Burn hell firm fined £560k
Dad of two scarred for life in horror scald accident
A CHEMICAL company was fined £560,000 yesterday after scalding water “erupted” over a dad of two at its plant, scarring him for life.
Colin Brockie, then 47, was left with burns to his right arm and leg, left foot and leg, and groin.
Falkirk Sheriff Court heard he spent a month in the burns unit of Glasgow Royal Infirmary and had suicidal thoughts following the incident on March 4, 2016, at the CalaChem Ltd plant in Grangemouth, Stirlingshire.
Prosecutor Selena Brown said Colin, from Falkirk, and his family had suffered “immense emotional and financial stress” as a result of the incident. The court heard the accident happened when Colin was cleaning a powder chute used to produce printer toner chemical. He opened a valve to empty boiling water into the reaction vessel, but it had been filled with pressurised nitrogen which erupted from the chute.
Ms Brown said the position of a switch to open the valve meant
Colin was “caught full on by the scalding water”. The court heard Colin is unable to stand for any length of time but was now in the process of establishing his own driving school business.
Imposing the £560,000 fine, Sheriff Christopher Shead said he had applied “ordinary sentencing principles”.
One in five Brits is affected by some degree of hearing loss. It’s the second most common disability, yet often goes unnoticed. To mark World Hearing Day tomorrow, Michele O’Connor explores
Be picky about headphones
“Opt for decent noise-cancelling over-ear headphones so you don’t have to turn your music or podcast up to hear it over background sounds,” said Franki Oliver, Audiology Specialist at the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID).
Turn the sound down
Use the volume limiters on smartphones as well as headphones – and set the volume while you are in a quiet environment.
Follow the 60:60 rule
Limit headphone music to 60 per cent of the maximum volume for no more than 60 minutes a day.
Anything above 85 decibels is harmful.
Leave ear wax alone
It can be unsightly, but some wax is a good thing, protecting your ear canal and eardrum, trapping dirt and germs.
Newly formed skin from the middle of the eardrum will normally help to push wax and debris out along the ear canal.
“The golden rule is never put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear,” warns Franki.
Eat a healthy Mediterranean diet
Just as your heart and brain benefit from a good diet, so does your hearing, say researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, US.
Their study found that those whose diets were low in salt and high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, legumes and olive oil, with only a moderate amount of alcohol, were about a third less likely to experience hearing loss than those with more unhealthy diets.
Take a daily walk
Research published in The American Journal of Medicine found that people who walked for an average of two hours every week had a reduced risk of hearing loss.
Lose excess pounds
Being overweight affects blood circulation, including flow to the tiny auditory key ways to protect this precious sense cells in the inner ear. Over time, this can cause permanent damage.
Know your medication
More than 200 widely used drugs, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers , several antibiotics and certain cancer treatments are known to have ear-toxic properties. “Hearing should be monitored during chemotherapy,” adds Franki, who also warns that high doses of aspirin can cause tinnitus.
Dry your ears with a towel after swim
If you are prone to ear infections, such as swimmer’s ear, wear a well-fitting cap or ear plugs.
Act fast if you suddenly can’t hear
Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss is a medical emergency and requires immediate attention.
It can happen at any time to
anyone regardless of age or whether they have had previous hearing problems. “The cause is unknown but may be linked to an infection or problem with the ear’s blood supply,” says Franki.
Most people recover after emergency treatment with high-dose steroid medication, administered either orally or injected directly into the inner ear. Left untreated, it can result in permanent hearing loss.
“Forget your GP – go straight to A&E as soon as possible,” she advises.
Wear earplugs to concerts and firework displays
We may not be going to live gigs and festivals at the moment, but consider investing in earplugs when lockdown is over, said Franki.
Don’t rely on cotton balls or bits of tissue stuffed in your ears. They’ll screen out only about seven decibels of sound, while foam earplugs can block up to 32 decibels.
…And keep some on your bedside table
Snoring can reach levels of 90 decibels – louder than a road drill – which is bad news for bedmates.
Snack on some pumpkin seeds
Studies suggest the mineral magnesium can help maintain nerve function and protect the hair cells in the inner ear when exposed to loud noises. Pumpkin seeds are a rich source of magnesium, as are nuts, spinach and bananas.
Get checked
People can wait up to 10 years from first suspecting a hearing loss to actually having their ears tested. Only around 40 per cent who need hearing aids have them. Hearing tests are free on the NHS.
You can ask to be referred to a hospital audiology department by your GP or have online or in-person tests from High Street audiologists.
AFTER the first lockdown last spring, almost half of us admitted we’d gained weight. The reasons: more snacking, extra alcohol, comfort-eating and a lack of exercise. When 2021 arrived, it made many of us more determined than ever to shed those excess pounds.
Yet despite all our good intentions, it’s likely many of us will already have given up on our new year diet within days or weeks of starting. So why do we ditch our good intentions so quickly?
One of the main reasons is we have unrealistic expectations. After just a few days of healthy eating and exercising, we think we’ll be able to get back into the skinny jeans that have not fitted for years, or we anticipate jumping on the bathroom scales to discover we’ve lost half a stone overnight.
In short, we set out with hopes of losing a lot of weight in a little time – and when we don’t achieve this, we lose motivation and give up.
But that’s bad news for our health. Being overweight increases our risk of many health problems, the most recent of these being Covid-19.
Last summer, doctors warned that while being too heavy doesn’t mean we’re at greater risk of getting Covid-19, it does make us more likely to become seriously ill and need to go to hospital if we get the virus.
The good news is we don’t need to get down to a size 12, reach the weight we were in our 20s, or slip into the ideal weight range to benefit from weight loss. Health experts agree if we are overweight, losing just small amounts – in the region of five per cent of our body weight – can have big bonuses for our health, ranging from lowering blood pressure and lifting mood to protecting our joints and helping us sleep better.
That means if someone weighs 16st they don’t have to try to lose an intimidating two or three stone. Instead, aiming for a more achievable 11lb loss would still have a considerable impact on health.
So what are the benefits of losing that magic five per cent?
Lifting mood
Being overweight and depression go hand in hand – and it’s a chicken and egg situation: studies reveal that being obese increases the risk of depression, and that being depressed increases the risk of obesity. But research shows that losing weight can lift mood and make us feel better about ourselves.
In one study, a five per cent drop in weight was linked to a three per cent increase in mental health and a 10 per cent increase in vitality. Another study found a five per cent loss in weight improved mood – with the effects lasting for up to two years.
Less joint strain
Extra weight puts more pressure on weight-bearing joints, and a landmark study in 2005 helped identify just how big a problem this is. Researchers in the US found for every 2lbs of extra weight we carry, we put 8.5lbs of pressure on our knees with every step we take. That means losing 11lbs is enough to remove 44lbs of pressure from your knees – great news for anyone suffering with arthritis or joint pain.
Less risk of type-2 diabetes
According to Diabetes UK, being overweight is the biggest hazard for developing type-2 diabetes, which affects just under five million adults. Weighing too much is responsible for 80 to 85 per cent of someone’s risk of getting the condition, so it’s no surprise
A 2lb loss for those with pre-diabetes resulted in a 16% drop in disease risk
that even small weight losses are advised. One study found for every 2lbs of weight lost by overweight adults with pre-diabetes, there was a 16 per cent drop in the chance of them going on to develop the condition. Other studies show weight losses of two to five per cent help lower blood sugar levels and improve long-term blood sugar control in overweight people who have type-2.
A healthier heart
Studies show small weight losses help lower some of the risk factors that make heart disease more likely. Losing five per cent of weight, for example, leads to a drop in triglycerides – great news as this type of blood fat, like cholesterol, makes us more likely to suffer with heart attacks and strokes.
Some studies also show weight losses of five to 10 per cent increase good (HDL) cholesterol, the type that protects us from heart disease.
Lower blood pressure
Eating less salt helps to bring down blood pressure, but so too can shaping up. Shifting just two to five per cent of weight has been found to lower systolic blood pressure (the top figure on a blood pressure reading, which measures the force the heart pumps blood around the body). Losing five to 10 per cent of weight also reduces diastolic blood pressure (the bottom figure, which measures blood vessel resistance).
Protect against some cancers
Being overweight is the second biggest cause of cancer (behind smoking) and is linked to 12 different types, including those of the bowel, womb, stomach, oesophagus, pancreas, kidney and liver.
In particular, small weight losses of five per cent seem to offer protection against post-menopausal breast cancer. In one large study, women who lost five per cent of their weight had a 12 per cent lower risk of having breast cancer.
Another large US study found women over the age of 50 who lost two to 10lbs had a 13 per cent lower risk of breast cancer than those whose weight stayed steady over 10 years.
Less incontinence
It’s not commonly talked about, but incontinence is thought to affect four in 10 women and one in 10 men in the UK – and losing a little weight may help.
In one study of overweight women with diabetes, every 2lbs of weight that was lost reduced the chances of incontinence by three per cent. And a weight loss of five to 10 per cent lowered the odds by 47 per cent.
Improving fertility
Being overweight can affect hormones in women that trigger ovulation, resulting in irregular periods and making it harder to get pregnant. Good news then that weight losses of two to five per cent have been shown to improve ovulation and result in pregnancy.
Meanwhile, men who are overweight are more likely to have lower testosterone levels, poorer sperm quality and a greater chance of suffering with erectile dysfunction. While more research is needed to pinpoint how much weight men need to lose to see improvements, any weight loss is likely to be worthwhile.
A better night’s sleep
If lack of sleep is a problem, losing five per cent of weight improves slumber, a study showed, with participants getting, on average, an extra 22 minutes of shut-eye each night.
It also helps to stop sleep apnea, where breathing stops and starts while sleeping. That said, effects are most noticeable when more weight is lost.
Men who are overweight are more likely to have erectile disfunction