A woman working for McVities United Biscuits lost two fingers in an accident last month. She was attempting to clear a blockage in an industrial sized mixer that’s used to combine ingredients for their flapjack mix.

The Health and Safety Executive has launched an investigation into this tragic accident and McVities has been fined £10,000. The identity of the woman involved has still not been released.

During the investigation, HSE discovered that the female employee had to climb a two metre step ladder in order to reach the flapjack machine and empty its contents. Though the industrial sized mixer had stopped, the blades inside were still rotating when she reached in. This explains how her fingers were severed even though the machine had been turned off.

The company has pleaded guilty of breaching section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. In addition to the £10,000 fine, McVities must also pay £2,889 in costs. The case was heard by Halifax Magistrates Court.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Rachel Brittain was quoted as saying:

“An incident like this should not happen in any company, but taking place in such a large scale food manufacturer such as this is absolutely unacceptable.

“Preventing access to moving parts and fitting guards is an elementary and essential precautionary measure and inexpensive. By not putting these measures in place United Biscuits failed to fulfill its duty of care to its employees.”

The death of a worker at a Lancaster Gate construction site is still under investigation by authorities. The man, whose identity has still not been released by authorities, was taking a cigarette break when a section of scaffolding fell on him.

Authorities say that a pole from overhead scaffolding struck the man in the head killing him instantly. The deceased worker was employed by a dry-lining subcontractor. The incident occurred on Friday, August 6, 2010.

Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive along with Metropolitan police are investigating the incident to see if there was any negligence on the part of the construction company or the property owners.

The Lancaster Hotel is reportedly being converted into apartments. Construction has been underway for some months.

The British Safety Council has launched a campaign called ‘Speak Up, Stay Safe’, which aims to encourage younger people to look after their own health and safety in the workplace.

The campaign hopes to give younger workers the confidence to talk to their superiors at work if they are ever put in a situation they feel uncomfortable in.  A lot of the time workers in a junior position will feel they have to say yes to every demand to either fit in with their colleagues or for fear of losing their job – even if the request compromises their safety.

This is where a lot of accidents occur and Speak Up, Stay Safe wants to highlight to young people that they shouldn’t ever be put in a position where they can’t say no. British Safety Council chief executive Julie Nerney says: “Every 40 minutes in the UK a young person is seriously injured in the workplace. We think this position is wholly unacceptable. By highlighting to young people that they need to be aware of their environment and speak up if they feel unsafe we hope to significantly reduce this number.”

The sentiment is also echoed by the head of policy and public affairs for the British Safety Council, Neal Stone: “In 2009, 3,200 young people between the ages of 16-19 were seriously injured while in work. In the past 10 years, 66 young workers have been killed in the workplace. These numbers show how important this campaign is, not just for young workers but to those around them – their parents, family members, friends and teachers.”

To find out more about the campaign, you can visit its website at: http://www.speakupstaysafe.com/

Aston Villa FC have been fined £1,350 and ordered to pay costs of £1,610 after admitting breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act, resulting in a contracted worker being injured.

The 34-year-old contractor, who was helping with the demolition of a building at the club’s training ground at Bodymoor Heath, was off work for more than six months after breaking bones in his heel during a fall through a fragile rooflight. The unnamed worker, working for Mechanical Cleansing Services Ltd., fell more than three metres through the roof of the building when attempting to drain fuel tanks positioned there.

Aston Villa FC and Mechanical Cleansing Services Ltd. had been adjudged to have failed to inform workers about the dangers present when working at height.  Both parties, including Managing Director of Mechanical Cleansing Services Ltd., Damon Roe, were all fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £1,610 in costs.

Mr. Roe decided to use a ladder by the front of the building to grant access to the roof after discovering an internal ladder was out of use. However, both he and Aston Villa FC failed to inform workers of the dangers of working at height, particularly in how to avoid the dangers of falling through the rooflights, breaching aspects of both the Health and Safety at Work Act and Work at Height Regulations.

Carol Southerd, HSE inspector said:

“Work at height can be very dangerous if not properly planned and although the victim’s injuries were severe, they could have been much worse.

“If the internal ladder had been used, then this incident would not have happened. A simple conversation with the club was all it would have taken to arrange for the blocked ladder to be cleared.

“When working at height all workers must have adequate instruction, training and equipment. It is vital that risks are adequately assessed and managed before employees undertake tasks in hazardous locations. There was clear failure to warn the victim or his colleague of the dangerous condition of the roof or to provide safe access to the tank.”

The Safety & Health Expo 2010 took place on 11 May at the NEC in Birmingham with the overriding message being not to comply with health and safety measures because it ties in with legislation, but to do it because it’s beneficial and the right thing to do by your employees.

Those are the sentiments of HSE board member Judith Donovan CBE who opened the expo, and that call has been echoed across the United Kingdom – especially by us at Heightsafe Systems. The UK currently has the most impressive record throughout the European Union in regard workplace fatality numbers, but Judith believes it still isn’t good enough and a lot of hard work has to be done to reduce workplace accidents further still.

Citing the Health and Safety At Work Act – currently celebrating its 35^th anniversary – she commented: “Our primary legislation is based on the premise that those who create the risk are best placed to manage it. It’s your workplace, your employees, therefore your solutions.”

We share Judith’s passion to ensure that workers are safe through a strict health and safety culture, and heavily stress that it should be the directive of the company in question to affix measures for worker protection as opposed to implementing fall protection for the sake of it.

If your employees need constant access to the roof, utilise the benefits of guardrails. If they are regularly harnessed to the side of the building, invest in safety line retesting and make sure your eyebolts haven’t been weathered too badly. Even problems you haven’t given much thought to such as gutter maintenance can be solved efficiently and economically.

Your passion for your business should go hand-in-hand with your commitment to your employees, as expertly highlighted by Judith Donovan. Contact us at Heightsafe Systems for more information about how to make your business safer for you and your workforce.

A technician fell through the roof of a water pumping station in Cambridge, resulting in a fractured vertebra, and as a result a water services company and its sub contractor have been duly fined.

The technician fell through an unmarked fragile roof light, whilst recording data from a rain gauge on the top of a pumping station and suffered a debilitating fracture, with ongoing employment implications.  His employer admitted breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company failed to ensure the health and safety of those working near unmarked fragile skylights, where skylight protection or personal protective equipment could so easily have been provided

An occurrence which is frequently in the news is that the company concerned failed to adequately identify the risks associated with working near the unmarked fragile skylights and as a result suffered a significant financial penalty, enhanced by an admittance of breach of Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work act, in relation to a separate working at height issue.

A HSE Inspector stated “Incidents such as this particular fall are entirely avoidable. Falling from height is one of the most obvious and well-known dangers for those working on roofs, and at all times fall prevention systems should be installed, annually re-tested, and used by all personnel working on the roof”

Unfortunately, employers and Property owners don’t appear to be listening.  This is not an isolated event, over 4,000 British employees suffered serious injuries after falling from height in 2008/09. Employers need to plan ahead and assess potential risks before carrying out any work at height.  Heightsafe Systems provide personal  and collective fall arrest solutions for working at height.

The HSE runs a high-profile Shattered Lives campaign about slips, trips and falls in the workplace and employers can find out more by visiting the website at www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives

The Heath & Safety Executive have warned that all Working at Height safety equipment should be re-tested regardless of it’s inspection due date. The recent heavy snow and adverse weather has caused some safety systems to fail, do to the excess loads placed upon then during this time.

For more information on what needs to be done please visit this page >> Important Information.