August 16, 2018

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In Court

£200k fine after worker loses arm

A Yorkshire transportation and storage company has been sentenced for safety breaches after a worker suffered injuries leading to the loss of his left arm.

On 9 August 2017, a lorry driver for was delivering wheat to Low Newstead Farm in Ripon when it tipped onto the floor of a shed through the open rear door of the trailer. Whilst walking to the rear of the trailer, the driver lost his footing in a heap of grain, which was formed by the load being discharged, and put his hand out to steady himself; his left arm came into contact with a rotating auger and was drawn in.

The HSE’s investigation found that a crucial interlocking device was not functioning at the time of the incident, allowing the auger to run when the tailgate was open. It also found that the emergency stop device for the discharge mechanism failed to function, as it was operated through the same circuitry.

H Walton Ltd of Old Goole Mill, South Park Road, Goole, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11 (3)(C) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and was fined £200,000 with costs of £531.40.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Julian Franklin commented: “The driver’s injuries are life changing. The trailer was fitted with a safety system to prevent exactly this type of incident; it could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out regular checks to ensure safety devices and systems remain working. This is something that many hauliers already do as part of their vehicle checks.”

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.

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