Cleaning Components in Metal Workshops is Creating an Inhalation Hazard
Research commissioned by the HSE has looked at the risk of creating fine aerosols when using compressed air to clean metal components. It identifies alternative methods which are safer.
https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr1171.htm
Quadriga Open Courses
Quadriga are offering the following training courses on a per-place basis:
IOSH Safety for Executives and Directors (Reading or Virtual TBC – one day): Tuesday 6th September, Tuesday 15th November.
Directors Briefing (Reading or Virtual TBC – half day): Wednesday 5th October 2022 OR Tuesday 6th December 2022.
IOSH Managing Safely (Reading or Virtual – three days): 11th, 12th and 13th October.
IOSH Managing Safely Refresher (Reading or Virtual TBC – one day): Wednesday 13th July, Thursday 3rd November.
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 Seminar (Reading or Virtual TBC – half day): Tuesday 11th October.
For further details or for bookings, please contact:
Laura Cranford, Training Coordinator, at [email protected] or 0118 9299920
In Court
Manslaughter Convictions for Confined Spaces Deaths
Greenfeeds Limited, a food waste recycling company, has been found guilty of corporate manslaughter after two employees drowned in a tanker of semi-liquid pig feed. Nathan Walker, 19, was sent to clean the tank but was overcome by carbon dioxide gas. Colleague Gavin Rawson, 35, attempted to rescue him but also collapsed and died.
In court, it emerged that the dangerous practice of entering the tanks to clean them, without any confined space working precautions, had taken place for years. Concerns about the risks had been raised by staff repeatedly but they were overruled.
The firm, which is now in liquidation, was fined £2 million. One of the directors who was in charge of day-to-day operations at the yard, Gillian Leivers was handed a 13-year jail sentence. Ian Leivers and manager Stewart Brown were also convicted.
Carlsberg Fined Over Ammonia Gas Leak
Carlsberg has been fined £3 million after a contractor died and another was seriously injured following an ammonia gas leak at one of its breweries. The accident happened during the removal of a compressor from a refrigeration system.
Glass Manufacturer Fined Over Fragile Roof fall
NSG Pilkington (UK) Ltd has pleaded guilty to health and safety offences connected with a worker’s fall through a fragile roof. The man fractured his lower back and right heel amongst other injuries and has been unable to return to work since.
Client Fined over Contractor’s Unsafe Roof Work
In a case which illustrates the heavy responsibility on clients of construction works, Floors ’n’ Carpets Ltd of Blackburn has been fined £96,000. The company shared the blame for its contractor’s accident because it had not ensured that a suitable construction phase plan had been prepared and turned a blind eye to unsafe working practices.
Contractor Fell During Maintenance
Stockport company Manufax Engineering Limited has appeared in court over an accident in which a contractor fell nearly four metres from the top of a machine. There was a lack of monitoring and planning to ensure that contract work could be undertaken safely.
Director Banned from Being a Company Director
A director of a company which makes garden ornaments has appeared in court alongside his company after an employee was dragged into an unguarded machine and seriously injured. The employee lost parts of both arms amongst his injuries. In court, the director David Sharp was ordered to pay a small fine, plus costs of over £30,000 and was banned from acting as a company director for seven years.
Transport Company Fined £850,000 for Death During Training
Hermes Parcelnet Limited has been fined £850,000 after an employee sustained fatal injuries while undergoing training. David Kennedy was struck in the chest and pinned against a stationary trailer while attempting to use a trailer mover to reposition a laden articulated trailer.
The failures highlighted in court concerned not following the training plan and a lack of supervision.
Racking Fell from Forks of Truck
NK Coatings Limited has been fined £120,000 for breaching article 4 of the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 after an employee was killed. The accident happened when a group of staff was using a forklift truck to rotate a metal racking structure, and the structure fell over.
Asbestos Pipe-Lagging Removed
A construction firm and its director have been prosecuted over the refurbishment of student accommodation in Manchester, where the methods of work employed caused widespread contamination with asbestos fibres.