http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/b50e9d56425907809945acb3f76cc605/home.htmlHealthandSafetyProfessional.co.ukThu, 17 Jul 2008 13:54:00 +0100All contenthttp://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/e70c10292ef08183cf6a5d61dc027bd4/council-fined-after-worker-electrocuted.htmlDacorum Borough Council has been fined over the death of an employee who was electrocuted when he mistook In November 2006, 29-year-old Ben Richardson, who worked in Dacorum council's housing repair team, was called to a house in Hemel Hempstead to help council plumbers mend a burst water main.He clamped what he ...http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/e70c10292ef08183cf6a5d61dc027bd4/council-fined-after-worker-electrocuted.htmlFri, 18 Jul 2008 09:06:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/33468e826a45cbcced14801003dee887/chemicals-firm-fined-for-dust-explosion.htmlChemical manufacturer Warwick International has been fined following an explosion at its factory in Flintshire.The explosion in April 2006 led to a fire that spread rapidly through the building. It took firefighters several hours to bring it under control.An HSE investigation showed the incident had started with a dust explosion in the factory's granulation plant.Inspectors discovered that the factory's risk assessment were not up to date and measures to prevent ...http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/33468e826a45cbcced14801003dee887/chemicals-firm-fined-for-dust-explosion.htmlThu, 17 Jul 2008 11:21:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/370726270be348787739ffb1bb340496/overturned-crane-costs-hire-firm-16000.htmlA crane hire firm that failed to properly plan work and assess ground conditions has been fined after a crane overturned.The incident happened in March 2007 at Upton, Wirral, where a 60-tonne mobile crane supplied by Cheshire Crane Hire overturned while trying to lift a 23m-long steel chimney stack.Nobody was injured, but the cab of the crane crushed an electricity substation and a local brook was contaminated by leakages from ...http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/370726270be348787739ffb1bb340496/overturned-crane-costs-hire-firm-16000.htmlThu, 17 Jul 2008 12:51:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/2e228a7ba4278a7ca332db52af75253c/location-location-location---the-hse-moves-northwest.htmlOver the next two years, the HSE is set to relocate to a single headquarters in Bootle on Merseyside. Health and Safety Bulletin editor Howard Fidderman reports on concerns that the closure of the HSE's London HQ will hamper the ability of the regulator to do its job.http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/2e228a7ba4278a7ca332db52af75253c/location-location-location---the-hse-moves-northwest.htmlThu, 17 Jul 2008 17:22:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/6c1f8f9409fe06c8aa8dedac6687b439/employers-warned-over-harsher-penalties-for-dangerous-driving.htmlThe Sentencing Guidelines Council has recommended harsher penalties for drivers convicted of causing death by dangerous or careless driving.Coming just months after legal experts warned work-related driving deaths could offer up the first corporate manslaughter prosecutions, the new guidelines provide further impetus for employers to focus on the safety of staff who drive for work.Under the new sentencing guidelines - which judges are obliged to follow - drivers who cause ...http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/6c1f8f9409fe06c8aa8dedac6687b439/employers-warned-over-harsher-penalties-for-dangerous-driving.htmlThu, 17 Jul 2008 11:47:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/101e6a766ab6246412e8c7850a99dc16/nightclub-failed-to-report-injury.htmlA Bristol nightclub that left a visitor to call an ambulance for himself after he was injured and later failed to report the incident to the council must pay nearly £8500 in fines and costs.Kieran Lynch was at the Syndicate nightclub in February when he was struck on the head by a 11kg confetti cannon, which fell from a height of three metres.A subcontractor had installed the cannons on shelving ...http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/101e6a766ab6246412e8c7850a99dc16/nightclub-failed-to-report-injury.htmlTue, 15 Jul 2008 13:24:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/2a467f42a2ec48773c7eb2d8e24c8e61/new-noise-guide-available.htmlThe HSE has published new guidance on control of noise at work in the music and entertainment industry.The book, which was put together by industry representatives, environmental health officers and the HSE, provides advice for employers, employees and freelancers on how to control or reduce noise exposure.The Noise at Work Regulations have applied to the entertainment sector since April this year.The long-awaited new HSE guide offers practical guidelines on noise ...http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/2a467f42a2ec48773c7eb2d8e24c8e61/new-noise-guide-available.htmlTue, 15 Jul 2008 09:01:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/af9fc62a3aafd19891c3f967786d1729/lords-decide-door-closer-is-work-equipment.htmlThe House of Lords has ruled that a door closer can be classified as work equipment under Regulation 2 of the Provision and Use or Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER).The decision follows an incident in October 2003 involving Peter Spencer-Franks, an employee of Kellogg Brown & Root (a subsidiary of Halliburton) who was working under contract on a North Sea oil platform operated by Talisman Energy (UK).Spencer-Franks had been asked to ...http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/af9fc62a3aafd19891c3f967786d1729/lords-decide-door-closer-is-work-equipment.htmlMon, 14 Jul 2008 10:39:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/a1f539b448e6209ea63edaaeff7019ff/plumber-fell-through-obscured-loft-skylight.htmlA trainee plumber was seriously injured falling three metres from a loft while changing a water tank, City of London Magistrates' Court has heard.Homes for Haringey, which manages local authority housing in the borough and is owned by Haringey Council, was found guilty of beaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act for failing to ensure the safety of employees.In January 2007, the plumber was working with ...http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/a1f539b448e6209ea63edaaeff7019ff/plumber-fell-through-obscured-loft-skylight.htmlFri, 11 Jul 2008 09:40:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/21f8f982bd411fd87764fa6f22938105/jjb-sports-fined-for-locked-fire-escape.htmlSports retailer JJB has been fined for serious fire safety breaches at a branch in North London. London Fire Brigade officers inspecting the JJB store in Friern Bridge Retail Park, N11, in December 2007 discovered fire escapes that were locked or partly blocked by stock, and an empty fire extinguisher.The store had already been served with an enforcement notice in December 2005.JJB Sports admitted six breaches of the Fire Safety ...http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/21f8f982bd411fd87764fa6f22938105/jjb-sports-fined-for-locked-fire-escape.htmlThu, 10 Jul 2008 08:21:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/9727bcb5c9f26cb8a0162247d51128ad/hse-staff-in-industrial-action-over-bootle-move.htmlHSE staff in London have launched industrial action over the planned move to Bootle on Merseyside.Members of the Public and Commercial Services union will work to rule, ban overtime and withdraw goodwill.The union said only 10 out of 300 staff at the HSE's London headquarters have expressed an interest in relocating, whereas the business case for the move had anticipated closer to 130 would be interested.PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka ...http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/9727bcb5c9f26cb8a0162247d51128ad/hse-staff-in-industrial-action-over-bootle-move.htmlThu, 10 Jul 2008 13:53:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/05fd545c0778bc80b66674e3758ce25d/pleural-plaques-consultation-launched.htmlThe Government has launched a consultation on whether people diagnosed with pleural plaques should be offered "no-fault financial support".The consultation follows a Law Lords ruling last October that people diagnosed with pleural plaques should no longer be able to claim compensation under the civil law of negligence.The Law Lords' ruling ended a right to claim damages that was established 20 years ago.Pleural plaques are areas of scarring of ...http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/05fd545c0778bc80b66674e3758ce25d/pleural-plaques-consultation-launched.htmlWed, 09 Jul 2008 14:49:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/313f9507792544ec41d8eda7e452f396/two-split-600000-fine-for-legionnaires-deaths.htmlHP Bulmer and water treatment contractor Nalco have each been fined £300,000 for a Legionella outbreak at the cider maker's Hereford mill in 2003 in which two people died. The outbreak was traced to evaporative cooling towers at Bulmer's 30-hectare site at Plough Lane, Hereford. Later work by the HSE revealed towers nine and 15 had been brought into seasonal service after the apple harvest that year without adequate cleaning. ...http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/313f9507792544ec41d8eda7e452f396/two-split-600000-fine-for-legionnaires-deaths.htmlThu, 10 Jul 2008 09:03:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/55ec92cf3b71577916eeb1605758cb76/the-measurement-maze.htmlThe benefits from a comprehensive measurement of performance within a health and safety management system are huge; it will aid elimination of occupational illness and injuries, verify legal compliance and measure continuous improvement. But there can be pitfalls. IIRSM member David Fellows investigates.http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/55ec92cf3b71577916eeb1605758cb76/the-measurement-maze.htmlWed, 16 Jul 2008 13:02:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/bd33b31cf8176b596984c18a7be7c364/scaffolder-jailed-for-three-months.htmlThe owner of a scaffolding firm has been sentenced to three months' imprisonment after one of his employees fell six metres from scaffolding.The worker had not been trained, even though the HSE had warned Philip Wolstenholme, owner of Rotherham-based A1 Access Scaffolding, about allowing untrained workers to dismantle scaffolding just months earlier.The incident happened in January 2007, when Wolstenholme instructed employees Scott Mitchell and Tony Moore to take down a ...http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/bd33b31cf8176b596984c18a7be7c364/scaffolder-jailed-for-three-months.htmlThu, 10 Jul 2008 14:47:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/c61c0bd3cb0f81d348ac90b3f6a8b100/pressure-relief-tackling-stress.htmlIn the latest of his catch-up articles for NEBOSH National Diploma students, Lawrence Bamber looks at the causes and control of work-related stress in the workplace.http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/c61c0bd3cb0f81d348ac90b3f6a8b100/pressure-relief-tackling-stress.htmlThu, 17 Jul 2008 10:32:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/dbce3d0382a714e71b0308aa7e6442e8/10500-fine-for-paperwork-failures.htmlThe HSE has prosecuted a fireworks company after it failed to produce paperwork relating to the movement of stock.On 1 December 2006, the HSE's Explosives Inspectorate asked Echo 2 to produce documents that would allow it to identify people who might be carrying fireworks by road. The firm failed to produce the required documents so the HSE launched an investigation.Echo 2 imports fireworks from China by ship then transfers them ...http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/dbce3d0382a714e71b0308aa7e6442e8/10500-fine-for-paperwork-failures.htmlThu, 10 Jul 2008 14:48:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/53302a9a06c15e64455388bd1f350a3c/updated-scrapyard-death-firm-ignored-hse-warnings.htmlA scrapyard business that ignored HSE warnings about safety at its sites has been fined £200,000 after a worker was killed by a reversing lorry.Easco (Midlands) was fined on 5 February for failing to ensure the safety of 58-year-old employee Ronald Barnacle. The judge said Barnacle was killed as a result of "systemic failures" at the firm.Barnacle was working as a burner at Easco's site in Longford, Coventry, when the ...http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/53302a9a06c15e64455388bd1f350a3c/updated-scrapyard-death-firm-ignored-hse-warnings.htmlThu, 10 Jul 2008 14:46:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/7ca3c8608ff24f2fde3a351a8fd877a4/interview-with-geoffrey-podger.htmlIn the 18 months since he arrived from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to take up the post of chief executive of the HSE, Geoffrey Podger has supervised some major changes. Here he talks to Louis Wustemann about the HSC/E merger, managing staff cuts, and the health and safety profession's image problem.http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/7ca3c8608ff24f2fde3a351a8fd877a4/interview-with-geoffrey-podger.htmlThu, 10 Jul 2008 14:26:00 +0100http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/a956bfff25c9b29f74203b296203fd15/unexpected-hse-defeat-on-foreseeability.htmlEmployers cannot be charged with negligence for incidents where the employees involved are working outside their remit, following a surprise Court of Appeal ruling.The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is appealing to the House of Lords but if the ruling stands it will mean that health and safety prosecutions will not succeed if they rely on "unforeseeable" issues such as employees disobeying instructions or ignoring warnings.The HSE took the case ...http://www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk/file/a956bfff25c9b29f74203b296203fd15/unexpected-hse-defeat-on-foreseeability.htmlThu, 10 Jul 2008 14:40:00 +0100