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Hot oil shattered life for Heather - 02-05-2008
Head chef Heather Turner-Lunn slipped on a wet floor and suffered horrific burn injuries a year ago and has only just started putting her 'shattered life' back together. This is the kind of injury which is at the heart of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities' 'Shattered Lives' campaign, aimed at highlighting the number of serious injuries caused to workers from slips, trips and falls. Such injuries - as in Heather's case - can be horrific and the consequences can lead to a lifetime of disability or even death. In effect, such injuries 'shatter the lives' of workers and their families. Heather was head chef at the Weavers Arms in Quedgeley, Gloucestershire, when - on the 27 March 2006 - she slipped on the wet kitchen floor and plunged her arm into a container (on the floor) of hot oil which had been emptied out of the fryer in order to cool down. Although the oil had been left for about an hour to cool, the temperature was estimated to be approaching 120 degrees Celsius. Pub owners, Marston's PLC, were prosecuted by Gloucester City Council under Health and Safety legislation and were fined £10,000 plus costs in March 2008. The company's risk assessments and safe systems of work were found to be inadequate at the time of the accident and employees had not been given appropriate information or training and were not properly supervised. "I cleaned out the fryer the way it had always been done at the pub," said Heather, "and I had no idea that the oil could take up to seven hours to cool down. When I slipped, it was as if everything was happening in slow motion - I knew my arm was going to go into the oil but I just couldn't stop myself falling. "I still have anxiety attacks and sleep badly because of what happened to me and although I did try going back to work, I just couldn't face being in a kitchen any more. I really loved my job but I am still very sensitive to heat anywhere near my hand and arm and I'm not sure my mental scars will ever heal." The latest figures (2006/07) for the South West region show that 1,225 workers sustained major injuries from slips, trips and falls, with a financial cost to the region of approximately £68,476, 500. It is estimated that, nationally, someone breaks or fractures a bone at work every 25 minutes and that, every week, one person dies from a slip, trip or fall, with serious injuries from such incidents making up almost a third of all injuries reported to the HSE. Additionally, on average, someone injured following a workplace accident will need three months to recuperate and some will never return to work or earn again. A company found to be culpable for such an accident and in breach of health and safety legislation, might not only lose a valued worker but could also face a substantial fine and legal costs. The strong message to employers from this joint HSE/ local authority campaign is that slips, trips and falls can seriously damage their 'business health' and they need to ensure that they appropriately manage the risks. Illustration used is from the S*A*F*E* Startrange of safety education resources created using characters from the hit Twentieth Century Fox TV series and film The Simpsons. For further details please contact Abeceder.
Shattered Lives

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