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Fire and Safety consultants - Fire and Safety Risk Assessments, Inspections, Training, Fire & Accident Investigations, Expert advice.

New Health and Safety Law Poster

The HSE is warning businesses across Britain not to be duped into buying unnecessary and overpriced copies of its health and safety law poster. The poster is a fixture of every workplace in Britain and employers have a legal duty to display the poster in a prominent position or provide each worker with a copy of a Law pocket card. Both outline employer and worker responsibilities and where workers can seek advice. The HSE has heard reports of some businesses receiving the misleading information that the old poster must be replaced immediately and that the new law poster should be displayed on every notice board within the business' premises. This is incorrect, says the HSE, and employers could be led to believe that they are not meeting their legal requirements. Vinny Kenny, from HSE said: "The information that is being sent out by some companies may be misleading under consumer protection legislation and we want to put a stop to it. "If businesses receive any promotions relating to the Law poster or pocket card and are in any doubt about their authenticity they should contact HSE before parting with their money."New versions of the health and safety law poster and an accompanying pocket card were launched in April and provide clearer information for workers about their right to have their health and safety properly protected. However, the Health and Safety Information for Employees Regulations allow businesses five years to switch to the new poster and pocket cards - they must be replaced by no later than 5 April 2014. Employers who choose to display the old poster after 6 April 2009 must make sure it is legible and keep the addresses of the enforcing authority and the employment medical advisory service up to date.

Factory ignored health and safety rules for eight years

Factory ignored health and safety rules for eight yearsFactory owners and other businesses are being urged to put the safety of their staff first after an aerospace engineering company regularly ignored health and safety rules for eight years. The HSE prosecuted Crest Engineering Company Ltd after finding safety guards missing or not in use on several milling machines, which are used to shape metal.The company had previously been ordered to replace the guards on the machines at its factory in 2001 but they were later removed or unlocked.Crest Engineering pleaded guilty to two health and safety offences at Trafford Magistrates Court on 23 June. It was fined £13,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,003.The company was prosecuted for breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 by failing to ensure the safety of its employees. It was also charged with breaching Regulation 11(3) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 by failing to make sure the machine guards were well maintained, in an efficient working order and in good repair.HSE Inspector, David Norton, said:"Crest Engineering took a deliberate decision to remove the safety guards on the machines despite receiving a formal warning from us about the issue."Safety guards are there for a reason and, by not providing them, the company put the lives of its employees in danger. Factory work can be extremely dangerous and so it's vital that the risks are reduced to a minimum."We will not hesitate to prosecute anyone who persistently ignores the rules, and I hope this case will act as a warning to companies who do not take health and safety seriously."The HSE first served Crest Engineering with an Enforcement Notice in 1999 for failing to have a safety switch on a piece of machinery. When inspectors visited the site again in 2001, they served eight Enforcement Notices after finding safety guards missing on several machines.Witness statements given to the HSE revealed that, although the guards were initially provided following the visit, they were removed or put out of use within a few months. Inspectors took the decision to prosecute the company after revisiting the site in May 2007.

Health and Safety Fines

Every year, hundreds of health and safety cases are taken to court by health and safety inspectors from the local authority and from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Reviewing these cases gives a good indication of how failures occur and how the enforcing authorities respond to such failure. Here is a selection of recent cases: Fall From a Ladder An employee fell from a ladder while dismantling storage racking in an office. The ladder wasn't secured properly and the employee had not been provided with proper training in the use of the ladder. The company was fined £20000. Unsupervised Child An employee brought a child into the factory where he worked. The child was allowed to move freely and unsupervised around the factory premises, which contained many different hazards and risks, including dangerous machinery. Local inspectors were called to the factory on another matter and found that the child was present. Inspectors claimed that the child was not only at risk of serious injury, but that he was also a distraction to employees. The company was fined £10000. Meat Processing Plant An employee got his hand trapped between two moving conveyor belts on a meat processing plant. Inspectors carried out an investigation and found that the injured employee had not been given any training in the use of the conveyor system. In addition, the company failed to provide proper guarding equipment around the conveyor belts and had failed to provide proper emergency stop buttons near to the belts. A massive fine of £95000 was imposed by the courts. Trainee Falls to His Death A 17 year old trainee was killed when he fell 18 metres into a sewage tank. The man was involved in constructing a scaffold inside the tank. The scaffold company had failed to provide proper work instructions on how to carry out this task. In addition, they had failed to provide training for the employee and had failed to provide adequate supervision. The company was fined £50000. Another Fall Falls are one of the most common types of accident at work. A worker was fitting metal gratings on a gantry, which was 35 metres above ground level. He lost his balance and fell to his death. The company was fined £45000 for failing to provide appropriate personal protective equipment and for failing to provide a safe system of work. Radioactive Material A radioactive source was removed from a radiotherapy machine in a hospital. The source was transported from the hospital for disposal by a licensed road transport company. However, when the source arrived at its destination, it was found to be emitting a high level beam of radiation through the bottom of the transportation container. It was found that a shield plug, which should have been fitted when the unit was removed from the radiotherapy machine, was missing, thereby allowing radiation to be emitted from the source. The judge said, ‘I find myself driven to the conclusion that the company must face a substantial penalty'. However, the company put forward a guilty plea and were awarded a discount of one third from their fine. The fine was £250000. Even Emergency Services Are Not Exempt A fire fighter was seriously injured when he slipped into a portable grain dryer on a farm. A fire had started inside the grain dryer and the fire fighter was sent inside to help clear the wet grain, which was clogging up the internal auger. However, he lost his footing and slid down into the auger, which was turning at the time. His foot was completely destroyed, and was later amputated at the ankle. The fire brigade was found to be negligent because they had failed to carry out proper risk assessment of this type of incident and had therefore failed to provide suitable procedures and safe systems of work. They were fined £2000. All of the above incidents could have been prevented. Loss of life, personal injury, pain and long term disability occur because people fail to look at the hazards associated with their work. These cases highlight the need for employers to carry out risk assessments, to put proper procedures in place and to train their employees in the procedures, hazards and risks that exist. With a little thought and effort, pain and suffering as a result of accidents at work can be greatly reduced.

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