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scoen  
#1 Posted : 27 January 2015 14:09:33(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
scoen


As bizarre and unlikely as this sounds, I had 2 members of Management team both go off work with similar eye injuries in the space of 5 weeks of each other.
While talking to colleagues in office, they, in turn, were holding a sheet of A4 paper, they gesticulated with said paper in hand, and caught the eyeball with the corner of paper, actually scratching the retina of the eye.
They both recovered and had to take time off work, longer than 7 days if I recall correctly, we had no Risk Assessment for holding an A4 sheet of photo copy paper......
Safety Goggles, even glasses would of prevented it, has anyone come across anything like this before? Would that be Riddor?
The large Blue chip company shall remain nameless :-)
David Bannister  
#2 Posted : 27 January 2015 14:42:14(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
David Bannister

An injury to an employee whilst at work involving an item or work equipment resulting in an inability to do their normal work tasks for in excess of 7 days - seems a very clear example of a RIDDOR reportable injury.

The said item of work equipment was unguarded nor fixed in place and it is not clear whether there had been any training relating to the activity or use of the equipment.

And then the entire train of events is repeated.

Expect a very quick enforcement visit following your delayed RIDDOR reports and stand by for at the minimum an FFI invoice or worse.

I look forward to reading the court case in SHP, when the Blue Chip company will surely be named.
paulw71  
#3 Posted : 27 January 2015 14:55:55(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
paulw71

Training staff in correct handling of sheets of paper. A gap in the market for some entrepeneurial consultancy out there.
A Kurdziel  
#4 Posted : 27 January 2015 16:16:14(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
A Kurdziel

As I said before (see ‘I never thought I would have to ask this but…is this RIDDOR?’ hread) RIDDOR is rubbish. If you look at the regs (Schedule 1 ‘Major injuries’) ‘any penetrating injury to the eye’ is reportable, even if it done with piece of paper.

firesafety101  
#5 Posted : 27 January 2015 16:17:11(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
firesafety101

paulw71 wrote:
Training staff in correct handling of sheets of paper. A gap in the market for some entrepeneurial consultancy out there.


You could always purchase "blunt" paper lol
Merv  
#6 Posted : 27 January 2015 17:32:03(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Merv

Just an anecdote (before Riddor) but at one time I had the senior European HSE director based in my UK office block. (Hemel Hempstead)

One morning he came to me to report that, while reading the Grauniad, he had scratched his eyeball with a corner of the page. As I remember the treatment was a quick wash with Opt*** and a pad for a couple of days. No worries. A line in the accident book and lots of sniggers around the site.

Even the most exalted amongst us are human

Merv
Barnaby again  
#7 Posted : 27 January 2015 20:29:14(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Barnaby again

scoen wrote:

and caught the eyeball with the corner of paper, actually scratching the retina of the eye.


Eh?
chris42  
#8 Posted : 28 January 2015 09:00:04(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
chris42

There was me thinking the retina was the light sensitive inner part of the eye.


Chris
HSSnail  
#9 Posted : 28 January 2015 09:00:06(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
HSSnail

Not RIDDOR for me.

I don't see waving a piece of paper about as a work activity (unless its in the job description). Is a scratch a penetrating injury? Again I don't think so. But there again its dangerous stuff what with this and paper cuts - lest ban paper!
jfw  
#10 Posted : 28 January 2015 10:47:42(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
jfw

Barnaby again wrote:
scoen wrote:

and caught the eyeball with the corner of paper, actually scratching the retina of the eye.


Eh?



Must have been "Laser Copier" paper if its damaged the retina !
Docking36832  
#11 Posted : 29 January 2015 16:49:40(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Docking36832

I had a person once off for many days after paper cut but it turned out her hand did become infected and she had to have a minor operation (I had RIDDOR reported it)
Yossarian  
#12 Posted : 30 January 2015 09:30:13(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Yossarian

[sarcasm]I'm so glad the recent Red Tape review got rid of all this bad regulation and made compliance so much easier.[/sarcasm]
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