NEBOSH invests £80k to support miners
NEBOSH has invested £80,000 in a project to tackle one of the world’s most dangerous occupations: artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM).
The project – coordinated by the International Occupational Medicine Society Collaborative (IOMSC) and supported by the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) – aims to improve the health, safety, livelihoods and wellbeing of people who work and live in these mining communities.
The World Bank estimates that 100 million people work in the sector worldwide, using basic tools to extract minerals and metals, often without proper equipment or safety regulations. Further, because there is little separation between living and working areas, miners and their families are exposed to pollutants and toxic hazards, leading to serious illnesses such as silicosis, tuberculosis, chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and death.
Read more on the HSM website.
Lithium-ion batteries a ‘real’ fire risk, survey suggests
Webinar surveys reveals that 16% of 450 organisations, including NHS sites, have had a lithium-ion battery fire incident.
Those attending a series of CPD accredited webinars on Lithium-ion battery safety, hosted by Firechief® Global, completed the survey, and while 16% admitted to having had an incident, 8% were unsure, while 76% said they had not.
The organisations surveyed included local authorities, NHS sites, and large corporate businesses as well as smaller SMEs. Most commonly, Lithium-ion battery fire incidents had occurred on manufacturing sites, hospitals and healthcare facilities; on waste management and recycling vehicles and sites, and in social housing and real estate premises.
For more on the survey, visit the SHP website.
New IOSH president believes OSH professionals must look after themselves
Health and safety professionals must look after themselves to ensure they protect others, the new president of the chartered body for the profession says.
Kelly Nicoll became the 58th president of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) earlier this week and has a clear message for her fellow professionals.
“I want to explore how we look after ourselves when we spend so much time looking after others,” she said.
Kelly is an experienced occupational safety and health (OSH) professional. She is currently head of environment, health and safety at Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust. In her 15-year career, Kelly has also worked in industries including rail, facilities management, the NHS, construction, events and broadcasting.
She has held several volunteering roles for IOSH, including as a member of the Thames Valley Branch committee, as a mentor and as a member of Council. Away from IOSH, she represents health and safety for a special educational trust in Doncaster and is a board member for the Recovery Coach Academy, which delivers coaching skills for people recovering from addiction.
Learn more about IOSH’s new president on the HSM website.
Ginsters owner fined £1.28m after employee crushed to death by lorry
The owner of Ginsters has been fined £1.28 million after an employee was killed by a lorry that was delivering supplies to the bakery where it makes its pasties.
Paul Clarke was fatally crushed on 2 December 2021 after being struck by the vehicle as it reversed into a loading bay at The Cornwall Bakery, Callington, operated by Samworth Brothers.
He was taken via helicopter to Derriford Hospital, where he later lost his life.
“Our lives will never be the same without Paul,” his mother has said in a statement.
The 40-year-old, who worked as an intake operator at the bakery, had been moving strip curtains in the loading bay before being struck by the lorry.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found Samworth Brothers had not assessed the risks associated with the temporarily installed strip curtains and that there was no safe system of work to move them out of the way when the lorries reversed into the loading bay. The strip curtains had been installed in place of a faulty roller door.
Visit the HSE website to read more.
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