Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service issue safety warning after motorists rush to buy fuel
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service has issued a warning about storing petrol at home as motorists continue to race to forecourts to buy fuel.
Drivers have been flocking to petrol pumps across the country in recent days amid fears of a national shortage due to a lack of HGV drivers in the UK.
It comes despite the Government urging people not to panic buy fuel, with some operators now rationing supplies while others have been forced to close certain filling stations altogether.
As the situation continues, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service is warning motorists about the dangers that incorrect storage of petrol could impose. In a post on Twitter, the service said: “Please do not attempt to fill any type of container with petrol other than a proper petrol can and ensure they are stored safely and away from any heat source.”
Read the full article on the Derbyshire Times website.
Engineering company fined after worker diagnosed with occupational asthma
Lantern Engineering Ltd has been sentenced for health breaches after workers were exposed to metal working fluid (MWF).
MWF is hazardous to health, and exposure can cause health conditions including irritation of the skin/dermatitis, occupational asthma, bronchitis and irritation of the upper respiratory tract.
Sheffield Magistrates’ Court heard that, in February 2016 a visit was conducted by the HSE and enforcement taken requiring the company to provide health surveillance and manage MWF. In September 2016 an employee was diagnosed with occupational asthma. Further enforcement was taken in December 2016 with an Improvement Notice issued to develop a system for managing MWF.
An investigation by HSE found that a water mix MWF was in use in the majority of machines including saws, machine centres and milling machines. None of these machines had local exhaust ventilation (LEV) and some door seals were observed to be in poor condition. The MWF sumps to some machines were in visibly poor condition, with fines, swarf and/or tramp oil being present.
For more on the incident, visit the SHP website.
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Do you want a job where you make a real difference? Then you should consider a career in health and safety. It’s a highly rewarding profession that involves supporting health and wellbeing and keeping workers safe so they can return home to their loved ones. You could even save lives.
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Find out more about Health & Safety careers on the IOSH website.
Contractor fined after employee falls from scaffolding
A shopfitting company has been fined after an employee suffered multiple fractures after falling fifteen feet from scaffolding.
Manchester Magistrates Court heard how on the 24 October 2019, an employee of TA Knox Shopfitters Ltd was working from a tower scaffold at the front of the Footasylum Store in the Trafford Centre, Manchester, when the scaffold moved throwing him off balance. He fell backwards against the safety rail of the scaffold, which gave way and he fell fifteen feet to the ground. The employee suffered ten fractured ribs, a fractured shoulder and a collapsed lung.
Learn more about the accident on the HSE website.
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