Group Newsletter Issue 1 Volume 5 July 2013 1. Group NewsPage 3 Exhibitions InformationPage 4 Exhibitions reportPage 6 SGUK NewsPage 7 HSE Information.

Group NewsletterIssue 1 Volume 5

July 2013

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Group News Page 3

Exhibitions Information Page 4

Exhibitions report Page 6

SGUK News Page 7

HSE Information Page 8

Other stories/information Page 14

Contents

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Please remember that the book written by Doctor Bob Rajan on Controlling Skin Exposure to Chemicals and Wet-Work, a practical book is still available on loan to members.

Contact either Mike or Cathy on [email protected] or [email protected] for more information

Please remember that if you are employed by an SME or are an individual wishing to do a NEBOSH Certificate then please contact us as some sponsorship may be available if you meet the criteria. Courses are provided either by SETA in Stockport or ACT Associates

Please contact the Secretary for details [email protected]

Group Info

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Please add these dates to your diary and consider visiting the shows . These shows are supported by Safety Groups UK

2013

2014

Exhibition Information

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Other local events taking place, though not supported by Safety Groups UK include

18 September – North West Regional Association Conference, Barton Grange Hotel, Barton, nr. Preston

Exhibition enquiries to Mike Nixon on [email protected]

Conference reservation enquiries to [email protected]

17 October: South Cumbria Conference contact Lucy on [email protected] for further info..

Other Exhibitions etc.

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On 25 June Cathy and Mike were at the SHE Show, Blackpool with the stand.

A very interesting Conference was part of the day with several good speakers., including Professor Thierry from Bangor University on Ensafing

Some useful contacts were made on the day, mostly for the more local Groups this time.

Our next Exhibition will be at the Bolton Arena on 9 and 10 October.

We have also been invited to have a stand at the SOSHA Conference on 8 October at which Roger Bibbings, RoSPA is the keynote speaker.

Exhibitions Report

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Discounts available through SGUK

Please remember if you work for a small company, or Consultant, who perhaps do not receive a discount at Arco to request a Safety Groups UK card which gives 15% off in Arco shops only (not online). You must produce a card to obtain the discount. (only available to members).

Members 15% Exclusive discount

Safety Groups UK has negotiated corporate benefits for Group members. ACT is working with Safety Groups UK to provide an exclusive discount to all Safety Groups UK members.

ACT offer an exclusive 15% discount off the list price of any product or service to all Safety Groups UK members.

ACT is established as a high quality single point solutions provider of auditing, consultancy and training services. We have evolved into an integrated provider of all learning solutions including conventional, e-learning and blended learning options.

Obtaining the 15% discount

Call ACT on 01384 447915

E-mail – [email protected]

Quote ACTSG12

For more info on our products and services go to www.actassociates.co.uk

SGUK Info

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Mike Nixon- Group Treasurer

Estates Excellence Meeting Report

Recently Mike was invited to attend an initial meeting to consider running an Estates Excellence initiative on Trafford Park. (Details of what happens is available on http://www.hse.gov.uk/estatesexcellence/)

The Group may be able to assist in identifying partners who can:

Provide meeting rooms on Trafford Park Assist with free delivery of training modules to companies that sign up Help provide free Occupational Health Screening services either with mobile unit or in rooms provided by other partners

Once the initiative is completed, the Group hope to pick up the legacy by having additional members who attend meetings in Trafford Park.

Any member company who feels they might be able to assist should contact Mike on [email protected]

Members Pages

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Rochdale bedding firm fined £50k over multiple safety failings

A Rochdale bedding manufacturer has been fined £50,000 after a health and safety inspection found the majority of its machines were unsafe to use.

One of the machines at the factory which had been wrapped with pieces of cardboard

Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had to return to Sartex Quilts and Textiles Ltd for a second day after finding dozens of missing or inadequate guards on machines.

The company, which owns the Maison Le Vie and Night Comfort brands and employs 80 people at its plant on Queensway, was prosecuted following the inspection on 27 and 28 October 2011.

Manchester Crown Court was told that one machine, used to compact bales of quilt, had been wrapped with pieces of cardboard as the only way of protecting workers from the dangerous moving parts inside.

A lose board had been placed over a large electric motor and pulley system on another machine, and guards were generally found to be in a poor condition or missing altogether.

Inspectors issued three Prohibition Notices stopping some work immediately, and 12 Improvement Notices requiring changes to be made.

HSE Info

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Sartex Quilts and Textiles Ltd, which manufactures duvets, pillows and mattress protectors, admitted a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by failing to ensure the safety of its employees. The company was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £14,614 in prosecution costs on 12 June 2013.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Helen Mansfield said:

"This was one of the worst cases of missing or inadequate guards I or my colleagues have ever seen. Every corner we turned, we found another issue.

"The company put production before health and safety and put the lives of its employees in danger as a result. Common sense should have meant they didn't use cardboard to cover dangerous moving parts, but that's exactly what we found on one machine."Hundreds of injuries are reported every year across Great Britain caused by poor or missing guards, and it's only luck that no one has been seriously injured or even killed at Sartex Quilts' factory in Rochdale."

A quarter of all workplace deaths occurred in the manufacturing industry in 2011/12, despite the sector only accounting for around 10% of the British workforce. A total of 31 people lost their lives while working in the sector, and more than 17,000 injuries were reported.Information on improving safety is available at www.hse.gov.uk/manufacturing.

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The number of workers killed in Britain last year has fallen, official statistics published today show.Provisional data released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reveals that 148 workers were fatally injured between April 2012 and March 2013, compared with 172 in the previous year.The overall rate of fatal injury has dropped to 0.5 per 100,000 workers, below the five-year average of 0.6.Britain has had one of the lowest rates of fatal injuries to workers in leading industrial nations in Europe consistently for the last eight years.

Judith Hackitt, the HSE Chair, said:

"These figures are being published in the same week as the 25th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster, and are a reminder to us all of why health and safety is so important. Although the number of people killed at work has dropped significantly, last year 148 people failed to return home to their loved ones. "The fact that Britain continues to have one of the lowest levels of workplace fatalities in Europe will be of little consolation to those who lose family members, friends and work colleagues."HSE is striving to make health and safety simpler and clearer for people to understand so that more people do what is required to manage the real risks that cause death and serious injury."We all have a part to play to ensure people come home safe at the end of the working day and good leadership, employee engagement and effective risk-management are key to achieving this."The new figures also show the rate of fatal injuries in several key industrial sectors:39 fatal injuries to construction workers were recorded – a rate of 1.9 deaths per 100,000 workers, compared to an average of 53 deaths in the past five years and a decrease from the 48 deaths recorded in 2011/12.29 fatal injuries to agricultural workers were recorded – a rate of 8.8 deaths per 100,000 workers, compared to an average of 36 deaths in the past five years and a decrease from the 35 deaths recorded in 2011/12.10 fatal injuries to waste and recycling workers were recorded – a rate of 8.2 deaths per 100,000 workers, compared to an average of 6 deaths in the past five years and an increase from the 5 deaths recorded in 2011/12.Across Great Britain:118 fatal injuries in England were recorded – a rate of 0.5 deaths per 100,000 workers, compared to an average of 144 deaths in the past five years and a decrease from the 131 deaths recorded in 2011/1222 fatal injuries in Scotland were recorded – a rate of 0.9 deaths per 100,000 workers, compared to an average of 22 deaths in the past five years and an increase from the 19 deaths recorded in 2011/12.8 fatal injuries in Wales were recorded – a rate of 0.6 deaths per 100,000 workers, compared to an average of 12 deaths in the past five years and a decrease from the 19 deaths recorded in 2011/12.

New figures show fall in fatal injuries to workers

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Bolton recycling firm sentenced after worker crushed

A Bolton company has been ordered to pay almost £130,000 in fines and costs after a worker suffered serious injuries when he was crushed between two trucks at a recycling plant.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted DS Smith Paper Ltd after the firm failed to observe correct safety procedures around the tipping area at its Severnside site on Turton Street. The company was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court today (11 June 2013).

The 61-year-old worker from Towyn, North Wales, who has asked not to be named, suffered fractured ribs, a fractured right collar bone, a punctured right lung and multiple bruising after being crushed between his own HGV and another vehicle on 26 February 2010.

During a four-day trial at Manchester Crown Court last month, the jury heard the worker had emptied his load of paper and had got out his truck to close its rear doors, using two buttons on the side of the vehicle.As he did this, another truck reversed into the warehouse through a separate doorway and trapped him between both vehicles.The court was told that, at the time of the incident, there were no barriers in the tipping shed to separate vehicles entering through different doors, and that a supervisor wasn’t present to indicate whether it was safe for drivers to enter the site.A HSE investigation found it was common practice for two vehicles to be in the warehouse at any one time, putting drivers at risk when they had to leave their trucks.DS Smith Paper Ltd also failed to enforce its own system for controlling entry into the tipping shed as there was not always a supervisor present.

It has since introduced new safety procedures, which mean only one HGV is allowed in the warehouse. A new safety area has also been introduced for pedestrians.DS Smith Paper Ltd, of Turton Street, Bolton, was found guilty of breaching the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 by failing to make sure the site was safe for vehicles and pedestrians. The company was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay £49,822 in prosecution costs.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector David Norton said:

"A worker suffered serious injuries while working at the Severnside recycling site because DS Smith Paper Ltd failed to safely organise the vehicles in and around the tipping area.

"The risks caused by large vehicles reversing are well known, yet the company regularly allowed two vehicles into the warehouse at once, without any safety barriers in place.

"The driver suffered horrific injuries as a result of this negligence, and this case should serve as a lesson to other companies working with large vehicles to ensure that the correct safety procedures are in place.“

Information on how to prevent injuries involving workplace vehicles is available at www.hse.gov.uk/workplacetransport.

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General Motors admits safety breach over Vauxhall crush death

A car firm has admitted breaching health and safety legislation after an electrician was crushed to death at a Merseyside car plant.

Stanley Heard ,59, from Birkenhead, died after being caught in machinery at the Vauxhall factory in Ellesmere Port in July 2010.

General Motors UK admitted two charges of breaching health and safety rules at Liverpool Magistrates' Court.

A spokesman for Vauxhall said the company would make no comment.

Safety failings The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) brought criminal proceedings against General Motors UK following the death three years ago.

Mr Heard - who was known by his middle name Ian - died 11 days later in a hospital in Chester.

The charges relate to failing to ensure the safety of employees and failing to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery, the HSE said.

The case was adjourned until 1 August at Liverpool Crown Court for sentencing.

The following courtesy of BBC News Website

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A scaffolding firm has been ordered to pay more than £100,000 following the death of a labourer who fell through a warehouse roof in Skelmersdale.

Tony Causby, 42, from Leigh in Greater Manchester, was helping to dismantle scaffolding at the warehouse on Pennine Way on 14 December 2010.

He stepped onto a skylight and fell 42ft (13m) to the floor below.

His employer, S & S Scaffolding, pleaded guilty to two health and safety breaches at Liverpool Crown Court.

The company was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following an investigation into the incident.The court heard Mr Causby had helped to erect the scaffolding at the end of October ahead of work to replace damaged cladding and guttering on the roof.

He returned two months later as part of the dismantling team, although he was not employed as a scaffolder, the HSE said.Mr Causby had just returned to the roof with another labourer after a lunch break when he stepped on a skylight, which broke and gave way.

He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The court was told there were around 80 skylights on one half of the roof.

The HSE said the company failed to arrange for covers to be put on the skylights to prevent employees from falling through.

S & S Scaffolding Ltd pleaded guilty to single breaches of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The company, of Arley Way in Atherton, Greater Manchester, was fined £75,000 and ordered to pay £31,517 in prosecution costs

Scaffolding firm fined over Tony Causby fall death

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A builder has been given a community service order for taking his 10-year-old son on to "unsafe" scaffolding in Merseyside where he was working.

The 51-year-old man from Kirkby, who cannot be identified, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

A passing HSE inspector took a photograph of the boy on the scaffolding in February six metres above the ground.Magistrates ordered his father to carry out 80 hours community service.

The boy was photographed in a half-term holiday as his father was carrying out repairs the property.

Liverpool Magistrates' Court heard the boy shimmied along a narrow plank on the scaffolding as he made his way towards the top of a ladder where his father was waiting for him.

A passing HSE inspector ordered the builder to dismantle the scaffolding as it was unsafe. No boards had been fitted around the edge of the scaffolding to stop tools or materials falling to the ground below.After the hearing, Insp Matt Greenly said: "Building sites have the potential to be dangerous places if the proper health and safety procedures aren't followed, with dozens of deaths reported in the industry every year. They're certainly no place for a ten-year-old boy."

Builder prosecuted after taking son 10, on unsafe scaffolding

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Worker deaths fall but health and safety effort still needs to riseThe number of people killed in work-related incidents dropped significantly in 2012/2013 – the first full review period following the Löfstedt report and implementation of the bulk of its recommendations.

The HSE published provisional data today (3 July) that reveal 148 workers were fatally injured between April 2012 and March 2013. This is a decrease of 14 per cent on the previous year's toll of 172 lives lost.

The overall fatal-injury rate dropped to 0.5 per 100,000 workers – below the five-year average of 0.6. This means that, for the eighth year, Britain has the lowest rate of fatal injuries to workers among the five leading industrial nations in Europe (Germany, France, Spain, and Italy), based on the latest available data from 2010

Construction and agriculture, as in previous years, recorded the most deaths – with 39 and 29 fatalities, respectively. However, deaths in construction were down 19 per cent on last year's total of 48, while agriculture saw a drop of 17 per cent on 2011/2012.The waste and recycling industry, on the other hand, recorded 10 fatal injuries – double the previous year's total of five and way above the five-year average of six deaths.

Chris Jones, chair of the Waste Industry Safety & Health Forum (WISH), said fatalities are a "poor" measurement of performance, as they jump around from year to year. "The overall RIDDOR rate is a better measure and that rate has been going down for about the last six years. Indeed, figures from the Environmental Services Association show they have gone down by 70 per cent in that time.

The following stories courtesy of SHP

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"But of course we are concerned about the number of fatalities – one is too many – and we remain committed to our original aim to eliminate fatalities and reduce RIDDOR incidents by a further 10 per cent. But the pragmatic reality is that in any one year they are difficult to eliminate completely."

Commenting on the overall figures, HSE chair Judith Hackitt said: "These figures are being published in the same week as the 25th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster, and are a reminder to us all of why health and safety is so important."The fact that Britain continues to have one of the lowest levels of workplace fatalities in Europe will be of little consolation to those who lose family members, friends and work colleagues."HSE is striving to make health and safety simpler and clearer for people to understand so that more people do what is required to manage the real risks that cause death and serious injury.  "We all have a part to play to ensure people come home safe at the end of the working day and good leadership, employee engagement and effective risk management are key to achieving this."

IOSH said it is encouraged by the fall in work-related fatalities but called for a redoubling of efforts to push the figure down even further. The Institution's Jane White added: "We also believe that the current measurements do not represent the bigger picture, because they exclude the 12,000 people who died in the same time frame from occupational diseases.

"Last year alone, some 8000 people died from cancers caused by work. These are avoidable deaths.”IOSH's comments were echoed by the TUC, whose general secretary, Frances O'Grady said it is "worth remembering that the number of immediate fatalities is less than 1 per cent of the total number of people who are killed as a result of their jobs – mainly as a result of diseases such as mesothelioma and other cancers."

Even more worrying, she said, are cuts to inspection budgets, which mean "fewer workplaces will receive a visit from the safety inspector this year. This risks creating an environment where some employers will pay less attention to workplace safety, content in the knowledge that any safety corners cut are unlikely ever to come to light."

Ms O'Grady also highlighted that a third of immediate workplace deaths are among the self-employed – "these workers have a fatality rate almost three times higher – 1.1 deaths per 100,000 compared to 0.4 – than other workers".

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Workplace injury lawyers agreed that changes in the law prompted by Löfstedt and otherwise are having a detrimental effect, and warned that "tampering with regulations" could undermine much of the hard work invested in improving health and safety in Britain.

David Urpeth, national head of workplace injury and illness at Irwin Mitchell solicitors, said: "Any number of fatalities and injuries at work is too many, yet the Government's recent changes to the law through the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act only serve to make it much more difficult for those whose lives have been transformed by work accidents to get the answers and the justice they deserve.

"While we welcome moves to cut unnecessary red tape, often the biggest deterrent stopping businesses from cutting corners with safety is the threat of legal action. Our primary concern is that the increased difficulty of holding employers to account will only be to the detriment of safety and, ultimately, this will lead to the number of reported workplace deaths and injuries rising in the future."

The provisional workplace fatality statistics for 2012/2013 can be found here: www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/fatals.htm 

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A Lancashire housebuilder and the firm's director have been fined following two incidents at a new-build development in South Wales.Blackburn-based Paddle Ltd was building new homes as part of a phased development over several years at a site at Cae Canol in Baglan, near Port Talbot. On 9 August 2011, self-employed bricklayer Daniel King injured his back and foot in a four-metre fall from a scaffold at the site.The victim himself reported the incident and the subsequent HSE investigation found the scaffold to be in very poor condition. It was missing vital guardrails, toe boards, and other fall-protection measures. Inspectors discovered that the structure was also being used to take loads of bricks and blocks that it was not fit to carry.Six months after this incident, in March 2012, a contractor was seen working from height in the elevated bucket of an excavator at the same site and in clear view of Paddle Ltd's sole director, Derek Hugh Barnes.This time, the incident was photographed by a concerned householder, who then reported it to the HSE.Swansea Crown Court heard that Paddle Ltd has a lengthy history of HSE enforcement action and had received several Prohibition Notices relating to unsafe work at height. It had previously been prosecuted in 2010 over failings at a site in St Athan.

On 19 July, Paddle Ltd was fined a total of £56,000 and ordered to pay £11,000 costs after pleading guilty to breaching reg.4 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and section 3(1) of the HSWA 1974.

Barnes pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 37 of the HSWA 1974 and was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, and disqualified from acting as a company director for three years. In addition, he was fined £32,000 plus £11,000 in costs.He resigned his post leading up to the trial and the company has since put two new directors in place.HSE inspector Phil Nicolle said: "Paddle Ltd and Derek Barnes, have, over the years, shown a blatant disregard for health and safety management on their construction sites, as was clearly evident when we investigated the Baglan incidents."Companies and directors have clear duties of care and safety responsibilities, and it is vital they properly assess, manage and supervise all work activity to mitigate risks at all times.“

Construction firm and director fined for work at height failings

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