needed

Risk assessments in the work place are still a vital health and safety services which is offered to businesses all over the UK.  A risk assessment needs to be carried out before a new project or job is undertaken.  Health and safety consultants, such as Veritas, are able to highlight problem areas and help prevent accidents from occurring.

Understanding the risk assessment regulations may be tricky which is where health and safety consultants can really help.  Explaining your duties as an employer can make sure you do everything in your power to reduce the risk of accidents and death.

Fire Risk Assessment Services

Veritas Health and Safety Consultants provide in depth Fire Risk Assessment. If you fail to follow the Fire Safety Order you could face a court appearance and possibly a prison sentence on top of a fine.

The fire risk assessment will help to put together a comprehensive plan to prevent fires from occurring. They also provide a method of acting in a safe way to prevent further accidents in case there is a fire. Call 0800 1488 677 to speak to expert health and safety consultants today.