Linden Foods, Ltd., was fined a total of £25,000 ($41,000) plus £1,200 ($2,000) in costs at Laganside Crown Court, after pleading guilty to breaches of health and safety legislation at an earlier hearing at Omagh Crown Court. The case was brought by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI).
According to information from the HSENI, the case arose out of a Feb. 25, 2010, incident in a store at a Linden Foods meat processing plant at Granville Industrial Estate Dungannon.(WCxKit)
Lucas Da Costa, a 33-year-old worker, suffered severe head injuries when stacked packing crates collapsed on top of him. Da Costa was lifting the stacked crates using an electric pallet truck which had no overhead protection against falling objects.(WCxKit)
After the hearing, Anne Cassidy, an inspector with the HSENI’S major investigation team, noted, “Companies must use lift trucks which have overhead protection where there is a possibility of items falling. Care must be taken when stacking goods to ensure the stacks are stable and suitably spaced so as to prevent accidents such as this one. A risk assessment must be carried out to identify these hazards and the most suitable means of controlling the risks.”
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
© 2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
New Zealand’s Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) welcomed the conviction of Kerol Ann Smith-Goodwill who pleaded guilty in the Pukekohe District Court this month to defrauding ACC.
According to an ACC report, Smith-Goodwill, unemployed of Waiuku, was convicted of six charges – five for making a false statement to ACC, and one for willfully misleading ACC. (WCxKit)
Smith-Goodwill pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to 80 hours of community work. She was also ordered to pay reparation of $16,658.14.
The charges related to a nine-month period between July 2008 and March 2009 during which Smith-Goodwill worked fulltime while continuing to receive weekly compensation from ACC.
Weekly compensation was paid by ACC on the basis that Ms Smith-Goodwill was fully unfit for work, as the result of a back injury received in July 2008.
When weekly compensation was granted, Smith-Goodwill was advised she must tell ACC if she resumed any type of employment and was reminded of this obligation in subsequent meetings with ACC staff. However, during these meetings she made no mention of the fact that she had started fulltime work with Ecomist Systems Ltd. as a sales representative.
While working full-time, Smith-Goodwill continued to supply medical certificates to ACC, declaring she remained fully unfit for work.
ACC launched an investigation into Smith-Goodwill’s situation as a result of information received. When interviewed by an ACC representative, Smith-Goodwill said she understood the requirement to advise ACC if she returned to work. (WCxKit)
She also said she knew she should not have been working while obtaining medical certificates saying she was unable to work.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Workplace fatalities increased slightly over the first half of the year as compared to the same period last year, according to the latest Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Report released by the Singapore-based WSH Council.
From 25 during the first half of 2010, 30 fatalities were recorded from January to June 2011. Fall from height remained the leading type of incident since 2006, which resulted in 13 fatalities, followed by being struck by moving objects, which killed five. Three fatalities were attributed to being struck by a falling object caused by a collapse or failure of structure and equipment. (WCxKit)
Other causes of death are being caught in/between objects, fires and explosions, crane-related accidents, electrocution, and oxygen deficiency in a confined space.
Seventy-seven percent of fatalities came from the three traditional sectors – Marine, Construction and Manufacturing. These sectors also accounted for about 78 per cent of permanent disablements and occupational diseases. However, in terms of less serious injuries or temporary disablements (TD), they account for about 41 percent of 4,697 cases.
Meanwhile, the overall number of workplace injuries fell by 8 percent and permanent disablements fell by 37 percent. Some 43 percent of temporary disablements, which decreased slightly, include incidents like employees tripping in cluttered work areas and sustaining injuries or being struck by heavy objects while retrieving them from shelves.
Chairman of the WSH Council, Lee Tzu Yang, noted "Although the number of workplace injuries has been declining by 5 percent to 8 percent over the last two years, we can see that we cannot afford to relax. … The Council is committed to getting everyone on board, and we can only succeed if employers want to ensure their employees' safety and take concrete measures to improve.
"Employees in turn need to follow the safety rules, learn to be aware of risks and look out for each other. Everyone must put safety first, and I include offices, wholesale and retail companies, which form part of the new sectors that account for 40 percent of workplace incidents."
The number of occupational diseases went up from 124 in 2010 to 361 in 2011, primarily due to the increased reporting of Noise-Induced Deafness (NID) related cases. More NID cases were reported following an island-wide audit exercise by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
Of the 315 NID cases reported, only one was in the advanced stage. The other 314 cases are in their early stages. Excluding NID cases, the number of occupational diseases in the first half of 2011 was 46 compared to 37 over the same period last year. (WCxKit)
In response to this, the WSH Council has developed materials to assist employers of workers who may be exposed to noisy work environments.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
WorkSafeBC is working with The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) to reduce the risks of distracted driving in British Columbia, according to a report from ICBC.
The province, police, ICBC and WorkSafeBC are reminding drivers of the dangers of distracted driving, focusing on raising awareness among employers and their staff, as part of September’s distracted driving campaign. (WCxKit)
In B.C., crashes are the number one cause of traumatic work-related deaths, according to WorkSafeBC statistics. On average, approximately 30 workers in B.C. are killed each year while driving and distracted driving, such as cell phone use, is a key factor in these crashes.
“As government, we have established aggressive legislation and police have done a good job of enforcement but really this is about your friends, family and colleagues, so set an example,” said Shirley Bond, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “We know these deaths and injuries are preventable. Let voicemail do its job or pull over. Safe driving requires your full attention.”
A recent Ipsos Reid survey conducted on behalf of ICBC revealed that only 9 per cent of drivers think that commercial drivers are better than the general public at following B.C.’s new restrictions on the use of hand-held electronic devices while driving.
“Workers and employers in B.C. need to take steps to eliminate any risks or distractions and consider that when you’re behind the wheel, driving is your only job,” said Diana Miles, senior vice-president of Worker and Employer Services at WorkSafeBC.
To help workers and employers, new materials are now available to download on WorkSafeBC.com, including a sample safe-driving policy; tip sheets for employers, supervisors and workers; as well as a new video to help drive home the message even further.
“We need to shift our attitudes toward distracted driving – we can all do our part to help create a culture where friends, families and colleagues don’t expect you to answer the phone while driving,” said Fiona Temple, director of road safety, ICBC. (WCxKit)
“A distracted driver is not only committing a traffic offence, they are being selfish and stupid,” added Chief Jamie Graham, Traffic Committee Chair of the British Columbia Association of Chiefs of Police. “That’s why police have been blanketing the province targeting and charging the people who just don't get it. You have to be responsible for your actions, pay attention and focus on driving – you will help prevent a tragedy.”
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
A Nottingham, Great Britain cleaning products manufacturer has been fined after an employee was seriously injured when a powered industrial truck used to lift and transport materials toppled and fell on him.
According to information from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the worker, who has asked not to be named, suffered a fractured cheekbone, multiple skull injuries and long term-impaired vision after the incident, which happened when he was helping load a lorry using a semi-electric stacker truck. The truck was pulled over a curb and fell onto the employee.(WCxKit)
His employer, Revelholme Marketing, Ltd., (trading as Unic International), was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation.
The company, of Colwick Road, Nottingham, which makes solvent degreasers and cleaning products, was found guilty of breaching regulation 4(3) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 at a three-day trial. They were fined £5,000 ($8,100) and ordered to pay costs of £18,000 ($29,000).
The Nottingham Magistrates' Court heard that after the incident, Jan. 23, 2009, the employee was hospitalized for 10 days and was off work for almost three months. Although he has returned to work, the man still suffers from the after-affects of his injuries.(WCxKit)
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
OUR WORK COMP BOOK: www.WCManual.com
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
A British toddler was injured when part of a streetlight was dropped by a workman in Hackney as she was passing underneath, a court has heard.
According to a report from The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), one-year-old Taahyra Kasham was being pushed along a London street in her pram by her mum, Rajna, when a reflector from a streetlight hit her on the head. (WCxKit)
Street light operative Joseph Parker, 25, who at the time of the incident lived in Romford, Essex, was fined after HSE found he had not erected temporary barriers around the lamp while he was working.
City of London Magistrates Court heard Parker was instructed by his employers, Volker Highways Limited, to investigate a faulty street lamp on Gillett Square in Hackney on Jan. 20, 2010.
However, when he detached the reflector at the top of the lamp post it fell toward the mother and daughter below. The one-year-old needed stitches to her wound, but her mum escaped unhurt.
The HSE investigation found the incident was entirely preventable. Temporary barriers should have been used to segregate pedestrians from the work area around the lamp before Mr. Parker dismantled the reflector. (WCxKit)
Parker, who at the time of the incident lived in Boxmoor Road, Romford, Essex, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 7(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He was fined $3,539.48 and ordered to pay costs of $4,545.13
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
The European workforce's well-being is key to a sustainable economic recovery, according to the head of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA).
Introducing his last annual report as agency director, Dr. Jukka Takala emphasized the danger that the economic crisis might push people out of employment permanently, and huge numbers may find themselves excluded from the job market because of long-term ill health. “For the whole of the E.U., we can estimate the production loss from people being excluded from work on health and disability grounds at Є30,000 billion – every year. For comparison, the emergency measures that were introduced to stabilize the Greek economy cost in the range of Є110 billion, and those for Ireland, Є85 billion, just as a one-off.” (WCxKit)
According to Dr. Takala, it is important that future economic growth should be inclusive, creating conditions that enable people to continue at work, safely and healthily. “We need to ensure not just that current jobs are safe, healthy, and productive; we should strive towards a safe, healthy, productive, sustainable, satisfying, and motivating working life,” he said.
The 2010 annual report emphasizes the ways in which the agency has continued to work to protect the safety and health of European workers, in spite of these difficult economic conditions. One highlight has been the opening of the Healthy Workplaces Campaign on Safe Maintenance – the agency’s two-year health and safety campaigns are now the largest of their kind in the world. The Safe Maintenance Campaign has seen record numbers of partner organizations involved.
The agency also published results of the European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER), which, for the first time, provide real-time data from enterprises across Europe on what they are doing to tackle occupational risks (specifically psychosocial risks).
Another highlight of 2010 was the agency piloting the Online interactive Risk Assessment tool (OiRA), the legacy of the Healthy Workplaces Campaign on Risk Assessment 2008-09. The OiRA tool, which the agency is making available for free, will help many thousands of small companies across the E.U. carry out risk assessments in a simple and cost-effective way.
Looking ahead, 2011 will be the second year of the Safe Maintenance Campaign, including the closing event in November.(WCxKit)
The agency continues with the detailed study of the results of the ESENER survey, and planning is has begun for the 2012-13 Healthy Workplaces Campaign on the subject of working together for risk prevention.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
OUR WORKERS COMP BOOK: www.WCManual.com
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Age discrimination in Western Australia workers compensation legislation has been abolished by state parliament, according to a report from the Government of Western Australia.
Commerce Minister Simon O’Brien said changes to the Workers Compensation and Injury Management Act 1981 passed in August, come into effect on Oct. 1, 2011, giving all employees the same entitlement to workers comp regardless of age.(WCxKit)
O’Brien said the Act had clearly been unfair to workers over the age of 64, previously entitled to only one year of income payments.
“The change means contributions older workers make to the WA economy and society are recognized in the workers compensation legislation,” he said.
“With Western Australia facing an aging workforce, record low unemployment and a need to maintain skilled and experienced people, the removal of any barriers to working past 65 will have a positive economic and social impact.”
The changes are part of a number of Liberal-National Government legislative reforms to take effect on Oct. 1 and result from a 2009 Government review of workers compensation.
The other significant change is the extension of the safety net which ensures seriously injured workers are protected if their employer is uninsured.
“Injured workers should not have to pay for the unlawful business practices of the very small number of employers who fail to take out insurance,” the Minister said.
“The changes mean that in these cases WorkCover WA will meet the costs of damages awarded by the Court if negligence is proven and the employer does not have insurance.”
The workers comp dispute resolution system is also improved through the amendments, creating more accessible and timely conciliation and arbitration services.
“These changes have been made in response to strong stakeholder feedback about the need to improve the dispute resolution arrangements,” O’Brien added.(WCxKit)
“Only a small number of workers compensation matters end up in a dispute between the parties. When this happens it is important the matter can be dealt with in a straightforward and transparent way.”
Changes to the dispute resolution system take effect from Dec. 1, 2011.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
A fine of $65,496 was handed down recently by Judge Moran in the Limerick Circuit Criminal Court to "Mr. Binman," a waste collection and recycling company, providing services to both household and commercial customers in Ireland since 1994.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the fines were imposed for breaches of health and safety legislation on March 21, 2008 at Luddenmore, Grange Kilmallock, Co. Limerick. The case arose as a result of the death of John Wright, an employee of Mr. Binman. (WCxKit)
Wright was involved in an accident at the waste management facility where he was struck with a loading shovel machine. Wright, a bin truck driver, was walking from his truck to the offices/canteen area when the incident occurred.
Wright was removed from the scene to the Limerick Regional Hospital where he later died from his injuries. He had worked for Mr. Binman for approximately 14 years and was 64 years old.
Speaking after the judgment, Martin O’Halloran, chief executive of the Health and Safety Authority, said, “This accident was foreseeable and preventable. It is clear in this case that "Mr. Binman" failed in its duties to ensure that mobile machinery and pedestrians could move about the workplace in a safe manner.”
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Following the electrocution death of an employee, an employer participating in the federal government’s subsidized home insulation program was fined $100,000 for unsafe workplace practices Queensland (Australia) Workplace Health and Safety.
Mitchell Sweeney, 22, died in February 2010 while working on the ceiling of a home at Millaa Millaa, south of Cairns. He was electrocuted when he stapled a metal fastener through the foil and into a live wire. (WCxKit)
Sweeney was working for Gold Coast Company Titans Insulation, a participant in the federal government’s subsidized home insulation program. Following Sweeney’s death, the company was charged with failing to conduct its business in an electrically safe way.
After initially indicating it would defend the charge, the company pleaded guilty in the Industrial Magistrates Court in Brisbane.
The court heard the company did implement a number of strategies aimed at employee safety, including distributing plastic staples to workers. However, the court said these strategies did not go far enough to mitigate risk of death or serious injury to employees because, for example, the employer failed to ensure the plastic staples were actually being used.
Prosecutor Andrew Herbert, representing Queensland Workplace Health and Safety, said it was true Titans provided some training to staff and gave a number of directives that they were not to use metal staples. (WCxKit)
‘‘
There was a complete absence of a system for detecting and understanding whether the workers were in fact complying with the directions,’’ Herbert said. ‘‘Any cursory inspection of their work by Titans would have revealed exactly what was going on.’’
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
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Medical Cost Containment & Managed Care, Risk Management, Safety and Loss Control, WC in Other Countries (International) |
