Articles on Working Safely, News of Injury & Illness and Useful Information
Life-altering Crush Injuries at Work Sees Worcester Waste Management Firm Penalized
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In the world of waste management, where heavy machinery and tight schedules often collide, safety should always be a top priority. However, a recent incident involving an employee in Worcester has thrown this notion into stark relief. An unfortunate accident at work left one maintenance worker with life-altering crush injuries from a falling loading shovel […]
Scottish Chemical Company Fined £100,000 for Causing Workplace Burns
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A chemical company was penalized £100,000 for causing an employee to sustain workplace burns — resulting in permanent scarring — from a steam hose in Motherwell. On October 23, 2019, a 23-year-old employee of Dundas Chemical Company (Mosspark) Limited suffered burns on his back and other body parts while cleaning a process water tank. He […]
The Dangers of Working at Heights: Lessons from a Flat Roof Fall
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Working at heights can be a thrilling job, but it comes with inherent risks that can lead to catastrophic consequences. A recent incident involving a fall from a roof serves as a stark reminder of these dangers. Falls from roofs are not just accidents—they’re preventable tragedies that highlight the critical need for safety measures in […]
Manchester Workers Exposed to Asbestos Risk by Employer
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A construction firm based in Manchester — A1 Property Maintenance Management Limited — has received a fine after their workers were exposed to asbestos whilst on a construction project at the former Unicorn Public House located on Liverpool Road in Eccles. During a standard visit to the Unicorn Pub on 16 May 2022, an HSE […]
Durham Waste Firm Employee Run Over by Excavator
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A waste management company in County Durham has received a fine following an incident where a 24-year-old employee was run over by an excavator. The company, Farm XS (Northern) Limited, was sentenced for the occurrence on January 29, 2024. The incident occurred while the employee was performing his duties, which involved sorting and moving waste […]
Rail Worker Crushed to Death Whilst Cleaning Machine
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In late November 2020, Kevin Mauger was crushed to death whilst maintaining a machine at Network Rail’s Long Welded Rail Depot around Eastleigh – near Southampton. Mauger’s task was to clean the interior of a butt-welder. A butt-welder is takes two sections of rail track and welds them together. Whilst under the impression the machine […]
Unnecessary Workplace Practice Sees an Employee’s Fingers Severed by a Bandsaw
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An employee who replaced and lubricated a bandsaw – a totally unnecessary practice – has had his fingers severed in an accident at work. The worker had replaced the blade of the saw after it had begun to squeal and emit smoke. Whilst applying the lubricant to the new blade with a cardboard tube of […]
Driver Crushed By Vehicle At Work Suffers Severe Damage To Arm
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During October 2019, an employee of Stagecoach Devon Ltd was crushed by a vehicle in his depot. A culture of complacency cost the man usage of his arm. It had become custom for drivers to reverse without a banksman or rely on other, untrained drivers. Buses would reverse out of the depot to become ready […]
Farmer’s 4-Year-Old Nephew Killed in Fatal Telehandler Accident
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Brian Nutter has received a suspended prison sentenced after a preventable telehandler accident killed his young nephew on the family farm. The workplace accident took place in 2019 and involved the young boy – Harry – riding on the footplate of a telehandler. As Brian Nutter turned the vehicle in the field, Harry fell from […]
Hermes Depot Worker Dies from Crushing Injury Sustained by two Trailers
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In March 2019, a night shift employee of Hermes’ Motherwell depot was killed after a crushing injury. The accident was caused by being stuck between two loaded trailers, one of which was moving. David Kennedy was crushed in the chest, which lead to a collapsed lung, several fractured ribs, and other serious internal injuries. These […]
Scaffolding Company injures two employees after scaffold collapse.
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A company, operating in London and based in Kent, called RPS Scaffolding Ltd, has been fined after non-conforming scaffolding collapsed to cause injury to two workers in August 2020. The scaffold was erected without the necessary strength and stability calculations, leading to an entirely preventable workplace accident. The workers were on site to decorate a […]
Employee Found Fatally Injured by Side Loading Forklift Truck
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A manufacturing company, Cutting Edge Trading Ltd, has been fined after their employee, Mitchell Poutney, was fatally injured when a forklift truck crushed him. An HSE investigation into the fatal injury caused by workplace machinery found that the forks which crushed Poutney were unsupported. They also observed that there was no safe working system in […]
HSE Looks to Bring Down Occupational Lung Disease Rates by Tackling Wood Dust Exposure
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The HSE has begun inspecting businesses across the UK that work with wood to reduce the rates of Occupational Lung Disease – caused by wood dust – one of the deadliest industrial diseases affecting UK workers. Woodworking companies, such as those operating sawmills, manufacturing composite wood board and carpenters are all likely to have an […]
Faulty Brakes Seriously Injure Construction Employee Operating Truck
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A company’s failure to maintain the working condition of a dumper truck has caused and employee to suffer serious personal injuries. Nelson Plant Hire, of Andover in Hampshire, neglected to keep the brakes of a key vehicle in working condition and have since been fined by HSE for the incident involving the faulty equipment. The […]
Teaching Assistant Falls Through Ceiling and Breaks Back in School
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A junior school in Todmorden has been sentenced after a teaching assistant fell through a fragile ceiling. The employee dropped four metres down through a loft space above the school hall, resulting in serious personal injury. The fall from height accident occurred after the TA, who entered the loft space to look for a spare […]
Boss of Scrap Company Runs Over Employee with Forklift Truck
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Both a vehicle scrap company, and its sole director, Ghol Mohammad Navabi, have been fined after causing serious crushing injuries to an employee whilst operating a forklift truck. The unnamed worker of Cambridge-based Queensferry Car Breakers Ltd suffered multiple fractures in both their legs in the workplace accident. On 1st March 2021, the employee was […]
18-Year-Old Injured by Negligent Recycling Company Suffers Several Broken Bones
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After a young employee was injured clearing a blockage, HSE has fined the recycling company responsible for the workplace accident. The employee fell through a waste chute, 4 meters above concrete. A fellow employee spotted the fall and attempted to catch him using the telescopic handler he was riding in. However, the machine operator only […]
Multiple Broken Arm Bones for Manufacturing Employee Working with Machine
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A manufacturer of self-adhesive vinyl and plastic films, Kay Premium Marking Films Ltd, has been fined after a worker suffered a severely broken arm. His hand was caught by two driven rollers, which pulled him further into the machine, causing significant personal injury. The workplace accident happened in summer 2019, when the employee was trying […]
Farmer Imprisoned After Cattle Tramples a Walker to Death
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Most farm animals are fairly innocuous, but large animals like cows and horses can pose a serious risk to people. In the event of David Tinniswood, the lack of appropriate safety measures led to an irreversible, but avoidable, tragedy. It’s instances of such misfortune that show businesses don’t just have a duty of care to […]
Construction Employee Killed Falling Through Fragile Asbestos Roofing.
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On the 22nd of May 2017, Marius Andrus was performing work on a replacement roof project in Liverpool. The roofer had reached a part of the roof made with old Asbestos cement sheets. They collapsed, and he fell through the roof, six metres down, sustaining fatal injuries. The company responsible for the tragic workplace death […]
