How often do you still see someone on a roof, or up a ladder, with nothing to stop them falling? If you work in or around construction, the honest answer is: more often than anyone would like to admit. Despite decades of guidance, free advice and well-known rules, unsafe work at height is still happening […]
A worker was cleaning a production line that had been switched off. Partway through, it started up – and pulled her arm into a rotating roller, causing multiple fractures. Her employer was fined £333,333. It’s a case that turns on one of the most dangerous assumptions in any workplace with machinery: that a machine which
“SWITCHED OFF” ISN’T “SAFE”: THE £333,333 LESSON IN MACHINE GUARDING AND ISOLATION Read More »
Underground utility strikes continue to be a significant risk across construction, utilities, highways and civil engineering projects. But when a utility is damaged, the investigation often tells us something that is just as important as the incident itself: how was the cable avoidance equipment actually being used? A common theme when downloading CAT usage data
Ten days before a father and son were buried under a collapsing pile of scrap metal, the same machine had already given a warning. Its cab had swung into a member of the public’s vehicle. Nobody was hurt that time – so nothing changed. Ten days later, luck ran out. It’s a case that carries
Ask almost anyone running a small construction or trades business what their least favourite part of the job is, and paperwork will be near the top of the list. And within that pile, one item comes up again and again: RAMS. Risk assessments and method statements are essential, they’re expected on nearly every job, and
For a long time, stress was treated as something separate from “real” health and safety – a wellbeing issue, a soft subject, something that sat outside the hard world of guardrails and hard hats. That thinking is well out of date, and the HSE is making that clearer than ever. Work-related stress is a health
WORK-RELATED STRESS IS A HEALTH AND SAFETY RISK – AND YOU HAVE A LEGAL DUTY TO MANAGE IT Read More »
A recent HSE prosecution should give every principal contractor pause. An Oldham-based construction company was fined £30,000 after a 25-year-old bricklayer suffered serious injuries when the floor he was working on collapsed beneath him. He fell from height along with a number of concrete blocks, fracturing his right leg, his hip and his left hand.
“Entirely Foreseeable”: What a £30,000 Fine Teaches Every Principal Contractor Read More »
A tragic incident in the North Sea has highlighted the critical importance of risk assessment and workplace safety, even for tasks that are often considered routine. In November 2025, Lee Hulse, a 32-year-old worker on the Valaris 121 jack-up drilling rig, fell more than 80ft (24m) to his death after stepping onto a fragile section
North Sea Worker Dies After Falling Through Fragile Flooring: Lessons for Businesses Read More »
For many businesses, safety is often judged by one simple metric: “We’ve never had an accident.” On the surface, that sounds reassuring. A clean accident record feels like proof that things are being done correctly. But in reality, it can be one of the most misleading indicators of safety performance. The uncomfortable truth is this: an absence
The Absence of Accidents Doesn’t Mean the Existence of Safety Read More »
Health and safety isn’t something you can simply delegate and forget. It’s a core part of leadership, and the HSE is very clear: directors and senior leaders are personally accountable if things go wrong. Strong leadership in health and safety isn’t just about compliance; it’s about protecting the people who work for you, safeguarding your
Why Strong Health & Safety Leadership Matters for Your Business Read More »
