Stop Press ………
CRS has just been awarded Preferred Supplier Status within the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) which is the Ministry of Defence working with Right Management.
Service leavers of all ranks from the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Marines will all benefit from CRS’s resettlement support, career transition advice and training opportunities.
This status is highly sought after as it is recognition that as an effective supplier of health, safety and environmental training that our accredited courses are approved to the highest of standards and all service leavers throughout the UK and the world seeking a new career can be assured that they are in safe hands.
Charles Ford, Business Development and Marketing Director stated “I am thrilled with the news of the approval as it is a vindication of CRS providing quality training and education to a wide range of companies and students at various training locations throughout the UK. It also provides CRS a platform to assist the Armed Forces with the correct unbiased career advice they need and whether a health and safety profession is the correct career route. I am very proud to have a built a reputation based upon honesty; integrity and trust where I receive many referrals as evidence of the support and guidance I have given to previous service leavers who are now working in the health and safety industry. Distinctions are a measure of application and pre-course preparation that is within the grasp of every service leaver who starts a training course with CRS and one I recommend at every opportunity. I am looking forward to working closely with CTP in being able to provide an enjoyable and rewarding learning experience where obtaining the correct qualifications will furnish the service leaver with a better opportunity of future employment and a new career with new horizons.“
Charles Ford
BD&MD
Thursday 29 September 2011
New waste law in force from today!
Regulation 12 of the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 – comes into force today which states that businesses who import or produce, collect, transport, recover or dispose of waste, or who operate as dealers and brokers, must take all reasonable measures to apply the waste hierarchy when waste is transferred. For more information join one of Corporate Risk Systems Range of Environmental Courses.
Wednesday 21 September 2011
US Court rules against Chevron in Ecuador case - further update
Ecuadorans suing ChevronTexaco over pollution in the Amazon rain forest are now one step closer to collecting a $9.5 billion judgment against the San Ramon
company. This week, a U.S. appeals court lifted a lower court's order that had blocked the Ecuadorans from collecting money in the long-running lawsuit.
In February, a judge in Ecuador ruled that Chevron should pay to clean up contamination in the oil fields where Texaco, bought by Chevron in 2001, once worked. But the company persuaded a U.S. judge to block enforcement, arguing that the verdict was the result of fraud. Chevron even
filed a criminal conspiracy case against the Ecuadorans. Monday's order by
the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York put that case on hold. It also lifted the injunction, issued by U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan, that had prevented the Ecuadorans from collecting the massive judgment against Chevron.
"We are very excited that the court has reached this decision," said Jim Tyrrell, an attorney representing the Ecuadorans. "It represents a triumph of the rule of law over the sensationalism created by Chevron's PR department."
The appeals court, however, denied the
Ecuadorans' request to remove Kaplan from the case. They consider him
biased, based on comments he has made in court.
A Chevron spokesman could not be reached for comment. The order does not mark the end of the marathon lawsuit. Nor does it mean that the Ecuadorans can immediately try to collect on the verdict against the oil company. Chevron has appealed
the case in Ecuador, and under that country's legal code, the plaintiffs
can't enforce the judgment until the appeals run their course, said Karen
Hinton, a spokeswoman for the Ecuadorans and their legal team. It's
impossible to know, she said, just when the appeals will wrap up. "It could
be tomorrow, it could be 2012," Hinton said.
In addition, Chevron took its grievances to an international arbitration tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, arguing that courthouse corruption in Ecuador had denied the company due process. The tribunal issued an order instructing the Ecuadoran government to suspend enforcement of the judgment, although the people suing Chevron insist that as private citizens, the order does not apply to them.
Texaco drilled for oil in northeastern Ecuador from 1964 to 1992, working in
partnership with the state-owned oil company, Petroecuador. When Texaco
pulled out of the country, it reached an agreement with the government to
clean up a portion of the area, leaving the rest to Petroecuador, which continued operating there. Chevron blames Petroecuador for the area's
current pollution. Chevron no longer has any assets in Ecuador. As a result,
the Ecuadoran plaintiffs must try to enforce the judgment in other countries
and have drafted detailed plans to do so. The first version of the lawsuit was filed in 1993. In February, a judge in the oil-patch town of Lago Agrio fined the company $9.5 billion.
The fine will jump to $18 billion if Chevron doesn't publicly apologise for its actions within 15 days after the end of the first appeal in the case.
company. This week, a U.S. appeals court lifted a lower court's order that had blocked the Ecuadorans from collecting money in the long-running lawsuit.
In February, a judge in Ecuador ruled that Chevron should pay to clean up contamination in the oil fields where Texaco, bought by Chevron in 2001, once worked. But the company persuaded a U.S. judge to block enforcement, arguing that the verdict was the result of fraud. Chevron even
filed a criminal conspiracy case against the Ecuadorans. Monday's order by
the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York put that case on hold. It also lifted the injunction, issued by U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan, that had prevented the Ecuadorans from collecting the massive judgment against Chevron.
"We are very excited that the court has reached this decision," said Jim Tyrrell, an attorney representing the Ecuadorans. "It represents a triumph of the rule of law over the sensationalism created by Chevron's PR department."
The appeals court, however, denied the
Ecuadorans' request to remove Kaplan from the case. They consider him
biased, based on comments he has made in court.
A Chevron spokesman could not be reached for comment. The order does not mark the end of the marathon lawsuit. Nor does it mean that the Ecuadorans can immediately try to collect on the verdict against the oil company. Chevron has appealed
the case in Ecuador, and under that country's legal code, the plaintiffs
can't enforce the judgment until the appeals run their course, said Karen
Hinton, a spokeswoman for the Ecuadorans and their legal team. It's
impossible to know, she said, just when the appeals will wrap up. "It could
be tomorrow, it could be 2012," Hinton said.
In addition, Chevron took its grievances to an international arbitration tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, arguing that courthouse corruption in Ecuador had denied the company due process. The tribunal issued an order instructing the Ecuadoran government to suspend enforcement of the judgment, although the people suing Chevron insist that as private citizens, the order does not apply to them.
Texaco drilled for oil in northeastern Ecuador from 1964 to 1992, working in
partnership with the state-owned oil company, Petroecuador. When Texaco
pulled out of the country, it reached an agreement with the government to
clean up a portion of the area, leaving the rest to Petroecuador, which continued operating there. Chevron blames Petroecuador for the area's
current pollution. Chevron no longer has any assets in Ecuador. As a result,
the Ecuadoran plaintiffs must try to enforce the judgment in other countries
and have drafted detailed plans to do so. The first version of the lawsuit was filed in 1993. In February, a judge in the oil-patch town of Lago Agrio fined the company $9.5 billion.
The fine will jump to $18 billion if Chevron doesn't publicly apologise for its actions within 15 days after the end of the first appeal in the case.
Monday 19 September 2011
Disaster victim's daughter relives Glasgow blast from 40 years ago
On Rosemarie Strain's 14th birthday, they buried her mother Jean. The shop assistant was one of 22 people who died in the Clarkston disaster – Scotland's worst peace-time explosion.
Next month marks the 40th anniversary of the gas blast, which ripped through the shopping precinct at Clarkston Toll on the south side of Glasgow. Many of the casualties, including at least 100 injured, were women – shop workers and mums – doing their messages before their kids came home from school.
Days before, workers complained about an overwhelming smell of gas but, despite inspections through the night, no source was found and the all-clear was given on the morning of the catastrophe.
Jean and her husband John had eight children, ranging from five to 22 years old, and she had just started a job in a grocer's that Monday. After her first day, she said the smell of gas was giving her a headache and, by the Wednesday, the fumes and her pain were much worse. Rosemarie said: "My dad wanted her to quit the job on the Thursday because he was worried but she insisted on finishing out the week. "The explosion happened that afternoon. If only she had listened."
Rosemarie was off school that day and was at home in Arden, a few miles away, with her dad. Although they heard ambulances pass, they knew nothing until they switched the TV on at teatime and saw the carnage unfold.
The explosion happened at 2.52pm but it was 2am before police arrived to confirm Jean had died. John and Jean had been pen-pals when she was 15 and they married at 16. She was 38 when she died. When John passed away four years ago, he was buried next to her. Rosemarie said: "My dad was in a terrible state. He later married another lovely woman but I don't think he ever got over it."
Rosemarie remembers vividly the last time she saw her mum as she ran out of the door, telling her teenage daughter: "Get something for tea and fix that hair of yours." Rosemarie said: "It was my birthday on the day of the funeral. I was looking after my wee sister Valerie, who was only five. We all rallied but losing mum was devastating for all of us. "We had to tell the little ones that mum had gone to Heaven and they grew up without her.
"She was a lovely woman, my mum. She was so loving and we all missed her so much. We still do. It makes me so angry to know there was obviously a leak and the explosion should never have happened."
The force of the blast, equivalent to a 300lb bomb, blew out the front of 10 shops. It was October 21, 1971, a typical rainy afternoon, and thankfully the bus-loads of children who normally disembarked at the Toll were not due for another half an hour.
George Weir, then 19, was a few hundred yards away from the shops when he heard "a dull thump". As he crossed the nearby bridge, he caught sight of the carnage below. He said: "The one thing that stays in my mind was there was no sound. "People were mulling around, dazed and shocked, but there was silence – it was so strange."
The car park above the shops had collapsed, sending an avalanche of rubble hurtling to the street below.
George hooked up with a police officer and they ran into the mountain of debris. The 59-year-old said: "People were tearing at the rubble with their hands. It was very hot in there. It was a dusky darkness.
"The policeman found a girl trapped by a wall that was on her legs. I literally picked the wall up. I will never know where my strength came from. "Bodies were lying everywhere. We were moving rubble and I picked up what I thought was rubbish but it was a dead woman lying behind a shop counter. She was crushed."
The floor of the shopping centre had fallen in and, from the depth of a crater below, George heard the screams of a girl and he managed to drag her out.
A fleet of 22 ambulances were dispatched to pick up the injured and dead. Young nurses wept as they fought beside firefighters and police to save as many lives as they could.
Ambulance man David Wright, then 20, described how he saw a mother crumpled on the ground shielding her little girl. He said: "It was very difficult to work. The screaming and moaning in the background made it hard to concentrate. "
One casualty, Charlie Cully from Dundee, was blown out of the top of a bus parked outside the Toll after the shop fronts came flying towards him.
He said: "When I came to, I was lying on the pavement. There was a woman close to me. "Her legs were twisted and she was very still. I knew she was dead." Florence Joseph, then 35, was on the bus that had stopped at the Toll on the way to East Kilbride. She said: "There was a thump and I bounced off my seat. There had been a woman serving behind the counter in the baker's but she had vanished and so had the shop front."
Ann Orr, then 16, was working in a grocer's. She was in the basement counting tins of food when there was a huge bang. The shop collapsed around her, burying her in a hail of shattered brick and glass. Ann was unconscious and would have died without the arrival of petrol pump attendant Alex McCluskey, who saw her head as he dug in the rubble, searching for survivors. Ann said: "The only way he could get me out was to pull me by the hair. It came out in big clumps. "I am so grateful he got me out. There was so much confusion and I could have died. I was lucky."
It took 30 years for a plaque to be
erected to honour the dead and many of the bereaved think their lost loved ones have been forgotten. Rosemarie said: "It is like it never happened. So many people died, they deserved to be remembered properly and they simply weren't."
No one blamed for explosion:
It has always angered the loved ones of the dead that a fatal accident inquiry held in 1972 found no one to blame for the disaster. Lasting 19 days, it was one of the biggest legal tribunals to take place in Scotland. The inquiry made legal history with the use of closed-circuit TV and more than 50 witnesses appeared, with another 700 questioned.
The blast was caused by gas escaping from the main into an un-ventilated space below the shops, which was why it was so hard to detect. But those acting for the victims claimed the shops should have been evacuated anyway as workers and customers had complained for days about the intense smell of gas.
There was compensation paid to those left behind but it was minimal.
Jean Strain's son David said: "The gas board were clearly to blame and it should never have happened. People had complained for so long about the smell, there was clearly a leak. "Many people were too upset to fight through the courts and any compensation was a pittance. The victims deserved a greater justice and deserve to be remembered."
Next month marks the 40th anniversary of the gas blast, which ripped through the shopping precinct at Clarkston Toll on the south side of Glasgow. Many of the casualties, including at least 100 injured, were women – shop workers and mums – doing their messages before their kids came home from school.
Days before, workers complained about an overwhelming smell of gas but, despite inspections through the night, no source was found and the all-clear was given on the morning of the catastrophe.
Jean and her husband John had eight children, ranging from five to 22 years old, and she had just started a job in a grocer's that Monday. After her first day, she said the smell of gas was giving her a headache and, by the Wednesday, the fumes and her pain were much worse. Rosemarie said: "My dad wanted her to quit the job on the Thursday because he was worried but she insisted on finishing out the week. "The explosion happened that afternoon. If only she had listened."
Rosemarie was off school that day and was at home in Arden, a few miles away, with her dad. Although they heard ambulances pass, they knew nothing until they switched the TV on at teatime and saw the carnage unfold.
The explosion happened at 2.52pm but it was 2am before police arrived to confirm Jean had died. John and Jean had been pen-pals when she was 15 and they married at 16. She was 38 when she died. When John passed away four years ago, he was buried next to her. Rosemarie said: "My dad was in a terrible state. He later married another lovely woman but I don't think he ever got over it."
Rosemarie remembers vividly the last time she saw her mum as she ran out of the door, telling her teenage daughter: "Get something for tea and fix that hair of yours." Rosemarie said: "It was my birthday on the day of the funeral. I was looking after my wee sister Valerie, who was only five. We all rallied but losing mum was devastating for all of us. "We had to tell the little ones that mum had gone to Heaven and they grew up without her.
"She was a lovely woman, my mum. She was so loving and we all missed her so much. We still do. It makes me so angry to know there was obviously a leak and the explosion should never have happened."
The force of the blast, equivalent to a 300lb bomb, blew out the front of 10 shops. It was October 21, 1971, a typical rainy afternoon, and thankfully the bus-loads of children who normally disembarked at the Toll were not due for another half an hour.
George Weir, then 19, was a few hundred yards away from the shops when he heard "a dull thump". As he crossed the nearby bridge, he caught sight of the carnage below. He said: "The one thing that stays in my mind was there was no sound. "People were mulling around, dazed and shocked, but there was silence – it was so strange."
The car park above the shops had collapsed, sending an avalanche of rubble hurtling to the street below.
George hooked up with a police officer and they ran into the mountain of debris. The 59-year-old said: "People were tearing at the rubble with their hands. It was very hot in there. It was a dusky darkness.
"The policeman found a girl trapped by a wall that was on her legs. I literally picked the wall up. I will never know where my strength came from. "Bodies were lying everywhere. We were moving rubble and I picked up what I thought was rubbish but it was a dead woman lying behind a shop counter. She was crushed."
The floor of the shopping centre had fallen in and, from the depth of a crater below, George heard the screams of a girl and he managed to drag her out.
A fleet of 22 ambulances were dispatched to pick up the injured and dead. Young nurses wept as they fought beside firefighters and police to save as many lives as they could.
Ambulance man David Wright, then 20, described how he saw a mother crumpled on the ground shielding her little girl. He said: "It was very difficult to work. The screaming and moaning in the background made it hard to concentrate. "
One casualty, Charlie Cully from Dundee, was blown out of the top of a bus parked outside the Toll after the shop fronts came flying towards him.
He said: "When I came to, I was lying on the pavement. There was a woman close to me. "Her legs were twisted and she was very still. I knew she was dead." Florence Joseph, then 35, was on the bus that had stopped at the Toll on the way to East Kilbride. She said: "There was a thump and I bounced off my seat. There had been a woman serving behind the counter in the baker's but she had vanished and so had the shop front."
Ann Orr, then 16, was working in a grocer's. She was in the basement counting tins of food when there was a huge bang. The shop collapsed around her, burying her in a hail of shattered brick and glass. Ann was unconscious and would have died without the arrival of petrol pump attendant Alex McCluskey, who saw her head as he dug in the rubble, searching for survivors. Ann said: "The only way he could get me out was to pull me by the hair. It came out in big clumps. "I am so grateful he got me out. There was so much confusion and I could have died. I was lucky."
It took 30 years for a plaque to be
erected to honour the dead and many of the bereaved think their lost loved ones have been forgotten. Rosemarie said: "It is like it never happened. So many people died, they deserved to be remembered properly and they simply weren't."
No one blamed for explosion:
It has always angered the loved ones of the dead that a fatal accident inquiry held in 1972 found no one to blame for the disaster. Lasting 19 days, it was one of the biggest legal tribunals to take place in Scotland. The inquiry made legal history with the use of closed-circuit TV and more than 50 witnesses appeared, with another 700 questioned.
The blast was caused by gas escaping from the main into an un-ventilated space below the shops, which was why it was so hard to detect. But those acting for the victims claimed the shops should have been evacuated anyway as workers and customers had complained for days about the intense smell of gas.
There was compensation paid to those left behind but it was minimal.
Jean Strain's son David said: "The gas board were clearly to blame and it should never have happened. People had complained for so long about the smell, there was clearly a leak. "Many people were too upset to fight through the courts and any compensation was a pittance. The victims deserved a greater justice and deserve to be remembered."
Thursday 15 September 2011
US Report Outlines BP Oil Spill Failures in Gulf of Mexico
Poor risk management and a failure to respond to warning signs were behind the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year, US investigators have said.
A US government report found BP made operational changes and didn't tell Transocean, the contractor that owned and ran the doomed Deepwater Horizon rig.
Meanwhile, Transocean missed vital opportunities to fix problems in the a cement casing when they misinterpreted a pressure test, it said.
On April 20 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig caused the death of 11 workers. In the subsequent oil spill, 4.9 million barrels of oil flowed into the Gulf of Mexico before the leak was finally capped.
A US government report found BP made operational changes and didn't tell Transocean, the contractor that owned and ran the doomed Deepwater Horizon rig.
Meanwhile, Transocean missed vital opportunities to fix problems in the a cement casing when they misinterpreted a pressure test, it said.
On April 20 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig caused the death of 11 workers. In the subsequent oil spill, 4.9 million barrels of oil flowed into the Gulf of Mexico before the leak was finally capped.
Tuesday 13 September 2011
CRS Environmental courses - record results?
Corporate Risk Systems would like to congratulate all of its summer NEBOSH Environmental Management Certificate delegates on another fantastic set of results. The CRS Environmental Team achieved a 100 % Credit plus rate (all delegates attending our July 2011 Courses achieved a credit or above grade) and a 53 % Distinction rate across a range of trainers, venues and delegates. The course covers a broad range of environmental topics including:
So whether you are from a forces, private or public sector background, new to environmental issues or experienced, isn’t it time you joined one of Corporate Risk Systems range of environmental courses, to expand your career potential, develop your organisation’s environmental management system and ensure legal compliance?
For more information drop us a line at advice@crsrisk.com or call 01283 509175.
- ISO14001 implementation
- Waste legislation and minimisation
- Air, water and land pollution control
- Emergency planning
- Carbon Management
So whether you are from a forces, private or public sector background, new to environmental issues or experienced, isn’t it time you joined one of Corporate Risk Systems range of environmental courses, to expand your career potential, develop your organisation’s environmental management system and ensure legal compliance?
For more information drop us a line at advice@crsrisk.com or call 01283 509175.
Saturday 10 September 2011
South Wales inventor injured in Vodka blast
An inventor has been injured in an explosion, after apparently producing vodka in a house in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Lawrence Toms, 44, from Tynewydd, near Treherbert, was taken to hospital with burns to his hands and face.
Ten terrace houses were evacuated as a precaution as the fire spread through three roof spaces.
Police said Mr Toms had not done anything illegal because it is not a criminal offence to produce alcohol for private use.
Four fire engines and a water bowser were called to the scene after the explosion. A spokeswoman for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said it took three hours to bring the fire under control.
Massive explosion
Neighbours described hearing a huge blast. One, Gavin Rees, 28, said he then looked out of the window and saw Mr Toms in his underwear with serious burns to his arms. "I took him in and ran his burns under the tap until the paramedics took him away."
Hannah Knowles, 63, who lives opposite, said: "I looked out the window and saw giant jets of flame shooting out of the roof of Mr Tom's house. I've never seen anything like it. "His windows were blown out but luckily for me his camper van was parked outside and that shielded me from the blast."
Entrepreneurship
Graduate Mr Toms runs his own small company which makes, among other things, gift paper and stationery from sheep droppings. In 2006 he won a £20,000 Millennium Award for "social entrepreneurship" .
He is being treated at Morriston Hospital in Swansea where he was described as "stable".
South Wales Police said they believe the explosion was caused by home-made alcohol. "The windows were blown out of the property and it was lucky no one in the street was injured," said a spokesman. "We believe the explosion was triggered by a home-brewing kit. But officers are satisfied he was making it for his own consumption and this was not a commercial operation.". Officers took the apparatus away for examination.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales- south-east-wales-14841777
Lawrence Toms, 44, from Tynewydd, near Treherbert, was taken to hospital with burns to his hands and face.
Ten terrace houses were evacuated as a precaution as the fire spread through three roof spaces.
Police said Mr Toms had not done anything illegal because it is not a criminal offence to produce alcohol for private use.
Four fire engines and a water bowser were called to the scene after the explosion. A spokeswoman for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said it took three hours to bring the fire under control.
Massive explosion
Neighbours described hearing a huge blast. One, Gavin Rees, 28, said he then looked out of the window and saw Mr Toms in his underwear with serious burns to his arms. "I took him in and ran his burns under the tap until the paramedics took him away."
Hannah Knowles, 63, who lives opposite, said: "I looked out the window and saw giant jets of flame shooting out of the roof of Mr Tom's house. I've never seen anything like it. "His windows were blown out but luckily for me his camper van was parked outside and that shielded me from the blast."
Entrepreneurship
Graduate Mr Toms runs his own small company which makes, among other things, gift paper and stationery from sheep droppings. In 2006 he won a £20,000 Millennium Award for "social entrepreneurship" .
He is being treated at Morriston Hospital in Swansea where he was described as "stable".
South Wales Police said they believe the explosion was caused by home-made alcohol. "The windows were blown out of the property and it was lucky no one in the street was injured," said a spokesman. "We believe the explosion was triggered by a home-brewing kit. But officers are satisfied he was making it for his own consumption and this was not a commercial operation.". Officers took the apparatus away for examination.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales- south-east-wales-14841777
Friday 9 September 2011
Defra/DECC releases new guidance
Defra/DECC releases new guidance and 2011 conversion factors for GHG reporting, http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/2011/09/01/ghg-conversion-factors-reporting/
Civil Sanctions Quick guide
Last month CRS blogged about the first use by the Environmental Agency of their new Civil Sanction powers, but when can civil sanctions be used?
Civil sanctions can be used for offences committed in England after 6 April 2010 or after 15 July 2010 in Wales. Civil sanctions are available for offences under the following regulations:
Civil Sanctions focus on investment in environmental clean-up rather than paying fines, they provide the Environment Agency (EA) with a more flexible range of options, so that they can choose the most appropriate enforcement action when an offence occurs. Unlike prosecution, civil sanctions are imposed or accepted directly by the EA. There are six types of civil sanctions:
Civil sanctions can be used for offences committed in England after 6 April 2010 or after 15 July 2010 in Wales. Civil sanctions are available for offences under the following regulations:
- Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001
- Environment Act 1995
- Environmental Protection (Disposal of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and other Dangerous Substances) (England and Wales) Regulations 2000
- Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005
- Hazardous Waste (Wales) Regulations 2005
- Land Drainage Act 1991
- Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008 (England only)
- Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007
- Salmon Act 1986
- Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975
- Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989
- Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 2007
- Water Industry Act 1991
- Water Resources (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2003
- Water Resources Act 1991.
Civil Sanctions focus on investment in environmental clean-up rather than paying fines, they provide the Environment Agency (EA) with a more flexible range of options, so that they can choose the most appropriate enforcement action when an offence occurs. Unlike prosecution, civil sanctions are imposed or accepted directly by the EA. There are six types of civil sanctions:
- Compliance Notice - a regulator's written notice requiring actions to comply with the law, or to return to compliance, within a specified period;
- Restoration Notice - a regulator's written notice requiring steps to be taken, within a stated period, to restore harm caused by non-compliance, so far as possible;
- Fixed Monetary Penalty - a low-level fine, fixed by legislation, that the regulator may impose for a specified minor offence;
- Enforcement Undertaking - an offer, formally accepted by the regulator, to take steps that would make amends for non-compliance and its effects;
- Variable Monetary Penalty - a proportionate monetary penalty, which the regulator may impose for a more serious offence;
- Stop Notice - a written notice which requires an immediate stop to an activity that is causing serious harm or presents a significant risk of causing serious harm.
Tuesday 6 September 2011
Student of the Year 2011 – NEBOSH National General Certificate
Charles Ford, Business Development & Marketing Director presents the "NEBOSH Student of the Year Award" to Ian Hardbattle, Health and Safety Officer, Rsv Forces and Cadets Association for Yorkshire and the Humber.Charles enjoyed presenting Ian with his award as he has very fond memories of Ian showing him around the Army Foundation College at Harrogate whilst still a serving member of HM Forces and joining him in the Officers' Mess for lunch.
“The prospect of completing both the NEBOSH Fire and General Certificate as a combined package seemed extremely daunting at first however the CRS approach to training did much to alleviate pre start nerves and worries. A comprehensive pre study package was provided along with a host of tips and pointers to ensure that students arrived on day one in the right frame of mind. I think it is that attention to detail coupled with the outstanding level of instruction provided that proved to be the main contributors in my achieving Distinctions in both elements of the course. The icing on the cake for me was to be contacted by Charles to be informed that I had been selected for the "NEBOSH Student of the Year Award" it goes without saying that I am delighted and honoured to receive this award.”
“I would like to thank Charles and CRS for the outstanding service that was delivered in an enjoyable, professional, knowledgeable, and friendly manner where the students came first. I have no hesitation in recommending Charles and CRS to other MOD or civilian candidates.”
Student of the Year 2011 - NVQ4
Charles Ford, Business Development & Marketing Director presents the 'NVQ4 Student of the Year Award' to Carolyn Dukes, Principal Health and Safety Adviser - Public Sector
Charles stated that he was delighted to present Carolyn the award as she had worked very well with Jackie Holder-Wooloff (CMIOSH), individual tutor assigned to Carolyn after a difficult start.
Carolyn stated “I am very pleased to have successfully completed the NVQ Level 4 in Occupational Health and Safety Practice with CRS, and proud to have been awarded "NVQ Student of the Year". The course is challenging at times and let me view my business' safety performance against a comprehensive set of health and safety performance criteria. As well as being a valuable development experience personally, it has provided my employer with tangible business benefits in improving safety management. The combination of academic work, researching each unit and producing reports, was well balanced with day to day practical application in the workplace.
I would like to thank CRS for managing the NVQ process, and in particular the encouragement, support and guidance from my assessor, Jackie Holder-Woolloff, who made the experience enjoyable and rewarding."
Monday 5 September 2011
CRS Mighty Mini joins the National Trust's Collection
A 1:43 scale Corgi Lledo Mighty Mini as driven by Caroline Gilbert in the BRSCC Mighty Mini championships, and sponsored by Corporate Risk Systems Limited has been accepted into the National Trust collection at the Museum of Childhood, Sudbury Hall, Derbyshire.
Accepting the superb scale replica of the car (pictured) for the National Trust, Sue Fraser, Collections Assistant said “Thank you so much for kindly donating the limited edition Mini Cooper. At the moment, we are not in theory accepting objects into the collection as we have an embargo in place for 2011, but we have decided to make an exception in this case, as it comes with such an interesting background.”
Just 1001 of these cars were produced in 2006 for Corporate Risk Systems Limited to commemorate the Ladies Championships won by driver Caroline in 2005 and 2006. They have gone on to become extremely collectible by Corgi and model car enthusiasts. Stephen Asbury from CRS says he has heard of instances where they have changed hands for hundreds of pounds on auction sites. He said that as there were now just a small number left in the company’s goody cupboard, that he had been pleased to donate one to the National Trust.
Friday 2 September 2011
Toxic dust legacy of 9/11 plagues thousands of people
More than 18,000 people are suffering from illnesses linked to the dust from the attacks on New York's World Trade Center on 11 September 2001. The figure comes from the US government's monitoring and treatment programme for 9/11 emergency workers, volunteers and local residents.
The most common afflictions are respiratory problems including asthma and sinusitis, but muscular and intestinal conditions are reported as well. The senior US official managing the health legacy of the attacks warns that early deaths are possible among the survivors.
Dr John Howard, Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, told BBC News it was "plausible" that people would die of exposure to the dust. He singled out damage to the lungs - interstitial fibrosis - as one of the most serious effects. "You lose capacity to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide, and essentially your lung is forming a scar inside so you have less ability to breathe."
Dr Howard said people could die of "many of these conditions that we have seen associated with these exposures." The dust - which blew though neighbouring streets and settled over Lower Manhattan - contained a dangerous mix of chemicals. Researchers found a high proportion of highly alkaline particles from the pulverised concrete, but also asbestos and heavy metals like lead and mercury from thousands of computers and lights.
Nearly 3,000 people died when the two 110-storey buildings were destroyed - the single greatest atrocity on US soil - but those who rushed to help are among potential victims of a toxic fallout. Up to 80,000 people - including firemen, police officers, emergency workers, contractors and cleaning staff - are believed to have been present in the aftermath. Soon after the attacks people reported what became known as "World Trade Center cough" but symptoms have since become more serious.
The US Government's WTC Health Programme - which has more than 60,000 people registered as potentially vulnerable - spells out the risks: "There is no question that thousands of World Trade Center responders have developed chronic, disabling illnesses as a result of their horrific exposures. "Based on accumulated knowledge and medical science, occupational medicine physicians have now learned that, for many responders, WTC-related physical and mental conditions are likely to be permanent. "Sadder still, new patients are still being seen who haven't been evaluated before or treated."
Most focus has been on the firemen who led the effort to search for survivors and, later, for remains.
One major study of New York firefighters, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2010, found significant decreases in lung capacity - even six years after the attacks. This is seen as a highly credible finding because it involved no fewer than 12,781 people and included lung function tests conducted before and after 9/11. More controversial is the question of whether the conditions associated with the dust have so far caused any deaths.
In 2006, a New Jersey pathologist ruled that a detective, James Zadroga, died of lung disease that was linked to WTC dust. The finding was later challenged by the New York medical examiner, but the detective's case was deemed serious enough to merit his name being given to new legislation.
The Zadroga Act, passed in December 2010 and written into law in January this year, authorises $4.7bn (£2.9bn) for monitoring, treatment and compensation for victims. Among the rescuers was police officer Jeff Endean, now retired with ill health including respiratory problems, headaches and sinus trouble. "The bad days are when it's very hard to breathe. There's a lot of coughing and anybody who's had bronchitis or something like that, the more you cough the more it hurts," Endean said. "The headaches start and it inhibits you from doing many things. You can't run. I really don't run anymore. I haven't run since 9/11." His wife Eileen believes that despite medication his condition is deteriorating: "I see it getting worse for him. It's shorter periods of time between his infections and not being well and being sick. The periods of time are shorter and it is getting worse each time he gets sick."
More recently, new categories of people have come forward with symptoms, including the army of cleaning staff deployed to rid Lower Manhattan offices of dust. Alex Sanchez was called to work near Ground Zero on 12 September 2001 and found "massive dust, green smoke, yellow smoke all over the place." His task was to clean the air ducts and ventilation systems. "What I saw in the dust was glistening particles of dust coming towards me, because I had a flashlight and this was a dark tunnel, so what I was illuminating was all these particles that I was breathing and digesting at the time." He worked in different buildings, but only in two of them was he equipped with a face mask. Alex has since suffered from severe breathing difficulties, headaches and gastric problems, and is assessed as unfit to work.
Architect Enzo Ardovini had worked in the rubble and has since suffered from a series of conditions related to his memory. "I couldn't remember things, and every time I went for checkups, they were checking my lungs," Mr Ardovini said. "They were checking my shoulder, and I kept on saying to those doctors, 'I'm fine from here down. Something's not right with my brain, so you need to check.' " Mr Ardovini is now one of thousands claiming compensation for their injuries - a move provided for under the Zadroga Act. His lawyer, Troy Rosasco, warns that many illnesses, such as Mr Ardovini's memory loss, will only emerge in the coming years. "This is just the beginning. This is not - 10 years out - the end," Mr Rosasco said.
"We're going to be facing people getting sick with 9/11 related injuries and illnesses for another 20 years at least."
Read more here
The most common afflictions are respiratory problems including asthma and sinusitis, but muscular and intestinal conditions are reported as well. The senior US official managing the health legacy of the attacks warns that early deaths are possible among the survivors.
Dr John Howard, Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, told BBC News it was "plausible" that people would die of exposure to the dust. He singled out damage to the lungs - interstitial fibrosis - as one of the most serious effects. "You lose capacity to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide, and essentially your lung is forming a scar inside so you have less ability to breathe."
Dr Howard said people could die of "many of these conditions that we have seen associated with these exposures." The dust - which blew though neighbouring streets and settled over Lower Manhattan - contained a dangerous mix of chemicals. Researchers found a high proportion of highly alkaline particles from the pulverised concrete, but also asbestos and heavy metals like lead and mercury from thousands of computers and lights.
Nearly 3,000 people died when the two 110-storey buildings were destroyed - the single greatest atrocity on US soil - but those who rushed to help are among potential victims of a toxic fallout. Up to 80,000 people - including firemen, police officers, emergency workers, contractors and cleaning staff - are believed to have been present in the aftermath. Soon after the attacks people reported what became known as "World Trade Center cough" but symptoms have since become more serious.
The US Government's WTC Health Programme - which has more than 60,000 people registered as potentially vulnerable - spells out the risks: "There is no question that thousands of World Trade Center responders have developed chronic, disabling illnesses as a result of their horrific exposures. "Based on accumulated knowledge and medical science, occupational medicine physicians have now learned that, for many responders, WTC-related physical and mental conditions are likely to be permanent. "Sadder still, new patients are still being seen who haven't been evaluated before or treated."
Most focus has been on the firemen who led the effort to search for survivors and, later, for remains.
One major study of New York firefighters, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2010, found significant decreases in lung capacity - even six years after the attacks. This is seen as a highly credible finding because it involved no fewer than 12,781 people and included lung function tests conducted before and after 9/11. More controversial is the question of whether the conditions associated with the dust have so far caused any deaths.
In 2006, a New Jersey pathologist ruled that a detective, James Zadroga, died of lung disease that was linked to WTC dust. The finding was later challenged by the New York medical examiner, but the detective's case was deemed serious enough to merit his name being given to new legislation.
The Zadroga Act, passed in December 2010 and written into law in January this year, authorises $4.7bn (£2.9bn) for monitoring, treatment and compensation for victims. Among the rescuers was police officer Jeff Endean, now retired with ill health including respiratory problems, headaches and sinus trouble. "The bad days are when it's very hard to breathe. There's a lot of coughing and anybody who's had bronchitis or something like that, the more you cough the more it hurts," Endean said. "The headaches start and it inhibits you from doing many things. You can't run. I really don't run anymore. I haven't run since 9/11." His wife Eileen believes that despite medication his condition is deteriorating: "I see it getting worse for him. It's shorter periods of time between his infections and not being well and being sick. The periods of time are shorter and it is getting worse each time he gets sick."
More recently, new categories of people have come forward with symptoms, including the army of cleaning staff deployed to rid Lower Manhattan offices of dust. Alex Sanchez was called to work near Ground Zero on 12 September 2001 and found "massive dust, green smoke, yellow smoke all over the place." His task was to clean the air ducts and ventilation systems. "What I saw in the dust was glistening particles of dust coming towards me, because I had a flashlight and this was a dark tunnel, so what I was illuminating was all these particles that I was breathing and digesting at the time." He worked in different buildings, but only in two of them was he equipped with a face mask. Alex has since suffered from severe breathing difficulties, headaches and gastric problems, and is assessed as unfit to work.
Architect Enzo Ardovini had worked in the rubble and has since suffered from a series of conditions related to his memory. "I couldn't remember things, and every time I went for checkups, they were checking my lungs," Mr Ardovini said. "They were checking my shoulder, and I kept on saying to those doctors, 'I'm fine from here down. Something's not right with my brain, so you need to check.' " Mr Ardovini is now one of thousands claiming compensation for their injuries - a move provided for under the Zadroga Act. His lawyer, Troy Rosasco, warns that many illnesses, such as Mr Ardovini's memory loss, will only emerge in the coming years. "This is just the beginning. This is not - 10 years out - the end," Mr Rosasco said.
"We're going to be facing people getting sick with 9/11 related injuries and illnesses for another 20 years at least."
Read more here
New Blow For BP In Russia As Office Raided
Black-clad Special Forces
Black-clad special forces raided BP's Moscow offices on Wednesday, deepening the British company's problems in Russia after its attempts to salvage an oil exploration agreement in the Russian Arctic collapsed. The raid, a day after ExxonMobil signed a deal giving it access to fields BP had hoped to develop, was ordered to let bailiffs search for documents in a legal battle over BP's failed bid to partner Russia in the Arctic, a spokeswoman said. But BP, which has a long history of problems in Russia, denounced the raid and said it feared the search could continue for the rest of this week.
"It is our opinion that the court order under which ... court bailiffs are now in our office has no legal grounds. The office's work has been paralyzed," BP Russia President Jeremy Huck was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency. "We see these actions as pressure on BP's operations in Russia," he said.
Most of BP's employees in Moscow were sent home or told not to come to work because of the raid, and the offices were sealed off. The raid highlighted BP's problems in Russia since it fell out with authorities this year over its failed Arctic exploration alliance with state-owned oil firm Rosneft. A group of rich minority shareholders in TNK-BP, BP's Russian joint venture, have sued BP over the failed alliance with Rosneft. They objected to the pact, saying BP was obliged to pursue all its Russian ventures through TNK-BP and that they suffered big losses when the venture collapsed shortly after it was announced in January. The minority shareholders also prevented a parallel $16 billion share-swap deal between BP and Rosneft going ahead.
Arctic Dreams Shattered
Tuesday's deal between Exxon and Rosneft, signed in the presence of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, gives BP's U.S. rival access to potentially substantial reserves in Russia, the world's top oil producer. The deal was a big blow for BP, finally ending its chances of salvaging its own agreement with Rosneft. Yevgeny Minchenko, director of Russia's International Institute for Political Expertise, said BP was now vulnerable to police raids -- which can happen frequently in Russia -- and short of allies. "I
don't think that it was the Kremlin or the government that sent the order to the bailiffs (to carry out the raid). It's just that the people who carry out the decision understand that the authorities won't stand up for BP," he said. But political analyst Nikolai Petrov of the Moscow Carnegie Center said the raid did not mean BP would now face frequent harassment from the police or legal authorities.
"Although there is a coincidence in timings between what is happening with BP and the announcement of the Rosneft-Exxon deal, I wouldn't say the search is a sign that BP will be pressured by the law-enforcement bodies," he said. It is not the first time BP has been subjected to such treatment in Russia. Security forces searched BP's headquarters in Moscow in 2008 during a corporate stand-off at TNK-BP that resulted in TNK-BP boss Bob Dudley, who is now CEO of BP, being forced out of Russia.
Black-clad special forces raided BP's Moscow offices on Wednesday, deepening the British company's problems in Russia after its attempts to salvage an oil exploration agreement in the Russian Arctic collapsed. The raid, a day after ExxonMobil signed a deal giving it access to fields BP had hoped to develop, was ordered to let bailiffs search for documents in a legal battle over BP's failed bid to partner Russia in the Arctic, a spokeswoman said. But BP, which has a long history of problems in Russia, denounced the raid and said it feared the search could continue for the rest of this week.
"It is our opinion that the court order under which ... court bailiffs are now in our office has no legal grounds. The office's work has been paralyzed," BP Russia President Jeremy Huck was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency. "We see these actions as pressure on BP's operations in Russia," he said.
Most of BP's employees in Moscow were sent home or told not to come to work because of the raid, and the offices were sealed off. The raid highlighted BP's problems in Russia since it fell out with authorities this year over its failed Arctic exploration alliance with state-owned oil firm Rosneft. A group of rich minority shareholders in TNK-BP, BP's Russian joint venture, have sued BP over the failed alliance with Rosneft. They objected to the pact, saying BP was obliged to pursue all its Russian ventures through TNK-BP and that they suffered big losses when the venture collapsed shortly after it was announced in January. The minority shareholders also prevented a parallel $16 billion share-swap deal between BP and Rosneft going ahead.
Arctic Dreams Shattered
Tuesday's deal between Exxon and Rosneft, signed in the presence of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, gives BP's U.S. rival access to potentially substantial reserves in Russia, the world's top oil producer. The deal was a big blow for BP, finally ending its chances of salvaging its own agreement with Rosneft. Yevgeny Minchenko, director of Russia's International Institute for Political Expertise, said BP was now vulnerable to police raids -- which can happen frequently in Russia -- and short of allies. "I
don't think that it was the Kremlin or the government that sent the order to the bailiffs (to carry out the raid). It's just that the people who carry out the decision understand that the authorities won't stand up for BP," he said. But political analyst Nikolai Petrov of the Moscow Carnegie Center said the raid did not mean BP would now face frequent harassment from the police or legal authorities.
"Although there is a coincidence in timings between what is happening with BP and the announcement of the Rosneft-Exxon deal, I wouldn't say the search is a sign that BP will be pressured by the law-enforcement bodies," he said. It is not the first time BP has been subjected to such treatment in Russia. Security forces searched BP's headquarters in Moscow in 2008 during a corporate stand-off at TNK-BP that resulted in TNK-BP boss Bob Dudley, who is now CEO of BP, being forced out of Russia.
Free Ladder Exchange
CRS is pleased to support the fourth HSE ‘Ladder Exchange’, which will be launched on 1 September 2011. The annual Ladder Exchange provides UK businesses with an easy and simple way to replace broken, damaged or bent ladders and trade them in for safe new ones.
This year's programme will run for 3 months from 1 September until 30 November.
Read more and find your local exchange location here
This year's programme will run for 3 months from 1 September until 30 November.
Read more and find your local exchange location here
Summary of recent HSE construction enforcement actions (September 2011)
CRS is pleased to provide a summary of some recent HSE prosecutions and enforcement action in the construction sector.
Work at Height
3 August 2011 – A mechanical engineering company has been fined after a subcontractor suffered serious back injuries falling through a roof.
Self-employed roofer Michael Hawkins, 23, of Rotherham, fell approximately six metres through a fragile roof at a large industrial building. He underwent six operations in just six months including a large skin graft to his back and has been unable to return to work since the incident in June 2009.
The company had failed to ensure the work was properly planned, appropriately supervised or carried out in a safe manner. The HSE investigation found part of the roof was only single thickness and therefore considerably weaker in some areas than others, yet the company failed to identify how fragile it was.
Mechanical Solutions Ltd, of Mansfield pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £5,366. Read more here
11 August 2011 - A Burnley handyman had a lucky escape when he fell through a fragile roof at a factory.
The 67-year-old contractor was fixing a leak on the roof when he lost his balance, stepped backwards and fell through one of the roof panels. He escaped injury after landing on a machine cover more than four metres below.
Engineering firm Lupton and Place admitted breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by failing to ensure the safety of workers. The company was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £6,250 in prosecution costs. Read more here
16 August 2011 - A roofing firm has been prosecuted after it allowed two of its employees to work on a slippery roof in Wirral without anything in place to stop them falling.
The two workers from Rainsafe Protect Ltd were spotted pressure washing the sloping house roof in Bebington during a routine visit by an HSE inspector on 26 March 2010. No safety barriers or scaffolding had been put up around the edge of the roof to stop the employees being seriously injured in a fall.
The court was told that the company had received advice about working at height from HSE on four separate occasions during the previous month, but had still allowed the roof to be recoated without safety measures in place.
Rainsafe Protect Ltd pleaded guilty to a breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £2,069 in prosecution costs. Read more here
25 August 2011 - A self-employed roofing contractor from Essex has been given a suspended prison sentence after an incident in which a friend fell through the roof of a domestic garage - and later died of his injuries.
Steve Mason had been contracted to replace a flat roof on a double garage at a house in Stock, near Chelmsford, and James Waughman was accompanying him. While on site Mr Waughman, 58 suffered a stroke and fell through a gap in the rafters on to the garage floor, suffering multiple injuries. He died in hospital just over three weeks after the incident.
Steve Mason received an eight month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to pay £500 costs after admitting breaching section 3 (2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Read more here
9 August 2011 – Two Worcestershire companies and a contractor from Hall Green have been prosecuted for releasing asbestos fibres during an office refurbishment project in Birmingham city centre.
HSE Inspectors uncovered a series of failings during the refurbishment work carried out by Evanacre Colmore Row Ltd, Marchment Consulting Ltd and Roland Morewood.
When lift engineers arrived on site, they found pieces of asbestos insulating board spread around the lift shaft area and refused to carry on working. HSE inspectors stopped all workers from going into the building until it had been decontaminated. Air tests taken on several floors of the premises revealed significantly high levels of asbestos fibres, which were also found in several vacuum cleaners.
Asbestos insulating board was found stored in Roland Morewood's van, which itself was heavily contaminated with raised levels of asbestos fibres in the air.
Evanacre Colmore Row Ltd, of Droitwich, pleaded guilty today to breaching Regulations 11(1)(a) and 16 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 and was fined £7,000 and ordered to pay £1,500 costs.
Marchment Consulting Ltd, of Droitwich, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 11(1)(a) and 16 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 and was fined £7,000 and ordered to pay £1,500 costs.
Roland Morewood, of Hall Green, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 8(1) and 16 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 and fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £823 costs. Read more here
Demolition
30 August 2011 – Whiteinch Demolition Limited, a Glasgow demolition contractor has been fined after a worker was killed when a weight from a face shovel machine fell on him.
On 12 May 2008 Bernard McCarroll, aged 68 years from Croy, was dismantling a hydraulic excavator at the company's yard in Glasgow by the process known as burning, using a flame torch. The machine weighed seven tonnes (7080 kilogrammes) and had a weight at the rear to assist stability. Whilst flame cutting the bolts that held this weight to the frame of the machine, part of it fell onto Mr McCarroll who suffered serious injuries and died.
An HSE investigation found the dismantling operation had not been properly risk assessed or planned by the company. The court was told that a safe system of work had not been provided to those carrying out the dismantling task. It was also found that insufficient information and instruction had been made available by the company with regard to the assembly of this large machine.
Whiteinch Demolition Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Etc Act 1974. It was fined £15,000. Read more here
Management of construction sites
30 August 2011 - Two construction companies have been fined for "appalling" standards at a building site in the London Borough of Merton.
HSE prosecuted principal contractor, Kubik Homes Ltd, and the subcontractor, Bellway Developments Ltd after visiting the site in Wimbledon on several occasions. Kubik Homes Ltd had already been served with four Prohibition Notices, one of which was actually breached while HSE Inspectors were on site.
There was no safe access to the first floor under construction - instead, there was a makeshift 'staircase' formed from a bag of sand and piles of blocks, leading to the roof of a hut.
The first floor was accessed from the hut roof via wooden planks, spanning the gap between them. There was no edge protection to prevent falls.
There was also a 2.5 metre-deep excavation with no precautions taken to prevent people falling into it or the sides of the excavation collapsing in on anyone working within it.
The work areas around the site were uneven, littered with obstructions and trip hazards. Building materials had been stacked excessively high and stored haphazardly. Welfare facilities on-site were also extremely poor. The toilet was filthy and had a leaking cold water supply.
Kubik Homes Ltd, of Wimbledon, pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety etc at Work Act 1974. The firm was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,426.50.
Bellway Developments Ltd, of Bromley, Kent, also pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Act 1974. It was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,384.50. Read more here
Work at Height
3 August 2011 – A mechanical engineering company has been fined after a subcontractor suffered serious back injuries falling through a roof.
Self-employed roofer Michael Hawkins, 23, of Rotherham, fell approximately six metres through a fragile roof at a large industrial building. He underwent six operations in just six months including a large skin graft to his back and has been unable to return to work since the incident in June 2009.
The company had failed to ensure the work was properly planned, appropriately supervised or carried out in a safe manner. The HSE investigation found part of the roof was only single thickness and therefore considerably weaker in some areas than others, yet the company failed to identify how fragile it was.
Mechanical Solutions Ltd, of Mansfield pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £5,366. Read more here
11 August 2011 - A Burnley handyman had a lucky escape when he fell through a fragile roof at a factory.
The 67-year-old contractor was fixing a leak on the roof when he lost his balance, stepped backwards and fell through one of the roof panels. He escaped injury after landing on a machine cover more than four metres below.
Engineering firm Lupton and Place admitted breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by failing to ensure the safety of workers. The company was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £6,250 in prosecution costs. Read more here
16 August 2011 - A roofing firm has been prosecuted after it allowed two of its employees to work on a slippery roof in Wirral without anything in place to stop them falling.
The two workers from Rainsafe Protect Ltd were spotted pressure washing the sloping house roof in Bebington during a routine visit by an HSE inspector on 26 March 2010. No safety barriers or scaffolding had been put up around the edge of the roof to stop the employees being seriously injured in a fall.
The court was told that the company had received advice about working at height from HSE on four separate occasions during the previous month, but had still allowed the roof to be recoated without safety measures in place.
Rainsafe Protect Ltd pleaded guilty to a breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £2,069 in prosecution costs. Read more here
25 August 2011 - A self-employed roofing contractor from Essex has been given a suspended prison sentence after an incident in which a friend fell through the roof of a domestic garage - and later died of his injuries.
Steve Mason had been contracted to replace a flat roof on a double garage at a house in Stock, near Chelmsford, and James Waughman was accompanying him. While on site Mr Waughman, 58 suffered a stroke and fell through a gap in the rafters on to the garage floor, suffering multiple injuries. He died in hospital just over three weeks after the incident.
Steve Mason received an eight month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to pay £500 costs after admitting breaching section 3 (2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Read more here
9 August 2011 – Two Worcestershire companies and a contractor from Hall Green have been prosecuted for releasing asbestos fibres during an office refurbishment project in Birmingham city centre.
HSE Inspectors uncovered a series of failings during the refurbishment work carried out by Evanacre Colmore Row Ltd, Marchment Consulting Ltd and Roland Morewood.
When lift engineers arrived on site, they found pieces of asbestos insulating board spread around the lift shaft area and refused to carry on working. HSE inspectors stopped all workers from going into the building until it had been decontaminated. Air tests taken on several floors of the premises revealed significantly high levels of asbestos fibres, which were also found in several vacuum cleaners.
Asbestos insulating board was found stored in Roland Morewood's van, which itself was heavily contaminated with raised levels of asbestos fibres in the air.
Evanacre Colmore Row Ltd, of Droitwich, pleaded guilty today to breaching Regulations 11(1)(a) and 16 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 and was fined £7,000 and ordered to pay £1,500 costs.
Marchment Consulting Ltd, of Droitwich, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 11(1)(a) and 16 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 and was fined £7,000 and ordered to pay £1,500 costs.
Roland Morewood, of Hall Green, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 8(1) and 16 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 and fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £823 costs. Read more here
Demolition
30 August 2011 – Whiteinch Demolition Limited, a Glasgow demolition contractor has been fined after a worker was killed when a weight from a face shovel machine fell on him.
On 12 May 2008 Bernard McCarroll, aged 68 years from Croy, was dismantling a hydraulic excavator at the company's yard in Glasgow by the process known as burning, using a flame torch. The machine weighed seven tonnes (7080 kilogrammes) and had a weight at the rear to assist stability. Whilst flame cutting the bolts that held this weight to the frame of the machine, part of it fell onto Mr McCarroll who suffered serious injuries and died.
An HSE investigation found the dismantling operation had not been properly risk assessed or planned by the company. The court was told that a safe system of work had not been provided to those carrying out the dismantling task. It was also found that insufficient information and instruction had been made available by the company with regard to the assembly of this large machine.
Whiteinch Demolition Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Etc Act 1974. It was fined £15,000. Read more here
Management of construction sites
30 August 2011 - Two construction companies have been fined for "appalling" standards at a building site in the London Borough of Merton.
HSE prosecuted principal contractor, Kubik Homes Ltd, and the subcontractor, Bellway Developments Ltd after visiting the site in Wimbledon on several occasions. Kubik Homes Ltd had already been served with four Prohibition Notices, one of which was actually breached while HSE Inspectors were on site.
There was no safe access to the first floor under construction - instead, there was a makeshift 'staircase' formed from a bag of sand and piles of blocks, leading to the roof of a hut.
The first floor was accessed from the hut roof via wooden planks, spanning the gap between them. There was no edge protection to prevent falls.
There was also a 2.5 metre-deep excavation with no precautions taken to prevent people falling into it or the sides of the excavation collapsing in on anyone working within it.
The work areas around the site were uneven, littered with obstructions and trip hazards. Building materials had been stacked excessively high and stored haphazardly. Welfare facilities on-site were also extremely poor. The toilet was filthy and had a leaking cold water supply.
Kubik Homes Ltd, of Wimbledon, pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety etc at Work Act 1974. The firm was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,426.50.
Bellway Developments Ltd, of Bromley, Kent, also pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Act 1974. It was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,384.50. Read more here
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