Search Results for: health

Irwin Mitchell planning team to advise on £180 million mixed use scheme in Lewes

North Street Quarter development

Work to develop a 15- acre brownfield site in Lewes, East Sussex is to begin following the completion of final legal requirements. Planning for the North Street Quarter development was approved in December 2015 by the South Downs National Park’s planning committee. Permission was granted in May 2016 and the judicial review period has just concluded. The way is now …

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Construction company fined after service riser shaft fall

Construction boss jailed

A construction company in Gateshead has been fined after a worker suffered injury when he fell down a service riser shaft. Newcastle upon Tyne Magistrates’ Court heard how Meldrum Construction Services Limited (MCS) was the principal contractor for refurbishment work at premises in Percy Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne. MCS failed to plan for the requirement for temporary platforms to be …

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Construction worker crushed by excavator on school demolition site

Construction boss jailed

A construction company has been sentenced after a worker suffered crush injuries when he was hit and then run over by an excavator. Complete Demolition Ltd had been contracted to demolish a school on the site at Stanney Lane, Ellesmere Port to make way for a new leisure centre when the incident occurred. The firm was prosecuted by The Health …

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Conference launched to tackle dangers of work at height

The Access Industry Forum

The Access Industry Forum (AIF), the forum for nine of the leading trade associations and federations involved in work at height, has announced details of its first national, one-day conference. Supported by the Association for Project Safety (APS), Hire Association Europe (HAE) and the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM), Implementing change and innovation in work at height …

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Construction deaths rise

Construction deaths rise

Provisional annual data for work-related fatal accidents in Great Britain’s workplaces has shown a rise in deaths among construction workers. Forty three construction workers were killed while at work in 2015/2016 – up from 35 in 2014/5. The construction industry has the highest death rate of all industries. HSE figures show 144 people were killed accross all industries in 2015/2016 …

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Timber company fine a warning to other construction companies, says HSE

Construction boss jailed

A Somerset based Timber company has been sentenced for safety failings relating to a construction project which an HSE inspector has said should act as a warning to other construction firms. Oxford Magistrates’ Court heard how The Timber Frame Company (TFC) was contracted to work at Tracey Farm, a country retreat. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) served a Prohibition …

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Worker killed after falling through unprotected skylight

Construction boss jailed

Two companies based in Northamptonshire have been fined after a worker died following a fall through a roof. Northampton Crown Court heard how an employee of A-Lift Crane Hire Limited, who had been hired by Premier Roofing Systems Limited to provide them with a crane to lift roofing sheets onto a factory roof at Virani Foods Limited in Wellingborough. Whilst …

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Suspended prison sentence for Manchester gas worker

Construction boss jailed

A man who fitted central heating boilers at two houses in Greater Manchester has received a suspended prison sentence, after he admitted he did not have the required safety registration to do the work. Christopher Dignam, trading at Blue Flame Plumbing and Heating Services, has never been on the Gas Safe Register, the body which ensures those who carry out …

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Young entrepreneur designs kneepad to reduce osteoarthritis

Recoil Kneepads

A young entrepreneur from Glasgow has redesigned the traditional kneepad to launch a product aimed at tradespeople which reduces pressure on the knee by 76%. Vicky Hamilton, 25, a product design engineering graduate from the University of Strathclyde, originally developed Recoil Kneepads as part of her final year project. She was inspired to help her dad, Gordon Hamilton, 48 who …

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Stonemasonry firm fined after apprentice injured by power line

Construction deaths rise

A stonemasonry company in Perth has been fined after an apprentice stonemason was seriously injured from contact with an overhead power line. Perth Sheriff Court heard how 20 year old apprentice Rodd McFarlane was working for T& M Stonemasonry, carrying out repairs at Waulkmill Cottage in Perth. During this work, McFarlane erected a tower scaffold to carry out some re-pointing …

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BT Fined £500,000 After Fragile Roof Fall

Construction deaths rise

British Telecom plc (BT) has been fined £500,000 after an engineer fell seven metres from a loft in London, breaking his back and his ankles. The Old Bailey heard how a BT engineer, David Spurgeon, was fixing a telephone fault in the roof void of a residential block of flats in Tower Hamlets, East London. Mr Spurgeon was working alone …

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Gas engineer sentenced for putting tenants at risk

Construction deaths rise

A gas engineer has been sentenced to 120 hours of community service for putting tenants at risk in rented homes in Chelmsford. Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard that James Wilkinson was Gas Safe- registered for some types of gas appliances, but had been carrying out work for which he was not competent. Wilkinson was contracted to work on gas warm air …

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Contractor fined for safety failings

Construction deaths rise

A company based in Cardiff has been fined for safety failings during a property development which included breaching the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. Pontypridd Magistrates’ Court heard Ziman Trading Limited, formerly Ziman Investments Limited (Ziman), was acting as the principal contractor at the property development of the former New York Hotel, York Street, Porth. An investigation by the …

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Roofer fined after passer-by reports unsafe work

Construction deaths rise

A Bracknell based roofer has been fined for safety failings after a complaint was made to the HSE regarding unsafe roof work. No-one was injured in the incident at Sabine Gates, Old Bracknell Lane, Bracknell on 27 August 2014, however members of the public were endangered by the potential for falling objects. Reading Magistrates’ Court heard that Terry Colwell trading …

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Further fall in construction inspections

Construction deaths rise

The number of unannounced construction inspections being undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive continued to drop last year according to construction union UCATT. In 2015/16 there was a total of 9,219 inspections compared to 9,656 in 2014/15, a decrease of 4%. The number of construction inspections has been declining steadily in recent years with figures revealing that in three …

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No excuses for being overweight

vehicle loading

With figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) revealing that almost nine in 10 (88.5%) of the 2,381 vans it weighed last year were overloaded, Venson Automotive Solutions is urging van owners to ensure their vehicles are safe and legally road compliant. Van operators need to take into consideration how their vehicles are used, including the working environment …

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Darlington man jailed for illegal gas work

Construction deaths rise

A Darlington man has been jailed for carrying out illegal gas work on three occasions. Teeside Magistrates’ Court heard Neil Simon McKimm (trading as Macs Plumbing Services) carried out gas work including servicing boilers. McKimm used the alias of a legitimate gas engineer to deceive his customers. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Neil McKimm …

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