Health & Safety

25Jul2016

Pallet Truck Service and Repair: Keep Your Pallet Truck in Top Condition

mike general news, health & safety, products

If you're planning on buying a pallet truck or some of our material handling equipment then you'll be pleased to know that we also offer a fantastic aftersales service across England and Wales, to ensure that your product is properly maintained for years to come!

Whilst all of our products are designed to be durable and tough, we realise that sometimes things can go wrong if they are used incorrectly, due to issues such as overloading, neglect and not using the product for its correct purpose. Years of everyday use can also take its toll eventually, which is why we offer an inspection, service, repair and testing service, to ensure that your purchase is working at the top of its capabilities. This service won't just ensure that your equipment is safe and in full working order, it will also prevent the unnecessary replacement of your equipment and saving you a bit of money.

The services that we offer include:

Engineer coming to the site
A full inspection and PUWER 1998 assessments
Minor repairs, lubricating and adjustments
Wheel care services such as removing trapped string, tape or any other loose items from around the axels
Full documentation of work, available with a unique online login

Prices with quantity breaks:

1 Truck - £49.75 (plus VAT)
3 Trucks - £39.95 each (plus VAT)
6 Trucks - £36.95 each (plus VAT)

Get In Touch Now!

22Jul2016

Failure to use Fall Arrest Systems Leads to Another Fatality and Conviction

robin health & safety

A few days ago, SHP published a court review, regarding the recent sentencing of a negligent site manager. This case related to a fatality which occurred in January last year, where 40 year old window fitter Tasadaq Ur-Rehman fell through a skylight, suffering serious head injuries.

On investigation, it was revealed that site manager Faruk Patel had completely neglected height safety procedures, and had continued to do so even after the fatality took place. Although HSE had issued a prohibition for work at height to be suspended, they later found evidence that it had continued under the disregardful management of Mr Patel.

During the investigation, it soon became clear that the manager's neglectful attitude to safety extended beyond the events which led to his worker's death, and included:

A failure to provide scaffolding and proper fall arrest systems for the job being undertaken.
Overseeing an unsafe working environment where suitable handling equipment was not being used, and the existing equipment was being misused, and had not been secured properly.
A failure to follow the most basic of health and safety measures, such as providing suitable PPE, making potential hazards clear with safety signs, and ensuring that a member of the team was first aid qualified.

As a result, Mr Patel was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for manslaughter by gross negligence, as well as eight months for health and safety offences, which seems like something of a small price to pay in relation to the needless loss of life caused by his lack of care. The aspect which most shocks us about this case, is the sheer scale of his indifference and incompetence, which makes it something of a miracle that no further injuries or fatalities were caused.

Another baffling yet all-too familiar aspect of this case, was the manager's ignorant and misinformed view of his responsibility, as Mr Patel openly expressed his opinion that each individual was responsible for their own safety. While it may be true that a safe workplace requires it's workers to employ safe working practices, it is first and foremost, the responsibility of those in charge to provide them with the tools to do this. Mr Patel was responsible for providing his workers with the training, knowledge and equipment needed to work safely, but it's startlingly clear that he failed miserably on all counts.

If you're an employer/manager who one day finds themselves in a similar situation, your ignorance will not provide you with a valid excuse, and will not pardon your actions (or lack of). If you oversee operations at height, you have a duty to provide fall arrest systems and personal protective equipment for your workers, in order to eliminate the potential dangers posed by working at height. If you aren't sure about what your operation needs, then make sure that you reach out to the professionals for advice, as there is no doubt that you will be held accountable if and when something goes wrong.

If you need advice on choosing the correct fall arrest equipment, please get in touch with the SafetyLiftinGear team, so that we are able to help you avoid choosing the wrong product, or failing to prepare for the demands of your job!

30Jun2016

Working at Height: Unsafe Practices Can Lead to Severe Injuries

mike health & safety

It's easy to underestimate just how dangerous working at height can be. Remember, 'working at height' doesn't always mean standing on top of a skyscraper; the UK Health & Safety Executive defines it as "work carried out in any place where a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury". Whether you're standing on a scaffold or an upturned box, if there's a chance you could fall and hurt yourself then it counts as working at height.

And when you're working at height, it's crucial to take the appropriate height safety measures. Again, it's easy to underestimate the measures that might be required - everybody knows that you need some sort of fall prevention system in place when you're working on a rooftop, but people are often perfectly happy to use, say, a stepladder without considering whether or not it's safe to do so.

But just as some lucky people have fallen from great heights and emerged relatively unscathed, many people have fallen off stepladders and ended up badly hurt. Earlier this month, The Construction Index published a story about two BT employees, both of whom fell from stepladders while at work and suffered injuries of varying severity. The first man lost his senses of smell and taste; the second was left with long term memory problems, partial vision loss, and multiple fractures to his skull and spine. These two incidents occurred within hours of one another; BT eventually pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches and ended up paying a fine of £600,000 (plus costs of £60,000).

This unfortunate story deftly illustrates the importance of height safety measures. Never assume that you/your workers will be safe because 'it's not that high' - be sure to assess the risks properly and take any measures necessary to minimise the risk of an accident.

Click here to browse SafetyLiftinGear's full range of height safety equipment.

19May2016

Window Worker Seen Without a Safety Harness

Admin health & safety

Residents in the Tsuen Wan district of Hong Kong were shocked to find a work man working on the 10^th floor of a high rise industrial building wearing no safety equipment.

The man, who had been hired to dismantle a glass window so they could install a new air conditioning unit, was seen balancing on a narrow ledge trying to get back into the building through a small window. Witnesses were so afraid of the man’s safety – they called the emergency services to prevent an accident.

The worker tried to jump through the window to exit the danger that he was in, however his first attempt failed, leaving the scared onlookers holding their breath. Luckily on the second attempt he managed to enter the building successfully.

Luckily this worker was OK and didn't slip, trip or fall. But it could have so easily been a completely different story. After all, all it takes is one misplaced step, a step on a loose piece of concrete, a gust of wind and an accident can tragically happen.

In fact, accidents from working at height are the single biggest cause of workplace fatalities and life changing injuries. Yet we see time and time again, people who seemingly have no regard for their own, (or other peoples) safety and are willing to put their lives (and other people’s lives) at risk to will carry out work. There is no clear reason as to why people recklessly put their lives into danger in this manner; it could be that they fear that if they refuse to do the job they won’t have any work in the morning?The one thing we know is that no job is worth risking your life for.

It is your employer’s job to ensure that any work at height has been properly planned, is carried out by people who are properly trained to work at height, and that the correct safety equipment is provided. If you are not presented with the right equipment to carry out a job, you are well within your right to refuse to do the job until you either have either purchased the equipment yourself, or your employer provides you with the correct protective equipment.

The working at height regulations 2005 state that to stay safe you should only carry out work at height if it completely necessary to do so, and even then work should only commence if your workers have access to the right protective equipment.

Not only is it important that you are using the correct safety equipment, it is important that your safety equipment is in good condition. This means that your equipment has no signs of wear or tear, not fraying and not wearing thin. If, when checking your equipment before undergoing the work, you see that there are signs of damage – stop work immediately and replace the damaged item.

Here at SafetyLiftinGear we supply a huge range of safety harnesses, from your basic height safety harness through to more specialist insulated harnesses. If are looking for a specialist safety harness and cannot locate it on our website, please contact our expert customer service team by calling 0808 123 6969 or email sales@safetyliftingear.com

06May2016

Failure to Provide Height Safety Gear Results in a Hefty Fine

robin health & safety

Once again, a demolition company from Nottingham has been fined for breeching height safety procedures, for allowing their employees to work on a roof without any fall prevention measures in place.

Every day we check the news in the world of health and safety, and find it staggering how many companies are willing to disregard the safety of their employees. Luckily, this case did not lead to a fatal accident or serious injury, but this most certainly could have been the case if the issue had been left undetected.

The company in question were removing tiles from a steep roof without any form of PPE or fall arrest equipment, which meant that the individuals could have come to serious harm, had they fallen and slipped whilst carrying out the work. Those responsible were fined £6,000 by the courts, and were ordered to pay £765 in costs, although the financial debt is nothing compared to the guilt they would have had to endure if something had gone wrong.

Whether it's in the form of bank note, or worse, the life of an unsuspecting worker, those who ignore height safety will have to pay out eventually. That's why it's important to invest in proper height safety gear, to save money and lives, as well as securing your company's reputation.

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13Apr2016

Height Safety Breaches Lead to Fines, and Even Jail Sentences!

mike health & safety

As our regular followers will know, we often write about the vital necessity of height safety measures, particularly in the workplace. We do this to remind employers and workers about the importance of abiding by the correct height safety regulations, by conducting through risk assessments, following best practice guidelines, and using the correct equipment.

Sadly, however, it seems to make little difference how often this issue is discussed either by ourselves, or by other safety professionals. Without fail, a new case of neglected height safety seems to rear its ugly head almost every week. Recently, two news stories came to our attention, both of which had serious consequences for both the workers and the companies employing them. Here's what went wrong, and what the consequences were:

The first case involves a roofing firm in Worcester, who were fined £66,000 after an employee was seriously injured at work. Whilst replacing a fragile roof in April of last year, the worker fell through a skylight and broke his wrist. After an investigation by the HSE was conducted, they found that this accident was a result of the company's failure to implement proper fall protection measures. If edge protection, nets and guardrails had been provided, the risk to the individual and other employees would have been significantly reduced.

In the second case, two construction bosses were sentenced to eight months in prison, and were ordered to pay a £90,000 fine along with £45,000 in court costs, following a worker fatality back in 2014. The incident occurred while C Smith and Sons were dismantling a building set for demolition, which required workers to operate at height. Following one near-miss, and an incident which left a 47 year old man with a fractured spine, pelvis, leg, heel and wrist, work was shockingly allowed to continue. Just hours after his co-worker was injured and only a day after one close call, Paul Harrower fell through a skylight, and died of serious head injuries.

Both of these incidents could have been prevented by the implementation of proper health and safety measures, which would have helped to save the lives and livelihoods of all those involved. Incidents like these can damage reputations and wreck lives, for the victims and their families, as well as those who are responsible. If you conduct operations at height, please take note of these regularly occurring tragedies, and avoid the same thing happening to you! Set the correct measures, follow them, and always use the correct equipment!

For all the latest H&S news and advice, follow us on Twitter.

12Feb2016

Company Fined After Carrying Out Dangerous Window Installation Work Eight Metres above a West End Street

Admin health & safety

A window manufacturer and installer has been fined £36,000 after their workers were seen installing a window without any safety precautions, 8 metres above a busy west end street.

Westminster’s magistrates court head that the company carried out window installation work, which put their workers and members of the public at risk of serious injuries or fatalities.

A member of the public provided photos of the workers leading out of a window 8 metres above the street, they also provided a video, filmed on their phone, of the workers accidentally dropping a part of the window which fell to the ground narrowly missing a pedestrian.

The health and safety executive investigation found that the company failed to provide basic safety equipment, including scaffolding – which would have prevented the workers and the window from falling. On top of not providing the essential safety equipment, health and safety executive also found that the workers had not received any formal training, and there was no supervisor present.

It was also found that no risk assessment had been conducted, and the company had failed to invest in the correct safety equipment needed for when people are working at height.

Andrew Verrall – Withers, an HSE Inspector said – “The Company’s standards were appalling, and this was particularly unacceptable as previous warnings had been blatantly disregarded.”

In this day and age, there is no excuse to not take the relevant safety precautions when you are carrying out dangerous work.

Working at height is extremely dangerous so it is incredibly important to adhere to the working at height regulations and take the correct safety precautions at all times. These laws are in place to help protect workers, and the general public. In this case, if the pedestrian was under the window at the wrong time, there could have been a fatal accident.

If you have been asked to work at height make sure you have all the correct equipment for the task ahead. Remember to inspect your equipment for damage before use. If you equipment is damaged in any way, do not carry out the work until you have sourced a replacement, or had it repaired.

Here at SafetyLiftinGear we have a whole department dedicated to height safety. Here you will find a variety of specialist safety harnesses, fall arrest blocks, lanyards, safety lines, rope access equipment, anchors and more.

If you are looking for a specific item but cannot locate it on our website, you can contact us by telephoning 0800 123 69 69 or emailing sales@safetyliftingear.com and a member of our team will be more than happy to assist you.

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