19 Apr The Good the Bad and the Ugly April 2022

The Good the Bad and the Ugly April 2022

The Good

0n 11 May at 2pm, Malcolm Tullett, Founder of Risk and Safety Plus, will be hosting an insightful, unique 1-hour webinar to help you remain health and safety compliant following recent changes in legislation.

Malcolm will cover:

• PPE updated regulations
• Safety guidance for home working
• How automating health and safety functions can be a game changer
• Wellbeing in the workplace
• Testing the safety climate in your organisation
• How personalities can affect an organisation’s approach to safety

Please register your interest in attending this webinar, free of charge, by emailing info@riskandsafetyplus.com

The Bad

A corporate manslaughter case heard at Wolverhampton Crown Court resulted in a scrap metal recycling firm, Alutrade Ltd., being fined £2 million for serious health and safety breaches. In July 2017, Stuart Towns, 35, suffered head injuries after being struck from above and died at the scene in Oldbury. Three company directors were also fined. The Court heard that the firm should have prevented access to dangerous machinery, and the machine should have been switched off before workers performed any cleaning or maintenance. The company had previously been warned about the lack of lockable gates to prevent access. The firm had installed gates but at the time of the employee’s death, these were damaged. Malcolm Tullett commented: “The role of any ‘caring’ employer, responsible person or work colleague is to ensure that everyone goes home in the same state as they  go to work”. In this instance, the opposite was the case and accordingly, the old adage remains that “if you think H&S is expensive, think about this case and reflect on the legal and human costs”.

The Ugly 

Falls from height are still the biggest cause of death on construction sites, demonstrating that employers need to take further preventative action.  New data has revealed that 24 construction workers died on site between April and December 2021, 10 of which were due to falls from height. Construction saw the second-highest number of deaths, industry-wise, for this specific period following the service sector. The latest data published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), records the number of deaths that took place, for which the HSE was the overseeing safety body. While the total number of deaths on site remains relatively stable compared with previous years, the percentage attributed to falls from height has increased. Falls from height accounted for 41% of construction worker deaths between April and December 2021.

Duty holders must ensure that:

• all work at height is properly planned and organised
• those involved in the work are competent and properly trained
• the risks from work at height are assessed and appropriate equipment is used
• equipment for work at height is properly inspected and maintained

Risk and Safety Plus provides face to face training on all aspects of health and safety and offers virtual training at competitive prices. Our online courses are frequently updated. To find out more please visit https://riskandsafetyplus.com/training/

For bespoke onsite training contact: info@riskandsafetyplus.com.