Guidance relating to the forthcoming Notification of Conventional Tower Cranes Regulations 2010 has been published. The Regulations, which come into force on 6 April 2010, require certain information about conventional tower cranes used on construction sites to be notified to the HSE.

THE LEVEL of enforcement action taken during the first two weeks of the HSE's 'Healthy Handling' blitz on construction sites in the South East has given force to the Executive's decision to focus more on occupational health risks.

Pressure group Families Against Corporate Killers (FACK) has slammed a major construction firm for failing to put “very basic” measures in place to protect a worker who suffered fatal head injuries.

A specialist crane supplier must pay £254,000 in fines and costs after a worker was killed when a steel beam fell from a crane and struck him. JH Carruthers Ltd had been contracted to install...

The injuries an HGV driver sustained when he was hit by a falling load of metal tubes have left him paraplegic.

A logistics firm has been ordered to pay over £100,000 in fines and costs for failing to adequately train or monitor a forklift driver who suffered a broken neck when a computer cabinet he was moving fell on him.

A refractory goods manufacturer has admitted failing to create a safe system of work for unloading deliveries, following an incident where a forklift truck fell off a ramp.

In these recessionary times, says Nigel Heaton, ergonomists and health and safety practitioners need to be able to prove “the economics of ergonomics” to ensure the workforce in their organisation remains safe and productive.

Musculoskeletal disorders are by far the most commonly reported health and safety problems in British workplaces, and, within the MSD ‘family’, back complaints are the most prevalent.1 But, argues Percy Smith, the majority are not actually caused by work and should be reported and recorded as work-related injuries, rather than lost-time accidents.

Every year, millions of tonnes of industrial chemicals help keep British businesses across almost every industry sector running smoothly, but their widespread use and application also makes them one of the workplace’s greatest hazards. In terms of how to handle them safely, John Thorne provides a quick reminder for practitioners of how to select the right gloves.

Ten years on from the introduction of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations, there is still confusion over the examination requirements they lay down, says Derrick Bailes.

When it comes to safety gloves the range to choose from is huge, so specifiers need to be sure to select the right gloves for the job to prevent injuries to the wearer. One criterion on which decisions can be based is compliance of products to British and European standards. A new standard governing one aspect of glove safety – heat resistance – has just been released, so Brian Bennett explains its main provisions and how it differs from the previous standard.

The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LLEA) has published a new edition of its user guide to overhead lifting equipment.

Two safety associations have come together to publish a new guide on the safe management of lifting gear in cargo-handling applications. ICHCA International, a membership organisation dedicated to...

The Trussed Rafter Association (TRA) is currently working with the HSE to iron out common safety issues and dilemmas in the industry, with the aim of promoting a greater understanding of risks relating to trusses on site, and of resolving the division of responsibility between truss fabricators and contractors as an industry-wide accepted principle.

The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) is warning employers that they could pay a high price for neglecting lifting equipment.

The HSE is reminding those working in the aviation industry that it has a range of free guidance and help available on safe baggage handling, following the adoption last year by the International Air Transport Association of lower bag-weight limits.

Flygt Easylift – a versatile and portable solution to lifting from below ground – is described as an ideal solution to the dangers of working over open spaces, manholes, sumps and wells.

A ‘robot in a box’ has just been launched by automation consultancy, Innomech.

By investing in six of its electricoperated materials-handling tugs for moving roll cages of catering trolleys, laundry and medical notes MasterMover says Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has reduced the risk of accidents and injuries to its staff, while also improving handling efficiencies.

Plastic Extruders says Vynaband is the innovative aid for efficient and safe unitisation of pallets when they are being moved or temporarily stored on site.

Lift-truck manufacturer Crown says its new FlexRide floating operator suspension system is fitted to two of its new lift-truck lines: the WT 3000 series of powered pallet trucks and the RC 5500 series of stand-up counterbalanced trucks.