Risk, Health and Safety Information

The occupational disease burden - The facts 

Occupational disease is a big problem.  For some workers this can mean they experience life altering and in some cases premature life-ending illness. 

In 2011/12 there were an estimated 1.1 million working people suffering from a work-related illness, with around 450,000 new cases of occupational related ill health and a further estimated 12,000 deaths each year caused by past exposures to harmful substances at work.

Traditionally, health issues in the workplace have been, and still are, harder to tackle than safety issues because cause and effect are often not clearly linked. 

While some cases of ill health are clearly related to work activity, for others the cause may be less clear.  Many serious occupational diseases also have a long period of ‘latency’, some up to 30 years, between exposure and development of ill health and/or disease, making the links even more difficult to establish. This also means that after recognising the problem and making changes in working practices to reduce exposure there may be a long delay before a reduction in the causes of ill health and death are seen.   

However, where the link is established and exposure can be measured then interventions and activities aimed at raising awareness and creating behavioural change can work to reduce exposures and prevent ill health and disease.

 

Illegal gas installer in court over dangerous pool boiler

An Essex gas installer has been given a suspended prison sentence and 150 hours of unpaid community work for carrying out illegal and dangerous gas work at a home in Colchester.

William Saint, 75, from Chelmsford, was hired to install a gas fired boiler to heat a swimming pool at a home on Hall Cut Road, Brightlingsea, on 1 April 2013, even though he was not registered with Gas Safe Register – as UK law requires.

Despite making several attempts at installing the boiler, it failed to operate successfully and was deemed to be immediately dangerous when it was later inspected by British Gas.

Colchester Magistrates’ Court heard today (1 May) that despite receiving advice from a Gas Safe Register engineer, Mr Saint failed to rectify all of the faults. The installation was classed as ‘at risk’ by Gas Safe Register and the matter was passed to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), who prosecuted Mr Saint for safety failings.

William Saint, of Cherry Blossom Lane, Cold Norton, Chelmsford, was given a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, as well as 150 hours of unpaid community work after pleading guilty to three separate breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was also ordered to pay costs of £850.

After the case, HSE Inspector Vicky Fletcher said:

“William Saint was well aware that he should be registered with Gas Safe Register in order to carry out gas work, yet he still chose to flout the law.

“People can die as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning and gas explosions. It is therefore vital that only registered gas engineers, who are trained and competent, work on gas appliances and fittings.”

Russell Kramer chief executive of Gas Safe Register, added:

“Every Gas Safe registered engineer carries a Gas Safe ID card, which shows who they are and the type of gas appliances they are qualified to work on.

 

Unregistered gas fitter prosecuted for boiler installation

An unregistered gas fitter from Verwood has been prosecuted for an illegal and dangerous boiler installation at a Bournemouth home.

Michael Smithers, 45, undertook the work at Shelbourne Road in December 2011 after falsely claiming to be qualified to carry out work on gas appliances.

He was prosecuted yesterday (28 April) by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation established that he wasn’t a member of the Gas Safe Register – a legal requirement for anyone undertaking such work.

Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court heard that when tenants moved into the property in January 2012 they started to experience problems with the boiler. An engineer from the boiler manufacturer attended, identified a number of defects and put a warning notice on the boiler, instructing that it should not be used.

Mr Smithers later returned to rectify the defects, noted the warning notice, but disagreed with the boiler manufacturer’s engineer and turned the boiler back on. Being concerned, the tenants contacted the letting agent and another engineer came to resolve the issues.

A Regional Investigations Officer from the Gas Safe Register identified a number of problems with the standard of the installation and condition of the boiler, including nine specifically relating to the work done by Mr Smithers.

Michael Smithers, of Nightingale Close, Verwood, pleaded guilty to three separate breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was fined a total of £15,000 and ordered to pay £7,000 in costs.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Mehtaab Hamid said:

“The Gas Safe Register exists to protect the public from people like Mr Smithers who are prepared to work illegally and carry out potentially dangerous gas work. Fitting appliances without being competent to do so can be highly dangerous and can lead to loss of life.

“Those who undertake gas work must be on the Gas Safe Register.  Anyone who works on gas appliances without being registered is breaking the law. Mr Smithers knew this and falsely claimed to be Gas Safe registered, yet he clearly wasn’t competent to carry out gas work – as demonstrated by the defects identified with his work.

“This case highlights the need for householders to check the credentials of anyone working at their property, especially where gas is involved.”

 

Firm fined after worker suffers horrific head injuries 

A manufacturing company has been sentenced after a worker suffered horrific head injuries when he became trapped in a machine.

Desmond Salkeld, 65, of Dinnington, was with a colleague investigating a fault on a hot wire cutting machine at Springvale EPS Ltd in Coach Lane, Hazlerigg, when his head became trapped in dangerous moving parts.

He was taken to hospital with extensive injuries including a hole in the bridge of his nose, shattered eye sockets, a large gash to his head which needed stitches, a badly-damaged jaw, a bleed on the brain and fracture to his temple. During a nine-hour operation, surgeons took bone from the right hand side of his skull to reconstruct his face.

Mr Salkeld, who still suffers from blurred vision, is unable to return to work and has had to retire, although he had planned to continue working. He is unlikely to fully recover from his injuries.

Newcastle Magistrates’ Court was told today (29 April) that an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident on 4 June 2013 found the machine had not been isolated from its power source and a fixed safety guard had been removed.

HSE said Springvale EPS Ltd had failed to carry out a suitable risk assessment and develop safe procedures for the maintenance activity the two workers were undertaking.

Springvale EPS Ltd, of Bedford Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £1,244.40 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

After the case, HSE Inspector Sal Brecken said:

“Mr Salkeld’s horrific injuries should not and need not have happened. This incident was easily preventable had Springvale EPS Ltd adequately assessed the risks of this particular maintenance activity, developed safe working procedures and informed their employees.

“Guards and safety systems are there for a reason, and companies have a legal duty of care to ensure they are properly fitted and working effectively at all times, especially during maintenance activities.

“Ideally, machines undergoing repair should be isolated from their power source. However, where a repair requires viewing a machine as it works then the worker should be separated from danger by distance, work position restraint, temporary barriers or other means of ensuring safety.

“Springvale EPS Ltd’s failures have led to one of their employees sustaining devastating injuries from which he is unlikely to ever fully recover.”

 

Company in court after man falls from summer house roof

A Trowbridge company has been fined for safety breaches after a worker suffered serious injuries when he fell from the roof of a summerhouse he was erecting in Christchurch, Dorset.

Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court heard today (30 April) how the 25-year-old employee from Frome, Somerset, was constructing the large wooden summerhouse in a private garden with two other employees of Garden Affairs Ltd on 21 October 2013. As he stepped on to a tower scaffold from the roof, the scaffold slid on wet decking and fell off the edge, causing the worker to overbalance and fall two metres, hitting the decking before landing on the ground. The man, who does not wish to be named, sustained fractures to vertebrae in his lower back, bruising and impact injuries to his left hip, pelvis, back and right elbow and was off work for more than a month.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Garden Affairs Ltd failed to put any fall prevention or fall mitigation measures in place to protect the workers. In addition handrails had not been fitted to the two tower scaffolds being used, even though they were available, and the scaffolds were not tied to the structure for stability..

Garden Affairs Ltd, Frome Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, was fined £5,000, ordered to pay £468 in costs and £750 in compensation after admitting a breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector James Powell said:

“The Work at Height Regulations do not distinguish between low and high falls, so for any work at height, whether two metres or ten, precautions are required to prevent or minimise the risk of injury from a fall.

“Garden Affairs Ltd failed to properly assess the risk and plan the job accordingly. Garden buildings and summerhouses are erected very quickly, often one to three days, and there can be difficulties in providing edge protection due to restrictions such as site boundaries for example.

“However, falls are the biggest cause of death in the construction industry, accounting for 23 fatalities last year (April 2012- March 2013).  Employers need to ensure that the risks of falling from height are identified and managed.

“Poor handling of tower scaffolds also causes a number of injuries and deaths. In this instance, they were not secure and safety features were missing, rendering them unsafe.”

 

Roofers fined after being spotted working unsafely

A West Midlands roofing firm has been fined after a passing safety official spotted an employee working unsafely at height without any fall protection.

Water Orton-based GS Roofing Specialists LLP was prosecuted today (28 April) today following the chance encounter at the Kelvin Way Trading Estate in West Bromwich on 26 September 2013.

Sandwell Magistrates’ Court heard that an inspector for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was on the industrial estate when he spotted two workers on a fragile roof of a nearby business unit. He noted they working on the roof without any adequate fall prevention or fall mitigation measures in place.

A subsequent HSE investigation found that GS Roofing Specialists LLP had prepared a risk assessment and method statement for this work that stated that guard rails and netting would be used. They weren’t, and suitable boarding, platforms, or coverings were also overlooked.

GS Roofing Specialists LLP, of Attleboro Lane, Water Orton, was fined £7,500 and ordered to pay £1,090 costs after pleading guilty to breaching regulation 9(2) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Gareth Langston said:

“The dangers that the workers faced were so great and immediately obvious when I witnessed the safety breaches being committed.

“GS Roofing Specialists LLP blatantly ignored the risk assessment’s advice for fall protection to be in place, leaving workers exposed to an unnecessary risk of a serious or even fatal injury.

“Working at height is a high-risk activity. There is a need to adequately plan for such work and ensure those plans are fully implemented and monitored effectively to ensure the safety of those involved.”

 

Logistics firm in court after worker breaks leg in lorry fall

A Suffolk logistics firm has been fined for safety failings after a lorry driver fell from a flat-bed trailer at a company warehouse in Felixstowe.

The 60 year-old worker from mid Glamorgan, who does not wish to be named, broke his hip in three places and needed two steel pins inserted to help repair the damage following the incident on 6 February 2013.

He was reliant on crutches for three months and was unable to return to work for a further three months.

Denholm Global Logistics was today (29 April) prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found that more could and should have been done to prevent his fall.

Ipswich Magistrates’ Court heard that the driver, from a company in Wales, was collecting pallets of bricks from Denholm Global’s warehouse for onward transport. He had been asked to cover and secure the load to his flat-bed trailer with a protective sheet but as he walked along the edge of the trailer to pull the sheet across, he slipped and fell 1.5 metres to the ground.

HSE found the space occupied by the load meant the trailer’s edge protection barriers could not be raised. Despite instructing him to cover the load, Denholm Global Logistics failed to provide safeguards to prevent him from falling from the trailer.

HSE subsequently served the company with an enforcement notice requiring them to put measures in place to prevent workers falling in similar circumstances. They complied by providing two full length gantry platforms designed to fit down the side of the trailer and provide edge protection for working on the trailers of this type.

Denholm Global Logistics Ltd of Unit 6, Dooley Road, Felixstowe, was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £4,285 in costs after pleading guilty to a single breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Edward Crick, said:

“This worker has suffered significant injuries because Denholm Global Logistics Ltd did not provide any form of protection to safeguard visiting drivers from falling from the trailers.

“Their policy was to ensure that flatbed trailer loads were sheeted. They provided a dedicated area to do this, but failed to provide anything to prevent falls.

“They complied with an Improvement Notice requiring this, and had this measure been in place at the time, these injuries would have been prevented.”

Stress-related and psychological disorders in Great Britain (GB)

Work-related stress is defined as a harmful reaction people have to undue pressures and demands place on them at work.

The latest estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) show:

• The total number of cases of stress in 2011/12 was 428 000 (40%) out of a total of 1 073 000 for all work-related illnesses
• The estimated cases of work-related stress, both total and new cases, have remained broadly flat over the past decade.
• The industries that reported the highest rates of total cases of work-related stress (three-year average) were human health and social work, education and public administration and defence
• The occupations that reported the highest rates of total cases of work-related stress (three-year average) were health professionals (in particular nurses), teaching and educational professionals, and caring personal services (in particular welfare and housing associate professionals)
• The main work activities attributed by respondents as causing their work-related stress, or making it worse, was work pressure, lack of managerial support and work-related violence and bullying

 

Rates for total cases and new cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety in GB