Cider manufacturer fined following grandad’s death
Tommy Manns, from Dymock, Gloucestershire, was driving for H Weston and Sons Limited, the manufacturer of Henry Westons Cider, when he was killed by the end of a security barrier on 28 September 2020.
H Weston and Sons Limited was fined £1.4 million on Thursday after the company was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The van was being driven out of the firm’s site at Bounds Farm, March Marcle, Ledbury, when the end of a security barrier speared through the vehicle’s windshield and fatally crushed Tommy.
Two of Tommy’s grandchildren had called him up to wish their grandad a happy birthday just hours before the accident.
Tommy, who had two children as well as three grandchildren, was a farm manager at H Weston and Sons Limited and had started working at the company in 2008.
A HSE investigation into the incident found H Weston and Sons had installed the barrier a month earlier, and failed to undertake a suitable and sufficient risk assessment. The company also failed to implement a safe system of work to ensure the barrier could be secured safely when open and closed.
Read more on the HSM website.
PSNI data breach report finds ‘outdated approach’ to data security
A report into the PSNI Data Breach says that members of the force failed to notice a ‘hidden tab’ containing the sensitive information.
It also revealed that the Freedom of Information Request that resulted in the data breach had been looked over by six members of staff who failed to notice that the sensitive information was going to be released.
The independent peer review report, which was requested by the PSNI and NIPB following the data breach on August 8, when the details of more than 9,400 officers and staff released following an FOI request.
It was led by the NPCC Information Assurance lead and T/ Commissioner of the City of London Police, Pete O’Doherty.
It has highlighted the processes that led to the data breach and the impact that this has had on staff, officers and members of the public, along with making recommendations to improve data protection and confidence in the force moving forward.
Read more on the Belfast Live website.
Fines for repair firm and its director after man crushed at London garage
A garage has been fined £12,000 after a customer was crushed by his own vehicle at a garage in North London.
Tottenham resident Mahmut Emanet is “lucky to be alive”, according to an inspector from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Mr Emanet spent six days in a critical care unit after he sustained serious crush injuries in the incident. He has been left with permanent and life changing injuries.
The 62-year-old had taken his company vehicle to be serviced at Silver Street Service Garage Limited on College Close, on 15 August 2022. The company director, Mr Seyit Dilek, left him standing under the vehicle while it was raised on a vehicle lift. As Mr Dilek walked away it fell off the lift and on to Mr Emanet.
While Mr Emanet was a member of the public who survived this incident, not everyone is so lucky. HSE has previously warned workers of the dangers of poorly supported vehicle.
In total, 24 workers in the motor vehicle repair industry have been killed in work-related accidents in the last five years, with the fatal injury rate in the motor vehicle repair industry around five times the average rate across all industries. Recent research suggests that over half of all fatal injuries in the sector were caused by work under a poorly supported vehicle.
For more on the incident visit the HSE website.
Elon Musk’s Tesla recalls two million cars in US over Autopilot defect
Tesla is recalling more than two million cars after the US regulator found its driver assistance system, Autopilot, was partly defective.
It follows a two-year investigation into crashes which occurred when the tech was in use.
The recall applies to almost every Tesla sold in the US since the Autopilot feature was launched in 2015.
Tesla, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, said it would send a software update “over the air” to fix the issue.
The update happens automatically and does not require a visit to a dealership or garage, but is still referred to by the US regulator as a recall.
The UK Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency said it was not aware of any safety issues involving Teslas in the UK, noting that cars sold in the UK are not equipped with all of the same features as cars in the US.
“Teslas sold in the UK market are not self-driving and are not approved to do so,” a spokesperson said, adding that the agency would continue to monitor the situation.
Learn more about the recall on the BBC website.
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