A lorry has crashed into scaffolding in Eastgate louth today
One of the problems of a thriving but still medieval designed town is the odd accident. Eastgate gets cluttered with cars and here a lorry has backed into scaffolding outside Argos on Eastgate. The whole of the town centre including Mercer Row, Cornmarket, Market Place and Eastgate was out of action for two hours no injures was reported.
View the video
Via: The Louth Daily Blog
OSHA has issued willful and serious citations to NER Construction Management Inc. for exposing workers to fall, scaffolding, and other hazards at a worksite in Boston. The Wilmington, Mass., building restoration and masonry contractor faces a total of $235,500 in proposed fines.
OSHA’s inspection found NER employees exposed to falls of up to 17 feet due to a lack of fall protection while power washing the side of a building and while dismantling scaffolding. An additional fall hazard stemmed from the employer’s failure to fully plank the scaffolding from which the employee performed the power washing.
“A fatal or disabling fall can end a life or a career in seconds,” said Brenda Gordon, OSHA’s area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts. “Scaffolding is an essential tool—and fall protection a basic and required safeguard—for this type of work. There’s no reason for an employer’s failure to have proper and effective protections in place and in use at all times at all jobsites.”
As a result of these conditions, OSHA has issued the company three willful citations with $210,000 in proposed fines. A willful violation exists when an employer has demonstrated either an intentional disregard for the requirements of the law or plain indifference to employee safety and health.
NER also has been issued six serious citations with $23,500 in fines for improper scaffold erection; missing guardrails; failure to certify that employees had been trained and evaluated to safely operate powered industrial trucks; lack of emergency eyewashing facilities; and failure to ensure the use of eye, face, and head protection. Finally, NER has been issued two other-than-serious citations with $2,000 in fines for inadequate recordkeeping. OSHA issues a serious citation when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known. An other-than-serious violation is one that has a direct relationship to job safety and health, but probably would not cause death or serious physical harm
Via: ohsonline.com 
The company employs 450 people at sites across the UK, providing scaffolding, painting and blasting, thermal insulation and a range of other industrial services.
Managing director Mike Carr attributes the safety milestone to the firm’s behavioural safety scheme, Watch What You’re Doing, which was created and implemented by shop floor staff.
He said: “Watch What You’re Doing started from the workers on the ground, as we wanted them to take responsibility for their colleagues’ and their own safety.”
To mark the achievement staff were given £5,000 to donate to a charity of their choice, with the Shrewsbury House Youth and Community Centre in Everton being picked as the recipient. Mustakim, 27, a native of Grobogan, Central Java, died after the scaffolding on which he was standing collapsed.
Mustakim was working on the fourth floor of an eight-story apartment building.
Pademangan Police Precinct chief Comr. Harley Silalahi said the scaffolding collapsed after it was hit by a falling piece of outer wall from one of the upper floors. Two other workers were injured by the falling concrete, Harley said.
The injured workers, Aulia and Saud, were being treated at Satya Negara Hospital in Sunter, North Jakarta. — JP
Via: www.thejakartapost.com Mathew Shane Armitage, 21, scaffolder, of Mt Maunganui, appeared before Judge Kevin Phillips charged with injuring with intent to injure Torben Freitag on December 11 and stealing his wallet.
Mr Freitag, a 24-year-old schoolteacher, was on holiday in Queenstown when he was attacked about 2.45am. Lawyer Russell Checketts entered guilty pleas to the two charges on behalf of his client and guilty pleas to four separate offences.
Armitage also admitted escaping police custody and possession of ecstasy in Mt Maunganui on New Year’s Eve, intentional damage in Tauranga on December 22 and breaching community work on December 18, in Tauranga.
Sergeant Ian Collin said Armitage and an associate – co-accused scaffolder Adam John Ferrari, 23, of Mt Maunganui – were intox-icated when they approached Mr Freitag.
The tourist and a member of the public walked away from the pair, but they followed the German man along Shotover St.
Mr Collin said the accused made changes to their appearance, walked up behind Freitag, and Armitage’s associate punched the tourist in the head, knocking him unconscious. Armitage kicked Mr Freitag in the head three or four times while he lay unconscious, the court was told.
The German man was bruised, suffered abrasions and had to wear a neck brace after the attack.
The defendants continued drinking in Queenstown, using stolen money to pay for alcohol.
Armitage told police he assaulted the victim because he believed Mr Freitag had slapped him in the face, the court was told.
Judge Phillips remanded Armitage in custody until sentencing takes place on March 21.
Via: www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/ 
The Magpas Helimedix team were called to the emergency at 9.15am and were on the scene in just 15 minutes. They were flown by Police Helicopter.
When the Helimedix arrived, the ambulance crew were already on the scene. The Helimedix team assessed the patient and he was taken by land ambulance to Bedford Hospital, where on arrival his condition was stable.
This illustrates how effective the joint service between Magpas, Cambridgeshire Police and the East of England Ambulance Service Trust is. Magpas Helimedix Team: Volunteer consultant Vijayasankar with EEAST Critical Care Paramedic Dan Cody.
Magpas is the country’s only dedicated night time and day time Air Ambulance with specialist Doctors and Paramedics Magpas was dispatched to over 950 Medical Emergencies in the East of England in 2010 alone. Magpas receives no state funding and relies wholly on generous donations from you the Public.
Via: www.aboutmyarea.co.uk 
Following a four-day hearing a High Court judge has reserved his decision on whether scaffolding erector Graham Wood should receive the huge payout.
Mr Wood, 42, from Doncaster, claims he has suffered from breathing problems since a gas leak at the refinery in June 2005.
His barrister, Jonathan Clarke, told the court: “Ever since a few hours after this happened he has been plagued by respiratory symptoms and, to this day, remains on the strongest inhalers available.”
Mr Wood is suing Esso Petroleum for damages – mainly for lost earnings, plus “pain and suffering”.
But Esso has denied liability, saying none of the other people in the same area as Mr Wood suffered any problems.
Via: www.dailyecho.co.uk The decision was taken today (Monday, February 7) after two short wooden boards from scaffolding on the roof of the adjoining Municipal Buildings blew off onto the roof of the market shortly before 11am.
Although there were no injuries and the roof was not damaged, a decision was quickly taken by Cheshire East Council to close the market on the grounds of safety to traders and the public.
The market will remain closed until this risk has been removed and the wind has died down sufficiently
A spokesman for Cheshire East Council said: “Four workers from subcontractors responsible for the scaffolding are currently on site ensuring all scaffolding is secure.
“They will remain there to monitor and maintain safety throughout the day.
“Council staff are also on hand to explain the situation to the public and keep them away from the market.”
Via: www.crewechronicle.co.uk The police cordoned off one side of the street from Starbucks up to the Alliance & Leicester just after midday after they received a call to say the structure at Barnado’s looked dangerous.
Fire crews worked on the scaffolding and then declared it safe at around 1pm.
The cordon was then removed.
Via: www.newsshopper.co.uk Philip Pears fell about ten feet from a scaffolding tower outside a house in York in June 2009, while working for Premier Security Glazing Ltd, based in Sheffield.
York Magistrates’ Court heard two tower scaffolds had been erected ten feet apart, with wooden boards creating a makeshift platform between them.
Mr Pears, then 20, climbed a ladder on to the platform which slipped, and he fell three-and-a-half metres, breaking his wrist and bruising his back on the pavement below.
Sarah Lee, from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), said: “The dangers of working from poorly-erected tower scaffolds are well known and are responsible for many injuries each year.
“Had the company followed widely-available guidance from HSE, the manufacturer’s instructions, or the findings of the company’s own safety audit then this incident could have been easily prevented.”
The court heard the company had employed a risk adviser some months before the incident, and received a health and safety audit on its systems of work, including recommendations for safe working at height and the correct use of tower scaffolds, but had not implemented these recommendations.
The firm, of Marriot Road, Swinton, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by failing to ensure the safety of their employees and was fined £2,500 with £2,644.90 costs.
Via: www.yorkpress.co.uk 
