Health, Safety and Environmental Update July 2015 Purpose: The intention of this briefing is to pull together and share both Optimise and other contractor information rather than issue in an ad-hoc manner. It is the briefing manager’s responsibility to ensure this information is put in context and explained in a manner suitable for their audience. They are also required to ensure the attendance sheet is completed (back page) and submitted to A copy of the whole briefing should also be displayed on office/depot and site notice boards.

Contents: Headlines Managing risk and learning from incidents Optimise News ADN 027 – Orme Court – heading collapse ADN 028 – Managing change on site External prosecution – director prosecuted after trench collapse fatality From the hub TW Monthly safety focus – electrical safety TW Briefing note 056 – last line of defence External alert – using excavators as cranes Briefing attendance record

HSE Headlines This monthly update includes a lot of advisory notes and learning from incidents. Please ensure that you do take the time to read these and reflect on whether you need to make changes as a result of the information contained within them. On another note, I wanted to let you know about some inspections we are doing at the moment, focussed on managing risk. We have developed a specific checklist and will be carrying them out on sites, over the next couple of months. I am sure that you will agree that the process of managing risk is a fundamental aspect of good health and safety management and one which we need to ensure gets an appropriate level of attention.

Director Prosecuted after Trench collapse A company director has been sentenced following the death of a young worker, who died on his second day at work, after a trench collapsed in on him. Despite the effort of rescuers who dug for 15 minutes to free him, 24-year-old Callum Osborne died of traumatic asphyxia at the scene. The company had been employed to connect new build bungalows to mains drainage, water and gas supplies. Access to the site was along a narrow driveway which was about 3m wide. The material excavated from the trench had been piled up alongside each side of the trench which had no means of support to prevent collapse and no barriers or edge protection to prevent falls into the trench. On 7 April, Mr Osborne was acting as a banksman and taking measurements while a colleague was digging the main trench down the centre of the driveway for the drainage pipes and banking soil either side of the trench. Wayne Cooper arrived on site late morning and took over operation of the digger. At around 12.30pm there was a delivery of shingle, then shouting was heard and it became apparent Mr Osborne had been buried in the trench in front of the digger. Mr Cooper said: “Callum was there, I could just see his head, and then I just panicked, screaming for help and started digging, just to try and save him. “I tried my hardest and screamed and tried to get Callum out. I started to dig with my hands.” He said he had also used a spade. “I was using just anything to try and get him out.” Emergency services attempted to save Mr Osborne but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Wayne Peter Cooper, 40, director of Coopers Services Limited pleaded guilty to breaches of regulation 31 (1) (a, b and c) and 31 (2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years. He was also fined £75,000. If the fine is not paid within two years, Mr Cooper faces 18 months imprisonment. Prosecution costs of £25,000 were awarded against him. The HSE inspector said“This was a totally preventable accident. Mr Cooper was an experienced ground worker and knew the way he was allowing the work to proceed was unlawful and highly dangerous. “This incident happened because of Mr Cooper’s failure to plan and manage the job properly. Had Mr Cooper taken measures to prevent a trench collapse at the planning stage or on the day of the incident, Callum’s family would not have to endure the heartbreak of losing someone so dear to them. “This was only Callum’s second day working for Mr Cooper. He would still be alive today had well established working practices been followed.” Speaking to SHP Mr Stancliffe added: “It’s not cutting edge stuff. The driveway was three metres wide and at the deepest point the trench was 1.9m. The trench was stacked with the material they had dug out. The risk was an obvious one.” Speaking to SHP, Callum’s mother Karen Hodgson, said: “Every person has the right to go to work and return home at the end of the day. Callum did not return home that day because of the unsafe environment he was asked to work in.”

Health and Safety Alerts from the ‘Health & Safety Hub’. The Health & Safety Hub is an essential tool to share best practice and learn from other contractors. The following slides include extracts and reminders from lessons learnt which should be shared