May 2017 Road accidents biggest global killer of teenagers

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May 2017

Road accidents biggest global killer of teenagers

Data released by the World Health Organization reveals that

road traffic injuries are the biggest killer of teenagers globally.

In 2015, more than 1.2 million adolescents died. Road injuries

were to blame for about one in 10 of these deaths. Most of

the road fatalities involved males between the ages of 10 and

19. However, chest infections and self-harm were the biggest

global killers of girls and young women.

The top five killers of teens (aged 10-19):

1. Road injury

2. Lower respiratory infections

3. Self-harm (intentional and accidental suicide)

4. Diarrhoeal diseases

5. Drowning

According to the worldwide report, more than 3,000

adolescents die every day. Over two-thirds of these deaths

happen in low- and middle-income countries in Africa and

South East Asia. And most are preventable.

Most young people killed by the top cause - road crashes - are

"vulnerable" road users: pedestrians, cyclists and

motorcyclists. Males aged 15-19 make up the biggest share of

these 115,302 fatalities, mostly in poorer countries in Europe,

the Americas and the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Although far fewer in number, road injuries are still the

leading cause of adolescent death in high-income countries,

shortly followed by deaths from self-harm.

In 2015 in Britain, road accidents killed 145 people aged 10-19,

and left 3,166 more seriously injured.

In some countries, such as the UK, road safety education and

legislation encouraging drivers to slow down appears to be

having the desired effect, reducing road accident rates, says

the WHO report author, Dr Anthony Costello. But other

countries are lagging, he says.

The Global Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents

report can be accessed at:

http://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/topics/

adolescence/framework-accelerated-action/en/

http://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/topics/adolescence/framework-accelerated-action/en/

http://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/topics/adolescence/framework-accelerated-action/en/


May 2017

Gender differences in H&S guide

Two companies have been fined a total of £700,000 and a

director has received a suspended prison sentence following

the fatal crushing of four workers at an excavation site in

Norfolk.

The Court at the Old Bailey heard that on 21 January 2011 the

men were constructing a large steel structure as part of the

foundation for a large Pressure Test Facility (PTF) at Claxton

Engineering Services in Great Yarmouth.

The structure, which weighed several tonnes, collapsed on top

of the group. A large-scale emergency response took place to

try and rescue the trapped workers. Adam Taylor, 28, 41-year-

old Peter Johnson and brothers Thomas Hazelton, 26 and

Daniel Hazelton, 30, were all pronounced dead at the scene.

The excavation for the horizontal PTF was more than 23m

long, 3m wide and 2m deep. The horizontal steel cage being

constructed would have weighed about 32 tonnes when

completed.

The group were working for Hazegood Construction Ltd. Daniel

Hazelton was an employee, while the other three were self-

employed contractors. Encompass Project Management Ltd

was the principal contractor, with Hazegood operating as a

contractor.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found

serious flaws in the planning, management and monitoring of

this complex project on the part of Claxton as well as

Encompass and its company director David Groucott.

Claxton Engineering Services Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching

Regulation 9(1)(a) of the Construction (Design and

Management) Regulations 2007. The company was fined

£500,000 and ordered to pay costs of £100,000.

Encompass Project Management Ltd of The Gables, Old

Market Street, Thetford, Norfolk pleaded guilty to breaching

Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It

was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of £50,000.

David Groucott of Diss, Norfolk, pleaded guilty to breaching

Section 37(1) of Health and Safety at Work Act. He was

sentenced to a seven and a half month custodial sentence,

suspended for two years. He was ordered to complete 200

hours of unpaid community work within 12 months, and also

ordered to pay costs of £7,500.

Charges against Hazegood Construction Ltd were ordered to

lie on file.

HSE Construction Division Head of Operations Annette Hall

said: “Those sentenced today failed the four workers who

died. They didn’t carry out their legal duties, leading to the

events which caused their deaths.

“This was a long term, large scale and complex civil

engineering project which needed to be planned, designed,

managed and monitored effectively. The tragedy here is that,

in the months leading up to the accident, any one of these

parties could and should have asked basic questions about

building the structure safely. Such an intervention could have

avoided the tragic outcome of this entirely preventable

accident.”

The partly built steel structure before it collapsed

The same structure after the collapse

Man paralysed after gas pipe falls on him


May 2017

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May 2017

Chrysotile (or white asbestos) will not be added to the Rotterdam Convention’s list of hazardous substances.

Agreement could not be reached in Geneva recently to list

Chrysotile as a hazardous substance under the Rotterdam

Convention. This was despite a recommendation from its own

scientific committee. The decision requires unanimity and a

handful of countries blocked the listing during the eighth

meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam

Convention (COP-8).

“This is a catastrophe. I didn’t expect this decision,” said

Thomas Kraus, specialist in occupational medicine at Aachen

University in Germany, who had advised the World Health

Organization (WHO) on the topic. He continued:

“All types of asbestos are harmful to people and all types are

carcinogenic. This is a ridiculous decision.”

The WHO states that exposure to chrysotile fibres causes

cancer of the lung, larynx and ovary; the lung cancer

mesothelioma; and asbestosis. Its position is clear: chrysotile

should be banned worldwide. However, Russia, Kazakhstan,

Kyrgyzstan, Zimbabwe, India and Syria all blocked listing of

chrysotile as a hazardous substance.

Listing can be blocked by a single convention signatory.

Asbestos campaigners say the decision discredits the entire

Rotterdam Convention.

Chrysotile (often referred to as white asbestos)

The Chemical Review Committee of Rotterdam first

recommended listing of chrysotile asbestos in 2006. The

committee is made up of 31 government-designated experts

from around the world. Listing under annex III of the

convention means prior informed consent is required from an

importing country before it can receive it.

“It is absolutely disgusting that a small number of countries

that pedal death and disease to the rest of the world can block

over 190 countries wanting to – not ban a product – but label

it for what it is: an extremely toxic and dangerous, cancer-

causing agent,” said Arthur Frank, a public health scientist at

Drexel University, US, who had given expert testimony in

hundreds of asbestos lawsuits in the US.

The International Chrysotile Association welcomed the

decision, arguing that chrysotile is less dusty and is more easily

eliminated from the human body than other types of asbestos.

Twelve African countries put forward a motion to have the

rules for Rotterdam altered so that a three-quarters majority

was enough. Discussions will now continue, though changes

would have to be ratified by signatory countries. At past

conventions, asbestos exporters stymied the listing. Russia and

Kazakhstan are major exporters of asbestos, accounting for as

much as 70% of global production.

A 2016 study estimated that 180,000 deaths occur each year

from asbestos-related diseases. Once exposed to asbestos,

fibres can stay in the body and disease may not manifest for

between 20 and 40 years.

Ceiling tiles were just one of the uses for Chrysotile

Chrysotile was widely used in the UK up

until it was eventually banned in

November 1999. Anyone that works on

structures that were built or refurbished

before 2000 are at risk from exposure.


May 2017

Instagram 'worst for young mental health'

Instagram is rated as the worst social media platform when it

comes to its impact on young people's mental health, a UK

snapshot survey suggests. The poll asked 1,479 people aged 14

-24 to score popular apps on issues such as anxiety,

depression, loneliness, bullying and body image.

The RSPH report says that "social media may be fuelling a

mental health crisis" in young people. However, it can also be

used as a tool for good, the report said. Instagram, for

example, was found to have a positive effect on self-

expression and self-identity.

About 90% of young people use social media - more than any

other age group - so they are particularly vulnerable to its

effects, although it is not clear what these are on current

evidence.

The online survey asked participants a series of questions

about whether YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and

Twitter had an impact on their health and well-being.

Participants were asked to score each platform on 14 health

and well-being issues.

Based on these ratings, YouTube was considered to have the

most positive impact on mental health, followed by Twitter

and then Facebook. Snapchat and Instagram were given the

lowest scores overall.

The report can be accessed at: https://www.rsph.org.uk/our-

work/policy/social-media-and-young-people-s-mental-health-

and-wellbeing.html

In light of the findings, public health experts are calling for

social media platforms to introduce a series of checks and

measures to help tackle mental health, including:

• Pop-ups warning people that they have used social media

for a long time

• Social media platforms identifying users with mental

health problems and "discreetly signposting places they

can get support"

• Platforms highlighting when photos have been digitally

manipulated - for example, fashion brands, celebrities and

other advertising organisations could sign up to a

voluntary code, allowing a small icon to be displayed on

digitally altered photos

The schoolgirl killed on the Splash Mountain Drayton Manor

ride died after being struck by a boat as she tried to get out of

the water, a source close to the investigation has revealed.

Evha Jannath, from Leicester, was on a school trip when she

fell from the Splash Canyon ride at Drayton Manor Theme Park

on 9 May. The source dismissed earlier reports that the pupil,

from Jameah Girls Academy in Leicester, drowned in up to 5ft

of water after falling out of the boat.

Results of Jannath’s post mortem were published this month

after the coroner released her body back to her family. The

South Staffordshire Coroner’s office said the cause of death

was “blunt force chest trauma”.

Staffordshire police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

are jointly investigating the incident. A police spokesman

confirmed: “The preliminary cause of death has been

identified by the HM Coroner as chest injuries however

investigations continue.”

Schoolgirl killed at Drayton Manor

https://www.rsph.org.uk/our-work/policy/social-media-and-young-people-s-mental-health-and-wellbeing.html




May 2017

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May 2017

Three bosses jailed after fatal roof fall

Three company directors have been jailed following the death

of a man who fell while working at a warehouse in Essex.

Nikolai Valkov, 63, died in hospital after falling through the

roof of a warehouse in Harlow on 13 April 2015

Koseoglu Metalworks Ltd admitted an offence of corporate

manslaughter and its sole director, Kadir Kose, admitted a

safety offence.

Ozdil Investments Ltd denied corporate manslaughter and a

safety offence but was convicted following a trial. Two of its

directors, Firat Ozdil and Ozgur Ozdil, were convicted of a

safety offence.

Firat Ozdil was jailed for one year, Ozgur Ozdil for 10 months

and Kose for eight months.

Ozdil Investments was also fined a total of £660,000 and

Koseoglu Metal Works Ltd £400,000.

The court heard how Ozdil Investments Ltd was the owner of

the warehouse where the roof needed repairs.

Both the Health and Safety Executive and Harlow District

Council issued warnings to the company about the dangers

involved in the repair work and specifically the need for safety

measures such as netting to be put in place. Despite this, Firat

Ozdil and Ozgur Ozdil paid their friend Kose and his company

Koseoglu Metalworks Ltd to carry out the work without netting

or other safety measures.

The court heard Koseoglu Metalworks Ltd had no experience

of roofing work and the fee paid by the Ozdils was

approximately £100,000 less than a recognised roofing

contractor would have charged.

Kose did not carry out a risk assessment at the site and sent

staff employed by his company onto the roof without training.

While working on the roof Valkov stepped onto a discoloured

skylight and fell to his death.

Luke Bulpitt, from the CPS, said: “By ignoring the safety

measures they knew were required, the Odzils and their

company risked the lives of everyone working on the roof in an

attempt to save money.

“Kadir Kose and Koseoglu Metalworks undertook the work to

the roof without taking any appropriate safety steps, gambling

with the lives of their employees.

“Faced with the evidence against him, Kose and Koseoglu

Metalworks admitted their guilt but the Ozdils and their

company contested the charges. However, having heard the

compelling case put forward by the prosecution, the jury

returned guilty verdicts.

A construction company and its groundwork contractor have

been fined after a worker was killed by a reversing vehicle.

Exeter Crown Court heard how an employee of Steve Hoskin

Construction Limited was working for the groundwork

contractor at a construction site in Dawlish, Devon when he

was crushed by a reversing telescopic material handler.

John Small, 47-years-old, was crushed by the vehicle after it

reversed while he was walking alongside it. Mr Small was

pronounced dead after suffering multiple injuries.

An investigation by the HSE into the incident on 28 June 2013

found that Cavanna Homes, the principal contractor for the

site, failed to ensure the construction site was organised to

enable pedestrians and vehicles to move safely. SHCL had not

fully considered the risks to their employees at the site.

Cavanna Homes (SW) Limited, of Riviera Park, Nicholson Road

Torquay, Devon, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 36(1)

of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations

2007 was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £20,000.

Steve Hoskin Construction Limited, of Ten Acres Lane, St Ive

Industrial Estate, Pensilva, Liskeard, pleaded guilty to

breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act,

was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £20,000.

Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Caroline Penwill said:

“There were inadequate control measures in place to

segregate vehicles and pedestrians at the site and a lack of

proper planning in terms of construction workers’ access and

egress to areas of the site.”

Worker killed by reversing vehicle


May 2017

Accredited online training courses at affordable prices Company fined after worker’s death

ATE Truck and Trailer Sales Ltd, a company that buys,

refurbishes and sells Heavy Goods Vehicles and trailers has

been sentenced after the death of 63-year-old worker

William Price.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard that on 21 February

2013 Mr Price suffered fatal head injuries when he was

struck by the roof of a trailer he was dismantling at the

Marston Industrial Estate site. An investigation by the

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found ATE had

undertaken this task before by its own employees and had

an established method in place. However, it failed to

properly consider the risks involved in this work and did not

provide Mr Price with any information in relation to his

safety when ‘stripping down’ the trailers.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 3 of

the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations

1999, was fined £475,000 and ordered to pay costs of

£20,000.

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May 2017

Construction company fined three quarters of a million pounds after asbestos failings

Barroerock Construction Limited has been fined after repeated

asbestos failings.

Canterbury Crown Court heard how the Health and Safety

Executive (HSE) carried out two investigations of working

practices of the site in 2013 and 2014 while Barroerock were

converting into flats a former nine storey office building in

Ashford, Kent, which was known to contain asbestos.

The first investigation arose from a routine inspection during

one of HSE’s refurbishment campaigns. The Court was told

that while a refurbishment and demolition (R&D) survey had

been carried out, the company had failed to act upon it. This

resulted in up to 40 workers being exposed to asbestos during

the early demolition phase of the project.

The second investigation culminated in a visit to the site in

June 2014 following complaints being made about the health

and safety practices at the site. It was found that despite

engaging a licensed asbestos contractor to remove the

remaining asbestos materials, dangerous practices were

continuing. In addition the company was unable to provide

documentation to show that asbestos materials identified in

the survey had been correctly removed.

When the work on site was halted for the second time about

160 people were working inside the building.

It was found in both HSE investigations that these incidents

could have been prevented if Barroerock ensured they had

effective management controls in place to avoid the risk of

exposure to asbestos.

Barroerock Construction Limited pleaded guilty to two

offences of breaching Regulation 22 (1) (a) of the Construction

Design and Management Regulations 2007 were fined

£750,000 and ordered to pay costs of £14,874.68.

Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Melvyn Stancliffe

said: “The company’s failings in this case has put many

workers at risk to the exposure of asbestos.

“It was clear there was an endemic failure to effectively

manage the construction work on the site in a way which

ensured that asbestos materials were not disturbed until

removed under appropriate conditions. Failing to prevent the

breathing in of asbestos fibres on the site is reckless.”


May 2017

Fine after worker’s hand crushed

Cardiff based steel manufacturing company Rom Ltd has

been fined after a worker suffered crush injuries to his hand.

The magistrates’ court heard how on 23 October 2015 a 51-

year-old worker was removing leftover steel from the a

machine called the Koch Straightener, used for straightening

steel wire, when he trapped his hand between the rotating

rollers inside the machine.

The worker suffered serious crush injuries to his hand and lost

the top of his right index finger as a result of this incident at

Rom Ltd’s site in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

found the company failed to identify the risks associated with

workers manually operating this machine, nor were steps

taken to ensure the machine was correctly guarded.

It was found the company also failed to provide the required

level of supervision to this activity and as a result led to the

worker suffering these injuries.

Rom Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11 Provision

and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, was fined


Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector David Keane said:

“This man suffered a life-changing injury. The company failed

to protect the worker from harm by not properly considering

the risks associated with manually operating dangerous

machinery such as this.”

Two companies have been fined after a worker was seriously

injured by a trolley carrying hydraulic rams.

Stafford Crown Court heard how an employee of DHL Services

Limited (DHL) was auditing in-coming deliveries of equipment

in an outside yard at JCB World Headquarters when he was

struck from behind by falling machinery. At the time of the

incident the machinery was being towed by an electric tug and

weighed approximately 770kg.

The trolley toppled on its side trapping the DHL employee

between it and a stillage. He suffered multiple serious injuries

including fractures and internal injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into

the incident which occurred on 16 October 2013 found there

were a number of safety failures related to this auditing

activity and the segregation between employees and vehicles

using the area, leading to an unsafe system of work.

In addition to the injured worker, the investigation also

identified that employees of JC Bamford Excavators Ltd

accessed the area as pedestrians when vehicles were

operating.

DHL Services Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1)

of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and was fined


J C Bamford Excavators Limited pleaded guilty to breaching

Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work

etc. Act 1974, and was fined £375,000 and ordered to pay

costs of £37,235.42.

HSE Inspector David Brassington said after the hearing: “The

dangers of failing to provide effective segregation between

pedestrians and vehicles are well known. Both of these

companies were well versed in transport risk management and

both fell well below the required standard in ensuring that

such risks were effectively managed in this area.”

Two companies fined for vehicle related accident

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May 2017

Call for tax on plastic drinking straws

BusinessWaste.co.uk, says manufacturers should revert to old-

style paper straws, which biodegrade. The firm suggests a 5p

plastic straw tax, in the footsteps of the plastic bag tax, which

has radically cut the use of single-use bags. It follows news

that the most hated products for recyclers are Pringles and

Lucozade Sport.

BusinessWaste's spokesman Mark Hall said: "A plastic straw

has a lifespan of around 20 minutes, and then it's thrown

away.

"Where recycling facilities exist, most pubs and bars don't

bother separating out used straws to recycle because it's

fiddly, and - frankly - they've been in the mouth of a stranger.

"They are pretty much the ultimate in human wastefulness,

and a problem that can so easily be solved with very little

effort."

An uninhabited island in the South Pacific is littered with the

highest density of plastic waste anywhere in the world,

according to a study.

Henderson Island, part of the UK's Pitcairn Islands group, has

an estimated 37.7 million pieces of debris on its beaches.

The island is near the centre of an ocean current, meaning it

collects rubbish from boats and South America. It is 120 miles

from Pitcairn Island, about 5,000km from Chile, and sits near

the centre of the South Pacific Gyre - a massive rotating

current.

The joint Australian and British study said the rubbish

amounted to 671 items per square metre and a total of 17

tonnes.

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National

Academy of Sciences, described how remote islands act as a

"sink" for the world's rubbish. The report can be accessed at:

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/05/09/1619818114

Crossrail

has produced six

thought-provoking

health and safety

videos which

highlight the impact

of not following good

health and safety

practice as part of its

Learning

Legacy Programme.

The films underline the importance of safety and health during

construction and fit-out of the new railway, and are now

available through Crossrail’s Learning Legacy Programme – an

initiative to share knowledge and best practice from Europe’s

largest construction project, with the wider UK infrastructure

industry.

The six films use different fictional scenarios to depict realistic

situations, which could happen when basic health and safety

controls are not followed.

Designed for impact and to leave a lasting memory, the films

encourage safe and responsible behaviour and while focussing

on mental health, exposure to dust, hot works, working at

height and working near electricity and machinery.

The videos can be accessed at:

http://learninglegacy.crossrail.co.uk/document-theme/health-

and-safety-impact-videos/

Island has worst plastic rubbish density Crossrail safety videos

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/05/09/1619818114

http://learninglegacy.crossrail.co.uk/document-theme/health-and-safety-impact-videos/

http://learninglegacy.crossrail.co.uk/document-theme/health-and-safety-impact-videos/

Documents

May 2017 Road accidents biggest global killer of teenagers