www.safetynews.co.uk 


Home                                                          March 2010                                                       Archives
 

 

 
Malaysia
Falling concrete kills worker at university site
A worker died and 5 others were injured when concrete sections fell at the site of the Oceanographic & Tropical Aquaculture building at the University of Malaysia Terengganu in Gong Badak. The workers were installing a water tank at the top of the 4-storey building when the accident occurred, it remains unclear if it was related to a  concrete pour. 31st March 2010.
Malaysia
Falling concrete kills worker at university site
A worker died and 5 others were injured when concrete sections fell at the site of the Oceanographic & Tropical Aquaculture building at the University of Malaysia Terengganu in Gong Badak. The workers were installing a water tank at the top of the 4-storey building when the accident occurred, it remains unclear if it was related to a  concrete pour. 31st March 2010.
Canada
Joiner badly injured by unsecured roof truss
The Ministry of Labour is investigating an accident in north Brampton, Ontario, where a joiner was seriously injured when an unsecured roof truss fell on him and a colleague who were working on the 2nd floor of a house at a site on Cedarbrook Road. 31st March 2010.
Abu Dhabi
6 construction workers killed in bus accident
A bus carrying construction workers from accommodation in Ghayathi to a refinery was involved in a collision on Monday with a lorry in Ruwais, 150 miles west of Abu Dhabi city, an accident which killed 6 workers and injured 44 others. Initial speculation suggests bus driver error in pulling out from a side road. 30th March 2010.
USA
Conveyor belt accident at Washington premises
A Washington maintenance worker has died in a conveyor belt accident at Evergreen Fibre Inc on Eclipse Industrial Park, Port Angeles, when a section of equipment on which he was working fell on him when the conveyor activated suddenly. 30th March 2010.
China
152 workers trapped in flooded mine pit
A desperate rescue effort was underway at the weekend to reach 152 construction workers trapped in an underground flooded pit at the 180km² site of the new  Wangjialing Coal Mine in Shanxi. During construction work, underground water was drilled into by accident,109 other workers managed to escape to safety. 29th March 2010.
Australia
Stevedore killed at Sydney wharf
A 49-year old employee of Patrick Stevedores has died in an accident at Port Botany, Sydney, after becoming crushed between 2 containers during unloading from a vessel. 29th March 2010.
Canada
Unstable load fatality at Ontario quarry
A 26-year old worker was killed in an accident yesterday at the Green Valley Environmental quarry on First Line Road, Manotick, Ontario, when a load of rock and gravel being loaded on to a lorry by an excavator became unstable and fell on the cab. 26th March 2010.
Romania
Dental nurse killed by patient
Police in Vrancea are seeking the patient of a private dental practice in Foscani, eastern Romania, where a nurse was stabbed and later died in hospital, the man being sought is alleged to have argued with the 65-year old nurse over the cost of an x-ray before stabbing her. 26th March 2010.
Japan
Hot work explosion at waste incinerator site
Nine workers were injured, 1 listed in critical condition, when a wall collapsed in an explosion on Thursday at the site of a swimming pool adjacent to the waste incineration facility site in Aboshi, Himeji. A worker had activated equipment to perform hot work but ignited gas believed to have seeped from pipes, the pool is to be heated by energy from the waste incineration facility. 26th March 2010.
Norway
Runaway rail wagons kill 3 in Oslo
At least 3 people died and a number were injured when 16 runaway wagons of a Cargonet train at the Alnabru Terminal detached from a locomotive and gathered speed through Oslo, demolishing a Statoil building before derailing and rolling into the fjord. No immediate cause for the accident was available. 25th March 2010.
USA
Arrest over San Francisco care home death
A 32-year old man has appeared at San Francisco Superior Court in connection with an incident at the Convalescent Centre Mission Street home in Outer Mission, San Francisco, where an 87-year old female resident was allegedly smothered with a pillow by a care worker who later absconded and stole a vehicle prior to his arrest. 25th March 2010.
Malaysia
6 die in confined space accident at water plant
Six workers died from carbon monoxide poisoning while cleaning a tank at a water treatment plant in Sabah. Two workers were initially engaged in the task but their failure to reappear prompted 4 colleagues to enter and attempt a rescue in the tank where a generator was producing a CO-rich atmosphere. 24th March 2010.
New Zealand
Overridden safety mechanism led to worker's death
At Ashburton District Court, RX Plastics of Tinwald was fined $85K(£39,897) over a fatal accident in March 2009 in which a worker's head and upper body were crushed as he leaned into a machine, where the safety mechanism was overridden, to remove a faulty pipe. Department of Labour investigation found other machinery also manifested overridden safety mechanisms at the time of the accident. 24th March 2010
Russia
Tupelov crashes near Moscow Airport
A Tupelov Tu-204 of Aviastar-Tu, flying from Hurgada in Egypt to Moscow, crashed in an emergency landing yesterday near Aviagorodok village on approach to Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, 4 of the 9 crew members are listed in intensive care in hospital. 23rd March 2010.
Australia
Pilots killed in Darwin training flight crash
An Airnorth Embraer 120 crashed into trees shortly after take-off from Darwin Airport, killing both pilots on the training flight of the 30-seater Brazilian-made aircraft, the flight hitting the trees on the RAAF Base area of the airport. 23rd March 2010.
Japan
Workers died in grass burning fire
Three people died in a fire on Saturday during the burning of grass for pest control purposes in a training field at the Ground Self-Defence Force fields in Gotemba, Shizuoka. Staff were using portable gas burners to fire the dry grass but apparently  became trapped by a wind change. 22nd March 2010.
Bangladesh
Textile worker crushed in panic accident
A textile worker died and 25 others were injured when panic ensued after a light fitting exploded in the Matrix Sweater Factory in Gazipur, crushing developed in a narrow stairway as staff fled the building. 22nd March 2010.
Germany
Nurse killed by psychiatric patient
A 23-year old night shift nurse at a psychiatric hospital in Grosshansdorf, north of Hamburg, was found dead with throat injuries yesterday, police are searching for a 26-year old patient who absconded with a staff car and issued a warning to the public that he posed extreme danger and may well be armed.  19th March 2010.
Singapore
Shipyard accident
A 39-year old worker of SMOE Pte Ltd, subsidiary of Sembcorp Marine, died in an accident at the shipyard in northeast Singapore when a metal pipe section fell on him while he was undertaking grinding work. 19th March 2010.
Belgium
Internal wall collapse kills renovation worker
A female worker of TASPI, subcontracted to Lixon Construction, was killed when an internal wall fell on her during interior demolition work on Wednesday  at the Sibelga building on quai des Usines/Werkhuizenkaai in Brussels, she was transferred to the Jette hospital where she died of her severe injuries. 18th March 2010.
USA
Chain saw accident severed arborist's wrist
A life-saving and difficult rescue operation was undertaken by Connecticut fire crews with special climbing gear in Tod Lane, northeast Greenwich, where an arborist virtually severed a wrist while working with a chain saw 17 metres up a tree. There was considerable fear over his loss of blood prior to his transfer to Stamford Hospital where his condition was not immediately known. 18th March 2010.
Australia
Farmer and son electrocuted in power line accident
A Victoria farmer and his son were electrocuted yesterday when their front-loader vehicle transporting a 7.5-metre tall windmill contacted overhead power lines as they were moving it at their premises near Rainbow, 250 miles northwest of Melbourne. Two rescuers sustained serious burns in their attempt to help the farmers. This was the 4th electrocution incident in the last year in the state which has had a vigorous 'look up and live' campaign to alert workers to the hazards of work near overhead power lines. 17th March 2010.
USA
Worker falls off unstable manhole ladder
A University of Utah employee was injured in an accident on Tuesday when he fell into a 5-metre deep manhole while undertaking fibre optics work underground. A ladder he was ascending became unstable as he was about to emerge from the manhole. Rescue teams used a tripod pulley system to lift him from the narrow confines of the utility chamber. 17th March 2010.
South Africa
Durban Water worker drowns in flooded trench
A Durban Metro Water worker has died in a crush accident during the installation of new water pipes at a site opposite King Zwelithini Stadium, Umlazi. A pipe burst while he was in a trench, a 4-metre deep crater filling rapidly with mud. Colleagues dug furiously by hand to attempt his rescue but he had already become asphyxiated and upon recovery it was apparent that his legs had also fractured in the accident. 16th March 2010.
China
Falling steel kills Jinan site workers
Two construction workers have died and 2 others were injured when steel beams feel during hoisting at a supermarket site in central Jinan, Shandong. 16th March 2010.
Spain
Skydiver killed as parachutes fail
A 45-year old Madrid skydiver died when his parachutes failed in a jump from an aircraft at the Don Quijote de Lillo (Toledo) aerodrome on Sunday, the 4th such fatal accident involving experienced parachutists at the aerodrome in the last 20 months. 15th March 2010.
Switzerland
Boy,4, dies in farm accident
A 4-year old boy has died in a crush accident on the family farm in Ruswil, west of Lucerne, where he became pinned against a wall by a shovel attached to the front of a tractor during work loading cut timber sections. 15th March 2010.
Austria
Worker's foot severed at cabinet makers
A joiner's foot was severed in cutting machinery at a cabinet maker's premises in Ampflwang in Upper Austria on Thursday, he had wanted to adjust timber prior to cutting and had lost his balance as he stood on the machine. His condition in hospital in Linz was unknown. 12th March 2010.
Canada
Unstable plant rolls on worker's leg
A construction worker was injured on Thursday when heavy plant rolled on to its side and trapped his leg at the site of the University of Windsor's new engineering building in Windsor, Ontario. 12th March 2010.
Austria
Mechanic's head wedged between axle and jack
A 19-year old motor mechanic was hospitalised in Oberwart with serious head injuries when his head became trapped between the rear axle of a lorry and a moving hydraulic lift as he was inspecting the vehicle in a maintenance pit in a workshop in Untertiefenbach, Hartberg, a prompt response by 2 colleagues to his cries for help almost certainly averted a fatal accident. 11th March 2010.
South Africa
Rockfall accident at gold mine
The Department of Mineral resources was advised yesterday of a fatal accident at the Evander mine of Harmony Gold Mining Company where a worker died in a rockfall 2,125 metres underground at No 8 shaft. 11th March 2010.
Russia
Security worker dies in Moscow night club fire
A man, believed to be a security guard, has been found dead after a fire on Tuesday morning at the Opera nightclub on Tryokhgorny Val Street, Moscow, it is thought that 2 other security personnel are missing. The club has no sprinkler system and has twice before been closed over fire safety violations. 10th March 2010.
USA
Contractor injured in fall at Connecticut  chemical plant
On Tuesday a female contractor of Americas Styrenics was injured in a fall down external stairs at Dow Chemical in Ledyard, Connecticut, the extent of her injuries was unknown.10th March 2010.
Germany
Worker critically crushed in MEWP accident
A 43-year old maintenance worker was hospitalised in Tubingen on Monday with life-threatening injuries after being crushed against overhead piping as he was working in a hydraulic-controlled mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) at premises in Schramberg-Sulgen, Baden-Württemberg. 9th March 2010.
India
Unstable load kills sleeping workers
Three workers sleeping in a hut were killed when a tipper lorry laden with 15 tonnes of quarry ash and dust overturned at a site in Viduthalai Nagar, Chennai. The incident occurred as the lorry raised its hydraulic dumper and became unstable, 2 workers inside the hut survived with minor injuries. 9th March 2010.
USA
Wisconsin zoo visitor's fingers bitten off by bear
A female visitor to Lincoln Park Zoo in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, had 2 fingers bitten off by a bear and 2 others partially severed when she encroached beyond boundary fencing and attempted to feed the bear. 8th March 2010.
Malta
Fisherman rescued from Italian trawler
Rough weather in the Mediterranean 90 miles southwest of Malta proved testing for an Italian military helicopter rescue crew trying to reach a Tunisian fisherman on the Italian trawler Oceana who had lost consciousness after a fall on the boat. Several attempts were made over a period of time to lower a rescuer in poor visibility and high waves, the fisherman has now been transferred to hospital in Malta. 8th March 2010.
Solomon Islands
Trio killed handling WW2 bombs
Three people, believed to be 2 adults and a child, have died and 2 others have been hospitalised in Honiara when an explosion occurred as they were immersing old WW2 ordnance in a boiling tub with a view to extracting explosives to sell to local fishermen who would use them to stun fish. 6th March 2010.
India
Scores killed in crush accident at UP temple
At least 63 people died during panic and crushing at the Ram Janki Mandir temple and religious festival in Kunda, Uttar Pradesh, during the charitable distribution of clothing and other items. Volunteer stewards were unable to adequately control a crowd which swelled to an estimated 15K and as they sought to restore order a gate fell and panic ensued. 5th March 2010.
The Netherlands
Commercial pilot allegedly had no licence
A 41-year old Swedish pilot will appear before a hearing at Haarlem tomorrow (Saturday) to face allegations that he completed 10K flying hours for commercial airlines in Britain, Belgium and Italy for 13 years with a fake licence.
Following intelligence from Swedish authorities he was arrested this week at Schiphol as he was preparing to fly a Boeing 737 aircraft with 101 passengers to Ankara. It is alleged that the Milan-based pilot had a licence for light aircraft only and that had expired. 5th March 2010.
Mediterranean
Two passengers killed as rogue waves hit cruise ship
Three rogue waves, estimated at 20 metres in height, struck the cruise ship Louis Majesty in the western Mediterranean yesterday, killing 2 passengers when glass windshields were shattered in a forward public area on Deck 5, a number of passengers were also injured, one is believed to have broken both legs.
The ship is returning to Barcelona for a technical inspection on Thursday. 4th March 2010.
Georgia
Methane explosion kills 4 miners
A methane explosion on Wednesday at the Mindeli coal mine in Tkibuli, 140 miles west of Tbilisi, killed at least 4 miners, an unknown number of other miners were injured. 4th March 2010.
Israel
Pilot fell into slumber after medication mistake
An El-Al pilot flying a Boeing 737 with 100 passengers from Kiev to Tel Aviv became unwell during the flight after having taken a sleeping pill instead of blood pressure medication, cabin staff attended to the pilot who was falling asleep and a co-pilot completed the flight safely. 4th March 2010.
Austria
Soldier's parachutes fail during training exercise
A soldier of the Jagdkommandogrundkurs died yesterday when neither his parachute nor reserve chute would open during a jump in a training exercise in Nikolsdorf. He had jumped from a PC-6 aircraft at 1,200 metres altitude and would have activated his parachute at 1,100 metres. 3rd March 2010.
Romania
Missing teacher's body found in attic
Investigators are studying the circumstances of the death of a 54-year old female history teacher missing since December 18th last year whose body was found in the attic of the National Unirea college in Brasov where she taught history to Class XII-a. 3rd March 2010.
The Netherlands
Farmer jailed for role in tractor accident
At a court in Groningen on Monday a 53-year old dairy farmer from Houwerzijl was jailed for 3 months for having permitted his 11-year old son to drive a tractor and dung cart without lights which was later involved in a collision with a moped whose rider was left blind in both eyes following the accident. 2nd March 2010.
Russia
Orphanage deaths investigation
Criminal charges are being prepared by the SKP (Prosecutor General's Office Investigation Committee) against an orphanage in Lesnaya, Sverdlovsk, where 2 children aged 11 and 12 have died and 33 others are ill, the cause of the illness remains unknown. 2nd March 2010.
USA
Louisiana drilling rig accident
On Sunday an employee of Trinidad Drilling sustained fatal head injuries while working at a height of 20 metres with piping on a drilling rig owned by Chesapeake Operating Inc at the Morrell Et Al 8H-1 drilling site on Graham Road, Keithville, Louisiana. 1st March 2010.
China
Explosion at Shandong chemical plant
At least 2 workers have died and 2 more were injured in an explosion at the premises of Xinhecheng Pharmaceutical Co Ltd in Weifang, the cause of the explosion remains unknown. 1st March 2010.

 

  
Italy
Large section of Nero's palace crumbles
A 60m² section of the Trajan Gallery at the Domus Aurea, the Emperor Nero's palace in Rome, collapsed on Tuesday. A search under the rubble found no one injured, prolonged water seepage is speculated as the cause of the incident. 31st March 2010.
USA
Iowa tractor rollover accident
A 61-year old Iowa farmer has died in a tractor rollover accident when his vehicle and manure spreader overturned on a gradient on his farm south of Bellevue. 31st March 2010.
USA
Utility worker injured during outage maintenance
A Pennsylvania Power & Light employee has been hospitalised with burns following an explosion and fire during maintenance work to restore supply during an outage in Wilkes-Barre, he managed to emerge from the chamber unaided, a colleague at the locus was uninjured. 30th March 2010.
India
Zoo intruder killed by elephant
Investigation is considering if negligence played a part in an accident at Byculla Zoo in Mumbai (Bombay) where an intruder was killed by an elephant after apparently accessing the elephant enclosure from a public area. The elephant seized him in its trunk and threw him against a wall, he died from a fractured skull and major internal injuries. It remains unclear why no guard was on duty. 30th March 2010.
Belgium
Elderly motocross race steward killed
A 78-year old race steward officiating at a Belgian Motocross Championship event on Sunday at the Horensbergdam circuit in Genk died from injuries after being struck by a bike on the course. 29th March 2010.
Japan
Crewmen missing after freighter collision
On Sunday the Nisshin Maru of the Asia Ship Trader Company of Hiroshima collided with the Marshall Islands-registered Outstanding 9 freighter near the Onaruto Bridge in the Naruto Strait, 2 of the latter's crew are reported missing. 29th March 2010.
USA
Unstable bin kills driver at New York salt mine
The US Mine Safety & Health Administration is investigating a fatal accident yesterday at the Cargill Inc salt mine in Lansing, New York, where a large salt bin raised over a lorry became unstable and collapsed on the cab, killing the driver of the lorry awaiting a load of salt. 26th March 2010.
South Africa
Gold miner killed in rock fall
A miner has died in a rock fall at the Merriespruit No.1 shaft of the Harmony Gold Mining Company Ltd. 26th March 2010.
USA
Overturning forklift accident at CT works
A Connecticut forklift driver was left with critical injuries yesterday when his forklift truck overturned at Plastic Design International on Industrial Park Road, Middletown, air bags were deployed to lift the truck to release the pinned driver. 25th March 2010.
Malta
Unstable marble kills unloading worker
An unstable load of marble killed a 21-year old worker on Wednesday during unloading from a Zahra Ltd lorry at Attard & Buhagiar Marble and Granite works on Is-Sriedak Street, Mosta. 25th March 2010.
New Zealand
Company fined over raft instructor's death
River Valley Ventures has been fined $30K(£14,081) plus $60K(£28,162) family compensation over the death of an instructor who died in a raft collision on the Rangitikei River in October 2007.
The company was convicted on 3 charges under the Health & Safety in Employment Act, including a failure to ensure the safety of employees and a failure to ensure no hazards arose in the workplace. The instructor became trapped under a rock following the collision and capsize while negotiating the Fulcrum Rapid, graded 5 (very difficult), on a commercial contract for the first time, although he had previous training experience of the locus. 24th March 2010.
Singapore
Rise in workplace deaths
Workplace Safety & Health has reported a 4.5% increase in workplace deaths for 2009, the first annual increase since 2005. The construction and shipyard sectors accounted for 63%, with falls from height rising markedly by 25%.
Of the 70 workplace deaths, 24 involved falls from height, 21 involved falling material and 10 involved cranes, the latter doubling from 2008. However, workplace injuries reflected a modest decrease of 2.1%. 24th March 2010.
France
Rail worker contacts live line
A 39-year old SNCF maintenance worker is listed in critical condition in the special burns hospital at Clamart where he is being treated for 3rd degree burns after falling 8 metres while working near Verrieres-le-Baisson on the TGV line between Paris and Le Mans. 23rd March 2010.
Canada
Power contractor drowns in plant accident
Occupational Health and Safety is investigating the weekend accident at Princeton Pond, Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland, where a subcontractor for Newfoundland Power drowned when his excavator slid through ice-covered water during repair work on power lines and poles. 23rd March 2010.
USA
UP track maintenance worker killed
A Union Pacific Railroad employee  died when a maintenance vehicle was struck  by a Metrolink train on a railway crossing east of El Monte, California, 3 train passengers were also injured. 22nd March 2010.
Austria
Parachutists collide
A 37-year old competitor at an international parachute jumping event at Zell am See was badly injured in a collision with another of the participants as she was close to landing at the airfield. 22nd March 2010.
Nepal
Dailekh bus accident leaves 30 dead
At least 18 people have died and 12 are missing after a bus travelling from Kalikot to Surkhet skidded off the road at Pipalbot, 225 miles west of Kathmandu, and rolled 50 metres down into the Karnali River. 19th March 2010.
France
Worker killed in fall from height at Airbus site
A worker was killed and another severely injured in a fall from a work platform at the site of the Airbus factory near Toulouse. The subcontractors fell into the construction hangar at the Colomiers site, it is speculated that the platform had partially detached from its supports. 19th March 2010.
Singapore
Crane dismantling accident
The Ministry of Manpower has issued a stop work order against Kay Lim Construction at the Punggol Central site where a worker was killed yesterday and 3 others injured when a crane boom fell as 5 workers were engaged in the dismantling of a tower crane. 18th March 2010.
USA
Rail worker killed at Pittsburgh steel works
The Federal Rail Administration is investigating a fatal accident at the Edgar Thompson Works of US Steel, east of Pittsburgh, where a Union Railroad worker was killed following the collision of 2 goods trains, it was not immediately clear why they were on the same track. 18th March 2010.
Cyprus
Policeman drowns in sea rescue
On Tuesday a 30-year old Cypriot police officer drowned after being swept off a rigid inflatable boat struck by a large wave during the rescue of 4 members of a Russian family whose yacht had capsized in rough seas off Paphos, southwest Cyprus.
The father and 2 children of the yacht which had sailed from Turkey were rescued, but the mother is missing and feared drowned. 17th March 2010.
Canada
Maximum fine levied for potash mine fatality
For the first time in the province's history the maximum $300K(£194,193) fine under the Occupational Health and Safety Act has been levied against the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan in respect of a fatal underground accident at a potash mine in Lanigan in September 2008 in which an employee was crushed by a vehicle after driving off an unmarked ledge, the company pleaded guilty to a failure to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its employees. 17th March 2010.
USA
Electrician injured at Oregon grain mill
An Oregon maintenance worker has sustained critical head injuries in an accident at Grain Millers in Eugene. He appeared to trip a sensor which activated a mechanical arm for positioning grain bags on pallets, his head becoming caught in the machinery. 16th March 2010.
New Zealand
Worker killed by reversing bin lorry
The Department of Labour is investigating a fatal accident in which a refuse wagon crew member of Alpha Refuse Collections, contracted to Manukau City Council, was struck and killed by the reversing wagon in Gadsby Road, Mangere.16th March 2010.
Bulgaria
Worker fell into empty lift shaft
A 36-year old construction worker was admitted to Pirogov Hospital with severe injuries at the weekend after falling into an empty elevator shaft in a building in Sofia. 15th March 2010.
Canada
Worker's head crushed during glass unloading
Quebec's Workplace Safety is investigating a fatal accident at Vitrerie Visione Moderne in Gatineau, north Ottawa, where a 63-year old worker's head was crushed between a steel step for accessing a lorry and a load of glass during unloading from the lorry. 15th March 2010.
France
2 sappers killed in flammable liquid accident
Two soldiers died and 2 others were injured in a fire at the Illkirch-Graffenstaden sappers' base on the outskirts of Strasbourg, the accident occurred during the handling of petrol in an underground chamber. 12th March 2010.
Jordan
5 workers die in building collapse
A contractor and building owner have been arrested following the collapse of a 7-storey building in Al Kursi Valley in Wadi Seer where 5 workers' bodies were recovered on Thursday, allegations of breaches of construction regulations have been made. 12th March 2010.
Poland
Human nose found in accident car
A 29-year old woman has been arrested in Warsaw over allegations of a hit-and-run fatal accident after a mechanic discovered a human nose wedged in the damaged undercarriage of her car which had been brought to the garage for repair. She had allegedly claimed to have hit a deer on a minor road but  investigation found further traces of human tissue. 11th March 2010.
Canada
Scaffold accident at Newfoundland site
An accident has occurred at the  site of the new Eastern Health clinic in Major's Path, Newfoundland, where a worker sustained head injuries in a fall from scaffold. 11th March 2010.
USA
Manhole accident in San Antonio
A construction worker was hospitalised in San Antonio on Tuesday with a broken ankle after falling 7 metres down a 1-metre diameter manhole at a road site in Shavano Park, north San Antonio. 10th March 2010.
Gaza
Contraband tunnel electrocution
A man has died in a contraband tunnel in the As-Salam district of Rafah near the Egyptian border after contacting a live power source underground. 10th March 2010.
Austria
Level crossing accident in Zell an See
A car was propelled 50 metres along the railway line by a train on Monday at the Grand Hotel level crossing in the centre of Zell am See. It is not known if the lights failed to operate or if the driver crossed against the red light but the barrier lowered at the far side, preventing the car from clearing the crossing.
All 3 occupants managed to escape to safety. 9th March 2010.
France
Fire at Normandy cider plant
An electrical malfunction is speculated as the cause of Monday's fire at a cider plant on a farm in Vaux-sur-Mer, 65 miles north of Bordeaux. Fire crews had to contend with a roof collapse as they tried to prevent the blaze reaching a fuel tank fuelling a generator. 9th March 2010.
Montenegro
Worker's hand blown off at ordnance disposal depot
A worker at the Buster ordnance disposal depot, the former Trubjela army depot west of Niksic, had a hand blown off in an explosion there, 2 other workers were also injured. 8th March 2010.
France/La Reunion
3 killed in canyoning expedition
Three members of an 8-person expedition team have died and 1 is missing during a canyoning trip into the Trou Blanc in the Salazie area of the island, the river was in full spate and a rapid surge of water took them by surprise. 8th March 2010.
USA
New York worker killed in fall from roof
A 44-year old worker of Finger Lakes Service Group fell to his death from the roof of the 2-storey Alexander Park Professional Centre building under construction in Rochester, New York. 6th March 2010.
Canada
Forklift accident at Ontario site
The Ministry of Labour is investigating an accident at the former Shulman plant in St Thomas, southwest Ontario, where a worker was seriously injured on Thursday when a heavy electrical panel fell from a  forklift truck during decommissioning work at the site. 5th March 2010.
Sweden
Thick ice forces ferry collision
The Viking Amorella ferry and the Finnfellow ro-ro ferry collided when heavy ice pushed them together yesterday between the Tjarven lighthouse and the entrance to the Furusund for Stockholm. It is believed that initially consideration was given to evacuating both ships but this was later deemed unnecessary.
The Swedish Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre has been expressing concern about conditions and the ferries' capability of negotiating more than thin ice. Forecasters are warning north Baltic shipping of imminent gales and moderate ice accretion on ships. 5th March 2010.
Australia
Passer-by decapitated by mower flying debris
A Townsville woman died in an accident yesterday when metal flew up with such velocity from a passing tractor with mowing equipment attached that it partially decapitated her. It was unclear whether a section of blade flew off or if a 60cm section of pipe was caught and shot out from the spinning blades in the North Ward district of the town. 4th March 2010.
Uganda
Hundreds killed in Bududa mudslide
More than 400 people are feared dead following landslides which have engulfed the villages of Kubehwo, Namakansa and Nametsi under a 200-metre wide slippage of earth after heavy rains in the east Bududa district on the foothills of Mt Elgon. The slippage began 800 metres above Nametsi but with roads impassable and difficulty transporting earth-moving equipment, rescuers have been reduced to hand-digging, searching for 350 missing villagers, 80 are known to have died. 4th March 2010.
Belgium
Workers breach gas pipe
Four workers of Cloet of Pittem and a fireman from Avelgem sustained varying burns injuries when equipment struck a low pressure gas main on an industrial estate in Pecq, 1 of the workers has burns to 60% of his body, the other 3 were injured in rescuing him. The fireman was struck by a flash prior to the gas being reduced to 100 millibars. 3rd March 2010.
USA
Tyre explodes during fitting
A female tyre fitter was seriously injured when a tyre exploded during fitting at the Wal-Mart Tyre Centre in Pulaski, Tennessee. 3rd March 2010.
Sweden
Supermarket roof collapse
One third of the roof area of the Ica Maxi supermarket in Kristinehamn collapsed on Monday afternoon, the accident is believed to have been caused by the weight of snow on the roof.
Remarkably no injuries were initially reported, it is understood that 5 workers were on the roof clearing snow when the accident occurred but they were not injured. 2nd March 2010.
Switzerland
Trio survive helicopter emergency landing
The pilot and both passengers survived a helicopter crash on Monday when conditions of snow and fog caused the pilot of a flight from Samedan in the Upper Engadin to Lugano to seek to make an emergency landing, having lost orientation while passing over the Bernina pass. 2nd March 2010.
Morocco
Unapproved work at mosque accident site
A week after a structural collapse at a mosque in Meknes where 41 people died, a worker has died and 3 others were injured when a partial collapse of the dome occurred at the Al-Amal mosque in Zayo, northeast Morocco, the Interior Ministry has indicated that unauthorised construction work may have been undertaken there. 1st March 2010.
France
Dynamite explosion kills 2 Savoy pisteurs
Two piste workers based at the La Toussuire alpine station have died in an explosion when a dynamite baton with an electric ignition charge used for controlled explosions of dangerous slopes exploded as they were handling it. 1st March 2010.
 
England
New equipment lacked risk assessment
At Huddersfield Magistrates' Court Morgan Est plc of Rugby, contracted to Yorkshire Water, was fined £6K plus £2,163 in costs over an accident on 12th March 2008 in which an engineer lost an arm to a rotating screw conveyor at the Neiley Waste Water Treatment Works, Holmfirth. A fixed guard on a screw conveyor had been removed to allow the clearance of a sludge blockage, during previous blockages the machine had been isolated.
The company admitted to a failure to conduct a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for the clearance of sludge blockages during commissioning works and that access to the rotating screw arose because the plant had not been isolated prior to removal of the guard. The company pleaded guilty to a breach of r.11(11) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and a breach of r.3(1) of the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
An HSE inspector said: "Morgan Est Limited Plc should have ensured the commissioning of the new equipment was thoroughly risk assessed.
Blockages had occurred previously on this piece of plant and a clear and concise method for dealing with the blockages should have been established and communicated to workers on the site.
Commissioning of plant can often present extreme hazards hence the need for thorough planning and control of such work by employers.” 31st March 2010.
Turkey
Teachers suspended after boarding pupil absconds
Three teachers at a boarding school in Esme, Usak, have been suspended amid allegations of assault and negligence at the school where a 10-year old pupil went missing. 31st March 2010.
Australia
Company fined over girl's disabling auger accident
At Brisbane Magistrates' Court Wickham Farms was fined $43K(£26,313) plus $2,919(£1,786) in costs in respect of an October 2008 accident in which a teenage female employee almost lost both arms in an auger. She was cleaning potato processing equipment when her arms caught in the auger, a colleague deactivated the equipment from which it took an hour to secure her release. She sustained multiple fractures and severed tendons and now has no use of one arm and partial disability in the other.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland investigation found no safe system of work for cleaning the equipment without exposing workers to risks from moving parts. 30th March 2010.
England
Unguarded pillar drill accident
At Burton-on-Trent Magistrates' Court Briggs of Burton was fined £5K plus £1,922 in costs after pleading guilty to a breach of S.2(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 in March 2009 in which a worker broke a finger and sustained cuts while using a rotating pillar drill. His overalls snagged around the rotating drill and he was unable to reach the switch, a colleague deactivated the equipment.
HSE investigation found the equipment to lack a guard and emergency stop. An HSE inspector observed: “The dangers of operating these drills without a guard have been well documented for many years. Installing a guard and providing an emergency stop control are two vital safety measures - this company had done neither.
The employee was very fortunate the drill wasn’t operating at a higher speed or his injuries could have been much worse. But they could have been prevented altogether had the company complied with its legal obligation by having the necessary equipment installed.” 30th March 2010.
Serbia
Zrenjanin helicopter crash
A helicopter pilot of the Ciklonizacija company of Novi Sad has been hospitalised in Belgrade with multiple fractures after a crash 200 metres from Eck Airport, south of Zrenjanin. 29th March 2010.
France
Corsican prototype pilot killed in crash
The pilot of a prototype light aircraft was killed near the end of a test flight when it clipped trees and crashed as it attempted to land at Napoleon Bonaparte Airport in Ajaccio, he was transferred to the Misericorde Hospital but died of multiple injuries. 29th March 2010.
Turkey
Cave-in death at Black Sea mine
A miner was killed and another injured on Thursday in a cave-in at the Zirve Mining private mine at Zonguldak on the Black Sea. 26th March 2010.
Russia
Cafe worker killed in gas cylinder explosion
A woman died and 3 others were injured when a 20-litre carbon dioxide gas cylinder exploded yesterday in a cafe in Perm. 26th March 2010.
England
Verdict in cement works death
A Leamington jury yesterday returned a verdict of accidental death in the case of a fatal accident in which a Cemex employee died following an explosion at the cement plant in January 2008. 25th March 2010.
Greece
Red Arrows collide in training
A Red Arrows pilot participating in Exercise Springhawk at the Hellenic Air Force Base in Kastelli, Crete, has been hospitalised with a dislocated shoulder after having to eject following a mid-air collision, the pilot of the other jet ejected and landed safely. The Red Arrows arrived from Scampton, Lincs, this week for pre-season training. 25th March 2010.
Scotland
Dockyard accident fine
At Dunfermline Sheriff Court, Rosyth Royal Dockyard Ltd was fined £10K in respect of an accident on 5th February 2009 in which a contractor, employed by Robert Summers Transport Ltd, sustained a severe hand injury when a steel plate fell during lifting, the company pleading guilty to a breach of S.3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. 24th March 2010.
Greece
Inquiry into boy's death
The Health Minister has ordered an inquiry into the death of a 1-year old boy who died of multiple organ failure at Ippokrateio Hospital in Thessalonika and who had attended 4 hospitals in the previous fortnight with gastroenteritis symptoms.
The boy was also found to have been admitted to the hospital morgue with the wrong ID. 24th March 2010.
China
11 trapped in flooded Henan iron mine
A major rescue operation was underway on Monday for 11 miners trapped underground by flooding at the Shunda Mining Company's iron and metals mine in Zhumadian, Biyang County, Henan. 23rd March 2010.
Greece
Crete site worker electrocuted
A 40-year old construction worker was electrocuted on a site in Alikarnassos, east Crete, when metal being lifted contacted adjacent high power lines.23rd March 2010.
Canada
Fall from height death at Newfoundland site
At the Iron Ore Company site in Labrador, Newfoundland, a 56-year old worker has died and a 33-year old worker was injured in a fall from a work platform. 22nd March 2010.
England
Power press crushed finger
A power press at a Newmarket engineers was inadequately guarded when it crushed an employee's finger which later required to be amputated. The machine did not have all its safety guards fitted, permitting access to the moving parts.
Solenoid manufacturer HE & BS Benson was fined £8,000 with costs of £4,356. 22nd March 2010.
Scotland
Company fined over joiner's fall
Scotia Homes Ltd of Ellon were fined £4K at Stonehaven Sheriff Court in respect of an accident on 12th October last year in which a 17-year old apprentice joiner injured his back and legs in a 3-metre fall through the unguarded stairwell of a house at the company's Kirkside site in Laurencekirk.
The company pleaded guilty to a breach of r.6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. 19th March 2010.
England
Chill shelf not safely earthed
At Wellingborough Magistrates Court Dairy Fresh Dairies of Wellingborough were fined a total of £8,554 after pleading guilty to 4 breaches of health and safety legislation.
A female employee sustained a severe burn to her hand upon contacting a live metal shelf in a walk-in chill. Council investigation found the electrical installation was "not maintained in a safe condition." 19th March 2010.
England
Worker badly injured at demolition site
A teenage worker was hospitalised in Cambridge on Wednesday with an extremely severe arm injury which occurred at the site of the demolition of the old Grand cinema in Ramsey.
Initial speculation of the accident indicates that he was working in front of a digger, the bucket of which struck him. 18th March 2010.
Scotland
Tractor rollover death inquiry
At Banff Sheriff Court today (Thursday) an inquiry opens into the death of a 46-year old farm worker in a tractor rollover accident on August 30th 2009 near Hillend farm, south of Fordyce. 18th March 2010.
South Africa
Miner killed in train collision
The collision of 2 trains at the Moab Khotsong mine of AngloGold Ashanti in the Vaal River area south of Johannesburg has left 1 miner dead, the 10th mining death of the month and the 24th of 2010. 17th March 2010.
Greece
Worker injured by falling load
A labourer on a construction site in Patra, southwest Greece, was hospitalised yesterday when an unstable load of materials fell on him, his condition was unknown.  17th March 2010.
England
Worker falls at Somerset wheel site
A construction worker sustained multiple fractures in a 15-metre fall on to a steel platform at the site of the 40-metre high Wheel of Weston on Beach Road, Weston-Super-Mare. 16th March 2010.
Russia
Anglers missing in Sea of Okhotsk
Four anglers from Makarovsky, Sakhalin, are missing and feared drowned when a boat rescuing them and 2 colleagues overturned in rough water in the Sea Of Okhotsk, the boat had been rescuing them from an ice floe which had detached from the coast. 16th March 2010.
USA
Disney worker  hit by go-kart
A Disney Magic Kingdom worker was hospitalised with leg injuries on Sunday after being struck by a go-kart driven by a guest at the Tomorrowland Speedway in Orlando. 15th March 2010.
Turkey
Emergency landing after engine fire
A cargo aircraft made an emergency landing at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport on Sunday after being alerted by the control tower shortly after take-off that an engine fire had broken out. The aircraft dumped fuel into the Marmara Sea and then completed a safe return to the airport where the fire was extinguished. 15th March 2010.
England
Refuse worker fell under road sweeper
A 19-year old refuse worker sustained a broken pelvis, leg and ankle when he slipped and fell under the wheels of a road sweeper alongside which he was running during the cleaning of gutters in Hathaway Gardens, Waterlooville.  12th March 2010.
China
Scaffold collapse kills 6 Shandong workers
A concrete work platform and scaffolding collapsed at a site in Qiujiadian in Tai'an City, Shendong, killing 6 workers in a 15-metre fall.  12th March 2010.
England
 Royal Mail worker died following Heathrow accident
The Royal Mail has been fined £90,000 plus costs of £42,549 for failing to adequately control vehicle movements at the Heathrow Worldwide Distribution Centre (HWDC).
A 57-year old worker died, crushed between a reversing HGV and a trailer, the HGV had been lining up with the trailer unit parked at a loading bay during September 2006. 
The deceased had been removing a lock from the trailer at the time.
An HSE official commented: “This was a tragic accident which could have been easily prevented if Royal Mail had exercised proper control of vehicle activities at the HWDC. The company failed to adequately assess the risk to shunters working in the yard or to identify and rectify the unsafe system and this contributed to the death. In areas where vehicles are manoeuvring, employers have a legal duty to ensure that work can be done safely. Royal Mail's guilty plea demonstrates that they acknowledge the failings and since the accident they have put measures in place to prevent a recurrence.” 11th March 2010.
England
 WW2 mine discovered in Dorset Harbour
The German WW2 mine discovered by surveyors in Portland Harbour is to be blown up today.
The mine was at first lifted up by a survey vessel but was then re-deposited on the bottom and will be taken out into deeper water outwith the harbour for controlled explosion by experts. 11th March 2010.
Australia
Farmer dies in MEWP accident
Investigators in Queensland are studying a workplace death in Tully where a banana farmer died in a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) while working with a generator-driven welder at a height of 3 metres. It was unclear whether the death was attributed to an electrical accident or natural causes. 10th March 2010.
Finland
Unsafe Turku bridge closed
 An attempt was being made to place barges under the sagging 93-metre long Myllysilta bridge in Turku which has been closed since the weekend after the central section sagged by an estimated 1 metre, no cracks have been identified in the 35-year old bridge and it is speculated that the pressure of ice in the Aura River is responsible for the damage. 10th March 2010.
England
Famous racing driver in lift accident
In a press release on behalf of Sir Stirling Moss it was reported that the 80-year old former racing driver had sustained broken ankles and foot bones as well as chipped vertebrae in a fall down a lift shaft at his Mayfair home. In a malfunction of the lift the external door had opened without the lift being at the landing, causing the famous sportsman to fall down 3 storeys into the open shaft.
Following surgery he is now said to be recovering from the accident. 9th March 2010.
England
Herts trench accident
HSE is investigating last week's accident in which fire crews from Borehamwood and Hatfield extracted a worker from an excavation between 2 houses at St Nicholas Road, Elstree, where he had become trapped, ingress of thick mud left his legs pinned and additional shoring was required to effect his release. 9th March 2010.
Lebanon
Worker killed in landfill site explosion
An explosion at a landfill site near Biel on Beirut's seafront has killed a Syrian construction worker, it is believed that a bomb from the Civil War period exploded during work there. 8th March 2010.
England
Four injured at Grimsby chemical plant
One man was seriously injured yesterday in a chemical incident at Cristal Global's plant at Stallingborough on the south bank of the Humber.
Reports state all four suffered burns and the effects of inhalation of Titanium Tetrachloride (TiCL4), with one listed in critical but stable condition.
Both maritime and aeronautical traffic was affected by the incident, which is rated as serious because of the volume and nature of the gas released into the environment. 6th March 2010.
England
Trailer runs over Anglian farm worker
A 55-year old Polish agricultural worker was airlifted to hospital yesterday after the wheel of a trailer ran over him, inflicting abdominal and leg injuries at a pig farm in Honeypot Drove, West Acre, East Anglia. 5th March 2010.
Norway
Policeman killed in traffic accident
A police officer died after being struck by a car while establishing a vehicle check point near Grimstad yesterday, later in the day a 27-year old male was arrested at a road block in Kristiansand in connection with the incident. 5th March 2010.
Rep Ireland
Disabled hospital patient's death probed
The Health Service Executive is investigating  a fatal accident at Roscommon County Hospital where a patient succumbed to injuries some days after falling from her wheelchair down stairs at the hospital. 4th March 2010.
India
Aviators killed at Hyderabad aerobatics show
Two airmen of the Sagar Pawan Aerobatics Team died on Wednesday when their Surya Kiran Mk11 aircraft crashed into a building in the New Bowenpally district of Hyderabad during an aerobatics show there, 2 civilians were also injured. The aircraft, possibly 3 decades old, failed to pull out of a dive during a "bomb burst" manoeuvre involving other aircraft, a pilot ejected but at too low an altitude for his parachute to open. 4th March 2010.
Northern Ireland
Waste collection site fire
A major fire broke out yesterday at City Industrial Waste on Mobouy Road, Campsie, County Londonderry. A roof collapse occurred during the incident being tackled by 60 firemen but no injuries were reported.
Fire fighting and damping down was expected to continue into Wednesday morning. 3rd March 2010.
Russia
Fatal burns injuries in sauna
Two patrons of a sauna in Kirov, believed to have been a care home director and a psychiatric unit director, died after entering a plunge pool where the water had been heated accidentally to boiling point. 3rd March 2010.
England
Worker killed at Herts supermarket centre
A worker sustained fatal crush injuries in an accident involving a crane at the weekend at Sainsbury's distribution centre in the Rye Park Industrial Estate, Hoddesdon. 2nd March 2010.
England
Signalman's death ruled accidental
The death of a railway worker on a wet night on 29th November 2007 on the track near Napier Road, Reading, has been ruled an accidental death by a Windsor inquest jury.
The 62-year old worker was a hand signalman whose duties included protection measures for engineering track workers but should not have been on the tracks when he was struck by a train at 50mph.
A Rail Accident Investigation Branch report suggested that chances were missed to observe night workers who may have been working unsafely. It was also speculated that he may have been using an umbrella at the time of the accident. 2nd March 2010.
Austria
Training flight crash leaves 2 dead
A pilot aged 38 and a 21-year old flying student died when a Cessna 150 light aircraft crashed in a field in Brackenberg, Upper Austria,15 minutes into a training flight from Salzburg on Sunday. 1st March 2010.
Switzerland
Passenger killed on railway service crossing
An investigation is studying the death of a 16-year old passenger who was killed by a Chur-bound goods train in Felsburg station on Saturday. He had alighted from a   train and was with other passengers approaching an underpass at the station but took a short cut left to use a service crossing used for railway work. 1st March 2010.
 
England
 Worker injured in incident on permanent way
A Network Rail track worker was injured when he was struck by a train yesterday morning. The incident occurred at Cheshunt Station in Hertfordshire. 31st March 2010.
Wales
 Worker plunged through rooflight
 A roofing worker was carrying a roof panel with a colleague when he fell almost 4 metres through an unprotected skylight onto a mezzanine floor below at the Parc Trostre retail outlet in Llanelli on 2nd  August 2005. He sustained multiple injuries including brain damage.
 Cladding employer Ammex Ltd of Pontyberem was fined £10,000 with £6,750 costs.
 31st March 2010.
England
 Teenager dies in farm tractor accident
A 16-year old boy has died after the tractor he was driving breached a wall and overturned into a slurry pit. The accident occurred on Sunday at a farm near Padstow, Cornwall.
30th March 2010.
England
 Industrial accident in Lancashire
It is reported that a worker had to be cut free from underneath collapsed shelving on Monday at premises on the Deanfield Industrial Estate in Clitheroe. The accident was attended by a major incident support unit, he was taken to hospital with back injuries. 30th March 2010.
England
 Flammable liquid provided fuel for arsonist
Following an investigation into an arson attack by a former employee of BCB Environmental Management Ltd of Tockworth who accessed the fuel for his attack from its stored drums, the company has been fined for breaching safety legislation.
Hazardous waste recyclers BCB of York admitted breaching r.6 and 7 of the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 after illegally processing drums of volatile chemicals close to unprotected electrical equipment and forklift trucks.
HSE inspectors also discovered that a drum crusher in use at the premises was inadequately guarded, putting it in breach of r.11 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.
BCB was fined in excess of £40,000 for the breaches.
29th March 2010.
England
Caravan park and its contractor fined
Unsuitable and dangerous gas pipe work under a mobile home in Essex led to prosecution of the site management company and the plumber who undertook the work at the site in Waltham Abbey.
The gas piping passed through a brick base, which the mobile home sat upon, but this lacked adequate ventilation, permitting any gas leak to accumulate, forming a deadly mixture.
The plumber was fined £1,000 with £500 costs and Sines Parks Ltd was fined £2,500 with £2,000 costs.
29th March 2010.
England
Engineer and landlords prosecuted
A gas service engineer has been fined a total of £5,000 plus costs of £548 for breaches of gas regulations in connection with the carbon monoxide poisoning of a woman and her 6-year old daughter at their home in Southampton during December 2007. He had declared the boiler safe to use on 3 occasions when it was not, he admitted breaching r.5(3) and 6(2) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 between 6th April 2005 and 3rd December 2007.
The landlords were aware of problems with ventilation at the property but failed to have serviced the central heating boiler, both men admitted breaching S.3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, and each was fined £7,000 with costs of £4,500. 26th March 2010.
England
CDM prosecution over fatal accident
The proprietor of EJ Construction of Longfield, Kent, has been fined a total of £20,000 for breaching S.2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and r.37(6) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 in the circumstances of a fatal accident in which the driver of a site dumper drowned when his vehicle left a temporary roadway at a quarry and overturned.
HSE maintained that the provision of proper edge protection to the site roads would have reduced the risk of vehicles leaving the road.
It was on 5th December 2007 that the employee was killed as he extended a finger of land out into the flooded quarry. 26th March 2010.
England
Worker was run over by excavator
On 29th July 2009, a bricklayer was struck and driven over by an excavator on a construction site in Seaton Ross, Yorkshire.
Investigation found that contractor L & S Kendra and Sons had failed to implement proper systems to restrict and control the movement of the excavator, its two proprietors were each fined £9,000 with £2,500 in costs. 25th March 2010.
England
Company fined over dangerous roof work
Cobham Advanced Composites Ltd of Shepshed has been prosecuted for permitting 3 contractors to work on the 7m-tall roof without adequate safety measures to prevent them falling. The Leicestershire company admitted breaching S.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £10,000 with costs of £4,777.
The work involved the installation of guttering but this was conducted without fall prevention equipment.
An HSE official commented: "It’s essential that the hazards associated with work at height are recognised and understood by the client or customer who commissions the work and that they have a responsibility for controlling contractors when on their premises." 25th March 2010.
Scotland
Wind turbine arm shears off
All 140 wind turbines at the Whitelee wind farm near Eaglesham are undergoing inspection after the arm of one sheared off last Friday.
Sensors automatically brought the defective turbine to a halt, the cause of the incident remains undisclosed.
24th March 2010.
United Kingdom
Telehandler window warning
Following a fatal accident in which a man leant through the broken window aperture of a telehandler and was crushed by its boom, HSE is warning workers that side windows on these machines are designed to prevent access to a dangerous part. As with variable reach trucks, if the glass is removed operators are able to lean out, HSE advises that machines in this condition should be removed from use until glass is replaced. 24th March 2010.
England
 Employer carried no insurance
The proprietor of an Ashington, Northumberland, greengrocer's business has been fined £2,100 with £1,850 costs for not possessing compulsory employer's liability insurance.
He admitted 4 offences under S.1(1) of the Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969.
23rd March 2010.
England
 Worker died accidentally
An inquest jury has determined accidental death after considering the facts surrounding the April 2009 death of a 36-year old employee of City Linen Services Ltd following an industrial accident in Saltley.
The deceased man accessed the rear of the laundry equipment which activated when motion sensors triggered, inflicting crush injuries which proved fatal some days after the accident. 23rd March 2010.
England
 Explosion injures 4 workers in Devon
An explosion and fire at the Brunel Industrial Estate, Newton Abbot, premises of Teignbridge Propellers Ltd on Thursday injured 4 employees, one of whom was detained in hospital for treatment for burns. 22nd March 2010.
Wales
Fall from height
It is reported that a contract worker fell 5 metres into a cooling tower at the Murco refinery in Milford Haven but escaped serious injury, HSE is investigating. 22nd March 2010.
England
 Ramp fall led to serious injury
An employee suffered a fractured skull and spinal injuries when he fell from a ramp while loading a shipping container with sacks of peas at the High Fen Seed Store, in Bures, Suffolk.
His employer, W A Church Ltd of Bures, was deemed to have failed to sufficiently ensure, in the circumstances of the accident, that the risks from working at height had been adequately controlled, and it was fined £8,000 plus £4,642 costs for breaching S.2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. 19th March 2010.
England
 Ladder fall caused brain damage
During August 2007, a 58-year old self-employed painter was working on the refurbishment of accommodation at Ashenhurst Student village in Newsom when he apparently fell from the unsuitable domestic step ladder he was using, sustaining serious head injuries.
The accident victim was contracted by Liversedge Decorating Contractors Ltd, which was contracted by principal contractor Foster Turn-Key Contracts Ltd to decorate the flats. Both companies had allowed work to be carried out that was not adequately planned or supervised.
Liversedge Decorating Contractors Ltd of  Dewsbury, pleaded guilty to breaching r.4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and were fined £2,000. Two directors of the company also pleaded guilty to the same charge and were fined £1,000 each.
Foster Turn-Key Contractors of Huddersfield admitted breaching r.22 (1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 for which it was fined £2,000. 19th March 2010.
Scotland
Workers suffered acute lead paint poisoning
Work involving the sanding down of old paintwork on a Perthshire estate caused workers to inhale and ingest lead dust over the summer months of 2008 to the extent that 2 were admitted to hospital with acute lead poisoning.
Blairish Restorations Limited of  Aberfeldy failed to identify the hazard in the work at Findynate Estate, Strathtay, and no precautions were in place.
Blairish admitted breaching S.3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £10,000.
An HSE official commented: "There may be a view that lead is an historic problem, which was dealt with a long time ago. This prosecution shows that this is not the case. Those involved in renovating old buildings need to be particularly vigilant. Once dust or fume is generated from operations such as sanding, paint burning it easily enters the body through normal breathing or swallowing, where it accumulates causing debilitating symptoms." 18th March 2010.
England
 Company failed to provide necessary guardrails
Despite 2 Improvement Notices being served on it, Bluechip Hotels Ltd of  Porth, Cornwall, failed to respond to the requirement  to provide guardrails on a bridge over an excavation at Glendorgal Resort,  Newquay, during February and March 2008.
Bluechip was fined £3,000 for breaching S.2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and must pay £2,000 costs.
18th March 2010.
England
 Man injured working on HGV
A worker was airlifted to hospital yesterday after suffering a head injury in an industrial accident at premises on the Rothwell Industrial Estate in Leeds.
17th March 2010.
England
 Live oven shocks chef
It is reported that a chef employed at the Marco Polo restaurant in Hartlepool was taken to hospital on Monday evening after he received a severe electric shock when he touched a pizza oven. 17th March 2010.
England
 Beach cordoned off around war ordnance
It is reported that an artillery shell has been discovered on the beach at Sutton on Sea, Lincolnshire.
The Joint Services Explosive Ordnance Disposal Operations Centre has despatched a team to deal with the shell after Yarmouth Coastguard alerted them. 16th March 2010.
England
 Poor building site safety performance
HSE's recent inspection of building sites in Greater Manchester resulted in 56 enforcement notices being issued at 42 sites.
More than 160 sites were visited, an HSE principal inspector commented: "The majority of the construction sites our inspectors visited had good health and safety procedures in place. But the other 42 sites are letting the rest of the industry down and putting workers’ lives at risk."
Nearly half of the enforcement notices concerned unsafe work being carried out at height, other issues included dust, unsafe electrics and the 'general state' of sites. 16th March 2010.
England
 Woman injured during demolition
A woman in her 60's viewing the demolition of her former home in a Leeds tower block was struck, but not badly injured, by a piece of flying debris last week.
The chunk of concrete cleared a safety zone as one of 5 tower blocks was being reduced by mechanical plant. 15th March 2010.
England
 Corus fined after crane incident
Corus UK Ltd has been fined £100,000 plus £9,908 costs at Sheffield Crown Court in connection with an incident in September 2008 at Aldwarke Steel Works in Rotherham in which a mobile crane overturned.
The crane had 'safe working load' alarms fitted but they were not switched on because the driver had not been trained on using them.  When the crane became overloaded, it overturned.
An HSE official was critical of Corus commenting: "This is a serious health and safety breach by a company that globally employs tens of thousands of people which could easily have led to people being killed. The operator was extremely lucky to escape with only minor injuries." 15th March 2010.
Scotland
Accident on oil supply vessel
A worker of Vector Offshore was uplifted by BP's Jigsaw helicopter and transferred to hospital in Aberdeen after sustaining head injuries in an accident on the Caledonian Vanguard North Sea oil supply vessel. 12th March 2010.
England
 Unguarded drilling machine at Midlands manufacturer
Solihull Magistrates have fined Thor Hammer Company Ltd £2,500 with £2,594 in costs after it admitted  breaching r.11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 in respect of an unguarded pedestal drilling machine at its Shirley premises.
On 6th November 2008, an employee was operating the machine when the glove on his right hand became entangled in one of the rotating spindles of the drill, inflicting injuries to the back of his right hand and lacerating his palm.
HSE said the company had not acted on a quotation for £165 for fitting a guard having been advised by HSE of the need for one. 12th March 2010.
England
 Lifting operation goes wrong
A worker has been injured in an accident at the Claughton Trading Estate, Claughton-on-Brock, Preston, premises of Wood and Stirling Ltd. He apparently sustained head injuries in the accident on Tuesday morning. 11th March 2010.
England
 Man's bin death an accident
A Brighton and Hove inquest into the death of a 35-year old man, who climbed into a commercial refuse collection bin and fell asleep and was crushed to death later, has determined accidental death.
In July 2009 his body was found at a waste transfer station, the death has resulted in a review of industry guidelines concerning commercial bins. 11th March 2010.
England
 Precarious work on pub roof
A contractor who undertook work on the roof of a public house in St Helens was discovered by a St Helens Council official to be doing so without harnesses, scaffolding or any other precautions.
The contractor chose to ignore advice from the official, but a few days later HSE officials visited the site and a prosecution was instigated by them.
Malloy Building Contractors of St Helens was fined £1,500 plus £1,000 costs for breaching r.6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 during June last year. 10th March 2010.
Northern Ireland
 Loose slates hazard
A property owner in Lisburn Road, Belfast, has been prosecuted after ignoring a notice from Belfast City Council officials concerning the hazardous state of his roof.
He failed to remove or secure loose slates and was prosecuted under  Improvement Act legislation and fined £200. 10th March 2010.
England
 4-metre fall from scaffolding
The proprietors of Tobacco Dock, Wapping, Messila House Limited, have been fined £8,600 plus £1,000 costs for failing to adequately train and instruct in the use of scaffolding, a matter that contributed to an industrial accident.
On June 26th 2007, an employee painting the Sea Lark, a replica pirate ship, fell 4.5 metres from the structure erected around it.
The prosecution was instigated by Tower Hamlets Council and executed by Thames Magistrates' Court. 9th March 2010.
England
 Excavation collapse trapped worker for 2 hours
Vickers Construction Limited of  Eaglescliffe has been fined £5,000 with costs of £3,178 at Darlington Magistrates’ Court in connection with a 25th November 2008 accident in which an employee was trapped in a collapsed trench for more than 2 hours. An excavator was being used to dig a trench for drainage pipes on a sloping bank at the Allanbrae site, near Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, at the time.
An HSE official commented: "The employee using the excavator should have been properly trained and industry guidance, which recommends providing shoring or trench boxes, should have been followed." 9th March 2010.
England
 Crane collapse investigations
Investigators are seeking to establish why 2 cranes at south coast ports collapsed last week.
On Thursday afternoon a crane toppled at Howard's Quay in Cattedown, Plymouth, one man sustained injury in the incident.
On Sunday a large crane collapsed at the Southampton Cruise Terminal, no serious injuries are reported. 8th March 2010.
England
Lancs company fined over crush accident
At Manchester Crown Court S Cartwright & Sons Ltd was fined £15K plus £18,315 in costs over a serious crush accident at its Trafford base which left a worker with a broken back and fortunate to escape with his life.
He had been helping move a stack of 6.7-metre long metal strips onto a trailer when the stacks and a beam with a combined weight in excess of 2 tonnes fell from the forks of a forklift truck.
The company pleaded guilty to a breach of S.2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 in failing to ensure the safety of its employees. 8th March 2010.
England
Worker lost finger in unsafe machinery
At Sunderland Magistrates' Court Tanfield Metal Spinners have been fined £2K plus £1,056 costs after pleading guilty to a breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 in respect of an accident on 10th September 2008 in which a worker's gloved hand became caught while resetting gear cogs and he lost a finger and seriously injured another at the premises on Parsons Industrial Estate, Washington. Investigation revealed that the company was aware that the gear cogs on the drive machinery of the metal spinning machine were slipping and that a guard had been removed. 6th March 2010.
England
Drill broke worker's arm
Romtech Ltd of Cardiff, South Glamorgan, has been fined a total of £40,000 with £7,401 costs over a February 2009 industrial accident at its premises at Watling Street Business Park, Cannock.
An agency worker was using a radial arm drill when his gloved hand became entangled in the rotating drill bit, drawing his arm into the drill, inflicting serious injuries including fractures. He had to be cut free by the emergency services.
Romtech pleaded guilty to breaching r.11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and r.3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
An HSE official commented :"It is not acceptable that this type of incident is still happening. Companies must invest sufficient time and effort in risk assessment to ensure their radial arm drills have suitable guards or trip devices in position. They must also ensure that staff are aware of the risks and that supervisors and managers monitor working procedures." 5th March 2010.
Scotland
Catering worker badly burned
A chef employed at the West Port Hotel in Linlithgow, East Lothian, is receiving treatment for serious oil burns sustained on Wednesday when a deep fat fryer drum overheated and exploded. 5th March 2010.
Scotland
Substation incident
It has been reported that the man receiving treatment for burns following Tuesday's incident at the Braefoot Bay Marine Gas terminal in Fife was a contractor. Accounts state he inadvertently drilled through a cable in an electrical substation. 4th March 2010.
Scotland
Man falls 6 metres
It is reported that a man is receiving treatment for back injuries after falling 6 metres down an embankment adjacent to a new building in Leith Street, Edinburgh, on Tuesday evening.
Emergency services removed him from the void where he had become trapped. 4th March 2010.
England
 Scaffolding fall death
It is reported that a workman in his 20's has died after falling from a scaffolding structure on a site in Skegness, Lincs, on Friday afternoon.
One account states he was struck by bricks he was transporting in a wheelbarrow as he fell, the site is under the control of developer Chestnut Homes. 3rd March 2010.
England
 Worker in intensive care
An employee of Palram DPL Limited sustained serious burns in an industrial accident on Saturday.
He is believed to have been handling a quantity of acrylic polymer when the vapours ignited at the company's Newton Aycliffe premises in County Durham. 3rd March 2010.
England
 Site fatality in Jersey
It is reported that a workman in his 40's has died following an accident on a building site in St Martin, Jersey.
The incident occurred last Friday, one account states that he died after falling into an excavation. 2nd March 2010.
England
 Corus fined
Corus UK Limited, trading as Corus Special Profiles based at 30 Millbank, London, has been fined £5,000 plus £5,074 costs at Teesside Magistrates’ Court.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching S.2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974 and r.3(1)(a) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The prosecution related to an industrial accident on 24th May 2008 at the Corus Skinningrove plant.
An employee, working on the mill floor where steel is rolled into long sections, was attempting to clear a jam in a machine, which requires an operator activating controls above the mill floor. The operator was unable to see the employee, so instructions were relayed via a 3rd man using a combination of hand signals and shouting, but he was struck by moving machinery, sustaining a leg injury.
Investigation established that relaying instructions in this way was common practice as radios were not always available and background noise made them difficult to use. There was no record of a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for clearing jams and no recorded safe system of work in place.
Corus had implemented safe operating procedures to deal with some of the risks, but had no safe isolation system, which had been identified as a requirement prior to the incident. 2nd March 2010.
England
 Council and contractor fined for fatality
A Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council employee was knocked down by a tipper wagon operated by Brocklebank & Company (Demolition) Limited as it delivered asphalt to a site on Fitzwilliam Road, Rotherham, on 4th May 2007. He died as a result of the accident.
Vehicle movements at the site were uncontrolled despite long reversing distances on the site, with no one designated to direct movement and unloading. CCTV was not fitted to the lorry to eliminate the blind spot at its rear.
Additionally, the council was aware that the worker was partially deaf but no assessment of his suitability to continue as a road worker was undertaken.
At Doncaster Crown Court  Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council was fined £75,000 with £18,350 costs, Brocklebank & Company (Demolition) Limited of Sheffield was fined £30,000 with £12,000 costs. 1st March 2010.
England
 Collapsed scaffold blew over
During January last year a 40-metre by 6-metre high scaffolding collapsed in the wind outside a new gym in Hyde, Greater Manchester, because it was not adequately tied to the structure.
Craven Scaffolding Ltd put up netting on the scaffolding to catch falling debris but this acted as a sail and pulled it over.
Craven was fined £24,000 plus £7,000 costs, it pleaded guilty to breaching r.12(4) by failing to carry out an inspection of the scaffolding up to 7days before the collapse. 1st March 2010.