Safety Smart Monthly Update January 2024

If you missed out on our last newsletter – never fear! we’ve pulled together all the information in this blog post and there’s plenty to catch up on!

Silica Dust – are you aware of the risks? 

HSE inspectors are visiting manufacturing businesses to ensure workers’ health is being protected from the risks of respirable crystalline silica (RCS).  Inspectors are checking that employers and their workers know the risks and have control measures in place to prevent exposure to RCS which can cause irreversible lung disease if breathed in over time.

Employers should talk to their workers about the risks, and how to avoid them.  Make sure they understand how a job should be done safely without creating risks to their health
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85% of organisations have no fire risk assessment for lithium-ion batteries on site 

Just 15% of organisations say they have conducted a workplace fire risk assessment to cover the risks posed by devices containing lithium-ion batteries (LiB), new research finds. Firechief Global urges organisations to get risk assessed for lithium-ion battery usage.

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HSE Safety Alert: Lorry loaders crush risk from powered tilting stabilisers

On some lorry loaders with powered ‘tilting’ (also known as ‘swing-up’ or ‘rotating’) stabilisers people can be crushed against the bodywork of the vehicle when the stabilisers are being retracted.

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Company fined £900k after man is crushed to death

Lee Benham died while attempting to move a scissor lift at Nationwide Platform Limited’s workshop in Liskeard, Cornwall on 4 November 2021. The 45-year-old, who was from south-east London but lived in Liskeard, was working for Nationwide as an LGV driver when the incident occurred.

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Company and director sentenced as worker fractures arm and leg 

A company and its director have been sentenced after an employee fell from height and suffered serious injuries.

Andrew Smith fractured his left femur, left elbow, left arm and pelvis after falling approximately three metres off a ladder on 28 July 2021.

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Company fined after worker spotted working at height on pallet lifted by forklift truck 

A company has been fined £100k after onlookers spotted an employee working from height while standing on a pallet raised by a forklift truck at Ramsgate Harbour.

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