A Safety Alert has been issued by the Department for Health aimed at organisations and individuals, who provide facilities for vulnerable people who are at risk of falling from windows.

 Two men have been jailed for a total of 18 months for fraudulently taking health and safety tests on behalf of other construction workers.

The M70Z and M90Z all-in-one ThinkCentre PC’s sold between May 2010 and March 2012 were voluntarily recalled by Lenovo following reports of two incidents involving the computer.

One of the incidents resulted in a fire, while the other was only a smoke incident.

A recall was already made for 160,000 computers in March, but this has been expanded to 188,000.

In a statement on their website, the manufacturer said ‘Lenovo has determined that due to a failure of the power supply in the affected all-in-one PCs, the system can overheat and pose a fire hazard. Lenovo has received two customer reports of fire that resulted in damage to the PC.

‘Lenovo recommends that you should immediately stop using the affected desktop PC, and unplug the power cord. Only certain of the ThinkCentre M90z and M70z PCs sold in this timeframe are affected, and all of the affected systems can be identified by machine type and serial number.

‘Effective immediately, Lenovo is offering free power-supply replacements for all affected ThinkCentre M90z and ThinkCentre M70z all-in-one desktop PCs.’

Customers who might be affected by the recall are advised to visit www.lenovo.com/aiopsurecall.

Plymouth People First has been given £9,100 by the Lottery-funded Awards for All scheme, and will produce a new film with support from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.

The film will be aimed at vulnerable people in the communities and promoted by fire services nationwide.

The group – which is part of Plymouth’s Highbury Trust – plan to launch the film in June during Learning Disability Week.

Jill Singh, projects officer for self-advocacy for Highbury Trust said, “We worked closely with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service during 2011 and realised the need for an accessible film to reaffirm the important messages of fire prevention and safety.

“The DVD, planned by and starring adults with a learning disability, will provide advice for all vulnerable community members when it is launched in Plymouth and then promoted through the fire service nationwide.”

A move to ensure new European Union policies or regulations are backed by solid evidence was announced on March 6 2012.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced that its cost recovery scheme, Fee for Intervention, will not be starting on the planned date of April 6 2012.

For great training in First Aid and C.P.R then book on one of our courses soon! We are now delivering across the UK and have maintained a 100% pass rate to date!

Lack of Commitment to Fire Safety cost another company and owner dearly. These fines could of been saved with effective risk assessment and fire safety training.

A London hotel has had to pay more than £260,000 in fines and costs in what is believed to be the first jury trial of a case under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

The hotel and director concerned had pleaded not guilty to a total of 12 offences under the Fire Safety Order. The trial took place at Blackfriars Crown Court between 28 November and 6 December 2011 and sentencing was on Monday 6 February.

The offences date back to 18 May 2008 when London Fire Brigade was called to a fire at the hotel in Finchley, north London. The blaze had spread quickly from a first floor guest bedroom, up a staircase to the floor above and along a corridor.

Luckily three people escaped from the fire, two by using the stairs and a third by climbing out of a second floor window.

Upon inspection following the blaze, fire safety inspectors visited the hotel and raised a number of concerns. These included defective fire doors, blocked escape routes and no smoke alarms in some of the hotel’s bedrooms. The owner was also unable to produce a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and was found not to have provided staff with adequate fire safety training.

The fine was divided between the individual defendant, the company director (£180,000) and the corporate defendant, the limited company (£30,000). The defendants were further ordered to pay prosecution costs of £50,000, and compensation of £2,000 to the guest who escaped through a second floor window.

The company was found guilty of six offences, while the director was found guilty of ‘consent or connivance in the commission’ of those same offences:

• Failure to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of risk (article 9)
• Failure to provide staff with adequate safety training (article 21)
• Failure to ensure emergency routes from the premises are kept clear (article 14)
• Failure to adequately equip premises with fire detectors (article 13)
• Two counts of failure to ensure premises, facilities, equipment or devices are maintained in an efficient state, in working order and in good repair (article 17)

“Business owners have a clear responsibility under fire safety law to ensure that both the public and their employees are as safe as possible from the risk of fire,” said Brian Coleman, chairman of London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority. “This verdict sends out a clear message that if these responsibilities are ignored we will not hesitate in prosecuting and people will face serious penalties”

When training with Essential 6 we can come and support you on site and make sure our fire safety training is focused to your needs. We have extensive skills and experience and are currently delivering engaging courses across London, Devon, Midlands and Southwest at cost effective prices. To find out more please give us a call!

Marry up any 2 courses today and receive an extra £40.00 discount. Let us come to you across the UK. We are currently training this week in London, Torquay, Bristol, Taunton, Northampton, Oxford, Manchester, Leicester and Birmingham in First Aid Training, Fire Safety Courses, Conflict Resolution, Health & Safety, Food Safety and More!

This offer only applies on bookings today and you can receive the training anytime during 2012.

Have a great day!

The team – Essential 6 Ltd