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Peter Brown (HSE) joined by Craig Phillips (of Craig Phillips Building Skills Centre and Big Brother) and HSE partners at the 2009 Ladder Exchange Initiative Launch in Liverpool. |
Ladder exchange is step in the right direction
UK: Nearly 7000 'dodgy' ladders have been surrendered in the three years the Health and Safety Executive has been running the ladder exchange initiative.
The campaign gives workers the opportunity to get rid of old, damaged and broken ladders and trade them in for new ones at a discounted price.
Published: 12 March, 2010
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Delivery safety initiative
WINCANTON: A set of industry guidelines on height-associated safety for building material delivery is available to merchants.
Published: 10 March, 2010
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Free 'Health for Work Adviceline' for small businesses
UK: Small businesses in the construction industry now have free access to professional occupational health advice to help with individual employee health issues - just by calling a 'Health for Work Adviceline'.
Published: 10 March, 2010
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Beers Timber & Building Supplies safety day
LIVERPOOL: Beers Timber & Building Supplies hosted a Health and Safety Executive drop-in event.
It was organised as part of the Working Well Together initiative, a partnership between HSE and the construction industry, that aims to improve health and safety in the sector.
The event held last Wednesday highlighted the risk to construction workers from silica dust.
Published: 19 February, 2010
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Falling MDF causes serious injury
WOKING: A Surrey woodworking company has been given a conditional discharge after a worker was seriously injured by large falling MDF boards.
Published: 10 February, 2010
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Midlands merchant prosecuted for flawed floor
BIRMINGHAM: HRA Builders' Merchants was fined £11 585 including costs for using an unsafe mezzanine floor.
Published: 04 February, 2010
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Fatal fall from unstable ladder leads to prosecution
BOLTON: DC Kennedy Homes has been fined £7500 after Ian Smith, 64, was killed when he fell from an unstable ladder.
Published: 01 February, 2010
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Kent Blaxill achieves top safety accreditation
BURY ST EDMUNDS: East Anglian building supplies and glass contracting company Kent Blaxill is one of the latest companies to be accepted by a national scheme designed to help raise industry safety standards.
Published: 25 January, 2010
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Keep staff safe during Britain's big freeze
UK: As Britain shivers in a big freeze, many businesses are allowing staff to work from home rather than risk treacherous journeys. However, business owners may not realise they are responsible for their staff's welfare while they're working at home.
Published: 18 January, 2010
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Telehandler overturns injuring worker, company fined
GATESHEAD: A construction company has been ordered to pay £4500 after one of its workers was seriously injured when a forklift truck telehandler he was operating overturned.
Published: 08 January, 2010
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Balcas fined £50K for worker's death
ENNISKILLEN: Balcas, one of Britain's and Ireland's largest wood products suppliers, was fined £50 000 for a breach of health and safety laws which led to a worker's death.
Published: 30 December, 2009
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A number of new specialized products, such as this fire rated downlight, are now available to help compliance with the Building Regulations. |
Plug that hole in fire safety
BRIDGWATER: Manufacturers have responded well to the introduction of Building Regulations Part B and there is now a range of new products available to help meet the latest fire safety regulations.
The Regulations, which came into force two years ago, specify the provisions that have to be made with regard to fire safety, fire resistance and structural strength of materials.
Published: 15 December, 2009
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Out with the old… |
Check or exchange old ladders with HSE
LONDON: Time is running out for businesses to trade in their old, damaged or broken ladders for new ones. The Health and Safety Executive's Ladder Exchange project closes its doors on 31 December.
Published: 11 December, 2009
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Beatsons Building Supplies safety campaign
CUMBERNAULD: The Health and Safety Executive has teamed with the Working Well Together campaign and Beatsons Building Supplies to stage a safety event for stonemasons.
Published: 23 November, 2009
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Tradesmen are at risk. |
Jewson joins asbestos awareness campaign
COVENTRY: Jewson, the supplier of timber and building materials, has joined forces with the Health and Safety Executive to help warn tradesmen of the dangers of asbestos.
Published: 13 November, 2009
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Illegal gas fitters will be punished in court
BOSTON: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning illegal gas fitters that their dangerous and potentially life threatening behaviour will not be tolerated.
Published: 11 November, 2009
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Stone driver's arm amputated
MARGATE: A stone company has been fined after a delivery driver had to have his left arm amputated when slabs, weighing 220 kilograms each, fell on him.
Published: 11 November, 2009
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Rhodar launch SAFEguard health and safety training board game.
LEEDS: As part of Rhodar's drive to continually improve all that they do with respect to their core business of asbestos removal, they have developed an unusual yet very effective way of health and safety training – a board game.
Published: 11 November, 2009
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Wolseley backs the ‘Hidden Killer’ campaign a second time
LEAMINGTON SPA: All of Wolseley’s UK businesses including Build Center, Plumb Center and Parts Center will again be showing their support for the HSE’s Asbestos ‘The Hidden Killer’ campaign which begins on 2nd November and runs for four weeks.
Published: 02 November, 2009
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A clean workplace is key for good health
SHIPLEY: As cases of swine flu soar, workplace equipment provider Slingsby is being inundated with orders for products that will help to protect employees against the disease.
Published: 30 October, 2009
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Watch out for rogue gas fitters
UK: Brian Smith, the Trading Standards Institute’s lead officer for crime and disorder said his organisation was concerned by new figures that show a quarter of a million gas jobs are potentially botched every year by irresponsible traders.
Published: 30 October, 2009
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Coming Soon: Asbestos - The Hidden Killer
LONDON: Asbestos-related disease accounts for around 4000 deaths a year, the biggest single cause of work-related deaths in Great Britain. More people die as a result of exposure to asbestos than in road accidents.
Published: 19 October, 2009
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Racking fall proves costly
TIPTON: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted West Midlands Installations after one of its employees injured his head and ribs when he fell from a racking storage unit that he was assembling at Toolbank Specialist Services in Halesowen.
Published: 15 October, 2009
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From left: Dave Burley, Lafarge Supply and Distribution director, Lord Jordan of Bournville, CBE, Dave Hurcombe. |
LaFarge wins health and safety recognition
SOLIHULL: At the Mineral Products Association [MPA] Best Practice Awards 2009, Lafarge's ongoing commitment to industry-leading occupational health and safety was recognised with a collection of awards and commendations spanning its entire business operations.
Published: 14 October, 2009
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HSE prosecutes timber merchant
HEREFORDSHIRE: Pontrilas Timber & Builders' Merchants was prosecuted after a worker had his hand pulled into a machine and nailed to a pallet.
Published: 13 October, 2009
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Hand nailed to pallet prompts prosecution
PONTRILAS: A Herefordshire builders’ merchant has been prosecuted after a worker had his hand pulled in to a machine and nailed to a pallet.
Published: 12 October, 2009
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October deadline for workplace safety
LONDON: Major changes in work place safety requirements take effect on 1 October.
The Health and Safety Executive believes many employers are ill-prepared and could face fines.
Changes, including reclassifying medium sized businesses into low or high risk, means companies many need more trained first-aiders among their employees.
Published: 25 September, 2009
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Where to turn for fire safety
Following the success of the hard-hitting short film produced at the end of last year, the BWF-CERTIFIRE Fire Door and Doorset Scheme has been holding seminars to educate those involved in the specification, installation and maintenance of fire safety measures about the importance of third party certificated fire doors.
Published: 23 September, 2009
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Leading lawyer warns employers of the dangers of overhead power cables
LIVERPOOL: Employers must be aware of the serious dangers posed to their employees working near overhead power cables, warns leading law firm Mace & Jones.
The warning comes after a man suffered serious burns when he was hit by an electrical charge while using a control lever to move the extending arm of his truck to tip waste.
Published: 17 September, 2009
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John Brash supports updated standards
John Brash has welcomed the recent publication of BS 2482:2009: Specification for timber scaffold boards, which updates the previous 1982 standard.
The British Standard now includes a new 1.2m support span for 38mm scaffold boards. This is in addition to the 1.5m support span for 38mm and 63mm boards that were covered in the earlier version.
Published: 15 September, 2009
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Ladder exchange
LONDON: Craig Philips, construction entrepreneur and winner of the first series of Big Brother will be giving his support to the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) ladder safety campaign for 2009.
Published: 08 September, 2009
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Work wear makes sense
SHIPLEY: Despite new legislation being introduced earlier this year, which now makes imprisonment an option for most health and safety offences, some employers are still putting their employees at risk by not providing them with the correct protective work wear and equipment for their jobs.
Published: 03 September, 2009
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