HSE is reminding employers that they must protect their workers’ health by controlling the risks from welding fume.

The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) current programme of inspections will review health and safety standards across the country and businesses are encouraged to visit HSE’s revised guidance to remind themselves of the changes to control expectations.

To protect your workers’ health, you must ensure you have adequate controls in place to avoid or reduce exposure to welding fume. Employers should be using local exhaust ventilation where effective and provide suitable respiratory protective equipment where necessary to protect workers in the metal fabrication industry from inhaling fumes.

The inspections follow a safety alert that was issued in February 2019 after new evidence showed exposure to mild steel welding fume can cause cancer and HSE updated guidance to reflect this.

Scientific evidence from the International Agency for Research on Cancer shows that exposure to mild steel welding fume can cause lung cancer and possibly kidney cancer in humans.

John Rowe, Head of Manufacturing at HSE said: “Employers and workers should know the risk, plan their work and use the right controls when welding activity is carried out. If they are not HSE will use enforcement to bring about improvements.”

“It is our mission that all workers are protected and are not made ill or killed by their work. Everyone should be able to leave work and go home healthy and safe.”

HSE has a range of guidance to help you protect your workers and COSHH advice sheets to help you control risk from hazardous substances in welding. You can also sign up to our newsletter to receive ongoing information and follow us on Twitter @H_S_E.

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Waste management company, Peter Norris (Haulage) Ltd has been fined £140,000 after an agency worker suffered lower leg amputation after being struck by a moving excavator.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard that on 12 September 2017, the worker, who had been observing a tipping activity in the blind spot of the excavator, had his leg crushed by the machine which had reversed to accommodate another vehicle tipping off waste in an adjacent part of the site.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found no evidence of any system whereby new agency hired staff were shown the site’s safety rules, meaning the injured worker was unaware he was to stand in the safe refuge areas whilst vehicles were moving around the site.

Peter Norris (Haulage) Ltd of Tower Bridge House, St Katharine’s Way, London, pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £140,000 and was ordered to pay full costs of £9,322.48.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector John Spence said: “This incident was entirely preventable and has caused a permanent and life-changing injury to a young agency worker.

“The company failed to implement an adequate system of monitoring of agency workers on site who were therefore, in effect, left to manage themselves without necessary oversight from the company.

“Any company that uses agency workers are required to extend the same duty of care to them as their own direct employee.”

Notes to Editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. www.hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/
3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk

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The former director of a construction company has received a suspended prison sentence after failing to comply with Prohibition Notices and for carrying out unsafe work at height during roofing work on a new build house.

Manchester Crown Court heard that between July and December 2018, Imtiaz Hussain, former director of Bradford Builders (UK) Ltd, was the person in control of the work at a construction site of two semi-detached houses in Hollins Road, Oldham. Site inspections in July and August 2018 by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) resulted in Prohibition and Improvement Notices being issued for multiple health and safety failings, including unsafe work at height.

On 6 December 2018, a HSE site visit took place following a report of unsafe roof work the previous week. Roof work was being carried out from a scaffold at the rear of the building. Two further Prohibition Notices were served on the two separate scaffolds at the site due to missing guardrails and scaffold boards and the resulting risk of falls from the scaffold.

An investigation by HSE found that Imtiaz Hussain failed to comply with Prohibition Notices issued after the HSE inspector’s visits and to take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent falls from height during the roof work.

Imtiaz Hussain, of Richardson Avenue, Bradford, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and two counts of Section 22 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He was sentenced to eight months imprisonment suspended for two years, 200 hours unpaid work in the community and ordered to pay costs of £5,000.

HSE inspector David Norton said after the hearing: “These risks could so easily have been avoided by simply having suitable scaffolding in place put up by a competent scaffolding contractor. Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards and that failure to comply with Prohibition or Improvement Notices is likely to result in prosecution.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. www.hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/
3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk

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A postal service company has been fined after two employees were injured by fork lift trucks in two separate incidents.

Luton Magistrates’ Court heard of two incidents at UK Mail on 20 October 2016 and 20^th March 2017. An operations administrator was struck by forklift truck whilst sorting the returned parcels and sustained a fractured skull and bleed between the skull and brain. In a separate incident, a warehouse operative was inspecting a parcel and a fork lift truck hit the left side of her body. She suffered nerve damage to her left arm and superficial leg and hip injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company failed to ensure that there was effective segregation of pedestrians and vehicles. There were no pedestrian walkways for employees to navigate across the warehouse safely.

UK Mail of Buckingham Avenue, Slough pleaded guilty, to breaching section 2, of Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The company has been fined £400,000 and ordered to pay costs of £9,356.04

Speaking after the case, HSE inspector Roxanne Barker said:

“The company failed to properly manage workplace transport in the warehouse area. The systems of work in place were not safe. Adequate control measures were not identified or implemented, and effective segregation was not in place, nor, even adequate workways. “The incident heightens awareness of the need to properly assess and control the risks to employees from workplace traffic movements and a reminder that these types of failures can lead to life-changing injuries.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We seek to prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. www.hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/
3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk
4. Refer to HSE website to doing it the right way: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pUbns/priced/hsg136.pdf

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A senior inspector at Britain’s workplace regulator has stressed that the organisation will not tolerate violence, aggression or abuse of its staff after a man was sentenced for a public order offence.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector was conducting an inspection of a waste and recycling site belonging to Jacob Alexander Thompson in August 2019.

Attending the Teesside premises on 23 August 2019, the inspector became aware of an individual pointing at him across the yard. The individual, Thompson, then crossed the yard towards the inspector, shouting obscenities.

When arriving on site, the inspector was subjected to repeated verbal abuse and offensive language and was physically threatened when Thompson stepped towards him and raised his fist as he aggressively told him to leave.

Jacob Alexander Thompson, 38, was sentenced on Monday 17 February 2020, at Teesside Magistrates’ Court following an investigation by Cleveland Police.

Principal inspector Victoria Wise said: “Thompson’s aggression, threats and abuse are wholly unacceptable. HSE will not tolerate any form of violence, aggression or abuse.

“Our inspectors are warranted to attend premises to carry out their job to ensure the safety and health of those working there. Any aggressive or violent words or actions taken against HSE staff in the course of their duties will be reported to the police.

“I would like to thank Cleveland Police for their help and support in dealing with this serious matter.”

Thompson of Mulberry Wynd, Stockton-on-Tees, pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 4 of the Public Order Act 1986. He was ordered to pay £100 compensation and costs of £85. He also received a conditional discharge of six months.

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