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March/April 2023 issue

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News

Property co fined £600,000 for lack of HAVS surveillance

Open-access content Thursday 14th November 2019
From the archive:  Just so you know, this article is more than 3 years old.

HSE investigators found that between 2009 and 2014 five employees of Places for People Homes used vibrating powered tools to carry out grounds maintenance tasks at sites in Milton Keynes, Rotherham and Hull.

Aylesbury Crown Court was told the company, which owns or manages nearly 200,000 properties across the UK, failed to assess or manage the risks associated with vibrating tools. It also failed to provide suitable training or health surveillance for its maintenance workers and failed to maintain and replace tools which increased vibration levels.

HAVS is preventable, but once the damage is done it is permanent

Places for People Homes, which had a turnover of £827m in 2018/19, pleaded guilty to breaching s 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The company was fined £600,000 and ordered to pay £13,995 costs.

"Companies must manage the risks associated with vibrating tools," said HSE inspector Andrew McGill. "Hand-arm vibration can be a significant health risk wherever powered hand tools are used for significant lengths of time.

"HAVS is preventable, but once the damage is done it is permanent. Damage from HAVS can include the inability to do fine work and cold can trigger painful finger blanching attacks. Health surveillance is vital to detect and respond to early signs of damage."

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 HSE updates guidance on enforcement for welding fumes

Thursday 14th November 2019
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has updated its enforcement guidance after new evidence found that exposure to even mild steel welding fume can cause lung cancer and possibly kidney cancer.
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Image credit | HSE

 Groundworks contractor prosecuted over cable strike

Wednesday 13th November 2019
G&R Groundworks has been fined after an operative struck an underground electricity cable resulting in multiple serious burns.
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 Bosley Mill explosion: owner charged with corporate manslaughter

Tuesday 12th November 2019
The operators of a mill where four people died in an explosion in 2015 have been charged with corporate manslaughter.
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 Film prize winner highlights human fragility

Monday 11th November 2019
A Swiss documentary which raises awareness of rehabilitation has won best film at the 62nd International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film.
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 Essex building firm's 'systematic failures' led to dumper crush

Tuesday 19th November 2019
A family building firm has been fined £225,000 after a 32 year old worker was crushed to death when his dumper truck overturned.
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 Dairy farm worker blinded by disinfectant chemicals

Friday 8th November 2019
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a farm after a faulty chemicals pump sprayer ruptured into the face of the employee. 
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 Risk & Compliance software provider collaborates with HSE and Costain to improve risk management on worksites

Friday 17th March 2023
A Belfast-based Risk & Compliance software provider has been collaborating with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and construction giant Costain as part of an ongoing project to unlock artificial intelligence’s (AI) potential in improving the management of risks on worksites.
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 Spring budget and occupational health

Friday 17th March 2023
Richard Jones CFIOSH, comments on the occupational health aspects of the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's first budget statement.
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 Life-changing one tonne load fall results in £95,000 fine

Monday 13th March 2023
We spoke to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Andrew Johnson about a case where a one-tonne pallet of glass fell on a United Pallet Network (UK) Limited’s employee, causing life-changing injuries.
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 Hand-arm vibration – abrasive technology that can help mitigate risks in manufacturing industries

Wednesday 31st August 2022
Nearly two million people at risk from hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), a serious and disabling condition that is preventable if appropriate controls are in place. Theo Simon, an application engineer specialist in abrasives at 3M, discusses situations where there is repeated and frequent use of hand-held power tools – such as orbital sanders and angle grinders, found in industries such as foundries, heavy steel fabrication and construction.
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 £50,000 vibration fine for Lancs County Council

Friday 27th May 2022
Lancashire County Council has been fined £50,000 after 15 employees working in the highways department developed Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVs) as a result of failure to control exposure to vibration. IOSH magazine spoke to UK Health and Safety Executive inspector Jennifer French, who investigated the case, about what happened.
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 Risks of whole-body vibrations

Wednesday 1st September 2021
Ignoring the risks of whole-body vibration exposure can lead to misery for vehicle operators, and hefty sickness bills for their employers. As industry ramps up after extended shutdowns, the risks could be more present than ever.
Open-access content
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