Warehouse worker injury highlights risk of workplace accidents

A worker at a textile retailer was injured after falling from an unguarded platform onto the concrete floor at the company’s warehouse. The man suffered from a broken leg from the fall and then his ankle was crushed after a board fell onto it. He also received bad bruising to his face.
High risk of workplace accidents for tree surgeons unless precautions taken

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Electricians risk shock of accidents in the workplace

Electricians necessarily work with electricity, which can result in very serious injuries. Injuries caused by contact with electricity can include electric shock, electrical burns, loss of muscle control and thermal burns.
Road maintenance workers risk accident in the workplace

A road maintenance worker was killed on the M4, whilst crossing over to the central reservation to collect traffic cones. He was employed by a private company, hired to remove cones from the motorway after re-surfacing work had been completed.
Cactus causes workplace accident and nearly blinds worker

A maintenance worker in Milton Keynes was injured by a cactus in a shopping centre. His role included general maintenance work, including pruning plants. Whilst he was pruning a 30ft cactus, he was squirted in the right eye by sap.
Workplace accidents high in manufacturing industry and higher in recycling industry

The manufacturing industry can be dangerous and there is a high risk of workplace accidents, compared to some other industries. A recent example comes from a dairy company in Aberystwyth who were fined £3,250 and ordered to pay costs of £2,673 after a worker was hit by a forklift truck at the company’s factory.
Office workers risk accident in the workplace without proper precautions

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Warehouse worker injury highlights risk of workplace accidents
Dec 02, 2010
High risk of workplace accidents for tree surgeons unless precautions taken
Dec 01, 2010
Electricians risk shock of accidents in the workplace
Dec 01, 2010
Road maintenance workers risk accident in the workplace
Dec 01, 2010
Cactus causes workplace accident and nearly blinds worker
Dec 01, 2010
Workplace accidents high in manufacturing industry and higher in recycling industry
Oct 26, 2010
Office workers risk accident in the workplace without proper precautions
Oct 26, 2010

Workplace accidents high in manufacturing industry and higher in recycling industry

Published on Oct 26

The manufacturing industry can be dangerous and there is a high risk of workplace accidents, compared to some other industries. A recent example comes from a dairy company in Aberystwyth who were fined £3,250 and ordered to pay costs of £2,673 after a worker was hit by a forklift truck at the company’s factory.

The worker broke his leg and had broken bones in his feet and toes. The company admitted a breach under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and said that it regretted the accident and was taking steps to improve health and safety procedures.

Another workplace accident occurred in Essex this year when a worker suffered nerve damage and nearly lost his finger in an injury on a circular saw. The worker was using the saw to cut a block of plastic but the guard had been removed and was not replaced. The company admitted breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and were fined £6,000 plus £2,741 in costs. The company had failed to provide adequate supervision or procedures to check that the saw guard was fitted for each use. After the work accident, procedures were implemented to prevent future accidents.

Over the past 10 years, there has been a decline in the rate of major injuries in the manufacturing industry. In 2008/09, HSE statistics show a steeper decrease in the rate of major injuries than in previous years. This indicates that conditions for workers are improving and that companies are improving their health and safety procedures. However, manufacturing remains one of the most dangerous of UK industries. A higher proportion of workplace accidents than in other industries are caused by contact with moving machinery, being hit by a moving or falling object, being hit by something stationary and contact with harmful substances.

Although generally the rate of injuries in the manufacturing injury has reduced, the recycling industry, which forms a sub-group within the manufacturing industry, has shown a much higher rate of major injuries. It is over five times the rate for the manufacturing industry as a whole and over eight times the rate for all industries in 2008/09.

A worker at a Reading recycling plant was injured by a needle after someone had put it into a recycling bin, instead of into a medical waste bin. The worker is awaiting the results of tests to see if he has picked up any infections from the needle. Workers who manually handle and sort waste are the most at risk of injury. The most common type of workplace accident in this industry is from manual handling, including cuts from sharp objects during refuse collection. Slips and trips also cause injuries, as do being struck by objects.

One recycling company has managed to reduce its injury rate by 90% in the last ten years. It has done this through risk assessments, audits and giving monthly awards to employees for best health and safety practice. Machinery assessments check blind spots and reversing cameras are installed where needed. The improvements that the company has made have meant that not only have they improved staff safety and reduced the number of workplace accidents but they have also saved £500,000.