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.
Investigation of a fatal incident by HSE has identified that unintended movement of some mobile crushers can occur when there is an earth/ground fault. This can result in unintended movement of the machine track(s) and the potential for injuries from being struck by or trapped by the machine. Where damage/deterioration of the electrical control cables can lead to a risk of unintended movement, the actions outlined in the safety notice should be taken.
Read the Safety Alert in full to find out what action to take -
http://www.hse.gov.uk/safetybulletins/mobilecrushingplant.htm
HSE carried out a two-day inspection initiative, on 15 and 16 November, aimed at improving working practices on basement construction projects in four London boroughs. There have been two deaths in the last year as a result of basement construction projects in London.
The work is technically-challenging and carries substantial risk. Key safety issues include:
HSE will also be holding an awareness event on 19 January 2012, aimed at getting key health and safety messages across to those involved. Firms from the industry who wish to attend the proposed HSE event should contact:
construction-manager@bulletins.hse.gov.uk
Employment Minister Chris Grayling commissioned the independent review in March 2011 and appointed Professor Ragnar Löfstedt - Director of the King's Centre for Risk Management at King's College, London - to chair it.
Professor Löfstedt has made recommendations aimed at reducing the burden of unnecessary regulation on businesses while maintaining Britain's health and safety performance. HSE has welcomed the publication of the Löfstedt review.
Lofstedt Report - Reclaiming health and safety for all: An independent review of health and safety regulation
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/lofstedt-report.pdf
Government response to the Lofstedt Report
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/lofstedt-report-response.pdf
HSE press release
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2011/hse-lofstedt.htm
When the culture of health and safety became Bardsley Construction's number one concern, they set up a Health and Safety Consultation Committee and sought elected representatives of employee safety at site level to liaise with on-site workforce and management.
Read the case study - http://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/casestudies/bardsley.pdf
Leadership and worker involvement – What’s in it for my business?
http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/lwit/whats-in-it-for-me.htm
HSE has published the annual health and safety statistics for 2010/11.
Further information - http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/industry/construction/index.htm
Most fatal injuries in the construction industry now occur on smaller building projects involving refurbishment of existing homes and workplaces. HSE’s Construction Division has produced guidance to help smaller builders manage their health and safety risks.
Are you a smaller builder? -http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/areyou/builder.htm
Read details of some recent HSE prosecutions and enforcement action in the construction sector and find sources of relevant advice.
3 November 2011 – Three roofers were spotted working on top of a Nottingham cash and carry store without any safety equipment.
Roofing contractors SPV Road Carpet Ltd were fined £14,000 with £6,659 costs. An SPV employee was fined £480 and ordered to pay costs of £650.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2011/coi-em-256.htm
7 November 2011 - Two roofers have received suspended sentences after a Derbyshire office worker was injured when a roll of roofing felt crashed through the ceiling of her office.
Jason Lunt and Gregory Wright, both of Bloxwich , West Midlands, and pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. They both received sentences of 18 weeks, suspended for 12 months on the condition that they complete 280 hours of community service. In addition, they were both ordered to pay £2,114 costs each.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2011/coi-em-26011.htm
11 November 2011 – A roofing contractor, Hawarden Roofing Supplies & Contractors Limited, of Flintshire, has been fined £4,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,500.95p after one of its employees was injured when he fell from a garage roof.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2011/coi-w-hawardenroofing.htm
14 November 2011 - A member of the public reported a roofer to HSE after photographing him working on an industrial unit roof in Newark without any safety equipment.
Mr Hallwood, of Oldham, and his son, pleaded guilty to breaching section 4(1)(c) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. They were fined £2,500 each and ordered to pay costs of £2,604 between them.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2011/coi-em-26511.htm
14 November 2011 – A Carmarthenshire man has been fined after his employee was injured when he fell 5.5m through a fragile PVC skylight at a Carmarthenshire farm.
Anthony William John Daniel, trading as Towy Valley Fabrications was fined £6,500 and ordered to pay £2,651 in costs.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2011/coi-w-anthonydaniel.htm
Assessing all work at height - http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/assess.htm
Roof work - http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/roofwork.htm
25 November 2011 - Three construction companies were fined after a worker helping build Arsenal’s Ashburton Grove stadium was injured so badly, his leg had to be amputated.
A dumper truck drove over the right leg of Michael O’Donovan, 41, from Bromley, while he was kneeling to clean steel ‘shuttering’ used to form reinforced structures and pillars.
Principal contractor Sir Robert McAlpine Limited was fined £19,000 and ordered to pay costs of £10,000.
Sub-contractors McNicholas Plc (now Skanska Utilities Ltd) was fined £17,000 and ordered to pay costs of £10,000.
Maylim Limited, sub-contracted by McNicholas Plc to undertake the work on the South Bridge area of the site, was fined £18,000 and ordered to pay costs of £10,000.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2011/coi-ldn-arsenal.htm
Traffic management on site - http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/vehiclestrafficmanagement.htm
7 November 2011 – A Birmingham handyman has been prosecuted after releasing asbestos fibres while refurbishing a kitchen at a flat in Solihull. William Rogers, of Yardley, was fined £600 and ordered to pay £1,799 costs.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2011/coi-wm-52911.htm
4 November 2011 – A Cheshire builder has been fined £2,500 and ordered to pay £3,500 in prosecution costs after a worker was badly burned in a gas explosion at Macclesfield Town's training ground.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2011/coi-nw-24leonard.htm
4 November 2011 - An engineer called in to investigate a gas leak in an office block was nearly killed by carbon monoxide poisoning following faulty work on a boiler. Gas engineers, BR Greenwell Heating and Plumbing Services of Llantrisant, were fined £5,000 in total and ordered to pay costs of £8,000.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2011/coi-w-brgreenwell.htm
Domestic gas health and safety - http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/index.htm
The Health for Work Adviceline is a free service co-ordinated by NHS Plus and offers tailored occupational health advice and support to the managers of small and medium-sized enterprises who are experiencing problems with employee ill health.
The Health for Work Adviceline website contains many links to relevant HSE guidance on managing sickness absence and workplace health advice.
http://www.health4work.nhs.uk/
Health and Safety Newsletter -
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/newsletter-nov11.pdf
Complaints about health and safety – find out more about what action to take, who to contact and what happens after the complaint is made.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/workplace-complaints.htm
Improve the health and safety of your business by attending a health and safety event near you. Most of the events are FREE and all provide an opportunity to meet like-minded people, see interesting new equipment and get confidential advice.
Places are available at the following Working Well Together (WWT) events:
Plus many more WWT events over the forthcoming year: http://wwt.uk.com/eventsall/2/2010.aspx
Find out how you can get involved in a WWT Group in your area
We hope you like the changes to the eBulletin. Please feel free to pass it on to colleagues, post it on notice boards, leave a copy in site huts or add the link to your website!
HSE Construction eBulletin - http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/ebulletins/index.htm
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