A global glass bottle manufacturer has been fined £600,000 after a worker suffered burns when molten glass and hot water spilled into his cab. O-I Glass Limited pleaded guilty to a single health and safety charge following the incident at its Glasshouse Loan site in Alloa on 3 February 2024. The 32-year-old employee sustained scald burns covering eight percent of his body but has since made a full recovery. The company employs around 500 people at the Alloa site, which operates continuously to produce glass bottles. Furnaces used to smelt raw materials are located above two glass reject basements containing large, moveable skips. These skips collect molten or formed glass rejected during the...Continue...

A joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Greater Manchester Police was conducted after a three-year-old died on the 16th July 2022. The investigation identified that Mr Speakman failed to ensure there was a safe segregated area for Albie to play in. Instead, Albie was able to move around the farm while vehicles were being driven / operated. Mr Speakman had borrowed a telehandler from a neighbour, and while he had previously used the vehicle, he was not appropriately trained. Additionally, the telehandler being driven was in poor condition, it was missing a wing mirror on the passenger’s side, and the driver’s side wing mirror was dirty – severely reduc...Continue...

GroundsWeek is an annual celebration of the often overlooked groundskeeper, who plays a vital role in maintaining the green spaces that enhance our lives and support mental and physical well-being. The week is marked by activities and campaigns to promote the profession, share best practices, and appreciate the work groundskeeping professionals accomplish. An entire week dedicated to highlighting the skills of grounds staff, whilst inspiring everyone to appreciate the industry. Groundskeepers Roles and Responsibilities It requires specialist training to enable for a grounds person to carry out their daily activities such as mowing, hedge-cutting, strimming and leaf blowing....Continue...

Thorough inspection checklists of all warehouse equipment are required under Health and Safety law: LOLER 1998 & PUWER 1998 Asking employees to perform pre-use inspections before using forklifts, pallet trucks, racking, ladders, tow tractors, podium steps or any other warehouse equipment is not only a smart and responsible policy to enforce, but is also required by law. Good to Go Safety provides companies easy-to-use inspections which enable competent employees to walk-through a series of checks to ensure that their warehouse equipment is safe to use. Each inspection only takes a short time to complete but ensures equipment is safe and provides invaluable evidence should an accident o...Continue...

An investigation was conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following a serious incident on the 13th June 2023. A father of three sustained serious injuries after falling more than 25 feet (7.5 metres) whilst manually carrying roof tiles down a ladder attached to fixed scaffolding. Devon Air Ambulance took Mr Ian Smith to the hospital where he was put into an induced coma for five days. He has since made a fantastic recovery however still suffers from his injuries, which included five broken vertebrae as well as skull and rib fractures. His employer, Daniel Hooper (self-employed) was given a 16-week custodial sentence (suspended for 12months) following the incident...Continue...