Poor confined space practices result in £43,000 fine

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A boat-building company, C & L Marine, were fined £43,000 (inc. costs) after the discovery of totally unsafe confined space practices on a boat moored in Sutton Harbour, Plymouth.

Two employees were required to work in a fuel tank which was accessed via a small manhole, shown here.

They had to use buckets to remove 600L of seawater and diesel before entering the tank. Because of the fumes, they took it in turns to enter the tank to clean it with rags before welding it. Once of them experienced breathing difficulties.

The harbourmaster visited the boat and then contacted the HSE who found:

• Neither man had received training

• Neither man was provided with respiratory protection

• No gas monitor was used to measure oxygen levels

• No gas certificate had been issued to state that work was safe to start

• Electric fans were used, but these had no hose to extract fumes to outside the tank; they just blew the fumes around

• One man used a grinder which caused sparks to fall on his workmate who was holding a lamp

• C & L Marine had failed to consider means of emergency rescue, which normally requires the provision of harnesses, lines and the means of lifting a person out of the confined space.

The HSE:

• Issued a Prohibition Notice, which ordered the repairs to stop until a safe system of working in a confined space was created. 

• Prosecuted C & L Marine.

HSE inspector David Cory said: “C & L Marine’s lack of preparation for this work showed very significant failings, which could have led to tragedy – they should have been well aware of the risks cleaning and then welding in the diesel fuel tank would have posed.  The tank should have been thoroughly steam-cleaned or jet-washed, instead of being bucketed out and mopped with rags. There was no test for the presence of noxious or flammable gases, or whether there was sufficient oxygen in the tank before the men began work. If the diesel fuel residues had been sufficiently heated they would have created fumes which could have led to an explosion, or fire. Ventilation was either absent, or woefully inadequate.”

Source: SHP 19^th March 2013

How to build an unsafe road junction

This picture shows a new roundabout on a controversial housing development in Bishops Cleeve.Note how they’ve constructed a chicane just before the roundabout, thereby forcing traffic onto the right hand side of the road to meet oncoming traffic from the roundabout.

This is made worse by the hedge and tree which obscures traffic entering the roundabout from the right hand road which, fortunately, isn’t in operation yet.

Woman crushed to death by forklift truck

A 49-year-old woman was crushed to death by a forklift truck at an Avonmouth warehouse. 
The deceased, Ms Brennan , was struck by a forklift truck driven by replenishment supervisor Ben Morris.

Mr Morris described said he was loading pallets of Pringles into the back of a lorry ready for delivery when the incident happened. He said: "As I was reversing round I looked over my shoulder and I couldn't see anything. Then I felt the rear left wheel lift up in the air.”

An HSE inspector  told an inquest he had seen staff using loading equipment as scooters at Booker Wholesale cash and carry in Avonmouth as he studied CCTV recordings after the death of warehouse assistant Ann Brennan.

There was no speed limit and no segregation between pedestrians and vehicles in the loading bay where the fatal incident occurred, where there had been several previous "near-misses".

The Brooker Area Manager Mr French was then questioned about health and safety measures in the warehouse, admitting there was

• No segregation policy at that time, between pedestrians and vehicles.
• No existing policy in the goods-in area, and
• No speed limit.

Ronald Crandon, the driver of the lorry which was being loaded at the time of the incident, told the court he had witnessed incidents in the past. He also added that he believed there were safety measures in place. However, the HSE found that there were no such measures in place.

The HSE inspector told the coroner it was the responsibility of the employer to prepare their work place to avoid contact by separating pedestrians from vehicles.

He said: "There were no specific walkways for pedestrians and no marked areas. As far as I am aware there was nothing to separate the vehicles and pedestrians. Most of the staff weren't aware of the risk assessment in that area. The only control measure, if you can call it that, is to be aware that forklifts are operating."

During his investigation, he looked back at a random sample of working days through the company's CCTV. He noted an "untidy" warehouse with "vehicles working in very close proximity to pedestrians". He added that there were no high visibility jackets being worn in the heavily stocked area and on one occasion he saw members of staff "using a hand truck as a scooter".

The inquest continues.

Source: Bristol Post Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Poorly maintained forklift truck causes death

A 34 year-old forklift truck caused the death of the 61 year old manager and co-directorof Chard Truck Services, three months after being crushed by the “prehistoric”forklift.

Theaccident occurred when the vehicle toppled over after a wheel went into an open gully.

Whentested by the HSE, the following defects were found:

• The handbrake could not be locked in position
• The foot brake was not working properly
• The reverse pedal did not work properly
• There was no seat belt

Firefightershad to cut the roll cage and steering column to free the driver. He was takento Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton where he suffered a cardiac arrest the nextday and then never regained consciousness. He died from pneumonia with braininfarction and hypoxia due to the crush injury.

Inreturning a verdict of accidental death with a narrative the jury added that:“significant factors” were the defective vehicle and poor health and safetypractices. Specific contributors included those listed above and the lack of ageneral risk assessment.

Source:Western Daily Press Thursday, March 28, 2013