UK
Ireland
Scotland
London
Construction News
05/10/2017
Council Prosecuted For Health And Safety Failings
Wrexham County Borough Council has been prosecuted after a road maintenance worker was diagnosed with Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS).
Wrexham County Borough Council of the Guildhall, Wrexham pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It has been fined £150,000 with more than £10,901 in costs.
Wrexham Magistrates' Court heard how the 57-year-old employee worked for the local authority's StreetScene department.
After the worker was diagnosed with HAVS in September 2015, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out an investigation and found the council failed to address the issue of HAVS following an audit in February 2011, which identified a failure to assess the risk to employees from vibration.
Despite having developed a number of policies dating back to 2004 to tackle the risk of HAVS, HSE found these policies were not implemented.
Following the introduction of HAVS occupational health surveillance for users of vibrating tools, a further 11 diagnoses of HAVS or Carpal tunnel syndrome have been reported.
HSE inspector Mhairi Duffy said: "This employee now suffers from a long term, life changing illness. The council should have implemented the policy they devised following the audit in 2011.
"Workers' health should not be made worse by the work they do; all employees have the right to go home healthy at the end of the working day."
(LM)
Wrexham County Borough Council of the Guildhall, Wrexham pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It has been fined £150,000 with more than £10,901 in costs.
Wrexham Magistrates' Court heard how the 57-year-old employee worked for the local authority's StreetScene department.
After the worker was diagnosed with HAVS in September 2015, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out an investigation and found the council failed to address the issue of HAVS following an audit in February 2011, which identified a failure to assess the risk to employees from vibration.
-- Advertisement --
Despite having developed a number of policies dating back to 2004 to tackle the risk of HAVS, HSE found these policies were not implemented.
Following the introduction of HAVS occupational health surveillance for users of vibrating tools, a further 11 diagnoses of HAVS or Carpal tunnel syndrome have been reported.
HSE inspector Mhairi Duffy said: "This employee now suffers from a long term, life changing illness. The council should have implemented the policy they devised following the audit in 2011.
"Workers' health should not be made worse by the work they do; all employees have the right to go home healthy at the end of the working day."
(LM)
Latest Construction News
17/01/2025
Leeds Trinity University has officially opened its newly refurbished City Campus at 1 Trevelyan Square in Leeds.
Completed by GRAHAM Interior Fit-Out, the transformation of the central Leeds site introduces state-of-the-art facilities designed to improve learning and collaborate with industry partn
17/01/2025
Trammell Crow Company (TCC) has secured planning permission for a Grade A logistics scheme in Heywood, Greater Manchester, following a successful planning appeal.
The development will feature two state-of-the-art industrial and logistics buildings. One building will house two units measuring 4,796
17/01/2025
Poole-based developer AJC Group has celebrated a record-breaking 2024, delivering 100 affordable homes, a significant increase from the 72 units completed in the previous year.
Since 2023, AJC Group has completed and handed over 172 affordable homes across five sites.
In 2024 alone, the developer
17/01/2025
Plans for one of the most ambitious parks projects in London have taken a significant step forward, with Haringey Council securing nearly two additional acres of land around The Paddock nature reserve in Tottenham Hale.
The agreement with Thames Water marks a major milestone in the transformation o
17/01/2025
Islington Council has unveiled two draft guidance documents aimed at helping residents, businesses, and developers combat climate change by making buildings more energy efficient and fostering a greener, healthier borough.
The consultation seeks feedback on the draft Climate Action Supplementary Pl
17/01/2025
The City of Wolverhampton Council has unveiled a £98 million investment plan over the next five years to develop around 500 new homes across the city.
The proposal, part of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan, received Cabinet approval this week and now moves to Full Council for final
17/01/2025
Croydon Council has announced a significant milestone in the redevelopment of the Purley Pool site, with revised proposals submitted for a new leisure centre, later living housing, and the regeneration of the surrounding area.
A planning application for the site was initially submitted in 2024, pro
17/01/2025
The City of Wolverhampton Council has announced that demolition work has commenced on the New Park Village estate, marking the start of a major £40 million redevelopment project to transform outdated council housing.
Contractor DSM Demolition has begun pulling down poor-quality bungalows on Valley
17/01/2025
Hillingdon Council has acquired 12 new homes at Carpenters Court in Uxbridge.
Leader of Hillingdon Council, Cllr Ian Edwards and Cllr Steve Tuckwell, Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and Growth, visited the site to officially mark the handover of the properties from local developer Kearns Devel
17/01/2025
Organisers of UK Construction Week (UKCW) have announced another major coup for the show's 10th anniversary year, with the news that UKCW London will be co-locating with the 14th edition of The Stone Show & Hard Surfaces, the principal industry event for surface design.
Established 26 years ago, th
