Health
and Safety in the news this week
Newport residents voice health
concerns over dust from development
Residents in Newport have raised health and
safety concerns over the content of dust coming from a construction site.
The brownfield site, formerly Whiteheads
Steelworks, runs alongside the heavily-populated Mendalgief Road as well as two
schools and a retirement home. Around
500 homes are set to be built by Walters Group in a £75 million Welsh
Government-backed development from Tirion Homes.
“I was out in the garden the other day trying
to enjoy a cup of tea and our table was covered in the stuff,” said Mr Doig.
"We’ve been having this since December and I’ve had enough. The concrete is being smashed up into a fine
powder and it’s getting everywhere. We're
all breathing this stuff in and we've got no idea what's in it."
Other residents along Mendalgief Road have
also noticed ‘high’ levels of dust on their cars and windows.
Bill Barnett, 70, said he and his wife
Irene, 66, have been 'plagued' by the dust which is getting into their home. He said they have both been to the GP three
times with chest problems which they suspect is due to the levels of dust. Mr Barnett said: "The dust is constant -
it's black and brown. You can feel it
like sand in your mouth. We can't open
any of the windows because of it even though it's stifling."
The couple said they have been spending
around £10 a week to clean both of their cars due to the constant dust.
Councillor Ibrahim Hayat said himself and
other Newport City Council members shared the
concerns of his constituents.
Cllr Hayat said: “Within minutes of being
in the area I can feel it against my chest and in my eyes, so I can’t imagine
what it's like for those who live here. We just don’t know what is in this stuff – for
all we know it could lead to health problems a few years down the line."
Councillor Hayat added that a project
manager from Walters is reportedly organising an 'urgent public meeting' for an
unspecified date.
Environmental health officers from Newport
council visited the site following concerns raised by residents and said they
have advised contractor on how to keep dust levels down.
A council spokesman said: "Newport
City Council is satisfied that the contractors are following the correct
working practices. We will continue to
work with them to ensure dust emissions are minimised and managed
appropriately."
A spokesman for Tirion Group said the
council's environmental health officers have been 'satisfied that the site
complies with all necessary environmental standards on every visit.'
He said: "At Whiteheads we are working
closely with remediation contractors Walters UK to ensure minimal disturbance
is caused to local residents while the site is prepared for construction, and
that the highest safety standards are adhered to. Walters has worked with Celtic Technologies
throughout the remediation process to ensure that the levels of on-site soil
and dust are monitored constantly, and to ensure that they pose no danger to
local residents or the general public."
He added Tirion has conducted a timetable
of regular consultation meetings with local residents and will continue to do
so in the future.
Source: South Wales Argus
HSE prosecution round up:
School fined after worker fell
from height
A school in Brentwood has pleaded guilty to breaching health and
safety regulations after a worker was injured as he fell from a roof.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard how in January 2014 a maintenance
team at the school was working to replace components on a bay window of a
residential flat within the school grounds. A 63-year-old employee was working on the roof
of the bay window when his foot got caught and he fell approximately 2.6 metres
to the ground below. He was taken to
hospital and was found to have suffered injuries including a broken collarbone
and chipped vertebrae.
An investigation by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the
incident found that there were no effective guardrails or any other means of
protection to prevent workers from falling from the roof. There were no supervisory arrangements and the
work was not carried out in a safe manner.
Brentwood School Charitable Incorporated Organisation,
Brentwood, Essex, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at
Height Regulations 2005, and was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay £1,477 in
costs.
Security firms fined over death
of security guard
Two security companies have been fined after a security
guard died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Javaid Iqbal, a 29 year old father of three, was employed by
London based KK Security Services Ltd as a security guard on a
construction site in Leigh, Wigan. KK
Security were sub-contracted by Veritas Security (Southern) Ltd, a Southampton
based company, despite it being written into the contract from the client that
no sub-contracting would take place.
Liverpool Magistrates’ Court heard that during the early hours
of 6th December 2014, the site’s generator failed in sub-zero
temperatures and, in an attempt to keep warm, Mr Iqbal lit some barbecue coals
in a wheelbarrow which he placed in a 20 foot steel container used as the site
office. Mr Iqbal was found dead by
police a few hours later having died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The court also heard that Mr Iqbal had made a number of
attempts to re-start the site generator and had sought assistance from
both his employers but neither had provided any meaningful assistance
to him.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found
that KK Securities Limited failed to provide a management system to
protect the welfare and safety of their employees, particularly lone workers. No real provision had been made by the company
for emergency support, the only option open to Mr Iqbal being to ring his
employer who was hundreds of miles away and could offer no practical
assistance.
The investigation also found Veritas Security (Southern) Limited
failed to put proper arrangements in place with the site occupier for emergency
situations outside office hours, such as a loss of power or heating.
HSE Principal Inspector Neil Jamieson said after the hearing:
“Mr Iqbal should have been required to ring and speak to his
company every hour or have some form of panic button. His calls were not being
monitored. Instead of this he was simply required to text in every hour
stating that all was well.
“This tragic death could have been so easily avoided had either
KK Securities Limited or Veritas Security (Southern) Limited made adequate
arrangement to regularly check on Mr Iqbal’s welfare during the quiet
hours. Instead, it appears he was left to fend for himself”.
KK Security Services Ltd, of One Canada Square, Canary Wharf,
London, pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at
Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £8,000 with £ 4,854 costs.
Veritas Security (Southern) Ltd, of St Anne Street, Salisbury,
Wiltshire, pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at
Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £8,000 with £6,220 costs.
Both parties were also required to pay an additional £120
victims surcharge.
Diecasting firm fined after
worker suffers serious burns
Manchester aluminium diecasting producer Presbar Diecastings Ltd, has been fined £140,000 after a worker suffered life threatening injuries when he became trapped in a machine.
Manchester Crown Court heard that on 7 July 2015 the worker had
entered the middle of the aluminium diecasting machine between the furnace pot
and the front bar to clear a build-up of metal. Whilst carrying out this routine procedure the
robot arm started to move, the worker tried to move out of the way but was
trapped by the ladle containing 400 degrees centigrade molten metal
attached to the robot arm. He suffered a cardiac arrest and
fourth degree burns.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the
machine had only been partially guarded making access to the ladle
possible. This was despite there being a risk assessment in place at the
time of the incident identifying the hazard of contact or entrapment with the
ladle.
Presbar Diecasting Ltd of Store Street, Manchester pleaded
guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment
Regulations 1998.
The company was fined £140,000 and ordered to pay £9,788.56
costs and £120 victim surcharge.
Speaking after the hearing HSE Principal Inspector Mike
Sebastian said:
“A man suffered life changing injuries which could have been
prevented if the machine had been properly guarded. Employers should ensure that they regularly
check, assess and review the guarding on their machinery to ensure that all
access to dangerous parts in prevented.”
Worker suffers serious burns
after clothing catches fire
A foundry based in Batley has been fined after a worker suffered
serious burns when his clothing caught fire.
Bradford Crown Court heard how an employee of Batley Foundry
Limited was undertaking work involving the use of isopropanol and a paint-like
solution. The bucket containing the solution caught fire which then set
light to his clothes, causing serious burns.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into
the incident which occurred on 5 August 2014 found that the company failed to
provide adequate training, work equipment and personal protective equipment
(PPE).
Batley Foundry Limited, of Warwick Road, Batley, pleaded guilty
to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and
was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay costs of £9000.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector John Boyle said:
“A worker was left with serious injuries as a result of
this incident. Had the company taken a
number of simple measures prior to the work activity taking
place – such as the provision of suitable work equipment, training and
personal protective equipment – then it may well have been avoided.”
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