January 18, 2018

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In court

Fine after worker is covered in chemicals

An Essex based chemical company has been sentenced after an employee was injured when a storage tank failed.

South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court was told that, on 17 September 2016, Mr Anthony Nichols, an employee of Industrial Chemicals Limited, was working at the company’s premises at Waggonway Road Industrial Estate, Hebburn, Tyne and Wear when a storage tank failed without warning.

He was covered in a flood of chemicals and washed over a handrail. Mr Nichols was taken to hospital as a precaution, having ingested some chemical and getting it in his eyes. He has since returned to work following this incident.

Beyond design limit

The Health and Safety Executive’s investigation found that, despite a previous prosecution for a tank failure at another site, local management did not fully disclose how the tank was used to their engineering team.

The investigation also found that the tank should have been used for water based washings, but was instead used for hot and heavy material. The tank was therefore filled with material beyond its design limit, causing it to fail without warning, which could have injured anyone working nearby.

Industrial Chemicals Limited of Hogg Lane, Grays, Essex, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

The company was fined £25,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,169.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Stephen Britton said: “Employers who use bulk storage tanks should be aware that if they fail, the release of large quantities of material is dangerous. They should ensure that they are suitable for the materials kept in them and inspected.”a

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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