Renewables overtake coal as world’s biggest source of electricity
Renewable energy overtook coal as the world’s leading source of electricity in the first half of this year – a historic first, according to new data from the global energy think tank Ember.
Electricity demand is growing around the world but the growth in solar and wind was so strong it met 100% of the extra electricity demand, even helping drive a slight decline in coal and gas use.
However, Ember says the headlines mask a mixed global picture.
Developing countries, especially China, led the clean energy charge but richer nations including the US and EU relied more than before on planet-warming fossil fuels for electricity generation.
Read more on the BBC website.
Marina fined after worker injured during boat lift
A marina based in the Norfolk Broads has been fined after a man was injured during a boat lift at the site.
The incident happened at St Olaves Marina Limited on 17 May 2023, which resulted in the amputation of the man’s finger.
The man, who was employed by Northern Divers (Engineering) Limited, was injured while assisting with a work boat being lifted by a telehandler operated by St Olaves Marina staff. As the boat was being raised, the man’s hand was crushed by the telehandler forks which resulted in the fourth finger on his right hand being amputated.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) determined that St Olaves Marina Limited had failed to implement suitable measures to control the risks involved in lifting operations and that staff had not received appropriate training for such tasks.
Read more about the incident on the HSE website.
Global glass bottle maker fined £600k
A global glass bottle manufacturer has been fined £600,000 after a worker was burnt by molten glass and hot water spilling into his cab.
The company, which employs around 500 people at the site, continually operates furnaces that are used to smelt raw materials, from which glass bottles are manufactured. The furnaces and production lines are located on the floor above two glass reject basements, which house a number of large, moveable skips. It is into these skips that molten or formed glass is rejected, via chutes, during the production process. Coolant water runs down each chute with the rejected molten or formed glass, which in turn generates very hot water and large amounts of steam.
Due to the continuous nature of the operation, the skips would quickly fill and sometimes reject material and water would spill from the skips onto the basement floors. Employees working in these basements used shovel loaders to clear this spilled material from the floors, which was then emptied into other skips.
On the day in question, the worker had been operating a shovel loader, clearing the waste molten glass and hot water from the basement floor. However, there was no protective door on the cab of the vehicle, so some of that material spilled from the bucket onto him.
Learn more on the HSM website.
Tui survey reveals one in three people have avoided travel ‘due to accessibility concerns’
A new Tui survey has found nearly a third of people (32%) have avoided travelling due to “accessibility concerns”.
The most common barriers were a lack of sensory-friendly spaces, poorly designed facilities and limited wheelchair access.
The study also revealed two-thirds of the 2,034 respondents (66%) think it is “expected” that people with disabilities will face difficulties when travelling, while more than a quarter (27%) think the UK “doesn’t do enough” to support disabled and neurodivergent people in having equal access to travel.
Inaccessible booking systems, long airport waiting times, inadequate support from airline and hotel staff and unsuitable lifts were cited as problems making access to travel inequal.
Visit the Travel Weekly website to read more.
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