Group Newsletter Issue 12 Volume 4 June 2013

1. Group Newsletter Issue 12 Volume 4 June 2013

2. Contents Group News Page 3 Exhibitions Information Page 4 Exhibitions report Page 6 SGUK News Page 7 HSE Information Page 8 Other stories/information Page 13

3. Group Info Please remember that if you are employed by an SME or are an individual wishing to do a NEBOSH Certificate then please contact us as some sponsorship may be available if you meet the criteria. Courses are provided either by SETA in Stockport or ACT Associates Please contact the Secretary for details cathy.nixon@mohsg.org.uk

4. Exhibition Information Please add these dates to your diary and consider visiting the shows . These shows are supported by Safety Groups UK 2013 2014

5. Other Exhibitions etc. The following additional Exhibitions are to be supported by Safety Groups UK with Mike and Cathy manning the stand. November 26 SHE Show North East, Gosforth Marriott Hotel, Newcastle upon Tyne Other local events taking place, though not supported by Safety Groups UK include 18 September – North West Regional Association Conference, Barton Grange Hotel, Barton, nr. Preston Exhibition enquiries to Mike Nixon on exhibition@nwra.org.uk Conference reservation enquiries to cathy.nixon@nwra.org.uk 17 October: South Cumbria Conference contact Lucy on lucy@jameswoolgroveassociates.co.uk for further info..

6. Exhibitions Report On 25 June Cathy and Mike were at the SHE Show, Blackpool with the stand. A very interesting Conference was part of the day with several interesting speakers. Some useful contacts were made on the day, mostly for the more local Groups this time. Our next Exhibition will be at the Bolton Arena on 9 and 10 October.

7. SGUKInfo Discounts available through SGUK Please remember if you work for a small company, or Consultant, who perhaps do not receive a discount at Arco to request a Safety Groups UK card which gives 15% off in Arco shops only (not online). You must produce a card to obtain the discount. (only available to members). Members 15% Exclusive discount Safety Groups UK has negotiated corporate benefits for Group members. ACT is working with Safety Groups UK to provide an exclusive discount to all Safety Groups UK members. ACT offer an exclusive 15% discount off the list price of any product or service to all Safety Groups UK members. ACT is established as a high quality single point solutions provider of auditing, consultancy and training services. We have evolved into an integrated provider of all learning solutions including conventional, e-learning and blended learning options. Obtaining the 15% discount Call ACT on 01384 447915 E-mail – actsales@actassociates.co.uk Quote ACTSG12 For more info on our products and services go to www.actassociates.co.uk

8. HSE Info Contractor prosecuted after road worker loses leg A Staffordshire contractor has been fined after an employee had to have his lower leg amputated after he slipped into an unguarded slurry mixer. Stafford Magistrates’ Court was told that contractor Colin Boon, 55, of West Street, Biddulph, Stoke-on-Trent, was in charge of a gang of road workers sealing a pavement on Wilson Road, Hanford, Stoke-on-Trent, when the incident happened on 13 September 2012. The injured party, a 36-year-old worker from Stoke-on-Trent, slipped as he climbed from a flat-bed lorry which was next to the mixer. He put his left leg down to steady himself but it went through the unguarded opening of the mixer. The moving paddles in the mixer severely injured his lower left leg, resulting in amputation below the knee. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident and found the guard over the rotating paddles in the petrol-powered mixer had been removed the day before the incident and not replaced. The man was in hospital for two weeks and eventually returned to work for the same employer, but has since moved job because of difficulties with mobility. Colin Boon of West Street, Biddulph, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to a breach of Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £6,700 and ordered to pay £8,000 in costs. Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Alastair Choudhurysaid: "This was an entirely preventable incident and a young man has sustained an injury that will have a huge impact on the rest of his life. Colin Boon failed in his duties to these workers. He was aware the guard had been removed and took no action to prevent use of the machine on the 13 September 2013. "Guarding on machinery is there for a reason - to prevent people getting hurt. If it is removed, absent or defective, employers are putting employees and others at risk of injury or death. No commercial pressure to take these risks is justified and the potential costs of incidents far outweigh any savings in time or money. "The mixer should not have been used once the guard had been removed. "This incident could have resulted in even more serious injuries and today’s sentence sends a message to all employers to carry out work safely. HSE will not hesitate to take action against employers who fail to ensure the health and safety of workers." For further information and guidance on working with equipment and machinery, go to http://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/[1].

9. Story continues In addition, the firm had not identified the risks involved with using the older machine, and in particular the risk of the plates falling out. Mr Wain was not supervised whilst he used the machine for the first time. No checks were made that he understood the risks and the precautions to take. Emballator UK Ltd, of City Link Industrial Park, Phoenix way, Tyersal, Bradford, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The firm was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay £3,769 in full costs. After the hearing, HSE Inspector Andrea Jones said: "Everyone has the right to come home from work safe and well. But David Wain suffered life-changing injuries in an incident that was preventable. "Emballator UK Ltd failed in their duties to provide a suitable machine for turning pallets and a safe method of operation that Mr Wain could use. Manually securing the load in an open box by means of wedges or empty pallets is not a sufficiently reliable method of securing the load. "A proper examination of the risks would have shown that there was a danger of the load shifting and falling from the machine, during or after turning. A simple clamping mechanism would have secured it, and was indeed applied to the newer machine. "It is also essential that checks are made by managers to ensure operators are trained and competent to use the machines they provide, understand the risks and associated precautions to take.“ The latest statistics from HSE for 2011/12 show that there were 31 deaths, more than 3,400 major injuries and some 14,000 minor injuries recorded within the manufacturing industries. For advice and information go to www.hse.gov.uk/manufacturing.

10. Bury roofer in court again over unsafe work A Bury roofer has appeared in court for putting workers’ lives at risk, despite previously being prosecuted after a man was paralysed in a fall through a warehouse roof. Tony Massey, who trades as Massey Roofing and Building Contractors, was photographed with two other men sitting on the ridge of the roof of a furniture warehouse on Wharfside Way in Trafford Park, approximately ten metres above the ground, on 18 October 2012. He was prosecuted after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found he had not taken any steps to prevent the men falling when climbing up the fragile roof to reach the ridge. Trafford Magistrates’ Court in Sale heard Mr Massey had been hired to carry out minor repairs to the roof at the Clivedon Furniture warehouse to fix leaks in the valley between two sloping sections. He was seen climbing up to the ridge of the roof with a casual labourer and an employee from the furniture warehouse to check for other leaks, but failed to provide any safety equipment. No risk assessment or method statement was produced in advance of the work, and no precautions were taken to prevent any of the men falling from the edge or through fragile glass skylights which run along almost the entire length of the roof. The court was told Mr Massey had been prosecuted before by HSE after an employee fell through a skylight at an industrial unit on Craven Court Industrial Estate in Warrington on 10 April 2007. The 62-year-old man from Bury sustained severe spinal injuries, leading to him being paralysed from the waist down. Mr Massey had been declared bankrupt at the time of the previous prosecution and received a conditional discharge.

11. Story continues Tony Massey, 70, of Sunny Bank Road in Bury, pleaded guilty to two breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and one breach of the Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 following the latest incident at the furniture warehouse in Trafford Park. The charges relate to failing to ensure the safety of workers and failing to have compulsory insurance, which meant the labourer he employed would not have been able to make an insurance claim for compensation if he had been injured in a fall. Mr Massey was ordered to carry out 100 hours of community service in the next 12 months, and to pay £2,000 in prosecution costs on 31 May 2013. Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Matt Greenly said: "It’s shocking that Mr Massey showed such a reckless attitude to safety at the furniture warehouse in Trafford Park, especially as one of his employees was paralysed in a fall in a previous incident. "Mr Massey chose to ignore the lessons of his past mistakes and instead allowed himself and two other men to climb onto the ridge of a fragile warehouse roof without a single, basic safety precaution in place, putting his own and their lives at risk. "Work at height has the potential to be extremely dangerous if it isn’t planned and carried out using appropriate equipment. Mr Massey should have known that more than most but has again found himself in court.“ Falls from height are the biggest cause of workplace deaths in the construction industry in Great Britain. Information on improving safety is available at www.hse.gov.uk/falls.

12. The following stories courtesy of The Telegraph Head teacher: Falls, bumps and gashes are vital part of child's development As half term gets under way, with many children free from the constraints of school rules to climb trees, run around and enjoy go-karting, Katy Rink interviews head teacher Nick Jones, who is on a personal crusade to bring a bit of risk back into the school playground. 'Elf and safety paranoia may just, finally, be on the way out. There appears to be growing sentiment that children should be allowed to be children, to hell with the risks. For the first time in many years, schools are finding the confidence to allow children to climb trees again. Health and safety guidance has dispensed with some of the “red tape” that kept a stranglehold on classroom activities. The latest Health and Safety Executive checklist for teachersrecommends a “sensible and proportionate” approachto risk assessment. The Chairman of the Boarding Schools' Association said, earlier this month, that prep schools should be seen as the "last bastions of childhood" encouragingchildren to learn from mistakesand manage risks, rather than wrapping them in cotton wool and supervising every minute of their time. Steps are tentative; it takes a brave head teacher to hazard the relentless logic of personal injury lawyers and tread the line of “manifest foreseeability”. How can it be said that a fall from a tree is exceptional and unavoidable? Court judgements in this area are asshifting sands. Enter Nick Jones, head teacher at Packwood Haugh School, near Shrewsbury, in Shropshire, who refuses to bow to the climactic fluctuations of the so-called “blame culture”. He takes a very clear position on risk. Last year, one of his pupils, an 11-year-old boy, fell out of a tree whilst on an activity day at school camp The Great Escape, near Clun, in Shropshire and suffered a “nasty gash” to his leg, which required stitches. The boy was “rather proud” of his skirmish and his parents were not at all put out. Nick published an article in the school magazine, explaining why he would continue to send children to the same adventure centre, where children raft, scramble and think their way through various challenges. They stay overnight in army tents next to the tumbling river Unk and return to school the next day muddy, weary and brimming with health. Nick wrote that his duty of care should not extend to protecting children from every conceivable harm or possible hardship. He believes that suffering “minor falls, bumps and abrasions” is a necessary part of learning to properly assess risk. I caught up with Nick to find out whether common sense is starting to prevail in the education industry, and whether the Government is doing enough to try and rid teachers from the "blame culture", where if one child falls and hurts himself, it's often, wrongly, seen as the school's fault.

13. Story continues He said: “If every three to four years someone has to have stitches, the benefits to the children as a whole hugely outweigh the cost. “To let them experience risk when the consequences of getting it wrong are not too serious has to be a good thing.” Nick feels very strongly that mollycoddling children has an undesirable knock-on effect on society: “The first time they are exposed to real risk may be when they are handed the keys to their shiny new car, with the all too frequent and horrible results,” he said. By shielding children from minor risks, he believes we are inadvertently encouraging children to assume that all environments are safe. Obviously, he said, he is talking about exposing children to the smallest of risks – cuts, bruises and grazes (and the odd stitch) – he stressed that his pupils are very much protected from more serious injuries; ponds are out of bounds, they may not walk to the shops on their own. Nick was pleased that the government seems to be “making the right noises”. “We no longer have to do ridiculous risk assessments if we are only walking 200 yards down the road to a museum," he said. Elsewhere, Robin McCarthy, head teacher at Moffats boarding school, near Ludlow, agrees that giving children freer rein is a laudable principle: “If you are under the eagle eye all day, when else do you learn that you are in charge of yourself?” She cautioned that the “blame culture” had not vanished overnight, however. “All parents say ‘children should be taking risks and falling over so long as it’s not mine’. You can never tell quite which parents will react,” she said. It may be some time before the blame game culture has gone entirely, but more authorities are waking up to the fact that small mistakes that can be managed and lessons learned are vital to a child's development. Raising our children “in captivity” exposes them to far greater dangers when they are released into the wild. Schools are finally beginning to realise the value of risk.

14. Story continues Craig Varian, the HSE inspector who prosecuted the case in court, said the company could have done more. “The painful and debilitating consequences of these dreadful injuries will be with this man for the rest of his life,” he said.“The term ‘risk assessment’ is often lambasted as a technicality, or part of a tick-box exercise. However, the true meaning of the term and its importance are very starkly demonstrated in this case. Had Conder Allslade undertaken a risk assessment and then taken the action necessary to mitigate the risks, the incident could have been avoided.”

15. Worker fell through unsupported school roof A worker was seriously injured when he fell through a fragile roof at a school sports hall in Lancashire.Lee Byrne, 29, was working for K Pendlebury and Sons Ltd on a project to replace a raised roof on the sports hall at Loreto High School in Chorlton, Manchester.Workers had removed old steel beams from under the roof so new beams could be installed. But this meant corrugated tin panels on part of the roof were left unsupported. On 9 November 2011, Mr Byrne walked across the roof to ask his colleagues for their lunch order, when one of the panels gave way. He fell ten metres and hit a section of scaffolding, before landing on the ground.He suffered a fractured pelvis, broken fingers and his right arm and elbow were shattered. He underwent surgery to fit an artificial elbow, but has been unable to return to work owing to his injuries.Trafford Magistrates' Court heard there was no barrier around the fragile area of the roof and the scaffold had only been erected under parts of the roof, rather than covering the full width.The HSE issued a Prohibition Notice to the company, which ordered work to stop until suitable barriers and crash-decking were put in place. It also issued two Improvement Notices, as the existing scaffolding didn't cover the whole width of the roof, and there was no edge protection to prevent people falling on to exposed scaffold tubes beneath the roof.

16. Story continues HSE inspector Matt Greenly said: "The injuries the employee has suffered will affect him for the rest of his life, but he could easily have been killed if he hadn't hit the scaffolding on the way to the ground."No barriers were put up to prevent access to the fragile roof panels, despite the company recognising before the incident that barriers would be needed. There should also have been scaffolding under the whole of the roof to catch anyone who fell."This was a big project that should have been carefully planned but, sadly the company's failings have led to an employee being badly injured."K Pendlebury and Sons appeared in court on 31 May and pleaded guilty to breaching reg.9 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. It was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £3539 towards costs.

17. Story courtesy of SHP Asda failed to address known ice risk An investigation into a slip and trip incident at an Asda supermarket revealed that risk assessments for work in freezers had not been reviewed for eight years, despite changes in working practices.Barnsley Council's Regulatory Services took a prosecution against Asda Stores Ltd following a reported accident to a night-shift employee, who was working alone at the supermarket's Old Mill Lane store, in Barnsley, in August 2011.He slipped on an ice-covered floor in a storage freezer, sustaining injuries to his knee. He subsequently required an operation and took several months off work to recover.Barnsley magistrates heard that employees were left to chip ice off the floor themselves and sweep it away. Asda also failed to provide adequate protective clothing for employees who worked in the freezers. Senior environmental health officer Stephen Butler visited the store and found that nearly two weeks after the incident, the freezer floor remained extremely slippery. Owing to the continuing risk of serious personal injury, the inspector served a Prohibition Notice, instructing the freezer to be shut down for cleaning and repair.The investigation found that another Asda employee had slipped in a similar freezer in 2009, at a superstore in Wigan, and had been rendered unconscious.

18. Story continues The court also heard that necessary precautions were not followed and that risk assessments for work in freezers had not been reviewed since 2003. The company had also received no Primary Authority advice on this issue.
Asda Stores Ltd was sentenced on 30 May following a hearing on 25 April, when it entered a guilty plea to offences under s2(1) of the HSWA 1974. The company was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £33,000 in costs.

District Judge Foster commented that Asda had demonstrated a dereliction of its responsibilities. He said it had inadequate systems in place and there were unacceptable delays in identifying problems. In mitigation, Asda stated that since the accident it had spent £31,000 on repairs to the freezer.

"This case was a serious breach of health and safety legislation by a large company, resulting in injury," commented Councillor Roy Miller, cabinet spokesperson for development, environment and culture. "Employers must have effective systems in place to prevent accidents and injuries to their employees, and where equipment and process are provided, the employees must use them."

19. Story courtesy of RoSPA RoSPA advice during child safe week Summer is finally upon us and parents will be thinking about how to keep their children active and entertained during the long holiday. It’s never too late to reap the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle, and explore the great outdoors with the whole family, right from infancy through to old age. Whether you are planning to stay at home or venture outside for some explorative play, it is also worth spending time talking to your children about the risks and how to cope with them. Where is my child most at risk of an accident? It is a sad fact that accidental injuries are the most common cause of death in children over the age of one, with more than one million children under the age of 15 involved in an accident in and around the home every year. Those most at risk from a home accident are 0-4 year olds. Why? Well, it is during these early years that babies begin to develop and grow more adventurous and inquisitive as they try to make sense of the world around them. Crawling develops into walking, walking leads to climbing, and all of a sudden everyday household objects can become potential hazards. This is why parental supervision is important, along with accident prevention measures such as increased awareness, greater product safety and improvements in the home environment. The most severe injuries to children in the home are often a result of heat-related accidents and falls from height, including the stairs, and threats to breathing, including choking, suffocation and strangulation. What can be done to help minimise the risks in the home? We suggest looking around your home from a child’s point of view to help identify hazards and then you can take steps to reduce or remove the risk. Babies aged up to six months should not be left on raised surfaces. This is because they begin to wriggle and kick and could easily fall. It is from the age of six months to a year onwards, when small objects, hot drinks and dangerous substances should be kept out of reach as babies begin to stand, crawl and put things in their mouth. At two to three years of age, children are stronger and prone to copying their parents. Therefore, matches and lighters, sharp kitchen implements and tools should be kept hidden and out of reach. At three to four years, children begin to understand instructions and become more adventurous. Parents are advised to implement rules and continue to train their children about safety. These types of safety equipment are worth investing in to help keep your children safe at home:  Lockable cupboards for the safe storage of medicines and household chemicals

20. Story continues Safety gates fitted at the top and bottom of stairs; fixed gates are best, while pressure-mounted gates, which can be easily moved, are more suited to fencing off particular rooms, such as kitchens, where there are multiple hazards Window restrictors are also a valuable investment, but be aware of the importance of having the means of escape in an emergency, enough space for ventilation, and ease of access for cleaning and maintenance When it comes to the prevention of burns and scalds, fireguards, securely fixed to the wall can keep young children away from the fire. Thermostatic mixing valves (TMVs) help regulate the temperature of bath water, and can prevent bathroom scalds. • See more at: http://www.thebabablog.com/article/2013/06/24/child-safety-week-by-rospa-the-royal-society-for-the-prevention-of-accidents#sthash.QanSD8cC.dpuf Above all, it is important to remember that no home can be completely “child-proof”. But parental supervision and a commitment to make the home “as safe as necessary” can help to keep a child out of harm’s way. This can include introducing various items of safety equipment at different stages of a child’s life, but having the right safety gate, for example, should not become a substitute for this. RoSPA has produced a video introducing four families whose lives have been changed forever by a fatal accident. For details - and to watch the “Too Young to Die” video - visit www.rospa.com/fundraising/donations/. Blind cords Did you know there have been a number of deaths as a result of children being strangled by blind cords in the home in recent years?RoSPA's own research shows that there have been at least 26 deaths across the UK since 1999 (13 of which have occurred since the start of 2010). It is important to make sure that blind cords are tied up well out of the way of young children and secured using cleats or blind cord shortheners. Research indicates that most accidental deaths involving blind cords happen in the bedroom to children aged between 16 months and 36 months, with the majority (more than half) happening at about 23 months. As with drowning, toddlers can be strangled quickly and quietly by looped cords with carers in close proximity, potentially unaware of what is happening. You can find out more about RoSPA’s blind cord safety campaign Make it safe! by visiting the website www.rospa.com/blindcords/.         

21. Story continues Outdoor play and water safety Water can hold a particular fascination for young children. Small children can drown in just a few inches of water, whether it be the shallowest garden pond, temporary paddling pool or in the bath. Uncovered bowls or buckets of water should not be left around the home or garden as they too can pose a drowning hazard. Most drownings affecting children occur when they are between the ages of 18 months and two-and-a-half years. It is at this time that they become increasingly more mobile and adventurous. It is not until a child reaches the age of three and above that they can begin to pull themselves out of water and heed warnings given to them. When a child becomes submerged under water, a rescuer has less than a minute to get them out. Children should be constantly supervised when they are in or near water. If a child goes missing it is really important to check water features first, including any outdoor containers which may be carrying water. Sadly, in 2011, 12 under-fours drowned in the UK, of whom two drowned in baths, four in swimming pools, two in ponds and one in a water container. It is best to cover over ponds and always remember to empty a paddling pool as soon as you are finished with it. Other common accidents involving children outdoors have involved jumping on a trampoline. Not all gardens will be suitable for a trampoline, and it’s always best to consider the safety implications before making an expensive purchase. The risk of injury can further be reduced by ensuring that the trampoline is clear from hazards such as fences, tree branches, washing lines etc, with some form of safety netting or crash matting in place to break a child’s fall. It is also important to check the placement and condition of covers over any springs and to not use trampolines which may have become torn, ripped or worn over the winter. Ideally, only one child will be on a trampoline at any one time, but separating older children from younger ones will also reduce the likelihood of injury. The LASER Alliance, hosted by RoSPA, has long campaigned for high quality practical safety education (HQPSE) to support reconnecting children with nature, making the most of challenges that life will bring and what to do if things do go wrong, for example, making a 999 call. The Alliance is committed to helping children and young people learn about safety by experiencing risk. It achieves this through partnership work involving individuals and members from across the UK who help teach children and young people how to avoid injury by managing risk. Organisations working with children and young people that are interested in joining, should phone Cassius Francis on 0121 248 2025 or email cfrancis@rospa.com • See more at: http://www.thebabablog.com/article/2013/06/24/child-safety-week-by-rospa-the-royal-society-for-the-prevention-of-accidents#sthash.QanSD8cC.dpuf