| Lockout Tagout Safety Ltd |
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| Welcome to our Lockout Tagout website. We specialise in industrial safety, stemming from a local family business established in 1883 and based in Teesside, UK. Our company is dedicated to providing bespoke industrial safety solutions, which protect employees from harm and help employers comply with safety legislation. |
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| We supply modern, standardised and high quality lockout tagout products to the UK / export to international markets, and utilise our expertise in industrial safety to provide a niche service. |
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| This includes LOTO awareness training as well as training the trainers for larger companies. Most recent noticeable contracts secured within the UK and world markets include the energy company National Grid and Ukraine’s largest employer, METINVEST. These serve to reaffirm our position as a leading provider of safety solutions across the globe. |
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Latest News
Consequences of Failure to Protect Workers : First Successful Conviction of Corporate Manslaughter Under the 2007 Act
February 23rd 2011
The Gloucestershire-based company, Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings Ltd, has been convicted of corporate manslaughter in the first trial to test the new Corporate Manslaughter Act and to successfully convict a company without the need to also prosecute the company director, Mr Eaton.
The company was sentenced on Thursday 17 February, and has been fined £385,000 payable over 10 years.
In his sentencing remarks Mr Justice Field who heard the case, commented that he was aware a fine of this size was likely to put the company into liquidation but that the fine he imposed must be fit for the level of gravity of the offence and send a clear message to the industry.
Sally Roff, head of the Safety, Health & Environment Group at national law firm Beachcroft LLP, commented:
In the aftermath of the first successful conviction for corporate manslaughter under the 2007 Act, it is appropriate to take stock and consider whether or not this first conviction has achieved what the Act set out to do.
The objective behind the Act was to bring the label of shame of "corporate manslaughter" to organisations responsible for causing the death of individuals as a result of their activities. Prior to the Act's introduction, it had not been possible in the vast majority of cases to obtain convictions against corporate entities, because of the requirement first to identify the "directing mind" of the business and then to prove that that individual's gross negligence had caused a death before being able to convict the company of an offence.
Tuesday saw the successful conviction of Cotswold Geotech without a trial of the company's director (indeed, without his involvement in trial at all) and, to that extent, it is likely that the Crown Prosecution Service will see this as evidence that the Act has achieved what was intended. However, as the Act's primary objective was to provide the opportunity for convictions to be obtained against the very large organisations responsible for deaths, following circumstances such as the public disasters of the '80s and '90s at Kings Cross and Alpha Piper, it remains to be seen whether the Act will be successful in securing convictions against organisations where the management structure and reporting lines are more complex.
The corporate manslaughter charge arose after one of the company's employees, Mr Alexander Wright, a junior geologist, was asphyxiated - he had been collecting soil samples from a three metre excavated pit when the sides of the pit collapsed onto Mr Wright. The jury at Winchester Crown Court returned a guilty verdict, confirming that the way in which the company's activities were organised had grossly breached its duty of care to Mr Wright, causing his death. At the trial, the Court heard that the "1.2 metre rule" which required trenches of that depth or greater to be supported had not been followed despite an earlier HSE reminder to Mr Eaton, the company's director, in 1995 about this rule and his reassurance that such advice would be followed in the future.
HSE SAFETY ALERT: Overturns of JLG 500RTS scissor lifts
The purpose of this Safety Alert is to alert the target audience above about the need to regularly maintain, inspect and test (as recommended by manufacturers, and as required by law), safety related equipment on Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) generally, and also specifically to remind owners, users and others involved in the use of JLG 500RTS and 400RTS scissor lifts, of this need (scissors lifts are a type of MEWP).
This Alert also highlights to the target audience, the requirement to follow the specific instructions for daily inspection and function testing outlined in the current Operation and Safety Manual for JLG Model 500RTS and 400RTS scissor lifts. Failure to follow the instructions contained within the Operation and Safety Manual can result in serious or fatal injuries.
The target audience are also reminded that it is vital not to operate MEWPs, in general, if systems designed to maintain safe operation are damaged, overridden or not working.
The Information in this Safety Alert may also be relevant to other makes or models of MEWPs that incorporate similar oscillating axle lockout valves or lift/ drive interlock systems.
Click here for more information From the HSE Website
Case Study: Lockout Tagout Safety Solution for UK Energy company National Grid: keeping workers safe and comply with legislation
18th Nov 2010
https://www.nofenergy.co.uk/view_news.php?news=1294&read=56&parent=73&sub=56
Release of Health and Safety Review
18th October 2010
Downing Street’s chief Health and Safety advisor, Lord Young, last Friday published a report detailing proposed changes to current UK Health and Safety guidelines. Entitled ‘Common Sense, Common Safety’, its proposals have been accepted by the cabinet and are expected to pass into legislation in the not too distant future.
Focusing primarily on simplifying risk assessment procedures for low-risk workplace environments, the report also details Lord Young’s recommendations for raising standards of Health and Safety inspection in higher-risk environments. One of its key proposals is to create a system of qualification requirements for all Health and Safety inspectors, to ensure that a minimum standard of competency is established. Initially led by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), such a system would lead to the creation of a web-based list of accredited inspectors, leading to the eventual emergence of a financially independent, self-regulating professional body.
Control of Health and Safety in higher-risk, industrial environments would remain with the HSE, with additional recommendations that existing legislation is consolidated into a more accessible single set of regulations. Checklists for small to medium, low-risk work place environments could be downloaded from the HSE’s website, to ensure that employers meet all legal requirements.
The report aims to improve the standing of Health and Safety in the eyes of the public and workforce. For a full version of the report, click here. Note that all previous legislation in this area, such as the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act, still applies- to ensure that you comply with UK legal requirements in environments in which heavy machinery is used, why not check out our range of quality tagout products. When used in conjunction with a high-quality lockout device these reduce risk of death and serious injury in the workplace.
Ayrshire Sawmill Fined After Serious Injury of Two Workers
A court has ordered a sawmill company based in Troon, Ayrshire, to pay a total of £28,000 in fines after two of its workers sustained serious injuries at work in the space of three months.
On May 24th 2007, a 55-year-old employee fell through a gap left in scaffolding by maintenance workers who were carrying out repairs on a conveyor belt below. He suffered serious arm injuries and permanent paralysis of his shoulder as a result.
Less than three months later, a 59-year-old man had to undergo emergency surgery and subsequent physiotherapy after his head was trapped between metal parts of a hoist, at the same mill. The worker was carrying out maintenance work on the machine on August 24th 2007 when it was activated without his knowledge.
An investigation into the incidents by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) concluded that the company failed to provide sufficient training, information, instruction and supervision to its workers regarding machinery isolation for maintenance. Helen Diamond, a HSE inspector who conducted the investigation, said, 'These were two serious and entirely preventable accidents... Employers need to recognise the importance of making sure that safe systems of work are in place to prevent these sorts of accident, and to give their employees the training, information, instruction and supervision they need to carry out their work safely'.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching sections 2(1) and 2(2) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It was ordered to pay a fine of £8,000 for the first incident and a fine of £20,000 for the second.
Mechanical valve lockout devices and cable lockout devices can be used in combination with a high-quality safety padlock, as part of an industrial Lockout/Tagout safety programme which helps companies to comply with UK Health and Safety Regulations and protects workers
£96,000 Fine for Company After Death of Worker
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the death of a 58-year-old man at an Aberdeen quarry company has resulted in the imposition of a £96,000 fine on his employers.
The man was crushed by a mechanical digger when it rolled backwards as he was fixing a transmitter leak beneath it. The investigation concluded that the company failed to provide sufficient information, instruction, training and supervision to its workers, placing it in breach of section 2(1) of the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act.
The company pleaded guilty at Elgin Sheriff Court, and was ordered to pay the substantial fine.
Norman Buchanan, a HSE inspector involved with the case, said "This tragic incident should have been avoided ... it is wholly unacceptable (that) his employers left him unsupervised to devise his own means of working on such a risky repair job".
To reduce the risk of injury, Britons are advised to use appropriate Safety Procedures and Lockout Safety Devices; cable lockout devices andSteering wheel Lockout Covers help communicate risk in the workplace.
New Guidelines Released by IOSH
The Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) released a new set of guidelines in February this year on the procedures to be followed by employers in the event of a fatal accident in the workplace.
'Learning the lessons: How to respond to deaths at work and other serious accidents' is a 24-page leaflet which clearly details recommended protocol for firms following serious accidents in the workplace, including the conduction of internal investigations.
It also highlights the importance of preparation and planning for such incidents. The leader of the team that produced the advice, Ian Waldram, stated: "We think it's good to have some pre-planned investigation arrangements in case the worst happens and someone is killed or seriously hurt at work".
These guidelines were issued in conjunction with the Health and Safety Executive, whose website also offers advice on a wide range of topics connected to health and safety in the workplace. These range from conducting a thorough risk assessment to selecting appropriate Lockout/Tagout equipment. It recommends that employers ensure that they "can apply and interpret relevant legislation and guidance", as set out on their site.
For more information on your Lockout Tagout Training and Legislation please contact us direct on 01642 888002. Click here to view our range of compliance centres.
Relevant Legislation
UK Companies Health & Safety
International Global Companies Health & Safety
EU Standards - UTE C18-510
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