Safety drive across West Yorkshire businesses bring dangers to light

Date:

15 November 2010

Release No:

YH/259/10

More than 70 firms across West Yorkshire have been told to make safety improvements to protect their workers after an intensive two-week inspection initiative.

Flammable liquids not being stored properly, missing or inadequate guards around machines and uncontrolled exposure to fumes from welding, were some of the hazards identified by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authority officers who visited nearly 450 companies across Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield

Eight of the visits resulted in Prohibition Notices being served - meaning dangerous activities had to be stopped and action taken before work was allowed to continue.

In addition 63 premises were served with Improvement Notices that require businesses to correct or improve failings within a given timescale or risk further enforcement action.

One firm in Kirklees is under further investigation and could be prosecuted as a result of the serious dangers uncovered by Inspectors.

HSE Principal Inspector David Green said:

"It's encouraging that the majority of businesses we visited did appear to be doing all the right things to protect their workers. However, despite making companies in the target areas aware, in advance, that we were carrying out inspections we did still find a significant number of unsafe working practices that put employees at risk of illness or injury.

"We always prefer to offer guidance and advice to business to help them operate within the law but we will take enforcement action when we find the health and safety of employees are being put at risk."

Margaret Durkin, of Kirklees Council's Public Protection Services, said: "We recognize that most businesses visited by inspectors were generally compliant with the legislation and welcomed advice and guidance on offer. It was also useful to forge closer links with colleagues in HSE and I'm sure those will come in very useful in future."

Inspection results were:

There were 2,635 major workplace injuries recorded in the region last year, compared to 2,863 in 2008/9, and 23 deaths - one fewer than the previous year. The estimated number of people suffering from work-related illnesses rose by 18,000 from 104,000 in 2008/09 to 122,000 last year.

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice; promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice; and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk
2. Regulation 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 states that "...it shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees..."

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