Three solicitors have been suspended after breaching regulations that allowed their firm to collect £32m in fees from miners claiming compensation for vibration white finger and respiratory disease.

A Conservative MP has charged the Government with backtracking on a police contract for respiratory personal protective equipment (PPE), and putting the health and safety of ambulance crews at risk.

A comprehensive study of the health of workers who helped clean up in the aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York has revealed that thousands are now suffering from respiratory problems caused by the dust and fumes that enveloped ‘Ground Zero’ on and after September 11, 2001 (according to a report in the New York Times).

A construction company failed to identify that lead paint was present during a renovation project, which resulted in two workers being admitted to hospital with acute lead poisoning.

Conflict between environmental and health and safety legislation led to two delivery workers being overcome by toxic fumes from rotting animal waste at a Scottish rendering plant.

Three employees were overcome by toxic gas, which was released when they were attempting to clear a blockage at a processing plant, a court has heard.

A sandblasting company has been prosecuted after failing to stop using sand containing free silica, the use of which has been prohibited since 1950.

Alan McArthur provides an overview of the main hazards faced by welders in their work and suggests the best measures to deal with them.

Making the right respiratory protective equipment (RPE) selection can mean the difference between safety and health or occupational illness, and, in some instances, even death, explains Greg Barber.

New guidance on how to manage the health risks related to metal-working fluids has been published online by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation.

The theme of this year’s ‘Breathe Easy Week’, from 14 to 20 June, is ‘Lungs are for life’, which groups all around the country will be promoting via a range of activities.

The British Safety Industry Federation has officially launched its ‘Clean Air? Take Care!’ campaign to tackle the thousands of lives lost every year through uncontrolled exposure to respiratory hazards in the workplace.

A new campaign from the HSE aims to educate construction workers and their employers about a prevalent and potentially fatal respiratory hazard that is not widely understood in the industry.

Norwegian oil giant Statoil has selected the new Pureflo PF31 ABS helmet respirator from Helmet Integrated Systems Ltd (HISL).

JSP says its Filterspec unit, which combines a mask and disposable filter with safety spectacles, allows both protective devices to work independently, but in harmony.

JPen Medical applauds initiatives like the British Heart Foundation’s campaign to increase the availability of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in workplaces.

Available throughout the UK, Draeger says its industrial training courses cover everything from the selection, use and maintenance of gas detection equipment, breathing apparatus and airlines, through to confined-space entry procedures. First aid and emergency response are also featured, together with training on the correct use of drug

From the most sophisticated powered air masks to the simplest disposable breathing protection, JSP says its range of respiratory protection products continues to benefit from its ChapSmith division, with the two brands together offering the widest choice of products and prices for health and safety buyers.