Blog Archives
Posts with the 'Construction' tag
HSE looks to industry
Although a long-term downward trend is still clear, the rate of decrease has slowed over the last 15 years and there has been very little change in the overall rate over the last five years.
In construction there were 77 fatalities, equivalent to 3.7 deaths per 100 000 workers. Over the last 15 years there has been a statistically significant downward trend in the rate of fatal injury to workers; on average a 3.9% year on year decrease. However, the higher number and rate for 2006/07 changes a pattern consistent with continued reduction up to 2005/06 into one of no change since 2002/03.
Sir Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health & safety Commission, said, "It is disappointing to see that the overall number of deaths has risen. We have worked hard with industry and trade unions over the past few years to bring the number down. Behind every one of these numbers was a man or a woman, with a life, friends and family... I have to remind you that safety is ultimately the responsibility of those who manage and direct companies and those who work for them. Today's statistics are disappointing and distressing but improvements can still be made. They must be made. HSC/E is taking action. The ball now lies firmly in the industry's court."
HSE Chief Executive Geoffrey Podger added, "Those who are putting the lives of their workforce at risk should know that HSE takes this very seriously. In the past year we have approved 25% more prosecutions than the year before and our inspectors have served 1000 more enforcement notices. No one should believe that they can get away with serious breaches of health and safety."
Source: HSE Website
Construction company fined £43,000
The company admitted at Salisbury Crown Court to failing to ensure the safety of its employees, after 62-year-old George Rogers was killed when he was thrown from a dumper truck, which then ran over his body. The delay in bringing the matter before the court was due to a lengthy investigation by police and the Health and Safety Executive.
Though he had not been authorised to drive a dumper truck, Mr Rogers had helped tidy up the site before it closed for the day by driving a dumper truck filled with spoil to get rid of the load. The truck went over a sunken trench and the jolt had thrown him out of his seat, over the front of the dumper truck's bucket and on to the ground. The truck had then driven over his body.
Ian Dixey, for the prosecution, said it was a well-known hazard with dumper trucks within the construction industry and precautions should have been taken. He said the company's failings included inadequate training for employees on using plant and machinery, no adequate system of checking plant and machinery - three of the truck's tyres were severely under-inflated - no training verification system, no site traffic plan or control of speed on site machinery and no adequate system for controlling use of plant or machinery on site.
But, he said, since the accident, Castleway had taken steps to correct all these issues, including proper training for employees using machinery.
Fining the company £30,000 and ordering them to pay £13,714 costs, Judge Keith Cutler said the company's failings had been "contributory to a degree" to Mr Rogers' death, but were not so important as Mr Rogers' own wrongful actions in driving machinery.
The case was brought by the HSE.
Source: Builder and Engineer online
HSE investigates two fatalities from falling bricks
Reece French, a worker on a Kier Western site at Cattedown Enterprise Centre, was hit on the head by a skip or pallet of bricks. It is believed that he was walking under a telehandler carrying the bricks when the accident happened.
A Kier Western spokesperson said: "We confirm that a fatality occurred early this morning at our Cattedown Enterprise site in Plymouth when an employee was struck during an operation involving a telescopic handler. We are co-operating with the authorities in trying to establish exactly what happened. We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic situation involving a Kier employee and our thoughts are with his family and the site team."
The day before 18 year old Gareth Ritson, working on a building site in Troon, died when a pallet of bricks fell from a lorry-mounted crane while he was underneath it.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is understood to be investigating both accidents.
One third of refurbishment sites dangerous
He continued, "We stopped work on site immediately during 244 inspections because we felt there was a real possibility that life would be lost or ruined through serious injury. It is completely unacceptable that so many lives have been put at risk. Our inspectors were appalled at the apparent willingness to ignore basic safety precautions.
"The simple fact is that despite knowing what they should be doing, too many people are prepared to allow bad practices to continue, even though last year 39 people died on refurbishment, repair and maintenance sites.
"We are determined to tackle this issue head on and will continue to take enforcement action against those rogues who flout safety precautions. Let me be clear to all those who put lives at risk - we will continue to carry out further inspections and will take all action necessary to protect workers, including closing sites and prosecution."
Source: HSE website
Work Related Injuries & Ill Health in Construction
Latest statistics from the HSE about Injuries and Ill Health in Construction.
Follow this link: Latest Statistics.
Source: HSE
Bronze memorial for dead workers
About 200 people gathered in Tower Hill in the City of London as the £100,000 "Building Worker" was uncovered.
The Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (Ucatt) had the sculpture made as part of a campaign for a new corporate killing charge.
Sculptor Alan Wilson created the figure which sports a hard hat, weighs 300kg and holds a spirit level.
Ucatt general secretary Alan Ritchie unveiled the sculpture, which is close to the Tower of London, during a ceremony on Wednesday.
A total of 351 construction workers have died on sites since 2001 and a two-minute silence was observed in their memory.
Watching the unveiling was Mary O'Sullivan. Her 54-year-old husband Patrick O'Sullivan was working on the new Wembley Stadium in 2004 when he was killed. The cause is still not known and a criminal prosecution has not been ruled out.
"He was crushed to death that morning," she said. "And they crushed us to death as well."
Mr Ritchie said: "Our union will continue campaigning for a new law so that individual directors and senior managers are held accountable for accidents at work," he said.
It is hoped wreaths will be placed by the statue each year on 28 April which is Workers' Memorial Day.
For more pictures and streaming video of the news report, see BBC News
Source: BBC News (includes video)
RSS/XML Feed