Number of fatal injuries by sector for 2009/10 in UK :

After the above figures were published, the Health and Safety Executive concluded that “an unfortunate set of events have occurred together with shortcomings in safety precautions”.

HSE’s latest figures revealed that 151 workers were killed in the period between 1st April 2009 and 31st March 2010. Last year the figure was 178 deaths.

Judith Hackitt, HSE chair commented upon this, saying, “Although the reduction in workplace deaths was encouraging, the fall in fatalities may have been partly due to lower activity in some sectors of the economy during the recession.

We mustn’t get complacent but instead recognise the new challenges which have developed as a result of the recession”.

Brenda Barker, general secretary of the Traders Union Congress quoted, “Politicians and the media should focus on presenting such deaths rather than talking about Health and Safety Regulations being a burden. None of these deaths are a result of over-regulation or risk aversion. In most cases they were caused by basic precautions not being taken.”

The apprentice fell 3 metres to the ground, fracturing his arm in the accident. The contractor admitted that control measures such as fall arrest equipment; air bags etc. had not been established.

HSE inspector Phil Nicolle commented:

It is disappointing that a company whose primary business is roofing work displayed such significant failings.

There are several ways to reduce the risk of injury from falls and though the company owned a large number of bean bags which would have served this purpose, they were not used.

As is the case in many accidents on construction sites it was found that the site supervisor had not undertaken any health and safety training.

At Ammanford magistrate’s court, the company was fined £2,000 and made to pay the prosecution costs of £1,500.

The late Malcolm McLaren

Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, is thought to have died from mesothelioma as a result of smashing up his punk design store, controversially named ‘Sex’, 30 years ago. He wanted the shop to look as though it had been hit by a bomb!

McLaren died in April 2010, aged 64, from the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma. The store, from which he spawned British punk, was shared with his (at the time) partner designer Vivienne Westwood. During the store fit out he smashed up some asbestos sheeting, which may have resulted in exposure to the dangerous fibres for a number of years throughout the 1970’s.

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lungs, caused through exposure to asbestos dust. From diagnosis the expected life expectancy is typically 18 months to 2 years.

Alison Day, CEO of Eurosafe UK commented, “In the 70’s there was little awareness of the risk from asbestos containing materials. Today individuals within the construction team are much better educated about the historical and extensive use of asbestos in buildings. It is imperative that any construction consultant advising novice clients, such as McLaren, are able to highlight the potential of asbestos being present in a property and the associated control measures to ensure the asbestos is dealt with safely.”

The collapsed pallets which caused Mr Lages’ death

A plastics manufacturer in Rochdale has been fined £140,000 following a cleaner’s death from a 1.5 tonne pallet falling and crushing the victim.

TS (UK) Ltd were prosecuted by the HSE following the incident at Stakehill Industrial Estate in Middleton. It was found that they failed to create a safe environment for their employees and there was no First Aid trained worker on duty.

The pallet contained 55 bags of polypropylene, which is dangerous to stack as a tear in a bag causes the load on the pallet to become unstable.

Abel Lages, 38, was discovered trapped underneath the collapsed pallet and died on the scene.

HSE’s Principal Inspector, John McGrellis, quoted: ‘Mr. Lages died because TS (UK) Ltd didn’t treat the Health and Safety of its workers as a priority. There were labels on the polypropylene bags that made it clear that they should be stored safely but this advice was ignored.’

‘Since Mr. Lages’ death, TS (UK) Ltd has changed how it stores pallets so that it no longer stacks them on top of each other. If this action had been taken previously, Mr. Lages may still be alive today.’

TS(UK) Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 3(2) of the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations, 1981 and section 2(11) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

• Regulation 3(2) of the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 states: “An employer shall provide, or ensure that there is provided, such number of suitable persons as is adequate and appropriate in the circumstances for rendering first-aid to his employees if they are injured or become ill at work.”
• Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 states: “It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees.”
• Last year there were 32 deaths and 22,407 serious injuries in the UK manufacturing sector.

Well they do say what goes around comes around. A few years back Man Utd fans took great delight in singing that there is only one Peter Ridsdale during matches against Leeds.  Now those same fans are being serenaded around Premiership grounds with a similar ditto about a certain Mr Glazer.  However Ridsdale and Glazer, and their circumstances, couldn’t be much different.
 
Starting with Portly Pete he was in fact a longstanding fan for whom fate had handed him the job of his dreams.  With no expense spared he started on a fast track to get his beloved Whites to the top of European football.  No corners were cut as he lavished riches on every average player who simply told him they would love to play for Leeds, and then proceeded to do the same with their greedy agents!  He acted like a megalomaniac out of a Bond film and surrounded himself with inexperienced highly paid non-executive directors who wouldn’t challenge his excesses.  However the kid in the sweet shop finally ran out of cash and the rest is history.
 
In comparison to Ridsdale the Glazers are the chalk to his smelly cheese.  The Americans have vast personal wealth and experience in running successful sports businesses but appear to have no love of “soccer” never mind a love for Man Utd.  For them it is purely business. However one of the biggest differences is the size of the respective debt.  Leeds went bust for around £85 million whereas according to the latest reports the Glazers have used the cash cow of a premier league club to fund the debt on their failing shopping centres and other USA property ventures to the tune of up to a billion quid.
 
Man Utd. fans are right to be concerned as despite a credible effort to challenge Chelsea for the title they had a poor season, especially in Europe. At times it looked like Rooney Utd as their striker gave such outstanding displays that he almost seemed to be playing on his own at times.  A club of their size needs to replace stars who either leave to go elsewhere or retire.  When Ronaldo left instead of bringing in a really top name he was replaced with 2 players; a guy from Wigan Athletic and a free Michael Owen!  This can only be because of a lack of funds available. Ferguson has always splashed cash to help buy success and for every Rooney and Ronaldo there has been a Berbatov or a Veron.  Do the Glazers not trust his judgement enough to give him the £75 million that is needed to keep up with the rest? Barca are lining up Fabregas, Real will no doubt have cash for the Special One to rebuild with, the Noisy Neighbours have their billions and Abramovich seems to have the appetite back again after buying new yachts over the last few years instead of footballers.
 
It could be interesting to see if this is the beginning of the end for Man Utd.  A lack of real power in the transfer market, and an angry fan base together with stubborn owners may have Ferguson questioning his reasons for staying if he is not competing at the very top table.

Health and Safety Executives (HSE) made a sit visit to find suspected asbestos insulation boards, beneath a caravan, inside polythene sacks and even in the ashes of a bonfire. The Health and Safety Laboratory then confirmed it to be asbestos.

At Truro Magistrates Court, it was revealed that Norwegian Homes Ltd had no measures in place to remove the asbestos-containing material efficiently and in addition, the on site staff was not provided with protection.

They then pleaded guilty on 26 May 2010 for the breach of Regulation 15 of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002. Additionally they incurred a fine of £11,959.

Martin Lee (HSE inspector) quoted; ‘Asbestos is extremely harmful to human health and is the most serious occupational health issue in the country. More than 4,000 people die every year from asbestos-related diseases.

Norwegian Homes should have carried out a survey for the presence and quantity of asbestos in the building, prior to demolition.

This incident was entirely preventable and the clean-up costs far outstripped the costs of a survey and safe removal of the asbestos material.

Defining roofing works is simple but there are many different types of roofing projects and works can range from large recovering projects through to a relatively simple short duration repair.  Because of this factor it is impossible for clients to use a ‘one size fits all’ solution to prevent falls. In fact it can often be easier to control a larger roofing project where there is ample time and finance available to ensure that the works can be carefully planned well in advance of commencement on site.

Recent prosecutions have evidenced that clients are being asked how they procure work on their roofs, and in particular how they relay information about any inherent hazards back to their contractors.  In fact clients have very clearly defined duties under current health and safety legislation when it comes to roofing work. 

www.roofaware.com assists clients in discharging their duties by hosting important information relating to their roofs on-line. www.roofaware.com enables even the smallest project to be pre-planned by ensuring contractors and the rest of the clients team have access to reports, photos, drawings etc.

By having access to key documentation contractors are able to produce necessary risk assessments and method statements that take into account the actual site specific environment. Issues such as open edges, fragile surfaces, asbestos, existing plant and access/egress can all be addressed prior to starting works on site.

Further information can be found at www.roofaware.com.

The publication, entitled ‘Asbestos: The Survey Guide (HSG 264)’ replaces and expands on the surveying industry standard – ‘MDHS100: Surveying, sampling and the assessment of asbestos containing materials’.

The new guidance directly affects organizations who undertake asbestos surveys, as well as providing advice for those who are required to implement and manage asbestos under Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR 2006) in non-domestic premises (i.e. Clients/Duty Holders).

Summary of Changes

Survey Name Changes

New survey names now introduced to assist the Client/Duty Holder in understanding the purpose of the survey and to help them select the most appropriate survey for their needs. The name changes are also designed to promote the management of asbestos.

• Type 2 = Management Survey
• Type 3 = Refurbishment or Demolition Survey

Improving Survey Planning

Better liaison between the surveyor and duty holder before the survey goes ahead to ensure accurate and useable pre-survey information.

Changes to Survey Scope

Management Survey (was a Type 2 survey)

• Management Survey is to be more comprehensive and better planned
• Suitable for continual use/occupation of building
• Should survey all accessible areas (Inside risers, service ducts, above suspended ceilings/ voids, walls, ceilings, pipe work, boilers, lift shafts etc.)
• Any areas not inspected must be presumed to contain asbestos
• Not sufficient for renovation or refurbishment of building areas
• Used to facilitate ongoing management of asbestos containing materials (ACM’s).

Refurbishment or Demolition Survey (was a Type 3 survey)

• Necessary in areas where refurbishment is due to be carried out (a Management Survey alone is not sufficient)
• Can be small (localized areas only) or large scale
• Used to locate all ACMs in all areas (wall cavities, structural locations, ducts, risers, tunnels, under floor tiles)
• Likely to involve destructive means of access

Presumptions Not Exclusions

All areas in a Management Survey (that it is reasonably practicable to inspect) should be accessed and if not, no access must be pre-determined by client. Any such areas will be presumed to contain asbestos and should be managed as ACMs.

Strengthened Advice to Duty Holders On Assessing Surveyor Competence

The Client/Duty Holder should be satisfied that a surveyor is technically competent to carry out the work required and has appropriate qualifications, expertise and track record. Guidance includes:

• UKAS accreditation of organizations
• Individual surveyor competence (P402/5, ABICS, Minimum 6 months experience)
• Track record and experience logs
• If none of the above then look at an organizations Quality Control and Assurance

Avoiding & Reducing Survey Caveats

Survey caveats are a burden to asbestos management and by better planning can be significantly reduced or eliminated all together. This will improve survey accuracy and quality.

• Can be avoided by proper liaison with the Client/Duty Holder
• Problems regarding access should be reported to the Client/Duty Holder and should be minimized where ever possible
• If necessary caveats should be fully justified and agreed between the Client/Duty Holder and the surveyor
• Any caveats must be detailed clearly in the survey reports

This was of course in the good old days when winning a European trophy was based on proper knock out football as opposed to today’s seeded group stages. It also meant travelling behind the “iron curtain” on dodgy airlines, staying in 2-star hotels in Dresden, Bucharest and the like, and flying back to the UK just in time to prepare for the Saturday game which would kick off at 3pm – and all this with a squad of 15 or 16. 

So what has gone wrong with the Scousers?  Well, to be frank, they have been under performing for 20 years on the domestic front, with no league titles since the formation of the Premiership. After a their great comeback against Milan they appeared to be making progress and came close in 2008/09 to claiming the Premiership and they seemed to be getting back to where they once were.  However ,to keep progressing, a team must improve each year and to do so the cash has to be flashed and good players replaced with great players. Liverpool’s problems, I believe, are mainly in the board room and we have all seen how the lack of cash, dodgy chairmen (in this case 2 dodgy chairmen!) and managerial uncertainly can cause a club to implode – take a bow Newcastle, Leeds, Wednesday, Pompey, Southampton etc.  Liverpool were also unlucky with injuries to Torres and Gerard as well as a few of the new signings which certainly did not help their cause at all.  The continual debates about Benetiz were also an unwanted distraction, but the guy didn’t help by making comments such as guaranteeing 4th place. 

But ultimately they are a club that are potentially in financial meltdown and I can’t see this changing without new owners coming in, and such owners need to very, very wealthy indeed to find say £350 million to buy out the yanks, fund a £500 million new stadium and splash another £150 million on 3 or 4 true superstars.  This is a big ask in the current financial climate and an even bigger one without Champions League football to tempt the big money men and also the big players.

So to conclude: Liverpool were on a hiding to nothing in the Champions League this season and if Benetiz can win the Europa Cup it would be a hell of an achievement, especially as the final could well be his last game as manager if the mighty Juve prove too much of a temptation.  I am afraid the red half of Liverpool could be in for  rocky few years.

Based on 5 Years of Development, ARES Combines Exceptional Performance with AutoCAD Compatibility, Easy-to-Navigate UI, Full Customization and Native Availability on Windows, Mac & Linux

Graebert™ GmbH (Berlin) – one of the pioneering companies in high-performance CAD solutions for desktop and mobile devices – today announced ARES™, the industry’s first native cross-platform CAD solution. ARES provides both industry compatibility and the highest-performance features and capabilities for mission-critical design workflow.

ARES uses a common design interface and is the first CAD solution to run natively across Microsoft® Windows®, Apple® Mac® OS X and Linux®, while also being optimized for specific operating system features and capabilities. ARES also includes innovative and powerful features such as built-in VoiceNotes for created files, 3D modeling support via the latest ACIS libraries and more.

Upcoming versions of ARES will be available for Microsoft Windows Mobile® devices – both Apple iPad® and the Google® Android® operating system are under active evaluation for porting as well. ARES will be initially available in 13 languages from the entire worldwide network of Graebert distributors and partners, as well as select OEMs.

ARES development has focused on a number of core benchmarks, with performance being a leading criterion: ARES is typically 3-5X faster in operations such as open and save than other CAD packages on any platform. With more than a year of intensive beta testing by more than 100 major corporations and leading CAD users, ARES is the end-result of more than 250 man-years of development (5 calendar years) from Graebert, one of the pioneers in CAD software development since 1983.

Graebert is well known internationally for leading mobile CAD solutions such as SiteMaster™ as well as having more than 500,000 estimated users of PowerCAD™, its previous-generation CAD product. The company has more than 50 active VARs and OEMs on six continents, and is working with these and new partners to distribute ARES worldwide.

“Several Fortune® 500 companies have been using ARES as part of our intensive beta test – to them, ARES really does represent the next-generation of CAD solution,” said Wilfried Graebert, Founder and CEO of Graebert, GmbH.

Using ARES, they have been able to create designs in far less time than with competitive solutions – the feedback has been identical – ARES is an impressive product that lived up to their demanding expectations.

Key features of ARES:

• DWG native format – Graebert is a founding member of the Open Design Alliance and sits on the Board of Directors. ARES supports DWG Import (2.x -> 2009), Export (12->2009) and DWG 2009 Native format (DWG 2010 support coming in 2nd Quarter, 2010)
• AutoCAD-compatible command line and scripts
• More than 400 new commands
• Drawing recovery
• Latest ACIS 3D modeling support
• I/O Support for DWG 2.5 -> 2009, DWF, SAT, WMF, SLD, ESRI & SHP
• Exceptional print capabilities, including PDF, Raster & SVG
• UI optimized for each native operating system as well as an XML-based, fully customizable UI with a built-in designer
• Widest range of programming I/O support, including Lisp, C, Delphi, COM, .net (C#, VB.net), C++ and VSTA

Pricing and availability

ARES will ship in two different price configurations – ARES (£495) and ARES Commander Edition (£995).

The two products are identical with the exception of programmability and 3D support, which are found only in ARES Commander Edition. Both ARES and ARES Commander Edition for Microsoft Windows are available immediately as trial downloads from www.graebert.com – the Mac and Linux versions are currently part of a closed Beta process (request an invite at www.graebert.com) and are expected to ship in the 2nd quarter of 2010.

About Graebert

Paralleling the rise of the personal computer, Graebert GmbH (Berlin) has more than 30 years expertise in delivering high-performance, affordable solutions for both the PC and mobile CAD markets. Graebert’s award-winning products are fully compliant with industry standards and have been mission-critical for customers ranging from the largest Fortune® 500 companies to individual architects.

In 1999, Graebert GmbH recognized the need for professional CAD in the growing market of mobile devices and developed PowerCAD CE, the first professional and fully functional 2D and 3D CAD System for Windows CE™. The company’s award-winning SiteMaster™ solution has measured thousands of public and private facilities throughout Europe, Asia and North America.

ARES, SiteMaster and Graebert are trademarks of Graebert, GmbH. All others trademarks and registered trademarks previously cited are the property of their respective owners and are hereby acknowledged.

Editors note: Logos, screenshots and additional data are available from the Graebert PR contact

For further information please contact: Mobile CAD Surveying Ltd – +44 (0) 844 567 2609 or Buy here
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