Uganda
Lightning kills 19 school children
Nineteen children died when lightning
struck Runyanya Primary School in Kiryandongo, 150 miles north of
Kampala. The children were in their classrooms at the time, lightning
strikes have killed several Ugandans in recent days in various
locations. 30th June 2011
|
Cuba
Brake failure caused train collision
Brake failure has been speculated as
the cause of an accident in which 79 people were injured when 2 trains
collided in Guantanamo.
30th June 2011
|
India
Wall collapse kills day labourers
Twelve people died in the collapse of a 3-metre high outer wall at
premises in Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh where people assemble on a daily
basis seeking to be hired for casual labour. 29th June 2011
|
Austria
Vienna rail track worker injured
A 53-year old worker sustained a
serious foot injury on Tuesday when his leg was trapped by
track-laying equipment while he was undertaking track work near
Meidling Station, Vienna.
Plant was used to improvise a lift of the injured worker up on to the
city's Philadelphia Bridge from where a helicopter took him to
hospital. 29th June 2011
|
Bahrain
Worker dies in trench collapse
A worker of Al Hassanain Contracting was killed after being buried
under sand of fine tilth in an unshored excavation collapse in Al
Hidd. He and a colleague were in a 3-metre deep trench carrying out
maintenance work on a sewage pipe on a Works Ministry Project when the
trench became unstable, the colleague survived the accident. 28th June 2011
|
Austria
Crane load fell on toilet cleaner
A worker was hospitalised with severe head injuries yesterday when a
metal cage being hoisted by a crane fell on him as he was cleaning
toilets on a site in Schwarzach, Bregenz. 28th June 2011
|
France
Six climbers found dead in fall in French Alps
Six mountain climbers, aged from 16 to 64, died in a 200-metre fall at
the weekend while climbing the Neige Cordier peak in the Ecrins
national park. Their bodies were found on Sunday morning by an English
climber at 2,700m. The climbers had been roped together, the cause of
the fall was unclear, local authorities were discounting an avalanche
as the cause. 27th June 2011
|
Spain
Falling wall kills Madrid site worker
A 37-year old construction worker was killed when a wall
collapsed on him at a site on calle Grande in Chinchon, 30 miles
southeast of Madrid, most of his body was pinned under the rubble and
he died at the scene of the accident. 27th June 2011
|
USA
3rd Caltrans workplace death in 7 weeks
Caltrans has temporarily suspended routine or scheduled highway
maintenance work pending a safety review and audit following the death
on Thursday of a Caltrans maintenance worker collecting litter who
died after being struck by a vehicle on an Interstate 15 slip
road ramp in San Diego. This was the 3rd Caltrans workplace fatality
in the last 48 days.
24th June 2011
|
Canada
Female worker's clothes ignited
A female worker with burns injuries is listed as in serious but stable
condition in hospital in Buffalo after her clothing ignited in a
workplace accident at DMI Industries in Stevensville, Ontario. 24th June 2011
|
USA
Oil worker dies in sinkhole accident
A Chevron oil worker has died in a 10-metre fall into a sinkhole as
subsidence occurred and a 1-metre aperture was created in the ground
one mile from the
entrance of an oilfield near Taft, California.
23rd June 2011
|
USA
Barge worker's body recovered from Mississippi
The body of a barge worker of Zito Fleeting LLC was recovered from the
Mississippi in Jefferson, Louisiana, investigation is attempting to establish the
cause of his fall into the river from a barge near River Road, poor
weather was prevailing at the time of the accident.
23rd June 2011
|
USA
Pennsylvanian trench collapse
A Pennsylvanian worker was killed on Tuesday in an unstable excavation
at the Worthington at Town Square construction site, a
residential/retail development in Manheim Township, details of the
accident were unknown.
22nd June 2011
|
Indonesia
Elephant tramples Pante Ceureumen rubber worker
A rampaging bull elephant has killed a worker on the Sari Inti Rakyat
rubber plantation in Manuang Kinco, Aceh, colleagues were helpless to
intervene during the attack.
22nd June 2011
|
Romania
Falling crane section kills schoolgirl
A 12-year old girl was killed on Monday in Plopsoru, southern Romania,
when a section of crane became unstable and fell from a vehicle and
struck her as she passed on the pavement. She was admitted to Judetean
Hospital in Targu Jiu but died of her injuries.
21st June 2011
|
Sweden
Store reviews child play area incident
Ikea is investigating an incident in which a 4-year old child was
allowed to leave a Smaland play area in its Uppsala store having not
been returned to her parents. The parents became alarmed when they
went to collect the child only to be told that the roster indicated
she had been collected, the child was later found near the entrance of
the store. Parents and children are registered with a wrist stamp
which is used to match up both parties when the child is collected.
21st June 2011
|
China
Workers killed and trapped in building
collapse
At least 12 workers died yesterday when a former office building being
refurbished in the Qianqiao district of Wuxi City, Jiangsu, collapsed.
Some workers were pulled out alive but it was feared that others were
still trapped under the rubble.
20th June 2011
|
India
Overheating led to Gujarat reactor explosion
A reactor exploded in a chemical unit at United Phosphorus in
Ankleshwar, Gujarat, killing 2 of the 8 workers in the unit. Of the
other injured workers, 1 is listed in critical condition, initial
speculation of the cause of the explosion is overheating of the
reactor. 20th June
2011
|
Norway
Train fire in Bergensbanen tunnel
Fire broke out on an Bergen-Oslo intercity train yesterday as it
passed through the 200-metre long snow shelter tunnel near
Hallingskeid on the Bergensbanen line, 215 miles west of Oslo. It was
unclear whether fire had already broken out in the tunnel prior to the
eastbound train's entry, 8 carriages were destroyed in the accident.
Jernbaneverket(Norwegian National Rail Administration) is
investigating the incident, all 257 people on board were safely
rescued. 17th June
2011
|
Spain
Saw sparked fire at Cadiz site
It is speculated that a spark from a mechanical saw led to a fire on
Thursday morning on the ground floor of commercial premises on Brasil
Street, Cadiz. A worker sustained burns injuries trying to control the
blaze, 5 policemen and a firemen required hospital treatment for smoke
inhalation. 17th
June 2011
|
Poland
Tyre blow-out leads to crash of security workers' van
Eight people died on Wednesday when a minibus carrying workers of the
Solid security company collided with a lorry on National Route 8
between Rawa Mazowiecka and Mszczonow while travelling to Warsaw. A
tyre blow-out on the lorry is speculated as the cause of the accident
which occurred at a road works section where the highway is reduced
from 4 to 2 lanes.
16th June 2011
|
Kenya
People trapped at Nairobi new-build collapse site
A search was ongoing yesterday for more than a dozen people missing
and possibly trapped under rubble at the site of the collapse of a
6-storey part-built building in the Embakassi district of Nairobi, 2
people were initially confirmed to have died.
16th June 2011
|
Philippines
Subcontract lineman electrocuted
A lineman of Rosh Inc, subcontracted to Veco(Visayan Electrical
Company), was electrocuted while carrying out maintenance work on Pier
4 in the Tejero district of Cebu City.
A colleague survived the accident but his arm may have to be
amputated. The workers were responding to a power cut after a
container lorry struck a power line.
15th June 2011
|
Australia
Company fined over fall from height
At Perth Magistrates' Court Matnic Enterprises was fined $15K(£9,779)
after pleading guilty to failing to provide a safe workplace in a fall
from height accident.
On July 2007 in Northbridge, a director and a painter were working
with a mobile scaffold, the director tried to reposition the scaffold
while the painter was on top on a ladder but the painter fell 5
metres, breaking both legs.
15th June 2011
|
Japan
Osaka accident HGV driver may have fallen asleep
An HGV driver was arrested following an accident on Monday morning on
the Meishin Expressway in Osaka where his vehicle ran into the back of
a car, several other vehicles became involved and 2 people died in an
ensuing fire. There have been allegations that the lorry driver may
have fallen asleep at the wheel.
14th June 2011
|
USA
Falling door kills SC warehouse worker
A worker was killed when a garage door came down on him at a warehouse
at Lowe's home improvement store in Charlotte, South Carolina.
14th June 2011
|
Ghana
Worker killed in soap mixing machine
A 21-year old worker died in an accident at Delta Agro Ltd in the Tema
Industrial Area where he became caught in the rollers of a soap mixing
machine. Initially his hand was severed but he sustained multiple
injuries upon being drawn in. Initial speculation of the accident was
that he may have been adding chemicals to the mixer by hand while the
machine was in active mode.
13th June 2011
|
Nepal
Tractor overturn in Sindhuli
A worker was killed yesterday when his tractor came off the road and
overturned at Ranichuli village in the Janakpur zone.
13th June 2011
|
Canada
Miners buried under unstable waste
Two miners were buried alive in a "run of muck" accident at the Stobie
copper-nickel mine of Vale in Sudbury, Ontario. They were working on
an ore pass 1,000 metres underground when the waste became loose and
overwhelmed them.
10th June 2011
|
Canada
Worker badly injured in Montreal crane accident
A female crane operator sustained multiple fractures including both
arms and a leg when her crane became unstable and overturned into an
excavation while carrying a steel girder at the site of the former
Seville Theatre in Montreal.
10th June 2011
|
Turkey
9 burned to death in bus crash
At least 9 people were burned alive and 33 others were injured when a
bus driver lost control of his vehicle as it travelled through the
Gorele district of Giresun, taking 43 passengers from Istanbul to
Trabzon. A spokesman for TSOF (Turkiye Soforler ve Otomobilciler
Federasyonu), the Turkish Drivers and Automobile Federation, spoke of
driver fatigue being an issue in too many such accidents.
9th June 2011
|
Australia
Queensland roads worker killed
An investigation has been launched in Queensland into the death of a
Cairns Regional Council roads worker struck by a vehicle in Cairns,
one of a crew working on road marking and placing traffic cones in the
middle of Pease Street.
9th June 2011
|
Austria
Graz worker's leg severed by forklift
A 53-year old worker was in an induced coma in hospital in Graz last
night following an accident in which his leg was virtually severed
below the knee after being struck by a reversing forklift in Alten
Poststrasse in Graz.
8th June 2011
|
Germany
Textile machine falls off lorry on to workers
On Tuesday in Viersen, North Rhine-Westphalia, a textile processing machine became unstable
during unloading from a lorry and fell and pinned 2 workers, a 66-year
old worker is listed in life-threatening condition, a 33-year old
colleague sustained serious injuries.
8th June 2011
|
Belgium
Girl spectator killed by flying wheel at rally
A 10-year old girl from Tielt died in hospital in Bruges from severe
head injuries sustained when she was struck by a
wheel which detached from a car at the Kevin Neerman Memorial rally in Ruiselede
where she was a spectator at the race.
7th June 2011
|
Austria
Municipal worker killed by falling tree in Vienna
A 53-year old municipal parks worker was killed by a falling tree
branch in a park in the Meidling district of Vienna. Another worker had just
cut a separate branch which brought down a weaker, possibly diseased,
limb of the tree which fell 10 metres and fractured his skull.
inflicting fatal injuries.
7th June 2011
|
USA
New York worker crushed in compactor
A worker died in a crush accident in a compactor on Saturday at the
Krieger Recycling plant in Rochester, New York. He became trapped
between rams which compress metal although the mechanism should not
activate without someone inside an attached crane.
6th June 2011
|
USA
Alaskan gold mine fatality
A mill operator died in a fall accident in the primary crusher area at
the Fort Knox gold mine of Kinross Inc, a mine operated by
Fairbanks Gold Mining Inc 25 miles northeast of Fairbanks. 6th June 2011
|
New Zealand
1 killed, another critically injured in forklift accident
Department of Labour investigators have arrived at the scene of a
fatal accident at a Transpower site near Oteranga Bay where a worker
died in an accident involving a forklift truck, a colleague is listed
in critical condition in hospital in Wellington.
3rd June 2011
|
Canada
Construction worker killed on
Windsor road site
An accident involving heavy plant has killed an employee of Coco
Paving Inc who succumbed to head injuries at a highway upgrading site
on McKay Avenue, Windsor.
3rd June 2011
|
Tunisia
Welders killed in oil tank explosion
Two maintenance workers were killed when an oil tank exploded at oil
company premises in Sfaz, it is thought that hot metal work was being
undertaken and there was a gas residue inside the tank. 2nd June 2011
|
Russia
Petrol station explosion kills adjacent worker
A worker at a dairy products unit in Kostroma, north of Moscow, was
killed yesterday and 3 colleagues were injured when an explosion
occurred at an adjacent petrol station, causing a gas cylinder to fly
across into dairy premises.
2nd June 2011
|
China
3 maintenance workers killed at Hunan mine
A roof collapsed at the Dingli coal mine in Jiahe County, Hunan,
killing 3 maintenance workers who were working at the roof face, the
cause of the accident was unclear.
1st June 2011
|
Turkey
Fatal accident at Sirnak mine
Two miners are recovering in Sirnak State Hospital after an explosion
and fall of ground accident at the Bereketli Coal Mining Company mine
in Toptepe in Sirnak, a colleague's body was recovered from the locus.
1st June 2011
|
|
Germany
Bavarian worker's arm severed in conveyor
A worker in his 50's sustained a
life-threatening injury yesterday when his arm was severed in
Hassberge, Stettfeld. Sand was being loaded by conveyor belt on to a
ship but when a blockage occurred he attempted to clear it with the
system active. 30th June 2011
|
Italy
Roofer killed in fall in Arezzo
A worker has died in an 8-metre fall from a roof in Setteponti, Arezzo, where he was replacing a
skylight. 30th June 2011
|
China
Shanghai lift engineer killed in fall down shaft
An engineer has died in a fall down a lift shaft at the 57-storey
Exchange SOHO office building on Tongren Road in the Jing'an district
of Shanghai where he had arrived to work on one of the building's 13
lifts. 29th June
2011
|
USA
Hot metal work fire at New York recyclers
Hot metal work during repair work on a metal building has led to a
fire at Twin Village Recycling on Broadway, Depew. Three propane gas
tanks exploded and fire crews from Buffalo-Niagara International
Airport assisted in the control of the blaze with foam.
29th June 2011
|
Scotland
Car ran on to Dunbartonshire rail line
Investigators are studying an accident in which a driver died when his
car came off a slip road near Renton and landed on the permanent way
between Dumbarton and Balloch. 28th June 2011
|
Rep Ireland
Workplace deaths rose 12% in 2010
Workplace deaths rose to 48 in Ireland last year, up from 43 in 2009,
however the construction sector recorded only 6 fatalities, the lowest
figure since 1989.
Agriculture, fishing and forestry accounted for 29 deaths, with falls
from height being the most common cause of death.
Of 16,714 HSA inspections, 9% resulted in enforcement action.
28th June 2011
|
USA
Florida worker dies in fall from MEWP
A subcontract worker of Winter Construction died in a 7-metre fall
from a MEWP (mobile elevating work platform) on Saturday on the
construction site at Benjamin E Mays High School in Atlanta. He was
struck by a falling pipe which caused him to fall out of the raised
bucket. 27th June 2011
|
USA
Mower operator drowns on Utah golf course
A grounds maintenance worker drowned in an accident at Stansbury Park
golf course in Utah when his mower became unstable close to the edge
of a water feature and overturned.
27th June 2011
|
Russia
MiG-29 test flight crash in Astrakhan
Both pilots of a MiG-29 jet fighter on a test flight died when their
aircraft crashed between Kabanov and Grinko in the Arkhtubunsk
district of Astrakhan.
24th June 2011
|
USA
Crush accident at Maryland landscapers
A Maryland landscape worker of CHS Inc was killed in a crush accident
on Thursday after becoming pinned between 2 pieces of equipment in
Frederick. 24th June 2011
|
Germany
Fall from height accident on Duisburg site
A fall from height accident occurred on Wednesday at the new
Konigsgalerie site in the centre of Duisburg where a worker fell 4
metres from a ladder and sustained back and head injuries, but these
are not believed to be life-threatening.
23rd June 2011
|
Japan
Subway train door closed on Tokyo commuter's hand
The Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation is investigating an
accident which occurred in Funabori Station on the Toei Shinjuku Line
where a female passenger was dragged 12 metres along the platform
after her hand was caught in the door of a train departing for
Motoyawata. 23rd
June 2011
|
Austria
Boy almost drowns on school outing
An 8-year old pupil of the Ottakring Volksschule Langsteinergasse was
hospitalised on Tuesday in life-threatening condition after almost
drowning in an accident on a school outing to the Hutteldorf swimming
pool in Vienna.
Three teachers and 5 parents accompanied the 60 children who were
being assessed on their swimming standard. It is thought that the boy
may have entered the water without permission, the baths master
immediately jumped in and rescued him when he was seen to be in
difficulty. 22nd
June 2011
|
USA
Wisconsin man killed in silo auger accident
A 49-year old Wisconsin agricultural worker has died from injuries
sustained in a silo at Philip Majerus Dairy Barn in Eden where he lost
his balance while cleaning grain residue deposit and fell on to an
auger which drew his legs in. Augers operate without safety cut-off
switches and are deactivated manually, rescuers used Jaws of Life to
extricate the worker who died later in hospital.
22nd June 2011
|
Croatia
Oil refinery fire
A major fire broke out on Monday morning at the INA(Industrija Nafte) oil refinery in Sisak,
no injuries were reported as fire crews fought to control and contain
the blaze within 3 hours. Damage will be assessed today(Tuesday) this
was the 2nd blaze there in 18 months. 21st
June 2011
|
Poland
Pilot error probe in air show crash
An autopsy took place yesterday following the death of a 57-year pilot
whose aircraft crashed into the River Vistula in Plock as he was
performing aerobatics. National Aircraft Investigation Commission's
initial findings are that no technical malfunction occurred.
21st June 2011
|
Israel
Wall collapse kills worker at school site
A 34-year old construction worker was killed on Sunday when a wall
collapsed at a site in Herzilya, north of Tel Aviv, where a school gym
is undergoing refurbishment.
20th June 2011
|
USA
Mechanic crushed as vehicle comes off lift
A lorry came off a hydraulic lift at Ace Automotive on East 8th
Street, New Albany, Indiana, killing a 55-year old motor engineer
servicing the vehicle.
20th June 2011
|
Germany
Aluminium spillage at Berlin factory
A worker was hospitalised with facial and upper body burns yesterday
following a spillage of liquid aluminium from a container during
transportation in a building at the Berliner Aluminiumwerk on
Kopenhagenerstrasse, Berlin.
17th June 2011
|
France
Cessna lands on Lyon- Geneva motorway
Engine failure forced the pilot of a Cessna light aircraft from
Bellegarde aerodrome to make an emergency landing on Thursday on the
A40 motorway at Chatillon-en-Michaille. A lorry driver became aware of
the aircraft's approach and slowed following traffic to a halt to
facilitate the emergency landing, no injuries occurred.
June 2011
|
China
8 killed in potassium chlorate explosion
An explosion killed 8 workers in an unloading bay in Litang, Guangxi
Zhuang, when a lorry's load of flammable chemicals, including
potassium chlorate and carbon powder, became unstable.
16th June 2011
|
USA
Worker killed in mattress machine accident
An employee of Corsicana Bedding of Wallkill, New York State, has died
in a crush accident, having been drawn into the rollers of a mattress
bagging machine.
16th June 2011
|
USA
Worker killed servicing fire extinguisher
An elderly worker was killed by a ricocheting fire extinguisher at the
Fire Fight division of Global Aerotech Inc in Melbourne, Florida.
The accident occurred in a 3m x 7m room where extinguishers are
recharged and pressurised. It is speculated that the worker was
attempting to reduce pressure from a valve when the extinguisher
became unstable.
15th June 2011
|
Georgia
Landslide claims Tbilisi woman
A 76-year old woman died in a landslide in Tbilisi, heavy rains had
led to the instability, her husband was rescued from the slippage of
earth. 15th June
2011
|
Canada
Calgary worker's arm saved in auger accident
Fire crews in Calgary deployed a plasma cutter from their heavy rescue
unit to come to the aid of a worker whose arm was pinned at the elbow
in an auger at premises on 76 Avenue Southeast in Calgary.
It is believed that their precision work prevented an amputation of
the arm, it remained unclear whether the worker was trying to clear a
blockage or debris at the equipment used for mixing plastics.
14th June 2011
|
USA
Tractor rollover fatality on Nebraska farm
A 58-year old Nebraskan agricultural worker died in a tractor rollover
accident when his vehicle overturned and pinned him on a gradient some
3 miles southeast of Virginia.
14th June 2011
|
USA
Demolition worker missing after premature collapse
OSHA is investigating what now appears to have been a fatal accident
during demolition work at the Progress Energy power plant on Weedon
Island, St Petersburg, Florida.
An employee of Frontier Industrial Corporation became trapped in the
structure of the No.3 boiler, which came down just over an hour ahead
of the scheduled demolition time. A number of support beams had been
cut in preparation for a controlled collapse. A search for the missing
worker was ongoing over the weekend but hopes were fading of finding
him alive. 13th
June 2011
|
Germany
Roofer critically injured in fall
A 35-year old worker was hospitalised in Trier with life-threatening
injuries after falling 7 metres through a gap in the roof while
working on the Turnhalle in Grosslittgen.
13th June 2011
|
Serbia
Orphanage cook stabbed to death
A 34-year old female cook died following a stabbing incident at the
Children's Village orphanage in Sremska Kamenica, the alleged
perpetrator is a 17-year old resident.
10th June 2011
|
Vietnam
Overloaded crane falls on shipyard workers
An overloaded crane collapsed at the Hyundai-Vinashin Shipyard Company
in Khanh Hoa Province, killing 2 subcontract workers of Dongsun of
South Korea and injuring 2 others who were under the crane.
10th June 2011
|
Philippines
Dynamite explosion kills 2 in Agusan del Norte mine
A mine owner and an explosives subcontractor have been killed in an
explosion while setting dynamite charges at a mine in Rosi, Sitio
Parada, Cabadbaran City. More than 20 holes had been filled and 11
detonations had taken place but the fatal explosion occurred as a
2-metre long fuse was being cut. Several miners survived the accident.
9th June 2011
|
England
Courier fell through trap door in London pub
A courier was awarded £20K in damages over an accident in the
Albannach Whisky Restaurant Bar in London where he broke his back and
sustained leg injuries in a fall through an open trapdoor.
On 24th April 2009, the courier of E & C Barnes Courier Services
had to access the bar area for a signature for his delivery when the
accident happened.
9th June 2011
|
USA
Serious burns accident at Pennsylvanian metal company
A Pennsylvanian worker was hospitalised on Tuesday with possible 2nd
and 3rd degree burns in an accident at Aluminium Alloys in Lower
Heidelberg. 8th
June 2011
|
Canada
Landscaper drowns in water feature
A 57-year man engaged in landscaping work at premises in Charleswood,
Winnipeg, drowned in a water feature after becoming pinned under a
large rock he was attempting to manoeuvre.
8th June 2011
|
Spain
3 dead in Asturias aircraft crashes
At least 3 people died in 2 separate light aircraft crashes in
Asturias on Monday.
One plane came down at Castrillas airport, another crashed on the
Bayas area of high ground near the town. Both were Polish-registered
and appeared to have flown from San Sebastian where another light
aircraft in the group managed to make a safe landing. Thick mist was
prevailing in the area at the time.
7th June 2011
|
Gaza
More than 150 people have died in smuggling tunnels
A 22-year old male died on Monday in the collapse of a contraband
tunnel in Rafah, more than 150 people have died in such accidents
involving structural collapse or electrocution in the tunnels over the
last 5 years. 7th
June 2011
|
Australia
Fall accident on scaffold at WA wharf
The Department of Mines and Petroleum is investigating a fatal
accident on Saturday at the Rio Tinto wharf in Dampier, Western
Australia, where a subcontract worker of Celtic Scaffolding died in a
fall into the water at East Intercourse Island jetty during
maintenance work when a section of scaffold gave way under him.
6th June 2011
|
Australia
Falling coal rib kills NSW miner
A large section of coal fell and killed a 52-year old miner at the
Chain Valley Mine of LakeCoal Pty Ltd in New South Wales.
He was operating machinery by remote control when the section of coal
broke away from the wall just behind where he was standing.
6th June 2011
|
UAE
Nursery death investigation
Police in Al Ain in the Abu Dhabi Emirate are investigating the
death of a 4-month old baby allegedly found dying or dead by a parent
who came to collect him at a city centre nursery, the parent alleges
that the baby was lying in a prone position when he arrived.
3rd June 2011
|
Georgia
Child dies from snake bite
A 3-year old child died from venom from a snake bite on a farm at
Dedoplistskaro, eastern Georgia.
He was first taken to a local hospital but later died in transit to a
hospital in Tblisi.
3rd June 2011
|
USA
Forklift accident at Maryland publisher
A 44-year old worker died in a forklift crush accident on Wednesday in
a warehouse at Random House Publishing in Westminster, Maryland.
He was moving stock on pallets but struck a shelving unit, becoming
pinned between a shelf support member and the forklift. 2nd June 2011
|
Malta
Postie wins damages over m/cycle training accident
A Maltapost worker was awarded €173,899(£152,699) damages against his
employer after sustaining a 35% permanent disability injury in an
accident while undertaking motorcycle training for his employer. He
fell off the bike while under instruction from a licensed trainer. The
judge observed that while the trainer was licensed the parking area
where the lessons took place was not licensed as a teaching area under
the law, access being available to the public. 2nd June 2011
|
Germany
Falling concrete section injures motorway site workers
Two construction workers were badly injured yesterday at a site in a
parking area on Autobahn 43 at Coesfeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, where
a heavy concrete section fell 4 metres on to them during the
construction of a sound screening wall.
1st June 2011
|
USA
Michigan teenager killed in silo crush accident
An 18-year old Michigan farm worker has died in a crush accident in a
grain silo on a dairy farm northwest of Gibson Township where he was
scraping corn from the walls of the silo when instability occurred and
he sank into the corn which failed to bear his weight.
1st June 2011
|
|
Wales
Overnight fire in school staff room
South Wales Fire Service dealt with an
overnight fire at St Andrew's Junior School, Lliswerry, where an
electrical fault led to a fire in a dishwasher in the staff room.
30th June 2011
|
England
Unstable vehicle fell during servicing
A Midlands inquest has ruled accidental
death in respect of a fatal crush accident at BG Bullas Ltd in Rye,
Stourbridge, where a 57-year old man became pinned under a sports car
he was servicing there. The car had been lifted by crane but not
secured to the frame and it became unstable and fell from the cradle.
30th June 2011
|
Rep Ireland
Fatal accidents in Wexford and Cork
The 2011 workplace death figure rose to 28 this week following 2 fatal
accidents in Wexford and Cork.
An engineering company proprietor was killed when a load came off a
forklift at Wilson Engineering, Kilmacree; and a worker fitting a
water tank at a house in Youghal died in a fall from a scaffold.
29th June 2011
|
Scotland
Shetland creel fisherman missing
A search was ongoing yesterday for a missing fisherman after the
unmanned creel boat Kathleen was discovered off Unst, Shetland.
29th June 2011
|
England
Midlands boy injured on climbing frame
A 10-year old boy was admitted to Birmingham Children's Hospital after
falling from a climbing frame in a park in Ellesmere, an accident
which saw him fracture a wrist and elbow.
28th June 2011
|
England
Shropshire hotel basement fire
It is believed that a fire in the basement of Longmynd Hotel in Church
Stretton was caused by a temperature build-up in a bin containing hot
towels which ignited, guests were evacuated and no injuries occurred.
28th June 2011
|
England
Faulty fridge caused hospital fire
A malfunctioning fridge in a newsagent's shop in the entrance to
Chesterfield Royal Hospital led to the fire there at the weekend which
spread to the A& E reception area and the fracture clinic by way of
the roof space, fire crews were still damping down hot spots
yesterday. 27th June 2011
|
Serbia
Level crossing collision
A lorry driver was listed in life-threatening condition in hospital in
Leskevac after a train hit his vehicle on an unmarked level crossing
at Grdelica. 27th June 2011
|
Northern Ireland
Belfast hospital site fire
Fire broke out yesterday on the 6th floor of a building housing the
new critical care unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast. The
blaze spread to the 7th and 8th floors but no injuries were reported.
The Fire Service group commander said it was treated as "a major
fire." 24th June 2011
|
Rep Ireland
Farm safety conference
At a national conference on health and safety in agriculture in County
Roscommon the Minister for Agriculture told farmers that they were 7
times more likely to die at work than the general workforce, with "6%
of the workforce suffering more than 30% of the tragedy in terms of
fatalities."
Last year's 26 farm deaths was the highest figure of the decade, with
tractor accidents accounting for most deaths, followed by livestock
accidents, especially bulls, and falls from height and drowning.
The Minister spoke of farmers' awareness of the situation but also an
apparent reluctance to change old habits. Already this year the HSA
has made 1,300 visits to farms.
24th June 2011
|
England
Accidental death verdict of heating engineer's electrocution
The electrocution of an engineer of Willett Heating during maintenance
work in a property in Ardleigh has been judged accidental by a Chelmsford inquest jury.
Investigation by specialist inspectors found that a screw penetrated
wiring on an electric towel rail in an adjacent room as he worked on
the central heating system, an accident described as "a particularly
unusual set of circumstances."
23rd June 2011
|
Australia
Drill bit entered worker's eye
A Victoria worker was admitted to the Royal Eye and Ear Hospital and
listed in stable condition following an accident in which a drill bit
entered his eye when a power drill he was using on a screw slipped in
a workplace in Newport.
23rd June 2011
|
England
Essex farm crush death ruled accidental
A Chelmsford inquest jury returned a verdict of accidental death in
respect of a fatal crush accident last June in which a farmer became
pinned between a crane vehicle and hedge while removing scrap metal
from Great Tey Metalcraft in Colchester. Investigative tests found
that the crane could move erratically during operation, the farmer
probably became pinned between an extendable stabilising leg and the
hedge. 22nd June
2011
|
Romania
Lorry driver survives level crossing collision
A train struck a lorry on a level crossing between Oradea and Arad,
the Hungarian driver of the timber-laden lorry is alleged to have
attempted to cross against a red light but survived the accident.
22nd June 2011
|
England
Woman spectator dies after bolting horse accident
A 57-year woman died in Addenbrooke's Hospital on Monday from injuries
sustained when she was struck by a horse and carriage which ran into a
crowd as the horse bolted at Nowton Park Country Fair in Bury St
Edmunds. 21st June
2011
|
Rep Ireland
Divers rescued after boat capsize
Four divers of the Wexford Sub Aqua Club were airlifted to safety
after their dive boat experienced structural failure and capsized off
Kilmore Quay during a dive to the Lismore wreck.
21st June 2011
|
Scotland
Falling steel kills Highland port worker
Falling steel killed a worker on Sunday at the Port and Supply Base in
Invergordon. A crane was needed to lift the steel off the worker who
was declared dead at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness.
20th June 2011
|
England
Swimmer dies in Great North Swim event
A 46-year old man died and another was admitted to the Royal Victoria
Infirmary, Newcastle, after becoming unwell while participating in the
British Gas Great North Swim in Lake Windermere.
The event comprises swims of 1/2-mile, 1-mile and 2-miles over the
weekend, the man who died on Saturday was said by organisers to have
"collapsed in the water." Sunday's accident saw a swimmer apparently
suffer cardiac arrest, his condition in hospital was progressing from
critical to stable in the course of the day.
20th June 2011
|
Austria
Worker injured in fall during scaffold erection
A 41-year old construction worker was admitted to hospital in Salzburg
on Thursday after falling 5 metres during the erection of scaffolding
at a hotel site on Schmittenhohe, Zell am See.
17th June 2011
|
Bulgaria
Bus crash leaves 8 dead
An Enturtrans bus overturned on the Trakiya highway 20 miles from
Plovdiv, 8 people died in the accident, on Thursday Transport Minister
Ivailo Moskovski spoke of dismissals pending at the Ministry of
Transport in the wake of the accident, with tighter controls
anticipated on older coaches and monitoring of maintenance schedules.
17th June 2011
|
USA
Auger accident leaves Minnesota boy in critical condition
A 10-year old Minnesota boy was listed in critical condition in
hospital in Minneapolis following an accident involving an auger on a
farm in Millwood.
16th June 2011
|
Denmark
Passenger broke arms after train doors closed on luggage
Train operator DSB First has acknowledged employee error as the cause
of an accident in which a female passenger fell and broke both arms as
she attempted to retrieve her luggage which had became stuck as train
doors closed in Vedbaek Station. It is believed the woman fell as
train staff opened the door manually and her bag became free.
Danish Transport Authority investigation found no technical fault with
the doors, unattended door closing was introduced last year to reduce
train waiting time in stations, replacing the former visual check
system. 16th June
2011
|
Wales
Latvian fisherman feared drowned
A Latvian fisherman is missing, feared drowned, in a man overboard
accident off the Pembrokeshire coast. The crewman of the Milford Haven
boat, About Time, was not wearing a life jacket.
15th June 2011
|
Poland
Worker crushed in grain silo
A 43-year old worker has died in a crush accident in a grain silo in
Biala Gora in northern Poland, becoming trapped under 100 tonnes of
grain. The precise circumstances of the accident remain unclear.
15th June 2011
|
Northern Ireland
Belfast park ranger injured
A park ranger sustained severe facial injuries when a lump of concrete
came through his van window as he drove along Springfield Road, West
Belfast. He managed to retain control of his van and drive on before
going to hospital.
14th June 2011
|
Rep Ireland
Stricken Danish yacht rescued
The Danish yacht Dana, completing a global circumnavigation, was
rescued by the Baltimore Lifeboat and taken in tow to Castletownbere
following engine failure in gale conditions 30 miles southwest of
Baltimore, West Cork. The yacht had set off on its final leg from the
Azores but one of the 2-man crew became ill with severe sea sickness
and as the other man became exhausted and reduced sail to rely on the
engine, the latter failed. 14th June 2011
|
Scotland
Diver receiving decompression treatment
A diver is recovering in a decompression chamber in Aberdeen Royal
Infirmary after surfacing unconscious while undertaking a dive to a
wreck 10 miles off Montrose. Colleagues on the dive boat managed to
revive him prior to being airlifted to Aberdeen. The accident was also
attended by the Montrose lifeboat.
13th June 2011
|
England
Northumbrian girl impaled on fence
A 10-year old Northumbrian girl is said to be responding well in the
Royal Infirmary, Newcastle, after surgery to remove a section of metal
railing upon which she became impaled in a fall at the weekend from a
tree on to a fence at Gainsborough Park, Sunderland.
Fire crews needed 2 hours to free her, the railing penetrated her
midriff and came through her shoulder, rendering handling of her at
the locus an extremely delicate operation.
13th June 2011
|
Scotland
Man impaled in ladder fall
A Lanarkshire man is listed in serious but stable condition in
hospital in Glasgow following an impalement accident at a house in
Caldercruix where the leg of an aluminium ladder penetrated his torso
when he slipped off it and fell on to the overturned ladder.
10th June 2011
|
Austria
Worker falls from Salzburg scaffold
A 31-year old worker fell from a scaffold at the Salzburg Dult
festival site, it was ascertained at the site that he had fractured
his skull but further injuries were also suspected.
10th June 2011
|
England
Falls from height accidents
A man, said to be a building maintenance contractor, has sustained
what proved to be fatal injuries after a fall on Tuesday afternoon at
the Grocontinental premises in Whitchurch, Shropshire. One account
states he fell from the platform of a mobile elevating work platform.
A man fell 8 metres from scaffolding on Tuesday morning at a property
in Saunders Avenue in Bedworth, near Coventry. Also in Coventry, a
maintenance worker fell more than 6 metres from a ladder at a house in
the Tile Hill area on Monday morning from where he was air-lifted to
hospital. 9th June
2011
|
England
Northants worker injured in fall through roof
A worker was admitted to University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire
by air ambulance yesterday after sustaining serious head injuries in a
fall through a roof at CTS Corby Ltd on the Earlstrees Industrial
Estate, Northampton.
9th June 2011
|
England
Worker's fingers severed in potato machine
At Telford Magistrates' Court Swancote Foods was fined £10K plus
£5,618 in costs over an accident in March, Cambridgeshire, in which a
38-year old worker had 2 fingers severed in a potato processing
machine.
HSE investigation found that a safety guard had been
inadequately maintained, the company pleaded guilty to a breach of the
Provision & Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.
8th June 2011
|
Kenya
Parliament told leaking petrol tank caused explosion
Addressing Parliament on Tuesday the Security Minister indicated that
preliminary investigation of the explosion in Nairobi which killed 2
people and injured 45 others was caused by a leaking petrol tank.
8th June 2011
|
Rep Ireland
Falling heavy door killed Donegal 4-year old boy
A coroner's inquest will determine the cause of death in respect of an
accident which claimed the life of a 4-year old boy in Drumbar,
Donegal, where he was struck by a heavy steel door which came off a
shipping container in a yard at the family haulage business.
7th June 2011
|
Serbia
Stage collapses before musical event
A stage collapsed at the Kalemegdan fortress in Belgrade just
hours before a musical performance, 10 workers who were below
managed to escape uninjured.
7th June 2011
|
England
Boy falls from moving vehicle at Cumbrian horse fair
A 14-year old boy was admitted to Middlesbrough's James Cook Hospital
with serious head injuries after falling from the rear of a moving van
at the Appleby Horse Fair.
6th June 2011
|
Switzerland
Points error caused St Gallen derailment
An error in the setting of points has been speculated by SBB (Schweizer
Bundesbahn) as the cause of a derailment in a siding during shunting
at St Gallen's central station at the weekend.
Two carriages of a train derailed but as it was travelling at low
speed no injuries occurred. 6th June 2011
|
Wales
4 killed in Pembroke Dock refinery explosion
A major explosion on Thursday evening at the Chevron oil refinery in
Pembroke Dock left 4 workers dead, it was thought that a 730m³ storage
tank exploded. 3rd
June 2011
|
Scotland
Sheriff rules scaffolder's death avoidable
A sheriff in Glasgow described a fatal accident at a site in Partick
in October 2005 as "entirely avoidable", a worker fell 10 metres when
a scaffold bracket against which he leaned gave way.
The sheriff criticised PBL Construction's health and safety
procedures, with an impression that there were insufficient
scaffolders there and neither was qualified in the erection of
Kwikstage Scaffolding; also site managers were not qualified to notice
this deficiency or carry out inspections. PBL has since ceased to
operate. 3rd June
2011
|
Northern Ireland
Subcontractor fined over lifting accident
QFix was fined £3K in court in Belfast after pleading guilty to
breaching Article 4(2)a of the Health and Safety at Work (Northern
Ireland) Order 1978 and r.8 of Lifting Operations & Lifting Equipment
Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999 in respect of an accident in which
a worker was injured when a concrete section fell during hoisting at a
site on Springbank Industrial estate, West Belfast, on 22nd February
2007. QFix was subcontractor to Tully & Sons and was responsible for
the lifting and fitting of the concrete sections.
Tully was fined £15K on 25th May. The HSENI was critical of the
planning and co-ordination between the contractor and subcontractor
over the moving and positioning of the slabs. 2nd June 2011
|
Scotland
Chemical reaction ails Edinburgh toilet cleaners
Three workers were taken to hospital with respiratory problems after
becoming unwell while using a chemical agent to clean toilets
yesterday at Imperial Docks in Leith. 2nd June 2011
|
Gibraltar
Hot metal work linked to fuel tank explosion
An explosion occurred yesterday in a fuel storage depot on the
northern edge of the port in Gibraltar, it is believed that hot metal
work was ongoing on top of a tank at the time of the explosion and a
welder was admitted to hospital in Seville with serious injuries.
1st June 2011
|
UAE
Surgeons save shattered leg
Surgeons at Saqr Hospital have been successful in saving the leg of a
22-year old crewman of a Chinese cargo ship after a 300Kg container
fell against his leg, inflicting multiple fractures.
He was admitted to hospital in critical condition with medical opinion
divided over whether to amputate the limb.
1st June 2011
|
|
UK
Large rise in fatal work accidents
The UK rate of fatal injury is now 0.6 per 100,000 workers,
representing 171 deaths in the year up to March 2011. The preceding
period had 147 deaths, a rate of 0.5 per 100,000 workers.
Construction activity accounted for 50 deaths, agriculture 34 and 9 in
waste and recycling.
The HSE Chair commented: "The increase in the number of deaths in the
last year is disappointing, after an all time low last year. However,
we must remember that we still have one of the lowest rates of fatal
injury anywhere in Europe."
30th June 2011
|
England
Workers fell 6 metres from MEWP
Two employees of Clark & Fenn Skanska Ltd,
a plastering contractor of Ricksmansworth, Hertfordshire, suffered
serious multiple injuries when they fell from a mobile
elevating work platform as they worked at the Westfield shopping
centre in Derby during August 2007.
Investigation found they had been transporting plasterboards using the
wrong type of equipment, the lift used was not designed for this
purpose and was overloaded.
An HSE official commented: "MEWPs should also only be operated by
competent, trained operatives familiar with the safety requirements
and devices for the type of platform used. In this case the operative
had been trained to use MEWPs but had relatively little experience and
had not received familiarisation training for the type of platform
being used."
30th June 2011
|
England
Legionella prosecutions
Multinational automotive parts manufacturer Eaton Ltd of Fareham,
Hampshire, and water treatment company Aegis Ltd of Felspar Road,
Amington Industrial Estates, Tamworth, Staffordshire, have been fined
for placing workers and the public at an unacceptable risk of
contracting Legionnaires Disease.
Eaton Ltd failed to properly manage its water cooling systems at its
plant in Brierley Hill.
Aegis Ltd, contracted to provide water treatment services, was also
found to have failed in its duties.
Wolverhampton Crown Court learned of an absence of a comprehensive and
up-to-date risk assessment, and neither company had taken
reasonable steps to control the potential spread of Legionella by
assessing the risk or properly cleaning and maintaining the water
cooling system. A feature of the failings was the inadequate
supervision of employees, and the management failings by both
companies existed over a prolonged period of time.
Eaton Ltd was fined £80,000 plus
£45,000 costs for breaching S.2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety
at Work etc Act 1974.
Aegis Ltd was earlier fined £40,000 plus £80,000 costs for breaching
S.3(1) of the same Act.
29th June 2011
|
England
Systemic failure at Sue Ryder Care led to
death
Sue Ryder Care of Sudbury, Suffolk,
has admitted breaching S.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act
1974 in connection with the death of a 40-year old Huntingdon's
disease sufferer after she became trapped between a mattress and a bed
rail at Cuerden Hall, Bamber Bridge, Preston. The care home was
deemed to have failed to manage the risks associated with the use of
bedrails.
The deceased suffered from involuntary movements and a specialist
cushioning system was used along with the bed rails, but the equipment
was not used correctly by staff. She was able to knock her bed rail
out of position because it was not the right size for her bed,
creating a gap between her bed rail and mattress in which she became
trapped and was unable to breathe.
The home was oblivious to the risks associated with this kind of
equipment which was poorly maintained. It had no proper risk
assessments in place.
Sue Ryder Care was fined £65,000 plus £35,000 costs.
29th June 2011
|
England
Passenger falls to his death from train
A man in his 50's has died after falling from a tube train travelling
between Chorleywood and Chesham, Bucks.
The accident occurred during the early hours of Saturday morning, it
is speculated that he fell between the carriages of the Metropolitan
line after defeating the exit doors to smoke.
28th June 2011
|
England
Company breaches Diving Regulations
The proprietor of Mylor Marine Maintenance of Falmouth has been fined
£10,000 with costs of £2,000 after admitting breaching r.6(2)(a),
6(3)(a), 6(3)(b) and 6(3)(d) of the Diving at Work Regulations 1997.
The prosecution arose from a spot inspection by HSE at underwater
maintenance work on moorings in the St Mawes area of the Falmouth
estuary during which an inspector observed breaches of the
regulations.
The dive was being carried out without essential equipment, using only
one cylinder of breathing gas, when a secondary supply is mandatory,
and the diver only had a mouthpiece demand valve when a full face mask was
required.
There was no standby diver, a lifeline or a line for voice
communications with the diver who was only qualified to carry out
recreational dives, not commercial ones. The diver did not possess a valid
certificate to prove his medical fitness to dive. He was diving
without the benefit of a plan for the work being carried out, which
should have included a risk assessment and a project plan.
28th June 2011
|
England
Falling tube caused worker severe head
injury
A 53-year old man working on a lift insulation on the new Radisson Blu
hotel in Bristol in July 2008 was struck on the head by a short
scaffold tube weighing nearly 4kg which fell from the 15th floor after
it separated from the piano wire that supported it. He was standing
with a colleague on the bottom of the shaft when the tube struck him,
inflicting what proved to be such a severe brain injury that he now
requires 24-hour care.
His employer, Hoistway Ltd of Martock, Somerset, and main contractor
Miller Construction (UK) Ltd of Edinburgh were deemed by HSE to have
failed to ensure that a safe system of working was in place for the
installation of lifts on the site and were prosecuted.
Hoistway admitted breaching S.2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work
etc Act 1974 and was fined £70,000 with £14,616 costs. Miller
Construction admitted breaching S.3(1) of the same Act and was fined
£40,000 plus £17,232 costs.
HSE also took issue with what they maintained had been inadequate site
management and insufficient risk assessments carried out before the
work was undertaken. Openings had been left unguarded and not enough
had been done on the site to prevent the risk of falling objects.
27th June 2011
|
England
Hotel company fined after drowning
Rainbow Hotel Ltd has been fined £35,000 plus £21,000 costs at Exeter
Crown Court after a 28-year old man, a non-swimmer, died after getting
into difficulties at its Rainbow International Hotel in Torquay in May
2008.
The accident occurred because the hotel lacked a proper risk
assessment for the pool which would have highlighted aspects such as
the steep gradient of the pool and its supervision, the lack of
written emergency procedures and other health and safety documentation
for control.
The company was in breach of S.3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc
Act 1974.
27th June 2011
|
England
Bupa company fined £100,000 for
"unacceptable management failings"
Bupa Care Homes (CFH Care) Ltd, of Horsforth, Leeds, has been fined
£100,000 with £50,000 costs after pleading guilty to breaching
S.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 in connection
with an incident at Parklands Court Nursing Home in Bloxwich on
31st January 2007, following which a 91-year old resident died 10 days
later.
The deceased fell from a hoist upon which the sling loop fixings were
wrongly adjusted, a safety pommel which would have prevented the fall
was not used. Staff had not received any information, instruction or
training in the use of the sling, the pommel or the sling loop
fixings. There was no safe working procedure for the sling.
An HSE official commented that this was a "wholly preventable tragedy
caused by unacceptable management failings on the part of Bupa."
24th June 2011
|
England
Children sprayed with hydraulic fluid
A number of pupils of Noel-Baker Community School, Derby, were treated in
hospital on Wednesday afternoon after they contacted hydraulic fluid
released from pile driving plant sited adjacent to the school playing
field. Some of the affected may have ingested the chemical or had it
enter their eyes, but all were released from hospital.
24th June 2011
|
England
Demolition company's dangerous
occurrence
Kane Haulage Ltd of St Albans, Hertfordshire, has been
prosecuted following safety failures during its demolition work at
Oldfield Trading Estate in Sutton.
At the site the utility companies had begun to disconnect the power
and gas, but this work was not completed. Meters had been removed from
buildings but the electricity and gas supplies up to the meters
remained live.
EDF engineers were called to the
site on a number of occasions in response to damage to live cables,
and as a result EDF had warned Kane Haulage not to continue with work
until all the electricity supplies had been disconnected. They did not
desist and EDF contacted HSE.
Additionally, the gas utility company discovered up to 20 severed gas
pipes which were leaking to the extent that a neighbouring resident
reported the odour of gas.
Kane Haulage Ltd admitted breaching S.3(1) of the Health and Safety at
Work etc Act 1974 and was fined a total of £11,700 plus costs of
£6,936.
An HSE official said that it was almost miraculous that no injuries
were incurred given the level of risk generated by the manner of the
demolition company's work.
23rd June 2011
|
Scotland
Warning after shellfish diving deaths
Following 2 separate incidents off the east coast of Scotland in which
2 shellfish divers died, HSE has moved to alert those in the trade of
the essential aspects of safe diving operations.
HSE guidance for shellfish divers - Commercial shellfish diving in
inshore water: Diving at Work Regulations 1997, advises that the
minimum team size normally required when diving for shellfish is 3,
comprising of a supervisor, a working diver, and a standby diver.
Additional people may be required to operate the boat and to assist in
an emergency. The standby diver should be in immediate readiness to
provide any assistance to the diver in the water.
23rd June 2011
|
England
Yorkshire site death
A man, aged 48, has died in an industrial accident as he worked with
others renovating a property in Felliscliffe on Monday afternoon. The
man was trapped under a collapse and died at the scene.
22nd June 2011
|
England
Shell's £1m fine
Shell UK has been fined £1m plus £242,000 costs at Ipswich Crown Court
in connection with the industrial incident at Bacton gas terminal in
Norfolk in 2008. An explosion occurred after hydrocarbon liquid leaked
into the waste water treatment section of the site, blowing a concrete
roof off a tank.
There were no serious injuries, the leak was caused by the failure of
a corroded metal separator vessel, which allowed water contaminated
with the highly flammable condensate to enter a concrete storage tank
where it was heated by an electric heater. The heater's elements were
exposed within the tank, raising the surface temperature
significantly, causing the explosion and fire.
HSE maintained that Shell UK had neglected basic maintenance leading
up to the explosion.
22nd June 2011
|
Scotland
Fire death in Borders factory
A 37-year old man has perished in a fire at premises on the Duns
Industrial Park in Duns, Berwickshire. Fire engulfed the single-storey
building occupied by Wicken Fen Foods.
21st June 2011
|
England
Ladder fall prosecution
JDS Trucks Ltd of Blackburn has been fined £9,900 with £4,613 costs
for 2 breaches of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and one breach
of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
The prosecution arose from an industrial accident on 4th December 2009
in which a 47-year old employee fell 3 metres as he stepped onto a
ladder from the top of a lorry cab. The ladder was neither secured nor
footed by a colleague and he sustained a fractured hip and elbow.
The company has since upgraded its gantry for safe working at height
and implemented a safe system of work for fitting wind deflectors.
21st June 2011
|
England
Exploding gas cylinder killed worker
A 21-year old employee of Oak Farm Gas Company Ltd of Harrow was
fatally injured and a member of the public badly injured on 19th June
2009 when a gas cylinder exploded at a site in New Denham, Bucks.
A driver had arrived at the site,
where the company fills high-pressure carbon dioxide, nitrogen and gas
mixtures for licensed trade drink dispensers, to have a cylinder filled
but a problem was encountered. The valve fittings on the cylinder did
not match those on the high pressure filling station and the victim
phoned a colleague to ask his advice. He received advice not to
proceed, but he did and the explosion severely injured both men.
Investigation found that the equipment was entirely unsuitable for
filling a low pressure gas cylinder, and that the deceased's training
had consisted solely of verbal instruction with no documentation of
this, nor any written risk assessments.
Oak Farm Gas Company Ltd, trading
as Mr Fizz, admitted breaching S.3(1) of the Health and Safety
at Work etc Act 1974 and r.4(3) and r.8(1) of the Provision and Use of
Work Equipment Regulations 1998 for which it was fined £90,000 plus
costs of £50,000.
20th June 2011
|
England
Chemical incidents
An incident at the Pods Leisure Centre in Scunthorpe has injured 3
men. An explosion occurred on Saturday morning, one account states
that it was in the plant room, where emergency services had to deal
with the presence of chlorine gas. The centre is expected to open next
month.
A chemical incident occurred at Cameron's Brewery in Hartlepool on
Thursday in which a delivery driver sustained facial burns in an
incident that involved a chemical spillage.
20th June 2011
|
Scotland
Worker dies in fall at North Sea
oil platform
A 37-year old worker died yesterday in
fall from Shell's Brent Charlie Platform, 120 miles northeast of
Lerwick, his body was recovered from the water by a support vessel.
17th June 2011
|
Scotland
Scaffolder killed in Dundee
It is reported that a man aged 67 died yesterday after falling 7
metres from a scaffolding structure erected at a house in Somerville
Place in the Fintry area of Dundee.
17th June 2011
|
Scotland
Farmer found dead in field
A farmer aged 64 was found dead in a field
on a farm near Halkirk, Caithness, on Monday afternoon. One account
states he was working with a calf and a cow at the time.
17th June 2011
|
England
Saw severed man's finger
A 37-year old employee of Mentha and Halsall Shopfitters Ltd of
Southport was trimming oak planks when a piece of wood caught on the
unguarded blade of a circular saw, pulling his index finger into it.
The accident victim required to have his finger surgically removed as
a result.
Investigation found a risk assessment existed for the saw but the
result of this was not given to employees. The injured worker had
received no training on using the saw, and no warning signs were on
the machine.
The company admitted breaching r.8(1) of the Provision and Use
of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 by failing to provide adequate
instructions for using the saw, it
was fined £3,000 plus £3,498 costs.
16th June 2011
|
England
Recycling firm fined
Environcom England Ltd of Manchester has been fined a total of
£17,000 plus £5,915 costs in connection with conditions at its
Grantham premises. It admitted 2 counts of breaching S.3(1) of the
Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
An incident on 15th September 2009, in which an agency worker suffered
bruising when an unsafe stack of appliances fell on him, led to a
visit from an HSE inspector. The inspector arrived on 3rd December to
investigate and found appliances still stacked dangerously high and a
Prohibition Notice was served.
16th June 2011
|
England
Trainees placed in danger
Two employers have been fined following an accident in which an
18-year old fractured his pelvis when a cage he was using fell from
its strapping on a forklift truck.
The injured teenager and his colleague, employed by CL Electrical
Solutions Ltd of Plymouth, were, in August 2009, given the task of
changing light bulbs at the Plympton premises of HT Gardner
Distribution Ltd.
Unfortunately both men were untrained in the use of the forklift truck
and cage provided by the host company, and during this work the truck
toppled over. The accident was a direct result of the wrong equipment
and a poor system of work.
HT Gardner Distribution Ltd was fined a total of £20,000 with £11,300
costs and CL Electrical was fined a total of £7,000 and ordered to pay
costs of £5,000.
15th June 2011
|
England
Occupational hygiene threat at Devon
firm
A Barnstaple company has been prosecuted for failing to meet the
requirements of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations
1992.
Mike Wye and Associates Ltd, producers of natural building and
decorating products, failed to provide hot water for its workers over
a period of 4 years. Its employees were exposed to the risk of
dermatitis arising from hydrated lime, a well-known irritant to skin
and eyes.
Although running water was provided at the Buckland Filleigh Sawmills
site, this froze in the winter, leaving them without hot water for
hand washing.
The company admitted 3 contraventions, (r.21(2)(a),(b) and (c)) of the
Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and was fined
a total of £3,500 with £588 costs.
15th June 2011
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England
Rail worker seriously injured
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is investigating an incident
yesterday in which a railway maintenance worker sustained multiple
injuries after he was struck by a train near Reedham station, Purley,
London. 14th June
2011
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England
Unregistered worker installed gas fire
An Solihull man has pleaded guilty to breaching r.3(3) and r.3(7) of
the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and been fined
£400 plus £500 costs.
The man's non-status as a gas engineer
came to light after he submitted a quote and invoice for the
installation of a gas fire and water heater in a house in North
Warwickshire using a false CORGI number. The occupant raised concerns
with the authorities about the quality of his work and this led to
prosecution. 14th
June 2011
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Northern Ireland
Company and safety adviser fined
An employee of Miskelly Brothers Ltd, block makers at Ballygowan, was
killed in an industrial accident in September 2009, crushed as he made
adjustments to a block strapping machine.
Miskelly Brothers Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Article 4(2)(a)
and Article 4(2)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work Order 1978 and
r.3(1)(a) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations
(NI) 2000 and was fined £50,000. Its safety consultant, engaged
to carry out risk assessments on the equipment involved in the
incident, pleaded guilty to a breach of Article 34(1) of the Health
and Safety at Work Order 1978 and was fined £4,000.
An HSE inspector described the accident as preventable. She believed
the adjustments to the machine were poorly planned, saying: "This case
sends out a clear message to all employers who use health and safety
consultants to ensure that they are competent and accredited to
undertake the work required. This is the first time in Northern
Ireland that a health and safety consultant has been convicted for a
breach of health and safety legislation. HSENI wants to send out a
strong message that it will not hesitate to pursue through the courts
any consultant who fails in his or her duty of care."
13th June 2011
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England
Building cladding struck passers-by
Brendan Flynn Construction Limited of Harrow, sub-contracted to carry
out carpentry work on a residential project in Crawley, has been
prosecuted and fined after an incident during November 2009 in which
inadequately secured panelling fell to the pavement below, inflicting
injuries to 2 passers-by.
Investigation established that the correct nails for the cladding
product had not been used.
Brendan Flynn Construction of Northwood, Harrow, today admitted
contravening S.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and
was fined a total of £8,000 plus costs of £14,760.
13th June 2011
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Scotland
Foreman fined after site death
A 30-year old labourer died after a trench collapsed on him in
Cranhill Park, Glasgow, in April 2008. He was walking along the side
of the 3-metre-deep trench dug to replace a sewer when it collapsed
and he fell in. He attempted an escape, but part of the trench wall
collapsed on top of him.
The trench had no edge protection, its sides had not been supported to
make them safe. Trench boxes were available but they had not been
used.
A site foreman pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to breaching
S.7 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £240.
He was properly trained in safe trench work, and the team had been
told to use trench boxes. The employer, Cameron and Stevenson
(Scotland) Ltd, now in liquidation, should have supervised the men
more closely, but the foreman had a duty to take reasonable care of
the safety of his team.
10th June 2011
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England
Inquest opened into farm death
The Lancashire coroner has opened an inquest into the death last week
of a woman on a farm at Slyne-with-Hest. It is believed she was struck
by a bale of hay she was handling at the stables.
10th June 2011
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England
Voluntary worker paralysed by fall
A 34-year old woman working on 20th October 2008 as a voluntarily
costume designer at the National Film and Television School at the
Beaconsfield Film Studios in Buckinghamshire suffered a paralysing
injury in a fall from a mock staircase on set. As she attended to an
actor's costume she fell just over 2 metres from the staircase's
platform edge at a place where there was no edge protection. She now
suffers chronic pain after fracturing vertebrae in her back.
The School pleaded guilty to breaching S.3(1) of the Health and Safety
at Work etc Act 1974 and r.5(1) of the Management of Health and Safety
at Work Regulations 1999 and was fined £17,500 plus costs of £4,787.
The school lacked the adequate management arrangements for the
effective planning and execution of the student film it was producing
at the time. 9th
June 2011
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England
Management safety failings led to death
A 40-year old employee of Westwood Yarns Ltd of Kidderminster,
Worcestershire, was cleaning a baling machine when it re-activated,
inflicting fatal crush injuries, trapping him horizontally by the
force of one plate before a vertical compressing ram also operated.
Investigation revealed the deceased received inadequate training in
how to clean the machine, and that he may have inadvertently obscured
an electronic sensor, which re-activated the operation of the baling
compressors as the machine had been left in automatic mode instead of
being shut down completely.
HSE inspectors deemed that the company failed to adequately supervise
work processes at the factory, and that a lack of equipment meant some
procedures could not be carried out properly.
An HSE official commented: "This was an entirely preventable tragedy.
The dangers of baling machines are notorious in the industry but are
still all too common. At Westwood Yarns, there was a common
misunderstanding that isolation and lock-off at the mains were not
required. No one seemed to appreciate fully how the baling machine
worked from a safety perspective, so dangerous assumptions were made
which led directly to the death. The company fell well short of its
duty to protect employees from a known hazard. Employees were working
in a system that allowed poorly controlled work practices to develop,
and ineffective monitoring meant these were not picked up and
corrected."
Westwood Yarns admitted breaching S.2(1) of the Health & Safety at
Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £60,000 plus £20,625.
9th June 2011
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England
Tragic outcome of tractor contest
An engineering company has been prosecuted at Preston Crown Court for
its failure to ensure the safety of a competitor in the August 2007
Euro Challenge Cup tractor pulling contest at Great Ecclestone, Lancs,
which ended in a fatal accident.
The 58-year old deceased competitor's tractor was crushed when a 12-tonne box of weights attached to the trailer he was pulling impacted
on the back of his tractor when the trailer control mechanism
failed.
Engineers employed by AW Blake Ltd of Ivegill near Carlisle, the
company who owned and maintained the trailer and weight box, had
earlier attempted but failed to repair a fault in the mechanism. It
was established that the trailer would not have met the rules of the
European Tractor Pulling Committee or the British Tractor Pulling
Association.
AW Blake admitted breaching S.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work
etc Act 1974 and was fined £20,000 plus £15,000 in prosecution costs.
8th June 2011
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England
Errors led to M25 death
A workman carrying out fencing work on the M25 near Enfield was
fatally crushed between a van and a safety barrier after a lorry
jack-knifed on the motorway.
Carillion Highway Maintenance was carrying out repairs to overhead
lighting in a nearby tunnel during August 2004 and, to permit the work
to take place, the company arranged with Traffic Management (North
East) Limited (TMNE) to set up an overnight contraflow. CD Fencing and
Construction Services Ltd were removing and restoring safety
fencing in the central reservation. At the completion of the work, 2
employees of CD Fencing, were positioned in a closed lane waiting to
reinstate the safety fencing so the traffic management equipment could
be removed, allowing the tunnel to re-open, but as they prepared their
materials and equipment for the task a lorry jack-knifed in the
contraflow system, hitting cones and a stationary CD Fencing van,
sending it towards the workmen. The deceased was crushed between the
van and a safety barrier, his colleague escaped with a minor injury.
Carillion Highway Maintenance Ltd admitted breaching of S.3(1) of the
Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £200,000 with
£50,000 costs. Traffic Management (North East) Limited admitted
breaching S.2(1) and 3(1) of the same Act and was fined £2,000 plus
costs and is in administration. The jury at Southwark
Crown Court did not agree on the charge against CD Fencing Ltd under
S.2(1) and it was formally acquitted when the prosecution concluded it
was not in the public interest to proceed to re-trial. The lorry
driver was convicted of driving without due care and attention.
An HSE official commented: "Although the lorry driver was not
blameless, Carillion and TMNE failed to do enough to protect the
deceased and others working in the road that night. Speed limits were
too high, there was a poor cone layout through the contraflow and
there was inadequate management of subcontractors. Had both firms met
their legal responsibilities, this collision could have been avoided.
The risks associated with work on high speed roads are well known and
it is vital traffic management systems are correctly set up and well
established safe guards are followed when people are working within
them."
8th June 2011
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England
Workers' needless asbestos exposure
John Todd Ltd has been fined £10,000 plus £10,000 costs having
pleaded guilty to breaching S.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work
etc Act 1974 after HSE deemed it to have "showed an absolute disregard
for the health and safety of workers on the site by allowing work with
asbestos to take place fully aware it was present."
The company was refurbishing a building in
Oswestry but when licensed asbestos removal contractors arrived on
site on 18th October 2010 they found 2 self-employed workers and a
company director removing the material with no precautions to prevent
the spread of fibres. Asbestos insulation boards had been prised off
and timber studding with broken fragments of asbestos had been placed
into an unprotected skip, together with broken floor tiles which also
contained asbestos.
7th June 2011
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England
Bales crushed forklift driver
A Wakefield Coroner's Court has determined accidental death after
having considered the circumstances of the death last February of a
61-year old forklift driver
in an industrial accident at the premises
of WE Rawsons Ltd of Wakefield.
Exactly what happened remains unclear, the deceased was crushed by
bales of fabric that toppled on to him after he alighted from his
truck to make a phone call. There had been some speculation that he
may have disturbed the bales with his forklift but the deputy coroner
stated that there was no supporting evidence for this.
7th June 2011
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England
Workman electrocuted
A worker, aged 21, was electrocuted on Thursday afternoon as he worked
in the roof space of an Essex factory.
The deceased man, believed to be a contractor, died at the premises of
Natures Way Food Ltd in Runcton, Chichester.
6th June 2011
|
England
Fatal fall through fragile roof
The lack of a safe system of work and the
failure to ensure the health, safety and welfare of a man who ventured
on to a fragile roof led to a fatal accident and prosecution.
The joint owners of Allenbrooks Developments Ltd, one of whom was the
accident victim, were replacing skylights in the roof of one their
units in Wymondham, Norfolk, in the company of an employee.
On 6th April 2010, the deceased fell 10m through the corrugated
asbestos cement sheet roof. Edge protection was in place along the
roof, but a safe working platform had not been installed, the men were
walking along the horizontal beams of the roof.
Allenbrooks Developments Ltd admitted breaching S.2(1) of the Health
and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £1,500 with costs of
£2,320.
6th June 2011
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Scotland
Man injured on Fife site
A 41-year old man was critically injured after he fell 4 metres at a
building to be demolished at the Tullis Russell mill site in Markinch.
He sustained head injuries in the fall on Saturday morning.
3rd June 2011
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England
Baling machine removed worker's arm
A 34-year old employee of Transwaste Recycling and Aggregates Ltd had
his arm severed when he tripped and stumbled against a baling machine
at premises in Hessle Dock, Hull. The baling machine previously had
guarding which became damaged in use and the replacement guarding
allowed access for his arm to enter.
His plight was the worse for being a lone worker with no means to
raise the alarm and he had to go to a neighbouring property to do
this.
Transwaste, of Melton, East Yorkshire, was fined £12,000 with £6,408
costs after admitting a breach of r.11(1) of the Provision and Use of
Work Equipment Regulations 1998.
3rd June 2011
|
England
Workman killed in industrial accident
It is reported that a 57-year old worker has been crushed to death at
the Dudley premises of C Brown & Sons (Steel) Ltd.
One account states the deceased was working at height on a crane at
the time of the accident.
2nd June 2011
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England
Scaffolding faults led to collapse
Johnson Scaffold Services Ltd of Chaldon, Surrey, has been fined £7,500
plus £7,000 costs after a 65-metre long, 12-metre high section of the
scaffolding it had erected was blown to the ground in
Walton-on-Thames, Surrey.
Part of the original structure had been removed on 17th December 2009,
leaving some of the sheeted scaffolding still standing, but this
collapsed overnight.
The scaffolding was not installed according to the original drawings
and had not been adequately tied.
2nd June 2011
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England
Boy with multiple injuries after
Yorkshire bouncy castle accident
A 7-year old boy is recovering in hospital after sustaining broken
limbs when he was thrown from a bouncy castle when it detached from
its fixings in a high wind at the White House Hotel in Whitby on
Sunday afternoon.
Two other children using the equipment were also hospitalised for
injuries but have now been discharged.
1st June 2011
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England
Fines following electric shock
A self-employed steel erecter using a scissor lift to clad the gable
end of a steel frame of the Sunny Farm building in Swineshead,
Bedfordshire, suffered an 11kv electrical shock when it came into
contact with a power cable. The 24-year old worker sustained burns to
his stomach and hands, and internal muscle damage in the 25th June
2009 incident.
Following investigation by HSE officials a number of parties were
prosecuted at Luton Crown Court.
Farm owner C and P Bird Brothers Ltd admitted breaching S.3(1) of the
Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for which it was fined £20,000,
and r.21(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations
2007 for which it was fined £20,000 plus £5,500 costs. A director of
the company admitted breaching S.3(1) of the same Act and was fined
£5,000 with £2,500 costs.
Morspan Construction Limited of Newport, Gwent, designers and
manufacturers of the steel frame and the main contractor admitted
breaching S.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for
which it was fined £30,000; it was also in breach of r.19(1)(c) of the
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 for which it was
fined £30,000 plus £5,250 costs.
The steel erector and sub-contractor also admitted breaching S.3(1) of
the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £25,000
plus £4,750 costs.
The convicted parties failed to identify the potential risks of
working near an overhead voltage line (the cable was only 4.3m from
the frame) The necessary precautions were not in place, including
notifying the relevant authorities.
1st June 2011
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