The deaths of two members of the public in unrelated incidents have highlighted the need for businesses to control unauthorised access to dangerous sites. The accidents have prompted a call from HSE to companies to review risk levels in premises and worksites, and take adequate precautionary measures.

An accident that claimed the life of a young girl was recently in the news after judgement was announced in the case. The company in question, Carlton Main Brickworks Limited, was fined £25,000 and ordered to pay costs of £22,833 as the hearing concluded in Sheffield Crown Court. The company pleaded guilty to charges of breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The accident occurred in 2007 when Amber Worth, a 13-year-old schoolgirl, was killed when a half tonne boulder fell on top of her. The boulder had come loose from its position and landed on the girl killing her almost instantly. She had gained access to the company’s quarry where the accident occurred. There was no barricade or fencing to prevent such unauthorised access into the quarry.

As residential complexes are located near the site, the company should have made sure that no outsider entered the high-risk area. This simple precaution would have saved Amber’s life, said the HSE investigators after reviewing the case. The quarry is located in Grimethorpe, Barnsley.

HSE is calling for all employers and businesses to ensure that risks are adequately assessed and that high-risk areas are made out of bounds for anyone without proper authority to enter such areas. This is especially important for businesses like construction or brickworks.

Employers have a duty of care towards ensuring health and safety of the workers and members of the public; a NEBOSH course, leading to the award of the NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health, can be of benefit to organisations in providing the knowledge to manage safely and effectively in compliance with both the organisation’s policy and best practice in health and safety.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 5:43 am and is filed under Biz, Health Info. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.