A bedding manufacturer has been prosecuted and fined £250,000 after two of its employees were badly injured in “serious and avoidable” incidents at work. Sartex Quilts and Textiles Limited were prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following separate serious incidents at its site in Rochdale in March 2020 and October 2021, which...
Hospitality firms urged to ensure electrical safety this summer
Hospitality venues are being urged to check the electrical safety of their outdoor equipment, after a young boy lost his life when he was electrocuted in a pub garden. Danielle Jones, aged 34 from Romford, is calling on all pubs, restaurants and other hospitality venues to ensure that their outdoor electrical installations and equipment...
HSE spotlight on fairground ride safety
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is carrying out 100 targeted inspections of theme park and fairground ride safety this summer. Britain’s health and safety watchdog has planned extra checks on various theme park and fairground rides after a string of incidents in London, Barrow, Cardiff, Hull and Barnsley during recent years. The focused...
Firms warned not to ‘sleepwalk’ into health and safety nightmare
Following reports that job vacancies in the UK have hit a record high of 1 million, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has warned employers dealing with staff shortages not to “sleepwalk” into a health and safety nightmare. The leading professional body for occupational safety and health said that “worker shortages do...
Firm fined £1 million after man dies in explosion
A chemical firm has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and fined £1 million after a man died in an explosion at its site. The HSE said they hoped the case would help “communicate important safety messages” to the industry after Briar Chemicals Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the COMAH Regulations...
Construction firm fined after worker suffers life changing injuries
A construction company has been fined £34,000 after a worker suffered life-changing injuries in an avoidable incident that “could have easily resulted in a fatality.” Hovington Limited, based in Rochdale, appeared at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court after being prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in relation to the incident, which occurred on 4th...
IOSH urges caution as people return to workplaces
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has urged caution over the gradual return of staff to workplaces. Speaking after the government confirmed that England would move to the final stage of its gradual easing of Covid-19 lockdown measures, IOSH’s Head of Advice and Practice, Duncan Spencer, warned: “Covid-19 still poses a significant...
HSE guidance for reopened schools
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued guidance for schools on ensuring they remain Covid-secure as they reopen for the Spring term. England’s health and safety watchdog has reminded schools that they must have mitigating measures in place to control the risks from Covid-19, as well as “arrangements in place to ensure effective...
Children more likely to catch Covid in second wave
Children are now more likely than adults to be infected with Covid-19 and bring the infection into a household, it has been revealed. The government’s scientific advisors say that the number of school-age children with coronavirus has risen “significantly” during the second wave compared with the first, and that people living with secondary-school-age children...