Health and safety Archives - Page 2 of 19 - Palmers Solicitors
Palmers Solicitors

Health and safety

Company fined after worker suffers serious injury

Company fined after worker suffers serious injury

A maritime freight and logistics company has been fined after a worker suffered multiple bone fractures to his foot in an incident involving a forklift truck.

Newport Magistrates Court heard how on 5 January 2018 a worker suffered serious injuries when a 15 tonne forklift truck drove over his foot during unloading and stacking of steel coils in a shed.

An investigation conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident, found that there was inadequate control of workplace transport risks.

The company had also failed to conduct a suitable and sufficient assessment of controls for workplace transport.

Simec Ports (UK) Limited was found guilty of breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. They were fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of £8,732.04.

Jeremy Sirrell a Partner at Palmers and Health and Safety expert said: “The failure to ensure that workplace transport is managed safely has led to this avoidable incident.

“If one of your employees is involved in an accident in the workplace it is vital that you seek specialist legal advice at the earliest opportunity.”

For help and advice on all aspects of health and safety law, please contact us today.

 

Construction material company fined after employee suffers life-changing injuries

Construction material company fined after employee suffers life-changing injuries

A company which specialises in construction materials has been fined after an employee suffered life changing injuries including having his left arm amputated.

Loughborough Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 13 August 2017, a 48-year-old employee of Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK Limited was seriously injured when a rock handling belt failed at the company’s plant in Barrow-Upon-Soar, Leicestershire.

Two employees had been clearing rock that had built up around the belt; as the belt had become so compacted it was difficult to remove by hand. Both men went to the isolator end of the belt and removed the local isolation with the guards still removed and pressed the ‘start/stop’ button.

When checking the tail-end of the drum they saw it had not cleared itself of rock. One of the men went to the opposite side of the tail-end drum to remove the rock and the pair no longer had visual contact. His colleague pressed the start/stop button again whilst his colleague’s arm was in close proximity to the rotating drum and his arm was drawn in causing significant injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that no risk assessment or safe system of work had been put in place for clearing rock safely from tail-end drums.

Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974. They were fined £400,000 and ordered to pay costs of £12,945.

Jeremy Sirrell, a Partner at Palmers and Health and Safety expert said: “This case highlights the importance of having sufficient risk assessment procedures in place. If you are concerned about your businesses’ safety procedures then it is important that you seek specialist advice at the earliest convenience”.

For help and advice on all aspects of health and safety law including putting in place strategies to protect your workforce, please contact us today.

Construction company fined after worker killed

Construction company fined after worker killed

A construction company has been fined after a worker was killed when a concrete slab collapsed underneath him during a demolition project.

Southwark Court Court was told how on 14 April 2014, labourer Dainius Rupsys was working alongside an excavator operator at a site on Grosvenor Square in London which was being demolished so that 31 residential flats could be built.

Mr Rupsys had been burning through reinforcing steel bars to assist the excavator operator’s efforts to remove part of the re-enforced concrete slab when another worker alerted the supervisor that their work had made the structure unsafe and the demolition was paused.

However, the supervisor then ordered the removal of props supporting the remaining slab and less than ten minutes later it collapsed.

Mr Rupsys, the 360 excavator and its operator in the cab all fell with the slab. Mr Rupsys suffered severe head injuries and died at the scene, while the excavator operator injured his back.

The investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that in the weeks leading up to the incident, CCTV from overhead cameras showed demolition work had been carried out unsafely, Mr Rupsys was not adequately trained to use the oxy-propane lance and that he had no training on using the safety harness, which was not attached when the incident occurred.

McGee Group Limited of Middlesex, the principal contractors for the project, pleaded guilty to a breach of Regulation 22(1)(a) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007.

The company was fined £500,000 and ordered to pay £66,236.22 in costs.

Jeremy Sirrell a partner at Palmers and health and safety expert said:  “Employers have a duty to check workers have sufficient skills, knowledge, experience and training before they allow them to use specialist equipment. This accident could have been avoided had sufficient due diligence been conducted.

“Our team of experts can help you to develop a strategy to protect your workforce from situations such as this.”

 For help and advice on all aspects of health and safety law including putting in place strategies to protect your workforce, please contact us today.

Council fined 1.4 million after child suffers life changing injury

Council fined 1.4 million after child suffers life changing injury

Hampshire County Council has been fined almost one and a half million pounds after a six-year-old girl suffered a life-changing injury whilst playing on an unsecured street bollard.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard how in December 2015 the child was visiting Lymington with her family when she climbed onto the cast iron hinged bollard on a cobbled pedestrianised street.

The bollard fell to the ground taking the child with it. As a result, she suffered serious, life-changing head injuries that were initially life-threatening and spent six months in hospital in a critical condition.

The extent of her brain injury will not be fully known until her brain has developed.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the bollard was damaged and not appropriately secured. The matter had previously been reported to Hampshire County Council before the incident and monthly scheduled inspections had failed to identify this.

The investigation also found insufficient information, instruction and training were provided to the council’s highways department personnel conducting ad hoc and monthly inspections, and the inspection guidance was misleading.

Hampshire County Council was found guilty after a trial of breaching Section 3(1) of Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 was fined £1.4 million. They were also ordered to pay full costs of £130,632.

Jeremy Sirrell a Partner at Palmers and Health and Safety expert said: “As a result of negligence from the Council, a child has been left with life-changing injuries when the incident could have been easily prevented.  The case highlights the importance of taking urgent action to prevent injury when alerted to damaged property.”

For help and advice on all aspects of health and safety law including putting in place strategies to protect your workforce, please contact us today.

Dumper truck accident leads to death of worker

Dumper truck accident leads to death of worker

An Essex based construction company has been fined after an accident where a dumper truck overturned caused the death of a worker.

Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard how on 3 October 2016, David Green, a ground worker for Rose Builders LTD, was operating a front tipping dumper truck as he offloaded top soil at the Summers Park Development site in Colchester.

He lost control of the truck which toppled forward and came to rest upside down at the base of the spoil heap. A colleague noticed the overturned truck and ran over to assist, but Mr Green had sustained a serious head injury during the fall and died on scene.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that there had been a number of failings in the safe management of tipping operations on the spoil heaps.

It was established that the operation was not properly planned; drivers were not given instruction or training on how to safely operate vehicles and tip on spoil heaps, and the job itself was poorly supervised.

The victim did not have his seat belt fastened which was confirmed as common practice on the site.

Rose Builders Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2 (1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The company was fined £225,000 and ordered to pay costs of £11,822.90.

Jeremy Sirrell a Partner at Palmers and Health and Safety expert said: “This was a tragic avoidable incident, caused by the failure of the employer to assess the risk related to the work.

“The incident highlights why it is so important for companies and individuals to take their responsibilities to protect others seriously.”

For help and advice on all aspects of health and safety law including putting in place strategies to protect your workforce, please contact us today.

Director sentenced after worker suffers life-changing injuries

Director sentenced after worker suffers life-changing injuries

The former director of a now-dissolved landscaping company from Leeds has been sentenced for safety breaches after one of his workers suffered life-changing injuries.

Leeds Crown Court heard how on 25 August 2016, an employee of R K United Ltd was using a lorry loader crane to help deliver soil to a new house on Otley Road in Leeds. As he was bringing the crane arm down his left arm was impaled on a spike which was sticking out of the control panel, with the impact shattering several bones in his arm.

Following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), it was revealed that the crane had severe defects, these included a disabled safety system and part of the safety guard around the controls had been cut off, leaving the spike on which his arm was impaled.

The worker had also not received the appropriate training on how to operate the lorry loader crane.

The firm’s Director, Hafeez Ghafoor from Huddersfield pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37 of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Mr Ghafoor was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.

Jeremy Sirrell a Partner and health and safety expert at Palmers said: “This incident shows the importance of ensuring all machinery is properly maintained, with regular inspections carried out.

“If sufficient measures had been in place then this painful incident would never have occurred.”

For help and advice on all aspects of health and safety law including putting in place strategies to protect your workforce, please contact us today.