A Gas Safe registered engineer from Middlesex has been fined for safety failings after he carried out an unsafe installation.

In a one day trial at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court it was heard how Michael Efthymiou, a self- employed gas engineer, carried out an unsafe installation of a gas combination boiler and flue at a domestic property in Crossfield Road, Clacton-on-Sea.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident found that on 7 February 2015 Michael Efthymiou left the boiler in place with significant failings that left the tenants at risk of exposure to dangerous products of combustion.

Michael Efthymiou, of Nursery Gardens, Enfield, Middlesex was found guilty of breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and Regulation 27(1) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and was fined £2,460.00 and ordered to pay £6722.37 costs.

For further information on Gas Safety visit:

www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/

Two roofing companies and one of their directors have been fined after a worker fell to his death through a skylight.

Cardiff Crown Court heard how 46 year old Lance Davies, a father of seven, died after falling over seven metres through a roof light at industrial premises in the Crumlin area of South Wales.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident which occurred on 15 December 2011 found that the work at height on the roof was not properly planned, managed or monitored. There were inadequate control measures in place to prevent a fall through the roof lights.

SPAN Roofing Contractors Limited, of Sunnyside Road North, Weston Super Mare, North Somerset, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007, and was fined £65,000 and ordered to pay costs of £37,500.

B & T Roofing Solutions Limited, of Arthur Street, Ystrad, Pentre, pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, and was fined a total of £20,000.

Kristian Griffiths, of Arthur Street, Ystrad, Pentre, a director of B & T Roofing Solutions Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by virtue of Section 37 of the Health and Safety at work etc Act 1974, and was given a 160 hours community service order.

B & T Roofing Solutions and Kristian Griffiths were ordered to pay costs of £32,500 between them.

Following the hearing, HSE Principal Inspector Paul Harvey said: “Falls through fragile roof lights and roofs are one of the biggest causes of fatalities and serious injury in the construction industry.  The issue is well known in the construction industry and there is plenty of guidance available.

“The tragic death of Mr Davies could easily have been avoided had the work been planned, managed and monitored effectively and simple and cost effective control measures put in place.”

For further information on working at height visit: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg33.htm

Cardiff-based construction company, Jehu Project Services Ltd, has been sentenced after a worker was seriously injured falling down a lift pit.

The incident happened on 8 July 2015 at a construction site in Pontcanna, Cardiff. Stephen Harrison, a specialist drilling contractor, was employed by Jehu to help refurbish a 73-bed care home when he fell into the basement of a lift pit that was under construction.

Mr Harrison stepped onto the ground floor having been working off a tower scaffold, but stood on a loose concrete block causing him to fall backwards, head-first, into a skip full of rubble on the floor below.

A specialist Fire and Rescue team were nearby and after stabilising Mr Harrison, attached him to the hook of a tower crane and winched him out of the pit, over the site and into the carpark of a housing estate nearby where an ambulance was waiting.

Mr Harrison suffered shattered vertebrae, five broken ribs, a punctured lung and spent 18 days in hospital. He is still recovering and although not paralysed, his injuries were life-changing and he will not return to work.

HSE investigated the incident and found that Jehu had been using a system of lightweight barriers around the edges of the drop, along with bean bags at the bottom of the hole, but these were incompatible with all of the work that needed to be done by the different contractors and had been removed. Following the incident, all of the danger areas were fenced with scaffolding.

Newport Crown Court heard that there were numerous management failings associated with this project, which included a lack of effective site management and supervision, a construction plan that did not properly consider obvious working at height risks and a lack of an effective Temporary Works Management System.

Jehu Project Services Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, Regulation 13(1) and Work at Height Regulations 2005, Regulation 6(3) and was fined £143,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £15,029.30.

HSE Inspector Liam Osborne, who brought the case, said: “Jehu had been given many warnings in the past by HSE about the lack of effective planning, managing and monitoring on their construction sites, as well as warnings about unsafe working at height. The court heard some really positive steps the company are now taking to put these matters right, including making substantial management changes.

“It is crucial that construction firms properly think through the risks involved before starting work, they then need to ensure there is a workable plan to iron-out or manage the resultant dangers.

“There is a clear hierarchy for managing work at height risks, site managers need to prevent it if possible and then provide suitable fixed barriers. Lower-order measures, such as soft-landing systems or the use of harnesses should only be selected as a last resort and if it is safe and appropriate to do so”.

For further information on working at height safely, go to www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/index.htm

With the temperatures set to soar to over 30c in parts of the UK this week the TUC is today calling on employers to make sure their staff working outdoors are properly protected from the sun and the heat.

A new report Cool it published by the TUC today says that staff working outside in high temperatures are at risk of sunstroke, sunburn and even skin cancer.

Working in hot weather can also lead to dehydration, tiredness, muscle cramps, rashes, fainting, and – in the most severe cases – loss of consciousness.

The TUC suggests bosses introduce the following measures to protect their staff who work outdoors when the temperatures rise:

• Allow staff to take frequent breaks and provide a supply of drinking water.
• Review working times so that outside work is done in the morning and afternoon, rather than between 11am-3pm when temperatures are highest.
• Provide canopies or covering over open areas such as building sites, and provide shaded areas for breaks.
• Ensure that outdoor workers are supplied with sunscreen and are given advice on the need to protect themselves from the heat and sun.
• Provide lightweight brimmed hats for all outdoor workers and make sure that any protective clothing is lightweight, long-sleeved and comfortable, but dense enough to prevent UV rays from getting through.
• Provide information on avoiding exposure to harmful UV radiation, ensuring that advice is available in other languages for migrant workers.

The TUC report finds that heat can also be a problem for workers whose job involves driving. This is dangerous as any driver suffering from fatigue is a major risk to both themselves and other people. Employers should provide cars, vans or lorries with air conditioning, or, if a driver is likely to be stuck in traffic for any length of time, make sure they are not driving in very hot weather.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Working outdoors in sweltering conditions can be unbearable and dangerous and bosses must ensure their staff are protected as much as possible, with regular breaks, lots of fluids, plenty of sunscreen and the right protective clothing.”

Two security companies have been fined after a security guard died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Javaid Iqbal, a 29 year old father of three, was employed by London based KK Security Services Ltd as a security guard on a construction site in Leigh, Wigan.

KK Security were sub contracted by Veritas Security (Southern) Ltd, a Southampton based company, despite it being written into the contract from the client that no sub-contracting would take place.

Liverpool Magistrates’ Court heard that during the early hours of 6^th December 2014, the site’s generator failed in sub-zero temperatures and in an attempt to keep warm Mr Iqbal lit some barbecue coals in a wheelbarrow which he placed in a 20 foot steel container used as the site office.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Mr Iqbal was found dead by police a few hours later having died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

The court also heard that Mr Iqbal had made a number of attempts to re-start the site generator and had sought assistance from both his employers but neither had provided any meaningful assistance to him.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that KK Securities Limited failed to provide a management system to protect the welfare and safety of their employees, particularly lone workers.

No real provision had been made by the company for emergency support, the only option open to Mr Iqbal being to ring his employer who was hundreds of miles away and could offer no practical assistance.

The investigation also found Veritas Security (Southern) Limited failed to put proper arrangements in place with the site occupier for emergency situations outside office hours, such as a loss of power or heating.

HSE Principal inspector Neil Jamieson said after the hearing: “Mr Iqbal should have been required to ring and speak to his company every hour or have some form of panic button.

His calls were not being monitored.  Instead of this he was simply required to text in every hour stating that all was well.

“This tragic death could have been so easily avoided had either KK Securities Limited or Veritas Security (Southern) Limited made adequate arrangement to regularly check on  Mr Iqbal’s welfare during the quiet hours. Instead, it appears he was left to fend for himself ”.

KK Security Services Ltd, of One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London, pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £8,000 with £ 4,854 costs.

Veritas Security (Southern) Ltd, of St Anne Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £8,000  with £ 6,220  costs.

Both parties were also required to pay an additional £120 victims surcharge.

A school in Brentwood has pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations after a worker was injured as he fell from a roof.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard how in January 2014 a maintenance team at the school was working to replace components on a bay window of a residential flat within the school grounds. A 63-year-old employee was working on the roof of the bay window when his foot got caught and he fell approximately 2.6metres to the ground below. He was taken to hospital and was found to have suffered injuries including a broken collarbone and chipped vertebrae.

An investigation by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident found that there were no effective guardrails or any other means of protection to prevent workers from falling from the roof. There were no supervisory arrangements and the work was not carried out in a safe manner.

Brentwood School Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Brentwood, Essex, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay £1,477 in costs.

For further information on working at height: www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/index.htm

J G Hale Construction Ltd based in South Wales has been fined £100,000 for running an unsafe timber-frame construction site.

Cwmbran Magistrates’ Court heard that HSE launched an investigation on 27 July after making an unannounced visit to inspect Hale’s site in the centre of Blaenavon.

Fifty-four timber-frame houses were under construction, which carry a serious fire risk if not planned or managed properly, as the structures are made from wood. If a fire starts, the speed and intensity of fire spread can be extreme – putting workers and even members of the public at risk of harm.

HSE found that measures to prevent a fire starting and getting out of control had not been properly taken. All the houses were under construction at broadly the same stage with little fire protection, a lack of site management control, insufficient means to detect a fire and raise the alarm, poor control of ignition sources and a general lack of emergency planning. Workers were also at risk of being struck or crushed by construction vehicles on site.

Improvement Notices were served regarding fire and vehicle safety issues and these were complied with after two further inspection visits.

J G Hale Construction Limited, of Milland Road, Neath, South Wales, who also manufacture timber frames for the construction industry, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 27 and 29 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, and was fined £40,000 and £60,000 respectively. They were ordered to pay full prosecution costs of £4633.76 and a statutory surcharge of £120.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Liam Osborne said: “Hale Construction had been given plenty of warnings about fire-safety and traffic risks in the recent past, including from HSE.

“Timber-frame houses are perfectly safe once they’re finished and protected, but when under construction they can be very dangerous. Stringent fire-safety standards need to be in place well before the build starts, and then maintained and monitored”.