Major construction firm fined for safety failings

A construction company has been fined after a worker was injured by sound bloc boards (similar to plaster board) weighing a total of 544 kilograms that fell from a crane. 

Balfour Beatty Regional Construction Limited was the principal contractor in a construction project to build three blocks of flats in Branksome, Poole, Dorset. 

Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court heard how on 6 May 2014, a load of 15 sound bloc boards were being lifted by a crane from the fourth floor at the rear of the building under construction to the second lift loading bay at the front of the building. 

As the load descended into the loading bay it snagged on a scaffolding standard which caused the load to fall out of the two retaining slings. A worker was struck by a number of the boards as he stood on the loading bay. He was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken leg and fractured ribs.

NEBOSH Combined National General/Construction Certificate

ISO 14001:2015 changes September 2015

Corporate Risk Systems ran a FREE Conversion Workshop Seminar on Friday 4^th September at Sahara Force India F1 HQ at which Richard Ball – Head of Environment at CRS gave an excellent presentation on the changes to ISO 14001:2015 which comes into effect next week.
Some of the topics Richard covered were:

• An overview of the new high level structure
• Context and Stakeholder review
• Leadership & Policy
• Planning – business risk and opportunities
• Support and operation
• Performance Evaluation

The event was well attended by representatives from  a variety of sectors including - Waste Management, Nuclear Energy, Social  Housing Associations, Universities and Further education departments, Manufacturing, Construction, Food industry, Police, and Ministry of Defence.
The seminar was designed to give all the attendees help, information and the knowledge to now take a look at the new standards and see how they will need to make changes to not only their organisations but to their supply chain and their clients and customers now known as the  ‘Value Chain’
If you missed the event it is being repeated on Friday 2^nd October at Sahara Force India F1, Silverstone, just a few places left.

If you would like to attend please contact Ros Stacey – rs@crsrisk.com for more information or to get on to the guest list.

Congratulations Peter McGinty you are our Delegate of the Month – September

Well done to Peter McGinty  who has been picked as our Delegate of the Month - September. Peter is currently employed as a Facilities Manager for Perfect Home Stores and attended our NEBOSH National General Certificate course held at our Colchester venue. Kevin heard about our Health Safety & Environmental Training courses from Mr Wayne Mundy, Wayne is an Account Manager for Henderson Insurance Brokers who are now proud owners of CRS since the merger in June 2014. When we asked Peter what he liked about the course he said “ The course is very informative and makes you think more about Health & Safety, I really enjoyed the break-out and group sessions
Peter is married and  has six children ranging in ages from 2 years to 17 years which certainly keeps Peter busy when not at work, but he does try to find time for two of his hobbies boxing and going to the gym.
Peter now joins eight other delegates of the month for the annual prize draw for a £50 M&S voucher which will be drawn at the beginning of December. If you would like to be our next ‘Delegate of the Month’ please ask your tutor for the nomination form when you attend your course.

Food manufacturing company and director sentenced

A multi million pound turnover food manufacturer and one of its directors have been fined after a worker was crushed by a forklift truck at its Warwickshire factory.
Leamington Crown Court heard that agency worker Jamie Barsby was lucky to be alive after the incident at The Sandwich Factory Holdings Ltd on the Carlyon Road Industrial Estate in Atherstone on 29 July 2012.
He was thrown from the forks of a forklift truck and crushed between the forklift and the back of an articulated lorry as he was being lifted into the back of the lorry to reorganise pallets of sandwiches. The 26-year-old, from Atherstone, broke a number of vertebrae, fractured his pelvis and suffered blood blisters all over his body.
The Judge found that director Paul Nicholson had failed to ensure safety management systems were in place at the factory. The court heard that had such systems been in place, the unsafe practice would not have occurred and existed for a prolonged period of time.
The Sandwich Factory Holdings Ltd, of Helsinki Road, Sutton Fields Industrial Estate, Kingston upon Hull, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was fined a total of £60,000 and ordered to pay costs of £57,790.
Director Paul Nicholson, aged 55, of Balnain, Drumndrochit, Inverness, pleaded guilty to two breaches of Section 37(1) of the same Act. He was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay costs of £50,513.
NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety

Oil plant operator sentenced over safety failure

The operators of the Grangemouth Oil Refinery were sentenced on 13^th August for safety failings relating to an incident in which a worker was injured at the plant.
In October 2012, a Petroineos employee was carrying out a cleaning operation on a vent pipe and while opening a vent valve on a walkway 25 meters above ground, was sprayed in the face by low pressure steam.
Despite wearing regulation Personal Protective Equipment including a hard hat and safety glasses the worker was left injured and disorientated, and as he was working so high up, in danger of possibly falling from the platform, though there was handrails attached to the platform.
Such was the victim’s disorientation, colleagues who had come to the injured man’s aid had to physically restrain him until a crane rescue was initiated to get the injured man off the platform.
The man required an overnight stay in hospital and follow-up treatment for six weeks, suffered initial blurred vision, and has been left with a small scar on his forehead.
Falkirk Sheriff Court heard the subsequent Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation revealed a failing by the accused in the risk assessment process which had not identified the potential hazard of the discharge of steam directly towards an operator.
The court was told simple steps could have been taken to eliminate the hazard such as fitting a short pipe extension to ensure any steam was discharged safely away from the operator.
Independent crude oil refiner, Petroineos Manufacturing Scotland Ltd of Grangemouth Oil Refinery, Bo’ness Road, Grangemouth (previously known as Ineos Manufacturing Scotland Limited), pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 12(1) of The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, and Section 33(1)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £24,000.
NEBOSH Combined General/Construction Course in Occupational Health & Safety

Timber manufacturer fined after employee suffers severe hand injuries

A timber gate manufacturer in Daventry has been fined after a young employee lost two fingers on his left hand while working on machinery.
The 27-year-old employee of Main Line Timber Limited was pulled into the rotating blade of an inadequately guarded circular saw which was not fitted with a riving knife or ‘take off’ table when the incident happened on 25 July 2014.
Northampton Magistrates’ Court heard today (11 Aug) that the employee had been working on the saw alone and was both feeding and removing large pieces of timber from the saw when a piece of wood snagged and pulled his left hand into the blade.
The employee’s left hand was severely injured, and his little finger and ring finger were subsequently amputated.  
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company had failed to ensure that required safety features were installed on the machine and to maintain the condition of the top guard on the saw. In addition to these failings, the employee did not received adequate training for use of the saw and there was an unsafe system of work in place.
Main Line Timber Limited of Old Station Yard, Woodford Halse, Daventry, was fined £10,000 with costs of £1000 after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
After the hearing, HSE Inspector Jenna McDade, said: “Had the company taken suitable measures to ensure workers did not come into contact with the rotating blade, had the saw been properly guarded and fitted with relevant safety features and had employees been provided with adequate training, this young man would not have lost two of his fingers.”

Firm fined for worker’s death at paper mill

A company has been fined following the death of a worker who became trapped in unguarded machinery at a Devon paper mill.
John Stoddart, 42, who lived in Cullompton, was attempting to smooth out felt on a conveyor at the Higher Kings Mill in the town when he was pulled into the machinery causing fatal injuries on 24 September 2011.
The incident was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) which prosecuted Mr Stoddart’s employer, DS Smith Paper Ltd, at Exeter Crown Court today.
The court heard that Mr Stoddart, who was the company’s operations manager, was trying to identify a problem that was causing creases in the large rolls of industrial paper being produced.
Following the practice of some other workers in the factory when similar situations occurred, he climbed onto a work platform to check if the creases were caused by problems on a large, moving felt belt, used to squeeze water out of the pulp mixture.
Although no-one saw what exactly happened to Mr Stoddart, it is likely he was dragged onto the felt belt which then ripped and he fell into the machinery below, causing fatal crush injuries. He was pronounced dead at Royal Devon and Exeter hospital having been taken there by an ambulance.
HSE’s investigation found the company had failed to place any guard around the belt and did not have a suitable risk assessment for work which needed to be carried out to find the cause of creases and for working on the gantry.
DS Smith Paper Ltd, of Euston Road, London, pleaded guilty to a breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and was fined a total of £400,000 and ordered to pay £34,761.67 in costs.
HSE Inspector, Simon Jones, speaking after the hearing, said:
“DS Smith’s failure to guard a dangerous piece of moving machinery tragically cost Mr Stoddart his life and has left his family without a husband, father and brother.
“Potentially dangerous machinery should always be guarded and turned-off when workers need access to repair faults.
“A proper risk assessment would have highlighted these dangers and established safe practices for staff instead of putting their lives at risk.”
Further information about guarding machinery can be found on the HSE website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/fee-for-intervention/basic-safety-mistakes/guards.htm