Lawford Kidd's Blog

A coroner has ruled that a primary school teacher, who was exposed to asbestos for years, died as a result of an industrial disease.

Elizabeth Belt, who had also contracted cancer, was killed following a battle with mesothelioma after being exposed to the substance when pinning artwork to pinboards in her classroom. Before her death, Belt had spoken of her exposure to asbestos in her school with the coroner confirming that it was this that eventually killed the 68-year-old.

A Dundee worker lost two fingers when his hand was trapped in a veneer press in a workplace accident.

James Doig had the two middle fingers of his right hand amputated after they were injured during an incident at Lam-Art Ltd. The Sheriff Court heard that although Mr Doig had experience and training in regards to using the machine, he had not been taught how to turn the machine on safely resulting in a fine for his company, Lam-Art, of £5,000.

The employee had been working at the company for 20 years and was only in charge of using the machinery when the normal operators were not in work. Although he was trained, another untrained worker had switched the machine on incorrectly, when Mr Doig then went to check the machine, the other worker who was on shift with Mr Doig touched the control panel, trapping Mr Doig’s fingers between metal plates in the machine.

A new study has revealed that teachers and lecturers have been awarded close to £300,000 in the last year, as a result of accidents in the workplace.

Whilst the office Christmas party is supposed to be full of fun, the combination of bad weather, alcohol and space not designed for partying can lead to workplace accidents. This post looks at a number of accidents that can occur in the workplace and gives you some tips as to when you will be able to make a claim for a workplace injury.

A new guide has been published by construction experts to encourage better management at construction sites and reduce the number of accidents on construction sites.

It is hoped that not only will the guide reduce the number of accidents, but also minimise the number of occupational diseases that affect hundreds of construction workers every week.

Workplace Accidents and Occupational Illness: Construction UK

Despite numerous efforts from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and safety campaigners, the construction industry is still a dangerous sectors to work in the UK with one of the highest numbers of fatal and serious accidents each year. Sadly a large number of these accidents are as a result of poor management and a failure to comply with health and safety guidance.