Risk, Health and Safety Information

Our new round up of some of the more light-hearted H&S news:

Health & Safety gone mad…!

A local council has suggested that cows be dressed in high-viz reflective jackets to ensure they can be spotted by motorists at night.

Several cows have been struck by cars on the green at Hungerford, Berks, and last month one was so badly hurt it had to be put down by a vet.

Martin Crane, the mayor of Hungerford, went further and proposed the animals wear strings of flashing lights.

Local farmers have spent years trying to persuade the local authority to introduce traffic calming measures to stop motorists tearing through the common at high speed - not dressing up the cattle!

 

HSE press releases this week:

Manufacturer fined after worker’s roof fall

A company has been sentenced after exposing a worker a risk of fall from a roof from its premises.

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard that on 30 March 2010 an employee undertook roof cleaning work but Allied Vehicles Ltd had failed to ensure that work at height was properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a manner which was so far as was reasonably practicable, safe. 

The court was told that Allied Vehicles Ltd had no measures in place to prevent the risk of falling from the edge of the roof in question and falling through rooflights, exposing the employee to the risk of injury.

Allied Vehicles Ltd of Balmore Road, Glasgow pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and Section 33(1)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £20,000 at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

 

Roofing contractor fined after employee fell through fragile roof

A roofing contractor has been fined after his employee fell seven metres through a roof on which he was working.

Sole trader Leighton Johnson and his employee were completing a job on a fragile roof at a factory in Kings Lynn on 11 August 2014.

The 26-year-old employee was kneeling on a scaffolding board on top of the roof when he fell forward through a roof light. He fell seven metres and landed on a pallet stacked with ceramic mugs below.

He suffered injuries to his back and sternum and wore a full body brace for six weeks after the incident.

Kings Lynn Magistrates’ Court heard how the defendant had not done what the law required – to ensure that work on a fragile roof such as this was planned and managed to ensure the safety of those involved.

HSE’s investigation found that there was no fall prevention or fall mitigation system in place and that the injured person was not harnessed or attached to anything, and was not wearing any safety equipment. There was a lack of any health and safety management or planning for the job and no adequate training or safety equipment had been provided.

Leighton Johnson was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £3,415 in prosecution costs after pleading guilty to breaches of Regulations 4(1) and 9(2) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. He must also pay a £300 victim surcharge.