Food and Drink Manufacturing Injury Statistics

HSE recently published its latest HSE Statistics (2009/10) on workplace injuries, work-related ill health and enforcement in the UK. During 2009/10, in food and drink manufacture, there were 4185 'over-3-day absense' injuries plus 856 'major' injuries (eg broken bones or requiring hospitalisation). Expressed as injury rates, 'O-3-D absense injuries' reduced from 1197 (2008/09) to 1165 injuries/100,000 workers, a drop of 2.7%. The combination rate for 'O-3-D absense' plus 'major injuries' fell by 1% during 2009/10 which, when added to an earlier 3% drop in 2008/09, makes an overall reduction of 4% during the period 2008/10.

Builder Prosecuted for Ignoring Health and Safety Rules

A builder whose employees were forced to work in unsanitary conditions, with no toilet or washing facilities, in Rochdale has appeared in court.

Michael Connolly, 46, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after he repeatedly ignored calls to improve his conditions at the site in Littleborough where he had employed contractors to convert a house into flats and shops.

HSE inspectors who visited the site in Church Street found that there were no toilets or washing facilities. They also discovered live wires sticking out of lug sockets, unsafe scaffolding and plaster and rubble scattered all over the site.

Inspectors deemed the site to be so dangerous that Mr Connolly was immediately served with three improvement notices and two prohibition notices following the visit on 4 November 2009.

Despite Mr Connolly's assurances that he had complied with all the notices, when inspectors revised the site on several occasions over a 10-week period, they discovered he had still not provided adequate facilities for workers, including soap and hot running water.

HSE Inspector Alan Pojur said:

"In failing to provide basic amenities like hot water, especially when workers would have been covered in building site dust and plaster, Mr Connolly showed a complete lack of regard for the welfare of the people he employed".

Minimum workplace temperatures

Regulation 7 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (SI1992/3004) states that, during working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable. However, the Regulations do not provide a minimum workplace temperature. Whether or not a temperature is reasonable will depend on factors such as the nature of the workplace and the type of work that is being carried out.

The Health and Safety Executive provides guidance on the Regulations, which recommends a minimum temperature of 16'C for workplaces where the activity is mainly sedentary, such as offices. For workplaces where much of the work involves physical effort, the minimum recommended temperature is 13'C.

UCATT warns on site safety in cold weather

With the cold weather still looming about, construction union UCATT are warning construction employers that extra checks need to be made on sites, to ensure that work can be conducted safely, during the current extremely cold weather.

Employers need to undertake additional risk assessments during extreme weather in order to ensure that sites are safe before work progresses. Employers also need to ensure that:

- Appropriate protective equipment is used
- Mobile facilities for warming up and warm fluids such as hot chocolate or soup are provided
- They introduce more frequent rest breaks
- Workers are educated on recognising the early symptoms of cold stress/ early signs of hypothermia. These include shivering, loss of co-ordination, slurred speech, memory loss and pale cold skin.


Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of UCATT, said: "cold weather brings additional dangers to the construction industry. It is essential that employers ensure sites are safe and proper facilities are provided during cold weather working. If employers do not believe that their site is safe they should stop work immediately until problems are resolved".

Builders Fined

A building company and its director have been fined a total of £30,000 after a worker fell nearly thirty feet from scaffolding at a building site in Llanfairfechan, sustaining severe injuries.

JBB Homes Ltd of Stockport in Cheshire - which has subsequently gone into liquidation - pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £10,835. The company's director, James Burt, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £10,000.

Llandudno Magistrates' Court heard that builder Nicholas Roberts, 28 years old from Rhyl, was working on scaffolding at a site in Gwylanedd, The Promenade, Llanfairfechan on 4 December 2007 when the incident happened.

The HSE investigation found that Mr Roberts was carrying out work to replace a lintel, when he fell from the scaffolding. He fractured his pelvis in three places, broke some teeth and bruised his pelvis and groin.