Accident at Work and Health and Safety related deaths

Concerns summary Concerns include excessive freeplay in vehicle lifts, unsuitable lift pad adapters for narrow points, absence of critical safety warnings, and inadequate recall of lifts with substandard gear ring bolts.

Concerns summary The incident resulted from a lack of safe loading and lifting plans, absence of a banksman, inadequate designated safe zones for drivers, and insufficient equipment for handling large products.

Concerns summary Lorries lacked essential safety features like hand holds for driver access and necessary equipment (CO2 detectors, telescopic mirrors) for Border Force checks, tempting drivers to use unsuitable alternatives.

Concerns summary The absence of regulations for capping scaffolding poles in areas where workers may fall created a hazard, contributing to fatal injuries from uncapped poles.

Concerns summary Employers in the rigging industry delegate critical work-at-height safety to individual riggers without ensuring proper planning, supervision, or adequate safety features. This leads to routine unsafe practices, with riggers having minimal influence over their own fall protection.

Concerns summary Employees are repeatedly exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons without protective equipment, despite a clear link to cancer, posing a significant ongoing health risk.

Concerns summary Inadequate health and safety guidance failed to address work at height risks, leading to an untrained and unsupervised employee performing dangerous tasks without risk assessments. There was also a lack of first aid provision and management training.

Concerns summary Drivers of heavy machinery could be distracted by high-volume music, lacking a specific policy. The drug policy was inadequate, with no random testing despite evidence of an employee's drug use.

Concerns summary Operatives work in dangerously restricted spaces near rotating industrial saws, and machines continue to pass with insufficient clearance, posing a significant risk of fatal injuries due to unaddressed safety measures.

Concerns summary The worksite lacked a safe system of work, and there was a widespread practice of employees not wearing seatbelts, with inadequate systems to check compliance.

Concerns summary There are no written guidelines for dismantling cantilevered scaffolds, nor are specific Risk Assessment Method Statements (RAMS) required for this process, risking worker safety.

Concerns summary Probation failed to appropriately place high-risk offenders and maintain dynamic risk assessments, while Adult Social Services lacked oversight, leading to unsuitable placements and missed public protection opportunities.

Concerns summary The absence of clear, written unloading instructions for heavy, unstable industrial units led to confusion regarding complex banding, creating a risk of accidental dislodgement and serious injury to workers.

Concerns summary A lack of awareness regarding the safety-critical role and vulnerability of ladder spigots poses significant health and safety risks due to potential inadvertent shearing.

Concerns summary There is no confirmation that recommended safety upgrades, such as installing door limit switches on goods lifts, have been implemented, posing a continued risk on this and potentially other ships.

Concerns summary Prolonged occupational exposure to white spirit, involving both direct skin contact and vapour inhalation over 13 years, caused the employee's death.

Concerns summary Unsafe loading shovel work methods and a lack of clear guidance and enforcement for drivers to stay in cabs put workers at risk. Training for risk assessment and health and safety awareness was inadequate.

Concerns summary Charcoal packaging warnings about indoor use lack prominence and do not explicitly highlight the risk of death from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Concerns summary Employees developed complacency regarding health and safety due to routine work, exacerbated by a lack of standard procedures to remind them of lifting plans, risks, and infrequent safety briefings.

Concerns summary Trackside maintenance crews required frequent reminders for vigilance and comprehensive briefings on train routes and safe work methods. There was also a concern about balancing hearing protection with the ability to hear oncoming trains.

Concerns summary The company potentially failed to ensure full compliance with health and safety guidance for drivers and verify their understanding of critical instructions for specialized activities.

Concerns summary Seasonal agricultural workers lacked awareness of and access to GP and emergency services in the UK. Many also self-medicated with prescription-only medicines obtained from their home countries.

Concerns summary A co-worker lacked specific training for working at height, and generic risk assessment forms and method statements were not routinely used by employees.