Tata Steel and a contractor have been fined £320,000 after a worker was killed in Redcar. The 29 year old contractor, Kristian Lee Norris, was working at Teesside Cast Products on behalf of Vesuvius UK Ltd. At the time of the fatal accident he was working to re-line a furnace where steel was made when a bar fell on his head. The bar was two foot long and was from a goods and passenger lift that was 10 meters above where Mr Norris was working.
Safety Failings Were Discovered in the Following Investigation
The Health and Safety Executive investigated and discovered some safety failings, which resulted in guilty pleas from Tata Steel and the contractor who employed Mr Norris. The investigation found that there weren’t suitable precautions put in place that would have controlled the risks of items, tools or materials falling. Both Tata Steel and Vesuvius were responsible for the lack of safety precautions, both parties were aware of the issues and yet they still allowed the work to continue.
Large Fines for the Death of Young Worker
The case was heard at Teesside Crown Court on January 29 2013. Vesuvius were fined £200,000 and must pay £24,020 in costs for breaching Regulation 10(1) of the Work at Height Regulations. Tata Steel was fined £120,000 and the same amount of court costs as Vesuvius for breaching the same Work at Height Regulation.
Working at Height is a High Risk Activity
Working at height is known to have multiple risks and adequate safety precautions and measures are always required with work of this type. Employers must ensure they perform the right assessments and produce ways of controlling the risks to keep employees and the public safe from the working activities. Precautions are required at all times, employees need to be suitably trained and provided with the right gear for the job. The only way to discover what precautions are required is to perform a risk assessment. From there you’ll have to put in safety measures and communicate with each employee to ensure they are aware of the hazards and how to help control the risks while working.
Health and Safety consultants can provide multiple health and safety services to help you when dealing with working at heights. One of the ways you can work to comply with the law is to provide adequate training to you and your managers and supervisors. There are many courses that will teach you about your legal duties and how to work safely by successfully managing health and safety within your organisation.
Learn more about the health and safety courses and other services that could help to prevent fatalities and serious injuries. Call us on 0800 1488 677 to speak to one of the team.
About David Cant
David, MD of Veritas Consulting is a Chartered Safety and Health Practitioner and a registered Consultant on OSHCR.
Drawing on well over 15 years experience the consultancy operates in all areas of workplace health and safety, including role of a CDM Coordinator , Asbestos Survey Management and Training.
David also appeared on Channel 4 TV as CDM Coordinator for "Rome wasn't built in a day".
★ Follow David on Twitter - @Veritas_Office
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This post has been filed in: Construction Health and Safety