Case Study Shows Importance of Health and Safety Training

An accident case study carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), in which two employees were seriously burnt when working alongside flammable solvent fumes, is being used to promote the necessary confined space training which may have prevented the accident. The solvent fumes were ignited by an electric sander whilst the two workers removed paint from a small yacht which was under repair.

There is a very high risk of serious injury when working in such confined spaces and using such hazardous substances, and the correct health and safety training for both supervisor and workers would have assisted the employees in making the decisions that may have averted the accident.

The investigation showed that the employer failed to carry out the adequate risk assessment for entry into the yacht, which is considered to be a confined space.

There was no safe system of work in place for cleaning the paint from the surfaces, and the employees within the confined space did not have suitable work equipment for the task they were carrying out.

The overall safety of the employees when working within the confined space was severely compromised, and the case study helps to illustrate the very real dangers which come as a result of working in such conditions without the correct training.

If it you or a member of your family has been injured in an accident at work in the past three years call our specialist personal injury solicitors on 0800 0384 384 or click here to book a free no obligation meeting.

Man's arm torn off at work in horror accident in Kent

A waste management and recycling company has been fined after a worker lost most of his arm on an unguarded conveyor system at a Kent quarry.

An agency employee was attempting to clear a blockage at Pinden Quarry, in Longfield, near Dartford, when the incident occurred on December 20, 2010.

Dartford Magistrates heard on the 17^th May 2012 that a conveyor belt used to transfer waste into a sorting shed was juddering and virbrating, making sorting difficult, after a driving roller was blocked by stones.

The Latvian national, contracted to work the company, which owns the quarry, should have stopped the machine before removing the debris. Instead he removed the stones with the power still running and his left arm became trapped and was torn with extreme force.

It was ripped from his body from between his shoulder and elbow – leaving just a quarter of the limb intact. The injured person was airlifted to hospital for an emergency operation, but surgeons were unable to reattach his arm. He has been unable to return to work since.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident and found there was no guarding in place to prevent access to dangerous moving parts on the conveyor. The employee had also received no training on how to safely clear blockages.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Andrew McGill said:

"This was a horrific accident that was entirely preventable had appropriate guarding been fitted, and had the employee been properly trained in how to clear a blockage.

"He knows to his cost that dangerous moving parts should be properly restricted when in operation, and isolated if access is required. However, it was the responsibility of the employer to ensure that happened – which it clearly didn't on this occasion. Safe systems of work must be of paramount importance at all times."

If it you or a member of your family has been injured in an accident at work in the past three years call our specialist personal injury solicitors on 0800 0384 384 or click here to book a free no obligation meeting.

Health and Safety Expert Warns Hoteliers: “Compromise your guests’ safety at peak times and pay the price”

Anyone in the hospitality business will put the safety and welfare of their guests at the top of their priorities.

When the hotel is packed, and all staff are run off their feet and everyone wants some of their time, do normal standards go out of the window?

Health and safety should be paramount, however busy the hotel is – the worst time for anything to go wrong is when it is already at capacity!

So, hotelier’s should ensure that simple, sensible and pragmatic are done to make sure guests have a great time and don’t end up in a hospital bed instead of one of hotels.

In summary, sensible and simple precautions will help to keep guests safe and happy – and because they’ve had a great time, they’ll want to be guests again.

Good health and safety is always good for business.

If it you or a member of your family has been injured in an accident in the past three years call our specialist personal injury solicitors on 0800 0384 384 or click here to book a free no obligation meeting.

Accident at Work: Teen blinded at work offers his boss forgiveness

I have just read the inspiring story of Aaron Wilton-Jones, who has shown remarkable resilience since gaining a prosthetic eye after a workplace accident.

The accident happened in New Zealand but, I think the story will inspire others who have been involved in accidents at work.

Aaron Wilton-Jones was blinded in his left eye by a chisel on his second day of work but is willing to forgive his former employer who pleaded guilty over the incident.

Aaron hasn't heard from Kerry Bruce Duggan, trading as Mr Alifix, since before the operation where his damaged eye was removed. He has said that

"It'd be nice if he gave me a call or something and wanted to meet up for coffee,'' the 18-year-old said.

Aaron is prepared to forgive Mr Duggan, following in a family tradition of forgiveness.

Aaron said the incident in which he lost his eye was also an accident.

The Department of Labour said Mr Duggan taught Aaron to remove rubber seals using a screwdriver but gave him a chisel for the task when they were working at the gym. The court heard that as Aaron tried to remove the seals, he slipped and the chisel hit his eye. Aaron said Mr Duggan hadn't mentioned anything about wearing safety glasses.

Aaron had surgery and was told it was unlikely he'd keep his eye. Aaron had a second operation to remove his left eye in November and a prosthetic one was put in its place in December.

An investigation found a few simple measures could have significantly reduced the potential for harm and that Mr Duggan failed to adequately prepare his employee to carry out this work.

Aaron said that

"It took me a few months to get used to it all and get my judgment back. In the dark, walking upstairs, that's hard,'' he said.

"But I'm young and have picked up using one eye ... We only live once. You can't let anything hold you back, there's so much more out there.''

If it you or a member of your family has been injured in an accident in the past three years call our specialist personal injury solicitors on 0800 0384 384 or click here to book a free no obligation meeting.

Health and safety training: What you need to know

Why is health and safety training important?

Over 200 people are killed each year in accidents at work and over one million people are injured. Over two million suffer illnesses caused by, or made worse by, their work.

Preventing accidents and ill health caused by work is a key priority for everyone at work.

Providing health and safety information and training helps to:

• ensure employees are not injured or made ill by the work they do;
• develop a positive health and safety culture, where safe and healthy working becomes second nature to everyone;
• find out how health and safety can be better managed;
• ensure that all legal duties to protect the health and safety of employees are met.

Effective training:

• will contribute towards making employees competent in health and safety;
• can help avoid the distress that accidents and ill health cause;
• can help avoid the financial costs of accidents and occupational ill health.

The law requires that employers provide whatever information, instruction and training is needed to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of employees.

If it you or a member of your family has been injured in an accident in the past three years call our specialist personal injury solicitors on 0800 0384 384 or click here to book a free no obligation meeting.