The report analyses a pioneering joint project between the two organisations that investigated the incidence and causes of avoidable falls among housing associations tenants and empowered them with the tools and support to implement personal prevention measures. This was achieved through educational sessions for customers, staff and community groups, and home visits to help people identify and address hazards.

One hundred and sixty-one customers received a home visit from Trent & Dove’s customer health and safety advisor (CHSA) between September 2022 and May 2023. These were to houses, general-needs flats, bungalows, and sheltered scheme flats. 55 per cent of customers visited had had a fall in the 12 months before their home visit, more than the NICE annual national averages. Sixty per cent were reliant on a mobility aid including sticks, scooters, walkers, and crutches. 

During visits, the CHSA conducted fall focused home safety checks introduced tenants to RoSPA’s Fall Fighter material and given tailored home safety advice. 

After the visit, 90 per cent said they knew more about fall prevention, 91 per cent felt safer at home, 74 per cent took action to avoid a fall at home and 73 per cent felt less likely to have a fall at home. Sixty nine per cent of those in the pilot study experienced a reduction in avoidable falls.

Jules Robinson, fall prevention lead at RoSPA and former Trent & Dove employee said, “There are approximately 1,500 housing associations in the UK with a reach of 4.4 million households, so we urge all of those to act and as a starting point, implement fall RoSPA’s Fall Fighters which is free. 

“While housing associations can understand the benefits of putting fall prevention at the heart of their strategies, it can seem like a costly exercise. But there is a strong business case to do so - by assessing tenant needs, they may be able to transition to a smaller, more suitable home, and by receiving lifestyle and safety advice, they’re better prepared to look after themselves and the property.”

Anna Hickman, head of health and safety at Trent & Dove said, “We are buoyed by our research that shows that we can make a difference to tenants’ lives by reducing avoidable falls through taking relatively simple measures to ensure they feel safe and confident in their own homes. 

“Until now there has been relatively little data for those in the housing sector about falls in the home, so we hope our work paves the way for other housing associations that are passionate about saving and improving lives.”

To explore falls related resources and learn more about RoSPA’s Fall Fighter training, please see here.

He’s also been ordered to pay compensation of more than £7,000 to the landowner, who was left to clear up the mess.

Grant Brown, 35, of Brampton Gardens, Throckley, Newcastle, appeared at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court for sentencing on Thursday 14 September after previously pleading guilty to allowing his company to cause waste to be dumped on farmland in Stocksfield, failing to comply with duty of care legislation, and failing to produce waste transfer notes.

He was fined £1,125 and ordered to pay compensation to the landowner of £7,071.20, which is the amount not covered by their insurance for the clearance. Brown will also pay costs of £3,101 and a victim surcharge of £113, and is disqualified from being a company for three years.

Gary Wallace, area environment manager for the Environment Agency in the North East said, "Waste criminals target property and land to dump waste they’ve illegally collected and disappear, leaving a huge clean-up bill for landowners, and dumped waste causes contamination and is a major fire risk.

"In this case we were able to trace the waste back to Brown’s company and after an Environment Agency investigation he’s been put before the courts for his offending.

"If you are approached to store waste for someone else or discover waste has been dumped on your land or property then report it to the Environment Agency’s incident hotline on 0800 807060 so we can investigate."

Waste dumped on farmland

Brown, trading as GB Waste Management and operating out of Bells Close Industrial Estate in Lemington, claimed to collect and dispose of waste.

The court heard that on 1 September 2021, an Environment Agency officer attended the Bells Close site to investigate a report of an illegal waste site. It was confirmed Brown’s company did not have an environmental permit, which is required to minimise the impact on the environment. The site had several skips full of waste including bricks, tiles, plasterboard, wood and soil.

During a follow up visit with Newcastle City Council in November, Brown told officers the company had been dissolved and all skips and trucks had been sold. He said the site would be cleared.

However, at the end of the same month, a post on the company’s Facebook page showed before and after images of a pile of waste cleared from a residential garden, evidence that the company was still active.

Overnight on 25 November 2021, 20 tonnes of waste was dumped on farmland at Stocksfield. Personal identifiable items were found amongst the construction and domestic waste which the Environment Agency traced back to Brown’s company.

During clearance of the waste – which cost the landowner more than £32,000 – asbestos was found on site, which was traced back to the clearance of a Newcastle City Centre property.

Additionally, during the investigation, the Environment Agency asked for all waste transfer notes for the company produced during 2021. Every person who produces, carries, keeps or disposes of waste is subject to duty of care legislation to ensure the waste is managed appropriately, which includes ensuring the transfer of waste is recorded. Only those created by other companies were produced.

The awareness campaign will include television and radio advertising, outdoor advertising across Northern Ireland, and social media messaging.

The campaign has been launched with a mobile billboard visiting every council area in Northern Ireland, to promote awareness of the risks associated with workplace transport, and urging extra care and attention, whether in a factory, construction site, quarry, farm or any workplace.

In the ten years to 2022 incidents involving workplace vehicles across almost all work settings claimed the lives of 34 workers and left 162 others with serious injuries.

The campaign has been supported and endorsed by the Department for the Economy, and a range of industry representative bodies, including Construction Employers Federation (CEF), the Confederation of British Industry Northern Ireland (CBINI), Manufacturing NI, the Northern Ireland Committee of The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (NIC-ICTU), Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum NI (WISHNI), Ulster Farmers Union (UFU), Mineral Products Association Northern Ireland (MPANI), Utility Regulator and the NI Safety Group.

HSENI chief executive Robert Kidd said, “Workplace transport safety continues to be our priority for this year and employers should expect it to be an important element of our inspections.”

Incidents resulting in death or injury include, workers being struck by a vehicle, vehicles overturning, falling from or being thrown from a vehicle, and injuries resulting from items falling from unsecured loads. The vehicles involved include forklift trucks, dumper trucks, telehandlers, quad bikes, tractors, lorries, vans and cars etc.

Robert Kidd continued: “Our ‘Drive Danger Out’ campaign is aimed to help employers prevent deaths and serious injuries involving vehicles in their workplace and to reduce the tragic figures we have seen over the last ten years.”

Many of the incidents have been caused by poor segregation of vehicles and pedestrians, inadequate driver training, poor visibility from a vehicle, lack of vehicle maintenance, working on unsafe slopes and surfaces, and poor lighting. There are often simple checks and safety precautions which can be put in place, which reduce risk and can help avoid unnecessary accidents.

Permanent secretary of the Department for the Economy, Mike Brennan welcoming the campaign said, “Industry is vital to the success of our economy. I very much welcome the ‘Drive Danger Out’ awareness campaign and the ongoing inspection programme. Together they offer an important opportunity for our industries to play their part in making the workplace safer. This will assist our Northern Ireland based companies compete on a world stage with an enviable health and safety record to help attract inward investment.

“By ensuring employers provide a safe working environment, and employees have the correct training, working together we can prevent injuries and save lives.”

So, it’s crucial that those responsible for buildings identify whether it is present, assess the risk, and have a robust plan in place to manage and control the risks and prevent any possible failure and collapse.

RAAC is a building material that is a lightweight form of concrete which is usually found in precast roof panels and planks, and in floors and walls.

It was commonly used in construction in the UK and some other countries between the 1960s and mid-1990s, meaning any building which was built or modified in this period may contain it.

Research has shown that RAAC is much less robust than traditional concrete. Its condition deteriorates further if it gets wet, for example leaks in roofs, as this can compromise the reinforcement bars contained within RAAC planks. A failure caused by this could lead to collapse – and have significant safety consequences.

Anyone responsible for buildings should know if RAAC is present. If they don’t, they should seek to find out as soon as possible. If it is present, there should be an assessment to understand the risks and there should be a management plan, detailing how the risk is being managed and controlled in the short term and long term. This should be done in collaboration with a competent structural engineer.

The management plan should include regular inspection, again by competent professionals, to help identify if there are any issues with RAAC at an early stage.

More information can be gained from the website of the Institution of Structural Engineers.

Anthony Pennell was rushed to Royal Stoke University Hospital having sustained several fractures to both sides of his pelvis, as well as a fractured vertebrae and bleed on the spine, following the incident at a site in Fradley Park, Lichfield on 3 September 2019.

Mr Pennell, who was 32 at the time, spent nine days in hospital before he was able to be discharged to his home in Cleethorpes.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has guidance about the regulations on lifting operations and equipment.

“I had to sleep downstairs for about five months after the accident and I could only use the downstairs toilet,” he said.

“I had a lot of help from my partner Zoe who was allowed a period of time off work which lasted for the first 14 days after I came home.

“She helped me with washing and changing my clothes. She brought everything that I needed to me because I could only mobilise with difficulty and using two crutches and therefore, I couldn’t carry anything.”

HSE enforcement lawyer Nathan Cook, told Telford Magistrates’ Court how Mr Pennell, an employee of R O Donnell Plant & Civil Ltd, sustained his injuries. The pipes ,each weighing around 160 kg, had been suspended on the forks of a telehandler while being moved to a different area of the site.

Although one pack of pipes had already been transported safely, the incident happened while moving a second load. When the telehandler came to a stop, Mr Pennell tried to re-position a dangling skid so that the pack could be lowered properly. However, at this point, the load fell on top of him.

Four years on, the 37-year-old has not been able to resume his job as a groundworker, and is instead only able to work as a landscaper, which pays him less.

“I continue to have pain in my right leg,” he said. “I am no longer as strong as I was and can no longer carry out heavy manual activities.

“I will always be at a disadvantage in the labour market, and cannot see how I could get a job again where I would earn the money that I was earning as a groundworker.”

An investigation by HSE found that both Mr Pennell’s employer and the principal contractor (Readie Construction Ltd) failed to ensure that the operation was properly planned, appropriately supervised, and carried out in a safe manner. The investigation also identified issues in relation to the level of knowledge and experience of those involved in the lifting operations, and in the companies’ overall management and coordination of the telehandler usage between contractors.

R O Donnell Plant & Civil Ltd, of New Road, Worlaby, Brigg, Lincolnshire, pleaded guilty to breaching 8(1) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 and was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,784.

Readie Construction Ltd, of Falcon Business Centre, Ashton Road, Romford, Essex, pleaded guilty to breaching 8(1) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 and was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,784.

HSE inspector Will Gretton said: “This horrific incident could easily have been avoided had the work been properly planned and suitable control measures implemented to properly secure and safely transport the load.

“This case should remind all on construction sites and wider industry that all lifting operations must be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner to ensure the health and safety of those involved or affected by the work.”

Investigators from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have slammed the trio for false claims of diving experience that could have jeopardised their own and other divers’ lives in an offshore incident.

Following a HSE investigation, two divers from the Portsmouth area have had their diving qualifications withdrawn. The two men and the director of a commercial diving company have also received police cautions for fraud.

In December 2022 HSE received information that two divers may have obtained their closed bell qualifications without having the necessary prior diving experience.

There was concern that their lack of experience could result in a diving incident offshore as both divers had worked for contractors in the North Sea.

In order to work in the UK as a saturation diver (also known as a closed bell diver), a diver needs an approved qualification. There are only two dive schools in the world that currently offer the qualification – INPP in Marseille, France, and the Commercial Dive Academy in Tasmania.

HSE contacted both dive schools and obtained details of the dives submitted to the schools by the divers as part of their enrolment.

Inspectors then followed this information up with several UK diving contractors to check on whether the claimed diving experience was genuine. Due to the legal requirement for diving contractors to retain records of dives for two years, the contractors were able to provide accurate details of dive depths and times for the individuals concerned.

The director of the diving company in question was unable to provide records, despite having signed and stamped the diver’s logbook himself.  HSE went to the location of the claimed diving, and with the assistance of the harbourmaster was able to demonstrate that no diving had occurred on the dates recorded in the diver’s logbook. The diver had forged 10 at this location in order to demonstrate he had 20 dives over 15m deep. These had been fraudulently stamped and signed by the director.

The other diver was very short of experience and HSE could only find records that he had carried out around 28 dives, only one of which was deeper than 15m. He declared to the dive school he had 106 dives, 26 of which were deeper than 15m.

HSE worked closely with the Fraud Investigation Team of Hampshire Police. All three individuals admitted that they had made false entries into logbooks and received police cautions for fraud by false representation under the Fraud Act 2006.

HSE diving inspector Phil Crombie said: “You need diving experience to become a qualified closed bell diver and making it up could put your life and other divers at risk.

“Offshore diving contractors need to use qualified divers and these men could have worked anywhere across Great Britain.

“If we hear divers have made up their experience in order to get onto a closed bell course, we will look very carefully at all of the records available.

“A logbook is a document required by law, and making false entries is a criminal offence. The police cautions issued meant that we were able to have the qualifications withdrawn quickly by the relevant authorities.

“Closed bell courses cost over fifteen thousand pounds for a diver – and these divers have ended up losing that without gaining a qualification.  It’s just fortunate that they weren’t involved in any accident or incident.”

Hampshire Police PC Alam Mahmmued said: “The men involved in this case did not have the requisite experience to undertake dive work of this nature, posing a serious risk of harm to themselves. This is in addition to their actions which clearly amounted to criminal offences.

“We take any aspect of fraud seriously and we were pleased to collaborate with HSE to achieve a suitable outcome in this case. We hope this will in turn reduce the likelihood of any further offending. If offending continues, then these individuals face severe consequences in the criminal courts.”

Michael Atkin and Mark Wheatley died following incidents in 2019 and 2020 respectively. The families of both men say they are devastated after losing their loved ones.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated both incidents and subsequently prosecuted Valencia Waste Management Limited, formerly known as Viridor Waste Management Limited.

Michael, from Wetherby, lost his life while collecting a load of wastepaper bales at Valencia Waste Management Limited’s Grendon Road site in Earls Barton, Northamptonshire, on 10 October 2019.

The 63-year-old, a HGV driver employed by RT Keedwell, had been working at the site with a Valencia Waste Management employee, who was using a forklift truck to load Michael’s lorry with rows of bales.

With three rows of bales already loaded on Michael’s lorry, the Valencia employee then attempted to load a fourth row.

However, while loading the fourth row, some bales in the third row were dislodged and fell off the lorry, fatally crushing Michael. It seems Michael had been securing the other bales onto the lorry before he was crushed. Each bale weighed at least 820kg.

Janet Atkin, Michael’s partner, said: “Since the loss of Michael, it has left an enormous hole in my life, four years later I’m still traumatised and I don’t sleep well.”

A HSE investigation found it was not custom and practice at Valencia Waste Management Limited’s Earls Barton site for bales to be loaded onto lorries by fork lift truck operators at the same time the lorry driver was strapping bales which had previously been loaded onto the lorry flatbed.

Systems were in place for drivers to remain within their cabs, or in some other safe location away from the loading activity, but this was not adhered to at the time of the incident.

HSE guidance can be found at: Loading & unloading Vehicles safely (hse.gov.uk)

Mark Wheatley died following an incident on 17 January 2020 at the Dartmoor National Park Conservation Works depot in Bovey Tracey, Devon. The 31-year-old, who was from Sutton Coldfield but lived in Teignbridge, Devon, was an agency worker on his second week.

Mark had been using a lorry to lift two skips at the same time, deploying a method called ‘hot swapping’.

However, the skips were not compatible, as they were of different dimensions, and fell at an angle onto the back of Mark’s lorry. He then got onto the lorry bed to rectify the situation but the skips overbalanced and fatally struck him.

John and Sue Wheatley, Mark’s parents, arrived at the scene of the incident following a phone call from their son asking for help.

Sue said in a statement presented to the court: “Every single night as soon as I close my eyes, I see Mark lying crushed underneath the skip dead or dying. When we arrived at the scene we were held back by the police and so I couldn’t get close to him and couldn’t tell if he was dead or alive.

“That image is what I see every single night when I close my eyes and every single morning before I open my eyes. I shouted out to him that we were there. I will never know if he heard that or not.”

Keeley Martin, Mark’s partner, said in her victim personal statement: “To say Mark was my soulmate really is an understatement, he really was the kindest most caring man anyone could have the pleasure of meeting, he made a positive impact on everyone he met. The day he was taken he took a part of me with him, I nor anyone who knew him will ever be the same again.”

A HSE investigation into this incident found Valencia Waste Management Limited had failed to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment into skip operations meaning that safe systems of work and appropriate training were not implemented, and skips were not maintained in an efficient state. Furthermore, sizes were not displayed on the skips themselves.

HSE guidance can be found at: Waste and recycling industries – Collection – Skip hire and waste transfer (hse.gov.uk)

The transport and waste and recycling industries continue to contribute to workplace fatalities, with 21 deaths across the two sectors in 2022/23.

Following the incident on 10 October 2019, Valencia Waste Management Limited, of London Road, Stretton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £1 million at Loughborough Magistrates’ Court on 6 September 2023.

Following the incident on 17 January 2020, Valencia Waste Management Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £2 million at Loughborough Magistrates’ Court on 6 September 2023.

The company was also ordered to pay combined costs of £21,054.

Alan Hughes, senior enforcement lawyer at HSE said, “These were two men at different stages of their lives, but the grief and pain across both families is devastating.

“Both deaths were avoidable. More needs to be done to make the use of vehicles on waste and recycling sites safer. We have a wealth of advice and guidance freely available.”

This HSE prosecution was supported by HSE inspectors James Collins and Nicholas Moreby.

Three workers at Weir Minerals Europe Limited sustained burns while operating a furnace at the firm’s site on Halifax Road in Todmorden on 25 February 2020.

They had been melting a large amount of steel before an explosion took place in the furnace. It had most likely been caused by water entering the furnace while the workers were adding in the scrap metal.

The three men suffered burns to their faces, heads and backs. There was also resulting damage to the surrounding equipment.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that Weir Minerals Europe Limited was aware of the risk associated with wet scrap metal being added to the furnace. However the protection from rain that was in place at the time of the incident was not adequately implemented and maintained.

HSE guidance can be found at: Molten metals industry – Safety topics (hse.gov.uk)

Weir Minerals Europe Limited, of Halifax Road, Todmorden, West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay £6,095 in costs at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court on 5 September 2023.

HSE inspector Jackie Ferguson commented, “This was a serious incident that could so easily have been avoided. Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

This HSE prosecution was supported by HSE enforcement lawyer Matt Reynolds.

This comes despite more than one in three (35%) of tradespeople admitting they know of someone who has injured their eyes at work.

Painters were the worst culprits, with 26% admitting they never wear safety eyewear, followed by brickies (24%) and sparks (22%). That's a real risk for workers’ health, according to experts from Specsavers.

"Things commonly found on building sites such as paints, solvents and debris can cause serious harm if you get them in your eyes. This National Eye Health Week we’re asking workers to open their eyes and put safety first by making sure they are equipped with the proper PPE,” said Giles Edmonds, clinical services director at Specsavers.

As well as building materials, prolonged exposure to UV rays from working outdoors can increase the chances of eye conditions such as cataracts.

Giles continued: "According to our findings up to half of workers need prescription glasses but 60% of those workers are only wearing their normal glasses on the job - meaning they are putting their eyes at serious risk."

Specsavers has developed a range of safety glasses equipped with scratch-resistant lenses and robust frame materials. The safety glasses are fitted with prescription lenses, allowing them to be worn in place of employees' everyday spectacles.

To find out more, visit www.specsavers.co.uk/corporate/safety-eyewear/construction

Dispensing Opticians (DOs) play a key role in ensuring workers have access to prescription eyewear that delivers optimal protection and comfort. At uvex, we partner with high-quality opticians all over the country to provide customers with perfect prescription PPE.

Your sight is indispensable. Safety eyewear is therefore essential PPE for those working with hazards that pose a threat to the eyes including chemicals, metals, dust, projectile objects, vapour, heat and ultraviolet radiation.

Quality protection is paramount, but wearability cannot be overlooked. One size does not fit all, with individual fit, comfort, product performance and style all key to compliance. To encourage people to wear safety eyewear over long periods, eyewear must be capable of adapting to individual head shapes whilst ensuring a pressure-free fit and providing total eye protection.

Around a quarter of the population requires prescription lenses. For these workers, DOs play an essential role in ensuring they get the safety glasses they need. DOs are registered healthcare professionals who can advise customers on how to select and maintain their spectacles. They also serve as the first point of contact when a customer is experiencing difficulties with their vision or spectacles.

The Opticians Act 1989 allows any competent individual to sell prescription eyewear in the UK providing the customer is above 16 and not registered as sight impaired or severely sight impaired. However, it is clearly in workers' best interests to seek out a DO.

To enjoy the best possible vision, the right lenses are as important as the right prescription. Poorly fitted frames are not only uncomfortable but can affect the quality of your vision too.

During the dispensing appointment, an optician ensures a customer’s vision is crisp and clear. 

DOs will make adjustments so the frames fit the user's face precisely, because everyone’s face is shaped a bit differently. This not only maximises comfort but also ensures they remain in the correct position for optimal vision. 

DOs will also take head tilts or squints into account when deciding where the lenses' optical centre should be placed. They can provide expert advice on addressing eye conditions such as dry eye, too, and carry out eye tests that can reveal the early indicators for diseases such as glaucoma, diabetes and cataracts.

This means PPE providers who do not work with DOs cannot guarantee the quality, useability and wearability of their spectacles. At uvex, we believe the eyes are too important to take any chances. We work alongside both national and independent dispensing opticians throughout the country to ensure workers can easily access safety prescription eyewear. Having announced a new partnership with ASDA Opticians on 1 June 2023, there are now more choices than ever. To find your nearest DO, head to: https://www.uvex-safety.co.uk/en/buy/optician-locator/

Exceptional protection is our priority. The uvex range of prescription safety glasses is available in a choice of metal, plastic and wraparound frame styles with single vision, bifocal or varifocal lenses. These lenses are manufactured from polycarbonate, which conform to EN166F and are thinner and lighter than other materials, and naturally block out 100 percent of the sun’s UV rays. Unlike glasses manufactured from CR39, they are suitable for workplaces where impact poses a risk.

All frames come with scratch-resistant coatings, a slip-in spectacle case and a lens-cleaning cloth. Optional extras are available such as anti-reflective and anti-fog coatings and are competitively priced when compared to the high street. We also offer a user-friendly system including the option of web-based prescription accounts, which remove the need for time-consuming and wasteful paper forms.

uvex is the clear choice for your prescription eyewear. Our approach enables you to visit your most convenient DO, establish your requirements and find prescription safety glasses that deliver on vision, protection and comfort. 

This year's National Eye Health Week (NEHW) will take place from 18 to 24 September 2023, promoting the importance of good eye health and the need for regular eye tests for all.

Clair Weston is marketing manager at uvex. For more information, visit www.uvex-safety.co.uk