Oxfordshire brewer stalled over HSE safety warnings

A brewery has appeared in court for failing to respond promptly to enforcement action relating to unsafe work at height and manual-handling deficiencies at its production plant.

In May 2010, the HSE visited Oxfordshire Ales Ltd’s plant in Marsh Gibbon, Oxfordshire and identified that workers were filling hoppers with malt and barley in an unsafe manner. Employees were lifting 25kg sacks in awkward circumstances and the HSE issued an Improvement Notice, requiring the company to carry out a risk assessment of the manual-handling risks and to take appropriate action.

The HSE revisited the site in November 2010 and February 2011 and found that on both occasions, significant improvements hadn’t been made. During these visits the inspector also noticed a mezzanine floor, which was only accessible via inadequate steps. A second Improvement Notice was served to the company, which required it to make the steps safe.€

Approaches to managing the risks associated Musculoskeletal disorders

In this episode of the Safety & Health Podcast, we hear from Matt Birtles, Principal Ergonomics Consultant at HSE’s Science and Research Centre, about the different approaches to managing the risks associated with Musculoskeletal disorders.

Matt, an ergonomics and human factors expert, shares his thoughts on why MSDs are important, the various prevalent rates across the UK, what you can do within your own organisation and the Risk Management process surrounding MSD’s.

Listen now!