Blueprint sets out waste industry’s safety drive
A five-prong plan for driving down the number of people killed and seriously injured in the waste and recycling industry has been published. The Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) Forum has been working on its blueprint for better risk management since a landmark summit in February, and the final plan puts the focus on those areas […]
Local authority prosecuted after near drowning
Essex County Council has been fined for safety failings after a child with severe learning and physical disabilities almost drowned in his school’s swimming pool. The 9-year-old boy was pulled from the water blue in colour and needed resuscitation after the incident during a school swimming session. The council was prosecuted by the Health and […]
APIL claims asbestos victims have been let down again
Not-for-profit campaign group, the Association of Personal Lawyers (APIL), has criticised proposed new rules on how insurance companies search their historical records if a potential claim for compensation is being made against them, saying that they are “wide of the mark”. Responding to a consultation by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) on new search procedures, […]
Reported road casualties in Great Britain
The Department of Transport has published detailed statistics on traffic related personal injury accidents in 2011. Key findings from the report include:
Man awarded damages for popcorn injury
An American court has awarded substantial damages to a man who claimed he became ill after years of breathing in the fumes of microwave popcorn, reports Yahoo! The 59-year-old from Colorado was diagnosed with a respiratory condition known as ‘popcorn lung’ in 2007, after eating the microwave popcorn on an almost daily basis for a […]
Worrying ‘new principles on consultation’ from Government
The UK Government is not giving people enough time to comment on plans to cut health and safety regulations, a professional body has said. The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is concerned that new government guidance for its departments and other public bodies recommends as little as two weeks consultation on changes to […]
Better information for citizens about major accident risks
New European rules are now in force that will ensure EU citizens are better informed about major threats posed by industrial plants in their immediate vicinity. The rules are part of an otherwise technical update of the Seveso Directive, a key instrument in industrial risk management, which is being adapted to reflect recent changes in […]
Workers forced to pay for own safety equipment
A TUC survey has revealed that despite laws which say employers must give their staff personal protective equipment (PPE) free of charge, more than one in five workers are being forced to pay for it out of their own pocket. PPE includes protective clothing, helmets and goggles designed to protect workers from injury, electrical hazards, […]
Report into young driver safety
A recent report by the AA Charitable Trust and Make Roads Safe campaign has found that nearly 40% of drivers had crashed by the time they turned 23-years-old. Around a quarter of those polled had crashed within two years of getting their driving licence. The report calls for greater education and driving opportunities for young […]
New figures published for fatally injured workers
New official statistics have shown that the number of workers fatally injured in Britain last year remains largely unchanged. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has released provisional data for April 2011 to March 2012, which shows 173 workers were killed – down two from the previous year. The rate of fatal injury remains the […]
