India
Kashmir avalanche kills 17 soldiers
An avalanche killed 17 Indian soldiers and injured 17 others when it
swept away a barracks building at the High Altitude Warfare School
near the Kashmir ski station of Gulmarg in the Khilinmarg Mountains
where 450 soldiers were participating in training exercises at
2,730-metre altitude. An avalanche alert was issued on Friday and 3
metres of snow fell over the weekend.
9th February 2010.
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Japan
Stowaway died in landing gear of New York-Tokyo flight
The body of a stowaway was recovered from inside the door of the
landing gear storage compartment of a Delta Airlines
aircraft at Tokyo's Narita International Airport on Monday where it
landed after a flight from New York, the victim had presumably died
from hypothermia with in-flight locus temperatures falling to -60ºC.
9th February 2010.
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USA
Major explosion at Connecticut power plant site
An explosion occurred yesterday as workers were performing a blow-down
to clear gas from lines at the construction site of the Kleen Energy
Systems 620MW gas-fired power plant in Middletown, Connecticut,
initially 2 fatalities were reported but this figure was expected to
rise given the severity of injuries sustained by dozens of people.
8th February 2010.
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Bangladesh
Worker killed in boiler explosion
One worker has died and another was injured when the air compressor of
a boiler exploded during maintenance work at the Pran Foods factory in
Ghorashal. 8th February 2010.
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Germany
3 killed in US army helicopter crash in Hessen
A US army Black Hawk helicopter crashed in rainy conditions in
woodland near Viernheim in south Hessen, killing the 3 crew members on
board, the training flight was flying from Mannheim to Coleman
Barracks, north of Mannheim. Hessen police investigation is now
complete, specialists from Fort Rucker, Alabama, will arrive to pursue
the investigation.
5th February 2010.
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Australia
Worker injured by nail gun
A Brisbane factory worker was hospitalised yesterday after a 15-cm
long nail was lodged in his leg after being discharged accidentally
from a nail gun at the premises in Grindle Road, Rocklea, his
condition is listed as stable.
5th February 2010.
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Spain
Farmer dies after arm severs in tractor rotor
An Andalusian farmer bled to death when his arm was severed yesterday
in an accident during spraying in an olive grove in Fuentes de
Andalusia, Seville. As he alighted from his tractor his clothing
snagged on a rotor which drew his arm in and severed it at the
shoulder. 4th
February 2010.
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USA
Florida worker dies in fall from cinema roof
A 40-year old construction worker
died yesterday in an 8-metre fall from the roof of the Epic Theatre
building in the centre of Palm Coast, details of the accident were not
known. 4th February
2010.
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Japan
Maintenance error caused bullet train incident
Central Japan Railway Company has indicated that human error was
responsible for the suspension of the bullet train on the Tokaido
Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Osaka after maintenance workers at
the Oi rail depot in Tokyo failed to attach bolts to a pantograph
which detached, and an arm connected to it cut an overhead cable
supporting the trolley wire.
3rd February 2010.
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Austria
Sawmill worker's foot severed
On Tuesday surgeons were attempting to reattach a sawmill worker's
severed foot following an accident yesterday in Henndorf am Wallersee,
northeast of Salzburg, where his leg was drawn into a circular saw
after he activated a conveyor belt when he stepped on to it and
subsequently lost his balance.
3rd February 2010.
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Indonesia
32 workers feared drowned
Eight people drowned and 24 are missing, feared drowned, following the
sinking of the 12-metre long speedboat Dolphin which sank in rough
seas in the Molucca Sea.
Of the 33 people on board when the boat sailed from Dobo Island were
many Chinese workers, building a factory on Penambulai island.
2nd February 2010.
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New Zealand
Detonator explodes in hand during military training
A soldier underwent surgery at Palmerston North Hospital following an
accident at Linton Army base where a detonator exploded in his hand in
a training exercise during annual weapons training.
2nd February 2010.
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Canada
Double fatality at Quebec smelter harbour
Two workers died on Saturday following an accident in which a heavy
load fell during the loading of a ship at the Alcoa smelter in Baie
Comeau, Quebec, where the 1-tonne load hit one worker and another
worker died from a heart attack. 1st February 2010.
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Sweden
Double CO fatality from leaking generator
A couple have died in an accident involving the leakage of carbon
monoxide from a generator installed in the basement of their home near
Solleftea, Vasternorrland, as a temporary power source while they were
without electricity. 1st February 2010.
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Japan
Pet shop fire kills 75 dogs
More than 75 dogs died when fire engulfed 2 timber structures housing
dogs at the Wan Wan House in Katsuragi, the cause is believed to have
been a kerosene heater used to keep the animals warm.
9th February 2010.
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Ukraine
Dnipropetrovsk gas explosion
Fourteen people were rescued, including 6 from under rubble, following
a gas explosion at a 2-storey apartment block yesterday in Pushkin
Street, Ordzhonikidze, Dnipropetrovsk, the most critically injured is
a woman with 60% burns.
9th February 2010.
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Argentina
Triple fatality in Mendoza air crash
Three persons died when a Piper PA 28 aircraft crashed on the Banquito
high ground 3 miles southeast of Piedras Blancas, in the Potrerillos
region of Mendoza, one of the persons on board was a professional
photographer. No cause for the accident is yet known but the area of
the Las Vegas mountains is known for its tricky air currents.
8th February 2010.
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Switzerland
Matterhorn railway train collision
The Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn is investigating a train collision and
derailment which occurred on the Brig-Zermatt stretch of the line at
the weekend injuring 6 people. A train ran into a stationary train
which had stopped at a red light.
8th February 2010.
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Australia
Queensland loft insulator electrocuted
A 25 year old worker was electrocuted yesterday while installing loft
insulation at a house in Milla Milla, north Queensland. It is believed
that he worked for Titan Insulations and had contacted a live power
source while using a metal staple gun.
5th February 2010.
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Belgium
3 survive Genk CO incident
A triple carbon monoxide fatality was only narrowly averted in Genk
yesterday involving an oil-fired boiler which had recently been
overhauled in a house basement. A mother returned home to find her
15-year old daughter unconscious, she too collapsed in the CO
atmosphere. By chance one of the girl's friends arrived soon and
managed to drag the pair out before passing out herself. The latter is
being treated in a decompression chamber in hospital in Diest, the
mother and daughter are hospitalised in Genk, all are expected to
survive. 5th
February 2010.
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Gaza
Rafah tunnel death
The third tunnel death of the year was reported yesterday when a
21-year old man died in the collapse of a tunnel in the Al-Qassas area
in Rafah on the Egyptian border, this incident follows on from the
weekend electrocution which occurred in a tunnel.
Wednesday's incident may be linked
to an Israeli air strike late on Tuesday against smuggling tunnels in
the Gaza-Egypt border area.
4th February 2010.
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Austria
Worker severs arm
A 43-year old worker's arm was severed at the elbow while operating
machinery at a factory in Schonau an der Triesting, in hospital in
Vienna his condition was listed as life-threatening.
4th February 2010.
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Rep of Ireland
Hospital patient's death investigated
An investigation has been launched into the death of an elderly female
patient in St Stephen's Psychiatric Hospital in Glanmire, County Cork,
it is believed that she died as a result of strangulation with a
television flex.
3rd February 2010.
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France
Slovakian freighter engine fire
Late on Tuesday the salvage tug Abeille Bourbon was towing the
Slovakian freighter Eider into Brest following an engine room fire
which saw the latter lose all propulsion, no injuries were reported in
the accident off Ouessant, the Eider was sailing from Poland to
Montoir,Saint-Nazaire, with a cargo of windmills.
3rd February 2010.
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Iceland
Tourist killed in glacier crevasse fall
A 45-year old woman in a touring party has died in a 30-metre fall
into a narrow crevasse on the Langjokull glacier, her 7-year old son
also fell but survived the accident, the party was caught out by the
fragility of glacier fissures.
2nd February 2010.
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Austria
Fatal fall from scaffold
An East European worker died in a 13-metre fall from scaffolding
during asphalt mixing at a building site in the Feistriz district of
Knittelfeld, Styria.
2nd February 2010.
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USA
Forklift accident at Arizona hospital site
A 30-year old Arizona worker of Kitchell Construction was killed by a
forklift truck which struck him unsighted as he stooped to retrieve an
object at the Phoenix Children's Hospital extension site. 1st February 2010.
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Spain
Circus woman's leg crushed by elephant
A 45-year female animal handler of the Gran Circo Mundial sustained
serious crush injuries to a leg when a 5-tonne elephant slipped and
fell during a matinee performance for children in Madrid, one of its
tusks shattering her leg.
1st February 2010.
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USA
Nebraska MEWP accident
A worker died on Saturday at Excel Speciality Products in Nebraska
City where a MEWP (mobile elevating work platform) became unstable and
overturned, causing him to fall 7 metres during the replacement of
shelving units. 1st February 2010.
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West Bank/Palestine
Cleaner killed in fall from height
A 21-year old worker died yesterday in the Darwish Nazzal Hospital,
Qalqiliya, where he had been transferred with serious head injuries
after a fall from height during cleaning duties at a local workplace.
9th February 2010.
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Belgium
Antwerp port train/lorry collision
An investigation was launched yesterday into the collision of a goods
train and a lorry on Monday in Norderlaan in the Antwerp harbour area.
9th February 2010.
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England
Yorks worker injured in fall through uncovered opening
At Leeds Magistrates' Court Allied Glass Containers were fined £10K
plus £3,173 in costs in respect of an accident in which a man fell 2 metres through a
gap and sustained multiple injuries.
Urgent maintenance work had
necessitated the opening of a mezzanine floor to remove defective
equipment and a 3-metre wide gap was created to facilitate deployment
of a block and tackle pulley system. The worker fell through the open
gap, HSE investigation found that no risk assessment for creating the
hole in the floor had been carried out.
8th February 2010.
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Baltic Sea
Hazardous containers lost overboard
A Finnish freighter lost several containers, some containing toxic
industrial chemicals, as it sailed from Rotterdam to St Petersburg,
the incident happened south of Gotland where the seabed is 70 metres
deep. 8th February
2010.
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Bulgaria
Ordnance factory fire
A fire in the Midzhur ordnance factory in Gorni Lom, northwest
Bulgaria, caused a series of explosions yesterday, of 4 people
reported injured one was transferred to Sofia with a serious eye
injury. 5th
February 2010.
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Northern Ireland
Fermanagh contractor dies in fall from forklift
The HSENI has been advised of a fatal accident in Ballinamallard,
Fermanagh, where an electrical contractor in his 70's sustained fatal
injuries in a fall from the safety cage of a forklift truck on
Wednesday afternoon.
5th February 2010.
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Belgium
CO incident at nursery
A defective gas fire in a nursery in Wambeek, Ternat, led to a
build-up of carbon monoxide which caused the 13 children and 3
supervisors to be taken to Onze-Lieve-Vrouw hospital in Aalst for
treatment. 4th
February 2010.
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Slovenia
Doctor killed by dangerous dogs
A doctor in Llubljana has died following an attack by his 3
bullmastiff dogs. The dogs had previously attacked a dog handler and
had been ordered by a judge to be put down but the doctor had argued
successfully in court against this order.
4th February 2010.
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England
Restaurant owners neglected council advice
At Watford Magistrates' Court Lush Restaurants, owners of Asia
Restaurant in Beaconsfield Road, St Albans, were fined £10K plus costs
after pleading guilty to 4 food hygiene breaches in August and
September last year, including a failure to provide a food safety
management system and failing to send staff on a food hygiene course.
The prosecution resulted from failure to act on council advice
following routine inspections.
3rd February 2010.
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Scotland
MAIB investigates creel fisherman's death
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch is studying the drowning of a
creel fisherman who fell overboard from his boat the Wilma K off the
Black Isle in the Moray Firth, his body was recovered by the
Invergordon lifeboat.
3rd February 2010.
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Sweden
Railway worker killed by train
An SJ (Statens Jarnvagar) railway worker was killed after being struck
by a Norrkoping-Linkoping train at Linghem station, Ostergotland, on
Monday morning while clearing snow there.
2nd February 2010.
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India
Kerala structural collapse kills worker
A construction worker died when a partial collapse occurred at the
site of a new 4-storey lodge under construction near the central
railway station in Thiruvananthapuram, 4 other workers were injured.
2nd February 2010.
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Australia
Separate HGV maintenance accidents
Two fatal accidents occurred over the weekend in which workers lost
their lives while working on HGV's. SafeWork South Australia is
investigating an accident in Burton where a 73-year old man was found
dead at the rear of CMD Engineering where he was apparently working on
a tipper lorry's hydraulic system.
In Queensland a mechanic working on a lorry died after becoming
trapped between the tipper and bed at the New Chum landfill site of
Transpacific Industries, it is believed that he was a contract worker. 1st February 2010.
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Germany
Level crossing incidents
Two separate level crossing accidents occurred in Schleswig-Holstein
on Sunday. At a level crossing in Ivendorf a van became stuck on the
snowy conditions and was unable to move before the crossing gates
descended. The driver quit the van before it was struck by a train
from Travemunde with 30 passengers and propelled 80 metres along the
track, no injuries were reported.
At a forest crossing in Lubeck-Kucknitz a food delivery lorry was hit
by a train, again the driver managed to leave his stranded vehicle
prior to the collision.
1st February 2010.
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England
Council and employee fined over
colleague's death
Dudley Metropolitan Council has been fined £30,000 with £20,000 in
costs following prosecution over an industrial fatality in which an
employee was struck and killed by a wheeled shovel loader at its
Netherton depot on 27th October 2006.
The council employee and driver of the vehicle was prosecuted under
S.7 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £750
with £500 in costs.
The account of the accident described how the vehicle was driven
against the direction of the site’s one-way system. The loading shovel
was also at a height preventing forward view.
An HSE inspector commented: "Drivers need to obey signs and
instructions in workplaces, just as closely as they would obey them on
a public highway. In driving at over 8mph against the one-way system,
with the unnecessarily raised bucket obscuring much of his view
through the windscreen, the driver failed to take reasonable care for
the health and safety of the deceased."
9th February 2010.
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England
HSW Section 6 prosecution of
crane company
A crane manufacturer has been prosecuted following an incident at
Georgia Pacific GB Limited, of Oughtibridge Mill, on 18th February
2006 in which an electric overhead moving crane dropped a load,
narrowly missing the crane operator, because an anchorage point on the
crane failed, causing the crane to drop its 1.8t load.
Manufacturer and supplier of the crane,
Rossendale Group Limited of Ellesmere Port,
Wirral, pleaded guilty to breaching S.6(1)(a) of the Health and Safety
at Work etc Act 1974 for which it was fined £10,000 plus £10,000 costs
at Sheffield Magistrates Court.
An HSE official commented: "Rossendale Group Limited should have
ensured the safety critical anchorage points on the crane had been
designed for the typical loading conditions that the crane would
experience during routine use.
Companies that supply lifting equipment must be aware that they will
be held to account if the equipment is not well designed or
manufactured."
9th February 2010.
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England
Shocking case of toxic exposures
Electrical Waste Recycling Group Ltd of Glasgow, formerly Matrix
Direct Recycle Ltd, permitted 20 employees to be exposed to extremely
high levels of mercury at its Kirkheaton, Huddersfield, Yorkshire,
premises between October 2007 and August 2008. The employees,
including a pregnant worker, were exposed to emissions of mercury and
lead in their work recycling electrical equipment and lighting tubes.
EWR was fined £140,000 with £35,127 costs at Bradford Crown Court
after pleading guilty to breaching S.2(1) of the Health and Safety at
Work etc Act 1974, 3 separate breaches of the Control of Substances
Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, and one breach of the Control of
Lead at Work Regulations 2002.
A company director was fined £5,000 after pleading guilty to breaching
r.7(1) of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations
2002.
An HSE Inspector commented: “This is a shocking case involving a large
number of employees, many of them young and vulnerable, who were
suddenly faced with the worrying possibility of damage to their
long-term health."
8th February 2010.
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England
Stonemasons have long term lung
damage
A company that was aware of high levels of airborne silica identified
14 years earlier during a monitoring survey, but who implemented
inadequate measures to protect employees, has been fined £30,000 with
£6,000 costs.
Two employees of William Anelay Limited, of Osbaldwick, York, now have
long-term lung damage, one of whom has since been forced to take early
retirement, the other has been obliged to cease work as a stonemason.
The exposures occurred between May 1994 and July 2008, an HSE official
commented: "During the investigation, HSE found that a combination of
dry stone cutting with no ventilation or use of protective clothing
resulted in the workers breathing in hazardous levels of respirable
crystalline silica. This was allowed to happen for many years, which
has meant that not only do both men have to cope with life-long,
serious health issues which will affect them for the rest of their
lives, their careers have also been affected."
8th February 2010.
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England
Legionella flourished in
company's cooling towers
A Coseley, Staffs, company failed to act to reduce the high
concentrations of legionella in its towers after it was informed of
the problem by water treatment consultants.
During September 2008, HSE inspectors visited the site in Cannon
Business Park to look at the control of legionella bacteria and found
no management system in place, or tests for at least 8 months. A
prohibition notice was issued to stop the towers operating and an
improvement notice was issued for a management system to be put in
place.
The failings identified in the investigation showed neglect on the
part of First Metal Finishers Ltd, its managing director had failed to
put a management system in place for the control of legionella. He
pleaded guilty to breaching S.37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work
etc. Act 1974 and was fined £2,000 with £1,000 costs.
5th February 2010.
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England
MEWP overturned at manhole
Shepherd Construction Limited Huntington, York, has been fined £20,000
with £6,900 costs for its failures leading to an incident at the
Trinity Square construction site in Nottingham in which the operator
of a mobile elevating work platform sustained serious injuries when a
concealed manhole cover failed under its weight.
An HSE Inspector commented: “This was a very dangerous incident, in an
area which was bustling with pedestrians and vehicles. It could so
easily have led to people being killed and has left a worker with
serious injuries. The company failed to put in place adequate measures
to find and record where the manholes and service covers were around
the site and failed to take steps to protect them or prevent vehicles
from driving over them."
5th February 2010.
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Scotland
Bridge collapse caused
derailment of fuel train
Heavy corrosion caused the collapse of a rail bridge near Stewarton,
Ayrshire, in January this year, resulting in fire and considerable
environmental damage to watercourses when 6 wagons laden with fuel
derailed.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch report on the incident cited
several deficiencies in the way Network Rail manages such structures
in the areas of inspection, its methods and processes for the
examination of hidden critical parts, and its use of information for
decision making on structural safety.
4th February 2010.
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England
Accidental crushing death of
worker
A 54-year old employee of MTU UK Ltd of East Grinstead died after
becoming caught and crushed between an engine and another item of
plant as it was being moved by crane in February this year. Horsham
Coroner's Court inquest determined a verdict of accidental death.
4th February 2010.
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England
Unregistered gas fitter's huge
workload
An unregistered gas fitter was contracted to install appliances,
connect and disconnect pipework, and conduct gas safety inspections of
LPG fuelled appliances in up to 200 caravans at a site in Brierley,
Herefordshire.
During July 2008, gas engineers from CORGI selected a small sample and
identified numerous defects with their installation and operation.
He pleaded guilty to breaching
S.3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and r.3(3) of
the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998 and was fined a
total of £1,250 with £550 costs.3rd
February 2010.
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England
Employer's risk assessment
placed worker at risk
A 22-year old support worker died after she visited a client at his
home in Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, on 19th May 2006 and was attacked
and stabbed.
Her employer, Mental Health Matters
Ltd, a North East-based registered charity, was fined £30,000 with
costs of £20,000.
The client's mental health was known to be deteriorating but Mental
Health Matters failed to respond and afford the deceased the level of
protection that was warranted.
HSE’s Head of Operations commented:
"This is an unusual case which shows the need for employers to assess
risks to employees who visit individuals in their homes and for
arrangements to be reviewed when changes occur. We believe that if
Mental Health Matters had carried out a risk assessment, it would have
resulted in the visiting arrangements being reviewed."
3rd February 2010.
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England
Unstable ladder led to death
fall
A 64-year old employee of a Bolton house building company died after
falling 5 metres from a ladder. He was working on a project in Bolton
to construct residential properties in December 2007, using the ladder
which had lost its rubber feet and was unsecured at the time.
The company was criticised for permitting the ladder use when, with
better planning, the stairs could have been fitted before work was
carried out on the first and second floors of the house. The deceased
and his colleagues had to access the second floor using the ladder
where there were unprotected edges.
DC Kennedy Homes Ltd was fined £7,500 with £7,500 costs.
2nd February 2010.
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England
Landlord fined £8,000
A landlord from Didcot, Oxfordshire, who failed to arrange the annual
safety check on gas appliances and flues at a residential property he
rented, and also failed to maintain gas appliances there, has been
fined £8,000 with £1,957 costs.
The convicted man was aware of the deficiencies but did nothing, he
had contravened r.36(3)(a) and 36(2) of the Gas Safety (Installation &
Use) Regulations 1998. Carbon monoxide was found to have accumulated
in the kitchen.
2nd February 2010.
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England
Accident at road works
A roads workman in his 30's has sustained a serious leg injury while
working on a site in Greystone Road, Carlisle, on Saturday morning.
The accident victim was struck by a road roller under which he was
trapped for some time.
1st February 2010.
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Scotland
Fall at concert
A man in his 20's is seriously ill after a 5-metre fall from the
balcony at Dundee's Caird Hall during a concert performance on Friday
evening. 1st
February 2010.
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