Medical Device Alert

Posted by Robert Priestley on

All LIFEPAK 1000 automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) – risk of device shutting down unexpectedly during patient treatment and possible failure to deliver therapy.

The LIFEPAK 1000 defibrillator can be found in hospitals and in public places.

The manufacturer’s logo on the front cover may vary, displaying ‘Medtronic’ or ‘Physio-Control’.

1. Identify all LIFEPAK 1000 defibrillators in your possession.

2. Ensure that all those responsible for the AED follow the instructions in the manufacturer’s Field Safety Notice (FSN).

3. If you have already acted on this FSN, no further action is required.

 

Construction worker crushed by vehicle in unsegregated area

Posted by Robert Priestley on
Credit: SHP Online

A worker was killed by a reversing vehicle while he was working at a construction site in Dawlish, in Devon.

Exeter Crown Court heard how the employee of Steve Hoskin Construction Limited (SHCL) was working for the groundwork contractor when he was crushed by a reversing telescopic material handler.

John Small, 47, was crushed by the vehicle after it reversed while he was walking alongside it on 28 June 2013. Mr Small was pronounced dead after suffering multiple injuries.

The HSE found that Cavanna Homes, the principal contractor for this site, failed to ensure this area of the construction site was organised to enable pedestrians and vehicles to move safely.

SHCL had not fully considered the risks to their employees at this part of the site.

Cavanna Homes (SW) Limited, of Riviera Park, Nicholson Road Torquay, Devon, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 36(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £20,000.

Steve Hoskin Construction Limited, of Ten Acres Lane, St Ive Industrial Estate, Pensilva, Liskeard, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act, was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £20,000.

HSE inspector Caroline Penwill said:

“There were no control measures in place to segregate vehicles and pedestrians in the area where the incident happened. Separating pedestrians and vehicles by introducing measures such as walkways with barriers, could have prevented John Small’s death”

Worker buried in 2.7 m trench collapse

Posted by Robert Priestley on

A Fife, Scotland-based construction company has been handed a £14,000 fine after a worker was buried under dislodged earth at a house renovation in Falkland in September 2011 when an excavator caused a trench excavation to cave in.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that none of the workers had formal health and safety training to manage a construction site and that the excavation work had not been risk assessed. As a result, workers were given instructions through verbal briefings rather than detailed, mapped out plans.

Dundee Sheriff Court heard how a 43-year-old employee of Wallace Roofing and Building was part of a team that had been using an excavator to dig a trench to help connect the drainage system of the property with a new extension. When the workers came across a boulder that prevented further digging, they used the excavator to try and shift it.

The injured man was laying the new pipe in the trench and helping to guide the machinery when one of the trench walls, 2.7 m deep, subsided, burying him. His colleagues immediately started digging the soil away from his head to enable him to breathe. The worker remained partially buried in the trench until emergency services arrived and dug him free.

The worker sustained a broken shoulder and collarbone, punctures to both lungs and fractures to all but two of his ribs. He remained in hospital for almost three weeks.

The HSE found that the trench had not been supported or “stepped back” to control the risk of it collapsing. Wallace Roofing and Building, of Star, Glenrothes, Fife, pleaded guilty to breaching ss 2(1) and 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work Act.

HSE inspector Ritchie McCrae said: “The risks associated with collapsing excavation walls are well known, as are the necessary control measures … the company failed to identify the risk and there was a total absence of any control measure which would have prevented this incident from occurring. The worker sustained serious, permanent injury and is extremely lucky to still be alive.”

Nick Warburton

Crane collapses at Falmouth Docks

Posted by Robert Priestley on

Credit: BBC News

A crane has collapsed at Falmouth Docks leading to the evacuation of the site.

Witnesses described hearing an “enormous bang” as it collapsed on to 10 acetylene cylinders at the dockside at about 09:00 BST on 10th May 2017.

A firefighter suffered minor injuries while assessing the scene.

A 200m exclusion zone was set up over fears the cylinders could explode after the collapse, which was initially treated as a major incident. The cordon was lifted at about 13:00.

There were no other injuries.

Assistant chief fire officer Phil Martin said: “Incidents involving acetylene cylinders require a well-managed response and the cordon is put in place to ensure the safety of members of the public.

“I am pleased to report that the firefighter who was injured suffered only minor injuries and was taken to hospital as a precaution. We do of course wish him a speedy recovery.”

A&P Group, which owns the docks said: “No-one was injured in the incident, however, all personnel have been temporarily evacuated from the docks whilst an assessment of the area is made.

“Personnel will return to work as soon as possible.”