The dangers of asbestos are well documented, prolonged exposure to it’s barely visible fibres can lead to long term health problems and latent forms of cancer such as mesothelioma. For these reasons the use of asbestos containing materials in the construction industry was banned in 2000, but there are still an estimated 500,000 non-domestic buildings that contain asbestos.

Your building Manager should know if there's asbestos in your work environment

With no country-wide register of asbestos contaminated buildings, it’s almost impossible to know if your work environment contains asbestos. If it was built prior to 2000 then the building manage should be able to tell you whether asbestos is present in the fabric of the structure. But often, unless construction work is carried out it may not be known whether there is asbestos in the building.

It’s important to remember that asbestos containing materials are completely safe unless damaged or in a state of disrepair, but it’s always good to know more about a silent and long-term health risk. Now, thanks to The Health and Safety Executive and tradespeople across wales and the South East a new campaign has been launched aimed at delivering asbestos awareness training. In total 1,064.5 hours were pledged by local trades people.

They’ve been described as the future of UK energy and their farms are causing a stir across the country, claiming to be the safest and greenest way to power our homes, businesses and streets. But new information released by industry trade body RenewableUK has revealed wind farms aren’t quite as safe as we may have thought, with four deaths and over 300 work accident injuries occuring over the last five years.

Most turbines shut down when the wind speed rises above 56mph, this one didn't and burnt out as a result

The figures came in the same week that dramatic pictures were taken of wind turbines in Scotland bursting into flames and keeling over due to severe storm conditions. Accidents recorded in the released dossier include:

– A 14 tonne blade shearing off a turbine in Glasgow
– Lumps of ice being thrown from blades on a 410-ft high turbine in Peterborough
– A blade flying off a wind turbine in Stevenage and landing on a hospital staff member’s car.
– In 2009 a 50ft turbine collapsed in the playground of a school on the Island of Raasay off the coast of Scotland
– In the same year a blade on a 190 ft wind turbine in Rotherham owned by Sheffield University broke in strong winds

– But amazingly, despite often being found grazing at the base; no sheep have ever been injured by a wind turbine

Speaking about the damaged turbines, Charles Anglin, director of communications at RenewableUK, stressed that last week’s incidents in Scotland were caused by “freak weather”.

Chris Streatfeild, RenewableUK’s director of health and safety, said: “No members of the public have ever been injured or harmed in the reports we have received.”

He added: “The risk to the public is one in 100 million. You are much more likely to be injured by a lightening strike than by a wind turbine.”

Interestingly, a HSE spokesman said wind turbines were classed as machines rather than buildings or structures and therefore there was no obligation to report mechanical failures.

When it comes to the responsibility of driving, there’s nothing quite so sobering as knowing that you narrowly avoided a car accident. Maybe it is equalled by the sight of a recent incident or seeing the aftermath of one on the news. Either way the result is usually a more cautious approach to driving, but this is often a commitment that fades in proportion to the memory of it’s catalyst.

But now, the BBC has put together a quite astounding feature on road casualties in Great Britain between 1999 and 2010 that could have a lasting effect on drivers across the country. The interactive piece allows users to view the location and details of each of the 36,371 road accident fatalities over the period, with the added ability to focus in on a specific postcode.

Truly illuminating - Each light point on the time-lapse map represents a car crash with rush hours clearly visible

The feature also provides endless facts about all 3,266,854 road casualties, breaking them down into road type, vehicle type, time, frequency and location – showing the most dangerous hours and places to drive. The economic cost of road accidents is also estimated, putting the figure between around £15-£32 billion over the 12 year period, with each fatality costing the economy £1,790,200. While the cost to the family of the victim is obviously immeasurable, the economic cost is no doubt made up of emergency services time, inquiry costs and car accident compensation claim payouts.

Possibly the most astonishing section of the BBC article is the time-lapse light map, it shows each car crash between 1999-2010 as a burst of light, broken down into every hour of every day of the week. Accompanied by atmospheric music and the bracing knowledge of what you’re witnessing; the map is truly beautiful to look at, yet it’s raison d’etre leaves you feeling somewhat empty.

The data for the feature was recorded by police in Great Britain between 1999 and 2010, you can access the full feature here.

A new report by research company Dr Foster has revealed that patients are more likely to die in hospital if they need medical attention at the weekend. The shocking findings revealed a 10% rise in weekend deaths compared to weekdays and concluded that some deaths could have been avoided if staffing and diagnostic support was more readily available.
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It’s winter and car insurance renewal time for many people across the UK, meaning that there’ll be a whole lot of ‘how much?!’ being said. It’s been widely reported across the press and broadcast media that car insurers are putting up prices and an increase in personal injury claims is being blamed.
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Car insurance company Admiral saw it’s turnover rise by 30% to £582 million in the 3rd quarter of the financial year, but warned that higher numbers of personal injury claims would dent profits. The company, which also owns Confused.com, insures around 3.3 million vehicles, equating to just over 10% of all the vehicles on UK roads.
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Mr Nikitas Coulson was removing asbestos from Sheffield College as part of preparation for its demolishment when he fell 3.5 metres from a roof to the ground below. Both Mr Coulson’s employer, Lilquest Asbestos Management, and the principal contractor for the project, JF Finnegan Ltd were prosecuted.

The court heard that immediately after the incident the remaining roof lights were boarded over, something that should be done before any work was allowed to be …Read More

This week we have seen the first prosecution under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act.

Cotswold Geotechnical have become the first company to be successfully convicted of Corporate Manslaughter. They were ordered to pay £385,000 after their gross negligence led to the tragic death of Alexander Wright. The geologist was working in an unsupported trench over 3 metres deep, when it caved in and he was buried by soil. Mr Wright was only 27 years old.

He had been working alone without supervision and in breach of industry guidelines that state workers can’t work in pits greater than 1.2 metres deep without supports due to the known risk of collapse.

The incident was investigated by the police with support from the Health and Safety Executive and the Court found that the company’s practice of digging trial pits was wholly and unnecessarily dangerous. Evidence also showed that Costwold Geotechnical had ignored industry guidelines.

It was said that, had the company fulfilled their legal obligation not to place their employees’ health at risk, this terrible incident would never have happened.

What this could mean for other Corporations who don’t follow guidelines is not yet known as Cotswold Geotechnical was a relatively small company with only one director who had been present at the site prior to the accident. This made this a particularly easy case to try under the act. When it comes to claims 1000 or more are made each month in the UK, many of which involve corporate outfits.

The corporations are however likely to be concerned  about the Judge’s comments that if the fine eventually put the company out of business that would be a consequence of the terrible breach that had been committed.

If you or any of your family have been injured while at work contact Perfect Claims now and one of our advisors will ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.