DEADLY BUSINESS NEWS archive 2016

Recent news

China: Unions demand ILO action on deadly coal mines
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) should intervene to improve safety in Chinese coal mines, following the deaths of 86 coal miners in a matter of weeks, the global union IndustriALL has said. In a letter to ILO director general Guy Ryder, IndustriALL’s general secretary, Valter Sanches, said it is “imperative” the Chinese government ratifies ILO’s Convention 176 on Safety and Health in Mines and calls on the ILO to offer immediate technical assistance to China to help improve health and safety standards in the coal mines.
IndustriALL news release. Risks 781
Hazards news, 17 December 2016.

Qatar: Labour ‘reforms’ just new labels on old laws
Qatar’s announcement of labour law “reforms” leaves migrant workers under the total control of employers, perpetuating the system of modern slavery that underpins the huge infrastructure programme leading up to the 2022 World Cup, global union confederation ITUC has said. Sharan Burrow, ITUC general secretary, said: “Putting new labels on old laws does not remove the stain of modern slavery, and workers will continue to be forced to work under a feudal employment system.”
ITUC news release. TUC Touchstone blog. Risks 781
Hazards news, 17 December 2016.

Vietnam: CSR audits fail to fix the hazards
Separate investigations by the US-based Workers Rights Consortium (WRC) and Fair Labor Association (FLA) have revealed th at a major Korean factory operator in Vietnam is running a sweatshop operation. According to Garrett Brown, a leading expert on safety conditions in outsourced factory work: “The Hansae Vietnam factory has become the latest textbook example of how the clothing brands and their CSR programmes have failed to protect workers in global supply chains.”
The Pump Handle. Risks 781
Hazards news, 17 December 2016.

Britain: Crossrail contractors to be prosecuted over concrete death
Crossrail contractors BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial Agroman (UK), and Kier Infrastructure are to face prosecution following the death of one worker and injuries to two others, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced. The charges relate to the death of Rene Tka'cik on 7 March 2014 and injuries to Terrence Hughes and Alex Vizitiu in January 2015.
HSE news release. BBC News Online. Construction Enquirer. Risks 781
Hazards news, 17 December 2016.

Britain: Building firm fined over trench death
Building firm Rodger Builders Ltd has been fined £30,000 after a worker was killed by falling soil in a collapsed trench. The firm admitted two criminal safety breaches followed the death of worker George Wilson, 64, on a farm near Heriot while carrying out drainage work when working alone with a mechanical excavator.
BBC News Online. ITV News. Risks 781
Hazards news, 17 December 2016.

Britain: Whistleblower exposes shocking site conditions
A construction company and its managing director have been prosecuted for operating an unsafe construction site during a building conversion. Bluefig Development Ltd pleaded guilty to two criminal safety breaches and was fined £42,900 with £3,781.24 costs and company director Faris Mousa was fined £40,000 with £3,658.24 costs.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 781
Hazards news, 17 December 2016.

Britain: Directors fined over unsafe roof work
A specialist roofing company and its two directors have been sentenced after admitting working unsafely at height on a hotel development in central Manchester during major refurbishment and extension works. Enviroply Roofing Limited was fined £13,300 with £1160.50 costs, Jake Joseph Clarke £1,100 with £1,160.50 costs and Aaron Paul Hepworth £2,100 with £1,160.50 costs.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Risks 781
Hazards news, 17 December 2016.

Britain: Cuts mean fire crews take longer to arrive
New research carried out by the BBC has shown that fire crews around the country are taking longer to arrive at house fires due to government cuts to fire and rescue services. Matt Wrack, general secretary of the FBU, said: “There is very long standing evidence that the longer it takes firefighters to get to incidents, the more likely it is that people will be injured or killed.”
BBC 5 Live investigates. FBU news release. Morning Star. Risks 781
Hazards news, 17 December 2016.

Britain: GMB slams Asos double standards
A ‘huge disparity’ in the employment conditions offered to staff at the London HQ of online retailer Asos and its Yorkshire warehouse staff has been criticised by the GMB. The union was commented after Asos announced plans to create 1,500 jobs in a London HQ “that fosters creativity” just days after GMB held a ‘catwalk of shame’ outside the Asos AGM in protest at conditions for warehouse workers in Yorkshire.
GMB news release. Asos news release. Risks 781
Hazards news, 17 December 2016.

Britain: Inspection blitz finds small sites are safety ‘basket cases’
Small construction sites are health and safety ‘basket cases’ with half not meeting minimum legal standards, UCATT has said. The construction union was speaking out after a report from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) chief executive to the regulator’s 7 December board meeting spelled out how an ‘intensive inspection initiative’ by HSE involved 1,840 visits to small refurbishment sites found that 49 per cent of sites did not meet safety standards, resulting in 741 legally-binding enforcement notices and 1,059 notices of contravention.
UCATT news release. HSE 7 December 2016 board meeting. Morning Star. Risks 781
Hazards news, 17 December 2016.

Britain: Death of fairground worker leads to conviction
A fairground company has been convicted of a criminal safety offence after an employee was run over and killed while setting up a ride. Michael O’Brien, 45, was killed on 27 April 2011, while helping set up the fun fair run by Stevens Amusements Ltd. 
HSE news release. Risks 780.
Hazards news, 10 December 2016

Britain: Auto giant Volvo fined after worker left in coma
The national truck, bus and plant division of Volvo has been fined £900,000 after one of its workers fell and suffered life-threatening head injuries. Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard how a worker was servicing a large delivery truck and repairing the driver’s access rope for the cab when he fell, striking his head and losing consciousness.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Risks 780
Hazards news, 10 December 2016

Britain: London Underground fined £500,000 for 9.5m fall
London Underground has been fined £500,000 after a maintenance worker was injured in a disused station at South Kentish Town. The worker suffered several injuries, spending ten days in hospital after a 9.5m fall from a tower scaffold while cleaning a former lift shaft in September 2014.
ORR news release. BBC News Online. Construction Enquirer. Risks 780
Hazards news, 10 December 2016

Britain: Shipbuilder fined after fingers burst in machine
Birkenhead’s Cammell Laird shipyard has been fined £400,000 after an employee’s fingers “burst open” inside a machine. The right hand of Paul Williams, 59, was dragged into machinery as he tried to clean moving parts on a lathe.
HSE news release, machine maintenance webpages and metalworking guide. Liverpool Echo. Risks 780
Hazards news, 10 December 2016

Britain: Teen injured on first day at work
A Newcastle under Lyme based industrial equipment supplier has been fined after a work experience teenager was seriously injured on their first day of work. Stafford Crown Court heard how during the unloading of a heavy electrical panel from the back of a lorry at Radwell International Limited, the panel fell, trapping him on the ground across the forks of the forklift truck.
HSE news release. Risks 780
Hazards news, 10 December 2016

Europe: ‘Manufacture of a lie’ on endocrine disruptors
The European Commission has been accused of ‘manufacturing a lie’ to avoid tighter regulation of a group of chemicals linked to cancer, reproductive and other health effects. “This should be a science-based procedure – so evidence-based policy-making,” said Axel Singhofen, an adviser to the Greens-European Free Alliance in the European Parliament. “But what we see here is policy-based evidence-making.”
Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) translation of 29 November 2016 article from Le Monde. Risks 780
Hazards news, 10 December 2016

Europe: Protest over lashing danger on the docks
Logistic companies are risking lives by getting seafarers to lash and unlash ships’ cargoes at the dock side, a job normally reserved for specially trained dock workers. Hundreds of dockworkers demonstrated in front of the offices of European logistics company Unifeeder in Aarhus, Denmark, which they say is permitting the ‘highly dangerous’ practice, which is the process of securing cargoes, in direct contravention of the dockers’ clause, a collective agreement with the global transport unions’ federation ITF.
ITF news release, dockers’ clause and lashing campaign. Risks 780
Hazards news, 10 December 2016

Global: Sri Lanka’s garment industry must improve conditions
The European Union must adopt a roadmap to improve labour rights and working conditions in Sri Lanka before the country can benefit from preferential access to European markets, unions and labour rights campaigns have demanded. The call from the global union for the sector, IndustriALL, together with the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), is in response to Sri Lanka new application for inclusion on the list countries benefiting from the EU’s Generalised System of Preferences (GSP+), which provides enhanced market access on the basis that the applicant is not in serious violation of a number of human rights instruments, including core International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.
Clean Clothes Campaign news release. IndustriALL news release. More on Sri Lankan garment union safety campaigns. Risks 780
Hazards news, 10 December 2016

Global: LafargeHolcim challenged on rights’ violations
A 10 December global day of action by workers at the building materials multinational LafargeHolcim will, unions hope, provide a renewed focus on the company’s safety and labour rights abuses. Global unions BWI and IndustriALL say the world’s largest cement maker is increasing its use of precarious employment around the world, even though its fatality rate among these workers is higher than with direct employees.
IndustriALL news release. Risks 780
Hazards news, 10 December 2016

Britain: ‘Wacky Races’ plan to relax roadworks speed limit slammed
Construction union UCATT, which represents hundreds of motorway maintenance staff, has condemned government plans to allow motorists to speed up to 60mph within motorway roadworks. The union says several motorway maintenance staff die each year while working.
UCATT news release. Risks 780
Hazards news, 10 December 2016

Britain: Fire tragedy families finally get payouts
The families of firefighters Geoff Wicker and Brian Wembridge, killed in the Marlie Farm blaze on 3 December 2006, and seven other emergency services personnel injured in the incident have finally received compensation payments. Firefighters’ union FBU, which had condemned the decade long refusal to settle, has repeated its call for the service to make a public apology.
The Argus. Risks 780
Hazards news, 10 December 2016

Britain: Tory MP says safety rules could be long-term Brexit target
Britain could slash environmental and safety regulations on imported products after it leaves the European Union (EU), a Conservative MP has suggested. Jacob Rees-Mogg, floating the idea at a hearing of the Treasury Select Committee – Rees-Mogg is a member of the influential committee - said regulations that were “good enough for India” could be good enough for the UK – arguing that the UK could go “a very long way” to rolling back high EU standards.
The Independent. Risks 780
Hazards news, 10 December 2016

Britain: Safety fears raised over government railway plans
Government plans to strip Network Rail of complete control of England's railway tracks could bring a return of the rail tragedies seen under its privately-owned predecessor Railtrack, unions have warned. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “This is the Tory government dragging the railways back to the failed and lethal Railtrack model of the private sector running infrastructure.”
DfT news release and the transport secretary’s 6 December written statement on rail reform. Unite news release. RMT news release. ASLEF news release. TSSA news release. BBC News Online. Morning Star. Construction Enquirer. Risks 780
Hazards news, 10 December 2016

China: Bosses detained after dozens die in scaffold collapse
Chinese authorities have detained 13 people over the collapse of scaffolding at a power plant construction site that killed at least 74 workers in one of China's most serious industrial tragedies in years. Most of those killed had been working on the interior concrete wall of a massive circular cooling tower 70 metres up when the scaffolding collapsed on the morning of 24 November in the north-eastern city of Fengcheng.
ABC News. Risks 779
Hazards news, 3 December 2016

Global: Unions urge the cement industry to clean up
Widespread subcontracting and insecure work in the cement industry is leading to high numbers of fatalities and unhealthy working conditions, the global union for the construction sector, has warned. BWI’s survey of workers’ representatives in 113 cement plants from 40 countries covered issues including trade union rights, subcontracting and outsourcing, health and safety at work and climate change.
BWI news release. Risks 779
Hazards news, 3 December 2016

Britain: Repeat lifts at car parts firm caused back injuries
Car component manufacturer MAHLE Powertrain Limited (MAHLE) Ltd has been fined after six workers experienced back injuries from repeatedly lifting heavy car engine parts by hand. An HSE investigation found that workers who were based on two of the company’s production lines were expected to manually lift engine components weighing between 14 and 21kg, hundreds of times during a shift.
HSE news release and guidance on musculoskeletal problems. Risks 779
Hazards news, 3 December 2016

Britain: Site worker severely injured in six metre fall
A Derbyshire engineering construction company has been prosecuted after a worker fell from height and suffered severe injuries. Allen and Hunt Construction Engineers Ltd of Thorpe, Derbyshire, pleaded guilty to criminal breaches of the Working at Height regulations and was fined £267,000 and ordered to pay costs of £7,750.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 779
Hazards news, 3 December 2016

Britain: Action call on deadly risks to workers on the road
Refuse workers’ union GMB is calling for a crackdown on the scourge of dangerous driving its says is responsible for high death rates in the sector. GMB national officer Bert Schouwenburg commented: “Refuse collection is a vital public service provided to every single household in the country, it is also one of the most dangerous professions you can do – with more deaths per person than almost any other job”.
GMB news release. Biffa news release and video. Risks 779
Hazards news, 3 December 2016

Britain: Fire service cuts kill
Around 200 FBU activists have taken the union safety campaign for greater professional standards in the fire and rescue service to parliament. The 29 November lobby heard Labour’s John McDonnell say many of those firefighters who had died in the line of duty “would still be alive” if politicians had listened to FBU concerns over cuts.
FBU news release and report on the death of Stephen Hunt. Morning Star. Risks 779
Hazards news, 3 December 2016

Britain: Safety fears prompt new Tube union action
Growing worries about safety at work and a decline in passenger service and safety standards on London Underground are behind a vote in favour of industrial action by customer service assistants on the Tube. Their union, TSSA, says frontline staff report being on the receiving end of ‘unprecedented’ levels of verbal and physical abuse from passengers.
TSSA news release. Risks 779
Hazards news, 3 December 2016

Britain: RMT concern over wheel problems on Piccadilly Line
Tube union RMT has said ‘serious consideration’ should be given to closing the Piccadilly line until its antiquated and broken trains are made safe. The union also wants the London mayor and London's transport commissioner to call a summit to draw up and implement an action plan to sort wheel defects on trains.
RMT news release. Risks 779
Hazards news, 3 December 2016

Britain: Train drivers to walk out over driver-only plan
Rail firm Southern’s efforts to roll out driver-only trains have received a further blow with train drivers announcing nine days of strike action. Their union ASLEF said 79 per cent of drivers had voted for a walkout, with 95 per cent supporting other forms of action.
ASLEF news release and criticism of driver-only operation (DOO). Morning Star. Risks 779
Hazards news, 3 December 2016

Australia: Union action call after spate of truck deaths
A review of Australia’s federal and state road safety agencies is urgently required, following a spate of truck crashes that left six people dead in just three days, the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) has said. TWU said low cost contracts force transport operators to skip maintenance and lower rates for drivers, forcing them to speed, drive long hours, skip breaks and overload their vehicles.
TWU news release. Resources: US NIOSH Center for Motor Vehicle Safety website and newsletter, Behind the Wheel at Work. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation's Business Pulse publication. Risks 778
Hazards news, 26 November 2016

Bangladesh: Retail chains opt to ignore danger signs
An organisation set up by Walmart as an alternative to independent scrutiny of its supply chain in Bangladesh is giving a clean bill of health to factories that have not improved their dangerous practices since the Rana Plaza building collapse in April 2013 that killed over 1,100 people (Risks 760). An independent systematic survey of the Bangladeshi garment factories used by members of Walmart’s Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, whose members also include global retailers Gap and Target, has concluded the factories have so far failed to implement key safety renovations by their own mandated deadlines.
CCC news release and full report, Dangerous delays on worker safety, International Labor Rights Forum, Worker Rights Consortium, Clean Clothes Campaign and Maquila Solidarity Network, November 2016. The Guardian. Risks 778
Hazards news, 26 November 2016

Britain: Council fined £250,000 for work health blunders
A council has been fined after a worker was left with permanent health damage after being diagnosed with hard arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Thanet District Council pleaded guilty to criminal breaches of the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 and was fined £250,000 plus £18,325.84 in costs.
HSE news release and HAVS webpages. Risks 778
Hazards news, 26 November 2016

Britain: Court docks Scottish Power scalding fine by £550k
The £1.75m fine handed out to energy firm Scottish Power Generation (SPG) after a worker was scalded at Longannet Power Station has been reduced by £550,000 at the High Court of Justiciary, Scotland’s supreme court. David Roscoe, a plant controller at the company’s now decommissioned power station in Alloa, Scotland, was engulfed in high temperature steam and severely burned while inspecting a faulty drain valve in October 2013.
Appeal Court opinion. Dunfermline Press. Scottish Legal News. IOSH magazine. Risks 778
Hazards news, 26 November 2016

Britain: Global engineering firm guilty over pylon death
An international engineering company has been fined following the death of a rigger who fell 30 feet from an electricity pylon. Bilfinger Industrial Services (UK) pleaded guilty to a criminal safety breach and was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of £59,320.10.
HSE news release and fall arrest equipment guide. Risks 778
Hazards news, 26 November 2016

Britain: Bosses done over failure to remedy ‘ticking timebomb’
The director of a Port Talbot furniture factory and three of its shareholder-managers have received suspended prison sentences for their failure to remedy serious criminal safety failings. Swansea Crown Court heard how Margam Hall Upholstery Limited was included in the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) programme of visits to woodworking premises, which the watchdog classifies as a high risk industry because of dangerous machines and hazardous substances.
HSE news release and woodworking guidance. Risks 778
Hazards news, 26 November 2016

Britain: Overworked delivery drivers a 'road safety risk'
Exhausted delivery drivers could pose a road safety risk over the next few weeks as thousands of staff are urged to work up to 20 days in a row to cope with the rush of online orders around Black Friday on 25 November. Government safety inspectors have been asked to investigate the possible danger arising from delivery drivers working six days a week and who have been asked if they are also willing to work Sundays.”
The Guardian. Risks 778
Hazards news, 26 November 2016

Britain: Building Council turns cold shoulder to frozen workers
The National House Building Council (NHBC) has ‘washed it hands of any responsibility’ for ensuring that workers on housing projects are protected in extreme weather, the construction union UCATT has said. Brian Rye, acting general secretary of UCATT, commented: “The NHBC cannot escape from the fact that they have clear rules on not using construction materials in cold weather but provide no such protection for workers.”
UCATT news release. Risks 778
Hazards news, 26 November 2016

Global: Unions secure independent scrutiny of Qatar sites
UK unions have welcomed a new deal that will allow union-run inspections of working conditions on Qatar’s World Cup building sites. The memorandum of understandings (MOU) between Qatar’s Supreme Committee for the 2022 event and the global construction union BWI allows the union body to inspect conditions and talk to workers, and covers up to 30,000 people involved in stadium construction and refurbishment.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Unite news release. BWI news release. Risks 778
Hazards news, 26 November 2016

Pakistan: Shipbreaking workers demand jobs and safety
Unions are demanding the deadly Gadani shipyard in Pakistan be reopened, with appropriate safety measures, because so many livelihoods depend on it. Two weeks after the 1 November explosion and fire at the yard, 28 workers had been confirmed dead and a further 60 workers injured, most in a critical condition, with many others feared missing.
IndustriALL news release. Dawn newspaper. Risks 777
Hazards news, 19 November 2016

Global: Amnesty slams UK silence on Qatar human rights
Amnesty International has criticised a UK trade minister for travelling to Qatar to seek contracts for British companies ahead of the 2022 World Cup without apparently highlighting the human rights abuses faced by migrant workers building venues for the event. Greg Hands, the junior minister at the Department for International Trade, was in Qatar for a 9 November conference in Doha called Sport is Great, billed as an opportunity “for UK companies to meet with key decision-makers and buyers actively looking to procure services to support projects in the run-up to the 2022 Fifa World Cup”.
British Embassy Doha news release. The Guardian. Amnesty International Qatar webpages. Playfair Qatar campaign. Risks 777
Hazards news, 19 November 2016

Britain: Chemical firm fined £3m for chemical blast death
A chemical company has been fined £3 million after worker Paul Doyley was killed in a chemical explosion and a colleague was left with irreversible lung damage. Cristal Pigment UK Ltd had deviated from the normal operating procedures, which led to the dangerous build-up of the chemical titanium tetrachloride.
HSE news release. Grimsby Telegraph. Scunthorpe Telegraph. BBC News Online. Risks 777
Hazards news, 19 November 2016

Britain: Window fitter fined for fatal fall
Kevin McLean, trading as South Coast Installations, has been fined after a worker suffered fatal head injuries following a fall from a ladder. Brighton Magistrates Court heard how Mark Taylor, 48, a window fitter from Southampton, was helping in the installation of uPVC windows at a three storey house when an unsecured ladder slipped sideways and he fell to the ground.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Risks 777
Hazards news, 19 November 2016

Britain: Three fined after man loses life in roof fall
A company, its director, and a self-employed contractor have been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), after Terry Lewis, a retired mechanic helping out his friend, was fatally injured after falling through a roof light. Roman Lodge Asset Management Limited was fined £20,000 with £8,010.00 costs; director Jonathan Marshall was sentenced to four months imprisonment on each count, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to pay £8,010.00 costs; and Lewis’ friend Leigh Bakewell was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to pay £8,610.47 costs.
HSE news release. Risks 777
Hazards news, 19 November 2016

USA: Killer coal mine boss set for top Trump post
US president-elect Donald Trump is reportedly close to choosing for commerce secretary a New York billionaire who waved away concerns about his seriously dangerous West Virginia mine in the run-up to a 2006 disaster that killed a dozen miners. Trump’s favoured candidate, Wilbur Ross – dubbed ‘the King of Bankruptcies’ - also engineered buyouts that cost workers their benefits and their jobs.
Coal Tattoo. The Nation. New York Times. Risks 777
Hazards news, 19 November 2016

Britain: Heavy price to pay as work-related harm goes up
The number of workers in Great Britain suffering harm caused by their jobs has risen sharply, latest Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics have confirmed. HSE also reports that the ‘total costs’ bill for work-related injuries and work-related ill-health has not fallen in five years, with its costs breakdown showing that nearly 57 per cent of the cost of workplace injuries and new cases of work-related ill-health is borne by the individuals affected, compared to less than 20 per cent falling on employers, who also pay significantly less than the public purse.
HSE statistics webpages and summary statistics 2015/2016, latest cost estimates and work-related ill-health estimates. Risks 777
Hazards news, 19 November 2016

Britain: Union exposes assault toll on shopworkers
Nearly one in ten shopworkers have been assaulted in the course of their duties, but almost a third of them did not report the incident, retail union Usdaw has found. Interim results of Usdaw’s Freedom From Fear survey show that nearly half of shopworkers have been verbally abused and a quarter have been threatened.
Usdaw news release. TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 777
Hazards news, 19 November 2016

Britain: Lifejacket law 'should be prioritised' after deaths
New legislation to make it compulsory for fishermen to wear lifejackets should be prioritised, marine accident investigators have said. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) made the ‘rare’ recommendation following the deaths of four workers in three separate incidents.
MAIB news release. BBC News Online. Risks 776.
Hazards news, 12 November 2016

Britain: Waste firm fined after worker buried alive in rubbish
A waste company has been fined £80,000 after a stockpile of refuse up to 30ft high collapsed on a labourer, burying him alive. Neville Watson screamed “Get me out” as colleagues and others tried to rescue him with their bare hands, but died from asphyxiation.
HSE news release and waste industry webpages. Kent Online. Risks 776
Hazards news, 12 November 2016

Britain: Carpenter killed when temporary platform collapsed
Three construction companies have been fined more than £1m after a worker died and two others were badly injured at a site in London when a temporary platform collapsed. Southwark Crown Court heard how, on 29 October 2012, a carpenter and a steel-fixer had been standing on a temporary wooden platform above a stairwell opening on the 9th floor of the Putney construction site when it suddenly gave way beneath them.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 776
Hazards news, 12 November 2016

Britain: Firm convicted after falling door kills two
A firm has been fined £30,000 after a door it supplied to a live music venue fell and killed the singer and the tour manager from a popular Cornish folk band as they prepared for a gig. Express Hi-Fold Doors Ltd, which designed and manufactured the door, was found guilty after a month-long trial of a criminal safety breach.
BBC News Online. Get Surrey. Risks 776
Hazards news, 12 November 2016

Pakistan: Horror death blast in Gadani shipbreaking yard
At least 16 workers have been killed and more than 50 injured after a huge blast on 1 November ripped through an oil tanker being broken for scrap in a Gadani shipbreaking yard, trapping many workers inside the vessel. Nasir Mansoor, the deputy general secretary of the National Trade Union Federation of Pakistan (NTUF) announced three days of mourning and a strike at all yards after an emergency meeting at the Gadani yard.
IndustriALL news release. The Nation. Risks 775
Hazards news, 5 November 2016

Vietnam: Next stop for labour rights abusers
With major producers seeing rising wage costs in China, Vietnam has become the new destination for many brands seeking cheap labour to produce their apparel, electronics and other consumer goods. Safety expert Garrett Brown points to a ‘breathless’ feature in The Economist that lauded Vietnam as ‘Asia’s next tiger’ and noted: “Seven in ten Vietnamese live in the countryside, about the same as India – and compared to only 44 per cent in China. The reservoir of rural workers should help dampen wage pressures.”
The Pump Handle. The Economist. Risks 775
Hazards news, 5 November 2016

Britain: GMB welcomes smart solution to safety card fraud
Site union GMB has welcomed the use of new technology by the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) following a number of high profile cases of qualification card fraud. Improvements in the microchip technology used in the cards means supervisors can now use app-enabled smartphones to check on employees’ training and qualifications.
GMB news release. CSCS news release. CITB news release. Construction News. Construction Enquirer. Risks 775
Hazards news, 5 November 2016

Britain: Safety prosecutions of directors treble in a year
The number of company directors prosecuted for health and safety offences has more than trebled in a year. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures show that 46 company directors and senior managers were prosecuted by HSE in the year to 31 March 2016, compared to 15 in the previous year; 12 directors in the year to March 2016 received prison sentences for their criminal safety offences.
Clyde and Co news release. Risks 775
Hazards news, 5 November 2016

Britain: Workers bedded down in unsafe workplace
Two linked firms have been fined after it was discovered workers slept overnight at their premises without the necessary fire safety protection. Avon Fire and Rescue Authorities (AF&RA) took the prosecution against Litt Holdings Limited along with its wholly-owned tenant, UKS Group Limited.
Avon Fire & Rescue Service news release. Bristol Post. Risks 775
Hazards news, 5 November 2016

China: Coal mine confirms 33 dead after blast
All 33 miners trapped in a coal mine in China by an explosion on 31 October have been found dead, state media has reported. Rescuers worked round the clock for more than two days to reach the miners in the Jinshangou mine in the south-west Chongqing region.
BBC News Online. Aljazeera. Risks 775
Hazards news, 5 November 2016

Britain: Fewer firefighters means less prevention and more deaths
A dramatic decline in the amount of fire prevention work that fire and rescue services perform is putting lives at risk, firefighters’ union FBU) has said. The union warning came as new government figures revealed that 10,000 firefighter jobs have been axed in England over the last seven years.
FBU news release. Home Office bulletin. Risks 775
Hazards news, 5 November 2016

Britain: Ship detained for mistreating crew
A sub-standard ship detained by UK port authorities has had its detention extended after officials discovered it was mistreating its Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian crew, withholding pay and requiring workers to buy their own protective equipment. The Malta-registered Svetlana was inspected by Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) surveyors in Cardiff, who issued the new detainable deficiency notice after it was discovered the crew had not been paid for many months.
ITF news release. Risks 775
Hazards news, 5 November 2016

Britain: Major site safety fears after union is snubbed
Union officials are concerned that workplace safety is being compromised on two of Scotland’s most high-profile construction projects. UCATT says employers on the two major sites have downgraded their commitment to healthy industrial relations and workplace safety by refusing to reappoint union convenors.
UCATT news release. The Scotsman. Risks 775
Hazards news, 5 November 2016

Britain: Government yes to more prison staff after talks with union
Justice secretary Liz Truss has announced a major increase in prison staffing after urgent talks the prison union POA over deteriorating safety standards in jails. The union had planned meetings outside each jail on 1 November, to highlight the link between understaffing and increasing violence and suicides in English and Welsh prisons.
POA news release. BBC News Online and related story. Risks 775
Hazards news, 5 November 2016

Global: Samsung shareholders get quality warning
Quality assurances by Samsung in the wake of the chaotic recall of the prone-to-burn Galaxy Note 7 smart phone fail to address the company’s record on labour rights and working conditions which are at the root of the product safety problem, according to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). “When the workforce is afraid to speak out about real problems on the production line because of an arrogant and domineering management culture, workers and consumers alike face risks to their health and safety,” said ITUC general secretary Sharan Burrow.
ITUC news release, report, video and Petition to Samsung to end its no-union policy. Morning Star. Wall St Journal. Risks 774.
Hazards news, 29 October 2016

Britain: Calls for prison safety action after stabbing death
Prison unions and governors have called for action after a prisoner was stabbed to death. Two others prisoners were seriously injured in the incident at London's Pentonville prison on 19 October.
POA news release. Community news release. BBC News Online. Risks 774
Hazards news, 29 October 2016

Britain: Testing firm fined over asphyxiation death
A Nottingham company has been fined after a worker died from carbon monoxide poisoning while using an accommodation unit. Southwark Crown Court heard that father-of-three Roman Kohut from Nottingham was carrying out pile testing for Non Destructive Testing Services Limited at a construction site in Brixton, London on 29 May 2012.
HSE news release and related guidance. Risks 774
Hazards news, 29 October 2016

Britain: Lying dog owner escapes jail after garage savaging
Mehmet Salih, the owner of an unsafe North London vehicle repair garage who gave a false name in a bid to avoid justice, has been given three suspended jail sentences.  A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into a guard dog attack at the premises in January 2014, which left a mechanic with ‘horrific’ injuries to his thigh, uncovered a series of serious health and safety breaches at the garage.
HSE news release and guide on motor vehicle repair. Risks 774
Hazards news, 29 October 2016

Britain: Recycling firm fined after worker injured in shredder
A Kent recycling company has been fined after a worker was injured whilst repairing a shredder. Maidstone Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 7 October 2013, a plant mechanic employed by Countrystyle Recycling Limited was kneeling on a conveyor belt inside the shredder when it restarted and he was thrown from the machine.
HSE news release. Kent Online. Risks 774
Hazards news, 29 October 2016

Britain: Council and contractors fined after roadworks tragedy
Liverpool City Council and two of its contractors have been prosecuted following two separate incidents including a fatality at roadworks on a busy city centre road. Liverpool City Council was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £100,000 costs; Enterprise Liverpool Limited was fined £25,000 with £80,000 costs; and Tarmac Trading Limited was fined £1.3 million and ordered to pay £130,000 costs.
HSE news release. Risks 774
Hazards news, 29 October 2016

Britain: Tube union in summit call after train device blown up
Rail union TSSA has called for a security summit after a controlled explosion was carried out on a suspect device on a London Underground train. TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes commented: “Once again we are reminded of the real threats now posed to public transport passengers and, in this case, our Tube and station staff. I have called for an urgent security summit with TfL [Transport for London], London Underground, unions, British Transport Police, Scotland Yard and the City Hall.”
TSSA news release and related release. BBC News Online. Metro. Risks 774
Hazards news, 29 October 2016

Britain: GMB condemnation as ‘dangerous’ Asos profits
Retail giant Asos has been told to respect its workforce and employ some basic fairness in the workplace, ahead of full-year results confirming a profits surge. The online fashion retailer, which has faced union criticism over working conditions at its Barnsley warehouse, announced a 37 per cent increase in underlying annual profits to £63.7m on the back of a 26 per cent increase in sales to £1.4bn.
GMB news release and Respect Asos Workers campaign. Sky News. Risks 774
Hazards news, 29 October 2016

Britain: Southern Rail is ‘gambling’ with safety
The TUC has accused Southern Rail of ‘gambling’ with passenger safety. The train operator is looking to downgrade the role of 375 guards, who are trained to assist elderly and disabled passengers, provide direction in emergencies, keep order and dispatch trains.
TUC news release. BBC News Online. Risks 774
Hazards news, 29 October 2016

Britain: Directors to pay for cold calls, but not for deaths?
Why is the government committed to clamping down on the directors behind cold calls, but willing to let off deadly directors scot free, the TUC has asked. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson was commenting after the government’s announcement that it intends to make individual directors personally liable for cold calling fines – facing penalties up to £500,000 - by amending the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Department of Culture news release. The Telegraph. Money Marketing. Risks 774. 29 October 2016

Britain: TUC welcomes government u-turn on HSE board
The TUC has welcomed a government ‘u-turn’, which it says should see an additional union-backed member added to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) board. It said a decision last month to appoint a former employer and business leader to a ‘workers’ interests’ seat on the HSE board ‘caused uproar’ (Risks 767), with unions, politicians and many others roundly condemning it.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Rotten board: Cabinet minister says employer can be employees' voice on HSE board, Hazards magazine special report, September 2016. Risks 774
Hazards news, 29 October 2016

Global: Maersk scrapping ships at dangerous Indian shipyard
Danish industrial conglomerate Maersk has sent two ships to be recycled at a shipyard in India considered by experts to present a serious threat to the health of the shipbreaking workers. Cancer, mutilation and death caused by a lack of protective equipment threaten employees, according to research by investigative group Danwatch.
Danwatch news release. Risks 773.
Hazards news, 22 October 2016

USA: Goodyear fined more than $1m after plant deaths
Tyre multinational Goodyear has been fined more than $1 million for serious safety and health violations at a US plant. The action by Virginia’s health and safety regulator, VOSH, comes after four people died in incidents at the Danville plant within a year.
VOSH news release. Danville Register and Bee. WDBJ7 Channel. Risks 773
Hazards news, 22 October 2016

Britain: Regulators ill-equipped to police fracking risks
Regulatory bodies including the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are ill-equipped to properly address health risks posed by fracking, according to new research. The rapid evidence assessment by Stirling University experts raises a serious question mark over government claims that regulators including HSE and the Environment Agency will be able to ensure the safety of fracking.
A rapid evidence assessment of regulation and regulatory practices involved in fracking and it public health implications, Stirling University, October 2016. Environmental Health News. Risks 773
Hazards news, 22 October 2016

Britain: Star Wars firm fined £1.6m for Harrison Ford injury
A production company behind the latest Star Wars movie has been fined £1.6m after Harrison Ford broke his leg on set. Foodles Production (UK) Ltd, owned by Disney, pleaded guilty earlier this year to two criminal charges brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
HSE news release and Specialist report, HSL report and HSE investigation report. BBC News Online. Risks 773
Hazards news, 22 October 2016

Britain: Worker killed after crane drops load
A building contractor has been fined after a worker was killed when a load fell from a tower crane during a lifting operation in Colchester. Urban Summit Construction Ltd was the principal contractor on the construction site where David Holloway, 35, sustained extensive injuries.
HSE news release and lifting operations guide. Construction Enquirer. Daily Gazette. Risks 773
Hazards news, 22 October 2016

Britain: Manufacturing firm fined after crushing death
Oldham manufacturing firm R Tindall (Fabricators) Ltd has been prosecuted after a worker died after he was crushed under metal pipework. Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard that 53-year-old Frank Dunne was operating a side-loader forklift truck which was carrying a vacuum packed pipe bundle weighing 1.5 tonnes fell, crushing him underneath.
HSE news release and metal storage and handling guidance. Risks 773
Hazards news, 22 October 2016

Britain: Union warning on deadly swing-arm barriers
Communications union CWU has issued an urgent safety alert after a postal delivery driver was seriously injured by a swing-arm barrier five years after another postal worker was killed in a similar incident. CWU national health and safety officer Dave Joyce said safety reps should encourage all drivers to identify and report to managers any unsecured swing barrier gate hazards that present a risk.
CWU news release and safety alert. Risks 773
Hazards news, 22 October 2016

Britain: Pressure grows to end World Cup abuses
Football supporters across the country have made a clear statement that the game they love should not be sullied by Qatar’s callous attitude to the workers helping prepare the country to host the World Cup in 2022. The TUC noting: “It’s only by raising our voices as fans, here and round the world, that we can start to rattle the confidence of Fifa, its sponsors and Qatar itself that as the World Cup approaches all we’ll care about is football, and not the human price that was paid for it.”
TUC news release and Playfair Qatar weekend of action webpages. The Guardian. Risks 773
Hazards news, 22 October 2016

Britain: Mersey transport bosses ignoring safety evidence
Rail union RMT is calling on Merseytravel to abandon ‘reckless’ plans for driver-only trains. RMT says since the union first wrote to Merseytravel chair Liam Robinson in March, emergencies have taken place on the railway network – one of them on Merseyrail itself – which have underlined the critical role played by guards in protecting passengers.
RMT news release. Morning Star. Risks 772
Hazards news, 15 October 2016

Britain: RMT forces Southern to axe dangerous media campaign
Rail union RMT has forced train company Southern to scrap a ‘Strike Back’ campaign that prompted assaults on staff and a public backlash. After Southern’s twitter page was swamped with messages critical of the company and supportive of the union, an urgent company memo instructed managers to remove and destroy immediately what RMT called ‘the offensive and incendiary posters’.
RMT news release. TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 772
Hazards news, 15 October 2016

Britain: Southern still tries to spin away is safety woes
Southern Rail – having seemed to have learnt nothing from their disastrous social media campaign – has “come back for more of a metaphorical kicking,” according to TUC’s Sharon Sukhram. Writing in TUC’s Stronger Unions blog, she points to a Southern ‘Safety in numbers’ advert published in the free Metro newspaper that “attempts to mislead the public on the safety element of the dispute with RMT.”
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Morning Star. Risks 772
Hazards news, 15 October 2016

Britain: Wholesaler fined £500,000 for gate death
One of Britain's largest wholesale companies has been fined £500,000 after a delivery driver was killed by a faulty gate at a depot in Newport, south Wales. Ronald Hayward, 42, died in 2011 when he was pinned under a 660lb (300kg) steel gate that collapsed at the Blakemore Wholesale store in the city.
South Wales Argus. BBC News Online. Risks 772
Hazards news, 15 October 2016

Britain: Construction firm fined after worker loses both legs
A Cornish construction company has been fined after a worker had to have both legs amputated at the knee after being crushed by a dumper truck. Roger Daw, 58, was operating a fully loaded front tipping dumper on his MJL Contractors Ltd’s site in Liskey Hill, Perranporth when it overturned.
HSE news release. Risks 772
Hazards news, 15 October 2016

Britain: Exploding tyre seriously injures worker
A tyre maintenance company has been fined after a tyre exploded, seriously injuring a worker. Nottingham Crown Court heard an employee of Tyre Maintenance Limited was in the process of removing two split rim tyres from the vehicle, when there was a violent explosion of the inner of the two wheels on the front nearside of the vehicle.
HSE news release and information on repairing wheels and tyres. Risks 772
Hazards news, 15 October 2016

Global: Transport unions mark safety action week
Trade unions around the world have been involved in activities to mark the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) road and rail action week. This year’s event, which wrapped up on 9 October, marked 20 years of the safety focused ITF event, which started in 1997 as a ‘Fatigue Kills!’ global day of action for road transport workers.
ITF news release, facebook page and Action Week blog. Risks 772
Hazards news, 15 October 2016

Global: Samsung’s medieval practices exposed
The global reach of Samsung’s ruthless pursuit of profits impacts dangerously on the lives of its workers, a new report has charged. ‘Samsung - Modern tech medieval conditions’, published by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the global union IndustriALL, reveals how the company’s ‘corporate greed’ is causing problems from cancer to brutal working conditions and job insecurity throughout the multinational’s supply chains.
ITUC news release, report, “Samsung – Modern Tech Medieval conditions”, petition to Samsung and video, Samsung’s Secret. ITUC/Hazards Cancer Hazards website. Risks 771.
Hazards news, 8 October 2016

Britain: MPs to investigate Asos working conditions
Fashion retailer Asos is to face a parliamentary probe after an approach from the union GMB. The decision came in the wake of an investigative report that revealed Asos has subjected 4,000 workers to a brutal management regime at its huge Yorkshire warehouse.
GMB news release. Buzzfeed news update and report, The real cost of Asos’s fast fashion. BBC News Online. Morning Star. Risks 771
Hazards news, 8 October 2016

Amazon ‘putting profits before safety’
Amazon UK Services Ltd been accused by the union CWU of putting profits before safety after it was fined £65,000 for attempting to ship dangerous goods on passenger planes. The retailer was found during sentencing at Southwark Crown Court on 23 September to have breached four UK civil aviation rules for the offence of “causing dangerous goods to be delivered for carriage in an aircraft.”
CAA news release. Ars Technica. Risks 771
Hazards news, 8 October 2016

Britain: Union lottery to support families of killed firefighters
The families of firefighters killed or seriously injured at work are facing hardship as well as heartbreak, the firefighters’ union FBU has said. In response, the union is launching its own Firefighters 100 Lottery to help offset the financial pressures families can face.
FBU news release. Firefighters 100 Lottery. Risks 771
Hazards news, 8 October 2016

Britain: Workers’ rights must be more than a soundbite
Conservative conference commitments from prime minister Theresa May and Brexit secretary David Davis to protect and improve employment rights are welcome – but must be translated into action, the TUC has said. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady commented: “Britain's job market has proved to be a magnet for the wrong kind of bosses.”
TUC news release. IoD news release. Left Foot Forward. Video of prime minister Theresa May’s Conservative conference speech on facebook. Risks 771
Hazards news, 8 October 2016

Britain: Migrant domestic workers need more protection
Urgent changes are needed to the UK visa system to protect migrant workers from being used as domestic slaves, a union-affiliated campaign group has warned. Justice 4 Domestic Workers is calling for a better deal for foreign workers, who are employed mainly as nannies or maids in private homes.
BBC News Online. BBC1 Inside Out. Justice for Domestic Workers UK. Risks 771
Hazards news, 8 October 2016

Britain: MoD gets safety reprimand over soldier death
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been issued with a Crown Censure by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a soldier died when he was shot in the neck on a training exercise. Fusilier Dean Griffiths, 21, whose partner was expecting their first child, received a fatal bullet wound to the neck on 14 September 2011 during a ‘live’ training exercise at Lydd Ranges military firing range in Kent.
HSE news release. Risks 771
Hazards news, 8 October 2016

Britain: Two Tesco firms fined after worker’s roof fall
Supermarket giant Tesco had faced a double blow as two of the giant retailer’s companies have been fined a total of half a million pounds after a worker plunged nine metres through a skylight roof. Andrew Burgess miraculously walked away with cuts, bruises and some muscle damage.
HSE news release. Liverpool Echo. Risks 771
Hazards news, 8 October 2016

Britain: Contractor seriously injured in fragile skylight plunge
A London exhibition venue firm and a building contractor have been fined for criminal safety failings after a specialist contractor fell 5.5 metres through a fragile skylight. The Business Design Centre Limited pleaded guilty to two criminal safety offences and was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,925.56; James Murphy pleaded guilty to a criminal safety breach and was fined £4,000 and also ordered to pay costs of £2,925.56.
HSE news release and roof work webpages. Risks 771
Hazards news, 8 October 2016

Britain: Roofing firm fined after 7 metre fall from ladder
A King’s Lynn roofing company has been prosecuted after a worker fell seven metres from a scaffold access ladder, suffering permanent injuries to his hands. J Webber Roofing Limited pleaded guilty to a criminal breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £1,582 in costs.
HSE news release and roof work guide. Risks 771
Hazards news, 8 October 2016

Britain: Rail firm refuses unconditional Acas talks over safety
Southern Rail has point blank refused an offer from the rail union RMT of unconditional talks at the conciliation service Acas in an ongoing safety dispute. The union revealed the company has told Acas that it is only prepared to discuss the implementation of its existing plans and has no interest in discussing a newly defined, safety critical role for ‎the guaranteed second member of staff on current services.
RMT news release and RMT
Hazards news, 8 October 2016 . 8 October 2016

Bangladesh: Unions up the pressure after latest tragedy
As the death toll in Bangladesh’s latest factory tragedy rose to 34, unions applied additional pressure for government action and union involvement to keep workers in the country safe. Global union confederation ITUC said the 10 September fire at the Tampoco Foil factory showed the ‘callous disregard’ of the Bangladesh government for workers’ safety and a disregard by multinationals of the dangers in their supply chains.
TUC Stronger Unions blog and letter to the Bangladesh government. IUF news release Risks 770.
Hazards news, 1 October 2016.

China: ‘Illegal’ coal mining caused deadly explosion
Chinese authorities have blamed illegal mining activities for a gas explosion at a coal mine that killed 19 people and left one other miner missing. The explosion on the morning of 27 September occurred at a small coal mine when 20 miners were working underground in the city of Shizuishan, in the northwestern region of Ningxia, China’s official press agency Xinhua reported.
South China Morning Post. Risks 770
Hazards news, 1 October 2016

Global: Supply chains are still full of sweatshops
In the early 1990s, sports apparel giant Nike became the ‘poster child’ for sweatshops in its global supply chain – child labour, forced labour, wage theft, confiscation of migrant workers’ passports, sexual harassment of women workers and unsafe and unhealthy working conditions – and today it is far more pervasive. Health and safety rights campaigner Garrett Brown concludes that “relentless pressure from workers, consumers, stakeholders and governments is required to improve working conditions that are illegal, immoral and just plain unacceptable.”
The Pump Handle blog. Risks 770
Hazards news, 1 October 2016

Global: ITF condemns Thai pursuit of rights researcher
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has condemned the sentencing of labour rights researcher Andy Hall to three years’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, by the Bangkok Criminal Court on 20 September. The British national was sued by the Thai Company Natural Fruit on charges of defamation and computer crimes, over his claims about the company in a 2013 report by Finnwatch, a Helsinki-based civil society organisation. ITF news release. Risks 770
Hazards news, 1 October 2016

Britain: Manufacturing firm prosecuted after roof fall death
A manufacturing company has been fined after the death of a worker who fell through a factory roof skylight. Taunton Crown Court heard Samuel Wright Maxwell, 46, was employed by Cooper B-Line (CBL) at its factory in Highbridge, Somerset.
HSE news release and roof safety guide. Daily Mail. Risks 770
Hazards news, 1 October 2016

Britain: Scaffolders get suspended jail terms after fall death
Two scaffolders from Cornwall have received suspended prison sentences following the death of Roger Stoddern, 47, in a seven metre fall. Business founder Colin Marshall pleaded guilty to criminal safety breaches and was given a four-month prison sentence suspended for two years; James Marshall, Colin’s son and business partner, was handed an eight-month sentence suspended for two years.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. West Briton. Risks 770
Hazards news, 1 October 2016

Britain: Halliburton fined £10,000 after driver crushed
Oil giant Halliburton has been fined £10,000 after truck driver Alexander Masson was crushed and seriously injured at a Scottish yard. The company accepted liability for an ‘inherently dangerous’ unloading operation which left the man with a catalogue of injuries.
STV News. Risks 770
Hazards news, 1 October 2016

Britain: BBC featured scrap firm convicted after work injury
A Bolton-based scrapyard that featured in a recent BBC documentary series has been convicted of a safety crime after an employee suffered serious facial injuries at work. Vehicle breaker The Scrappers Ltd was found guilty of a criminal safety offence and fined £30,000 and ordered to pay costs of £26,687,88.
HSE news release. Risks 770
Hazards news, 1 October 2016

Britain: Watford derailment highlights safety role of train guards
Rail union RMT has welcomed a decision by a rail safety watchdog to investigate staffing lessons from a train derailment. RMT said the incident “reinforced the safety-critical role played by the guards,” with both the train’s guard and driver involved in the emergency response.
RMT news release. RAIB news release. Risks 770
Hazards news, 1 October 2016

Canada: Temp death prompts new safety call
The death of a young woman killed when a conveyor belt caught her clothing at a Toronto factory has prompted renewed union calls for better safety protection for temporary workers. Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) said too many employers treat temp agency workers as a disposable commodity, relegating to them the most precarious and dangerous work, adding an ongoing review of Ontario’s employment laws “means we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring in sweeping changes and create the employment laws Ontario workers need, including holding all employers to account.”
USW Canada news release. OFL news release. Hamilton Spectator. Risks 679.
Hazards news, 24 September 2016

Global: Thai court finds UK rights activist guilty
A UK activist who campaigned for the rights of migrant workers in Thailand's fruit processing industry has been found guilty of defamation and computer crimes. Andy Hall, from Lincolnshire, was given a three-year suspended jail term and fined 150,000 baht (£3,300).
Finnwatch news release and Q&A on Andy Hall’s case. BBC News Online. Risks 679
Hazards news, 24 September 2016

Britain: Manufacturer fined £1m following worker’s death
A manufacturing company based in Hemel Hampstead has been fined £1 million after a worker was crushed to death by a machine as a consequence of ‘ad hoc’ attempts to move it. Colin Reddish, 48, was involved in moving a large CNC milling machine within the company’s Grantham factory on 30 April 2015 when it overturned and killed him.
HSE news release. Risks 679
Hazards news, 24 September 2016

Britain: Site firm fined £800,000 after worker injury
A Surrey construction company has been fined after a contractor was run over and suffered serious injuries on a large site in Wokingham. David Cole, a site foreman on the large housing development project, was struck by and pulled under a large bulk powder carrier on 7 December 2014.
HSE news release and construction traffic management webpages. Risks 679
Hazards news, 24 September 2016

Britain: Worker blinded by exploding drum
A Kent company that supplies road safety products has been fined after a worker suffered life-threatening injuries when a drum he was working on exploded. Maidstone Crown Court heard how 41-year-old Andrew Foster, an employee of Highway Care Limited, was using a plasma cutter to cut up a drum that had previously contained a flammable substance.
HSE news release and guidance on hot work on small tanks and drums. Irwin Mitchell news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 679
Hazards news, 24 September 2016

Britain: Labour promises action on union safety concerns
Labour’s John McDonnell has warned that the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) regulatory mission has been compromised by its new profit motive – and has said in contrast to the current government, the protection of people at work is a ‘red line’ issue for his party.
Hard labour: Labour pledges to listen and act on workplace health and safety, Hazards magazine, Number 135, 2016. Risks 679
Hazards news, 24 September 2016

Britain: Union concern as BT fines top £1m in five months
A series of criminal safety offences have seen telecommunications giant BT run up a fines bill in excess of £1 million in just five months. Dave Joyce, national safety officer with the communications union CWU, said: “Hopefully, the result of these prosecutions will have a salutary effect and underline the importance of prioritising safety both in the workplace and when working on the roads.”
CWU news release. Lincolnshire Echo. Risks 679
Hazards news, 24 September 2016

Britain: Sports Direct bows to pressure for independent review Sports Direct has bowed to shareholder and union pressure by agreeing to an independent review of its working practices and corporate governance. The move came after strong shareholder backing for an independent review at the Sports Direct AGM, with the company also saying a worker representative would be elected to the board by all staff “directly engaged or employed by Sports Direct”.
TUC news release. Unite news release. Sports Direct news release. The Guardian. LabourList. Risks 679
Hazards news, 24 September 2016

Britain: Official safety inspections increasingly rare, survey finds
Nearly half of UK workplaces have never had a health and safety inspection – including more than 80 per cent of construction workplaces – according to a new TUC survey of health and safety reps. The union body’s biennial survey, which analysed responses from over 1,000 safety reps, found manufacturing is the only sector in which a majority (57 per cent) of safety reps said there had been an inspection during the past year.
TUC news release and Focus on health and safety: TUC biennial survey of safety reps 2016. Risks 679
Hazards news, 24 September 2016

Britain: Union slams ‘wilful neglect’ of safety inspections
The ‘astonishing’ lack of official safety inspections on building sites exposes the government’s ‘wilful neglect’ of workplace safety, the construction union UCATT has said. UCATT acting general secretary, Brian Rye, said: “What is the point of the HSE if they don’t inspect?”
UCATT news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 679
Hazards news, 24 September 2016

Bangladesh: Government and brands share factory deaths blame
The deaths of at least 31 workers in a 10 September fire at the Tampoco Foil factory in Bangladesh shows the ‘callous disregard’ of the Bangladesh government for workers’ safety, the global union confederation ITUC has charged. It added that also to blame for the tragedy was the failure of multinational companies doing business with the factory to take responsibility for the lives of workers in their supply chains.
ITUC news release. IndustriALL news release. Washington Post. Risks 768.
Hazards news, 17 September 2016

Pakistan: Payouts deal agreed four years after deadly fire
After four years of campaigning and protracted negotiations, an agreement has been reached to pay compensation in excess of US$5 million to the survivors and families of workers killed in Pakistan’s worst industrial disaster. On 11 September 2012, more than 250 workers lost their lives and over 50 were injured in a fire at the Ali Enterprises garment factory in Karachi; workers were burned to death trapped behind barred windows and locked doors.
IndustriALL news release. ILO news release. Risks 768.
Hazards news, 17 September 2016

Britain: Security firm G4S fined £1.8m for Legionella risk
G4S Cash Solutions (UK) Limited has been fined £1.8 million for failing to protect workers from the risk of Legionnaires’ disease. Harlow Council environmental health officers inspected G4S's Harlow site in October 2013 after receiving a report that a Harlow resident had contracted Legionellosis, a pneumonia-type condition, and found a serious lack of compliance with the legally required level of water system maintenance.
Harlow Council news release. Harlow Star. HSE Legionnaires’ Disease webpages. Risks 768.
Hazards news, 17 September 2016

Britain: Refinery giant fined £400,000 after serious injury
Valero Energy UK Limited has been fined £400,000 following a serious injury at its Pembroke Refinery. Judge Peter Heywood sitting at Swansea Crown Court heard the access tower walkway that provided gangway access to a stationary oil tanker on 5 March 2012 had dropped 3.5 metres, causing operator David Thomas to be trapped by a slack wire rope, suffering serious leg injuries.
HSE news release and major hazards site information. BBC News Online. ITV News. Risks 768
Hazards news, 17 September 2016

Global: Study sets the direction for container port safety
A new study could pave the way for significant improvements in the health, safety and welfare of workers in the global container port industry. The Cardiff University research, commissioned the global transport unions’ federation ITF and UK safety professionals’ organisation IOSH, identifies continuing dangers, causes for concern, and flaws in the blame-the-worker behavioural management systems commonly employed by operators.
ITF news release. Experiences of arrangements for health, safety and welfare in the global container terminal industry, full report and summary, Cardiff University, IOSH/ITF, September 2016. IOSH container terminals webpage. Risks 768
Hazards news, 17 September 2016

Britain: Over six months on, final Didcot body is recovered
The last body missing in the rubble of Didcot Power Station has been removed from the site. A guard of honour was formed as the body of John Shaw, 61, was taken away early on the morning of 11 September; he is the last of four victims to be located under the rubble after the power station’s boiler house collapsed on 23 February.
Thames Valley Police update and earlier update. BBC News Online. Construction Enquirer. Risks 768
Hazards news, 17 September 2016

Britain: ‘Lives could be lost’ at major roadworks, union warns
The collapse this month of a huge steel structure on a prestigious road building project and another incident where a mechanical roadworking machine overturned has raised serious safety concerns, the construction union UCATT has warned. The union said ‘such huge breaches of health and safety’ on the high profile £750m Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) project ‘are deeply worrying as they threaten workers’ lives.’
UCATT news release. Aberdeen Press and Journal. Risks 768
Hazards news, 17 September 2016

Britain: TUC warns bad firms they have ‘no place to hide’
The TUC has warned companies there will be “no hiding place” if they exploit their workers. General secretary Frances O'Grady told delegates at TUC’s annual conference in Brighton that mistreatment of the workforce is becoming more widespread in the UK, warning “greedy” businesses that the TUC would “shine a light on you.”
TUC news releases on holding firms to account and the Wetherspoons zero hours move  and new report, Taking the temperature of the post-Brexit economy. Unite news release. UCU news release. Office for National Statistics figures.  BBC News Online. The Guardian. Risks 768
Hazards news, 17 September 2016

Europe: EC favours industry lobby over public health
Regulators in Europe are continuing to put the interests of the chemical industry above the health of workers and the wider public, food and farming global union IUF has said. “These measures confirm the EU's ongoing retreat from the precautionary principle, sustainable agricultural practices (under which pesticide applications are a last resort) and a hazards-based approach to protecting worker and consumer health and the environment,”  it said.
IUF news release. PAN Europe statement. Risks 767.
Hazards news, 10 September 2016

Britain: Company director jailed after worker’s death
Company director Kenneth Thelwall has been disqualified and jailed for 12 months following the death of one of his workers. Paul Williamson, who was 51, died on 29 January 2014 when a remote controlled Mobile Elevated Working Platform (MEWP) he was loading on to a truck fell from the ramps and crushed him.
HSE news release. Chester Chronicle. Risks 767.
Hazards news, 10 September 2016

Britain: Worker left in a coma after roof fall
Construction firm Montway Ltd has been fined £144,000 after a Romanian labourer was seriously injured in a fall from a roof. Ioan Vancea fell about five metres from the partly demolished roof and sustained serious injuries including a fractured spine, and was in an induced coma for two weeks and remained in hospital for three months.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 767.
Hazards news, 10 September 2016

Britain: Whistleblower slams Sellafield on nuclear safety
Parts of the Sellafield nuclear complex regularly have too few staff to operate safely and radioactive materials have been stored in degrading plastic bottles, a whistleblower has claimed. Speaking to the BBC’s Panorama documentary programme, he said parts of the facility are dangerously rundown.
BBC News Online and Panorama - Sellafield's nuclear safety failings. Risks 767.
Hazards news, 10 September 2016

Britain: Safety body wants anti-slavery action to spread
A newly published ‘enhanced’ registry identifying what over 500 UK companies are doing to prevent slavery and human trafficking should encourage other firms to follow suit, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has said. The safety professionals’ organisation was commenting after the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre published its new registry of 540 organisations that have produced anti-slavery disclosure statements for the 2015/16 financial year, a measure required for larger firms under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Business and Human Rights Resource Centre enhanced registry. IOSH news release. Risks 767.
Hazards news, 10 September 2016

Britain: RMT protest calls for safer Scottish trains
Members of the rail union RMT demonstrated outside the Scottish parliament on 8 September as part of the union’s ongoing ‘Safer Scottish Trains’ campaign. The union wants a government investigation into trains operating without guards, a cost-cutting practice it has evidence is unsafe.
RMT news release. RMT is asking MSPs to sign Parliamentary Motion S5M-01161 in support of the Safer Scottish Trains campaign. Risks 767.
Hazards news, 10 September 2016

Britain: TUC anger as employer takes HSE ‘employee’ seat
The TUC has condemned the government after it emerged a former employer and business leader had been appointed by the work and pensions secretary to a seat on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) board that is reserved for a representative of ‘employees’ interests’. The TUC said the minister’s selection of Susan Johnson, who holds several other paid board-level appointments, upsets the statutory balance of representation between workers and employers on the HSE board.
DWP announcement. TUC news release. TUC Stronger Unions blog.
Rotten board: Cabinet minister says employer can be employees' voice on HSE board, Hazards magazine special report, September 2016. Risks 767.
Hazards news, 10 September 2016

Britain: Sports Direct shareholder revolt backs unions on abuses
Sports Direct has been on the receiving end of a record shareholder revolt prompted by its abusive management practices. At the company’s 7 September annual meeting, more than half (53 per cent) of independent Sports Direct shareholders voted against management and called for an independent investigation into how Sports Direct treats its workers.
TUC news release and earlier news release. Sports Direct news release . BBC News Online and related story. Risks 767.
Hazards news, 10 September 2016

Britain: Workers are victims of robbery on the high seas
An offshore supply ship’s crew, abandoned on-board ship in a Great Yarmouth dock since December, has gone without pay for several months. The trade union Nautilus, which stepped in to assist the crew, noted: “The exploitation of these crews directly undermines our own shipping industry with unfair competition.”
The Guardian. Risks 766.
Hazards news, 3 September 2016.

Britain: Back shattered by falling granite slab
An Aberdeen memorial firm has been fined after a worker’s spine was crushed by a falling slab of granite. A&J Robertson employee, Kenneth Rennie, was left with a shattered vertebra after a large piece of rock became detached from a six tonne boulder and struck him and pinned him to the ground.
Press and Journal. Risks 766.
Hazards news, 3 September 2016.

Britain: Pub chain fined after worker suffers burns
A national pub chain has been fined £95,000 after a staff member suffered burns while working in South Wales. Enterprise Inns plc was taken to court after the worker at the Angel Inn in Caerphilly was injured when a ‘flash over’ occurred from a gas fired cooking range on 16 July 2015.
Caerphilly County Borough Council news release. Wales Online. BBC News Online. Risks 766.
Hazards news, 3 September 2016.

Britain: Roofing firms and director prosecuted after fall death
Two roofing companies have been fined and a director given community service after a worker fell to his death through a skylight. Cardiff Crown Court heard how 46-year-old Lance Davies, a father of seven, died after falling over seven metres through a roof light at industrial premises in Crumlin, South Wales.
HSE news release. Wales Online. Risks 766.
Hazards news, 3 September 2016.

Canada: Union hails ‘life-saving’ armoured car ruling
Canada’s federal ministry of labour has ordered security firm Brink’s Canada Limited to change its practice requiring the driver and guard to both exit armoured vehicles at drop-offs and pick-ups, saying it puts workers in danger. The decision comes after an investigation into a continued refusal to work by an employee in Edmonton, Alberta.
Unifor news release and safe cargo campaign. Global News. Canadian Occupational Health and Safety magazine. Risks 766.
Hazards news, 3 September 2016.

Russia: Unions and Fifa sign Russia 2018 deal
The organisers of the 2018 football World Cup have signed an agreement with unions to ensure workers preparing facilities for the event in Russia have decent and safe working conditions. Signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) are football’s global governing body Fifa, the Local Organising Committee (LOC), the Russian Construction Workers Union (RBWU) and global construction union federation BWI.
BWI news release. Fifa news release. Risks 766.
Hazards news, 3 September 2016.

Russia: Warehouse fire kills at least 17 migrant workers
A fire at a printing warehouse in northern Moscow that killed at least 17 migrant workers on Saturday 27 August was triggered by a faulty electrical lamp, officials have said. The fire started around 7:00am in the warehouse’s first-floor loading zone and quickly climbed an elevator shaft to the fourth floor, where around 30 workers were finishing their night shift.
New York Times. Risks 766.
Hazards news, 3 September 2016.

USA: Fair pay, safe workplaces law welcomed
After a US Senate report found in 2014 that many federal contractors had been repeatedly cited for cheating, harassing and injuring their employees, President Obama ordered federal agencies to check how well companies have complied with labour laws before awarding contracts.
US Labor Department news release and Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order. NELP news release. New York Times. Risks 766.
Hazards news, 3 September 2016.

Britain: Football fans cry foul over Qatar abuses
West Ham’s first Premier League match at their newly acquired London Olympic Stadium was used by a trade union and football supporter-backed campaign to highlight the ongoing horror of Qatar’s World Cup 2022 preparation. The 21 August day of action marked the start of many by Playfair Qatar, the TUC’s campaign with the Football Supporters’ Federation to raise awareness of the exploitation and abuse faced by workers in the Gulf state.
Morning Star. Playfair Qatar and related TUC webpages. UCATT news release. Risks 766.
Hazards news, 3 September 2016.

Britain: Firing range death came after union ‘death trap’ warning
A soldier has been shot dead during a night-time live firing exercise at a military training area earlier branded a ‘death trap’ by the union Unite. In April, the union said that the Otterburn Army Training Estate, which covers about 93 square miles of the Southern Cheviot hills, had become unsafe as range wardens had been withdrawn.
The Herald. BBC News Online. Firing ranges are ‘death traps’ as wardens withdrawn, warns Unite, Unite news release, 19 April 2016. Risks 766.
Hazards news, 3 September 2016.

USA: Enforcement crackdown on poultry plants
America’s notoriously hazardous poultry firms have been given food for thought after two high profile penalties on top brands and the launch of a new official health and safety enforcement campaign. Workplace safety advocates were quick to praise the decision by safety regulator OSHA to crack down on the poultry industry, but warned it was only workers in unionised firms that felt confident to raise their safety concerns with inspectors.
OSHA news release. IWJ news release. NELP statement. Payday Report. Risks 765.
Hazards news, 27 August 2016.

Britain: IER safety conferences in London and Liverpool, October
The Institute of Employment Rights is organising ‘health and safety update’ conferences, in Liverpool on 4 October and London on 18 October. IER notes “those attending will hear contributions covering such issues as the nature of HSE’s new strategy for workplace health and safety, how post-2010 governments have acted to reduce workplace inspections, worker experiences of pursuing claims for compensation, recent legislative changes, how other European countries approach the issue of health and safety inspection as well as workplace inspection, and developments in the construction industry relating to worker engagement and mental health.”
IER health and safety update conferences. Liverpool: 9.30am-3.30pm, Tuesday 4 October 2016, Jack Jones House, Unite NW Office, Liverpool. London: 9.30am-3.30pm, Tuesday 18 October 2016, Unite head office, London. Risks 765.
Hazards news, 27 August 2016.

Canada: Good safety management is good management
There is no trade-off between excelling in safety or production management – in fact they are ‘complementary’, a Canadian study has found. Researchers Emile Tompa and Lynda Robson from the Toronto-based Institute for Work and Health (IWH) found organisations that focus on both operations and occupational health and safety (OHS) through ‘joint management system’ (JMS) practices achieving the same operational outcomes - better cost, quality, delivery and flexibility outcomes - as organisations that emphasise operations over safety.
IWH news release. At Work, Issue 85, IWH, Summer 2016. Risks 765.
Hazards news, 27 August 2016.

Britain: Balfour sets aside £25m for higher safety fines
Balfour Beatty has set aside up to £25 million to cover potential health and safety fines under new sentencing guidelines. The firm’s latest half yearly results said it had allocated “a £25 million charge relating to revised legal guidelines and settlements,” adding: “This largely relates to a reassessment of potential liabilities on historical health and safety breaches following new sentencing guidelines introduced earlier this year.”
Construction Enquirer. Risks 765.
Hazards news, 27 August 2016.

Britain: Bulgarian contractor handed £0.5m safety crime fine
A Bulgarian construction firm has been handed a £500,000 fine after a member of the public reported unsafe working practices during the construction of an adventure course in Markeaton Park, Derby. Derby Magistrates’ Court heard how the whistleblower noticed work at height being carried out from a pallet on the forks of a telehandler at the site in Markeaton Park, where a high ropes adventure course was being constructed by Bulgarian firm Walltopia.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Construction Enquirer. Risks 765.
Hazards news, 27 August 2016.

Britain: Distillery blaze left 21-year-old worker engulfed in flames
A distillery in the West Midlands has been fined after a young employee with only six months’ experience on the job was engulfed in flames in a fire that destroyed a warehouse and its contents. Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how highly flammable ethyl acetate was being transferred from a bulk storage tank into an intermediate bulk container when the 21-year-old Alcohol Limited employee was engulfed in flames.
HSE news release. Express and Star. Risks 765.
Hazards news, 27 August 2016.

Britain: Union concern at rise in dog attack deaths
The death of a young boy in an attack by an out-of-control dog highlights the need for stronger enforcement action, the union CWU has said. According to statistics collated by CWU, Dexter Neal’s death was the UK's 34th dog attack fatality “with all but three of them occurring since 2005 which indicates the steep rise over the last decade.”
CWU news release. BBC News Online. ITV News. Risks 765.
Hazards news, 27 August 2016.

Britain: Sharp rise in fire deaths as firefighter job cuts worsen
The number of people who have died in fires in England has jumped by 15 per cent over the past year to 303, with firefighters’ union FBU calling the figures ‘a damning indictment’ of government policy. Dave Green, national officer for the FBU and a former firefighter, said: “They have slashed budgets without regard for public safety,” adding: “The long term trend of falling fire deaths is now going into reverse, with two consecutive rises in one year – the figures are released six monthly.”
FBU news release. Home Office statistics, April 2015-March 2016. BBC News Online. Risks 765.
Hazards news, 27 August 2016.

China: Power plant explosion leaves over 20 dead
At least 21 workers have died and a number have been critically injured after a broken steam pipe caused a huge explosion at a power plant in central China's Hubei province. The blast on 11 August occurred at Madian Gangue Power Generation Co Ltd in Dangyang City as workers were testing thermo-power facilities.
Shanghai Daily. Asian Times. Risks 764
Hazards news, 20 August 2016

Sri Lanka: Garment workers pay high price for cheap clothes
Garment workers toiling behind the electrified fences of Sri Lanka’s free trade zones are paying a high price for making the cheap clothes sold on the UK high street. UK-based charity War on Want investigated conditions in the factories, said “despite the rhetoric from local and foreign clothing brands on their commitment to workers’ rights, the stark reality for women like Disna remains long hours, poverty pay and scant regard for safety.”
War on Want news release and Love Fashion Hate Sweatshops campaign. Risks 764
Hazards news, 20 August 2016

USA: Whopping lies by coal industry on the cost of new rules
The US coal industry’s ‘wild exaggerations’ about the anticipated costs of a proposed tighter coal dust exposure standard have been exposed, five years after the law took effect. George Washington University academic Celeste Monforton described the industry estimates as ‘a doozy’ in a world of industry costs hiking replete with doozies.
The Pump Handle. Risks 764
Hazards news, 20 August 2016

Britain: Safety criminal adds job blackmail to its bad behaviour
The TUC has condemned a pipe manufacturer prosecuted for damaging the health of its workers for linking staff redundancies to the resulting safety penalties and personal injury compensation costs. Commenting on the action by Newport-based Asset International Ltd, TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said: “This is a cynical and unfortunately familiar ruse,” adding: “Employers should not add job blackmail to their safety crimes – management created the health and safety risks, and management should carry the can.”
South Wales Argus. Risks 764
Hazards news, 20 August 2016

Britain: Skip firm boss convicted of manslaughter
The owner of a West Midlands waste firm has been found guilty of manslaughter and given a suspended jail term four years after an employee died in an eight-foot fall from a skip. Jagpal Singh, 24, suffered head injuries in the incident at Bilston Skips in in Willenhall on 28 June 2012.
CPS news release. Birmingham Mail. Express and Star. ITV News. Risks 764
Hazards news, 20 August 2016

Britain: Small fines after security guard is killed by site hut fumes
Two security companies have been handed small fines after a security guard died from carbon monoxide poisoning on a construction site. Javaid Iqbal, a 29-year-old father of three, was employed by London-based KK Security Services Ltd on a site in Leigh, Wigan;  KK Security was subcontracted by Veritas Security (Southern) Ltd, a Southampton-based company, despite it being written into the contract from the client that no subcontracting would take place.
HSE news release and lone workers toolbox. Construction Enquirer. Risks 764
Hazards news, 20 August 2016

Britain: Herbal medicine firm fined after cleaning chemicals death
A herbal medicine company has been fined £45,000 after a cleaner died from inhaling toxic fumes while working at a Rutland factory. Karl Brader was employed by Herbs in a Bottle Limited in Essendine, is believed to have been killed by chlorine gas, produced when common cleaning chemicals are mixed with bleach.
HSE news release and COSHH toolbox. Lincolnshire Echo. Leicester Mercury. Risks 764
Hazards news, 20 August 2016

Britain: Oil rig rescue highlights need to reinstate rescue vessels
The grounding of a 17,000-tonne oil drilling rig carrying 280 tonnes of diesel highlights the need to reinstate axed Emergency Towing Vessels (ETV), the union Nautilus has said. The union was speaking after the Orkney-based Herakles – Britain’s only remaining ETV, operated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) - was deployed to assist the Transocean Winner rig which ran aground on the Western Isles of Scotland on 10 August after breaking from its tug in heavy seas
Nautilus news release. BBC News Online. The Herald. The Guardian. Risks 764
Hazards news, 20 August 2016

Britain: HSE will investigate possible UK asbestos imports
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is to launch a formal investigation into the possibility of illegal asbestos imports to the UK. The move came after UK unions and asbestos victims’ and campaign groups told the regulator illegal imports into Australia by Yuanda Australia PTY Ltd were only exposed as a result of union vigilance, and queried whether Yuanda UK could have obtained asbestos-containing materials for use in the major UK construction projects with which it is involved.
IBAS news report. Risks 764
Hazards news, 20 August 2016

Britain: Workers face double jeopardy at Sports Direct
Skinflint retail giant Sports Direct has nearly twice the injury rate of the sector overall, according to a letter from a shareholders’ group. The 15 August letter came the same day the union Unite announced it had secured an estimated £1 million back pay from the firm for non-payment of the minimum wage.
Trade Union Share Owners letter, 15 August 2016. Sports Direct 2016 Annual Report. Unite news release. TUC news release. TUC Stronger Unions blog. Morning Star. Sky News. Risks 764
Hazards news, 20 August 2016

Britain: Site giant’s new safety strategy is fatally flawed says union
Construction union UCATT has warned that Laing O’Rourke’s new safety policy could ‘wreck’ the UK’s construction safety regime. The union says the construction giant’s newly imposed ‘Safety differently’ policy, imported from its Australian operations, focuses entirely on preventing fatalities, while neglecting actions that may cause minor injuries.
UCATT news release. Construction Enquirer. Laing O’Rourke health and safety strategy. Safety Differently. Risks 764
Hazards news, 20 August 2016

Pakistan: Action needed over high power industry death toll
Demonstrations have been held in Pakistan to demand action over the high level of workplace deaths amongst electricity supply workers in the country. The All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union (CBA) led a march through Lahore to demand the provision of safety equipment in the workplace.
Labourwatch. Risks 763
Hazards news, 13 August 2016

Britain: Door collapse almost kills worker
A Worcestershire-based manufacturer has been fined after a worker nearly lost his life when a door collapsed and pinned him to a baler. Essential Supply Products Limited of Enigma Business Park in Malvern pleaded guilty at Hereford Magistrates’ Court to breaching Section 2(1) Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £2,714.10 in costs.
SHP. Risks 763
Hazards news, 13 August 2016

Brazil: Olympics safety record under spotlight
Although there has been much media attention to the possible dangers to athletes posed by Zika and the high levels of pollution in some of the swimming arenas, less has been said about the appalling legacy that had led to the deaths and injuries of workers during construction of the various Rio Olympic facilities or Games-related projects between January 2013 and March 2016.
The Guardian. Risks 763
Hazards news, 13 August 2016

Britain: Serial site offender fined
A South Wales construction company has been fined £100,000 for running an unsafe timber-frame construction site. J G Hale Construction Ltd of Neath had already been served seven prohibition or improvement notices for fire safety issues dating back to 2012.
HSE press release. BSC report. HSE enforcement database. Risks 763
Hazards news, 13 August 2016

Britain: Two fines in one week for Network Rail
Rail infrastructure operator Network Rail has been hit with two fines in a week after workers were injured due to failures in electrical safety. On 4 August, they pleaded guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court to the offence of not complying with an electrical cabinet safety order, and a few days earlier the company had been fined £130,000 after a worker was electrocuted while working on track in North Ayrshire.
ORR press release. BBC News Online. Risks 763
Hazards news, 13 August 2016

Britain: Crane hire company loses its licence
Baldwins Crane Hire, a major supplier of mobile cranes to the construction industry, is to lose its licence to operate heavy goods vehicles due to safety and maintenance concerns, including the falsification of driver records. An investigation into the company found drivers faking rest breaks in order to ensure cranes would be on site ready to work on time.
Construction Enquirer. BBC News Online. Risks 763
Hazards news, 13 August 2016

Global: Car giants linked to child mica miners
Some of the world’s biggest car makers including Vauxhall, BMW, Volkswagen and Audi are launching investigations into their paint supply chains after the Guardian linked their suppliers to illegal mines in India, where child labour and debt bondage are widespread. Children as young as 10 work at mines producing mica, a mineral that creates the shimmer in the car paint used on millions of vehicles around the world.
The Guardian. Risks 762
Hazards news, 6 August 2016

Brazil: Workers pay tribute to Rio Olympics victims
Construction workers in Brazil have paid tribute to colleagues killed in the rush to complete facilities for this month’s Olympics. The ceremony, ‘Lives lost at the worksites of the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro: Tribute to Workers’, was organised by the global site unions’ federation Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) and held in Rio on 28 July.
BWI news release. Risks 762
Hazards news, 6 August 2016

Britain: Toxic gas kills medicinal herbs worker
A medicinal herbal manufacturing company has been fined after a worker died from exposure to a toxic gas. Leicester Crown Court heard Karl Brader, 50, was working for Herbs in a Bottle Limited and was using cleaning chemicals to clean a changing room when he was exposed to a toxic gas – thought to be chlorine - and died at the scene.
HSE news release and COSHH webpages. Risks 762
Hazards news, 6 August 2016

Britain: Scottish Hydro fined for electrocution of worker
A power company has admitted health and safety failings after the electrocution of a worker on a power line in the Highlands. Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission plc was fined £133,000 for a criminal safety breach related to the ‘avoidable’ death of Gareth Aitken.
COPFS news release. STV News. Daily Record. Construction Enquirer. Risks 762
Hazards news, 6 August 2016

Britain: Firm missed ten chances to save worker’s life
A Bradford factory that employed a worker who fell more than five metres to his death through a fragile skylight “missed ten opportunities to save his life.” Richard Perry suffered fatal head injuries when he landed on a concrete floor at Whiteghyll Plastics in June 2014.
HSE news release. Telegraph and Argus. BBC News Online. Risks 762
Hazards news, 6 August 2016

Britain: Steel giant fined £1.98m for safety crimes
Tata Steel has been fined almost £2 million after two workers suffered serious injuries at one of its plants. A 26-year-old lost the middle and ring fingers on his left hand while trying to clear a blockage on machinery at the company's site in Corby, Northamptonshire, in September 2014, and a 52-year-old lost part of his little finger when his hand was caught in a lathe at the same plant in February 2015, Northampton Crown Court heard.
HSE news release and work equipment webpages. Boston Standard. Risks 762
Hazards news, 6 August 2016

Britain: Producers of Star Wars plead guilty-ish
A film production company has admitted criminal health and safety breaches over an incident two years ago in which Hollywood star Harrison Ford was crushed by a hydraulic door on the set of the Millennium Falcon spaceship while filming the most recent Star Wars movie. But Foodles Production (UK) Ltd, part of Disney, has said while it admits its guilt, it will contest the extent of the risk.
HSE news release. The Guardian. Risks 762
Hazards news, 6 August 2016

Britain: Send the new prime minister a safety reminder
Campaigners are reminding Theresa May that the effective regulation and strict enforcement of workplace safety is a life-saving necessity, not a burden on business. The grassroots Hazards Campaign wants the new prime minister deluged with old-style postcards and their e-card equivalents carrying this message.
Hazards Campaign news release on the postcard campaign. Sign up to receive Hazards Campaign updates.
Send an -e-postcard to prime minister Theresa May. Print copies are available from the Hazards Campaign, and can be ordered in bulk by unions. Risks 762
Hazards news, 6 August 2016

Britain: Shadow chancellor stands up for safety
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has backed safety campaigners at the National Hazards Conference. He said: “Working people earn this country’s wealth and run our public services; these are essential tasks for which no-one should pay with their life.” Hazards Campaign news release on John McDonnell’s speech. Risks 762. 6 August 2016

Britain: Safety body calls for anti-slavery 'race to the top'
The UK government has the opportunity to lead a ‘race to the top’ in tackling modern slavery, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has said. The safety body was commenting as the prime minister Theresa May marked the first anniversary of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 with the announcement of a new UK cabinet taskforce to tackle the “sickening and inhuman crimes.”
IOSH news release. PM Theresa May news release and Sunday Telegraph article. Risks 762
Hazards news, 6 August 2016

Britain: BBC audio exposes rail firm’s dangerous dirty tricks
Rail staff employed by Govia Thameslink are being abused and assaulted by enraged passengers as a result of the company’s ‘lies and abuse’ to cover up their own gross mismanagement of train services, the union RMT has said. As proof, the union points to a ‘shocking’ BBC audio recording of staff “being spat at, punched and threatened with stabbing due to a constant barrage of company lies about the reasons for the constant chaos across the franchise.”
RMT news release. Risks 762
Hazards news, 6 August 2016

Unions demand action on prison safety crisis
Prison unions are calling for urgent action over alarming new figures they say expose the true scale of the safety crisis in prisons in England and Wales. The unions say latest Ministry of Justice figures released show that prison staff are increasingly the victims of the safety and staffing crisis.
‘Safety in Custody’ report. POA news release. Community news release. Risks 762
Hazards news, 6 August 2016

Britain: Finding way to defend safety after Brexit
The possibility of the UK soon turning its back on the proven protection provided by EU health and safety regulations could mean workers will need an alternative set of rules to protect them, the TUC has indicated. The union body says the expected flurry of new trade agreements needs to go beyond previous deals, which included the ‘core’ International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards on freedom of association, freedom from forced labour, child labour, and freedom from discrimination, but did not include safety protections.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 762
Hazards news, 6 August 2016

Australia: Firm liquidated to escape work death fine
The operators of an Australian recycling company have sought to escape penalties for the death of an employee by shutting down the business and resurrecting it under another name. Australian Box Recycling [AB Recycling] - listed as a cardboard recycler for major high street retailers - was found guilty of grave safety violations that led to the 2014 death of worker Steve Bower, after a slew of deadly defects in the construction and configuration of a four-metre-high box-stacking lift caused it to come crashing down under a 240kg load, crushing Mr Bower to death at a Melbourne warehouse.
WorkSafe news release. Sydney Morning Herald. Risks 761
Hazards news, 30 July 2016

Britain: Brexit schedule is key to work well-being and safety
Two safety bodies are urging the government to publish a schedule for exit negotiations so that employers can develop plans that will assure the safety, health and well-being of their workforce in the short to medium term. The British Safety Council (BSC) and the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM) have written a joint letter to prime minister Theresa May, warning: “Uncertainty over the future work status of EU nationals in the UK is already causing anxiety and stress, which could adversely impact on the mental health of affected individuals.”
BSC news release. Risks 761
Hazards news, 30 July 2016

Britain: Recycling plant dead to be flown home
The bodies of five African workers who died after a wall collapsed on them at a Midlands recycling plant are to be flown to their home countries for their funerals. The men - four were from Gambia and one from Senegal - died at the Hawkeswood Metal recycling plant at Nechells in Birmingham on 7 July.
Birmingham Mail. Morning Star. Risks 761
Hazards news, 30 July 2016

Britain: Protective coatings firm fined for horror death
An Angus firm has been fined £120,000 over the death of a worker killed when he became attached “like velcro” to a spinning pipe in a metal spraying booth. Andy Fraser, 26, died when he became attached to a pipe spinning at between 50 and 80 rpm inside an aluminium spray coating machine at Gemini Corrosion Services Ltd in Montrose.
HSE news release. Arbroath Herald. Risks 761
Hazards news, 30 July 2016

Britain: Emergency tug reprieved after union campaign
Seafarers’ union Nautilus has welcomed a UK government decision to reprieve the last remaining emergency towing vessel (ETV), based in Orkney. The union described the decision to provide a further five years’ funding for the vessel as ‘a long-overdue victory for common sense’ and urged the government to reconsider the provision of other ETVs around the UK coast.
Nautilus news release. Risks 761
Hazards news, 30 July 2016

Britain: Unions seek City support for Sports Direct review
Trade unions are seeking the support of City investors for a resolution to be put to Sports Direct’s annual general meeting calling for a fully independent review of working practices at the embattled retailer. Investors have become increasingly alarmed about how Sports Direct is run, particularly after financial performance suffered.
IoD news release. The Guardian. Risks 761
Hazards news, 30 July 2016

Britain: Sports Direct pays out to injured lorry driver
A Sports Direct HGV driver who suffered a jarring injury to his left shoulder when he was struck by a falling cage at work has received £12,500 in damages. Unite member Stuart Valente needed intermittent spells off work for the rest of the year, during which time he had an operation to repair the tendon and ease the pain in his shoulder.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 761
Hazards news, 30 July 2016

Britain: Union calls for action on abuse at Sports Direct
Unite’s campaign for urgent action to remedy ‘industrial scale abuse’ at Sport Direct has been given added impetus after a committee of MPs identified a disregard for health and safety law among a catalogue of exploitative practices at the company’s vast Shirebrook warehouse. The 22 July report, published by the influential House of Common’s Business Select Committee, follows months of campaigning by Unite and others to shine a spotlight on the endemic bad practices at the retail warehouse.
Unite news release. House of Commons Business Select Committee report, 22 July 2016. Morning Star. The Guardian. The Independent. Risks 761
Hazards news, 30 July 2016

Bangladesh: Multiple murder charges for Rana Plaza
A court in Bangladesh has formally charged 38 people with murder in connection with the 2013 collapse of the Rana Plaza building which killed over 1,100 people in the country’s worst industrial disaster. A total of 41 defendants face charges over the collapse of the complex, which housed five garment factories supplying global brands.
The Guardian. Risks 760.
Hazards news, 23 July 2016

Italy: Olivetti bosses get jail for asbestos manslaughter
Leading Italian businessman and media mogul Carlo De Benedetti has been convicted in connection to asbestos-related deaths at a company he led more than two decades ago. The 81-year-old was one of 16 defendants in a case concerning Olivetti, a typewriters and computers company where 13 employees died between the late 1970s and the early 1990s after being exposed to asbestos.
Europe Online. The Local. Risks 760
Hazards news, 23 July 2016

Global: Asbestos industry’s fight to the death
The global asbestos industry is engaged in a well-resourced defence of its deadly product. As well as promoting chrysotile asbestos in ‘scientific’ and public relations presentations in Africa, Asia and Latin America, a key target for the campaign is the United Nations (UN), warned Laurie Kazan Allen, who heads up the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS).
IBAS news report. RightOnCanada. Risks 760
Hazards news, 23 July 2016

Britain: Worker crushed to death by a tonne of floor tiles
A Manchester company has been fined £40,000 after a tonne of stone floor tiles fell from a forklift, killing an employee. Soran Aziz, 27, died after the incident in October 2010 at Stone Superstore Ltd warehouse in Gorton.
Manchester City Council news release. Manchester Evening News. Risks 760.
Hazards news, 23 July 2016

Britain: Engineering worker suffers life changing injuries
A Hull engineering firm has been fined for criminal safety breaches after a marine hatch and frame weighing more than 500kg fell forward, seriously injuring an employee and narrowly missing another person. The marine door fell onto Point Engineering (Hull) Ltd welder and fabricator Richard Blake, 63, a welder and fabricator at the company, trapping his pelvis and legs.
HSE news release. Hull Daily Mail. Risks 760
Hazards news, 23 July 2016

Britain: Search for bodies resumes after Didcot demolition
Search efforts for three men killed in the Didcot power station collapse have resumed after the remainder of the building was demolished. A remote demolition brought down the remaining part of the boilerhouse on 17 July, in an operation using remote-controlled robots. Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, and Chris Huxtable, 34, were trapped under rubble on 23 February.
Thames Valley Police news release. BBC News Online. Risks 760
Hazards news, 23 July 2016

Britain: Official report supports union warnings on rail dangers
Union warnings about the growing threat to life and limb on railway platforms have been confirmed in an official safety report. Rail union RMT said the annual safety report from the Rail Standards and Safety Board (RSSB) exposes ‘the nonsense of government and train company plans to axe guards and station staff.’
RMT news release. RSSB news release and Annual Safety Performance Report 2015/16. Risks 760
Hazards news, 23 July 2016

Britain: Unite is closing the net on blacklisters
This year’s multimillion pound compensation payout from the major site firms behind the construction industry blacklisting scandal, wrapped in a public apology, was not the end of the matter, the union Unite has said. Assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail was commenting as new ‘fight back’ guidance, ‘Closing the net: Combatting contemporary blacklisting’, was launched at Unite’s policy conference.
Morning Star. Unite blacklisting webpages. Risks 760
Hazards news, 23 July 2016

Pakistan: Six deaths at World Bank-funded dam
Six workers have been killed and least 20 others severely injured in a major incident at the Tarbela Extension Project, a dam development in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The largely World Bank-backed project is controlled by the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), with the Chinese multinational construction company Sino Hydro Group as the main contractor.
BWI news release. World Bank Tarbela Dam Project webpages. The Nation. Risks 759.
Hazards news, 16 July 2016

Britain: Film exposes dangers from fire service cuts
A new film from the firefighters’ union FBU has warned of the threat posed to the service’s lifesaving work by government cuts. It says the public “are no longer safe” - and identifies some of the deaths it believes have been caused by the cuts.
FBU news release and film. Sign the Save our fire and rescue services petition. Risks 759
Hazards news, 16 July 2016

Britain: Latest statistics confirm upturn in work fatalities
Official figures have revealed the number of people killed at work has increased again. Provisional workplace fatality figures released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) indicate that 144 people were killed while at work in 2015/2016 – up from 142 in 2014/2015, and 136 in 2013/14.
HSE news release and statistics webpages. Statistics on fatal injuries in the workplace in Great Britain 2016, HSE, July 2016. UCATT news release. Risks 759
Hazards news, 16 July 2016

Britain: Five die in recycling plant tragedy
Five recycling workers have died in a 7 July wall collapse at a recycling plant in Birmingham. The men, originally from Gambia, died when a 15ft wall of concrete and scrap metal fell on them as they worked at Hawkeswood Metal in the Nechells part of the city.
West Midlands Police news release. UCATT news release. BBC News Online. HSE record of previous Hawkeswood prosecution. Risks 759
Hazards news, 16 July 2016

Britain: Alarm bells as work tragedies strike
An upturn in workplace fatalities and a third workplace multiple fatality in 12 months suggest the government is prioritising business profits over human lives, the Hazards Campaign has charged. The broad-based workers’ safety campaign was commenting after latest official figures published the day before five workers died in a Birmingham recycling yard showed the number of workplace fatalities had increase by 6 per cent since 2013/14.
Hazards Campaign statement. Risks 759
Hazards news, 16 July 2016

Britain: Family fury at death in ships’ graveyard
A grieving family have hit out at a businessman after his firm was fined £45,000 over the death of a worker, saying: ‘It’s just change to him’. Paul Hudghton, a 50-year-old self-employed scrap worker, died at Tipner scrapyard in Portsmouth when Diverse Ventures Ltd launched an ‘ad hoc’ plan to right a crane on a barge that had slewed out to sea.
HSE news release. Portsmouth News. Risks 759
Hazards news, 16 July 2016

Britain: Construction safety fines hit £8m since February
New sentencing guidelines introduced in February have seen a spate of large fines take the total penalties handed to construction firms hit £8m in six months. The February guidance from the Sentencing Council instructed courts to consider the size of a company when it comes to imposing fines for criminal safety offences.
BLM news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 759
Hazards news, 16 July 2016

Britain: Demolition worker crushed by excavator on school site
A construction company has been fined after a worker suffered crush injuries when he was hit and then run over by an excavator. Complete Demolition Ltd was prosecuted by The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found arrangements for ensuring pedestrians and vehicles were separated were inadequate.
HSE news release. Risks 759
Hazards news, 16 July 2016

Britain: Car giant fined over asbestos contamination
One of the world’s biggest motor manufacturers has been fined after asbestos boarding panels contaminated a work site. General Motors UK Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after work being undertaken at its Ellesmere Port site in 2014, exposed contractors to asbestos.
HSE news release. Risks 759
Hazards news, 16 July 2016

Britain: Who knew machines could hurt you?
Two prosecutions in two days demonstrate how workers continue to be injured in entirely predictable and preventable incidents involving workplace machinery. An employee of Sheffield firm Special Machined Products Limited (SMPL) became entangled with a rotating metal bar being used to prevent materials being ejected from the lathe he was operating and an employee of Chepstow-based Reid Lifting Limited had the index finger of his gloved left hand pulled into a milling machine.
HSE news releases on the Sheffield and Chepstow prosecutions. Risks 759
Hazards news, 16 July 2016

Bangladesh: Justice at last for Tazreen fire victims
More than three years after over 100 workers died in the Tazreen Fashion factory fire in Bangladesh, compensation payments to the victims have finally been completed. The Tazreen Claims Administration Trust says a total of US$2.17 million has now been paid to the families of 112 dead and missing workers, and to 174 people injured in the fire on 24 November 2012.
IndustriALL news release. Clean Clothes Campaign news release. Tazreen Claims Administration Trust. Risks 759
Hazards news, 16 July 2016

Botswana: Union calls for urgent action at deadly mine
The deaths of 15 mineworkers at Bamangwato Concessions Ltd (BCL) mine in Botswana in separate incidents over a five year period has prompted renewed union calls for urgent action. But they say despite numerous appeals to government to improve safety at the state-owned mine, conditions are in fact deteriorating. IndustriALL news release. Risks 759
Hazards news, 16 July 2016

Global: Poor Nepalis dying for work in Afghanistan
On 20 June, a suicide bomber killed 13 Nepalese and two Indian contractors who helped secure the Canadian Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, striking the guards’ commuter bus just after it had picked them up at their residence compound. Laxman Basnet, the Nepal-based general secretary of the South Asian Regional Trade Union Council, said “there are no job opportunities in Nepal,” adding people have become inured to deaths from violence or after years of toiling abroad.
New York Times. CBC News. Toronto Star. Risks 758.
Hazards news, 9 June 2016

USA: Workers walk off unsafe $875m site
Four non-union site workers walked off of a multimillion-dollar residential project being constructed in Long Island City after claiming their employers were exploiting them with low pay and unsafe working conditions. Alex Xande, Yuriy Olefirenko, Ivica Juric-Marijanivoc and Marjan Pejkovic all walked off the site last month and joined the union Steamfitters Local 638.
QNS News. Risks 758
Hazards news, 9 June 2016

USA: Discounted fines leave workers at increased risk
Routine discounting of health and safety fines by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is leaving workers in sometimes deadly peril, a new expert report has concluded. The Center for Progressive Reform (CPR) said when OSHA issues penalties, companies can contest them, during which time they aren't legally required to correct the violations that put workers in danger, leading the agency to agree to substantially reduced fines in exchange for a promise to fix the hazard “promptly.”
CPR news release and full report, OSHA's discount on danger: OSHA should revise its informal settlement policies to maximize the deterrent value of citations, CPR, 30 June 2016. The Hill. Risks 758
Hazards news, 9 June 2016

Britain: Worker killed after 8m fall through roof
Two companies based in Northamptonshire have been fined after a worker died following a fall through a roof. Northampton Crown Court heard A-Lift Crane Hire Limited had been hired by Premier Roofing Systems Limited to provide them with a crane to lift roofing sheets onto a factory roof at Virani Foods Limited, but A-Lift Crane Hire Limited employee Peter Smith fell eight metres through an unprotected skylight.
HSE news release and work at height guide. Construction Enquirer. The Construction Index. Risks 758
Hazards news, 9 June 2016

Britain: Firm’s repeat refusals to act ends in a fine
A coach company in Wrexham has been fined £90,000 after it failed repeatedly to comply with legal notices to get its lifting equipment examined. GHA Coaches Limited pleaded guilty to a criminal breach of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) and failing to comply with an improvement notice and was fined £90,000 plus costs of £3,068.
HSE news release, LOLER examinations webpage and lifting equipment guide. Risks 758
Hazards news, 9 June 2016

Britain: Thinktank warns that UK workers are poorly protected
The UK workforce is too insecure, has many second class employment rights and is not protected by adequate labour and safety enforcement systems, a new report has concluded. ‘Manifesto for Labour Law’ published by the Institute of Employment Rights (IER) in response to Labour’s Workplace 2020 consultation, is authored by 15 leading labour lawyers and academics.
Online preview of Manifesto for Labour Law, Institute of Employment Rights, 2016. Morning Star. Risks 758
Hazards news, 9 June 2016

Britain: Outrage at claim axing rail guards is dangerous but OK
Passengers will face greater safety risks on trains if plans go ahead to remove guards, a rail safety watchdog has warned. But the Railway Safety Standards Board (RSSB), which is financed by train companies, has been criticised by rail union RMT after concluding driver-only operation of trains should go ahead anyway.
RMT news release. RSSB news release. Morning Star. Risks 758
Hazards news, 9 June 2016

India: Lightning strikes leave 93 people dead
At least 93 people have been killed and more than 20 injured by lightning strikes in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Most of the people who died were working on farms during torrential rains on 21 June, reports said.
The Guardian. BBC News Online. The Atlantic. Ronald J Holle. Lightning-caused Deaths and Injuries Related to Agriculture, conference paper, April 2016. Risks 757
Hazards news, 2 July 2016

USA: 'Slow Down Law' passes after garbage worker killed
New York State has become the latest in the US to introduce a ‘slow down’ law to protect garbage workers. ‘Slow down’ laws already exists in 11 states: Virginia, Indiana, West Virginia, Florida, Wisconsin, Georgia, Michigan, Alabama, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Illinois, and have been introduced over the last decade in response to distracted driving that has led to sometimes fatal incidents for collection workers.
Press and Sun Bulletin. Risks 756
Hazards news, 2 July 2016

Britain: Worker killed by falling frozen fish boxes
A Plymouth company has been fined £500,000 after an employee suffered fatal injuries when a stack of boxes of frozen fish fell on him. Tomas Suchy, 22, an employee of Interfish Limited, was helping to clear up a fallen stack of frozen fish boxes in a -25 Celsius cold store room at a factory when another fall of stock weighing about 1 tonne struck him.
HSE news release and storage guidance. North Devon Journal. Risks 757.
Hazards news, 2 July 2016

Britain: Quad bikes helmets call after teen injured
An agriculture safety chief has urged farmers not to ignore simple life-saving advice to wear helmets when riding quad bikes. Rick Brunt, the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) head of agriculture, made the call after details of an horrific incident, when a teenager suffered a serious head wound, emerged in court proceedings.
HSE news release and ATV safety guidance. Risks 757.
Hazards news, 2 July 2016

Britain: Plant test cheats website proved hard to kill
A website selling answers to crucial tests taken as part of construction’s plant operator skills card scheme is still operating despite determined attempts to shut it down. Trade publication Construction Enquirer says the website is undermining the Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) which covers thousands of machinery operators across the industry
Construction Enquirer. Risks 757.
Hazards news, 2 July 2016

Britain: Fire chief slammed over ‘unlawful’ shifts plan
Cambridgeshire’s fire chief has been accused of peddling an ‘unlawful’ shift system that could see firefighters work 96-hour shifts. Day Crewing Plus, described by firefighters’ union FBU as a ‘Victorian era shift system’, would see firefighters spend four days and nights working on a station.
FBU news release. Risks 757
Hazards news, 2 July 2016

Britain: Women report protective equipment is a bad fit
Women are being forced to use ill-fitting personal protective equipment at work causing discomfort and putting their safety at risk, according to a Prospect survey. Just 29 per cent of the women who took part in the union study reported that the PPE they wear at work was designed for women.
Prospect news release. TUC Touchstone blog. Risks 757
Hazards news, 2 July 2016

Britain: Don't cut a single workers' right!
After the UK voted last week by 52 per cent to 48 per cent to leave the European Union, the TUC is warning that the vital rights at work from EU-driven laws must be protected. Prior to the 23 June referendum vote, the TUC had warned that the official Leave campaign had workers’ rights in their crosshairs and had pointed out workplace safety, employment rights and working hours protections were all at risk.
TUC news release, Stronger Unions blog and Don't cut a single workers' right when making new UK laws petition. Risks 757
Hazards news, 2 July 2016

Britain: Where now on health and safety rights?
The TUC has warned that health and safety rights could be under threat after the 23 June referendum vote in favour of UK leaving the European Union (EU). TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson, writing in the TUC’s Stronger Unions blog, notes: “There is a real and serious danger that the final outcome could mean that we will lose much of the protection that EU membership has given us, but much will depend on the outcome of the negotiations that are will take place between Britain and the EU.”
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 757
Hazards news, 2 July 2016

Britain: Firm fined £32,000 after driver was crushed to death
A haulage company with a turnover of over £2 million has been fined £32,000 after a horrific incident in which a driver was crushed to death when he was trapped between a runaway lorry cab and the back of a trailer. Immingham firm John Somerscales Ltd admitted failing to ensure the safety at work of its employees, including Graham Pearson, while they were uncoupling trailers at North Killingholme on or before 11 June 2013.
Grimsby Telegraph. Risks 756.
Hazards news, 25 June 2016

Britain: Apprentice needed skin grafts after touching power line
A Scottish stonemasonry company been fined after an apprentice stonemason was seriously injured from contact with an overhead power line. Perth Sheriff Court heard how 20-year-old apprentice Rodd McFarlane was working for T&M Stonemasonry when he came into contact with overhead 240 volt electricity power lines.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 756
Hazards news, 25 June 2016

Britain: Firm and safety consultant fined over dermatitis case
A Hereford rubber sealant manufacturer and its safety adviser have been fined after a worker contracted allergic contact dermatitis. Hereford Magistrates’ Court heard how the TRP Polymer Solutions Limited employee contracted the skin disease after being exposed to sensitising ingredients in rubber compounds.
HSE news release and chemical safety webpages. Risks 756
Hazards news, 25 June 2016

Britain: Blunder exposes ScotRail's motives in safety dispute
Documents made public in error by ScotRail expose the union-bashing motive behind its dangerous plans for driver only operation (DOO) on the network, the rail union RMT has said. The cache of documents were included inadvertently as attachments to an email sent by Scotrail managing director Phil Verster.
RMT news release and copies of the inadvertently released Scotrail documents. Morning Star. Risks 756
Hazards news, 25 June 2016

Britain: Dossier exposes safety risks of axing train guards
The threat to safety on rail services from axing rail guards has been exposed in a new report from the union RMT. ‘Role of the guard – A dossier on the dangers of driver-only operation’, highlights ‘a catalogue of incidents’ where safety has been compromised on driver only operation (DOO) services as well as incidents where the presence of the guard has averted potential disaster.
 RMT news release and RMT dossier. Risks 756
Hazards news, 25 June 2016

Britain: Union urges workers to speak up after mine death
Workers concerned about safety issues at a north-east England mine where a man lost his life should be confident to report them, Unite has said. John Anderson, 56, died in the early hours of 17 June following an “unprecedented” gas blow out at the Boulby potash mine owned by ICL UK.
Tom Blenkinsop MP statement. The Gazette and related story. BBC News Online. Risks 756
Hazards news, 25 June 2016

Global: Welcome for ILO global supply chain action
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has set in motion a process unions hope could lead to a legal standard improving the lives of millions of workers in global supply chains. Sharan Burrow, ITUC general secretary, said: “Transparency, responsibility and accountability need to be associated with global supply chains, not unsafe, insecure low wage work.”
ITUC news release. ILO news release. Risks 755.
Hazards news, 18 June 2016

Britain: Death-linked firm fined after workers overcome by fumes
A food waste disposal and recycling firm has been fined £250,000 after three employees were overcome by toxic gases at an animal waste facility in Stoke-on-Trent. Driver William James, an employee of John Pointon and Sons Limited, was unloading carcasses from a truck during his night shift but was overcome by hydrogen sulphide – produced by the rotting carcasses – and a lack of oxygen, with two workers who came to his aid also affected.
HSE news release. Stoke Sentinel. Risks 755.
Hazards news, 18 June 2016

Britain: Veolia fined £750,000 after bin lorry crushes worker
Leading environmental services firm Veolia has been fined £750,000 after a worker was crushed to death beneath the tailgate of a refuse collection vehicle. Richard Calsen, 25, suffered serious injuries and went into a cardiac arrest at welding firm John Fowler and Son at Abbey Mill near Chorley, Lancashire.
HSE news release and waste machinery webpages. Daily Mail. Sheffield Star. Risks 755.
Hazards news, 18 June 2016

Britain: Work experience student crushed by vehicle
A motor vehicle repair company has been fined after a 27-year-old man on work experience was crushed to death by a vehicle. Muhammed Zohaib Yasin was watching another employee at Just Mercedes Limited carry out repair work on a Vauxhall Corsa.
HSE news release and vehicle safety webpages. Risks 755.
Hazards news, 18 June 2016

Britain: BT fined £500,000 after engineer breaks his back
British Telecom plc (BT) has been convicted on criminal safety charges and fined £500,000 after an engineer fell seven metres from a loft in London, breaking his back and his ankles. The firm was criticised by the judge for trying to pass the blame to its employees.
HSE news release and fragile roofs webpages. Risks 755.
Hazards news, 18 June 2016

Britain: ‘Worst gangmaster’ to pay for modern slavery
A British company has been found liable for the first time for victims of modern slavery. In a 10 June high court judgment, Justice Supperstone found in favour of six Lithuanian men who were trafficked to the UK and employed by the Kent-based gangmaster firm DJ Houghton Chicken Catching Services Ltd.
Leigh Day and Co news release. High Court judgment, 10 June 2016. The Guardian. Risks 755.
Hazards news, 18 June 2016

Britain: Zoo fined after tiger kills worker
A British zoo has been fined for criminal health and safety offences after one of its employees was killed by a Sumatran tiger. Sarah McClay, 24, died at South Lakes Wild Animal Park – now known as South Lakes Safari Zoo – in Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria, after she was pounced on by the tiger on 24 May 2013. The tiger, which entered the keeper’s corridor of the zoo’s tiger house through an unlocked gate, left deep puncture wounds in Sarah McClay’s neck and body. She suffered ‘unsurvivable’ multiple injuries and was airlifted to hospital where she was formally pronounced dead (Risks 722). The zoo was fined £255,000 at Preston Crown Court. A £42,500 fine was also imposed for other health and safety law breaches relating to an incident where a zoo keeper fell from a ladder while preparing to feed big cats in July 2014. The zoo must also pay £150,000 prosecution costs over the next 10 years. The company, whose sole director David Gill founded the zoo, entered guilty pleas as a trial was about to commence. The prosecution offered no evidence against Mr Gill, 55, who had faced individual charges on the same allegations, but was formally acquitted. After the sentencing, Sarah McClay's mother Fiona, said: “We can't function yet with a member of our family missing, we have got to learn how to do that and we haven't got to that stage yet.”
Barrow Borough Council news release. The Independent. BBC News Online. North West Evening Mail. Risks 755.
Hazards news, 18 June 2016

Britain: Blacklist campaigner highlights injustice
Only one person has been prosecuted for their criminal culpability in the blacklisting scandal, with not a single construction director behind the illegal operation having faced charges. However, Ian Kerr, the former head of the Consulting Association – the industry financed organisation that spied on union and safety activists and provided the information to major site firms – has now been joined by award-winning human rights campaigner Dave Smith, as the focus of a prosecution. Blacklist blog. Green Party news release. Morning Star.
Road block: How blocking roads has become a great way of making employers change direction, Dave Smith, Hazards, 2016. Risks 755.
Hazards news, 18 June 2016

Britain: HSE site inspections show further decline
The number of ‘vital, unannounced, life-saving construction inspections’ undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) declined further last year, site union UCATT has said. Official figures obtained by the union show there were 9,219 preventive HSE site inspections in 2015/16 compared to 9,656 in 2014/15, a decrease of 4 per cent. UCATT news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 755.
Hazards news, 18 June 2016

Britain: Tube overcrowding prospect is ‘truly terrifying’
A prediction parts of the London Underground will be ‘inoperable’ within 15 years because of dangerous levels of overcrowding has been described as ‘truly terrifying’ by the rail union RMT. The union leader was commenting after Miles Ashley, London Underground's programme director for construction, told an audience of engineering researchers at Imperial College London that passengers at up to 50 stations in Zone 1 of the Tube system would face conditions akin to four people crammed into a telephone box, making the system ‘inoperable’.
RMT news release. Sunday Times. London Evening Times. Risks 755.
Hazards news, 18 June 2016

Britain: TSSA fears for staff safety if ticket offices go
Rail staff selling tickets on concourses could be a target for muggers if rail company Govia-Thameslink Railway (GTR) goes ahead with a massive programme of ticket office closures, the union TSSA has warned. Manuel Cortes, leader of the union for rail white collar staff, said: “We want assurances on staff safety when it comes to handling cash at busy times. We don't want our members to be vulnerable to potential muggers looking for cash, particularly in the evenings.”
TSSA news release. Risks 755.
Hazards news, 18 June 2016

Qatar: Eleven killed in labour camp fire
The deaths of 11 workers in a Qatar labour camp fire on 1 June 2016 is yet another example of the government’s complete disregard for the migrant workers building the huge infrastructure programme in the lead-up to the 2022 World Cup, global union ITUC has said. A further 12 workers were injured in the fire, which happened in a labour camp housing workers on the Salwa tourism development, which includes a 362-room Hilton Hotels resort.
ITUC news release. BWI news release. Risks 754.
Hazards news, 11 June 2016

Global: Airport workers unite for justice and safety
Airport workers united across borders on 1 June, to deliver a highly critical message about the abuse of workers in the industry. Global unions represented workers in the sector said while airlines and airports are getting richer, their workers are being paid less, worked more, and are having their job security torn away.
UNI news release and Airports United report, Record profits for airlines; airport workers under pressure. Risks 754
Hazards news, 11 June 2016

Britain: Firm fined £1 million for exploding tyre death
A Kent tyre company has been sentenced for criminal safety failings, over ten years after 21-year-old Matthew Hoare was killed when a tyre exploded. Canterbury Crown Court heard how Matthew, an employee of Sandwich-based Watling Tyre Service Limited, was repairing a puncture to the tyre of a ‘dresser loading shovel’ when it exploded on 27 January 2006.
HSE news release and tyre removal guide. Canterbury Times. Kent Online. Risks 754
Hazards news, 11 June 2016

Britain: Scottish Power fined £1.75m after serious scalding
Scottish Power has been fined £1.75 million after a worker was seriously scalded at Longannet Power Station in Alloa, his injuries forcing him to give up his job. Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard how plant controller David Roscoe was engulfed by steam which escaped from a defective pipeline valve at the coal-fired power plant in October 2013.
HSE news release and work equipment webpages. Daily Record. Risks 754
Hazards news, 11 June 2016

Britain: Man crushed to death in Christmas Eve tragedy
A Dumfries haulage company has been fined after the death of a man who was crushed by a failed hydraulic ramp on Christmas Eve two years ago. Ayr Sheriff Court heard how J & J Currie Limited employee Andrew Adams, 61, was delivering and offloading a vehicle from a trailer when one of the trailer hydraulic ramps failed to lower.
HSE news release and safe maintenance webpages. ITV News. Risks 754
Hazards news, 11 June 2016

Britain: Worker crushed to death between two vehicles
A civil engineering and plant hire company in Derbyshire has been fined £300,000 after a worker was fatally crushed between two vehicles while refuelling. Derby Crown Court heard how 39-year-old Matthew Lambert was refuelling his road sweeper at the yard of Leedale Limited when a tipper lorry reversed into him.
HSE news release. Derby Telegraph. Ripley Today. Construction Enquirer. Risks 754
Hazards news, 11 June 2016

Bangladesh: ‘Enforceability’ key to changing the garment industry
Three years after the creation of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, the landmark agreement is making significant headway, the global union for the sector has said. IndustriALL said the collapse of Rana Plaza garment factory on 24 April 2013, killing over 1,100 and injuring thousands more, brought an end to the tolerance of voluntary, non-transparent, non-enforceable factory inspections in Bangladesh.
IndustriALL news release. Risks 754
Hazards news, 11 June 2016

Britain: Figures confirm RMT platform safety warnings
A dramatic increase in the number of passengers falling into the platform gap at London Tube stations has confirmed union warnings linking falling staffing to increasing risks. The Transport for London figures, obtained in a Freedom of Information request, show that the number of passengers falling between the train and the platform has more than trebled in ten years, with rail union RMT laying the blame on dangerous overcrowding and the axing of safety-critical station staff.
RMT news release. London Evening Standard. Risks 754
Hazards news, 11 June 2016

Europe: Unite condemns ‘dangerous’ helicopter stunt
Offshore union Unite has condemned a publicity stunt by four senior offshore helicopter safety and aviation chiefs as “offensive and dangerous”. The union was commenting after trade publication Energy Voice reported that Gilles Bruniaux, vice president of aviation safety for Airbus Helicopters; Gretchen Haskins, chief executive of HeliOffshore; Duncan Trapp, vice president of safety and quality for CHC Helicopters; and Les Linklater, Step Change in Safety executive director, all raised their hands to say they would fly on Super Puma H225 helicopters and would also allow their children to fly.
Unite news release. Energy Voice. Risks 754
Hazards news, 11 June 2016

Britain: Stressed-out midwives voice safety concerns
Midwife burn-out is leading to safety fears, according to a survey by the midwives’ union RCM. The union said over half (52 per cent) of midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) who responded to its survey ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ with the statement: ‘I am worried about making a mistake at work because I am exhausted.’   
RCM news release. Risks 754
Hazards news, 11 June 2016

USA: Report exposes brutality of slaughterhouse jobs
The meat and poultry industry in the US remains exceptionally dangerous, despite a decline in reported injuries and illnesses over the past 10 years, according to a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. The report notes that working conditions in the industry have not improved substantially since the GAO examined the industry in 2005, with under-reporting of injuries a major problem.
Additional data needed to address continued hazards in the meat and poultry industry, GAO, 2016. NELP news release. In These Times. Risks 753.
Hazards news, 4 June 2016

Britain: HSE ‘accelerates’ push for private work
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is recruiting a £100,000-a-year commercial director to greatly ‘accelerate’ its shift to more money-spinning private activities. The renewed focus on commercial activities will inevitably heighten concerns about HSE’s commitment to its inspection and regulatory functions, with an additional fear resources may be diverted from these already under-pressure activities.
HSE job alert and commercial director job description. HSE business plan 2016/17. Risks 753.
Hazards news, 4 June 2016

Britain: Lone Ladbrokes staff face horrific risks
Betting firm Ladbrokes has been accused of putting “profits before lives” after one lone worker was killed and a second was raped, the Mirror has reported. Former head of health and safety Bill Bennett, who the paper says has turned whistleblower, alleged: “Ladbrokes chose to prioritise profit over the health and safety of its employees.”
The Mirror. Risks 753.
Hazards news, 4 June 2016

Britain: BT fined for two falls on one job on one day
British Telecommunications plc has been fined after two of its employees were seriously injured in falls on the same job on the same day. CWU national safety officer Dave Joyce commented: “This is damning example of what can happen when managers fail to manage and monitor the health and safety of the workforce through careful attention to law and the company’s own health and safety standards and rules.”
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Risks 753.
Hazards news, 4 June 2016

Britain: Road worker death prompts HSE warning to HGV drivers
Lives are being put at risk because HGV drivers are not following basic safety procedures when coupling and uncoupling vehicles, the Health and Safety Executive has warned. The workplace health and safety regulator urged drivers to apply parking brakes and use or retrofit warning alarms to avoid a repeat of an incident in January 2015 when a 20-year-old road worker died.
HSE news release and guidance of vehicle coupling. Construction Enquirer. Risks 753.
Hazards news, 4 June 2016

Britain: Hero lock keeper averts another tragedy
The quick response of a resident lock keeper at Abingdon has been critical to saving lives yet again, his union GMB has said. GMB national officer Justin Bowden said: “Having a lock keeper on site has saved countless lives and has done so for many years.”
GMB news release. Risks 753.
Hazards news, 4 June 2016

Britain: Fire and rescue reforms put the public at risk
The public and workers will be put at risk by planned government ‘reforms’ to fire and rescue services in England, UNISON has warned. MPs are currently considering a Police and Crime Bill, which would allow police and crime commissioners to take responsibility for fire and rescue services, among other measures.
UNISON news release. Reform news release and Theresa May’s Reform speech. Risks 753.
Hazards news, 4 June 2016

Britain: More fatalities linked to London fire cuts
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is failing to meet response time targets to more than half of all emergencies in the areas where ten fire stations were closed in 2014, new research has revealed. Firefighters’ union FBU said the news comes as it emerged there have been two more fatal fires at incidents in the capital where fires crews missed their target attendance time, making a total of eight deaths since the fire stations closed.
Lancaster University news release. FBU news release. Morning Star.
Benjamin Taylor. Spatial modelling of emergency service response times, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society), published online ahead of print, 2016. Risks 753.
Hazards news, 4 June 2016

Britain: More dangerous cuts to Scotland’s offshore sector
Job cuts in the oil sector are jeopardising safety and could mean there will be no viable North Sea oil industry within a decade, offshore unions have said. The warning came as Shell Oil cut another 475 jobs in a move Unite Scotland described as part of an industry-wide strategy to drive down terms and conditions under the cover of the oil price drop.
Unite news release. STUC news release. Risks 753.
Hazards news, 4 June 2016

USA: Report exposes brutality of slaughterhouse jobs
The meat and poultry industry in the US remains exceptionally dangerous, despite a decline in reported injuries and illnesses over the past 10 years, according to a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. The report notes that working conditions in the industry have not improved substantially since the GAO examined the industry in 2005, with under-reporting of injuries a major problem.
Additional data needed to address continued hazards in the meat and poultry industry, GAO, 2016. NELP news release. In These Times. Risks 752.
Hazards news, 4 June 2016

Britain: HSE ‘accelerates’ push for private work
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is recruiting a £100,000-a-year commercial director to greatly ‘accelerate’ its shift to more money-spinning private activities. The renewed focus on commercial activities will inevitably heighten concerns about HSE’s commitment to its inspection and regulatory functions, with an additional fear resources may be diverted from these already under-pressure activities.
HSE job alert and commercial director job description. HSE business plan 2016/17. Risks 752.
Hazards news, 4 June 2016

Britain: Lone Ladbrokes staff face horrific risks
Betting firm Ladbrokes has been accused of putting “profits before lives” after one lone worker was killed and a second was raped, the Mirror has reported. Former head of health and safety Bill Bennett, who the paper says has turned whistleblower, alleged: “Ladbrokes chose to prioritise profit over the health and safety of its employees.”
The Mirror. Risks 752.
Hazards news, 4 June 2016

Britain: BT fined for two falls on one job on one day
British Telecommunications plc has been fined after two of its employees were seriously injured in falls on the same job on the same day. CWU national safety officer Dave Joyce commented: “This is damning example of what can happen when managers fail to manage and monitor the health and safety of the workforce through careful attention to law and the company’s own health and safety standards and rules.”
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Risks 752.
Hazards news, 4 June 2016

Britain: Road worker death prompts HSE warning to HGV drivers
Lives are being put at risk because HGV drivers are not following basic safety procedures when coupling and uncoupling vehicles, the Health and Safety Executive has warned. The workplace health and safety regulator urged drivers to apply parking brakes and use or retrofit warning alarms to avoid a repeat of an incident in January 2015 when a 20-year-old road worker died.
HSE news release and guidance of vehicle coupling. Construction Enquirer. Risks 752.
Hazards news, 4 June 2016

Britain: Hero lock keeper averts another tragedy
The quick response of a resident lock keeper at Abingdon has been critical to saving lives yet again, his union GMB has said. GMB national officer Justin Bowden said: “Having a lock keeper on site has saved countless lives and has done so for many years.”
GMB news release. Risks 752.
Hazards news, 4 June 2016

Britain: Fire and rescue reforms put the public at risk
The public and workers will be put at risk by planned government ‘reforms’ to fire and rescue services in England, UNISON has warned. MPs are currently considering a Police and Crime Bill, which would allow police and crime commissioners to take responsibility for fire and rescue services, among other measures.
UNISON news release. Reform news release and Theresa May’s Reform speech. Risks 752.
Hazards news, 4 June 2016

Britain: More fatalities linked to London fire cuts
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is failing to meet response time targets to more than half of all emergencies in the areas where ten fire stations were closed in 2014, new research has revealed. Firefighters’ union FBU said the news comes as it emerged there have been two more fatal fires at incidents in the capital where fires crews missed their target attendance time, making a total of eight deaths since the fire stations closed.
Lancaster University news release. FBU news release. Morning Star.
Benjamin Taylor. Spatial modelling of emergency service response times, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society), published online ahead of print, 2016. Risks 752.
Hazards news, 4 June 2016

Britain: More dangerous cuts to Scotland’s offshore sector
Job cuts in the oil sector are jeopardising safety and could mean there will be no viable North Sea oil industry within a decade, offshore unions have said. The warning came as Shell Oil cut another 475 jobs in a move Unite Scotland described as part of an industry-wide strategy to drive down terms and conditions under the cover of the oil price drop.
Unite news release. STUC news release. Risks 752.
Hazards news, 4 June 2016

USA: Mine deaths boss now in a California prison
The boss of a deadly coal mine in West Virginia has surrendered to federal authorities at a California prison to begin serving a one-year sentence. Former Massey CEO Don Blankenship reported to the Taft federal prison north of Los Angeles, after a court flatly turned down his bid to remain free while he appeals his conviction on charges of conspiracy to violate federal mine safety standards over a more than two-year period before the April 2010 explosion that killed 29 miners.
West Virginia Gazette. Risks 752.
Hazards news, 28 May 2016

Britain: Six figure vibration fine for pipe maker
A pipe manufacturing company based in Newport has been fined for criminal safety failings after seven reported cases of vibration-related hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) or carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) occurred at the firm between April 2014 and July 2015. Newport Crown Court heard that employees of Asset International Limited used vibrating tools without proper training or practical controls to reduce vibration risk.
HSE news release and vibration disease webpages. Construction Enquirer. Risks 752.
Hazards news, 28 May 2016

Britain: Firms fined after fall from ledge
A window fitting company and the principal contractor at a construction site have been fined for criminal safety failings after a worker fell three metres while installing glazed units. Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court heard how on 4 November 2014 an employee of GFT Frames Limited (GFT) was installing glazed units in a block of flats on a construction site in Bournemouth where Parsons and Joyce Contractors Limited (P&J) was the principal contractor.
HSE news release. Risks 752.
Hazards news, 28 May 2016

Britain: Royal Mail fined after truck crushes foot
The Royal Mail Group Limited has been fined £50,000 after a worker’s foot was run over by a 4-tonne forklift truck in a warehouse. CWU said mandatory protective footwear had been ordered but hadn't been received after a mix up.
HSE news release. Risks 752.
Hazards news, 28 May 2016

Britain: Lessons must be learnt following firefighter’s death
Firefighters’ union FBU is calling for lessons to be learnt after an inquest jury concluded that Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) firefighter and FBU member Stephen Hunt, 38, died as a result of ‘unlawful killing’. Les Skarratts, FBU regional secretary in the North West, said: “There have been too many firefighter fatalities, 14 in all, from 2004 to 2013, more than double than the previous decade.”
FBU news release. Thompsons Solicitors news release. Morning Star. Manchester Evening News. Bury Times. BBC News Online. Risks 752.
Hazards news, 28 May 2016

South Africa: Gold miners can sue over deadly silicosis
Former gold miners in South Africa can go ahead with a class action against mining companies over health damage they believe was caused by exposure to silica at work, a court in Johannesburg has ruled. The high court decision paves the way for what would become the largest class action in South African history.
COSATU news release. BBC News Online. Risks 751.
Hazards news, 21 May 2016

USA: Toilet breaks blocked by chicken firms
Workers in America’s poultry plants are being routinely denied bathroom breaks, research by Oxfam America has found. Its report, ‘No relief’, is based on months of research and exposes how poultry workers are forced “to urinate and defecate while standing on the line; they wear diapers [nappies] to work; they restrict intake of liquids and fluids to dangerous degrees; they endure pain and discomfort while they worry about their health and job security.”
Oxfam America news release and report, No relief: Denial of bathroom breaks in the poultry industry, May 2015. Washington Post. Bloomberg. Fox News. Risks 751.
Hazards news, 21 May 2016

Britain: Plastics boss dodges jail for worker’s death
A plastics factory owner from Cambridgeshire has been fined and given a 15 month suspended jail term after a young worker died when she was crushed by printing machinery. Peterborough Crown Court heard how Zydre Groblyte, a 23-year-old agency worker from Lithuania, was working in a print room for Gordon Leach, who trades as RGE Engineering Company.
HSE news release and work equipment webpages. Cambridge News. Risks 751.
Hazards news, 21 May 2016

Britain: Lying businessman jailed for manslaughter
A businessman who ‘exploited’ an epileptic former soldier to work on unsafe scaffolding has been jailed for 40 months for manslaughter. Anthony Minehan, 63, refused to call an ambulance when Steven Weedon, 33, plunged from a ‘considerable distance’ and sustained serious injuries at the defendant’s home in Southport on 26 March 2014.
Liverpool Echo. ITV News. BBC News Online. Risks 751.
Hazards news, 21 May 2016

Britain: First year ever without a railworker death
For the first time since the advent of rail travel a year has passed without a railway worker losing his or her life. Mick Whelan, general secretary of train drivers’ union ASLEF, said the no fatalities precedent was “fantastic news,” adding “this safety record has been achieved with the active participation of trades unions following historic disasters on the railways.”
ORR news release. ASLEF news release. Risks 751.
Hazards news, 21 May 2016

Britain: Lorry driver lose her job after arm crushing
A delivery driver who suffered a crush injury to her hand and arm when she was struck by a lorry had to give up her job as a result. Unite member Helen Waycott was in a busy depot in Hemel Hempstead when she was injured, developing complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a debilitating condition that causes pain in areas of the body damaged by injury.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 751.
Hazards news, 21 May 2016

Britain: Community concerns over ‘deteriorating’ prison safety
The justice services trade union, Community, has called for more government action in response to a report by MPs that concluded prison safety is ‘deteriorating’. The union, which represents the majority of private sector prison officers, is calling for contractors and the government to implement a ‘Safe Operating Solutions Charter’. Community news release. House of Commons Justice Select Committee report on prison safety, 16 May 2016 and committee news release. Risks 751.
Hazards news, 21 May 2016

Britain: Nudging in the right direction – just not here
The TUC has been openly critical of the UK government’s attachment to “nudge theory”, which it believes is part-and-parcel of David Cameron’s ineffective, ideologically driven ‘anything but rules’ agenda. But the TUC says if the UK authorities want to nudge employers into safer and healthier behaviour, the US safety regulator OSHA is showing it the way to go, with a new rule that will see the accident reports of high risk firms posted on OSHA’s website.
OSHA news release and final rule. US Department of Labor blog. TUC Stronger Unions blog. AFL-CIO statement. The Pump Handle. The Guardian. Risks 751.
Hazards news, 21 May 2016

USA: Injury reporting rule gives employers a nudge
The US government’s safety regulator, OSHA, has introduced a new rule requiring employers in high-hazard industries to send OSHA the injury and illness data they are already required to collect, to be posted on the agency’s website. OSHA believes that public disclosure of work injury data will encourage employers to increase their efforts to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses.
OSHA news release and final rule. US Department of Labor blog. Risks 751.
Hazards news, 21 May 2016

USA: Nursing now one of riskiest jobs
Nursing now ranks as one of the riskiest jobs in the US, with the highest rate of non-fatal occupational injuries, the president of the American Nurses Association (ANA) has indicated. Writing in the US government’s ‘Safe Healthcare’ blog, Pamela F Cipriano said the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ figures reveal h ow “nurses face painful musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) from manually lifting and moving patients, they suffer from approximately half of all needlestick injuries, nearly 1 in 4 have been physically assaulted, and half have been bullied at work.”
CDC Safe Healthcare blog. Risks 750.
Hazards news, 14 May 2016

Britain: Frozen food giant McCain fined after arm horror
Frozen food manufacturer McCain Foods, a company reporting a pre-tax profit of nearly £64m, has been fined £800,000 for its criminal safety failings after an employee nearly lost his arm in a poorly guarded machine. Peterborough Crown Court heard how the arm of the 34-year-old employee became entangled in the machinery and was almost severed.
HSE news release and machinery safety webpages. Wisbech Standard. Risks 750
Hazards news, 14 May 2016

Britain: Balfour Beatty fined £2.6m for trench fatality
A construction giant has been fined £2.6 million after an employee was killed when the unshored trench he was working in collapsed on him. James Sim, 32, a sub-contractor working on behalf of Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions Limited and was laying ducting for new cable for an offshore windfarm that was being built off the coast at Heysham, Lancashire.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 750
Hazards news, 14 May 2016

Britain: Worker killed in ‘obviously foreseeable’ fall
A Birmingham maintenance company has been fined £100,000 after 25-year-old Edward Beggs died as a result of falling from the roof of a five-storey building. Birmingham Crown Court heard how H20 Plumbing Services Limited was contracted to carry out repairs to two motor rooms situated on the roof of a building on Hagley Road, Birmingham.
HSE news release and work at heights webpages. Risks 750
Hazards news, 14 May 2016

Norway: Helicopter tragedy is a ‘wake-up call’
The 29 April helicopter crash that killed 13 people on their way back from an oil platform off Norway’s west coast has heightened concerns over whether the industry’s deepest cost cuts in 15 years are undermining safety. While the cause of the crash of the CHC Group Ltd helicopter on Norway’s North Sea coast is still unknown, the accident is a “wake-up call,” said Leif Sande, the leader of the Industry Energy, the biggest oil union in the country.
Energy Voice. BBC News Online. The Guardian. Risks 749. Hazards news, 7 May 2016

Australia: ‘Regulatory capture’ allows return of fatal disease
A federal government inquiry into the re-emergence of work-related black lung disease in Australia has called for company doctors and government safety inspectors to be trained to avoid ‘regulatory capture’. A ‘perfect storm’ of regulatory failure, indifference from the mining industry, poor dust control and patchy health monitoring is responsible for the re-emergence of black lung disease among Queensland coalminers, the inquiry found.
Black Lung: "It has buggered my life". The Guardian. Labour Herald. CFMEU Make black lung history campaign. Risks 749.
Hazards news, 7 May 2016

Global: The price of your cup of tea
A damning report on the working and living conditions of India's tea workers has been published by the global food and farming union IUF and the Global Network for the Right to Food and Nutrition. ‘A Life without dignity - the price of your cup of tea’ is the outcome of a fact-finding mission led by the IUF and involving members of the network.
IUF news release. A Life without dignity - the price of your cup of tea, IUF, May 2016. Risks 749.
Hazards news, 7 May 2016

Britain: Dangerous demolition firm fined after tip-off
A Nottinghamshire demolition company has been fined for criminal safety failings following a call from a whistleblower to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Leicester Magistrates’ Court heard how Prodem Demolition and Asbestos Limited was removing roof tiles from a domestic property on 16 July 2015 when it was reported to the HSE for undertaking unsafe work at height.
HSE news release and demolition webpage. Risks 749.
Hazards news, 7 May 2016

Britain: Site workers return after bridge tragedy
Workers returning for duty on Scotland’s Queensferry Crossing construction job fell silent to honour a colleague killed on the site on 28 April, International Workers’ Memorial Day. John Cousins was fatally injured in an incident on the under-construction bridge over the Forth.
Unite news release. UCATT news release. Daily Record. The Courier. Morning Star. Risks 749.
Hazards news, 7 May 2016

Britain: Lawyers confirm Brexit rights threat
A new legal opinion has confirmed that workers’ employment rights are at risk if the UK votes to leave the EU. The report says that even if the UK was to remain in the single market, but outside the EU, some rights would be at risk, including working time protections, discrimination compensation, and protections for agency workers.
TUC news release. GQ Employment Law news release. Opinion by Michael Ford QC, March 2016. EU Membership and Health and Safety, TUC, April 2016. Risks 749.
Hazards news, 7 May 2016

Britain: UCATT slams ‘derisory’ HSE site inspections
A ‘shocking’ decline in the number of Health and Safety Executive (HSE) construction inspectors is leaving many potentially deadly sites ‘effectively unmonitored for safety’, UCATT has warned. It says “the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) monitoring of this gargantuan, vital and highly dangerous industry is done by a mere 132 individuals… it was 141 in 2011/12.”
UCATT news release. Risks 749.
Hazards news, 7 May 2016

Britain: Unions stand up against safety attack
Attempts by Conservative ministers and unscrupulous firms to dilute or circumvent health and safety legislation must be resisted, Unite has said. Unite regional secretary for the south east Jennie Formby, speaking on 28 April – International Workers’ Memorial Day - said: “Tory ministers driven by ideology, coupled with unscrupulous bosses trying to circumvent the regulations, are putting the lives of workers at risk.”
Unite news release. ITUC news release. HSE news release.
TUC 2016 Workers’ Memorial Day activities listing. ITUC/Hazards global events listing and resources. Risks 749.
Hazards news, 7 May 2016

Britain: Warning on dangers of changing offshore shift patterns
New offshore work patterns could make the already hazardous work more dangerous and must not be imposed on workers, a coalition of unions has warned. The Offshore Co-ordinating Group (OCG) was speaking out on the publication of its report, ‘Safety critical offshore workers in the UK oil and gas sector: Hours, shifts and schedules’, commissioned from the Scottish Centre for Employment Research (SCER) at Strathclyde University.
STUC news release. Safety Critical Offshore Workers in the UK Oil and Gas Sector: Hours, Shifts and Schedules, OCG, 2016. Risks 749.
Hazards news, 7 May 2016

Global: Seafood workers face ‘barbaric’ conditions
International union bodies have joined forces to increase pressure on seafood companies to stop the “barbaric” treatment of their workers. At a meeting coinciding with the Brussels Seafood Expo Global, which brings together more than 2,000 fish and aquaculture companies, the unions said ‘concrete measures’ must be introduced to protect workers producing seafood imported into the European Union.
ITF news release. Risks 748.
Hazards news, 30 April 2016.

Global: One worker killed every 15 seconds
The global union federation ITUC has warned negligent employers of the consequences of putting workers’ lives at risk. Commenting on the eve of International Workers’ Memorial Day on 28 April, ITUC general secretary Sharan Burrow said: “Over 2 million workers die needlessly every year because their workplaces are dusty, dirty and dangerous.”
ITUC news release. Risks 748.
Hazards news, 30 April 2016.

Britain: Two firms fined over two occupational diseases
Two Derbyshire-based construction firms have been fined for criminal safety offences as a result of separate investigations into reported cases of occupational diseases. Derby Crown Court heard how employees at Sandvik Mining and Construction Limited and Sandvik Construction Mobile Crushers and Screeners Limited were regularly exposed to hand arm vibration that led to separate reported cases of carpal tunnel syndrome and hand-arm vibration syndrome.
HSE news release. Risks 748.
Hazards news, 30 April 2016.

Britain: Explosives to be used in Didcot demolition
Explosives are to be used to demolish the remaining section of the collapsed Didcot Power Station. Four workers were killed and five injured in the collapse on 23 February, with one body recovered from the site. RWE Npower said it knew controlled explosions at the site would be distressing for the missing workers' families.
Construction Enquirer. BBC News Online. Risks 748.
Hazards news, 30 April 2016.

Britain: Explosion at car seat maker injures worker
A vehicle seat manufacturing company based in Ebbw Vale has been fined after a worker was injured from an explosion. Cwmbran Magistrates’ Court heard how an operator at Sears Manufacturing Company (Europe) Limited suffered burns to his head and hands when a highly flammable release agent used in the manufacturing process ignited, causing an explosion.
HSE news release and fire and explosion webpages. Wales Online. Risks 748.
Hazards news, 30 April 2016.

Britain: Teenage apprentice loses finger on rotary press
The owner of a Leamington Spa business that manufactures specialist adhesive tape for industrial applications has been fined after a teenage apprentice lost his finger on a rotary die press. James Fussell, trading as Tecman Speciality Materials, pleaded guilty to a criminal breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and was fined £6,000 with £1,754 costs.
HSE news release and work equipment webpages. Risks 748.
Hazards news, 30 April 2016.

Britain: Site worker seriously injured in fall through void
A construction company based in Derbyshire has been fined after a worker was seriously injured when he fell 4.5 metres through a void. Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard the injured worker, who was employed by a sub-contractor working for Bowmer and Kirkland Limited, dislodged an unsecured wooden board that had been placed over the void and exposed the opening of the two-by-one metre hole.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Risks 748.
Hazards news, 30 April 2016.

Asia: Justice call three years after factory collapse
On 24 April, workers in Bangladesh and Pakistan remembered the dead and demanded improved factory safety, and punishment to those responsible for a garment factory tragedy in Bangladesh three years ago. Affiliates of the global union federation IndustriALL formed a human chain and organised a press conference in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka to mark the anniversary.
IndustriALL news release. ITUC news release. TUC news release. Bangladesh Accord. Risks 748.
Hazards news, 30 April 2016.

Britain: Warnings as fire deaths rise sharply
Fire chiefs have joined the firefighters’ union FBU to raise concerns about the deadly impact of fire service cuts. Reacting to new official figures showing a 21 per cent rise in fire deaths over the past year, FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: “We are now witnessing the tragic results of such wrong-headed cuts to the fire and rescue service.”
FBU news release. The Guardian. Risks 748.
Hazards news, 30 April 2016.

Europe: Nautilus action call on shipping’s ‘rotten underbelly’
Seafarers’ union Nautilus has called for a further crackdown on substandard shipping in European waters following a UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report on the loss of a cement carrier and its eight crew off Scotland in January 2015. MAIB concluded that the capsize of the Cyprus-flagged Cemfjord in ‘extraordinarily violent sea conditions’ was the ‘predictable’ result of poor passage planning and commercial pressures.
Nautilus news release. MAIB news release. BBC News Online. Risks 748.
Hazards news, 30 April 2016.

Britain: Brexit could put millions at risk at work
Leaving the EU could put millions of people in the UK at increased risk of work-related injury and ill-health, a TUC report has concluded. ‘EU membership and health and safety’, published on 28 April to coincide with International Workers’ Memorial Day, finds that EU legislation has helped stop illnesses and injuries at work, and saved lives.
TUC news release and report, EU Membership and Health and Safety.
International Workers’ Memorial Day worldwide activities. Risks 748.
Hazards news, 30 April 2016.

Britain: Union warning on conditions on Shell oil platforms
Offshore workers employed by a contractor on Shell’s North Sea platforms are demanding the withdrawal of proposals to cut their terms and conditions. Unite is to meet with the Wood Group’s management team to press home offshore workers’ opposition to further cuts which it says could jeopardise safety.
Unite news release. Socialist Worker. Risks 748.
Hazards news, 30 April 2016.

Australia: Deaths expose folly of trucking safety move
A weekend that saw 18 deaths involving trucks on Australia’s roads has exposed the folly of government plans to abolish a tribunal created to lift the pressure on truckers to drive unsafely, the transport union TWU has said. TWU national secretary Tony Sheldon said: “We know that a deadly cycle is at play in transport with major retailers and manufacturers squeezing transport operators and drivers with low cost contracts to the point that our roads are not safe.”
TWU news release and safe rates campaign. Sydney Morning Herald. Risks 747.
Hazards news, 23 April 2016

Global: Tribunal attack is an ‘attack on road safety’
The Australian government’s plan to abolish the country’s Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) if re-elected is “an attack on safety”, the global transport unions’ federation ITF has said. ITF general secretary Steve Cotton stated: “To stretch belief even further this decision comes at a time when the Safe Rates model – of safe and fair pay and conditions across the transport supply chain – that was born in Australia is being studied and imitated around the world.”
ITF news release and webpage on the safe rates model. The Conversation. The Guardian. Risks 747
Hazards news, 23 April 2016

Global: Deadly LafargeHolcim must talk about safety
International trade unions have launch an online petition calling on building products giant LafargeHolcim to respect workers’ rights and improve its poor health and safety record. The unions say around 70 workers die each year toiling for LafargeHolcim, 90 per cent of whom are employed indirectly.
IndustriALL news release. BWI news release.
Send the message to LafargeHolcim’s CEO to demand now that LafargeHolcim respect workers’ rights! Risks 747
Hazards news, 23 April 2016

Global: H&M told to deliver ‘safety conscious’ fashion
Labour rights groups in Europe, Bangladesh and North America are calling on high street fashion multinational H&M to deliver a ‘safety conscious’ clothing line. The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF), and United Students Against Sweatshops are urging consumers to participate in a global day of action on 3 May, with activities running through the preceding week and spanning International Workers’ Memorial Day on 28 April.
H&M broken promises website. Clean Clothes Campaign website
Hazards news, 23 April 2016

Britain: Firm fined after forklift truck operator killed
North Yorkshire steel fabrication company Severfield (UK) Limited has been fined after a forklift truck operator was killed when the truck he was operating overturned. Teesside Crown Court heard 27-year-old Kelvin McGibbon was not wearing a seatbelt and suffered crush injuries that proved fatal.
HSE news release and forklift webpages. Construction Enquirer. ITV News. York Press. Risks 747
Hazards news, 23 April 2016

Britain: Three companies fined after two incidents
Two injuries in three months at the Haverhill site of the Jan Cavelle Furniture Company have led to the firm and two safety consultancies being fined for criminal health and safety failings. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incidents which occurred on 28 February 2014 and 2 June 2014 found that both were the result of unsafe working practices.
HSE news release and lifting operations webpages. Risks 747
Hazards news, 23 April 2016

Britain: HSE finds dangerous pit behind front door
A London construction company has been fined after inspectors found a deep unprotected pit had been excavated immediately behind the only entrance to a site.  Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard how RS Construction UK (London) Limited was working at a site when a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector found there was an excavation directly behind the front door, which was the only way in or out of the site.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 747
Hazards news, 23 April 2016

Britain: Dangerous school closures a ‘national scandal’
The closure of 17 Edinburgh schools because of serious safety concerns makes a review of public private partnerships (PPP) and private finance initiative (PFI) projects unavoidable, the union Unite has said. The action at the 10-year-old schools was prompted after workers attending to structural issues at one Edinburgh primary found “further serious defects.”
Unite news release. EIS news release. Morning Star. Risks 747
Hazards news, 23 April 2016

USA: Judgment day for reckless executives
On 6 April, a US Federal District Court judge, Irene C Berger, sentenced Donald L Blankenship, a former chief executive of the Massey Energy Company once known as the “King of Coal,” to one year in jail, with imprisonment to begin regardless of a pending appeal, and payment of a $250,000 fine. Rena Steinzor, a professor in the school of law at the University of Maryland, said the judge’s decision “sets a remarkable precedent: The first CEO ever to be convicted of conspiring to violate industrial safety standards will soon take his place in prison.”
New York Times op-ed by Rena Steinzor and related news report. The Pump Handle. Risks 746
Hazards news, 16 April 2016

Australia: Outrage at plan to axe road safety watchdog
The Australian Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) has condemned an announcement by the country’s premier, Malcolm Turnbull, that he intends to abolish the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal brought in to ensure truckers receive “safe rates” for their work in the notoriously deadly industry. “Malcolm Turnbull is defunding and abolishing independent judicial investigations into holding banks, oil companies, retailers, manufacturers and ports and wharves to account for unsafe, economic pressure on their transport supply chains,” said TWU national secretary Tony Sheldon.
TWU news release. The Guardian. Risks 746
Hazards news, 16 April 2016

Britain: Contractor jailed over trench death
A self-employed contractor has been jailed after employee Hywel Glyndwr Richards, 54, was killed when the trench he was working in collapsed. William Ryan was found guilty at Swansea Crown Court of a criminal safety breach and given a six month custodial sentence.
HSE news release and excavation webpages. Risks 746
Hazards news, 16 April 2016

Global: BP gets tax windfall after deadly blast settlement
In the six years since BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster killed 11 workers and poured millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, there has been a clamour for justice. But the 4 April historic $20 billion (£14bn) settlement against the oil giant has not turned out to be the harsh punishment many hoped for - the settlement's terms are so generous to the UK-based multinational that it amounts to a tax break worth billions.
US PIRG statement. Common Dreams. Forbes. International Business Times. The Guardian. Wall Street Journal. Risks 746
Hazards news, 16 April 2016

Britain: Private eye tracks down dangerous demolition firm
A dangerous demolition contractor the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had to track down using a private detective has been given a suspended jail term. Scot Ian Richardson trading as Aztec Demolition was found guilty of a series of criminal health and safety offences, given a four month suspended jail term and 200 hours community service and ordered to pay costs of £1,200.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 746
Hazards news, 16 April 2016

Britain: Worker suffers chemical burns at electropolishing firm
An electropolishing company based in Hampshire has been fined after a worker suffered chemical burns. Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court heard how Keith Brown, a 51-year-old worker at Poligrat (UK) Limited, was told by his manager to dispose of waste cleaning chemicals at their Aldershot site.
HSE news release and COSHH toolbox. Risks 746
Hazards news, 16 April 2016

Britain: Concern over recovery of missing Didcot workers
Unite has expressed ‘increasing concern’ over the time it is taking to locate and recover the bodies of three missing men following the collapse of Didcot power station on 23 February. The union said members across the industry were questioning whether the recovery team has had enough resources to complete the recovery in a safe and timely manner.
Unite news release. Risks 746
Hazards news, 16 April 2016

Britain: Six years in jail for building boss after fatal fall
Construction boss Allan Thomson has been jailed for six years after being convicted of gross negligence manslaughter. Two of his employees fell through a roof they were repairing in separate incidents on the same day, with the man who died, 42-year-old Scott Harrower, having also survived a near miss the previous day.
GMP news release. Construction Enquirer. Littleborough Local. Rochdale Online. Risks 746
Hazards news, 16 April 2016

New Zealand: Meat giant Talleys ‘more dangerous than ever’
Unions have obtained the full accident records of the New Zealand meat processor Talleys/AFFCO group of companies, and say the records show a further increase over the previous year's ‘horrific’ number of workers maimed and injured at the workplace.  Workers’ compensation claims for injury at work were paid to 1,773 workers throughout the Talleys Group of Companies in 2015, an increase of 220 workers from 2014.
IUF news release. Risks 745.
Hazards news, 9 April 2016

Bangladesh: Worker dies, guards fire on protesters
Seven people, including a 16-year-old boy, were injured after guards at a shipbreaking company in Bangladesh opened fire on people protesting against the death of a worker. Mohammad Sumon was killed instantly when a truck transporting scrap steel from the Kabir Steel yard in Chittagong, ran him over on the morning on 28 March 2016.
IndustriALL news release. Risks 745.
Hazards news, 9 April 2016

Global: Tell FIFA to stop World Cup exploitation
Amnesty International has exposed exploitation of migrant workers building the Khalifa International Stadium, a ground slated to host a football World Cup semi-final in 2022. ‘The ugly side of the beautiful game’, a report from the human rights organisation, says that despite promising to improve protections, Qatar has failed to adequately reform its exploitative migrant labour system.
Amnesty news release, report and online action call on FIFA and its sponsors to take a tougher line in making Qatar act now. TUC Stronger Unions blog. GMB news release. Risks 745.
Hazards news, 9 April 2016

Britain: 'Never again' say FBU, as firefighter inquest opens
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has said the needless deaths of firefighters in the line of duty has to stop. The union was speaking out on 4 April, as the inquest into the death of Manchester firefighter Stephen Hunt opened. Stephen, who was based at Philips Park fire station in Manchester, was killed fighting a fire in Manchester city centre on 13 July 2013.
FBU news release. Risks 745.
Hazards news, 9 April 2016

Britain: HSE to be half the watchdog it used to be
The UK’s health and safety watchdog is not the regulator, enforcer or guide it used to be – and things could be about to get a lot worse, the TUC has warned. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said: “In 2009/10, before the coalition government came to power, the HSE received £231 million from the government,” but added: “In 2019/20 it will receive £123 million.”
TUC Stronger Unions blog. HSE business plan 2016/17 and Helping Great Britain work well strategy. Risks 745.
Hazards news, 9 April 2016

Britain: Safety laws could be at risk from Brexit
Years of uncertainty for workers and employers could be the result of a UK vote to leave the European Union, a top labour law expert has warned. The independent legal opinion, commissioned by the TUC from Michael Ford QC of Old Square Chambers, notes that rights that would be most at risk of being diluted or scrapped after Brexit are health and safety protections.
TUC news release and independent legal opinion. Risks 745.
Hazards news, 9 April 2016

Britain: New scandal hits site safety tests
A new scandal has hit a safety competence scheme in the construction sector. The Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) is relied on by contractors to prove that operators are qualified to drive machines including excavators and dumper trucks, but trade magazine Construction Enquirer has discovered candidates can now simply buy the answers to the key CPCS theory test online for less than £10. Construction Enquirer. Risks 744.
Hazards news, 2 April 2016

Britain: Syngenta fined £200,000 for toxic pesticide release
Chemical giant Syngenta has been fined £200,000 after tonnes of a potentially deadly weedkiller was released from a defective vessel at its Huddersfield plant. Kevin Slack, prosecuting, said when a worker moved a handle he was immediately sprayed with paraquat dichloride (PDC) on his face and upper body - he told the court ingesting one or two teaspoons of paraquat dichloride could be fatal.
HSE news release. The Examiner. Risks 744.
Hazards news, 2 April 2016

Britain: Firm fined 10 years after deadly crane collapse
Falcon Crane Hire has been fined £750,000 following a south London crane collapse that killed the driver and a member of the public nearly 10 years ago. Charges against 71-year-old Douglas Genge, managing director of Falcon Crane Hire Limited, were dropped in February.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. London Evening Standard. Risks 744.
Hazards news, 2 April 2016

Global: International Workers Memorial Day, 28 April
Health and safety should be a priority every day, in every workplace. But on 28 April unions and safety campaigners ensure the wider public, regulators and policy makers hear clearly that ‘Strong laws, strong enforcement and strong unions’ are the key to keeping workplaces safe and healthy year round, every year.
TUC news release. TUC 2016 Workers’ Memorial Day activities listing. Add your 28 April event to the TUC . For tweeters, use the #iwmd16  
ITUC/Hazards global events listing and resources. For Workers’ Memorial Day resources including ribbons and car stickers, contact the Greater Manchester Hazards Centre by email or phone 0161 636 7557. Risks 744.
Hazards news, 2 April 2016

Canada: Union says 2016 is ‘the year of safety’Canada’s public sector union CUPE has designated 2016 the ‘Year of Health and Safety’. Launching the initiative, CUPE national president Mark Hancock said: “CUPE is renewing our commitment to achieving safer workplaces – for our members and for all workers, in Canada and around the globe.”
CUPE news release and Year of Health and Safety webpages. Risks 744.
Hazards news, 2 April 2016

Global: On silica, US does what HSE says can’t be done
The US government has gone where the UK had refused to go, introducing new rules to sharply reduce workplace exposures to silica. The 24 March 2016 move by the US Labor Department means the US will halve the occupational exposure standard from the level it currently shares with the UK, 0.1mg/m3, to 0.05mg/m3 - HSE has argued the lower level now being introduced in the US is neither achievable nor practically measurable, issues raised in extensive US government hearings on the draft standard and dismissed comprehensively over two years ago.
Department of Labor news release and US final silica rule website. Finalised rule on the Federal Register. National COSH statement. APHA statement. NELP statement. Public Citizen news release. New York Times. National Public Radio. Risks 744.
Hazards news, 2 April 2016

Britain: EU has been good for you at work
European Union regulations work and have made a “substantial” contribution to the health and safety of the UK workforce, a TUC briefing has concluded. Arguing the UK should be part of a revitalised “European process”, ‘Health and safety: What Brexit would mean’ notes it is ‘certainly likely’ the protection this has delivered could be undermined if the UK was to leave the EU.
TUC report and pdf version, Health and safety: What Brexit would mean. TUC briefing on issues around the EU referendum. Risks 744.
Hazards news, 2 April 2016

Britain: Government imposes profits before safety rule
The government is instructing its safety regulator to put company profits before safety, the construction union UCATT has charged.  UCATT says the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) “is being told by the Tory government to prioritise company profits over the health and safety of construction workers” and points to an “immoral and venal” revised Enforcement Policy Statement (EPS) presenting to the March 2016 meeting of HSE’s board.
UCATT news release. HSE paper on the EPS changes and the revised EPS. Risks 744.
Hazards news, 2 April 2016

Britain: UCATT to meet minister over ‘failure’ HSE
Construction union UCATT has secured a meeting with the government safety minister after raising concerns about a “malaise” at the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE), whose performance is “just not good enough.” The commitment from the minister came after the Labour MP for Jarrow, Stephen Hepburn, secured a 23 March parliamentary debate on “the alarmingly low number of prosecutions” following a construction fatality.
UCATT news release. Hansard, 23 March 2016. Risks 744.
Hazards news, 2 April 2016

Britain: RMT calls for Night Tube safety assurances
London Underground union RMT called for reassurances on the Night Tube safety case, as a summer start date for the ‎project was announced. The union said it ‎has yet to see a full safety case, despite plans for services to come into operation from July or August.
RMT news release. London Evening Standard. TFL Night Tube webpages. Risks 744.
Hazards news, 2 April 2016

Britain: Ashley called to account for Sports Direct abuses
A showdown is brewing between billionaire Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley, and MPs investigating mistreatment of workers in his sportswear empire. The House of Commons business (BIS) select committee has been trying to arrange a date for Ashley to give evidence on allegations of widespread abuses at the firm but, reports Unite regional officer Luke Primarolo, Ashley hasn’t been co-operative, so the committee has taken the unusual step of formally summonsing him to appear on 7 June.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Unite Sports Direct campaign. Risks 744.
Hazards news, 2 April 2016

Britain: Nudge theory isn’t evidence-based or the best option
The ‘nudge’ theory embraced by the government in a bid to change the population’s behaviour by stealth isn’t evidence-based and isn’t a satisfactory alternative to proper rights and properly enforced legislation, the TUC has warned. The union body was responding to a leader in New Scientist magazine that noted: “Nudge is an example of what is possible when you apply science to policymaking,” but cautioned “the well-intentioned politicians who want to use them should always remember: never let nudge turn to shove.”
New Scientist leader, 12 March 2016 and Hugh Robertson’s response, New Scientist, 2 April 2016. Behavioural Insights Team. Risks 744.
Hazards news, 2 April 2016

India: Unilever settles with poisoned workers
A 15-year struggle to secure compensation for hundreds of mercury poisoned former employees of Hindustan Unilever in India has ended in victory. The settlement between the company, part of the UK-headquartered multinational Unilever, and 591 former mercury workers from its thermometer factory in Kodaikanal was described by activists as an ‘unprecedented victory’ in a campaign that has attracted international support.
Hindustan Unilever news release. Kodaikanal campaign news release. Risks 743.
Hazards news, 19 March 2016

Korea: Winter Olympics workers at risk
At least two chronically overworked workers have died at construction sites for the Winter Olympic Games to be held in 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea. “This is not a good start to ensuring that Sochi, Russia is not repeated in Pyeongchang,” said Ambet Yuson, general secretary of global construction union federation BWI.
BWI news release Risks 743
Hazards news, 19 March 2016

Japan: Fukushima’s desperate 'decontamination troops'
The ashes of half a dozen unidentified labourers ended up at a Buddhist temple in a town just north of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. They were simply labelled ‘decontamination troops’, employed in Japan's massive clean-up campaign to make Fukushima liveable again five years after the area was contaminated with radiation. Japan Times. ABC News. Greenpeace news release. WHO ‘five years on’ questions and answers. Risks 743
Hazards news, 19 March 2016

Britain: Under threat Tube staff saved woman’s life
Staff cuts on the London Underground system are putting lives at risk, a rail union has warned after investigators confirmed that a woman dragged along a platform was only saved by the intervention of under-threat ‘safety critical’ Tube workers. Rail union RMT said the loss of “nearly 1,000 safety-critical station staff” has damaged the ability of staff to prevent fatalities — and hit out at Tube bosses for floating the idea of driverless trains.
RAIB news release. Morning Star. Risks 743
Hazards news, 19 March 2016

Global: Industry funded studies deliver dangerously biased results
Occupational and environmental health studies with industry funding are more than four times as likely to report negative results, an analysis of hundreds of scientific papers has found. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health also identified a ‘dose-response’ effect, meaning the greater the industry backing the greater the likelihood the study would find nothing to worry about.
Lee Friedman and Michael Friedman. Financial Conflicts of Interest and Study Results in Environmental and Occupational Health Research, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 58, issue 3, pages 238–247, March 2016 [abstract]. Risks 743
Hazards news, 19 March 2016

Britain: Britain’s big role in promoting asbestos
UK-based scientists are playing a prominent role in promoting the continued use of asbestos around the world, according to a new investigative report. ‘Friendly fibre?’ notes that Britain has is home to some of the industry’s more turned-to experts, who have shown a ‘remarkable willingness’ to defend chrysotile, the most common and last remaining form of asbestos in commercial use.
Friendly fibre? How the asbestos industry turns to British scientists, Hazards, number 133, March 2016. Risks 743
Hazards news, 19 March 2016
Construction union UCATT has condemned the ‘shocking and inordinate’ amount of time it takes to secure a criminal conviction following the workplace death of a British construction worker. It says latest official figures show that it takes 1,267 days - almost three-and-a-half years - for a firm responsible for the death of a construction worker to be convicted.
UCATT news release. Risks 743
Hazards news, 19 March 2016

Britain: Helicopter tragedy must spur more improvements
Unions have said lessons from the 2013 North Sea helicopter crash that claimed four lives must lead to further safety improvements. The unions were commenting on the publication of the final Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report into the incident where a CHC Super Puma plunged into the sea on its approach to Sumburgh in August 2013.
BALPA news release. AAIB report. BBC News Online. Risks 743
Hazards news, 19 March 2016

Britain: Pilots call for an end to mental health stigma
UK pilots’ union BALPA has said pilots must not be discouraged from revealing any mental health problems as this could lead to more incidents like the March 2015 Germanwings crash that killed all 150 people onboard. The union was commenting on the publication of the final report by the French crash investigation agency, the Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA), which found that neither Germanwings or its parent company Lufthansa could have done anything to stop Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot who crashed the passenger plane into the Alps.
BALPA news release. IFALPA statement. The Guardian. BBC News Online. Risks 743
Hazards news, 19 March 2016

USA: Uranium workers dying of neglect
The towns of Grants and Church Rock in New Mexico were ground zero for US uranium mining from the mid-1950s until the early 1980s. But years, sometimes decades, after labouring in the mines and mills, workers developed the hallmark diseases associated with uranium exposure.
In These Times. Risks 742.
Hazards news, 12 March 2016

New Zealand: Meat firm fined, then dismisses workers
The District Court in New Zealand has ruled that Talleys/AFFCO – a meat giant the global union federation IUF describes as a “serial rights abuser” - failed to meet its statutory obligations to provide a safe workplace. The court ruling came after an experienced night cleaner was impaled through the head by a meat hook and dragged along the line at the company's Rangiuru plant.
IUF news report. New Zealand Herald. Risks 742.
Hazards news, 12 March 2016

Britain: Nuclear sub workers exposed to radiation
Twenty workers at the Faslane nuclear submarine base were exposed to radiation in breach of safety rules, according to an investigation by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). A series of radiation blunders on Trident submarines docked at the Clyde naval port has been revealed in heavily redacted MoD documents obtained by the Nuclear Information Service, a campaign group opposed to nuclear weapons.
The Ferret. BBC News Online. Risks 742.
Hazards news, 12 March 2016

Britain: HSE criticised for occupational hygiene stance
The Health and Safety Executive’s developing approach to occupational hygiene – the measurement of exposures to chemicals, dust and other exposures at work – has come in for scathing criticism. Hans Kromhout, based at Utrecht University’s Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, said he was ‘amazed’ to hear an HSE presentation on ‘hygiene without numbers’, noting:  “‘Hygiene Without Numbers’ comes with a price and we all know who will have to pick up the bill.”
Hans Kromhout. Commentary: Hygiene without numbers, Annals of Occupational Hygiene, published online ahead of print, 2016. doi:10.1093/annhyg/mev096 Risks 742.
Hazards news, 12 March 2016

Britain: Firm fined £120,000 after coal depot tragedy
A Motherwell firm has been fined for criminal safety offences after long-serving depot supervisor Margaret Corcoran, 66, was knocked down and killed by a truck at its Mossend coal depot. Investigators found Fergusson Distribution had no system in place to separate pedestrians and vehicles while staff “routinely” went into the yard where the tragedy occurred.
Motherwell Times. Risks 742.
Hazards news, 12 March 2016

Britain: Ten year wait for justice after son’s death
A mother whose son was killed in a crane collapse in Battersea, south London, has spoken of her agonising wait for justice after a trial date was set for 10 years after the tragedy occurred. Michael Alexa, 23, and Jonathan Cloke, 37, both died when a crane collapsed at a Barratt Homes development on 26 September 2006.
Wandsworth Guardian. Risks 742.
Hazards news, 12 March 2016

Britain: Aldi fined for smoke shelter blunder
Retail chain Aldi has been fined £100,000 for criminal health and safety offences after an unsecured smoking shelter was blown into a group of employees on a break. One employee was injured in the incident in October 2014 at the Aldi Stores Distribution Centre in Darlington.
Environmental Health News (EHN). Risks 742.
Hazards news, 12 March 2016

Britain: Big drop in HSE site inspections
There has been a dramatic decline in the number of inspections the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) undertakes on construction sites, the union UCATT has revealed.
The union said its Freedom of Information request had discovered the total number of HSE construction site inspections had fallen from 10,577 in 2012/13 to 9,656 in 2014/15, a reduction of 8.7 per cent.
UCATT news release. The Herald. Construction Enquirer. HSE strategy webpages. Risks 742.
Hazards news, 12 March 2016

Britain: Health and safety leaves your branch stronger
International Workers’ Memorial Day is the ‘perfect chance’ to reinvigorate union health and safety work – and possibly your union branch with it, the public sector union UNISON has said. Encouraging its safety reps to get active around the 28 April event, the union cites the example of its Pembrokeshire County branch, which used UNISON safety campaign materials to up the profile of the issue and in the process recruited 16 more health and safety reps, a new branch health and safety officer and saw safety reps planning more inspections and local health and safety training.
UNISON news report. TUC 2016 Workers’ Memorial Day activities listing. Add your 28 April event to the TUC . For tweeters, use the #iwmd16  
ITUC/Hazards global events listing. For Workers’ Memorial Day resources including ribbons and car stickers, contact the Greater Manchester Hazards Centre by email or phone 0161 636 7557 Risks 742.
Hazards news, 12 March 2016

Russia: Mine tragedy kills 36 workers
Explosions in a Russian coal mine have killed 36 workers, including rescue personnel. On 25 February, two explosions at the Severnaya coalmine in Vorkuta, believed to have been caused by methane gas, rocked the mine leaving four dead and 26 missing, and a further explosion on 28 February killed six rescue workers.
IndustriALL news report. Tass news agency. ABC News. Risks 741.
Hazards news, 5 March 2016

Europe: Better regulation – no, it really isn’t
A union campaign exploding the dangerous flaws in the ‘better regulation’ strategy in operation in Europe has been launched. The campaign slogan adopted by UNI Europa, the European services workers’ union, is ‘Better regulation – It really isn’t.’
UNI Europe news release and Better regulation – It really isn’t campaign. Risks 741
Hazards news, 5 March 2016

Britain: HSE strategy document out
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published its safety strategy for the next five years. The document, which repeats the same ‘six strategy themes’ announced in December 2015 ahead of the series of seven HSE ‘conversations’ around the country, does not include details of any concrete policy initiatives, targets or outcome measures. Helping Britain Work Well 2016, HSE strategy document, February 2016. Risks 741
Hazards news, 5 March 2016

Britain: Waste firm fined £200,000 after worker tragedy
Derbyshire waste firm Rainbow Waste Management Limited has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a worker was crushed by the bucket of a motorised loading shovel. On 7 June 2013, Ashley Morris, known as Will, sustained fatal injuries to his head and spine when the bucket of the loading shovel he was operating crushed him.
HSE news release and transport checklist. Derby Telegraph. Risks 741
Hazards news, 5 March 2016

Britain: MoD gets ticking off over squaddie training deaths
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to receive a formal reprimand over the deaths of three soldiers on a training exercise in the Brecon Beacons in July 2013. A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found a failure to plan, assess and manage risks associated with climatic illness during the training, this resulting in the deaths of the three men and heat illness suffered by 10 other on the training march.
HSE news release. Risks 741
Hazards news, 5 March 2016

Britain: Four believed dead in power station tragedy
A worker has been killed in a building collapse at Didcot power station and three others are “highly unlikely” to be found alive, Thames Valley Police has said. The Birmingham-based Coleman Group was awarded the contract to dismantle the Didcot A coal and gas-fired station, which collapsed while its workers were preparing the structure for demolition.
Thames Valley Police update. UCATT news release. HSE statement. Morning Star. The Guardian. Construction Enquirer. Coleman Group news release. Risks 741
Hazards news, 5 March 2016

Britain: Supreme Court ‘landmark’ case on prison work
The Supreme Court has backed a prison employee’s right to claim damages from the Ministry of Justice after she was seriously injured when an inmate dropped a 25kg bag of rice on her. The landmark case, brought by the prison officers’ union POA, will change the legal definition of ‘employee’ and the law around vicarious liability.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 741
Hazards news, 5 March 2016

Britain: Brexit could put safety rights at risk
The TUC has warned that workplace employment and safety rights underpinned by EU rules would be at risk if the UK votes to leave in the June referendum. ‘UK employment rights and the EU’ says decisions on which rights to keep – and which to amend or drop altogether – would be left to the government as it reviewed all UK laws linked to the EU.
TUC news release and full report, UK Employment Rights and the EU: an assessment of the impact of membership of the European Union on employment rights in the UK. TUC Stronger Unions blog. The Herald. Risks 741
Hazards news, 5 March 2016

Egypt: Call for justice for murdered researcher
Unions, the Italian government and human rights advocates have called for justice for Giulio Regeni, a 28-year-old Cambridge university postgraduate student tortured and brutally murdered in Cairo. Global union confederation ITUC said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi must ensure there is a full investigation.
ITUC news release. Education International news release. NUJ news release. Sign up to the Labourstart campaign for justice for Giulio Regeni. Egyptian Streets. Risks 740.
Hazards news, 27 February 2016

USA: Ford spent $40m to influence asbestos science
Ford Motor Company spent $40 million on scientific studies designed to cast doubt on the link between asbestos brake linings and cancers including mesothelioma, an investigation has found. The probe by the Washington DC-based Center for Public Accountability said:“All told, testimony shows, Ford has spent nearly $40 million funding journal articles and expert testimony concluding there is no evidence brake mechanics are at increased risk of developing mesothelioma.”
CPI investigative report. Risks 740.
Hazards news, 27 February 2016

Britain: Teenage farm worker drowned in grain
A Scottish farm has been sentenced after a teenager worker was killed while trying to clear a blockage in a grain bin. Jedburgh Sheriff Court heard how Zach Dean Fox, 19, was working for Seamore Farming at their premises at Deanfoot farm in Hawick.
HSE news release and grain silos guidance. Risks 740
Hazards news, 27 February 2016

Britain: Company ignored HSE improvement notices
A London based company that fabricates structural steel products ignoring official safety notices demanding improved practices. Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard how William Fry Fabrications Limited failed to thoroughly examine two cranes used by the company, despite receiving both improvement and prohibition notices on this issue for its cranes in 2011.
HSE news release. Risks 740
Hazards news, 27 February 2016

Britain: Bed firm boss jailed over 'slave workforce'
A factory owner who ran his bed-making business on a “slave workforce” of men paid as little £10 a day has been jailed for two years and three months. Mohammed Rafiq, 60, employed large numbers of Hungarians at his firm Kozee Sleep and its subsidiary Layzee Sleep, which supplied retailers like John Lewis, Next and Dunelm Mill – but their ethical audits failed to spot what was going on.
West Yorkshire Police news release. BBC News Online. Risks 739.
Hazards news, 20 February 2016

Britain: Director convicted of explosives crime
Bryan Peacock, the director of a Shrewsbury company, has been convicted of a criminal safety offence after a 45 gallon steel drum that previously contained flammable liquid caught fire and exploded while being cut in half. Shrewsbury Magistrates’ Court heard how an employee of SPEL Products had reported the incident, and indicated this particular method of work had been in operation for a significant period of time, and that previous incidents had occurred.
HSE news release. Risks 739.
Hazards news, 20 February 2016

Britain: Star Wars to feel the force of law
A Star Wars production company is to be prosecuted over an injury to Harrison Ford during the filming of The Force Awakens, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced. Ford, reprising his role as Han Solo in the latest episode of the space blockbuster, was hurt by a hydraulic metal door of the Millennium Falcon during an on-set accident in June 2014 at Pinewood Studios near London.
HSE news release. BBC News Online. The Guardian. Risks 739.
Hazards news, 20 February 2016

Ireland: Death threats against journalists condemned
The Irish prime minister Enda Kenny and the media union NUJ have condemned the threats made against a number of journalists in the Republic of Ireland. The threats follow two killings in a gangland feud in Dublin.
BBC News Online. Risks 739.
Hazards news, 20 February 2016

Global: Fyffes accused of plantation abuses
Irish banana giant Fyffes has been accused of having “no respect” for workers’ rights, amid allegations that staff on Central American fruit plantations are being serially mistreated. The UK union GMB has called for Fyffes to be thrown out of the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI), which promotes labour rights, over reports of abuses including chemical poisonings by Fyffes subsidiaries in Costa Rica and Honduras.
GMB news release. ETI response. Banana Link news report. The Guardian. Risks 739.
Hazards news, 20 February 2016

USA: How to bury occupational brain cancers
A chemical giant responded to unexpectedly high numbers of brain tumours at one of its US plants by launching a flawed study to obscure the extent of the problem, the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) has found. The CPI investigation, the latest in its ‘Science for sale’ series, examined the cancer cluster affected workers at the sprawling Union Carbide plant in Texas City but found the company’s researchers counted only one of the 23 brain tumour deaths at the plant in an influential study.
CPI investigative report. Work Cancer Hazards blog. Risks 739.
Hazards news, 20 February 2016

Britain: Higher fines should spur safety improvements
New sentencing guidelines recommending much higher fines on firms that break health and safety laws should increase the pressure on unsafe employers ‘to clean up their act’, the TUC has said. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said to make the system work better, there should also be more resources for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), to cover the costs of bringing more cases to court.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 739.
Hazards news, 20 February 2016

Britain: Supreme Court win on protective equipment
Employers face having to provide protective footwear for staff following a landmark court ruling involving a care worker who slipped on ice at work. GMB member Tracey Kennedy fell and injured her wrist as she made her way to the home of a housebound woman in the Crookston area of Glasgow in the harsh winter of December 2010.
GMB Scotland news release. Video recording of the Supreme Court ruling. Digby Brown Solicitors news release. The Herald. STV News. Risks 739.
Hazards news, 20 February 2016

Britain: Lasers are ‘offensive weapons’ says pilots’ union
Lasers should be classed as ‘offensive weapons’ and banned in the UK, the pilots’ union BALPA has said. The union was speaking out after a New York-bound plane was forced to turn back to London Heathrow Airport after a laser beam hit the cockpit after take off, causing a ‘medical issue’ for one of the pilots
BALPA news release. The Telegraph. The Guardian. BBC News Online. Risks 739.
Hazards news, 20 February 2016

Train drivers also at risk from lasers
Rail union RMT has warned that the risks from illegally wielded lasers are a threat to rail as well as aircraft safety. The union said any review in the wake of the Virgin Atlantic incident must include the impact of the ready availability of high-powered lasers on the wider transport industry.
RMT news release. Risks 739.
Hazards news, 20 February 2016

Pakistan: Union roadmap to improve brick kiln conditions
A detailed roadmap for local agencies to address bonded labour and unsafe working conditions in Pakistan’s brick kilns has been created with the assistance of the US union organisation the Solidarity Center. The proposed programme includes incentives for employers to ensure their facilities meet decent work standards.
Solidarity Center news report. Risks 738.
Hazards news, 13 February 2016

USA: ‘Rented’ scientists defend toxic chemicals
‘Rented white coats’ – scientists in the pay of vested interests – are defending toxic chemicals with horrific consequences for the workers these substances make ill. A ‘Science for sale’ investigation by the Washington DC based Center for Public Integrity (CPI) found industry-backed research has exploded “as government-funded science dwindles. Its effects are felt not only in courtrooms but also in regulatory agencies that issue rules to try to prevent disease.”
CPI investigative report. Risks 738.
Hazards news, 13 February 2016

USA: E-recyclers take lead home to the kids
In 2009, when Anthony Harrell accepted a $10-an-hour job at an electronics scrap recycling facility in Cincinnati, he was happy to have found work that he liked and that would let him provide for his wife and two children. But Harrell didn’t know that when he went home his kids would inadvertently come in contact with the lead contaminating his hair, skin and clothes, suffering lead related mental problems as a result. Huffington Post. Risks 738.
Hazards news, 13 February 2016

Britain: Fuel giant fined £3m over offshore leaks
One of the world’s largest oil and gas exploration and production companies has been fined £3 million after gas leaks on a platform off the Lincolnshire coast put workers’ lives in danger. ConocoPhillips (UK) Limited admitted serious criminal safety failings in Lincoln Crown Court after two uncontrolled and one controlled but unexpected gas release, which occurred on the Lincolnshire Offshore Gas Gathering System (LOGGS) between 30 November and 1 December 2012.
HSE news release and guidance on risk assessment for offshore installations. Grimsby Telegraph. Risks 738.
Hazards news, 13 February 2016

Britain: Exploding cylinder killed recycling worker
A scrap metal recycling company based in Sheffield has been fined for criminal safety failings after a worker was killed when he was hit in the head by an exploding gas cylinder. Sheffield Crown Court heard how Tony Johnson, aged 55, was working at the Walter Heselwood Ltd recycling site on 16 June 2009 when a pressurised gas cylinder was put through a shearing machine, causing it to explode.
HSE news release and waste and recycling webpages. Risks 738.
Hazards news, 13 February 2016

Britain: Window firm ignored safety warnings
A company that manufactures and installs windows has been fined after carrying out work in the West End of London with no measures to prevent workers falling eight metres. The lack of safety measures by Ideal Glazing (Euro) Ltd allowed part of a window to drop onto the pavement below.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 738.
Hazards news, 13 February 2016

Britain: Six figure fine after track worker is injured
Engineering company Babcock Rail Limited has been fined £400,000 for a criminal safety breach which led to a rail worker suffering serious injuries while renewing rail track in Flintshire, north-east Wales. Lee Woolly was helping to replace a line at Hope Railway Station when the incident happened in March 2013.
ORR news release. BBC News Online. Construction Enquirer. Risks 738.
Hazards news, 13 February 2016

Britain: Chemical giant fined for dangerous gas release
Multinational chemical producer, Solvay Solutions UK Limited, has been fined after a dangerous gas was released to the atmosphere causing disruption to the M5 and thousands of homes nearby. Warley Magistrates’ Court heard how the uncontrolled release put both employees and members of the public at risk.
HSE news release and COSHH webpages. Risks 738.
Hazards news, 13 February 2016

Britain: Salad firm fined over lost finger tips
A company that grows and packages salad has been fined after an employee lost the tips of two fingers in a dangerously modified bagging machine. Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court heard how the operator had reached under the guard to pull film through the machine at Vitacress Salads Limited.
HSE news release and packaging machinery webpage. Risks 738.
Hazards news, 13 February 2016

Britain: Tube maintenance workers in safety action
Maintenance workers on London Underground (LU) are planning a series of 12-hour and 24-hour strikes in a dispute over safety. Rail union RMT said seven separate strikes are planned up to June over what it calls “lethal changes to track access.”
RMT news release. Evening Standard. BBC News Online. Risks 738.
Hazards news, 13 February 2016

New Zealand: Deadly abuses continue at meat plant
Global foodworkers’ union federation IUF is seeking support in its campaign for a respect for safety and labour rights at meat processing company Talley’s/AFFCO. IUF says “Talley’s/AFFCO is a serial rights abuser,” adding: This employer with a horrific record of workplace accidents has fired union health and safety representatives for meeting with their members and locked out 200 workers at the company's Wairoa meat plant to force them to abandon collective bargaining and accept individual contracts.”
IUF alert. Sign the letter to Talley’s: Lockout, dismissals, intimidation - serial rights abuses by New Zealand meat company Talleys/AFFCO. Risks 737
Hazards news, 6 February 2016

Qatar: World Cup dream is a nightmare for workers
A union investigation has confirmed the migrant workers toiling to get Qatar ready for the 2022 World Cup are still facing overcrowded, squalid accommodation and deadly working conditions. Unite general secretary Len McCluskey was part of delegation that made a secret, after-dark trip to a labour camp in Al Khor, north of the capital Doha, to see the conditions and speak to the workers.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. TUC Playfair Qatar campaign. The Mirror.
ITUC multi-media investigation: Qatar Exposed and full report: Qatar: Profit and loss. Counting the cost of modern day slavery in Qatar: What price freedom? Risks 737
Hazards news, 6 February 2016

Britain: Port firm fined after crushing death
Clydeport Operations Limited has been fined for criminal safety failings after 22-year-old maintenance engineer Craig Logan suffered fatal crush injuries on a faulty crane at its Hunterston Coal Terminal site in Ayrshire. The company was aware of the problem with the crane, whose cab had repeatedly become stuck along the boom, but over an eight month period had failed to fix it.
HSE news release. Risks 737
Hazards news, 6 February 2016

Britain: Runaway HGV crushes worker to death
A Runcorn haulage firm has been convicted of a criminal safety offence after an employee was crushed to death by a runaway lorry. Tony Schulze, 49, had been trying to connect a cab to a lorry trailer when the incident happened at Freight First Ltd’s premises on the Astmoor Industrial Estate on 22 January 2011.
HSE news release and workplace transport webpages. Risks 737
Hazards news, 6 February 2016

Britain: Worker mown down whilst assisting reversing lorry
A Shropshire company has been fined for criminal safety failings after the death of an employee. Mold Crown Court heard how Philip Ledward, 62, an employee of Arkenfield Stable Hire Limited (ASHL), was assisting one of the company’s lorry drivers when he was struck by a passing car and received fatal injuries.
HSE news release and workplace transport guide. Shropshire Star. Daily Post. Risks 737
Hazards news, 6 February 2016

Britain: Company guilty after worker crushed by bricks
A Cheshire construction company has been prosecuted following a fatal accident in 2011 at a site in Wilmslow. Liverpool Crown Court heard that Edgemere Projects Ltd of Tarporley, Cheshire, was the main contractor at a construction site when on 7 January 2011, 23-year-old Andrew Dytiche sustained crush injuries when a pack of bricks fell on him.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 737
Hazards news, 6 February 2016

Britain: Large firms face higher penalties for safety crimes
New official sentencing guidelines should lead to a dramatic increase in penalties on larger firms for serious workplace safety crimes. An analysis by Howard Fidderman, editor of Health and Safety Bulletin, showed 16 of the 21 fines imposed on large companies were lower than the new starting point, while 14 of the 17 fines imposed on small and micro companies were higher.
Health and Safety Bulletin, number 445, January/February 2016. Risks 737
Hazards news, 6 February 2016

Britain: UCATT concern at five year justice delay
Construction union UCATT has said it is ‘highly concerned’ at a five-year delay in bringing criminal charges relating to the deaths of four workers on a development project. Adam Taylor (28), Peter Johnson (42) and brothers Thomas (26) and Daniel Hazelton (30), died on 21 January 2011, in what the union said was the worst fatal accident in the industry for many years.
UCATT news release. HSE news release. Morning Star. Risks 737
Hazards news, 6 February 2016

Britain: Action call after sharp rise in retail violence
Retail union Usdaw has called for action to prevent violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers after the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported a sharp rise in incidents during 2015. Trade body BRC found offences involving abuse or violence against shopworkers were up by 28 per cent.
Usdaw news release. Risks 737
Hazards news, 6 February 2016

Britain: Education staff under attack at work
Forty-three per cent of education staff have had to deal with physical violence from a pupil in the last year, according to a survey by the teaching union ATL. The union says of those who have experienced physical violence from a pupil: 77 per cent reported they had been pushed or shoved; 52 per cent had been kicked; 50 per cent had an object such as furniture thrown at them; and 37 per cent had been punched.
ATL news release. Risks 737
Hazards news, 6 February 2016

Britain: UCATT concern at five year justice delay
Construction union UCATT has said it is ‘highly concerned’ at a five-year delay in bringing criminal charges relating to the deaths of four workers on a development project. Adam Taylor (28), Peter Johnson (42) and brothers Thomas (26) and Daniel Hazelton (30), died on 21 January 2011, in what the union said was the worst fatal accident in the industry for many years.
UCATT news release. HSE news release. Morning Star. Risks 737
Hazards news, 6 February 2016

Britain: Action call after sharp rise in retail violence
Retail union Usdaw has called for action to prevent violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers after the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported a sharp rise in incidents during 2015. Trade body BRC found offences involving abuse or violence against shopworkers were up by 28 per cent.
Usdaw news release. Risks 737
Hazards news, 6 February 2016

Britain: Education staff under attack at work
Forty-three per cent of education staff have had to deal with physical violence from a pupil in the last year, according to a survey by the teaching union ATL. The union says of those who have experienced physical violence from a pupil: 77 per cent reported they had been pushed or shoved; 52 per cent had been kicked; 50 per cent had an object such as furniture thrown at them; and 37 per cent had been punched.
ATL news release. Risks 737
Hazards news, 6 February 2016

Britain: Union approach leads to shipbreaking breakthrough
The UK government has agreed to sign up to an international convention on shipbreaking safety after an approach from the union Unite. Confirmation of the government’s willingness to ratify the Hong Kong Convention on shipbreaking came in a letter from transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. IndustriALL news release and shipbreaking campaign. The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009. Risks 736
Hazards news, 20 January 2016.

Britain: UK joins the fight to end modern slavery
The UK government has joined the vanguard of the fight against modern slavery, the TUC has said. Commenting after the UK became the third country after Niger and Norway to ratify a landmark International Labour Organisation (ILO) agreement to outlaw forced labour and modern slavery, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “We welcome the Home Office’s move to ratify the ILO Forced Labour Protocol.”
TUC news release. TUC Touchstone blog. ILO news release, Forced labour protocol and recommendation and 50 for Freedom website. Risks 736.
Hazards news, 20 January 2016.

Britain: ‘Slave workforce’ conviction at bed maker
A West Yorkshire businessman has been convicted of employing large numbers of Hungarian men as a “slave workforce” at the now defunct Kozee Sleep bed factory in Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury. Mohammed Rafiq, 60, was found guilty of conspiracy to commission a breach of UK immigration law and will be sentenced on 12 February. BBC News Online. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.

Britain: Balfour Beatty fined £1m after road worker death
Civil engineering giant Balfour Beatty has been fined £1 million after the death of a father-of-four repairing a barrier on the A2. Larry Newman, 37, was killed when he was struck by the arm of a crane being used in the work in October 2012.
HSE news release. Kent Online. Risks 736.
Hazards news, 20 January 2016

Britain: Fine of £1m after worker gets trapped in gas cloud
One of the UK’s largest gas distributors has been fined £1 million after a worker became trapped in a ruptured gas main in Scunthorpe. On 24 June 2014, National Grid Gas (plc) was supervising repairs to the gas main when sub-contract worker Ryan Spencer was trapped between two gas pipes after one of them burst, breaking his femur.
HSE news release. Scunthorpe Telegraph. Construction Enquirer. Risks 736.
Hazards news, 20 January 2016

Britain: Port operator fined £1.8m after ignoring workers
An Essex maritime terminal worker was serious injured when his arm became wrapped around a powered capstan, while mooring an ocean-going vessel. Basildon Crown Court imposed a fine of £1.8 million on port operator C.RO Ports London Limited, after the company plead guilty to criminal safety offences that contributed to the incident.
HSE news release. Risks 736.
Hazards news, 20 January 2016

Britain: Pet food firm fined over worker death
A pet food company has been fined £80,000 over the death of a Lithuanian worker almost six years ago. Renatas Timofejevas, 36, was operating a loading vehicle at Alba Proteins at The Racks, near Dumfries, when he was found crushed under the boom arm.
BBC News Online. Risks 736.
Hazards news, 20 January 2016

Britain: Wilko fined following forklift death
Retail chain Wilko has been handed a £200,000 fine after an employee was killed in a crash between two forklift trucks at one of the firm’s distribution centres. George Hancock, 52, died in December 2011 after sustaining injuries in the incident.
Bassetlaw District Council news release. Hucknall Dispatch. Environmental Health News. Risks 736.
Hazards news, 20 January 2016

Britain: Polish migrant worker electrocuted on farm
Pengelly Farms Ltd has been ordered to pay £125,000 for a criminal safety breach that led to the death of a young worker. Konrad Miskiewicz, 24, from Poland was electrocuted by an overhead power cable when working on a potato harvester near Falmouth, Cornwall in July 2011.
HSE news release. BBC News Online. Falmouth Packet. West Briton. Risks 736.
Hazards news, 20 January 2016

Britain: Firefighter fears over PCSOs fire sideline
Firefighters fear lives could be put in danger over a controversial scheme to train police community support officers (PCSO) to do their jobs. Firefighters’ union FBU said cost-cutting is behind the move and could lead to conflicts of duties if the PCSOs were dealing with a policing incident at the same time as a fire.
The Mirror. Risks 736.
Hazards news, 20 January 2016

Britain: Union calls for charges after safety cards scandal
A union has called for those responsible for a construction safety skills card scam to face the courts, after it was announced thousands of the cards had been revoked as a result of widespread fraud at five test centres. The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) confirmed this week they have revoked 4,615 cards followed the discovery of fraudulent activity at centres where candidates were taking tests accredited by both CITB and the British Safety Council (BSC).
GMB news release. UCATT news release. CSCS news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 736.
Hazards news, 20 January 2016

Britain: UCATT exposes hidden migrant site deaths toll
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is being urged to review urgently its work methods and record keeping, following new evidence on migrant worker deaths. An investigation by construction union UCATT has discovered that of the seven construction workers deaths in London in 2014/15, five of the victims were migrant workers.
UCATT news release. Construction Enquirer. Morning Star. Risks 736.
Hazards news, 20 January 2016

Britain: Director fined after skylight fall
The company director of a sash restoration company has been fined for his criminal safety failings after a worker fell three metres through an unprotected skylight. Salisbury Magistrates’ Court heard how on 14 July 2014, an employee of the Sash Restoration Company (Dorset) Limited fell through an unprotected skylight while replacing sash windows on a large manor house, breaking his wrist, although the firm failed to report the injury.
HSE news release and work at height toolbox Risks 735
Hazards news, 23 January 2016

Canada: Manager gets jail time after work deaths
Unions in Canada have said health and safety laws across the country now have real clout, following the jailing of Metron Construction manager for this role in the death of four employees. Vadim Kazenelson, 40, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail for an incident in which four workers died and another was critically injured after falling 13 storeys from a scaffold outside a Toronto apartment building on Christmas Eve 2009.
OFL news release. CLC news release. Toronto Star. Risks 735
Hazards news, 23 January 2016

DRC: Kids mine the cobalt used in smartphones
Children as young as seven are working in perilous conditions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to mine cobalt that ends up in smartphones, cars and computers sold by household brands including Apple, Samsung and Sony, according to an investigation by Amnesty International. The human rights group claims to have traced cobalt used in lithium batteries sold to 16 multinational brands to mines where young children and adults are being paid a dollar a day, working in life-threatening conditions and subjected to violence, extortion and intimidation.
Amnesty International news release, video and report, This is what we die for: Human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo power the global trade in cobalt. The Guardian. BBC News Online. Risks 735
Hazards news, 23 January 2016

Thailand: Worker rights activist faces prosecution again
Workers’ and migrants’ rights activist Andy Hall has faced the courts in Thailand again, after exposing the abuse of migrant workers in a Thai pineapple canning factory. Andy, a British passport holder, faces a seven-year prison sentence and a hefty fine for his part in writing a research report critical of the Natural Fruit Company Ltd’s employment practices.  
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Glenis Willmott MEP news release. The Telegraph. Risks 735
Hazards news, 23 January 2016

Global: Supply chain audits fail to report abuses
The ethical audits used by global companies to establish their adherence to decent labour, safety and environmental standards could in fact be a convenient and damaging alternative to effective regulation and enforcement, according to a new report. Researchers’ from the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI), a part of Sheffield University, interviewed business executives, non-profits, supplier firms and auditors, and concluded “ultimately the audit regime is ‘working’ for corporations, but failing workers and the planet.”
SPERI news release. Ethical audits and the supply chains of global corporations, SPERI Global Political Economy Brief No.1, Sheffield University, January 2016. TUC Touchstone blog. The Guardian. Risks 735
Hazards news, 23 January 2016

Global: Supply chain abuses cause injuries and deaths
Research by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has revealed the global supply chains of 50 companies employ only six per cent of workers in a direct employment relationship. Sharan Burrow, ITUC general secretary, said the system results in “indefensible workplace injuries and deaths”, adding: “Only by exposing the practices of these companies to consumers and citizens around the world will companies begin to take responsibility for their supply chains and follow the rule of law.”
ITUC news release and report, ITUC Frontlines Report 2016: Scandal Inside the global supply chains of 50 top companies. Risks 735
Hazards news, 23 January 2016

Italy: Olivetti asbestos trial gets underway
Seventeen ex-managers at the electronics firm, Olivetti, are on trial over allegations that asbestos exposure at a factory in the Piedmont town of Ivrea caused 14 deaths. The accused, who include Franco De Benedetti, the current chief of scooter manufacturer Piaggio, worked for the company between the late 1970s and 2000.
The Local. Risks 734
Hazards news, 16 January 2016

Britain: Man escapes jail after apprentice dies in fire
A gas supplier whose workshop fire escape was padlocked shut, resulting in the death of an apprentice in a fire, has been given a suspended jail term. Poorly trained teen Jarrad Swan died after becoming trapped in Steve Adams' workshop when an oxygen bottle he was trying to fill exploded.
Kent Police news release. Thanet Gazette. ITV News. Risks 734
Hazards news, 16 January 2016

Britain: Firms fined for agency worker’s devastating injuries
Two companies have been fined after a construction worker suffered life changing injuries when he received an electric shock from an overhead power line. Ashley Coe, an agency worker working on site for Pascon Limited, was part of a group of workers laying cables in a trench for a British Solar Renewables Limited (BSR) windfarm when the incident happened on the 13 March 2013. 
HSE news release. BBC News Online. Western Morning News. Risks 734
Hazards news, 16 January 2016

Britain: Family loses home after cement mixer death
A cash-strapped mum and sister had to move out of their home after a family member was killed when his arm got caught on a conveyor belt and he was pulled into a cement mixer. Billy Ridge, 26, was clearing sand around the base of a conveyor belt at a cement bagging plant when his arm got drawn into a roller.
Daily Mirror. Barking and Dagenham Post. Risks 734
Hazards news, 16 January 2016

Britain: UK asbestos giant spied on activists
Executives at the world’s biggest asbestos factory spied on journalists and safety and environmental campaigners who exposed the killer dust’s dangers. Secret industry documents reveal that the executives at Rochdale-based asbestos giant Turner and Newall (T&N) monitored people they considered to be “subversive” and kept a dossier on their activities, then used a media and political campaign to try to discredit them.
The Independent. IBAS blog. Hazards magazine. Risks 734
Hazards news, 16 January 2016

Britain: RMT slams ‘pathetic’ death penalty on contractor
Rail union RMT has criticised as “pathetic” and “wholly inadequate” a fine handed out to a major rail construction company for a series of failures that led to the avoidable death of one of its workers. Carillion Construction Ltd was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of £36,570.39 following a prosecution for the criminal breach of health and safety laws that led to the death of a Scott Dobson.
RMT news release. ORR news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 734
Hazards news, 16 January 2016

Britain: Cameron’s flaky thinking on Euro deregulation
The British demand for a Europe-wide “target to cut the total burden on business” might not just be wrong, it might be unachievable, the TUC has said. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said even with the stated support of vice-president of the Commission, Frans Timmermans, the attempt by Britain has far from universal approval.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 734
Hazards news, 16 January 2016

Australia: Historic ruling on safe rates for drivers
Global transport unions’ federation ITF has welcomed an historic ruling in Australia requiring firms to pay minimum safe rates to truck drivers. Australia’s Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal ruled on 18 December 2015 that drivers should be paid for waiting at depots, loading and unloading and for the time it takes to clean, inspect and service their trucks and trailers.
ITF news release and Safe Rates campaign. Risks 733.
Hazards news, 9 January 2016

Europe: Commission breached law on endocrine disrupters
The European Court of Justice has ruled that the European Commission has not been quick enough in identifying and banning potentially harmful ‘endocrine disrupting’ chemicals, linked to cancer, reproductive and other adverse health effects. The December 2015 ruling came in a case brought by Sweden on behalf of the Nordic states.
EU Court news release. ClientEarth news release. Swedish government news release. ChemSec news report. BBC News Online. Risks 733.
Hazards news, 9 January 2016

Qatar: Companies profiting as workers die
A report from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) estimates that a $15 billion (£10.2bn) profit will be made by companies working in Qatar on infrastructure for the controversial 2022 FIFA World Cup, using up to 1.8 million migrant workers as modern day slaves. The report is critical of Qatar for failing to deliver changes to labour rights or compliance, and warns implicated construction companies, hotels, retail chains and UK and US universities of the cost of doing business in a slave state.
ITUC news release, multi-media investigation: Qatar Exposed and full report: Qatar: Profit and loss. Counting the cost of modern day slavery in Qatar: What price freedom? Risks 733.
Hazards news, 9 January 2016

USA: Tighter silica exposure standard ‘in sight’
The Obama administration in the US is moving forward with long-delayed rules intended to protect workers from potentially deadly exposures to silica dust. The Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) confirmed on 21 December 2015 that it had sent the rules to the White House for final approval, a step that comes after years of delays.
In These Times. Politico. Silica, part 2: A line in the sand, Hazards, number 127, 2014. Silica, part 1: Dust to dust: Deadly silica standard is killing UK workers, Hazards, number 126, 2014. Risks 733.
Hazards news, 9 January 2016

Britain: Suspended sentences for deadly directors
Wooburn Landscapes Limited was fined £50,000 with £9,680 costs after landscape gardener Russell Meech, 27, was killed when he fell under the wheels of a telehandler. The company’s directors Andrew Schofield and Mark Schofield were each given a four and a half months prison sentence, suspended for eighteen months and 250 hours of unpaid community service.
HSE news release. Risks 733.
Hazards news, 9 January 2016

Britain: Community service after road roller death
Globalreward Limited was fined £10,000 with £30,750 costs after employee Andrew Poole, 56, was killed as a result of crushing injuries to his head when the ride-on road roller he had been operating drove over him after the driver’s seat sheared off. The company’s director Paul Thomas Andrews was sentenced to two months in prison suspended for two years and ordered to do 200 hours community service.
HSE news release. Risks 733.
Hazards news, 9 January 2016

Britain: Six figure fines for two death firms
Cemex UK Operations Limited was fined £700,000 plus £90,783.78 costs and Cape Industrial Services Limited £600,000 plus £90,783.78 costs after John Altoft, 29, was killed when he fell to his death after being struck by falling debris inside an industrial tower.
HSE news release. Risks 733.
Hazards news, 9 January 2016

Britain: Hanson fined £750,000 after crushing death
Manufacturing company Hanson Packed Products Ltd was fined £750,000 plus costs of £29,511 after 26-year-old worker William Ridge was fatally crushed when his arm was caught in a powered roller.
HSE news release. Risks 733.
Hazards news, 9 January 2016

Britain: Power firms fined after wind turbine death
Siemens Public Limited Company was fined £107,000 and RWE Innogy UK Limited (RWE) £45,000 after 27-year-old Colin Sinclair was killed when he came into contact with the unguarded rotating shaft of a gearbox within a turbine at Causeymire windfarm. HSE news release. Risks 733.
Hazards news, 9 January 2016

Britain: Firm fined £700,000 for crane driver’s manslaughter
Baldwins Crane Hire has been fined £700,000 after the death of its operator Lindsay Easton at the Scout Moor wind farm in East Lancashire four years ago. Following a trial in November 2015, the company was found guilty of corporate manslaughter, failing to ensure the safety of its employees and failing to ensure the safety of other persons.
Lancashire Police news release. Construction Enquirer. Morning Star. BBC News Online. Slough Observer. Risks 733.
Hazards news, 9 January 2016

Global: BP boss says deadly blast was a ‘near death’ experience
The explosion on a BP rig off the US coast in 2010 led to a ‘near death experience’ for the company, its chief executive has said. Bob Dudley was commenting on the Deepwater Horizon blast that killed 11 workers, caused one of the worst environmental disasters in the US and saw BP pay fines and compensation and sell off more than £30bn ($45bn) in assets.
 BBC News Online. BBC Radio 4 Today programme. Risks 733.
Hazards news, 9 January 2016

Britain: HSE to revisit GB health and safety strategy
‘Leading industry figures and other key influencers’ are being urged by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to join a ‘conversation’ on the future strategy for Great Britain’s health and safety system. Pre-empting these responses, the safety regulator has published six themes that the five-year strategy will cover: Promoting broader ownership of workplace health and safety; highlighting and tackling the burden of work-related ill-health; supporting small firms; enabling productivity through proportionate risk management; anticipating and tackling the challenges of new technology and ways of working; and sharing the benefits or Great Britain’s approach.
HSE news release and strategy webpage and twitter discussion, hashtag: #HelpGBWorkWell. HSE’s new facebook page. Risks 733.
Hazards news, 9 January 2016

Britain: Unhealthy workplace trend confirmed by reports
Two new reports have confirmed an upward trend in work-related ill-health under the Conservatives. Since the Conservatives defeated Labour in 2010/11, self-reported work-related illness has increased by 7 per cent, up from 1.16m cases to 1.24m in 2014/15. 
Doctor? No: HSE defends its impotence in the losing battle against work’s diseases, Hazards, number 133, December 2015. IHE news release and preliminary Marmot indicators.
Hard to swallow: TUC warns that firms and government have an unhealthy preoccupation with your lifestyle, Hazards, number 133, December 2015.  Workplace well-being programmes: A guide for safety reps, TUC, December 2015. Risks 733.
Hazards news, 9 January 2016

Britain: Safety criminal guilty, but workers were fired
A serial offender sentenced in December 2015 for its criminal safety failings had previously fired workers after blaming them for the incidents, their union GMB has said. Anglian Water Services Limited (AWSL) was fined £400,000 with costs of £41,711 after pleading guilty to criminal safety breaches.
GMB news release. HSE news release. Risks 733.
Hazards news, 9 January 2016

Britain: FBU calls for coordination not cuts in flood response
Better national coordination of fire and rescue and investment, instead of cuts, is required if emergency services are going to be respond properly to flooding, the firefighters’ union FBU has said. The union said the threat posed by the large scale floods witnessed in recent weeks is beyond the capacity of local services to cope.
FBU news release. Risks 733.
Hazards news, 9 January 2016

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