Other UK News In Brief

Met Office Supports Climate Week

Climate Week has kicked off and aims to highlight the many positive steps already being taken by people throughout the country to tackle climate change. The Met Office is supporting Climate Week, acting as the lead science adviser and providing clear guidance on the results from research and studies undertaken by our climate science experts. Among this work is the compelling evidence of rising global temperature published in 2010 by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration in the US in its annual 'State of the Climate' report. In the report, Met Office scientists collated a range of different measurements that demonstrate unmistakable signs of a warming world. Measurements show things such as air temperature, sea-surface temperature, sea level, humidity and higher-level tropospheric temperature are all rising. Others such as Arctic sea ice, glaciers and spring snow cover in the northern hemisphere are declining. It is this detailed level of science that the Met Office routinely provides to advise on climate across government and throughout industry and commerce.

Clinical Director Wins Top Butler Trust Award

A clinical director at a prison has scooped the top prize in this year's Butler Trust Awards for excellent work with offenders. Jacqui Saradjian from HMP Whitemoor was awarded the prize for outstanding achievement for her work with offenders with a personality disorder. Jacqui is Clinical Director on the prison's Fens Unit for personality-disordered offenders. Judges noted her commitment, leadership and creativity, which has put the Unit and the approach she has pioneered at the forefront of this area of work. She was presented with her award by HRH The Princess Royal, who is the patron of the Butler Trust.

Nuneaton Firm Sentenced After Teenager Injured By Forklift

A Nuneaton recycling company has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an 18-year-old employee was pinned to the ground by a forklift truck. The employee, who has asked not to be identified, was using the forklift to unload a vehicle for Intelligent Recycling Ltd, on St George's Way, when it overturned and landed on top of him. He broke his left lower leg, dislocated his left ankle and his left elbow was broken, crushed and dislocated as a result of the incident on 1 March 2010. He was in hospital for nearly a month, has had at least five operations on his left arm and is no longer able to straighten this arm fully. Nuneaton Magistrates' Court heard that the teenager, who had been working for the company for three weeks in his first proper job since leaving education, had received no formal training on operating a forklift truck and no induction training. An HSE investigation found that other employees also operated forklift trucks without formal training and the yard area was unsupervised. Intelligent Recycling was found guilty of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act and Regulation 22 of Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations. The company was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £2,832 costs.

(BMcN/GK)