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Articles from the latest BSGA Newsletter No. 62
SIGN INSTALLER SUFFERED FRACTURED SKULL AND SPINE AFTER FALL
A Sheffield-based sign business was fined £20,000 by Chesterfield magistrates after one of its workers fell five metres off a flat roof while erecting a sign. The man suffered a fractured skull and spine as well as several broken ribs and a collapsed lung.Warburton Signs (not a member of the BSGA) were contracted in 2015 to install a large, lightweight sign on the gable end of an industrial building for Practical Car and Van Rental of Chesterfield. Three installers were assigned to the job and were fitting wooden batons to the building when the accident happened.
HSE Inspector Helen Barley told the court that they had decided not to use a cherry picker. At the time of the accident, one of the men was collecting materials from the van and another was climbing a ladder to access the roof. “We’ll never really know why he fell. The nature of his injuries means he’s lost much of his memory from the time and he can’t recollect the incident.”
The HSE investigation revealed that the company failed to implement any measures to prevent a fall from height. There was a generic risk assessment but, because the work was outside the company’s usual remit, this was inadequate.Ms Barley also told the court that a week after the accident the two uninjured workers returned to the roof to complete the job and, following a complaint about the alignment of the sign, returned a third time.
“Despite the risk being revealed by the accident, the necessary safety measures still weren’t taken. The repeated breach was a big concern,” she said.
Warburton Signs pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4
(1) of the Work at Height Regulations and was fined £20,000 plus a £120 surcharge and costs of £1,538.(Under sentencing guidelines for h/s offences, corporate manslaughter and food safety offences, which came into effect on February 1st this year, the court ruled that the offence category was ‘high’ and the risk of harm was ‘harm category 1’. The sign company was considered to be a micro company and the fine was reduced to £50,000 when considering proportionality and the early guilty plea took the final fine down to £20,000).
“This case provides yet another salutary example of the need for the industry to deliver a high standard of work in a safe environment,” said David Catanach. “It is a condition of BSGA membership that all work be carried out to meet regulatory requirements in order to prevent instances like this one happening and keep everyone involved in our industry as safe as possible.
“Under the new sentencing guidelines, those who choose to ignore regulatory requirements and standards can in future expect much stiffer penalties and a criminal record,” he added.
(Our thanks to IOSH Magazine for their assistance in producing this article. http://www.ioshmagazine.com)
NEW VICE PRESIDENT
David Derbyshire, Managing Director of Manchester-based Astra Signs, has been elected Vice President of the BSGA. He will take over as the Association’s President when the current President, Murray Crompton, Managing Director of Sign 2000, stands down in 2017.
David Allen, Managing Director of Allen Signs, which has offices in Lincoln and Nottingham, has also joined the BSGA Council.
MISSION MOTORSPORT JOINS THE BSGA
Mission Motorsport, a charity that provides respite, rehabilitation, vocational support and training to those who have left the armed forces and have been affected by military operations, is now an honorary member of the BSGA.Run by veterans, serving officers and motorsport professionals, the organisation is the Combined Services official provider of adaptive motorsport, seeking wherever possible to merge the activities of the disabled and injured with those of able-bodied servicemen and women.
Car Designed & Wrapped by trainee Joshua Green
They prepare and enter vehicles for sprints, hill climbs, track racing, rallying and powerboating – and to make everything work effectively, Mission Motorsport provides a range of training courses and educational opportunities tailored to suit the needs of individuals.
“In addition to stripping down and repairing sports cars and powerboats, Mission Motorsport realised that if their vehicles were to stand out from the crowd they had to look the part, so they developed a niche side-line in vehicle wrapping,” explained David Catanach, Director of the BSGA.
“Now, they have developed a comprehensive wrapping training course and are working on the framework to create a City & Guilds qualification in vehicle wrapping. Initially, this training will be available only to ex-service personnel from across all three armed services and, once trained, Mission Motorsport will be helping them to find work in civvy street with sign companies and vehicle wrapping specialists.
“We were introduced to the charity by Roland DG, who are already supporting the charity, and were impressed by both the ethos of the organisation and the work they produce,” said David. “The BSGA Council was unanimous in inviting Mission Motorsport to join the Association and we look forward to supporting the work they do.”
Traffic Signs Overhaul
A circular is now available from the Department for Transport explaining the measures introduced in the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 (TSRGD) and how these differ from the previous regulatory regime – both in terms of prescription and structure – and in the context of the Government’s policy on traffic signsThe circular prescribes the designs and conditions of use for traffic signs and provides worked examples to help users navigate how the new documents works.
According to Andrew Jones MP, this radical overhaul of TSRGD removes much of the cost and red tape associated with the delivery of traffic management solutions.
The circular can be downloaded from CLICK HERE
Join us to Celebrate the best in British Sign Making
British Sign Awards Gala Presentation
East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham.
Thursday, 3rd November, 2016 12.00 – 5.00pm
Tickets – £70.00.
Table for 10 – £600.00
Bill Turnbull, host for the event
Book online at http://www.britishsignawards.orgIf you have any questions regarding the stories in our Newsletters or would like information on becoming a member of the BSGA, please feel free to contact us:
British Sign & Graphics Association
Northgate Business Centre
Northgate
Newark
Notts
NG24 1EZhttp://www.bsga.co.uk
enquiries@bsga.co.uk
0845 338 3016
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