The coronary care unit in Bristol’s Princess Royal hospital’s new £60million Heart Institute has been closed for six weeks due to an infestation of flies. The specialist ward will hopefully reopen in early October.

Experts have identified that the ward may have been susceptible due to a blocked drain and are continuing to investigate the problem. This is terrible news for patients, with the facility scheduled to treat more than 15,000 people annually, carrying out five operations daily.
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In the vast majority of compensation claims the compensation settlement is full & final! It is therefore important to make sure that all items of claim are in order when you are in a position to settle your claim. A final payment is once and for all, even if you continue to suffer longer then expected or, further injuries come to light after you have settled your claim.
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Taxi checks in Leicestershire have found several drivers to be in breach of their licences. In a random check operation by police, Department for Transport inspectors and Oadby and Wigston Borough Council officials, of the 17 vehicles which were inspected, 7 were found to be in breach of licence safety conditions. One of these taxis had a mechanical fault which led to the immediate suspension of the vehicle licence and another was issued with a notice to get faults rectified.
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Any type of dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin and is caused by contact with chemicals and substances used in the workplace. Some irritants cause direct inflammation whilst others may take years to have any affect on the individual and may not necessarily affect the area which was in direct contact with the substance.

Common symptoms of contact dermatitis include blisters, itching and dryness of the skin. This, in turn, can lead to cracking of the skin and weeping.
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The law in this area is covered by The Work at Height Regulations 2005. I shall first deal with the general principles which are applicable in ensuring safe work practices which are to be both followed and applied in the work place.

An obvious but important point to make – Woking at Height; is very, very dangerous!
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The Association of Paediatric Emergency Medicine has called for it to be made a legal requirement for children under 16 to wear a helmet whilst cycling. Doctors within the Association say that the number of deaths and serious head injuries occurring on roads would be reduced as a result.

According to The Times, of the 190,000 accidents involving cyclists every year, more than half involve children.

It is no real surprise that this is the case. Children by their nature are not as responsible as adults. They still have a lot of growing up to do and therefore they are less likely to be aware of their responsibilities to other road users and the dangers of traffic and are also more inclined to take risks.
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A man had to jump into the River Thames for more than an hour on Tuesday to escape injury, after being chased by a herd of cows. According to the BBC, the gentleman, who was walking his dog, had to call police for assistance on how to disperse the animals.

It appears the individual escaped injury in this incident however, while such attacks are rare, Health and Safety Executive figures show that 18 people have been killed and 481 injured by cows in the past eight years, so it could certainly have been a lot worse.
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The Trade Union Congress (or TUC) has today called for women to be allowed to wear sensible footwear in the workplace. According to The Times, The TUC stated that in order to preserve health and safety, risk assessments should be drawn up regarding professional footwear, claiming that some women were forced to wear heels as part of their professional dress code.
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Unfortunately brain injuries can occur in a number of different ways and quite often can arise from a blow to the head. This may be caused by a road traffic accident, a bad fall and even sports injuries; this is demonstrated more so in the cases of rugby players and boxers.

Head injury accidents are the most common admittance in to A&E departments every year.
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A cyclist has been killed following a collision in Teesside on Saturday. The individual was involved in an accident with a Ford Focus on the A174 in Middlesbrough. Travelling Westbound, the 58 year old cyclist was struck from behind by the vehicle and died at the scene. Police are appealing for any witnesses to the incident, which happened close to the Marton and Stokesley slipway at around midday. Road Traffic Accidents are commonplace and often result in serious injury. While the majority are associated with car on car impacts, accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists are also common and without the protection from impact being cushioned by a car then the injuries are often worse as a result.
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