Welcome to the latest edition of Construction Infonet.
Construction Infonet is a free eBulletin from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to provide a regular update on health and safety issues for all in the construction industry.
HSE has recently issued several safety alerts which have relevance to the construction industry. Please read them in full to check if there are actions you need to take.
HSE recently completed a fatal accident investigation following the failure of the ceiling of a frozen food store. The store was constructed in the 1970s and the ceiling panels were bolted to a metal support frame. The investigation revealed that the bolts had failed primarily due to fatigue and corrosion.
A fatality during the tipping-out of a ‘builders’ skip has identified a potential danger whereby fabrication of the skip can result in a lip on which tipping hooks may ‘falsely’ engage.
Ladder Exchange content is helping to remove dodgy ladders from Britain's workplaces This year's initiative ends on 30th November – so if you have a ladder which is broken, damaged or bent, hurry now to exchange it for a safe, new one at one of our partner companies.
New statistics released by HSE show that despite a significant fall in the number of recorded deaths and injuries construction is still one of Britain's most dangerous industries. Falls from height remain the biggest cause of fatalities in construction, with the other main causes being struck by a moving/falling object, being struck by a moving vehicle and collapses.
Read details of some recent HSE prosecutions and enforcement action in the construction sector and find sources of relevant advice.
17 November 2010 - A foam manufacturer has been fined after a worker fell through a roof at its Derbyshire factory.
The worker was repairing a leaking roof at Recticel Ltd. He had fixed the leak and was walking back down the roof when he fell through a fragile roof light.
The HSE investigation found Recticel Ltd had failed to properly plan the work and consider the risks from fragile surfaces. The company admitted breaching regulations 4(1) and 9(1) of the Work at Height Regulations and was fined a total of £13,000 and £5,098 costs.
10 November 2010 - Two Black Country construction firms have been fined after a worker was severely injured by falling timber.
Neil Anson, a 44 year old self-employed plasterer from Wolverhampton was struck by timber roof trusses being unloaded by a mobile crane from a lorry trailer.
HSE prosecuted Kent Road Construction Limited and Mr S K Sharma, trading as Fortmere Construction. Kent Road Construction Ltd was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £4,496 costs while Mr Shiv Sharma, trading as Fortmere Construction, was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £899 costs.
17 November 2010 - A Cardiff-based recycling company has ordered to pay over £230,000 after an employee died following an incident at its premises.
John Penhalagan, 44, was employed by Celsa Manufacturing (UK) when he was struck by a crane hook weighing 3.7 tonnes used to convey ladles of molten steel in the firms new 'melt' shop.
An HSE investigation found that while there was no mechanical defect with the crane, the hooks were able to move at head height near to operators on the ground without adequate safeguards.
Celsa Manufacturing (UK) pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of £36,294.38.
11 November 2010 - A Birmingham heating company has been convicted after one of its workers suffered serious burns from a power cable.
The worker was using a hand held mini breaker to dig through concrete in an alleyway when he struck an 11kv cable under the pavement. The resulting flash from the power cable caused the man to suffer second degree burns to his face and neck.
The Magna Heating Company Limited which is now in liquidation and no longer trading pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 The company was fined £1.
15 November 2010 - A Solihull construction firm, Pacestone Construction Limited was prosecuted after one of its workers suffered burns when his drill hit a power cable.
The worker was using a pneumatic drill to dig a trench when he struck an 11kv cable under the pavement. He suffered severe burns from the resulting.
Pacestone Construction Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 34(3) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 and was fined £13,000 and ordered to pay £3,870 costs.
22 November 2010 - Two workers were injured after plunging into a hotel basement when the stone staircase they were demolishing collapsed under their feet.
Paul Irvine, 44, and Frank Dever, 46 were removing individual stair treads, weighing between 120 and 150 kg, by breaking them up with sledgehammers when the staircase collapsed. The men fell almost four metres to the basement below and were struck by the falling debris.
Ossian Construction Ltd of Paisley pleaded guilty to breaching section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by failing to ensure that there was a safe system of work for the demolition and not providing their employees with the information, instruction, training and supervision they needed to ensure their health and safety. They were fined £6,000.
14 year old boy injured by overturned dumper truck
23 November 2010 - Kevin Banks, a building contractor from Stroud, employed a 14 year old boy to work for him on a site. It is illegal for children who are still of compulsory school age to work on construction sites.
The boy overturned a one-tonne dumper truck when driving down a slope. He was not wearing a seatbelt and suffered serious leg and foot injuries.
An HSE investigation found Mr Banks had failed to properly plan, manage and monitor the work to ensure the boy and others were not put at risk. Furthermore, anyone operating site dumpers should prove their competence to do so by holding an industry-recognised CPCS driver's card."
Kevin Banks, trading as KB Building Services, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with section 13(2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 and was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,052.
As part of the Safe and Sound at Work “Do Your Bit” initiative, HSE is providing subsidised training to help organisations to start or improve their arrangements for involving workers in health and safety.
There are limited places available and the training must be completed by March 2011.
For more information, call Premier Partnership on 01302 349629 or email details.The following information has been added to the HSE website:
Improve the health and safety of your business by attending a health and safety event near you.
Places currently available at the following Working Well Together (WWT) events.
Plus many more events over the forthcoming year.
We issue eBulletins on a regular basis and would welcome your feedback and views as well as any suggestions/contributions for future articles.
Thank you to those who have provided feedback on the previous editions - we have tried to incorporate as many of the suggestions as possible.
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