An investigation was conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following a serious incident on the 13th June 2023. A father of three sustained serious injuries after falling more than 25 feet (7.5 metres) whilst manually carrying roof tiles down a ladder attached to fixed scaffolding. Devon Air Ambulance took Mr Ian Smith to the hospital where he was put into an induced coma for five days. He has since made a fantastic recovery however still suffers from his injuries, which included five broken vertebrae as well as skull and rib fractures. His employer, Daniel Hooper (self-employed) was given a 16-week custodial sentence (suspended for 12months) following the incident..

Numerous health and safety accidents or incidents occur every day due to equipment being used in the workplace that is improperly managed, maintained or is not made for the intended purpose. Industries such as farming and agriculture, factories, warehouses and construction are all high risk due to numerous equipment types being used daily. Employers are required to ensure that all the workplace equipment provided to employees is regularly inspected and maintained in safe working order. They are also responsible to make sure that the workers using such equipment are skilled and competent to do the work safely. Numerous legislations revolve around workplace equipment such as the..

A farm has been fined £60,000 following the death of a 43-year-old father-of-three who was electrocuted on the 13th May 2021 by a power line. Patrick Rice was unloading stone when the hydraulic arm of the dumper truck came into contact with 11kV overhead power lines at VB Farms LLP's in Devon. A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the incident found VB Farms LLP failed to carry out an assessment of how the work could be completed safely and did not consider the dangers involved with working near an overhead power line. Accidental contact with live overhead power lines kill and cause many serious injuries every year, additionally getting too close to an overhead..

As young children we have all been told fairy tales, myths and legends. Innocent youngsters simply absorb the delight and magic that centres around the likes of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy; Similarly they may tremble or hide beneath the blankets when told about Ghouls, Witches, Werewolves or Monsters that may live in their closet. As adults we start to recognise that many fairy tales and the legends behind them, are actually watered-down versions of uncomfortable historical events. The Brothers Grimm sanitized their tales (originally written for adults), but they didn't totally eliminate the scary stuff. That's because fairy tales were intended not just to entertain..

As the lights flash in your eyes and the music pounds in your mind, the host of your favourite tv show faces you... here it comes, the bonus prize question. Your heart begins to pound as you realise that your chances of getting on the property ladder, comes down to this one simple question. What could it be. "What is the leading cause of work-related fatality?"... It spins in your head for what seems like minutes, echoing and getting ever louder. "What is the leading cause of work-related fatality?"...."What is the leading cause?"... "leading cause"... it swirls in the void between your eyes when suddenly It comes to you, "being hit by a falling object" you shout out. The big ..

A roofing contractor has been fined after an employee fell from a ladder and died at the scene. Whilst carrying roof tiles an employee slipped from a triple extending access ladder and fell to the ground, sustaining fatal injuries. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the interlocking sections of the ladder they had been negotiating did not allow for three points of contact to be maintained, especially when a load was being carried: a single pole access ladder would have enabled this. At Blackpool Magistrates’ Court Richard Anthony Thornton pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of The Work at Height Regulations 2005. He was sentenced to six mont..

Inspections and maintenance of workplace equipment such as forklifts, ladders, pallet trucks, racking etc is a vitally important process to ensure equipment remains in a safe condition. Now we've made keeping track of maintenance and inspection schedules even easier with our range of inspection and maintenance stations. You can ensure your employees have access to their pre-use equipment checklists at all times by providing them with a central location to store their checklists. When employees work on shifts, organisation is key to ensuring all employees (no matter their shift) can quickly and effectively locate important information. Storing books in one of our stations reduces the possi..

A worker who was installing a security camera on an unsecured ladder sustained multiple injuries after falling approximately 4.5 metres. The worker (whose name is unknown) sustained multiple fractures to his cheekbone, right arm, left leg and dislocated his backbone. The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) prosecuted and fined the Gwynedd manufacturing company £40 thousand after carrying out an investigation of the incident and found that the business had failed to plan the work at height and failed to provide alternative equipment (such as a MEWP) that would have allowed for safe working at height. Ensuring that employees working at height are fully qualified and trained professionals ..