Serbia
Speleologists drown in flooded
cave
4 members of Belgrade University's Speleologists Association (AS)
drowned yesterday during a scientific research expedition at the
Ravanica caves, 70 miles southeast of Belgrade. The caves feature 10
water-filled chambers and channels near the Ravanica monastery and
descend to 1500m. 2 bodies were initially recovered, 2 others are
missing, the victims are believed to have been attempting to negotiate
a flooded exit. 30th April 2007.
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Morocco
Fishing boat sinks off Essaouira
All 9 crew of the Moroccan fishing boat Sid Zouine are feared drowned
following the sinking of the boat in rough seas north of Essaouira,
Moroccan maritime authorities are reporting the recovery of just one
body, local fishing fleets had been advised of rough weather in
midweek bulletins. 28th April 2007.
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USA
Californian plumber killed in
14-storey fall
A 52-year old plumber died yesterday in an apparent accidental fall
from the 14th floor of a property at the junction of Broadway and
Telegraph Avenue in Oakland. 28th April 2007.
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Spain
Body found in car days after uplifted to
municipal compound
The body of a 30-year old man has been found dead in his car in the
municipal compound in Mataro, Catalonia, 5 days after it was
uplifted by crane and towed to the depot after being found illegally
parked in the town's Goya Street. The victim's family had been issuing
requests for assistance over his disappearance. The police indicate that
no foul play took place, the victim's body was found in the rear seats
of his Seat Leon which features tinted glass in the rear windows.
26th April 2007.
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Switzerland
Worker injured in Alpine tunnel
An Alp Transit construction worker was injured yesterday after becoming
pinned against a tunnel wall by equipment at a site in Bodio in the
Tessin canton, no details of his injuries are known.
26th April 2007.
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Italy
Fireworks plant explosion
in Campania leaves 3 dead
Italian police today investigated the site of the explosion of a
fireworks factory in Gragnano, 20 miles southeast of Naples, Monday's
accident left 3 workers dead and 7 injured, fire crews had to approach
the locus with caution given the risk of further explosions.
24th April 2007.
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Australia
Subcontractor killed in MEWP fall at refinery
A 33-year old subcontract worker was killed today in a fall from a
mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) at the Alcan Gove refinery in
Northern Territory, Australia, another subcontractor was injured in
the accident. 23rd April 2007.
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Chile
Faroese trawler fire claims 11 fishermen
As many as 11 fishermen are feared dead following a fire yesterday on
the Faroese trawler, Hercules, fishing 280 miles southeast of the
Chilean port of Ancud.
More than 100 crew members were rescued by other vessels in the
vicinity - the Frig, Frey and Thor, the alarm raised initially by a
Peruvian ship, Poseidon.
The Hercules, based in Thorshaven, the Faroe Isles, had left Panama on
the 24th March. Rescuers report good sea conditions.
22nd April 2007.
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Canada
Seal hunters icebound off
Newfoundland
10 seal hunting vessels are deemed to be in extreme difficulty in pack
ice to the south of Labrador, Newfoundland, where high winds have
forced pack ice towards the coast.
Around 600 seamen in 100 ships have been encountering varying degrees
of difficulty, some have abandoned ship and awaited rescue on the ice.
A Canadian coastguard icebreaker has itself become stuck, weather
conditions have posed problems for rescuers.
20th April 2007
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China
45 Chinese miners
trapped in explosion and flood accidents
Two separate mine
accidents in China have left 45 miners trapped.
An explosion at Wangzhuang Colliery in Henan has seen 33 of 42 miners
trapped underground, rescuers' tasks are compounded by the mine's poor
ventilation and high gas levels as well as the owner's abscondence,
leaving them bereft of crucial geological data. An attempt was being
made to introduce inert gas to extinguish the flames.
Meanwhile, flooding has trapped 12 miners in Zhuzhou in Hunan, locally
heavy rains are hampering rescue efforts.
Although a figure of 661 official mining deaths has been released for
the first quarter of the year, a reduction of 15% on last year, this
may well have been massaged by under-reporting of incidents.
17th April 2007
Update 20th April. 3
miners were rescued alive after 111 hours underground, 4 are still
missing.
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France
Falling gate kills
French cemetery keeper
Investigators in France are studying the circumstances of a fatal
accident which claimed the life of the 34-year keeper of Kerfautas
cemetery in Brest who was killed this week when a 500Kg iron gate fell
on him as he was opening the cemetery gates in the morning. 12th
April 2007
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Netherlands
WW2 bomb found in
south Holland site
The Dutch Explosieven Opruimsdienst plans a controlled detonation this
Saturday (14th) of an American WW2 bomb discovered during excavation
work in the Dutch village of Hulten in Brabant.
Residents are advised to evacuate their homes by 9am as a 100m
exclusion zone is established, the former Gilze-Rizen airfield nearby
was a significant German base during WW2 occupation.
11th April 2007.
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Argentina
Fire on
Argentinian icebreaker
All 298 crew of the Argentinian icebreaker, Almirante Irizar,
abandoned ship yesterday as it was sailing from Ushuaia for Buenos
Aires, Panamanian oil tanker Scarlet-Ibis and Uruguayan fishing boat
Margit rescued 238 crew members, the remaining 60 were later picked up
and transferred to Puerto Madryn.
The Finnish built vessel, which has been undertaking the southern
summer Campana Antartica 4-month tour of bases, can navigate through
1m-thick ice and breach 5.6-m pack ice, the fire locus was the
generator room. 11th April 2007.
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Russia
Maintenance men jailed
after child's elevator death
A Moscow court yesterday handed down 2-year prison sentences to 2
elevator maintenance workers following a fatal accident in March 2006
in which an 8-year old boy was strangled when his neck became trapped
by closing doors in an apartment block lift, the prosecution had
sought 4-year jail terms. 5th April 2007.
|
France
Train hits buffers in
Parisian station
Scores of people were
injured and 58 hospitalised when a Paris rush-hour commuter train
overran and struck buffers on platform 21 at the Gare de l'Est station
yesterday morning.
Trains normally negotiate the station precinct at no more than 10kph,
initial speculation suggests the train was travelling at 7kmph and
that the driver had braked appropriately.
5th April 2007.
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France
Staff unwittingly locked in hold
during cargo flight
Investigators have been probing the unwilling flight of 2 employees of
logistics company Fedex who where unwittingly locked in the hold of an
ATR72 cargo flight from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris, to
Vienna after a pilot closed the hatch to prevent rain ingress.
The cabin was pressurised but, although the flight would have flown at
lower altitude, both victims would have felt chilled on arrival.
3rd April 2007
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Spain
Boy dies in lift shaft fall at
2nd hand furniture store
A 12-year old boy fell 8 metres to his death in a lift shaft at
furniture premises on the N-630 highway in Onzonzilla, in Leon, he
sustained fatal head injuries in the fall from 2nd floor level, it is
believed that his mother is an employee at the store.
3rd April 2007
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China
Tunnel accident allegations
There have been allegations of a delay in the reporting of a fatal
accident at the site of a new underground rail tunnel at Haidan
University, Beijing, where China Railway 12th Bureau Group Co Ltd is
engaged in construction work for the forthcoming Olympics.
A number of
workers were trapped 11 metres underground when earthworks collapsed, as
many as 10 are feared dead.
Design staff and a supervisor have been
arrested, a construction supervisor has absconded. 2nd April 2007
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Philippines
Air Force grounds helicopters
after fatal crash
All 41 Huey helicopters of the Philippines Air Force have been
grounded following the weekend crash of a UH-1H helicopter on a
training flight on the island of Macton, which claimed the lives of
both pilots and 7 civilians when it crashed on a motorcycle taxi on a
main road in the Pajo district of Lapu-Lapu, close to an air base. The
craft went out of control after its tail rotor snagged power lines.
30th April 2007.
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Egypt
Electrical fire in cell leaves 3
prisoners dead
An apparent malfunction in an electrical ceiling fan in a large cell
in Wadi el Natrun prison, 60 miles northwest of Cairo, has left 3
inmates dead and a further 18 hospitalised with burns and smoke
inhalation.
28th April 2007.
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Haiti
Overloaded ship sinks in Haitian
harbour
At least 13 people have now died following the sinking of the
250-tonne ship, Le Lazarus, in the harbour of Jeremie, southwest
Haiti.
The ship had just set sail for Port-au-Prince when a sharp list
developed, pitching some passengers into the water, others jumped
overboard in panic.
The ship, licensed to carry 250 passengers, was allegedly overloaded,
more than 300 people were taken from the water. Several dozen remain
injured, some in critical condition.
27th April 2007.
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China
Chlorine leak leads to mass evacuation
A chlorine gas leakage at a water treatment facility in Yilan County
in east Harbin, in China's Heilongjiang province, saw the local
evacuation of 5K people yesterday as fire crews battled to control the
issue of gas.
26th April 2007.
|
Germany
Tourist bus rolls into Rhine
An empty tourist bus rolled backwards down a ferry ramp into the
river Rhine at Andermach, Germany, early today, divers assisted in the recovery of
the vehicle. 24th April 2007.
|
Canada
Workplace transport death
A Toronto Transit Commission worker was fatally crushed this morning
in an accident during asbestos removal in a tunnel on the city's Yonge
subway line, material on a flatbed rail wagon contacted the tunnel
wall and overturned, fatally crushing the victim and leaving 2
colleagues injured. 23rd April 2007.
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China
Chinese boy eaten by crocodiles
A 9-year old Chinese boy has been eaten by crocodiles at a former
leisure park at the Beihai Yintan holiday resort in Guangxi
Zhuang, south China.
The boy apparently scaled a fence and entered the enclosure, the site
has not been open in the last couple of years, it is alleged that a
security supervisor was not on site at the time of the incident.
21st April 2007.
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South
Africa
Falling gate kills toddler
Investigators are studying a fatal accident yesterday in Kempton Park,
Johannesburg, in which an electric gate came off its rails and crushed
a 2-year old girl. 20th April 2007.
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Sweden
Test pilot ejects to safety in
Arctic region
A pilot safely ejected from a Jas Gripen aircraft which encountered
technical problems and crashed during a test flight yesterday at
Vidsel Airport in the far north of Sweden where the Vidsel Test Range
serves as the North European Aerospace Test(NEAT) facility.
20th April 2007.
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France
French bomb disposal workers killed
An explosion during the handling of wartime ordnance yesterday killed
2 French bomb disposal workers at a civil depot in Ressaincourt,
south of Metz, a 3rd worker was injured in the blast.
The depot handles quantities of WW1 and WW2 ordnance unearthed during
construction work in northeast France, the new high speed rail network
project has seen as many as 150 specialists hired for such disposal
work. 19th April 2007.
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Ukraine
12 dead after Ukrainian HGV
driver allegedly falls asleep at wheel
It was alleged yesterday
that a Ukrainian lorry driver fell asleep at the wheel in Khmelnitsky,
west-central Ukraine, causing his vehicle to swerve into an oncoming
minibus whose driver and 11 passengers were killed.
17th April 2007
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Argentina
Zookeeper dies after
anteater attack
A 20-year old Argentinian
zookeeper, working on a giant anteater conservation project at
Florencia Zoo near Buenos Aires, has died following leg amputation
surgery to save her life after being savaged by the 40Kg animal's
5cm-long claws during the feeding time incident.
15th April 2007
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Austria
Man loses legs in Austrian
rail accident
Surgeons in Linz were last night fighting to save the life of a
34-year old Austrian man who lost both legs after slipping between the
platform and an oncoming train in Katsdorf, Upper Austria.
It is believed that the victim had attempted to jump on to the
Linz-bound train but lost his balance, emergency braking was engaged
but a wheel came to rest on one of his legs.
11th April 2007.
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Peru
Tourist boat sinks
off Peru
Peruvian authorities received reports of a tourist ship in
difficulty in heavy seas near Paracas Bay, 150 miles from Lima, the
vessel later sank but no fatalities have been reported, local seaside
resorts and camping sites have been hit by wave inundations.
9th April 2007.
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France
CO poisoning incident at
5-star Basque hotel
A defective heating
appliance in a 5-star hotel in the French town of Lons in the
Pyrenees-Atlantique region saw 53 of the 92 guests hospitalised on
Sunday morning in Pau and Orthez, 3 were listed in serious condition.
Carbon monoxide had leaked out into passageways and rooms.
8th April 2007.
Update 9th April -. All victims were able to leave hospital on Monday.
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Algeria
Gas leakage kills 8 in Algerian
apartment
8 members of an Algerian family have succumbed to leaking gas from a
butane cylinder in an apartment in Teleghma, near Mila, 250 miles east
of Algiers. 4th
April 2007.
|
Austria
Piste tractor kills skier
Austrian authorities are investigating the
death of a tourist struck by a reversing piste maintenance vehicle in
the Tyrolean resort of St Anton, the victim was skiing downhill but
had fallen, and was unseen by the plant operator. 2nd April 2007
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Japan
Air ambulance crash, 4
dead
The wreckage of a Japanese air ambulance CH47
helicopter was located on Saturday on Tokunoshima island, all 4 crew
died in the crash.
The flight had departed Naha Airport late on Friday, original plans
to land in a field were aborted in favour of landing at Tokunoshima
Airport, dense sea fog conditions prevailed locally. 2nd April 2007
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France
Dozens injured in Pas-de-Calais
fairground accident
A roundabout accident at an amusement park in Tournehem-sur-la-Hem, 12
miles southeast of Calais, left 24 visitors injured yesterday
afternoon, 2 were in serious condition. 30th
April 2007.
|
USA
Ohio recycling worker critically
ill after shredder accident
A 56-year old temporary worker lay in critical condition in hospital
in Dayton, Ohio, yesterday after either falling or being drawn into
shredding equipment at Rumpke Tyre Recycling Centre in St Clair. The
victim lost an arm and sustained other multiple injuries in the
accident, it is believed he was attempting to clear a blockage in the
equipment.
28th April 2007.
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Turkey
Girl rescued from collapsed
Turkish building
No fatalities are believed to have occurred yesterday after the
collapse of a 6-storey apartment building in the Sirinevler district
of Istanbul, occupants became aware of ominous structural cracking and
evacuated the building, one young girl was rescued alive and well from
under the rubble.
Demolition work on an adjacent property is speculated as a cause for
the collapse.
27th April 2007.
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Germany
Runaway cow causes
£20Kdamage
A rampaging cow which escaped from a farm in Lower Saxony this week
caused an estimated £20K of damage in the city of Hannover prior to
being sedated and caught, it is understood that the pregnant Charolais
cow has since died. 26th April 2007.
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Sweden
Police helicopter
crashes during training exercise
One person died and 2 were injured when a Gothenburg police helicopter
crashed yesterday near Lake Sisjon, in Vastmanland 5 miles south of
the city, during a training exercise. 24th April 2007.
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Austria
Window cleaner killed in fall in Vienna
A 46-year female Chinese worker has fallen to her death while cleaning
windows at an office block in the Wieden district of Vienna, the
victim lost her balance on the wet outer surface and fell from the 3rd
floor, police allege safety equipment was not in place.
23rd April 2007.
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Bulgaria
Escaped bears safely caught
A pair of bears which escaped from Blagoevgrad Zoo, 60 miles south of
Sofia, after breaking down a timber fence and metal door have been
safely captured without injury to the public.
23rd April 2007.
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Bulgaria
Major fire at Balkans
factory
A major blaze engulfed the
Gotmar Company's premises in Saedinenie, Bratya Daslovi, Plovdiv,
yesterday, the locus was plastic material stored in a workshop, no
injuries or cause for the accident have been reported.
20th April 2007.
|
Italy
Italian factory fire releases dioxin cloud
A fire at the De Longhi electrical goods plant in Treviso, northern
Italy, saw a dioxin cloud released into the atmosphere, local houses
were evacuated but no reports of injuries were received.
19th April 2007.
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China
Spillage causes fatalities at Chinese steel
works
As many as 2 dozen workers are feared dead following a molten metal
spillage at Qinghe Special Steel Co Ltd's plant in Tieling, Liaoning,
during the course of Wednesday, 2 bodies had been recovered.
19th April 2007.
|
Austria
Falling concrete kills Viennese site worker
A falling 30m² section of concrete killed an Austrian worker
yesterday at a site on Daumegasse in the Favoriten district of Vienna. 19th April 2007
|
Italy
Intercity and goods train
collide in Italy
A number of Italian rail
passengers were hospitalised yesterday after the Intercity Tacito 580
Terni - Milan service collided with a 15-wagon goods train in Terni,
Umbria, the passenger train was gathering speed to around 15 mph when
it struck the Asti-bound goods train.
On April 6th a Trenitalia cargo worker was killed in a coupling
accident in Terni, raising rail workers safety concerns.
17th April 2007
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Japan
Helicopter crash kills
workers on Mt Suisho
The crash of a helicopter
on Mount Suisho in the Japanese Alps left 2 workers dead and 8 others
injured, the Akagi Helicopter's tail rotor clipped a snow-covered
ridge.
The flight from Maebishi involved construction workers and mountain
lodge workers in inspection and surveying prior to public access to
the area. 11th April 2007.
|
China
China Sea search for
missing seamen
Rescuers scoured the East China Sea yesterday for 20 missing seamen,
19 Chinese and 1 Indonesian, from the freighter Harvest, which sank
following a collision with the Chinese ship Jinhaikun, south of
Shanghai, while en route to Vietnam with a cargo of 5K tonnes of
steel. 9th April 2007.
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Switzerland
Diver succumbs after
surfacing too quickly
A 43-year old diver was killed in an accident at the weekend
while undertaking a dive to a depth of 90 metres in the Swiss
Neuenburgersee in the Waadt canton.
He was equipped with a trimix cylinder of oxygen, nitrogen and helium,
enabling diving to greater depths, as well as 2 reserve cylinders.
For reasons unknown he encountered technical difficulties and surfaced
too quickly. 8th
April 2007.
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Algeria
Explosions
kill nomads
Unexploded ordnance dating from the French colonial era has claimed
the lives of 5 members of a nomadic family in Bechar in the southwest
of the Algerian Sahara.
8th April 2007.
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South
Africa
Hospice fire claims 4 lives
A nurse was among 4 victims of a fire at the Maria Ratsehitz Mission
Hospice, 20 miles outside Dundee, it is speculated that a patient's
cigarette caused the blaze which spread rapidly, a section of burning
thatched roof collapsed on the nurse during the evacuation of
patients. 3rd April
2007.
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Norway
Tunnel inspection
programme
All road tunnels on the E18 motorway
southwest of Oslo are now subject to structural integrity
investigation following evidence of cracks in the north tunnel at
Bolstad, last December saw sections of roof collapse in the Hanekliev
tunnel. 2nd April 2007
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|
England
Girl killed at Yorkshire quarry
The irresistible attraction of quarries as play areas has once again
claimed a life, this time a 13-year-old girl. The tragedy occurred
last Wednesday at the active quarry at Grimethorpe, near Barnsley, the
girl was found beside a large rock. 30th April
2007.
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Scotland
Scaffolding fall kills man
A man working for Stirling Stone Ltd has died after falling 10m on a
construction project in Glasgow.
He died following Thursday morning's accident in the grounds of
Glasgow Academy in Kelvinbridge, Robertson Construction are contracted
to construct an extension to a building. 28th April 2007.
|
Scotland
Workman killed by falling pipes
It is reported that a man died in an industrial accident on Wednesday
when he was struck by piping being unloaded from a vehicle at Corse
House water treatment plant in Stewarton, Ayrshire. 28th April 2007.
|
England
Refuse collection worker dies on
round
It is reported that an employee of Enterprise plc has been struck and
killed by a refuse collection vehicle as he worked in Chorley,
Lancashire.
The company is contracted to South Ribble Borough Council, the
accident occurred on Wednesday.
27th April 2007.
|
England
16-year-old victim of fatal
industrial accident
A young worker has lost his life in an accident as he worked with
colleagues on a residential property in Hadley Wood, N London.
The accident occurred on Monday, it appears that he was crushed by a
falling wall somewhere on the property. 26th April 2007.
|
England
Devon site death
It is reported that a workman died this week following an industrial
accident in Cullompton, Devon.
One account states he was fatally injured as he worked to lift roof
trusses from a vehicle. 25th April 2007.
|
England
Scaffolder was fatally
injured in rooflight fall
Failures by those parties with duties under health and safety law to
protect persons from being placed in unnecessary danger while working
at height have resulted in prosecution and fine at Preston Crown
Court.
On 9th June 2003 a 28 year old scaffolder fell through a fragile roof
light while working on an extension to a warehouse operated by Unichem
PLC on Walton Summit, Preston.
The deceased's employer, Telford Tower & Scaffolding Ltd of Telford,
Shropshire pleaded guilty to a charge under S.2(1) of the Health and
Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for which it was fined £35,000, with
£20,000 costs. Pochin (Contractors) Ltd of Middlewich, Cheshire, the
main contractors, admitted breaching S.3(1) of the same Act for which
it was fined £25,000, with £15,000 costs. Unichem plc of Chessington,
Surrey, the clients for the work, admitted breaching r.11 of the
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994 for which it was
fined £3,000, with £2.407 costs; a partner in the firm of Isherwood
McCann of Blaby, Leicester, the project designer and planning
supervisor, pleaded guilty to a charge under r.13(2)(a)(i) of the same
Regulations for which he was fined £2,500, with £1,500 costs. Another
partner in the firm of Isherwood McCann, the planning supervisor for
the project, pleaded guilty to a charge under r.15(1) of the same
Regulations, for which he was fined £2,500 with £1,500 costs.
Tragic accident
Commenting after the case, HSE's Deputy Chief Executive
said "Everybody involved in planning and carrying out
construction work has some responsibility for ensuring the health and
safety of the workers. This case brings home the possible tragic
consequences if they fail to carry out their duties."
Acting HSE Principal Inspector, lamenting the fact that the deceased
need not have died, said: "This was a tragic incident in which a man
lost his life in circumstances that could so easily have been
prevented. The dangers presented by fragile roof materials have been
well known for many years, yet were not taken into consideration in
this case. Considerable time had been spent planning the job and any
one of those involved had the opportunity to realise that somebody
could fall through the warehouse roof. Simple steps could then have
been taken to prevent this death. If this had been done, the man would
still be alive today."
24th April 2007.
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England
NE miner killed at potash mine
A rock fall has claimed the life of a 24-year-old miner as he
worked underground at the Cleveland Potash Limited mine at Boulby,
Teesside. He died following last Thursday's accident when the rock
detached at a sidewall.
Cleveland Potash Limited is part of ICL Fertilizers.
21st April 2007
|
England
Docks fatality in Kent
It is reported that a workman has been struck and killed by a vehicle
while he was working on a ship at Dover docks.
The accident occurred on Tuesday at the Dover Harbour Board property.
20th April 2007.
|
England
Teenage worker killed by
recycling equipment
A 17-year old agricultural worker has lost his life in an accident on
a farm in Dundry, Somerset. The accident occurred earlier this month,
it appears the deceased was drawn into a conveyor.
17th April 2007.
|
England
Migrant worker electrocuted
A Polish worker died last week when the equipment he was handling in a
Kent field came in to contact with an overhead power cable.
It is reported that he was an employee of Zenith Nurseries Ltd working
near Evesham.
5th April 2007.
|
Scotland
Sheet metal worker killed in
Peterhead accident
It is reported that a workman lost his life in an industrial accident
on Monday while cutting scrap metal at the premises of Subsea 7 in
Peterhead, NE Scotland.
One account states he was an employee of Dales Engineering Services
Ltd and was struck by a section of steel. 4th
April 2007
|
England
Port worker struck and
killed by vehicle
A cargo handler has died in a workplace transport accident at the port
of Ipswich.
The accident occurred last Friday during the unloading of a
cross-channel ro-ro ferry at Associated British Ports' West Bank
Terminal. 3rd April 2007
|
England
Construction worker killed
in Liverpool
A banksman has been struck and killed by an overturning mobile crane
on a site on the Wavertree Technology Park.
The accident occurred last Thursday at the premises of SHS
International, the operator of the crane is reported to have also been
injured, but not seriously.
According to one account, during structural steel erection the load
being lifted caught on a tree, causing the crane to overturn on top of
the workman. 2nd April 2007
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