Fines after house partially collapses
A construction company and its director have been fined for health and safety failings after a house partially collapsed in Manchester.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited the property on Caxton Road, Fallowfield, on 22 September 2020 after being informed an exterior wall had collapsed during construction work undertaken by Servotec Ltd.
Following HSE’s visit, a Prohibition Notice was issued to Servotec Limited after the roof on the property was found to be unstable with the company also failing to provide a temporary works design (TWD).
Additionally, HSE issued Improvement Notices to the company for the poor welfare on site and insufficient asbestos survey. HSE has just launched a campaign highlighting the dangers of asbestos and has guidance on the safe working with asbestos.
HSE returned to the site on 25 September 2020 and a second Prohibition Notice was issued to Servotec after another structural problem was identified.
Read more on the HSM website.
Safety won’t be forgotten in the race to Net Zero
Safety will be a central part of Great Britain’s move to Net Zero the top scientist at the country’s workplace regulator says.
The government has committed to decarbonising our economy by 2050 and that will involve embracing new technologies.
Professor Andrew Curran, Director of Science at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and a member of the government’s Chief Scientific Advisers Network, says scientists at HSE are already working to address challenges presented by the move to Net Zero.
The safe use of lithium-ion batteries, testing hydrogen-fuelled vehicles in tunnels, and the safety of hydrogen as a potential fuel for flights are just some areas where HSE scientists are safe-guarding safety during the introduction of Net Zero technologies.
Learn more about the work on net zero safety on the HSE website.
Poole oil leak not as bad as first thought, says harbour commissioner
An oil leak from a pipeline at an onshore oil field into Poole Harbour was “not as bad as initially thought”, Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) said.
About 200 barrels of reservoir fluid, including oil, leaked from the pipeline run by Perenco on Sunday.
PHC said “two clusters” of oil remained in the harbour – at Poole Marina and at Ower Bay, near the source of the leak.
The government said investigations were under way to find the cause of the fault and prevent any recurrence.
There are concerns for the impact the incident will have on wildlife in the area, with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) saying it had received reports of “oiled birds” being spotted around the bay on Monday.
PHC chief executive Jim Stewart said more than 100 people, aided by a helicopter and drones, had been involved in the clean-up.
He said aerial footage gathered on Monday morning suggested there had been “a 60-70% reduction in oil sightings on the water”.
“We are pleasantly surprised that it’s not as serious as we initially thought,” he said.
For more on the incident, visit the BBC website.
£600,000 fine for company after employee died while loading lorry
An East Yorkshire garden landscaping company has been fined £600,000 after an employee died while loading a lorry.
Brian White, 59, was working for Kelkay Limited when he was operating a forklift truck at the company’s site on Heck and Pollington Lane, Pollington, East Yorkshire, on 15 June 2020.
Brian was fatally injured when the lorry he was loading was moved by the driver, pulling the forklift truck over and trapping him underneath.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Kelkay Limited’s risk assessment failed to take into account the possibility of lorries moving while they are being loaded. HSE also found that the systems of work provided for ensuring that vehicles were not moved during loading activities were inadequate.
Read more on the HSE website.
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