These are just short stories about incidents that have occured in the past!

Factory prosecuted after ignoring 19 notices.
Persistent health and safety failings, which resulted in a total of 19 enforcement notices, have left a chemicals plant on Merseyside with a £55,000 bill.

The HSE decided to prosecute TJ & S Jenkinson after the company, which makes cleaning products, ignored numerous Improvement and Prohibition Notices between September 2005 and October 2008.

Jenkinson failed to control an employee’s exposure to hazardous substances in the powder plant room, didn’t properly train employees who were exposed to hazardous materials, and failed to maintain a forklift truck which had steering problems.

HSE inspector Mark Burton said the company’s failings stretched “over a prolonged period”". Jenkinson ignored the HSE’s official warnings, he said, and “put production before safety”.

“The situation only started to get better after the manufacturer was invited to attend an interview under caution, and advised to take legal advice,” Burton added. “The company then began to appreciate the seriousness of its failings.”

TJ & Jenkinson, of Newton-le-Willows, pleaded guilty to three health and safety breaches: Regulation 7(1) of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, for not preventing or controlling employees’ exposure to hazardous substances; Regulation 5(1) of the Provision of Use of Work Equipment Regulations, for its failure to maintain work equipment in good working order; and Section 33(1) (g) of the Health and Safety at Work Act for contravening enforcement notices.

If an IOSH Managing Safely Course had been taken, then it’s very likely that this incident would not have happened. If you’re interested in taking an IOSH Managing Safely Course, simply contact us through our website which is http://www.enrightladders.co.uk/ , or simply call us on 0151-922-3976.

£100,000 fine for project engineer’s factory death.

An aluminium extrusion manufacturer has been fined £100,000 after an employee who was working on a project to improve safety, was struck and killed by a shuttle car.

Hydro Aluminium Extrusion admitted failing to ensure the safety of employees, contrary to Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act, after 38-year-old project engineer manager Jens Hinirichs died on 2nd November 2006 at its factory near Chester-le-Street.

The car hit Hinirichs, who was originally from Germany, as he worked in an enclosed shuttle line at the rear of four packing stations where the car ran on rail tracks to pick up finished items and move them to a banding machine.

The HSE’s investigation conluded that Hydro could have prevented the accident by properly assessing the risks and implementing a safe system for entering the shuttle enclosure.

“Suitable isolation procedures and systems of work should have been in place to prevent dangerous movement of machinery,” said HSE inspector Zoe Feather.

On 25th March at Durham Crown Court, Recorder Jonathan Aitken fined Hydro £100,000 and ordered it to pay costs of £13,375.

If a Risk Assessment Course had been taken, then it’s very likely that this incident would not have happened. If you’re interested in taking a Risk Assessment Course, simply contact us through our website which is http://www.enrightladders.co.uk/ , or simply call us on 0151-922-3976.