Has Health and Safety Taken a Step Too Far?
Alison Hume’s Life Could Have Been Saved. Has Health and Safety Taken a Step Too Far?
In the news last week there was the story about the tragic and preventable death of Alison Hume who dies in July 2008. The 44 year old mother fell down and old mineshaft on Galston while walking home and was found by her daughter who called for help. Ms Hume suffered a collapsed lung, broken ribs and sternum. However it has been found that Ms Hume would have most likely survived these injuries had there not been a delay in bringing her up to the surface.
Health and Safety Regulations Cost a Woman Her Life
The senior officer in charge of the rescue operation would not use the equipment needed to winch out Ms Hume in time to help treat her. The fire fighters present were willing to go down and help her but due to the senior officer following the health and safety guidelines Ms Hume remained down in the mineshaft for six more hours. When they finally rescued her she died from a heart attack which was brought on by hypothermia.
The equipment needed to rescue the 44 year old mother was only to be used to help the rescuers and the regulations surrounding its use stated that it should not be used for the public. The officer would not move from these regulations and the inquiry has now discovered that the death could have been avoided of it wasn’t for the delay due to the health and safety regulations.
Lack of Training Also a Contributing Factor?
The inquiry also showed that the Strathclyde Police and Fire and Rescue workers did not have adequate knowledge of the resources that they had available to them in order to aid the rescue of Ms Holmes. They were not familiar with the potential uses of the equipment and did not understand how it could have been used. There was also a lack of training among the emergency services and the fire crews did not have an advanced knowledge of first aid.
Health and Safety Is Necessary
There has been a public outcry and now demands are being made that there should be a get out clause in some of the laws and regulations, such as those which stopped the senior officer from using certain equipment to save Ms Hume.
Health and safety consultants would like to remind people that regulations are there to protect lives, and without the regulations more people each year would die due to inadequate safety measures in the workplace, especially in industries such as agriculture and construction where in the past adults and children have lost their loves from being exposed to asbestos, mercury and having to operate extremely dangerous equipment.
Knowledge and Education
The correct training is always an important part of running any business. Health and safety services are able to provide in depth training courses to help increase knowledge and prevent terrible accidents leading to tragic losses of lives. To discuss the type of training which could benefit you or your employees contact the health and safety consultants at Veritas. Call 0800 1488 677 for further
Collapse of Scaffolding Seriously Injures Nottingham Worker
A scaffolding company which is based in Kirkby in Ashfield has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety executive. They were found to be responsible for a collapse of the scaffolding in Nottingham which injured a local roofer. The roofing contractor had to take four months off work while he recovered from his injuries.
The contractor aged 48 fell off the scaffolding landing six metres below. In the fall he suffered painful injuries as his pelvis was fractured in four different places. The scaffold which collapsed was put in place for David Knowles in 2009. The accident caused an investigation from the Health and Safety Executive to see why it occurred and if it could be avoided.
The Health and Safety Executive discovered that the scaffolding was not erected correctly. A non-competent person had failed to build the scaffold according to the standard configuration and there were places where it had been incorrectly tied. Mr Knowles therefore was prosecuted by the HSE as he had not made sure that health and safety had been maintained to protect the people who were not employed by home.
Use Services to Make Sure You are Up to Scratch
Health and Safety services are able to help avoid situations like these. It is important to know your legal position when it comes to safeguarding the health and safety on site or in the workplace. Scaffolding is extremely dangerous and it is essential that the right policies are in place and that the correct procedures are followed at all times.
Health and Safety Consultants are able to assist construction workers with training and with planning when it comes to carrying out any job on site. As a result of poor management David Knowles ended up pleading guilty to the charges brought against him. For breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act, section 3(1) he was fined £5000 and also a further £3944 in charges by the Nottingham Magistrates Court.
A Preventable Accident
Mr Knowles could have prevented the accident by making sure that a competent person had erected the scaffolding. Health and Safety services which are designed to assist the construction industry can be lifesaving and also help to protect you should an accident occur. It is vital that you ensure all your workers are trained for the work that they are responsible for.
To contact the health and safety consultants all you need to do is call 0800 1488 677 for more information. There is a wide range of services for this extremely dangerous industry. You can ask for a complete health and safety audit to discover any areas of weakness and learn ways to change in order to make sure you are operating legally and safely. The experts at Veritas Consulting are able to help by offering:
- Health and Safety Training courses
- Health and Safety Audit
- Competent Person Service
- Document Writing
- CSCS Card Test
- Construction Phase Plan
- CHAS Registration
- Health and Safety File, and more.
Talk to your personal health and safety advisor to see how you can benefit from these health and safety services.
£150,000 fine after Worker has head crushed by reversing lorry
Simon Mason was working late at night at a parcel firm in West Horndon in Essex. After watching the lorry enter the depot he noticed that the driver had not lined up straight so decided to help the driver by signalling to him. As he put his head out to shout to the driver the lorry began to reverse. Mr Mason had his skull crushed and suffered some very serious injuries.
Health and safety consultants know that there are so many dangers in the workplace and that every eventuality needs to be planned for. This is performed through many different health and safety services such as providing complete training, helping with reporting and producing risk assessments and many other services offered by companies such as Veritas.
Worker Required Hours of Surgery and Constant Care
In this case the investigation that occurred following Mr Masons accident showed that there was a lack of assessments carried out by Tufnells Parcels Express ltd. The movement of vehicles was not controlled and there was no risk management in place to prevent accidents and to keep employees safe.
Mr Mason survived however he did need to go into surgery on several occasions and although he has returned to work he still has some side effects even after months of round the clock care. The effects of his accident are long term and he has suffered due to the failings of the company he worked for.
If Tufnells Parcels Express had created a safe and consistent method of working in their depot the accident may never have happened. If you own a company and are unsure of your duties regarding health and safety laws and regulations you should constant health and safety services for assistance. In this case the inspectors working on the case discovered that Mr Mason was working in an unsafe environment and the company had failed him and the other workers in the depot by putting their lives at risk.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard about the accident and the discoveries made by the Health and Safety Executive. The company pleaded guilty so the judge gave them a fine of £150,000 and an additional £19,000 in costs.
Risks Must Be Managed To Prevent Accidents in the Workplace
Veritas are health and safety consultants who provide services to prevent accidents and deaths in the workplace and on construction sites. Vehicles can cause many problems and so their needs to be a high level of attention and risk assessments carried out to keep employees and the public safe.
A health and safety inspector spoke about the high risks involved with vehicle management after the court case in Chelmsford. It was the duty of the senior management to manage the risks and as they failed to do so a young man was left with awful injuries which could have easily resulted in the loss of life.
To prevent accidents to your employees or the public contact the health and safety consultants. Call 0800 1488 677 to hear more about the health and safety services available
HSE Considering Cutting Unannounced Inspections Putting Lives at Risk
Health and Safety Cuts Leaked to the Press
This week leaked letter has exposed the current discussions which are underway in the Health and Safety Executive offices. The letter shows that HSE bosses are considering axing many unplanned visits to many companies over a large variety of industries.
This has caused a huge amount of concern with UCATT, the construction workers union who have spoken about their major concerns about the negative effects that this move will have for the construction employees. Alan Ritchie, the UCATT boss stated that many companies’ owners often ignore the health and safety procedures which are in place to protect their employees from serious harm and even death. Mr Ritchie believes that the only thing which makes bosses enforce the procedures and health and safety policies is the constant threat that the HSE inspectors could arrive at any given time.
Government Cuts to Blame
Mr Ritchie considers the real culprits behind these proposed cuts to be the Government. The HSE have had their budget slashed by 35% which has meant that they are unable to maintain their current amount of unplanned visits which keeps industry bosses on their toes.
The previous visits to building sites up and down the country have exposed an alarming 80% who had serious health and safety issues which were putting lives at risk. Mr Ritchie believes that if the planned cuts were to go through it would result in fatalities.
Job Losses Predicted
The Public and Commercial Services who represent the staff at the Health and Safety Executive told the press about their concerns. The general secretary Mark Serwotka said that these cuts showed how the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition had a twin agenda which involved reducing public spending and encouraging employers to increase profits without having any responsibility. The PCS also have fears about the future of many jobs within the company which could be lost due to the cuts in HSE spending.
Lives at Risk if Health and Safety is not enforced
Although there are industries which will be safeguarded from the reduced unplanned visits there are still many who will be affected. The non-effected are called the hazardous sectors which includes nuclear, offshore and the chemical industries. If the cut backs do go through it is essential that employers maintain strict health and safety policies which will help protect them and their employees from dangers in the work place.
After the first conviction for Corporate Manslaughter in February 2011 many companies are making sure that full risk assessments and policies are in place to ensure workers are provided safe environments to work in. The real threat of losing businesses and livelihoods will not go away simply because there will be less HSE inspections taking place.
A bespoke Competent Person Service Package can help to make sure the health and safety ball is never dropped. This service can be tailored around your business as no two businesses are the same. You can have a full review of your current policy and have a full report which will highlight the major issues. The risk assessments, documentation and safety policies are all included in the small monthly price. To find out more about the Competent Person Service please call our expert on 0800 1488 677 to discuss the packages in detail.
Introducing our ‘Competent Person Service’ – an essential service for all employers
As you may know, the ‘Management of Health and Safety at Work regulations 1999’ requires all employers to appoint one or more ‘Competent Persons‘ to provide knowledgeable assistance with health and safety.
When you appoint Veritas Consulting as your business competent person, you will be receiving one of the most comprehensive and experienced health and safety services available.
It’s a legal requirement, so you don’t want to be paying more than you need to. Our competent person service is very affordable for businesses of all sizes with a low monthly fee. At the same time, the health and safety procedures are vital to avoid legal troubles and protect your employees, so you will receive advice and assistance from highly experienced health and safety professionals, including:
- A health and safety policy review
- 4 flexible office visitors throughout the year – e.g quarterly reviews
- Unlimited health and safety advice via telephone and E-mail
- A designated health and safety professional from Veritas Consulting to act as your competent person and handle all your health and safety requirements
- Plus much more.
Do you currently have a competent person in place? Click here to find out how much you could save and how much more health & safety assistance you could receive by switching to us.
If you’re looking to appoint a competent person, click here to see how you will get some of the most expert health and safety help available for an affordable fee.
