PROSECUTION UPDATE – COMMERCIAL VEHICLE HAZARDS In this article we look at three recent cases involving commercial vehicles. While securing a load of grain bags on a curtainside trailer in February 2016 an employee of W D Cormack & Sons fell almost 3 meters from the trailer to the ground and suffered severe injuries. The company was prosecuted for health … Read More
CLEARING SNOW AND ICE: WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW?
Health and safety regulations require employers to assess risks and where necessary take action to reduce those risks, this includes the risks of slips and trips. Specific regulations require that, so far as is reasonably practicable, every floor and traffic route in a workplace should be kept free from obstructions and from any article or substance which may cause a … Read More
Pigs In Blankets – Risk Management
Christmas is a time for many things, family, tradition, joy, remembrance, food and sharing are just a few, but one thing no-one wants to share is food poisoning. Yes, I know, the health and safety people are being Christmas grumps again, but with the Food Standards Agency estimating that there are one million cases of food poisoning in the UK … Read More
CALL FOR ZERO TOLERANCE DRINK DRIVE LIMIT IN EUROPE
A recent report by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) looking at progress towards reducing alcohol related road deaths published is calling for EU member states to introduce a zero tolerance level for all road users. Although it is not possible to be accurate due to differences in the way figures are collected, it has been estimated that a quarter … Read More
WISE UP, SIZE UP AND MIND THAT BRIDGE
Bridge number BGK/1568 on the A142 Stuntney Road in Ely, Cambridgeshire was the most hit railway bridge in 2018/19 with 32 reported strikes, nine more than the second place bridge on the B109 Stonea Road, Stonea also in Cambridgeshire. Network Rail recently reported research that found 52% of lorry drivers do not take low bridges into account when planning routes, … Read More
BEST PRACTICE GUIDE FOR TRASPORTING WIND TURBINE PARTS
Wind turbines include a number of components that can be particularly large or heavy which can make transporting them a particularly hazardous and difficult task. Following a number of accidents involving the transport of wind turbine components in Europe a safety alert and a new transport best practice checklist have been issued to help with the safe transport of these … Read More
UPDATED VEHICLE DEFECT GUIDE
When an approved constable or Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) examiner finds a defect that affects roadworthiness whether during an MOT test or when they stop a vehicle at the roadside there are various actions that they can take including issuing immediate and delayed prohibition notices. What action is taken will depend on the severity of the defect, official … Read More
MOBILE OVEN CLEANING SAFETY ALERT
Following an incident where a van exploded the HSE have issued a safety alert regarding mobile oven cleaning services. Typically, these services involve a van equipped with a dip tank to soak oven parts in hot cleaning solution at the customer’s property. This is generally heated either electrically or using a gas burner connected to a liquid petroleum gas (LPG) … Read More
ENFORCEMENT ACTION FALLS IN 2018/19
The latest figures issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show a fall in the number of prosecutions and notices issued for breaches of health and safety regulations in 2018/19. The HSE and local authorities can issue both improvement and prohibition notices. In the last year 11,040 notices were issued this represents a 4% decrease on the previous year. … Read More
SLIPS, TRIPS AND FALLS STILL TOPPING THE CHARTS
The latest statistics from the HSE show the most common cause of non-fatal injury in the workplace was slips, trips and falls at the same level accounting for around 29% of injuries. So, what can you do to protect your workforce from becoming a statistic? Not surprisingly the precise answer will depend on your workplace and the hazards that exist … Read More