Health & Safety

Muck-Truck review

Muck Truck tip

Roger Bisby tries out the Muck Truck, a pedestrian operated motorised power barrow which is designed to carry three times that of a normal wheelbarrow and will shift loads of up to one quarter of a ton. It is a while now since I tested a Muck-Truck. Last time it was a battery powered machine that surprised me by taking …

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Builder prosecuted for worker’s fall

Construction boss jailed

A builder from Surrey has been prosecuted for the fall of a worker. Redhill Magistrates heard how the worker fell 3.2 m through an opening in a roof onto a concrete floor. He survived the fall but was left with broken ribs, swelling to his brain and nerve damage. An investigation found that he was part of the team building …

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Roofing company in court after member of public photographs unsafe practice

Construction boss jailed

A specialist roofing company and its two directors have been sentenced after admitting working unsafely at height on a hotel development in central Manchester during a major refurbishment and extension works. On the 17 March 2015, a member of public witnessed and photographed unsafe work at a construction site and contacted the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Manchester Magistrates Court …

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Construction companies fined after failing to carry out basement excavation work safely

Construction boss jailed

Two London based construction companies were prosecuted after a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspection identified serious safety breaches on a double basement construction project. Westminster Magistrates Court heard that emergency services had been called to a property at Bathurst Mews, London, where excavation work to form a double basement was being carried out.  They rescued a labourer with a …

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Construction trio to face prosecution for Crossrail death

Construction boss jailed

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has today informed BAM Nuttall Limited, Ferrovial Agroman (UK) Ltd, and Keir Infrastructure and Overseas Ltd that they will be prosecuted in relation to three incidents that took place during the construction of the new Crossrail railway tunnel construction, which runs east to west across London. All three companies will appear at Westminster’s Magistrates …

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Self-employed builder electrocuted at sunbed salon

Construction boss jailed

A real estate lettings company has been sentenced for safety breaches after a self- employed builder suffered 1st and 3rd degree burns to his face, hands, neck and chest. The injured worker, 50 year old Michael Phillips, suffered an electric shock in October 2015 when he was carrying out work for IPH Investments Ltd at an address in Station Parade …

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Construction company fined after worker’s roof fall

Construction boss jailed

A Derbyshire based engineering construction company has been prosecuted after a worker fell and suffered severe injuries. A worker was repairing a fibreboard roof of a barn and using two homemade crawling boards when he fell 6meters on to the floor below, sustaining serious injuries to his head, hip, and lungs. Derby Magistrates Court heard how at the time of …

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Worker dies falling from 30 foot pylon

Construction boss jailed

An international engineering company has been sentenced following the death of a worker who fell 30 feet from an electricity pylon. Vincent John Richards, 49, from Walsall was installing fall arrest lines for painters to use on the pylon at Great Orton, Carlisle on the 5 July 2014 when the incident happened. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the …

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Failure to protect worker from HAVs results in £250,000 fine

Thanet District Council fined £250,000

Thanet District Council has been fined £250,000 after a worker was left with permanent injury after being diagnosed with hard arm vibration (HAV). Canterbury Crown Court heard how a worker from Thanet District Council was diagnosed with suffering from HAV after visiting his GP. Symptoms of the condition can include tingling, pins and needles, numbness and pain in the hands. …

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Can your hands cope in the cold?

gloves for cold weather

So what’s it like to work in the cold with freezing hands? Well, as you may know, it’s not pleasant. Everything you do is that bit harder and it can be extremely dangerous. With cold hands and fingers, you are more likely to fumble with numb fingers, which is not only dangerous to yourself but also to others. Gloves for cold weather The TraffiGlove range …

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Three fined after man loses life in fragile roof fall

Construction boss jailed

A company, its director, and a self-employed contractor have been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), after Terry Lewis (a 65 year old retired mechanic) was fatally injured by falling through a roof light. Warrington Crown Court heard how on 11 June 2013, Terry Lewis was working with his friend, Leigh Bakewell. They were cleaning roof lights on …

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PASMA launches Tower Safety Week 2016

Tower safety week

PASMA, the trade association representing the international mobile access tower industry, has launched Tower Safety Week 2016 which runs from today until Friday 18 November 2016. With a focus on ‘working well with towers’, it’s set to promote height safety, develop industry knowledge and skills, and connect with a wide range of tower using industries – from construction and maintenance …

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Calls for construction work to stop in freezing temperatures

work in freezing temperatures

UCATT is calling on the construction industry to introduce extreme weather health and safety guidelines because the industry is blighted by the inhumanity of the industry towards workers. UCATT is concerned that workers must struggle through zero temperatures, risk their health on icy ground or scaffold, or endure torrential downpours for up to 12 hours at a time while the …

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Window fitter in court after worker dies in ladder fall

Window fitter in court

A Southampton window installation company has been fined after a worker suffered fatal head injuries following a fall from a ladder. Brighton Magistrates Court heard how Mark Taylor, 48, a window fitter from Southampton, was helping in the installation of UPVC windows at a 3 storey house in Brighton on the 10 September 2014. He was working from an unsecured …

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Builder handed suspended prison sentence and community service following unsafe gas work

Construction boss jailed

A builder has been sentenced to 250 hours of community service for putting a home owner at risk following renovations to their house in Cardiff. Cardiff Crown Court heard that Brian James was hired to carry out renovations to a bungalow in Cardiff specifically to install new plumbing and heating, including a boiler. Brian James admitted in court that although …

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Contractors fined after mast strikes power line

Construction boss jailed

Two Norfolk-based companies have been fined after a worker suffered life-changing injuries following an overhead power line strike. Norwich Crown Court heard that L F Papworth Ltd and T. W. Page & Son Ltd had organised drilling work for the purposes of crop irrigation at Felmingham, Norfolk. On 29 April 2014 Jonathan Howes, an employee of T.W. Page & Son …

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Worker seriously injured in mobile platform fall

Construction boss jailed

A Buckinghamshire waste equipment maintenance firm has been fined after a worker suffered serious head injuries when a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) overturned. Geoffrey Hatton, 49, from County Durham, was in the process of dismantling a compactor at a site in Wilmslow, Cheshire when the incident occurred on the 19th January 2015. Minshull Street Crown Court heard that Mr Hatton, …

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Council and Contractors Fined After Man Dies and Another Seriously Injured in Roadworks

Wall collapse

Liverpool City Council and two of its contractors have been prosecuted following two separate incidents involving roadworks on a busy city centre road. One man died and another was seriously injured while attempting to cross Queens Drive in Liverpool during major resurfacing works in the summer of 2012. Enterprise Liverpool Limited and Tarmac Trading Limited were contracted by Liverpool City …

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