Health And Safety Topics | Tutor Care Blog

The dangers of working at height

Posted: May 15th, 2012 by Craig

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Working at height presents obvious risks to those who undertake it, making it essential for employers to provide safety measures designed to reduce the risks that workers are exposed to. Unfortunately for a roofer from Porthleven, his employer had done little to ensure his safety when he asked him to undertake re-roofing works at an industrial building in Penryn. He died after falling through a fragile asbestos cement roof, falling eight metres to the floor below. He was taken to… Read more »

HSE reviews guidance on portable appliance testing

Posted: May 14th, 2012 by Eloise

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The HSE have issued revised guidance regarding the electrical testing of portable appliances due to concerns that low-risk businesses are paying too much to have them tested yearly. It is thought that unnecessary electrical testing is costing low-risk businesses around thirty million pounds a year. Although the law does not currently stipulate yearly testing, companies offering the service sometimes encourage businesses to commit to annual testing that is over the top. The law does require businesses to maintain electrical equipment… Read more »

Work-related deaths figure just the tip of the iceberg

Posted: May 1st, 2012 by Craig

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According to the General Secretary of the union Unite, the real number of work-related deaths last year is eight times the official figure. Len McCluskey made the remarks as a report was published in time for Workers’ Memorial Day on April 28th. The aim of Workers’ Memorial Day is to raise awareness of the preventable nature of many workplace incidents and of any campaigns to reduce the risk of accident or illness in the workplace. This year, unions were firmly… Read more »

The dangers of working with lead

Posted: April 28th, 2012 by Craig

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The dangers of working with lead are well-known and well-documented: if exposure to lead is not controlled or prevented, levels in the blood can become dangerously high. It is extremely toxic and can have an adverse effect on many parts of the body, resulting in symptoms including: • Aggressive and irritable behaviour and insomnia • Loss of appetite, constipation and abdominal pain • Headaches, anaemia and lethargy It is particularly dangerous for children, affecting their development; while high levels in… Read more »

Bedford dry cleaners fined for putting workers at risk

Posted: April 24th, 2012 by Dermot

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In July of last year, inspectors from The Health and Safety Executive received an alert from an Environmental Health Officer at Bedford Borough Council. When they visited the premises of the dry cleaning chain, they were horrified to discover that the gas-fired steam boiler presented a risk to those who worked there. The boiler was found to be severely corroded and several burners were not working correctly. The flue was cracked and damaged, and inspectors concluded that both workers and… Read more »

Lack of training has tragic consequences for tree feller

Posted: April 22nd, 2012 by Dermot

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Tree felling is an obviously high risk activity, requiring knowledge, expertise and the right equipment. It is important to provide operatives with adequate health and safety training so they are able to carry out tree felling work in a safe and effective way. Unfortunately, this was not the case in Worksop in 2009, where a sixty year old man was participating in the felling of a large tree. The tree did not fall in the direction the workers had anticipated,… Read more »

Fall from cherry picker results in fine for employer

Posted: April 19th, 2012 by Dermot

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A construction worker had a very narrow escape when he fell from the cage of the cherry picker he was working on in an incident of March last year. The dramatic accident saw the worker fall four metres from the cage, into the path of a moving bus. He was dragged for fifteen metres partially under the bus before the driver noticed that something was amiss and came to a halt. The worker suffered from severe injuries to his head,… Read more »

Building firm prosecuted after worker’s fall

Posted: April 13th, 2012 by Eloise

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A sixty two year old worker sustained serious injuries when the scaffolding plank he was standing on at a site in Warwickshire snapped. He fell two and half metres, landing on a joist and breaking his pelvis in two places. His left thigh was cut almost halfway through the muscle. The Health and Safety Investigators found that the worker’s employer failed to show employees either a risk assessment or a method of work statement before the incident. The damaged scaffold… Read more »

Accident ends carpenter’s career

Posted: April 12th, 2012 by Dermot

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A self-employed carpenter was severely injured while using an unguarded bench saw as he worked on the refurbishment of flats in Westminster. He was feeding timber through the bench saw when the wood slipped and the twenty two year old caught his hand on the saw blade, severing half of his little and ring fingers. The injuries resulted in a series of operations and ongoing treatment to repair nerves and tendons. It also resulted in the termination of the man’s… Read more »

£9,000 fine for builder who failed to prevent customer’s fall

Posted: April 5th, 2012 by Craig

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A Sheffield builder has found out the hard way what can happen if you fail to follow even the most basis health and safety training. In 2010, he was working on a domestic refurbishment in Sheffield, and replaced the customer’s staircase. Unfortunately, he failed to fit a temporary handrail and left the staircase open. The owner of the house later suffered a fall from the top of the staircase, crashing three metres to the floor below. He sustained multiple and… Read more »

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