Health and Safety Consultants

Corus, a multinational steelmaker, has been fined £240,000, after a lorry driver was crushed to death at its site in Staffordshire. Ross Beddow, 22, was helping to load three tonnes of steel plates onto a lorry when the load became uneven and fell on top of Mr Beddow, killing him.

The firm pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.  The HSE investigation found that the system of work for loading steel was unsafe.

Dr Wai-Kin Liu, an inspector at HSE, said:”This was a tragedy that could and should have been avoided. All the steps involved in an overall task should be analysed to create a safe system of work, and the consequences of something going wrong should always be taken into account.

“Anyone can make errors – no matter how well trained and motivated they are – but employers must develop a safe way of working that helps to prevent mistakes and reduces the severity of the consequences if they do occur. If Corus had a safe system of working then Mr Beddow would not have been killed simply doing his job.”

Tesco has been fined £95,000 and ordered to pay over £34,000 in costs after pleading guilty to five breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

The London Fire Brigade prosecuted Tesco after a fire started at their Colney Hatch Store in Barnet during October 2007.  The store was locked when they arrived and they had to attract the attention of a Tesco employee to gain access to the building.  The fire started in the staff kitchen and staff managed to put it out using fire extinguishers and a fire blanket.  Fire fighters had to ask staff to leave the premises several times.

An inspection of the premises the next day revealed a number of breaches of fire safety legislation. The fire risk assessment had not been reviewed, escape routes weren’t kept clear and many fire doors were wedged open.

Ron Dobson, London Fire Commissioner, said: “Fire safety is a key part of good business management and the general public should feel safe from fire when they are out shopping. London Fire Brigade will continue to take action when businesses, large or small, do not take their fire safety responsibilities seriously. Failure to comply with the law can, as this case has shown, result in a prosecution.”

Research published by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has found that 1 in 10 drivers in Ireland fall asleep at the wheel.  Almost half of the drivers knew that they should stop, drink coffee and/or take a nap if they felt sleepy at the wheel, but 42% admitted to ignoring this information and just opened a window to keep them awake.

Among the drivers who had fallen asleep at the wheel, one third had only been travelling for one hour when they fell asleep and 1 in 5 only realised they had fallen asleep when they had driven off the road.