HSE takes landmark enforcement action against occupational health service provider
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued its first ever Prohibition Notice against an occupational health service provider, following findings that inadequate health surveillance was putting workers at risk of serious and irreversible harm.
The action marks a significant milestone in HSE’s regulation of occupational health provision and is evidence of the regulator’s focus on the prevention of ill-health. This enforcement sends a clear signal that substandard occupational health services will not be tolerated where they create real risks to workers’ health.
HSE inspectors found that the provider was delivering health surveillance through personnel who were inadequately trained, unqualified, and unsupervised. The ineffective surveillance meant that early signs of serious occupational diseases — including occupational asthma, dermatitis, and noise-induced hearing loss — were at risk of going undetected, leaving workers exposed to wood dust and noise without appropriate intervention.
Read more on HSE website.
Emma Bridgewater fined after child injured
Ceramics manufacturer Emma Bridgewater has been handed a £266,666 fine after a young girl was injured by falling broken glass during a Christmas lights switch-on event at its premises in Hanley.
The sentence was imposed after a Health & Safety Executive investigation found the company had failed to properly secure a snow machine which fell from a window above.
On 23 November 2024, the 12-year-old victim attended an annual Christmas lights switch-on event with her family at the Emma Bridgewater gift shop in Hanley. During the event, an artificial snow machine, which was in a window opening above the gift shop, fell out of the building and to the ground below. The machine hit a light on the way, sending a shard of broken glass towards the girl’s head, she suffered a deep cut which required hospital treatment.
For more on the incident visit the HSM website.
HSE authorises Crown Censure of MoD and prosecution of defence contractor over fatal tank explosion
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has authorised a Crown Censure of the Ministry of Defence, and the prosecution of defence contractor Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land Ltd.
This action follows an investigation into a fatal tank explosion in Pembrokeshire in 2017 which killed two soldiers and left a third seriously injured.
Corporal Darren Neilson, 31, and Corporal Matthew Hatfield, 27, died when an L30 gun exploded on a Challenger 2 tank at Castlemartin Range in Pembrokeshire on 14 June 2017 and injured two other soldiers, leaving one with life changing injuries.
Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land Ltd was responsible for producing the Safety Case for the tank and gun, while the Ministry of Defence held ultimate responsibility for the health, safety and welfare of its soldiers, and for the suitability and sufficiency of the Safety Case.
Learn more on the HSE website.
What to do if you think someone has heat exhaustion or heatstroke
Heat exhaustion can turn into heatstroke, which is a medical emergency. It means your body can no longer manage the heat and your core temperature is rising too high. You should get urgent medical help.
The signs to watch for and quickly act on:
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feeling unwell after 30 minutes of resting in a cool place and drinking plenty of water
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not sweating even while feeling too hot
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a temperature of 40C or above
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fast breathing or shortness of breath
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feeling confused
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a fit (seizure)
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loss of consciousness
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not responsive
If someone has heat exhaustion:
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get them to rest in a cool place – such as a room with air conditioning or somewhere in the shade
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remove any unnecessary clothing, to expose as much of their skin as possible
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cool their skin – use whatever you have available, a cool, wet sponge or flannel, spray water, cold packs around the neck and armpits, or wrap them in a cool, wet sheet
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fan their skin while it is moist – this will help the water to evaporate, which will help their skin cool down
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get them to drink water – sports or rehydration drinks are fine too
Stay with them until they are better.
They should start to cool down and feel better within 30 minutes.
If they do not improve after 30 minutes of rest, and you think they may have heatstroke, you should get urgent medical help. Call 999 immediately.
Visit the BBC website to read more.
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