Netherlands
Woman survives attack by escaped gorilla
Today (Sunday) the woman attacked by the escaped gorilla, Bokito, at Blijdorp Zoo in Rotterdam will undergo surgery for hand and arm injuries sustained in the attack by the animal on Friday, she left intensive care on Saturday.
It remains unclear how the 11-year old gorilla managed to negotiate a moat and the high walls surrounding its enclosure before invading the Oranje Restaurant area and seizing the victim who sustained several bites in the duration of the attack. The animal was sedated and recaptured. 20th May 2007.

USA
Ohio airline worker crushed in luggage elevator
A 21-year female employee of Pinnacle Airlines, operating as Northwest Airlink, has sustained fatal crush injuries in an accident in a baggage lift at Dayton International Airport, Ohio. The small elevator, owned by the airport, is located under the passenger jetway and transfers luggage to a loading ramp. Investigation into the accident is ongoing, the victim sustained blunt force injuries to the chest. 19th May 2007.

Norway
Historic hotel burns down
Investigators are studying the circumstances of the fire which levelled the 90-year old Dombas Hotel in Gudbrandsdal, 175 miles northeast of Bergen, fire crews battled for 3 hours but were unable to contain the blaze which consumed the timber structure. The hotel has been undergoing some refurbishment in recent weeks. 22nd May 2007.

Canada
Building inspector fell through opening
The City of Toronto has been fined $175K (£84,135) in respect of the death of a building inspector in a fall at a partially built property in the city's Greenwood Avenue.
On 24th September 2003, two municipal building inspectors were surveying work at a 2-storey dwelling house site when one of them fell 2.67 metres through a gap at a stairway, sustaining head injuries from which he later died. The City of Toronto pleaded guilty to failing to provide the inspector with training on unguarded and uncovered floor openings and on Ss.26.3(2) and 75 of the Regulations for Construction Projects, contrary to S.25(2)(a) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
D/C Contracting who built the property was fined $100K (£48,077) last October. 21st May 2007.

USA
National Safe Boating Week 19-25 May
US President George W Bush has made the annual proclamation of National Safe Boating Week (19-25 May) which urges all taking to the waters to wear life jackets, participate in boat safety courses, to avail themselves of free vessel checks and abstain from alcohol. 20th May 2007.

Canada
Pipe kills workmen
Quebec's Commission de la sante et de la securite du travail is investigating a fatal accident involving an unstable steel pipe weighing 800kg which rolled off a vehicle and killed 2 workers during unloading of materials at a work site on Highway 15 in Candiac, Montreal. The 7m-long pipe of 0.5m diameter was positioned on steel sections on the lorry but became unstable after strappings had been loosened. 19th May 2007.

Belgium
Fire at Limburg sports centre renovation
Considerable damage occurred yesterday when a 3-hour fire broke out during renovation work at a sports centre in Maaseik, on the River Meuse in Limburg, no injuries were reported, fire crews trained their hoses through holes in the roof of the building to quell the flames, believed to have originated from a malfunction in an electrical chamber. 19th May 2007.

Sweden
Dangerous chimney secured
Emergency remedial work took place to secure the 55-metre high industrial chimney at the Hudikvall production plant in Halsingland on Sweden's east coast after external steel casing support broke free from the chimney and threatened the adjacent east coast rail line while high winds prevailed.
Further structural inspections are planned for this week. 22nd May 2007.

Japan
Road roller driver charged over child cyclist death
A 23-year driver of a road roller has been arrested over alleged professional negligence in a weekend accident in which the road roller, moving to a construction site, struck a 4-year old boy riding a cycle. 21st May 2007.

India
Girls drown in factory tank
The bodies of two girls aged 13 and 16 have been recovered drowned from a factory tank in Kamatchipuram in Tamil Nadu, India, the girls had gone to work at the factory and it is speculated that they may have fallen in accidentally while washing there. 20th May 2007.

USA
Unstable excavation kills Arizona worker
A construction worker has died after becoming trapped in an unstable excavation at a site in Queen Creek, Tucson, drainage pipe laying was taking place when instability led to substantial earth ingress into the excavation. The victim is believed to have sought prompt refuge in a pipe in the excavation but was not recovered alive. 19th May 2007.

Robust management systems
At Aberdeen Sheriff Court Well Ops (UK) Ltd admitted a single breach of S.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 for which it was fined a total of £110,000. Commenting, an HSE Principal Inspector said: "This case has highlighted the importance of companies with duties under the law to ensure that they have robust management systems in place to identify the hazards associated with lifting operations and suitable and sufficient measures in place to reduce the risks to those engaged in such operations. HSE has drawn its concerns and findings from a number of inspections and investigations to the attention of the Well Services Contractor Association in order that their members can improve their lifting operations."   25th May 2007.

Risk assessment
Investigation established that the fabricators had failed to fully assess the risks involved in loading and unloading steel, and to ensure that the steel was correctly placed upon the timber bearers on the vehicle. The employer of the deceased driver had failed to ensure that his employees involved in loading, unloading and transporting steel to site had been properly trained.
McDonald and Ross Ltd was fined £30,000 having pleaded guilty to a breach of S.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, the driver's employer was fined £7,500 after pleading guilty to a breach of S.2(1) of the same Act.

Preventable
Commenting after sentencing, the HSE Inspector remarked on the foreseeability of the load moving in transit, emphasising the importance of placing a load onto the vehicle in its most stable orientation and taking any appropriate measures to ensure that it cannot fall from the vehicle at any time, adding that the stability of the load also needs to be assessed prior to beginning to unload it.
He concluded "... this incident could, therefore, easily have been prevented. The beam that fell from the vehicle was one of 3 identical beams placed on the vehicle. Each of these beams could have been placed on their side therefore making it very unlikely that they could fall." 14th May 2007.