Island exposed as health & security minefield

Over the course of two days earlier this month, eleven HSE inspectors visited the Isle of Wight and looked at 33 services.

84% of the websites examined had violations of health and wellness laws, which led to the posting of 4 restriction alerts, 37 improvement notifications, and other instances of written suggestions.

Businesses evaluated ranged from boat builders to engineering firms, from little businesses to significant industry leaders with large staffs. The issues found included poorly maintained electrical systems, flimsy machinery, perilous working at heights, a lack of safeguards against direct contact with wood dust, welding smoke, or other hazardous substances, and subpar health facilities.

Although we did find some excellent practises on the Isle of Wight, the task’s principal inspector at the HSE, Nancy Harman, said: “There were several places where hazards to health and wellbeing were not being properly handled and where improvements were needed.

“As a result of our engagement, we want to have educated and alerted organisations about the protocols they must put in place to ensure that everyone returns from work safely and without health risks.

“This examination programme is a component of our ongoing relationship with Hampshire’s Isle of White, and we will take action on the sites we visited as well as others in the coming months.

We were able to be more effective in ensuring that businesses are putting strong control measures in place and that everyone’s health and wellness is at the top of the programme by concentrating our resources at the same time.

Prior to the Covid epidemic, the last significant examination check out of this scale took place on the Isle of Wight in 2019.