Preston building firm sentenced over cinema death – Media centre – HSE.
The article just published by the HSE is shocking and details a tragedy that could have been avoided with more thought from those responsible for the company’s health and safety procedures.
More and more we hear about the consequences of the failure to ensure the safety of the employees, the public, visitors, contractors and self-employed. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, clearly lays the responsibility at the door of the building owners and employers. HSE Law leaflet
In recent years the HSE website has developed into a comprehensive advise tool for anyone to use. There are so many guidelines, tool kits and examples that it’s a wonder that there is anyone in this land that does not know the law and how to implement it into their business.
I asked in my last post, ‘what do managers know about health and safety?’ Yet again this incident demonstrates that there is a gap in knowledge of the those in charge.
In Britain, we are lucky to have a law that protects us from harm in our everyday life and it beggars belief that such events are still happening. Given that the law has been in place for forty years; I hope that such incidents become more rare soon.
In sharing this report, I hope that I am spreading the word to anyone with responsibility for health and safety. The Health and Safety at Work Act must taken seriously and thereby ensuring that the processes that they have in place are fully implemented and reviewed.
I remember having a row with a delivery driver who was insistent on making his delivery during the junior school play time and was very annoyed with me when I wouldn’t allow him to off load the goods. It took a further phone call to the company’s office to have the delivery time changed.
Had I not been on site at the time, who knows how many children could have been injured or worse. Some things seem to be common sense, but when we’re talking about health and safety, there really is no such thing. Everything has to be made very, very clear to all involved in a way that is relevant to the individual person, company, culture, product etc.
To find out whether your health and safety policies and procedures are up to date visit my consultancy page. If you need health and safety training for you or your staff give me a call or contact me
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