Enforcement is becoming more necessary as health and safety matters are taken for granted!
Waste firm fined £260k after worker suffers crush injuries
Grzegorz Poreba, an employee of Cappagh Public Works Limited, sustained severe injuries after becoming trapped between a conveyor and a metal bridge, which formed part of a waste sorting machine, at Riverside Road, Wimbledon, London on 11 September 2020.
The 48-year-old had entered the machine to make repairs to the mesh of the hopper. The machine had not been isolated from all sources of energy before the repair work started and when it was inadvertently switched on, Grzegorz was thrown onto the conveyor, trapping him against a metal bridge.
Mr Poreba suffered multiple injuries, that required 23 screws and two plates inside his body, and has not been able to return to work since.
“The whole accident has turned my life upside down,” he said. “I cannot walk or stand for longer than an hour and a half.
“It has been very hard. If I could turn back time, I could only wish that the accident had never happened. The doctors have been trying to regain my physical and mental health.
Bodytrak unveils intrinsic safety solution
ATEX and IECEx devices are designed to cater to the most hazardous conditions where flammable gases, vapours, dust, or powders are present. This milestone marks another significant advancement for Bodytrak, as it extends its reach into more challenging and harsh workplace environments, where the requirements for personal protective equipment (PPE) are often higher, and the risks greater than the traditional markets Bodytrak already services.
This launch puts another spotlight on the multitude of pressing challenges workers face daily in hazardous industries including:
Risk management
According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, every year heat causes at least 170,000 work related injuries and as many as 2,000 fatalities. Industries involving chemicals or oil and gas often require employees to wear heavy PPE while facing extreme temperatures, increasing the risk of heat-related and fatigue-induced incidents. While PPE can protect wearers from external injuries, they’re often manufactured from non-breathable material to ensure they can protect against the elements; however, they often restrict the wearer’s ability to cool. Alongside existing PPE, Bodytrak’s solutions provide real-time data, helping to combat the risk of heat stress by monitoring the wearer’s physiological responses and alerting both users and supervisors when risks are detected, and intervention is required. The capability also reduces the risks of incidents caused by fatigue and heat exhaustion among workers.
New Zealand landowner company found guilty over volcano disaster
Landowner, Whakaari Management Limited (WML), has been found guilty for failing to minimise risk at the time of the White Island (also known as Whakaari) volcanic eruption in 2019, where 22 people were killed.
Of the 22 people killed, 19 were tourists and two others were tour guide employees. Another 25 people were also injured, suffering from burns.
The volcano, a popular tourist destination, is New Zealand’s most active volcano, and had shown heightened activity in the weeks preceding the eruption.
The lawyer for WML, which also licenses tours to the island, had argued that the company did not have ‘active control’ in the day-to-day operations of tours to the island, being a landowner only.