Firm in court for unsafe refurbishment work

A construction company has been fined for unsafe refurbishment work that exposed workers to the risk of serious injuries.
Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) established that safety standards were woefully lacking at a property undergoing an extensive overhaul in Newton Avenue, Acton, between July 2013 to January 2014.
A basement was excavated without any form of propping or temporary works to provide vital support, and later in the project the risk of falls from height was also found to be poorly managed.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard yesterday (26 March) that FN Property Limited also failed to hold any valid Employers Liability Compulsory Insurance for its workforce, which is a legal requirement to support workers in the event of an incident occurring.
HSE twice served Prohibition Notices to stop work linked to the refurbishment during visits in January 2014 to prevent the risk of falls from height.
The first visit followed a complaint from workers at the site about unsafe excavations where there was a serious risk of collapse.
FN Property Limited, of Askew Road, Shepherd’s Bush, W12, was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay a further £1,213 in costs after pleading guilty to a single breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
After the hearing, HSE Inspector Pete Collingwood commented:
“The dangers posed by unsupported excavations are well known in the construction industry, and it should have been abundantly clear that the provision and use of shoring was a basic necessity.
“Later in the project measures in place to protect against falls from height were found to be inadequate on two separate visits to site. To compound this, the contractor had no Employers Liability Insurance in the event of an accident occurring.
“Every employer should ensure that workers have the basic right to work in a safe environment. FN Property Ltd fell some way short in this regard.”
NEBOSH Certificate in Construction Health & Safety

The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme

If you are a private sector organisation or charity that employs 250 people or more, or have a high balance sheet and turnover, you may be in scope of the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS), a mandatory energy auditing requirement.
ESOS can save you money – if every participant reduces their energy consumption by 0.7%, they would save over £250m a year in total on their energy bills.
The deadline for carrying out an energy audit is 5 December 2015. You can find out more from the Environment Agency’s ESOS Guidance.

Save the date

With the first Mighty Mini race for the CRS Racing Team getting underway on Saturday 18^th April (hope to see you there), and the racing team working flat out to get the cars ready in time. Here are the rest of the racing season Mighty Mini racing dates for your diary:
Oulton Park – April18
Rockingham – May 16/17
Brands Hatch – June 27/28
Castle Combe – July 18/19
Silverstone – August 16/17
Cadwell Park – September 19
Donington Park – October 17/18

Remember as usual we will throughout the year be giving away two FREE VIP tickets to any race of your choice, just keep a look out  for our special Mighty Mini Competitions in our monthly newsletter.
For further information contact Ros Stacey – rs@crsrisk.com

Congratulations Candice Irving you are our Delegate of the Month

Candice  attended our NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety at our Colchester venue. Candice has over 10 years  working experience in quality and technical in the food manufacturing industry. She is now looking to change her career path and move into Health & Safety. Candice said “ I took this course as the start in a career change after working in manufacturing, I considered that health & safety would be a good direction to go in and I hope that passing this course will be the start of this…”
Candice then went on to say “I hope to attend further NEBOSH Courses with CRS including the NEBOSH Fire Safety & Risk Management and the NEBOSH Certificate in Environmental Management, and in the long term complete the City & Guilds NVQ level 5 Diploma in OH&SP which will enable me to complete my dream of having CMIOSH after my name”.
Candice lives with her husband who is serving in the Armed Forces and they relocated to Colchester which has an army base close by, this gave Candice the opportunity of taking the course locally. We asked Candice what she liked about the course she said “Overall, the course has been great; I have had an excellent tutor  and I am looking forward to getting my results soon”.  Why not visit our website www.crsrisk.com and make sure you get on the course of your choice, course dates out after Easter for 2016.

Team CRS gear up for the first race of the season

The winter rebuilds of team CRS Classic Mini’s are going well, the freshly rebuilt engines being re-fitted this weekend. The classic A-Series engines require rebuilds every 4-6 hours, and parts and spares have become very expensive. So the team has been investigating a new championship, the “Super Cooper Cup” which runs the newer Supercharged Mini Cooper S “R53”.
Our plan is to race prepare our new Mini R53 whilst racing the old Classics in the Mighty Mini’s
The first Mighty Mini race in the old classic Mini is Oulton Park on the 18 April  and we hope to have the new Mini R53 ready to race in the endurance Mission Motorsport charity race in November at Anglesey if not before.
All the Mighty Mini races this year will be televised on Freeview “motors TV”.
Why not get yourselves off to Oulton Park on Saturday 18^th April  and meet Team CRS and our very own driver Caroline it’s an event not to be missed.

Transport firm fined £500,000 after Hull worker crushed between two lorries

A Cheshire-based transport company has been fined £500,000 after an Hull employee suffered horrific injuries when she was crushed between two lorries.
Warwick Crown Court heard (16 Mar) that Jennifer Rose was lucky to be alive after the incident at Tip Trailer Services’ Griff Lane depot in Nuneaton on 9 April 2013.
Mrs Rose, 38, who now lives in Hull, broke 13 bones in her back, shoulders and ribs, and punctured a lung. The incident left her with severe head injuries, impaired vision and she required a tracheotomy. She suffered a cardiac arrest and was in intensive care for ten days.
Mrs Rose, who has a young son, needed to wear a body brace for four months and was confined to a wheelchair for some months although has since regained some mobility. She still requires weekly physiotherapy.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found Mrs Rose was acting as a banksman, assisting a lorry driver to reverse park on a slope, at the time of the incident. The driver decoupled his trailer without engaging its parking brake, causing it to roll back and trap her between the two vehicles.
The investigation found TIP Trailer Services regularly allowed vehicles to park on a slope without the provision of chocks or similar devices. The company had no monitoring system to check whether drivers were applying their handbrakes properly.
The slope ended on a public road, so the risks were not just to pedestrians on site but also to passing pedestrians and drivers.
TIP Europe Ltd, of Market Street, Altrincham, Cheshire, trading as Tip Trailer Services, pleaded guilty to two breaches of Sections 2 and 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, and was fined a total of £500,000 and ordered to pay a further £56,938 in costs.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Elizabeth Hornsby said:
“Mrs Rose suffered severe life-changing injuries. Her family was told she would not survive the night but due to her level of physical fitness and her sheer determination she has fought back and is now on the road to recovery.
“It was common practice for drivers to park on a slope within the compound, which should never have been allowed as it was inevitable that sooner or later a driver would fail to put on their handbrake. This totally avoidable incident could and should have been prevented with nothing more than common sense.”

Last few places – Environment legislation Update – Friday 10th April

Have you remember to book your place for Friday 10th April when CRS will be holding their first free seminar for 2015? Richard Ball will be bringing us up to date on Environmental Legislation changes and taking a look at how Full Membership to IEMA (Institute of Environmental Management Assessment) can help both you and your organisation meet the new Government requirements in cutting waste, reducing carbon footprint, controlling and reducing Greenhouse gases and taking control of sustainability for the future. The event will run from 9.15am until around 13.00hrs, a buffet lunch will be provided.
Contact Ros at rs@crsrisk.com or 01283 509175 and make sure that your name is on the guest list.

Derby Construction firm prosecuted after worker crushed by falling conveyor

Three construction companies have been fined after a worker was crushed by a falling section of conveyor at a plant in Sleaford.
The incident happened during construction of the Sleaford Renewable Energy plant on Boston Road on 14 February 2013 when the 4.5 tonne conveyor section overturned during installation.
It trapped Michael Doyle, a 49-year-old employee of Derby-based Shaw Group UK Ltd, who suffered multiple injuries including four cracked vertebrae, broken ribs, a punctured lung and broken ankle. He has not returned to work since.
Lincoln Magistrates’ Court heard  yesterday (12 March) that Shaw Group UK Ltd had been subcontracted to install a boiler and associated equipment , including a conveyor system to carry large straw bales, by Burmeister and Wain Energy (BWE).
BWE was one of two Danish companies, the other being Burmeister and Wain Scandinavian Contractor (BWSC), that had formed a consortium to design and build the centre, which burns straw and wood to create electricity and also to provide heat for some local authority buildings.
Shaw Group UK Ltd had already lifted three conveyor sections on to a slope leading up to the boiler by craning them on to a platform at the bottom of the slope. Skates were bolted to the front and rear legs which helped keep the section of conveyor on rails as it was dragged up the slope by manual winches set up at the top.
In order to fix the sections of conveyor in place workers needed to remove the skates and used jacks to raise the legs enough to take the skates off and then lower the legs down onto the rail.
This was carried out successfully on the first three sections but as the jacks were released, on the lower legs of the fourth and final section, one side lowered faster than the other and the conveyor swung towards two workers before violently swinging the other way and turning on its side, trapping Mr Doyle, from Fleetwood, Lancashire, underneath.
 A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation identified safety failings by all three companies.
 Shaw Group UK Ltd had produced a risk assessment and a plan for the installation but it did not consider removal of the skates from the legs of the conveyor sections or the manual winching of the load up the slope. The document had been sent to BWE for checking but the company did not pick up on the omission.
The lifting operation using jacks was not carried out safely and none of the three defendants was managing or monitoring the work in a way that would ensure its safety.
The investigation also found that BWSC failed in its responsibility as principal contractor to ensure work was properly assessed and co-ordinated between the many contractors on site.
Shaw Group UK Ltd, of Stores Road, Derby, was fined a total of £17,350 and ordered to pay costs of £1,710 after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Regulation 8(1)(c) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998; and Regulation 13(2) of the Construction (Design and Management ) Regulations 2007.
Burmeister and Wain Scandinavian Contractor, of Gydevang 35, PO Box 235, DK3450, Allerød, Denmark, was fined £4,670 and ordered to pay costs of £1,710 after pleading guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
Burmeister and Wain Energy, of Luntoftegardsvej 93A, DK 800 Kgs Lyngby, Denmark, was fined £5,350 and ordered to pay costs of £1,710 after admitting a breach of Regulation 13(2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Martin Giles said:
“This was a large site with multiple contractors and up to 300 people working at any one time. Although there was a series of site rules set out in a construction phase plan, BWSC’s management of the site was poor as each of the main contractors ran their own areas of the site as they desired and were able to set additional rules. This led to different procedures being followed and a lack of control over temporary works.
“The failure to ensure work was carried out safely on the slope was symptomatic of more general failures which were the responsibility of  principal contractor BWSC in setting the rules, procedures and checks needed to manage a large site. These failures put all the workers on site at risk.
“BWE specified the use of skates for installing the conveyor system but removing them required adequate risk assessment. Although the company had read the assessment and method statement produced by Shaw Group it made no comment on it and did not approve it before it was implemented. BWE should have picked up on that document’s failures and asked Shaw Group to re-evaluate before work was allowed to begin.
“Shaw Group UK Ltd’s risk assessment was flawed, and its management and monitoring of the task was not sufficient to identify potential problems and stop the work in the four days before Mr Doyle was hurt. The actual method of work followed by its employees was unsafe and led to Mr Doyle’s injuries when the load overturned.”
NEBOSH Combined Construction/General Certificate

Kent firm fined £16K after employee severs toes

An engineering firm in Sheerness has been fined after a 20-year-old worker was left disabled when a metal sheet landed on his feet, severing three toes from one and breaking all the toes on the other. Anton Hunter, an engineer with G&P Machine Shop Ltd in Queensborough, was helping a colleague unload a delivery of fabricated steel sheets at a nearby site when a 700kg sheet became dislodged from a magnet and fell directly on his feet. His big toe and the next two on his right foot were sliced off and he suffered fractures to all the toes on his left foot. He has since had the second toe on the left foot amputated due to his big toe shifting following surgery. Mr Hunter, from Sheerness, has since returned to work in a reduced capacity but is still regaining his walking skills.
The incident, on 17 February 2014, was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which prosecuted recently (12 March 2015) G&P Machine Shop at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court after finding the firm failed to check the magnet used was the correct one for the job. The court heard that the two workers had unloaded two smaller metal sheets successfully but a third had become detached from the magnet and fallen. The two men believed the failure was due to the cloth around the magnet so they removed it and started unloading the larger 700kg sheets. One lift was achieved but the second failed mid-way and the sheet slipped from the magnet just as Mr Hunter jumped down from the back of the delivery vehicle and was helping to guide the sheet.
HSE identified that the magnet, which had been on hire to G&P Machine Shop for a month, was not designed for the size and weight of the sheets involved, either the smaller or the larger type the employees had been asked to deliver. Both had a 12mm depth whereas instructions for the magnet stated that anything less than 20mm should not have been lifted and the maximum weight was 400kg.
G&P Machine Shop Ltd of Argent Road, Queensborough, Sheerness, Kent, was fined £16,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,036 after admitting a breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Rob Hassell said: “Anton Hunter, a young engineer, had his life put on hold after suffering a debilitating injury that may impair his ability to walk for the foreseeable future. The incident could have been prevented if G&P Machine Shop had carried out suitable checks to ensure the lift was within the operating capacities of the magnet. Instead, it seems that in an attempt to improve deliveries, an entirely inappropriate piece of lifting equipment was chosen. Companies should ensure the equipment they want to use is fit for its intended purpose. Manuals for lifting devices are available to download or direct from the makers. The safe working load (SWL) of lifting equipment is a maximum capacity in optimum conditions – any deviation needs to be investigated and tested.”

Hertfordshire firm and director fined after excavation collapse

The director of a building firm was partially buried when the high sides of an excavation he was working on collapsed on him, a court has heard.
Paul Connolly, director of Bushey-based PNT Contractors Ltd, had to be rescued by workers digging him out by hand after the excavation collapse at a site in Essex in July 2014. He was taken to hospital and suffered a broken leg and ankle.
The incident was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which today (4 March) prosecuted Mr Connolly and the company at Southend Magistrates’ Court.
The court heard PNT Contractors Ltd was carrying out extensive ground work at a site in Crays Hills, Bilericay, when the incident took place.
Paul Connolly had used an excavator to dig into the side of a slope, leaving unsupported excavation sides of up to 2.5 metres in height.
Mr Connolly and another employee were working in the sheer-faced excavation when it collapsed. The second worker managed to jump to safety but Mr Connolly was partially buried and trapped by the falling earth and had to be dug out by hand by his two employees.
HSE served a prohibition notice the following day stopping any work until the excavation was made safe.
PNT Contractors Ltd of Sparrows Herne, Bushey, Hertfordshire, was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,176 after admitting a breach of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations.
Paul Martin Connolly of Lipton Street, Watford, was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,176 for a similar breach by virtue of being a director of the company.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Adam Hills said:
“Paul Connolly not only endangered himself, but was reckless with the lives of his employees. Every year people are killed or seriously injured by collapsing trenches. The dangers here were obvious.
“A few simple and inexpensive precautions could have easily prevented this from occurring. To prevent a collapse you should shore, step, or batter back the sides. Do not assume ground will stand up unsupported.”
CRS says “How much would Health & Safety Training cost to stop this sort of thing happening again and again”?
Combined NEBOSH Construction/General Certificate

And the winner of our Candidate of the Year 2015 Award – NEBOSH Environmental Certificate – Iain Deans

After checking and re-checking our Head of Environment – Richard Ball has confirmed that Iain Deans is our winner of this year’s award. Iain who lives in Scotland attended out NEBOSH Certificate in Environmental Management course in Birmingham along with 12 other delegates. When we caught up with Iain to tell him the good news he just could not believe that he had won. He said “This is just fantastic, I am really chuffed, the course was very well run and the tutor was amazing. Richard got the class to engage and the knowledge he had was really helpful in applying the information to the exam paper”. CRS will be presenting the award at a special event to be held at Sahara Force India F1, Silverstone on Friday 10^th April, where we will be taking a look at the follow on courses - IEMA Associate Certificate in Environmental Management, Full Membership to IEMA and Chartered Environmentalist. If you would like to attend the presentation and find out more about these qualifications please contact Ros Stacey – rs@crsrisk.com  or 01283 509175.

Fourteen days of poor air quality caused 4 000 extra healthcare visits in UK

Real time monitoring of public health during two periods of high air pollution in the UK showed that there were an estimated 3 500 extra healthcare visits for acute respiratory symptoms and approximately 500 for severe asthma during these spells in 2014.
 Air pollution is a known and significant risk factor for a number of health conditions including respiratory disease, heart disease, stroke and lung cancer. Even short-term exposure to air pollution can cause a number of acute respiratory effects including breathlessness and wheezing. A new study examined the effects of two periods of high air pollution on the health care-seeking behaviour of the British public. The UK experienced two widespread periods of poor air quality between 12 –14 March and 29 March –3 April in 2014. These were caused by a combination of atmospheric conditions which came together at the same time: a period of light winds and clear skies, local emissions of air pollution, atmospheric transport of dust from the Sahara and pollution from continental Europe.
 A number of areas reached the highest possible classification for air pollution in the UK (10—‘very high’) on the government’s Daily Air Quality Index. The classification is determined by the highest concentrations of five pollutants: nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone, particles smaller than 10 micrometres (μm) (PM10) and particles smaller than 2.5 μm (PM2.5). During these periods, poor air quality was driven by high levels of PM (PM10 and PM2.5).
 CRS’S Head of Environment highlighted ‘ Due to the fact that most visible air pollution has been reduce, many people believe that air quality is a problem of the past. However with increasing emissions from sources should as transport combining with extreme weather patterns,  the health effects can be significant. Governments will need to tackle the issue; putting pressure on business through low emission zones in city centres and higher emission standards for new vehicles.’
 The researchers used air quality data to look for trends that indicated higher than expected levels of health symptoms (compared with the same period in the previous year) at times of poor air quality by collecting and analysing daily health-related data from sources including GP surgeries, emergency departments and a medical advice telephone service run by the National Health Service.
 This study focused on data for respiratory symptoms affected by air pollution, including breathlessness, wheeze and severe asthma.
 For the seven days spanning the first period of poor air quality, the researchers estimated that there were approximately 1 200 more consultations than would normally be expected for wheeze or breathlessness. For the seven days spanning the second period, around 2 300 more consultations for these conditions than expected were estimated.
 For severe asthma, an estimated excess of 100 cases was recorded for the first event compared with the same period in the previous year, and 400 for the second event. The study’s authors note that during the second period, there was a higher level of media interest in air quality. This may have triggered more people to seek help and explain some of the difference between the two periods.
 They conclude that the majority of the observed health effects are most likely due to the   elevated levels of particulate matter, since no other air quality indicator rose above ’moderate’ levels. They do not comment on or estimate the number of people who may also have been affected by the symptoms but did not seek healthcare advice.
 For more information on how Air Quality Standards will impact your organisation, join us on one of our training courses such as the NEBOSH Environmental Certificate or Pathway to MIEMA course for those how already hold AIEMA status and are looking to take the next step in their career, email advice@crsrisk.com for more information.

Source: Smith, G. E., Bawa, Z., Macklin, Y. et al. (2015). Using real-time syndromic surveillance systems to help explore the acute impact of the air pollution incident of March / April 2014 in England. Environmental Research 136: 500–504. DOI:10.1016/j.envres.2014.09.028.

Are you our Candidate of the Year 2015 – NEBOSH Environmental Certificate?

All the results have now been received for  our NEBOSH Certificate in Environmental Management Courses held in 2014, and our team are now checking and double checking the results to identify our winner of our prestigious annual Candidate of the Year 2015 award.
The Award is given to the candidate who has achieved the highest marks on the course for both written and practical papers. CRS will be announcing the winner this Friday 6^th March. Could it be you?
The award will be presented to the winner on Friday 10^th April 2015 at Sahara Force India F1 HQ, Silverstone.
CRS will be presenting their first seminar of 2015 ‘The next step in your career – Full Membership to IEMA/Chartered Environmentalist’ on this day. With salaries of around £50K being achieved with these qualifications should you be considering this career move? If you would like to come and find out more then please contact Ros Stacey – rs@crsrisk.com or 01283 509175 to get on the guest list, places are limited. Course discounts and a FREE ‘goody bag’ courtesy of Sahara Force India F1 for all attendees.

More ‘green’ funding announced

Businesses looking to become more environmentally friendly by investing in new premises or equipment can apply for funding help from the ‘Green Bridge Supply Chain Programme.’
A final round of funding has been announced and firms have until 12 March to apply.
Grant support of up to £500,000 is available to help firms develop new markets and products, develop skills and purchase capital equipment. Funded projects must be ready to proceed and be completed within two months of the funding being agreed.
For more information about Green Bridge funding please see www.birmingham.gov.uk/rgfgreenbridge

Just a reminder CRS are holding an Environmental Legislation Update seminar on Friday 10^th April at Sahara Force India F1 Silverstone, It’s a free event, but numbers are limited please contact Ros Stacey rs@crsrisk.com

Liverpool NHS Trust fined £10K over deadly asbestos fibres

A Liverpool NHS Trust has been fined £10,000 after it emerged its workers may have been exposed to potentially-deadly asbestos fibres. The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after the fibres were discovered in the basement of its offices at Derwent House on London Road in January 2013.
Liverpool Magistrates’ Court heard that the organisation had failed to act on a survey carried out in 2006 which identified that an area of the basement may contain asbestos, and recommended that its condition should be properly assessed.
A HSE investigation found that workers had regularly been visiting the basement to access patient records. The risk to them came to light on 9 January 2013 when the NHS Trust’s health and safety manager noticed that the doors to an out-of-use goods lift in the basement were damaged. The lift doors contained asbestos, which meant there was a risk of exposure to those accessing the basement. A subsequent survey found that asbestos fibres were present in several different areas of the basement.
The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust, of Prescot Street in Liverpool, was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £696 in prosecution costs after pleading guilty to two breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 on 26 February 2015.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Imran Siddiqui said: “Around 4,000 people die every year as a result of breathing in asbestos fibres, making it the biggest single cause of work-related deaths in the UK. It’s therefore vital that organisations take the risks from asbestos seriously. The Trust, in line with the 2006 survey, should have assumed asbestos was present in an area of the basement and taken appropriate action to make it safe for people working there. Instead, workers were allowed to regularly visit the basement to access patient files increasing the risk of exposure to the potentially-deadly fibres.”
CRS says “Asbestos was extensively used as a building material in the 50s, 60s and 70s but it becomes dangerous if it is broken, sanded or drilled and fibres released. Airborne fibres can become lodged in the lungs or digestive tract and can lead to lung cancer or other diseases, but symptoms may not appear for several decades. We provide awareness training for facilities managers and others who’s work may take them into areas where asbestos may be present, or those who manage contractors working in similar locations. Contact us for more details advice@crsrisk.com”.