Myth: Health and safety has gone mad!

The reality:

There are few greater myths than that health and safety has gone mad.

During the last four years we've debunked some truly ridiculous misrepresentations of health and safety, including the banning of conkers, firemen's poles and park benches. We've scotched scare stories about excessive safety signs, rebutted rumours about onerous risk assessments and kicked back at claims that kids need to be wrapped in cotton wool.

This trivialisation concerns us.

It confuses businesses about their responsibilities and workers about their rights.

HSE publishes advice setting out the sensible and proportionate steps we can all take to deal with workplace risks properly.

Remember, health and safety is about saving lives, not stopping them.

If it is too late and you or a member of your family has been injured in an accident at work in the past three years, as a result of inadequate health and safety provisions, call our specialist personal injury solicitors on 0800 0384 384 or click here to book a free no obligation meeting

Hurt roofer wins £70,000 payout for fall

I have just read an article about a dad-of-one, who is getting back on his feet after getting £70,000 compensation for a horrific accident at work.

The 28-year-old fell off a mill roof and landed feet first, shattering his heels and having to be confined to a wheelchair for two months.

He says the cash he was awarded as an out-of-court settlement from Halifax-based Calder Brook Estates Ltd, who owned the mill he had been working on without scaffolding, has come as “a relief” but is nothing to celebrate because it has almost all been spent on re-paying debts and family loans, taken when he was unable to work.

It highlights the difficulties caused when you are involved in an accident at work and sustain injuries.

Money was so tight for him and his family that financial problems spiralled and led to him getting depressed. Unfortunately, this is not unusual.

If 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 & Safety: All aboard

An interesting article came to my attention today and it got me thinking.

An employee of a main Ferry provider to the Isle of Wight has been dismissed for gross misconduct.

The Ferry provider has said "The charge related to a serious breach of health and safety involving the employee hanging on to the mezzanine deck whilst it was being lifted. The incident occurred in broad daylight and potentially in view of customers and was considered by both the Hearing Officer and the Appeal Hearing Officer to be a serious breach of Health & Safety regulations warranting dismissal for gross misconduct, especially bearing in mind the employee’s position sailing as a Chief Engineer. A secondary charge relating to wearing of PPE was also considered and would have warranted disciplinary action short of dismissal if considered in isolation."

They go on to "stress that safety is crucial to our business, our customers and our employees, and cannot be compromised. The fact that the employee is an RMT representative was not considered as part of either the original hearing, or the appeal. Currently a ballot for strike action by RMT members is pending, and the company trust that the outcome of that ballot will show that RMT members support the view, that serious breaches of Health & Safety cannot be tolerated, by rejecting any industrial action in respect of this matter."The Ferry provider has said "The charge related to a serious breach of health and safety involving the employee hanging on to the mezzanine deck whilst it was being lifted. The incident occurred in broad daylight and potentially in view of customers and was considered by both the Hearing Officer and the Appeal Hearing Officer to be a serious breach of Health & Safety regulations warranting dismissal for gross misconduct, especially bearing in mind the employee’s position sailing as a Chief Engineer. A secondary charge relating to wearing of PPE was also considered and would have warranted disciplinary action short of dismissal if considered in isolation."

They go on to "stress that safety is crucial to our business, our customers and our employees, and cannot be compromised. The fact that the employee is an RMT representative was not considered as part of either the original hearing, or the appeal. Currently a ballot for strike action by RMT members is pending, and the company trust that the outcome of that ballot will show that RMT members support the view, that serious breaches of Health & Safety cannot be tolerated, by rejecting any industrial action in respect of this matter."

I was wondering whether the employee in question would have sought legal advice if his actions had gone wrong and he had suffered an injury?I was wondering whether the employee in question would have sought legal advice if his actions had gone wrong and he had suffered an injury?

Our specialised team here at Pannone work with a wide range of work accident related claims.  If you or a member of your family has been injured in an accident at work, call our specialist personal injury solicitors on 0800 0384 384 or click here to book a free no obligation meeting.

I find myself reading yet another article about a Fall from Height

I was reading an article this morning and was shocked at the number of breaches of Health & Safety in the workplace. If the Employer  had taken simple safety measures, the Employee would not have sustained these injuries.Again this highlights that  more attention needs to be paid to the issue of falls from height.

One thing is clear - falls from height is a serious and potentially life-threatening issue and one that nobody can afford to ignore.

Our specialised team here at Pannone work with a wide range of work accident related.  If you or a member of your family has been injured in an accident at work, call our specialist personal injury solicitors on 0800 0384 384 or click here to book a free no obligation meeting.

Another fall from height! Employers need to be more aware of the risks.

Further to my blog Falls from Height, I have recently read a further article involving an employee, who was severely injured after falling more than seven metres from a roof he was working on.

He climbed a ladder onto the roof to begin replacing the sheets and capping. A short time into the work, there was a loud crack and one of his colleagues turned around to see him disappearing through a skylight. He fell approximately eight metres to the concrete floor below.

He sustained a broken arm and wrist, and needed a bone graft as well as two operations to insert three plates and six pins. He was off work for ten months and still has continuing pain in his arm with numbness and limited movement, as well as the scars left by his operations.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that at no time before work started, or while it was ongoing, had the Employer assessed any of the risks involved or put a safe system of work in place. HSE inspectors also found that none of the workers had any safety provision while on the roof. If the Employer  had taken simple safety measures, the Employee would not have sustained these injuries.

Again this highlights that  more attention needs to be paid to the issue of falls from height. This inevitably means looking far more carefully at the equipment available to prevent these accidents. Whether it is edge protection barriers, fall arrest systems or any other type of preventative solution, all have their part to play and there are many effective systems available on today’s market.

One thing is clear - falls from height is a serious and potentially life-threatening issue and one that nobody can afford to ignore.

Our specialised team here at Pannone work with a wide range of work accident related.  If you or a member of your family has been injured in an accident at work, call our specialist personal injury solicitors on 0800 0384 384 or click here to book a free no obligation meeting.

The dangerous world of Working at Height

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work  collects occupational health and safety statistics from around the world. It claims that ‘Worldwide,

construction workers are three times more likely to be killed and twice as likely to be injured as workers in other occupations’.

This problem is as prevalent in European countries as it is elsewhere. In the UK, where legal safety requirements are arguably better than many other countries the picture is equally unacceptable, with 42 fatal injuries to construction workers in 2009/10, and 52 fatalities in 2008/09. Over 50% of all fatalities involve working at height incidents

Whatever the statistics though, anyone involved with working at height should give the subject of safety their full attention, irrespective of their location.

When faced with a construction project that involves the need to work at height, most contractors will give considerable thought to choosing the most effective and appropriate build methods and appropriate access whilst construction is taking place.

Surely then, people should give the same degree of thought and consideration to selecting the most appropriate edge protection equipment for the same project and ensuring that staff are properly trained on how to use it?

Unfortunately, this is far from the truth as the above statistics highlight. Clearly, more attention needs to be paid to the issue of falls from height. This inevitably means looking far more carefully at the equipment available to prevent these accidents. Whether it is edge protection barriers, fall arrest systems or any other type of preventative solution, all have their part to play and there are many effective systems available on today’s market.

One thing is clear - falls from height is a serious and potentially life-threatening issue and one that nobody can afford to ignore.

Our specialised team here at Pannone work with a wide range of work accident related.  If you or a member of your family has been injured in an accident at work, call our specialist personal injury solicitors on 0800 0384 384 or click here to book a free no obligation meeting.

Death at work falling from a ladder

A man has died following a fall from a ladder while carrying out work at a Flintshire engineering company, it has been reported.

Alan Smith, 64, a contractor from Manchester, was working on the Deeside Industrial Park when the accident happened last week.

He was rushed to hospital but died the next day after sustaining severe injuries. An inquest has been opened and the Health & Safety Executive Wales has been informed.

Construction is one of the country's most dangerous industries.

Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of deaths and major injuries in the construction sector in Great Britain, with more than five incidents recorded every day.

If you or a member of your family has been injured in an accident at work, whether it was caused by working at height or not, 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.