In the news this week a Grimsby construction company has been fined for safety breaches and ordered to pay compensation, after a worker suffered serious leg injuries while installing piles for a new school science block.
HSE found the pile cropper hired by Topcon was only suitable for piles with a single, steel reinforcing bar running through the length of a pile. Another cropping machine, a power cropper, had been recommended for the school construction job by the hire company but the advice had been disregarded.
For many companies health and safety legislation can be an over complicated and overwhelming issue. Ignoring it can make the problem seem like it’s gone away. But as we all know, ignoring a problem rarely makes it better. Where health and safety is concerned, ignorance has the potential to make things much much worse.
Whether you are a construction company or a adult care service provider, there is always the possibility of an accident or damage to one of your employees. SME’s are far more likely to become victims of workplace accidents than larger companies. In 2014 28.2 million working days were lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury.
As an employer you have a legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of your employees. Take advice, listen and communicate it with your workforce. This way you will avoid expensive legal claims and a bad business reputation.
More information on the HSE story can be found here
Safety Forward Ltd offers H&S advice to a variety of clients based in Staffordshire, Shropshire, Wolverhampton and across the UK. As a chartered member of IOSH we can be found on the OSHCR register.