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March/April 2023 issue

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Rail workers jailed over fraudulent Thameslink safety scheme

Open-access content Wednesday 2nd August 2017
From the archive:  Just so you know, this article is more than 3 years old.

The dishonest practices started in 2010 when the Costain/Laing O'Rourke joint venture CoLOR was carrying out upgrade works to the Thameslink ticket hall at Farringdon station.

At the heart of the corruption was Innocent Obeikwe, a senior manager at CoLOR responsible for the project's safety and health procedures.

He received corrupt payments from Kevin McKee and John Zayya of Alandale Rail, part of Alandale Group, in return for confidential information that allowed the company to undercut its competitors in the tender process and secure a lucrative contract to supply safety-critical staff on the upgrade project.

Safety-critical staff monitor who enters and works on the station, check relevant permits and conduct safety briefings.

Further bribes were later given to Obeikwe, made through a William Waring, to ensure he used additional safety-critical labour from Alendale Rail.

The total value of the contract was £5.2m, up from the initial valuation of £2.1m.

After Alandale Rail had won the tender process for the Farringdon project and had been appointed, Obiekwe and the co-conspirators defrauded CoLOR.

They claimed payments for Alendale Rail employees who were actually ghost workers, and falsified invoices and timesheets in order to disguise the bogus claims.

The proceeds of this fraud were shared among the defendants. Zayya skimmed from the operatives' rates of pay and used Waring and his company Qualitas to transfer the money to Obiekwe, who received the largest share.

The operation was exposed when whistle-blower McKee informed CoLOR and Transport for London. It sparked what the BTP called an "extensive and prolonged investigation", when officers identified payments exceeding £140,000 made to Obiekwe along with other gifts and favours.

The prosecution was brought by the Crown Prosecution Service and the gang of fraudsters along with Alandale Rail were all sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court last month.

Alandale Rail (now Alandale Track and Civils) was found guilty of breaching s 1 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and fined £25,000.

Both Obiekwe and Zayya were jailed for two years after they pleaded guilty to corruption under s 1 of the same act.

John-Zayya-and-William-WaringMcKee pleaded guilty to five charges relating to corruption, money laundering and conspiracy to defraud. He was handed a 12-month prison sentence on each count, to run concurrently.

Waring pleaded guilty to one charge of corruption under s 1 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and another to money laundering contrary to s 328 of the Proceeds of Crime Act. He was sentenced to two years on both counts that will run concurrently.

All four men were disqualified from being company directors for eight years.

A fifth man, Perry Morgan had faced a charge of corruption but was unanimously acquitted during the trial.

Jane Mitchell from the CPS said: "[The men] cheated their way to a significant contract and their level of ongoing dishonesty was uncovered only when one of their own came forward.

"The defendants could not hide from the overwhelming evidence put forward by the British Transport Police and CPS and all pleaded guilty, apart from the company that was found guilty unanimously by the jury."

Detective constable Justin Yorke from BTP's commercial fraud squad added: "The corruption shown by all defendants was complex, prolonged and meticulously planned.

"The behaviour of Obiekwe and his fellow defendants was scandalous and undermines the legitimate tendering process companies undertake every day."

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 Asbestos found in Sydney Opera House renovation

Thursday 3rd August 2017
The possible presence of asbestos was identified on 24 July during the construction of an accessibility tunnel alongside the Joan Sutherland Theatre, where 25 employees of electrical contractor Downer had been working. According to the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), Downer and construction firm Laing O’Rourke, which was awarded the renewal contract last September, had failed to notify regulator SafeWork NSW when the substance tested positive two days later.
Open-access content

 Team building promotes wellbeing, study finds

Friday 25th August 2017
The study, published in the Journal for Environmental and Public Health, draws on almost 1,400 international scientific reports and papers that indicate performing shared activities at work can create positive social atmospheres that help staff feel happier.  Though the activities do not have to be “big or complex”, the review found, researchers said they should occur more than once, a for example three one-hour workshops, and involve all employees.
Open-access content

 GB workplace death rate still on plateau

Thursday 6th July 2017
This corresponds to a rate of 0.43 deaths per 100,000 workers and is broadly level with the average five-year (2012-13 to 2016-17) rate of 0.46 per 100,000 workers, or 142 deaths.The figures indicate that the long-term downward trend of workplace deaths, which have halved over the last 20 years, is levelling off and has been since the beginning of the decade.
Open-access content

 BAM, Ferrovial and Kier JV fined £1m

Friday 28th July 2017
BFK, a joint venture between BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial Agroman (UK) and Kier Infrastructure and Overseas, was sentenced today (28 July) at Southwark Crown Court following the death of Rene Tkácik on 7 March 2014, severe leg injuries sustained by Terrence Hughes on 16 January 2015, and head injuries to Alex Vizitiu on 22 January 2015.The company pleaded guilty to three offences at a previous hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
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©iStock/duncan1890

 ISO 45001 in home stretch

Monday 17th July 2017
The second draft international standard, known as DIS2, was subject to a ballot of 69 national standards bodies (NBSs) in May and June. The result was 53 votes for approval (88% of the total). Only seven bodies (11%) disapproved the draft, well short of the 25% which would have triggered a rejection of the text.The ISO Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Project Committee will meet next from 18 to 23 September in Malacca, Malaysia and discuss a final draft.
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 Government proposes licensing laser pointers

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
High-powered pointers with a beam strength of more than 5 milliwatts (mW) can cause retinal damage when shone into the eyes. Shining the beam at aircraft and other modes of transport can also dazzle and distract a person at the controls.
Open-access content
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