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May/June 2023 issue

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Sector: Central government
News

Crown censure for MoD over death of 21-year-old soldier

Open-access content Friday 30th September 2016
From the archive:  Just so you know, this article is more than 3 years old.

Fusilier Dean Griffiths, 21, died from a gunshot wound in the neck during a live training exercise at Lydd Ranges military firing range in Kent on 14 September 2011.

The exercise required troops to enter a compound that had been designed to simulate the type of building they would encounter in Afghanistan. They were divided into two groups: an assault group to enter and secure the site, and a fire support group to provide cover.

The compound contained both enemy and civilian targets, made from thin plywood to allow the live bullets to pass through them and avoid ricochets. Unused targets were often laid on the floor to give the appearance of debris, however on this occasion one of these targets had been propped up in the wrong place, against a wooden wall.

Griffiths, who was part of the assault group, was lined up against the wall of the compound while two soldiers, followed by a safety supervisor, entered and panned left to right. As one soldier turned right, he saw the enemy target and fired two shots at it. One of the bullets went through the target and the wooden wall and hit Griffiths, who was standing on the other side.

The exercise was stopped almost immediately but Griffiths, whose partner was expecting their first child, died at the scene.

The HSE found the exercise was undermanned and two groups had been merged to cope with the lack of resources. It said the incident could have been avoided had targets not been used as debris, and the range conducting officer should have carried out a final inspection before the exercise to ensure the targets corresponded to the target plan.

The Crown censure is for breaching ss 2(1) and 2(2) of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The MoD admitted that its unsafe system of work and the poorly organised exercise exposed its employees to safety risks.

The Crown censure is the maximum sanction for a government body the HSE can bring. There is no financial penalty, but once accepted it is an official record of failing to meet the standards set out in law.

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 Ejector seat maker faces prosecution over death of Red Arrows pilot

Tuesday 27th September 2016
Flt Lt Sean Cunningham, 35, was carrying out pre-flight checks of his Hawk TMk1 XX177 jet while stationary on the Royal Air Force Scampton airbase in Lincolnshire. But the ejector seat accidentally fired, sending the pilot into the air. The parachute did not deploy and he fell to the ground still in his seat. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has told Martin Baker Aircraft that it will be prosecuted over the incident on 8 November 2011.
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 Flawed work system led Alton Towers operator to £5m fine

Tuesday 27th September 2016
The theme park originally blamed human error for the accident on 2 June 2015. But during sentencing at Stafford Crown Court today Judge Michael Chambers QC said this was not the case, the Press Association has reported. The judge added that the accident could have been avoided if the company had a risk assessment and a suitable written system for dealing with ride faults.
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 Alton Towers rollercoaster crash was ‘like 90 mph car accident’

Monday 26th September 2016
Alton Towers operator Merlin Entertainments attended Stafford Crown Court today (26 September) for the sentencing hearing for the June 2015 accident. Prosecutor Bernard Thorogood told the court the kinetic energy involved in the crash was equivalent to a “family car of 1.5 tonnes having collided at about 90 mph”.  Two people had their legs amputated and three others suffered life-changing injuries after two carriages collided on the 14-loop ride.
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Image credit: ©iStock/Emrah Turudu

 Parker Hannifin fined £1m for unplanned machine move

Wednesday 21st September 2016
Colin Reddish, 48, was working alone on 30 April 2015 at Parker Hannifin Manufacturing’s factory in Grantham, Lincolnshire, moving a large computer numerically controlled (CNC) milling machine. The machine had been placed on skates so that Reddish could use an angle grinder to cut and remove the bolts that had fixed it to the floor. As he was doing this, the machine toppled and killed him.
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The damaged trolley tipped over and the 18 stainless steel bars toppled off | Image credit: HSE

 Damaged trolley brings £130k fine for metals supplier

Thursday 13th October 2016
Luke Simpson and another member of staff were manually moving the four-wheeled trolley loaded with 18 metal bars and weighing approximately 900 kg at Smiths Metal Centres’ site in Bedfordshire.  The trolley tipped over, Luton Magistrates’ Court was told, and the bars toppled off trapping Simpson. He was taken to hospital with a broken leg and crushed foot, most of which had to be amputated despite multiple operations. He now has a prosthetic foot and has returned to work on a part-time basis only.
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©Ed Webster - www.flickr.com/photos/ed_webster/

 Refiner ignored fatality-in-waiting warning

Thursday 15th September 2016
David Thomas was using the walkway to access an oil tanker on 5 March 2012 when it suddenly gave way. He fell 3.5 m over the side and his legs became tangled in loose cables. He sustained fractures to both legs and a dislocated knee. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) told Swansea Crown Court that Valero had not carried out a sufficient risk assessment for the use of the access tower, with the result that the dangers of slack cables were not identified.
Open-access content
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Sector: Central government
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