The latest Safety Alerts summarise two of the three serious injuries we suffered in the UK last month.

In the first incident a colleague suffered injuries to one of his hands and shoulder when he was struck by a door of a mobile screening plant in high winds.  The Alert includes the need to ensure stays are fitted as appropriate to doors and windows, with relevant checks incorporated in inspection schemes for new and existing plant and equipment.  In addition, the need to Take 5 and assess any additional hazards and risks whenever working in adverse weather conditions, which should be considered a standard requirement when there is a formal weather warning.

In the second incident a colleague suffered an open fracture to one of his fingers when he trapped it between the lifting loop on a bulk bag and the tyre of a forklift truck.  Again, there are several learning points for us, including the need to ensure loads are secure before attempting to transport them, only use suitable vehicle access routes, enforce exclusion zones around operational mobile equipment, and Stop & Think and Take 5 in event of unexpected circumstances.  In addition, the incident highlighted the need to ensure new team members are aware of the hazards and risks of their role through effective induction and regular ongoing training.

Please review the Alerts with your teams, considering whether there are any opportunities to improve our methods of working and eliminate or reduce the risk of injury.

Please also display the Alerts on relevant noticeboards.  They can be found on the UK News download page: [Download not found] [Download not found]