While there were no Lost Time Injuries (LTIs) or Recordable Injuries (TRIs) across the UK Operations, sadly it was a difficult week in terms of injuries across the wider operations in Europe with a lost time injury involving a contract truckmixer driver in Germany as a result of a road traffic collision, and an employee in Spain who required stitches to his leg when he slipped while descending a ladder.  Tragically there was also a fatal road traffic incident in Poland, where it seems a cyclist suddenly veered across the path of a contracted tanker that was working on our behalf.

In the UK, we did, however, suffer a High Potential (HIPO) incident on one of our plants, where a ground receiving hopper collapsed and fell in to the pit (pictured).

If anyone had been in the area, as they had been earlier in the day, it is likely that fatal or at the very least life changing injuries would have resulted.  The hopper had undergone a structural inspection in January, where the need for repairs to be carried out by April was identified; however, these had not yet been completed.  An investigation is under way and the learning points will be shared in a Safety Alert.

In the meantime, operations are asked to ensure they have robust processes in place for periodic structural surveys and to confirm any necessary repairs are carried out in a timely manner.