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The Irish Magazine for the Materials Handling, Warehousing & Logistics SectorsThe Irish Magazine for the Materials Handling, Warehousing & Logistics Sectors

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news

The Health & Safety Authority’s (HSA) 2014 Annual Summary of Injury, Illness and Fatality Statistics Report recorded an increase in fatal workplace incidents, almost half of these fatalities involving self-employed persons. There was also a rise in non-fatal injuries last year, with the main cause coming from manual handling accidents.

 The Statistics Summary, which has been produced in conjunction with the Economic and Social Research Institute, provides a study on trends in occupa-tional injuries, illnesses and fatalities for 2013 - 2014.

 Some of the key points of the Statistics Summary are;!" There were 56 fatal workplace accidents reported in 2014, compared to 47 in 2013.!" The overall worker fatality rate

increased to 2.5 per 100,000 in 2014, from 2.1 per 100,000 in 2013.!" Twenty-six of the fatalities in 2014 involved self-employed persons.!" There were 7,431 non-fatal injuries reported in 2014, compared to 6,598 in 2013, !" The reported non-fatal injury rate increased to 3.7 per 1,000 workers in 2014 from 3.4 per 1,000 workers in 2013. !" The main cause of non-fatal injuries was manual handling (33%).!" The sectors that reported the highest number of non-fatal injuries were; health and social work (20%), manufacturing (17%).

Martin O’Halloran, CEO of the Health and Safety Authority confirmed that there will be a focus on those newly joining the workforce over the next few years: “We did notice an increase in construction activity last year and we also saw a slight increase in reported injuries. Overall the rate of compliance in the sector remains high but our concern is for the future. Studies show that inexperi-enced workers, in any sector, are four times more likely to be injured than their more experienced colleagues.

There are a number of strategies that can be employed to prevent this such as proper supervision, training and risk-management. Employers must be vigilant when it comes to ensuring that newly hired workers are protected from injury. We will continue to raise awareness through engagement and collaboration with employer and employees groups and other agencies.”

More than 5,000 new businesses registered with the Authority’s online safety tool for small business, BeSMART.ie, at the end of 2014 there were in excess of 23,000 businesses using the resource. Michael Horgan, Chairman of the Authority said: “We have worked on improving our service delivery and maximising impact by using technology to provide online resources such as BeSMART.ie and hsalearning.ie. These platforms are free, easy-to-use and available at all times. There is also a high volume of guidance and information available to employees and employers through our website and social media channels. One of our stated goals is to provide value for money for the taxpayer and these programmes have been delivered with that in mind.”

In South Korea, Doosan Industrial Vehicle has begun production of a completely redesigned range of 1.5 and 2.5 tonne electric forklifts, with a host of new safety and performance features as standard. The new trucks are part of the latest 7-Series range and represent a step change in electric forklift performance and value.

 The expanded range, now includes long wheelbase variants with increased battery capacity, means that Doosan has the most modern and one of the widest ranges of electric counter-balance trucks to suit any electric truck application. New standard features include latest technology finger-tip controls, an automatic electric parking brake and advanced control system

protected to IP65 rating, giving even better protection against water, dust and damp sites where previously only IC engine trucks would be suitable.

 Other highlights include LED spotlights for better illumination but using less power and vastly reducing bulb failures, upgraded protection packages on the motors and one of the most comfortable seats on the market.

 In addition, redesigned masts provide enhanced visibility through the mast, with panoramic mirrors providing

increased safety and all-round visibility.  Paul Watson UK General Sales

Manager, Doosan Industrial Vehicle UK commented on the new products: “Our BT/BX 7-Series models represent a complete redesign of our electric truck range that sets the standard for the market. In addition to the new standard features the range also features an increased steer angle, especially on the 4-wheel models now turning to 86-degrees, which gives a superb turning radius. Combine these new features with virtually maintenance-free oil cooled disc brakes, Active Energy Control with regenerative braking, which feeds power back into the battery, and our Operator Sensing System for ultimate driver safety, and you have a package which is second to none.”

 The 1.5 tonne to 2.0 tonne models are now available, with the new 7-series 2.2 tonne to 3.5 tonne models going into production later this year. The existing 5-series giants – 4.0-tonne to 5.0 tonne machines - continue to be available.

10,719

Investigations

1,345

Chemicals

1,005

Wholesale / Retail

673

Transport / Storage

577

Manufacturing

554

Healthcare

242

Mines / Quarries

152

Public administration

149

Forestry

100

Fishing

68

Reactive

506

Construction

2,758

Total number of inspections & investigations

Annual Report & Stats Summary 2014

Agriculture

2,590

Manual handling injuries account

for 33% of non-fatal

accidents

WORKER FATALITY RATE INCREASED FROM 2.1 PER 100K IN 2013 TO 2.5 PER 100K IN 2014

26 of 56 fatalities reported in 2014 were self-employed

Fatality rate in Agriculture increased from 15.9 per 100k in 2013 to 22.9 per 100k in 2014

5,490 new BeSMART users (overall total 23,378)

students participated in the Choose Safety programme

non-fatal injuries reported in 2014 (95% involved workers)

Rate of non-fatal injuries increased from 3.4 per 1,000 in 2013 to 3.7 per 1,000 in 2014

7,431

21,5002014

32 prosecutions & fines of €293,900

Total number of contacts to Workplace Contact Unit

25,173

of them Farmers(

(

21

2014

2014

20142014

work related deaths in 2014. 47 in 201356

HSA records higher numbers of workplace fatalities and injuries

Doosan Industrial Vehicle’s new EV truck range