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..

The UK Material Handling Association have recently released their latest Safety Alert which looks at cold starting an LPG truck engine. This Safety Alert has been issued following some reports of users of LPG powered trucks experiencing issues with the start-up process. David Goss, UKMHA Technical Director, explains, “Investigations into the root cause are ongoing, but instances where a build-up of deposits in the evaporator (pressure regulator), flow regulator and shut-off valve have been identified. “The concern is that sticking valves could lead to a mixture which is too rich and therefore cannot be ignited. If there are then repeated starting attempts, this can lead to a release of..