A week has gone by, and we have yet another story to bring to you of a firm being fined for poor safety procedures. It has been reported by WirralGlobe that Cammell Laird have been fined £400,000 for safety failings, after a worker suffered serious injuries whilst carrying out repair work at the Birkenhead shipyard. The 59-year-old from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, sustained fractures and crush injuries to his right hand in the incident on July 20 last year, and the accident had made him unable work for 5 months, but has now returned.
The incident was investigated by the Health and Safet Executive (HSE) which prosecuted Cammell Laird Shiprepairers and Shipbuilders for serious safety failings. Liverpool Magistrates Court heard this week that the worker was repairing a lathe at the time of the incident. Whilst completing the repair he noticed that the shafts and couplings were dirty. In order to clean these components, he wrapped emery cloth around the lead screw and switched the lathe on. As the machine run, his right hand was pulled in to the moving parts, resulting in his hand being crushed.
A system of lock off, which would of prevented reconnection of the power to the machine, had been identified and was outlined in the written health and safety management system; however, it had not been properly communicated to employees or implemented. Cammell Laird pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety Work Act 1974 and were fined £400,000, and ordered to pay costs of £7,683.
Health and Safety should be a concern for any organisation. It is the responsibility of the business owner to ensure to carry out a thorough risk assessment and to ensure that all measures possible have been taken to minimise the risk of someone coming to harm at your workplace or as the result of your operations.
To ensure that a similar incident like this one doesn't happen to you, we stock a fantastic selection of Safety Lockout Labels & Signs, as well as a range of Moving Parts Warning Signs.
PP Construction Safety has reported that Martin Baker Aircraft Company Ltd - an ejector seat manufacturer - have been fined £800,000 after three workers developed debilitating lung conditions. The three engineering operators developed extrinsic allergic alveolitis after being exposed to the mist of working metal fluid for a large number of years. The lung condition, also known as hypersensitivity pneumonitis, is the body's allergic reaction to breathing in a substance and symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath and joint pain.
The workers had served for the company for more than 20 years, and were exposed to the working metal fluid mist for at least three years. The fluid is used as a lubricant and coolant in engineering processes. During these processes the fluid creates a mist, which in this particular case it has been inhaled by roughly 60 workers. One of the workers has been seriously affected by this incident, and he is now virtually paralysed by this illness. Another will never be able to work with the fluid again - a key material in the engineering industry. And the final worker must have measures in place to ensure he never comes into contact with the substance again.
HSE investigators found that the measures in place within the factory to control the exposure of the mist were inadequate. The company had failed to put in place a system of clearing away the excess fluid or providing extraction to prevent the build-up of the mist. There were also failings in the provision of health surveillance, which should have identified the issue early enough to ensure the company were able to put in place and monitor any appropriate safety measures.
The company have pleaded guilty and were fined £800,000 and ordered to pay costs of up to £36,912.36.
To ensure a similar incident doesn't happen to your company, ensure that there are suitable COSHH Signs have been put in place. To view our range of COSHH labels, click here.
