Risk management

A wood recycling plant operator has been fined £910,000 after a self-employed lorry driver was struck by a wheeled shovel loader and died.

A wood working company and its director have both been sentenced after failing to assess and control the risks associated with asbestos materials on the firm’s premises.

The cinema chain has been prosecuted for ‘a complete lack of risk assessment’ after a man was crushed to death by a faulty reclining chair.

Covid disruption, wide scale furloughing of workers and a 10% reduction in weekly hours worked has been accompanied by a 28% year-on-year increase in the number of work-related fatal accidents, according to Great Britain’s annual fatality statistics.

Andy Meade, an engineer for more than 30 years, believed the power was cut to the machine he was servicing when he suffered a fatal electric shock.

The European Commission has said it will review and update EU rules on workplace safety in light of the Covid-19 pandemic to better reflect the fact that millions of people are now working from home.

A security company has been prosecuted after an assault at a young offender’s training facility left a secure care officer in an induced coma.

Great Baddow High School in Chelmsford has been fined after a school locker unit fell and killed nine-year-old Leo Latifi.

The ship-recycling industry has long been under pressure to reform health and safety. Now, it seems that slow progress is finally being made to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries.

Remote working will remain a permanent fixture of work life, writes Nicole Vazquez. Employers should be prepared to tackle the challenges of isolation, stress and anxiety lone workers can face.