Two companies were fined £815,000 after a worker who was a father to be was crushed to death by a refuse collection vehicle. Both of the companies pleaded guilty and were sentenced at crown court, after an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The court heard that on 17 May 2014, during a Read more about Worker crushed by refuse collection vehicle[…]

Falls from height account for almost half of the fatal accidents in the construction sector. Falling from height is a significant risk faced by scaffolders when erecting, altering or dismantling scaffolding during most scaffolding operations. The NASC (National Access & Scaffolding Confederation) and HSE (Health & Safety Awareness) acknowledges that scaffolders have to work in hazardous Read more about New SG4:15 Preventing falls in scaffold operations[…]

What is COSHH? COSHH is a law that is a requirement for employers to control substances that are hazardous to health. To prevent or reduce your employees exposure to hazardous substances you can do this by: Find out what the health hazards are. Deciding how to prevent harm to health (done by risk assessment). Providing Read more about COSHH – The basics[…]

A man from County Durham has been fined for potentially exposing members of the public to asbestos fibres during the refurbishment of a residential property on South Parade, Croft on Tees, County Durham. Darlington Magistrates’ Court heard how the culprit of Staindrop, was converting an integrated garage into a bedroom at the property. While he Read more about Man fined for exposure of asbestos[…]

Issue A Council run library will not let users plug their laptops into electrical outlets because of a risk of tripping or in case of faulty laptop charger plugs. Panel opinion The council and library seem to have got their wires well and truly crossed in this case as both the potential problems appear to Read more about Truth or myth? Laptop charging in library[…]

Asbestos is the name given to a group of naturally occurring minerals used in certain products, such as building materials and vehicle brakes, to resist heat and corrosion. This includes chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite and any of these materials that have been chemically treated and/or altered. Asbestos still kills around 5000 workers each year, this is  Read more about Why is asbestos dangerous?[…]

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 crane hire company, who had been hired by the roofing company to provide them with a crane to lift roofing sheets onto a factory roof at Virani Foods Read more about Fines issued after worker fell through roof[…]

A roofer has been fined for safety failings after a complaint has been made to the HSE (Health & Safety Executive) regarding unsafe roof work. No one was injured by the incident, however  members of the public were endangered by the potential for falling objects. Magistrates court heard that the roofing company had been contracted Read more about Roofer fined for unsafe roof work[…]

Great Britain has a health and safety record we can be proud of which means we are one of the safest countries in the world to work in. But there is still room for improvement. We want to continue to lead the way and establish a 21st-century, world-class occupational health and safety system. That is Read more about HSE Business Plan 2016/17[…]

The owner of a construction firm has recently been sent down for a six year prison sentence for gross negligence manslaughter after a worker was killed and another had been seriously injured at a demolition site. The director of a second company also jailed for eight months. The Builder had been contracted to demolish the Read more about Construction co-director jailed for 6 years[…]