Individuals who fill health and safety jobs perform a vital role and can help to minimise suffering and even save lives.
The importance of effective risk management was in the spotlight recently after a company was issued a fine in response to an accident that occurred in October 2011. A fabric firm based in Bolton was ordered to pay £6,000, plus £3,600 in costs, during a hearing at Trafford Magistrates’ Court.
It had pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.
The accident occurred when an employee was trying to straighten a crease on a roll of fabric as it was being wound up. The 39-year-old, who asked not to be named, was flipped around a large rotating roller after his clothes became caught in the mechanism.
He was pulled around the roller three times, suffering cracked ribs and bruising to the side of his body as a result.
After the incident, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched an investigation and found that there were no guards on the machine to prevent workers from accessing dangerous moving parts. Also, the emergency stop button nearest to where the employee was operating was defective.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Emily Osborne said: “The worker was badly injured because his employer didn’t do enough to ensure he could not become entangled in the machine. Flameproofings failed to act on the findings of its own risk assessment, and install a suitable guard on the machine. It should also have made sure the defective emergency stop button was fixed and working properly.”
“Sadly, it took the injury of an employee for the company to realise it needed to take action to improve safety at the factory.”
By selecting the best individuals to fill health and safety officer jobs, organisations can enhance their risk management.
to find out more go to www.osrecruitment.co.uk
