Lawford Kidd's Blog

Around 18,000 pedestrians were injured in an accident involving a vehicle in the last full year, according to new analysis by road safety charity the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

The charity is calling for an even greater focus on pedestrian protection to make cars safer and raise awareness of the risks.

The figures come from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request made by the IAM, asking for details of the most common pairs of contributory factors reported together by the police attending the scene of an accident in 2013.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has called on the newly-elected Government to commit to the safety of young drivers.

The safety charity is lobbying ministers to agree to a Green Paper on young drivers in a bid to save the hundreds of 17-24 year olds who are killed or seriously injured on the roads each year.

According to RoSPA, a total of 131 young drivers were killed on the roads in 2013, while 1,159 were left with serious injuries.

A Forfar metal galvanising company has appeared in court over serious leg injuries sustained by an agency worker when a half-tonne A-frame slipped and fell onto him from a forklift truck.

Robert Ramsey had been helping colleagues move the large A-frame, which measured 3.82 metres by 1.6 metres and weighed almost half a tonne.

The A-frame was lifted and moved outside, where it was raining, on the forks of a forklift truck. It was then turned and was being moved into the correct position with Mr Ramsey and another colleague on opposite sides of the A-frame to steady it.

Health and safety at construction sites continues to be a cause for concern after a national targeted inspection focusing on health risks for construction workers saw enforcement action taken at one in six of the sites that were visited.

During a concentrated two-week period of proactive inspections, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) demanded improvements, and in some cases put an immediate stop to work activities, where they fell short of expected standards.

Inspectors focused on significant health risk issues, such as respiratory risks from dusts containing silica materials, exposure to other hazardous substances such as cement and lead paint, manual handling, noise and vibration.

Important new guidance aimed at reducing the risk of fire in Scotland’s care homes has been launched that is designed to assist care home owners and staff to fulfil their fire safety duties.

It follows the tragic fire at Rosepark Care Home in Uddingston which claimed the lives of 14 residents and demonstrated the importance of fire safety in such homes.

The Scottish Government put revised guidance in place following that fire, which was praised by the Sheriff Principal in the findings of a fatal accident inquiry into the tragedy in 2011.