A motorist was slightly injured and traffic was blocked for about two hours after a construction scaffolding collapsed in the northern section of the north-south No. 1 Freeway last night.
Firemen rushing to the scene for rescue operations said the scaffolding of 20 meters high erected by highway maintenance teams at the spot of 50.5 kilometers suddenly collapsed at around 8:06 p.m. in the evening and caught a passing car.
The 28-year-old driver surnamed Yu sustained minor injuries in the right leg while his car was half damaged. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Vehicles affected by the blockade ran for more than 10 km as more cars lined up in the queues.
The blocked section on the No. 1 Freeway, aka Zhongshan Freeway, was reopened to two-way traffic at around 10:00 p.m.
A foreman at the construction site said no one was sure what caused the collapse of the scaffolding.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is proposing to reduce unannounced workplace inspections by a third, the BBC has learnedA leaked letter from the HSE outlines plans to withdraw inspections from entire sectors of industry, including some where “significant risk” remains.
The organisation is facing a 35% cut in its government grant, leading to concerns for workplace safety.
The HSE said no final decision had been made.
HSE inspectors and their counterparts in local authority environmental health departments carry out thousands of visits to business premises each year.
The unannounced “knock on the door” has traditionally formed a key aspect of the HSE’s approach to regulation, and is credited with helping to prevent accidents and reduce the number of workplace deaths, which currently stand at an all-time low.
But in February, chief executive Geoffrey Podger proposed a reduction in what the HSE calls “proactive inspections”. In a letter obtained by the BBC’s File on 4 programme, he outlines plans to reduce HSE inspections by a third.
The HSE’s job is to make the workplace safe, but now it’s being explicitly instructed not to do that job right”
Professor Rory O’Neill Editor, Hazards magazine said The letter is a blueprint of proposed wide-ranging changes to HSE operations in the light of a 35% cut to its government grant. It recommends a departure from face-to-face contact in favour of web-based and other initiatives.
The letter identifies three high hazard sectors including the nuclear, offshore and chemical industries which will be ring-fenced from the proposed cuts.
It also states that some other industries will still remain subject to unannounced visits, but these are not identified. But the letter also outlines two categories where proactive inspections will be entirely withdrawn from future HSE operations.
In one case this is put down to the “relative cost-effectivenes” of the procedure.
For another, inspections are deemed not “necessary or useful” despite the HSE acknowledging the “significant risk'” posed by the industries under consideration.
The move has caused concern among health and safety campaigners.
Professor Rory O’Neill, editor of the safety magazine Hazards, believes it signals a fundamental departure from the HSE’s role as safety watchdog.
“The HSE’s job is to make the workplace safe, but now it’s being explicitly instructed not to do that job right,” he said.
“The implication for health and safety is that workplaces will become deregulated.”
Dr Courtney Davis of Sussex University reviewed the worldwide evidence for the value of proactive inspections, and believes any reduction is likely to have a detrimental impact on worker safety.
“The most robust studies show that inspection plus enforcement are associated with a decline in injury rates of 22% for the following three years,” she said.
“The evidence relating to new, soft interventions is much weaker, and almost non-existent.
“It doesn’t appear to be the case that these alternatives are effective in improving compliance with health and safety law or injury rates.”
An HSE spokesperson said: “We regularly consult with partner organisations on future ways of working. Discussions do not constitute a final decision so it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time.
“The emphasis should be on outcomes – the incidence of accidents and ill-health – rather than the number of particular types of inputs by the regulator.
“The estimated number of working days lost due to workplace injuries and ill-health is now the lowest it has ever been in Britain.”
File on 4 is on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday 8 March at 2000 GMT and Sunday 13 March at 1700 GMT. Listen again via the BBC iPlayer or download the podcast.
Via: the BBC
The owner of a Redruth-based roofing company has found himself in court after ignoring an order to undertake construction safety training.
Nathan Michell, 34, from St Day, who owns All Roofs, was served an Improvement Notice by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on 2nd June 2010 after an inspector visited a new housing development on Church Road, Pool.
The HSE inspector identified several safety issues with scaffolding that Mr Michell’s firm was using while working on the development.
Camborne Magistrates heard the scaffolding was incomplete, with barriers missing to prevent workers falling. A broken loft ladder – held together at the join with a piece of rope – was also being used despite being completely unsuitable for the job.
While the inspector was on site, a meeting with a health and safety consultant was arranged and suitable training discussed for Mr Michell.
Training courses were arranged on two occasions but he did not attend either.
He pleaded guilty to breaching Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £1,200 with £800 costs.
After the hearing, Barry Trudgian, HSE Inspector, said: “Mr Michell was given two opportunities to complete a much needed safety course after the HSE visit.
“Unfortunately for him, ignoring the HSE enforcement notice landed him in court today.
“Organising safe work at height is one of the key responsibilities of those in control of construction work. “In order to do this it’s essential they remain up to speed with best practice in construction and relevant health and safety law.”
TRIBUTES have been paid to a well-known Island man, who died in front of his son after falling from scaffolding in Ryde.
Dean Marden, 47, sustained fatal head injuries in the accident, which happened at a property in Lind Street on Tuesday afternoon.
Self-employed scaffolder Mr Marden, of Oaklyn Gardens, Shanklin, was working with his son, Colin Marden, 21, when he fell around ten feet and hit his head on the pavement.
He was given first aid at the scene and treated by paramedic but he died shortly after arriving at St Mary’s Hospital.
At an inquest opening yesterday (Thursday), it was said Mr Marden lost his balance while carrying a heavy metal pole and toppled backwards, catching his leg in some railings beneath the scaffolding and hitting his head on the ground.
Island coroner John Matthews described it as a freak accident.
One Lind Street resident, a serving soldier, who rushed to help Mr Marden, said he heard the sound of a metal pole hitting the pavement, followed by screaming.
“There were lots of people around him, his mates and people who had stopped to help,” said the 22 year old, who did not wish to be named.
“I grabbed my army medical kit and put an emergency bandage on the back of his head, to keep pressure on the wound, but I knew he was in trouble because there was so much blood.
“He was unconscious the whole time and there wasn’t much more we could do except wait for the ambulance.”
Floral tributes have been laid at the scene of the accident, which is being investigated by the police and the Health and Safety Executive.
Mr Marden owned his own business, MD Scaffold, based in Shanklin. His father Colin Marden, who also worked in the building trade, died just last month of mesothelioma, aged 70.
SG4:YOU, the user guide to accompany the recently reissued SG4:10 (Preventing Falls in Scaffolding) is now available to purchase from the NASC. The user guide is a pocket sized booklet designed to be an aide memoir for site worker involved with scaffolding.
SG4:YOU is priced at £5 each for non-NASC members (£2.50 for NASC members).
If you are NOT a member of the NASC please click here to go to the order form.
Please be aware that demand for the new SG4:YOU has been high so to ensure the earliest delivery please advise the NASC of your order requirements as soon as possible.
(Due to the high demand for this guidance please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery)
Via: NASC
The working hours on most installations are normally 12hr shifts and in the North Sea it is normal to spend two or three weeks offshore and then two or three weeks onshore – whether you work 2/2, 2/3 or 3/3 depends on the company you work for.
Generally speaking, holiday entitlement is included in the time off. However, different companies have different arrangements, so you should check at the time you apply. In other parts of the world the work trips may be longer – perhaps four or even six weeks – but your time ashore would be correspondingly longer as well.
The living conditions can vary greatly between each installation. Older production platforms and flotels might be less spacious than a more recently built drilling rig – but the standards are generally excellent. Getting to the rig generally involves flying by helicopter for all the central and northern North Sea installations the departure point is Aberdeen.
Regarding food and drink on the rigs, most installations have self-service canteen, with a wide range of options. All food and drinks are provided free of charge and are often available 24 hrs a day.
Scaffolding Offshore
First things first you need to have completed the following safety training courses before you will be allowed to work offshore
Basic Offshore Safety Induction & Emergency Training (BOSIET)
Minimum Industry Safety Training (MIST)
Offshore Medical Certificate
Some training providers that offer full offshore packages with everything you will need:
You don’t have to be an CISRS advanced scaffolder/supervisor to get work offshore although this would be an advantage.
The minimum qualification is a CISRS Part 2 Scaffolders card, however there has been cases where young trainees have been taken on by firms and put through the apprentice scheme.
Also In some cases its who you know not what you know that makes the difference, knowing somebody in a management role would be an advantage.
The best time to contact these firms is at the end of March beginning of April this is the time most shutdowns and major repair work begins. If you are lucky enough to get a start and a trip out offshore the best advice is get your face known and work safely and show leadership at all levels, if you keep to this you will get trip after trip.
Protesters which included scaffolders blockaded the BP Saltend site this morning as part of wildcat action in a row over redundancies.About 400 workers started a picket which blocked the entrance to the biofuel plant, causing traffic chaos for commuters.
Traffic returned to normal after the workers ended the blockade at around 9.30am.
The dispute involves mechanical contractors for Redhall Engineering, a firm based in Middlesbrough, who are working at the Saltend site.
They have accused Redhall Engineering of not sticking to a national agreement on redundancies.
Strikers say the company should be offering redundancy specific to individual contracts, not to its employees nationally.
Keith Gibson, a GMB member who works on the site, told the Mail: “All we want is for Redhalls to honour the national agreement.
“It is an unofficial strike, we have not taken a ballot, but we want action and we want it now.”
The strikers were made up of scaffolders, electricians, welders and other mechanical engineers.
Mr Gibson said shop stewards were in conversation with Redhall officials about the matter.
A spokesman for BP said: “We wish to confirm that the disruption caused in the Saltend area this morning has involved contractors working for Redhall Engineering Services Ltd who are working on the Vivergo Fuels Limited project.”
Via: www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk
We reported about this story last night and unfortunately this man has now died.It is believed he may have fallen from scaffolding in Lind Street. He was taken to St Mary’s Hospital where he later died as a result of the injuries.
DS John Stirling from Newport told Isle of Wight Radio: “They were fitting the scaffolding up yesterday afternoon and it appears one of the men who were fitting the scaffolding has fallen off the scaffolding. He’s injured his head in the fall and sadly when he’s gone to St Mary’s Hospital he’s died a short time later.
“The police are working closely with the Health and Safety Executive looking at all the circumstances surrounding the death, but we have now finished at the scene.
“The coroner has been informed, there will be an inquest and a post mortem will be carried out over the next few days.
Speaking at the scene, DS Stirling added: “It looks like an accident. THe Health and Safety Executive will look at it a little bit closer to see how the structure was put up in the first place.”
Report by Emma Philo
Via: www.iwradio.co.uk
A man suffered a serious head injury when he fell 35ft from scaffolding whilst carry out work on a Property in Ryde Isle of Wight this afternoon.The man was carrying out work to scaffolding in Lind Street Ryde at about 3.30pm today (Tuesday) when he fell.
A neighbour noticed part of the scaffolding had fallen down and alerted emergency services.
One eye witness, who preferred to remain anonymous, said: “There was a big crash which was really loud and a scream.
The man has been taken to St Mary’s Hospital in Newport to be treated for “multiple injuries”
The man, who has not been named, is detained in hospital today, where his condition is described as “critical but stable.”
Police officers have cordon off an area around a house with blue Police tape in Lind Street. The Health and Safety Executive have been in formed about the incident and are due to attend the scene in due course.
A spokeswoman for the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service, said: “We sent one rapid response vehicle, and an ambulance to the scene.
“On arrival crews found one man who is believed to have fallen approximately 35 ft. It is believed he was up some scaffolding at the time, doing some work to the roof.
A spokesman for St Mary’s Hospital said “The man has been treated for multiple injuries, including a serious head injury”. A specialist from the Southampton Neurology unit is carrying out a further assessment on the man .
A spokesman for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police confirmed a probe had been launched and they are working with the building company and the HSE
Via: www.iwgazette.co.uk
A Tyneside construction company has today been fined after a worker suffered serious injuries following a fall from unsafe scaffolding.
Ian Allan Building Contractors Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following the incident in the grounds of the Old Vicarage, off Knaresborough Road, Murton, County Durham on 1 May 2009. Consett Magistrates’ Court heard Mr Kevin Clark, 54, from Swalwell, Gateshead, was working on the windows of a new building when the scaffolding platform he was standing on became dislodged, causing him to fall more than four metres to the ground.
Kevin Clark
Mr Clark suffered several crushed vertebrae in his spine and a fractured left foot and was in hospital for two weeks following the incident.
The HSE investigation revealed that the company had failed to control alterations to the scaffolding, failed to conduct inspections of the scaffold at least every seven days, failed to identify and correct unsafe alterations and allowed workers to use unsafe scaffolding.
Ian Allan Building Contractors Ltd, of Jesmond Road, Jesmond, Newcastle, pleaded guilty of breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £1,500 and ordered to pay costs of £1,500 at Consett Magistrates’ Court today (28 February 2011).
After sentencing, Mr Clark said:
“I took it for granted the scaffolding I was working on was safe. If it had been checked properly the incident never would have happened and I wouldn’t be left with the injuries I have to live with now.
“I’ve had steel rods put in my spine, I’m in constant pain and it restricts my movement and makes walking really difficult. I’ll probably never be able to do the job I did again.
“I hope this prosecution helps make other employers realise the importance of ensuring scaffolding is safe so other workers don’t have to suffer as I have.”
After the case, HSE Construction Inspector Andrea Robbins said:
“This incident could and should have been prevented. Ian Allan Building Contractors Ltd failed in their legal duty to ensure the safety of its employees by failing to manage the scaffolding on site adequately.
“As a result of these failures, Mr Clark has suffered serious injuries and is still living with the effects of those injuries more than a year and a half later.
“Scaffolding is widely used as a temporary working platform or means of access and this incident clearly illustrates the absolute need to ensure that it is safe.
“I’d like to stress to all companies and employees who use scaffolding that it should always be constructed to a recognised standard, any alterations should only be made by a competent person and it should be inspected by a competent person on handover and at least every seven days as work progresses.”
Falls from height are the biggest cause of fatal and major injuries in the construction and maintenance industry. During the three year period up to the end of 2010, there were 132 fatalities in relation to falls from height – 85 in the construction industry alone, two of which were in the North East. For further information about working at height log onto the website at www.hse.gov.uk/fallsVia: HSE
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A leaked letter from the HSE outlines plans to withdraw inspections from entire sectors of industry, including some where “significant risk” remains.
The organisation is facing a 35% cut in its government grant, leading to concerns for workplace safety.
The HSE said no final decision had been made.
HSE inspectors and their counterparts in local authority environmental health departments carry out thousands of visits to business premises each year.
The unannounced “knock on the door” has traditionally formed a key aspect of the HSE’s approach to regulation, and is credited with helping to prevent accidents and reduce the number of workplace deaths, which currently stand at an all-time low.
But in February, chief executive Geoffrey Podger proposed a reduction in what the HSE calls “proactive inspections”. In a letter obtained by the BBC’s File on 4 programme, he outlines plans to reduce HSE inspections by a third.
The HSE’s job is to make the workplace safe, but now it’s being explicitly instructed not to do that job right”
Professor Rory O’Neill Editor, Hazards magazine said The letter is a blueprint of proposed wide-ranging changes to HSE operations in the light of a 35% cut to its government grant. It recommends a departure from face-to-face contact in favour of web-based and other initiatives.
The letter identifies three high hazard sectors including the nuclear, offshore and chemical industries which will be ring-fenced from the proposed cuts.
It also states that some other industries will still remain subject to unannounced visits, but these are not identified. But the letter also outlines two categories where proactive inspections will be entirely withdrawn from future HSE operations.
In one case this is put down to the “relative cost-effectivenes” of the procedure.
For another, inspections are deemed not “necessary or useful” despite the HSE acknowledging the “significant risk'” posed by the industries under consideration.
The move has caused concern among health and safety campaigners.
Professor Rory O’Neill, editor of the safety magazine Hazards, believes it signals a fundamental departure from the HSE’s role as safety watchdog.
“The HSE’s job is to make the workplace safe, but now it’s being explicitly instructed not to do that job right,” he said.
“The implication for health and safety is that workplaces will become deregulated.”
Dr Courtney Davis of Sussex University reviewed the worldwide evidence for the value of proactive inspections, and believes any reduction is likely to have a detrimental impact on worker safety.
“The most robust studies show that inspection plus enforcement are associated with a decline in injury rates of 22% for the following three years,” she said.
“The evidence relating to new, soft interventions is much weaker, and almost non-existent.
“It doesn’t appear to be the case that these alternatives are effective in improving compliance with health and safety law or injury rates.”
An HSE spokesperson said: “We regularly consult with partner organisations on future ways of working. Discussions do not constitute a final decision so it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time.
“The emphasis should be on outcomes – the incidence of accidents and ill-health – rather than the number of particular types of inputs by the regulator.
“The estimated number of working days lost due to workplace injuries and ill-health is now the lowest it has ever been in Britain.”
File on 4 is on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday 8 March at 2000 GMT and Sunday 13 March at 1700 GMT. Listen again via the BBC iPlayer or download the podcast.
Via: the BBC 
About 400 workers started a picket which blocked the entrance to the biofuel plant, causing traffic chaos for commuters.
Traffic returned to normal after the workers ended the blockade at around 9.30am.
The dispute involves mechanical contractors for Redhall Engineering, a firm based in Middlesbrough, who are working at the Saltend site.
They have accused Redhall Engineering of not sticking to a national agreement on redundancies.
Strikers say the company should be offering redundancy specific to individual contracts, not to its employees nationally.
Keith Gibson, a GMB member who works on the site, told the Mail: “All we want is for Redhalls to honour the national agreement.
“It is an unofficial strike, we have not taken a ballot, but we want action and we want it now.”
The strikers were made up of scaffolders, electricians, welders and other mechanical engineers.
Mr Gibson said shop stewards were in conversation with Redhall officials about the matter.
A spokesman for BP said: “We wish to confirm that the disruption caused in the Saltend area this morning has involved contractors working for Redhall Engineering Services Ltd who are working on the Vivergo Fuels Limited project.”
Via: www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk 
It is believed he may have fallen from scaffolding in Lind Street. He was taken to St Mary’s Hospital where he later died as a result of the injuries.
DS John Stirling from Newport told Isle of Wight Radio: “They were fitting the scaffolding up yesterday afternoon and it appears one of the men who were fitting the scaffolding has fallen off the scaffolding. He’s injured his head in the fall and sadly when he’s gone to St Mary’s Hospital he’s died a short time later.
“The police are working closely with the Health and Safety Executive looking at all the circumstances surrounding the death, but we have now finished at the scene.
“The coroner has been informed, there will be an inquest and a post mortem will be carried out over the next few days.
Speaking at the scene, DS Stirling added: “It looks like an accident. THe Health and Safety Executive will look at it a little bit closer to see how the structure was put up in the first place.”
Report by Emma Philo
Via: www.iwradio.co.uk 
A spokeswoman for the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service, said: “We sent one rapid response vehicle, and an ambulance to the scene.
“On arrival crews found one man who is believed to have fallen approximately 35 ft. It is believed he was up some scaffolding at the time, doing some work to the roof.
A spokesman for St Mary’s Hospital said “The man has been treated for multiple injuries, including a serious head injury”. A specialist from the Southampton Neurology unit is carrying out a further assessment on the man .
A spokesman for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police confirmed a probe had been launched and they are working with the building company and the HSE
Via: www.iwgazette.co.uk 