Safety warning for airport delivery giant
Health bosses slam firm for putting its staff at risk
Cargo giant FedEx has been ordered to improve safety measures at Glasgow Airport over radiation exposure fears.
The Health and Safety Executive ( HSE) slapped an improvement notice on the firm after inspections found not enough was being done to protect staff working with its X-ray machine.
The watchdog identified failings around risk assessments, training and information sharing and demanded changes.
FedEx handles millions of cargo items a year at the transport hub, with each one being scanned before being loaded on to flights.
But authorities fear workers are being exposed to dangerous ionising radiation at its airport warehouse.
A report stated: “You have failed to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk to your employees for the purpose of identifying the measures that need to be taken to restrict exposure to ionising radiation from the use of the Smiths 100 Detection X-Ray Scanner, Serial Number 111940, being used in your warehouse.”
The improvement notice calls on the haulage outfit to carry out more training for warehouse staff who work with the scanner.
It notes: “You have failed to ensure that employees who are engaged in work with ionising radiation are given appropriate training in the field of radiation protection.”
The HSE also accused FedEx of not properly informing worker coming to fix the machine know about the damgers of radition exposure, noting: “You have failed to co- operate with other employers by the formal exchange of information when other employees carry out work on your premises associated with any work involving ionising radiation, in particular the maintenance of your Smiths Detection X-Ray Scanner.”
Fedex have until January 25 to comply with the notice or face further sanctions.
Ionising radiation exposure can cause burns or acute radiation syndrome in the short term. Regular low level exposure has been linked to longer-term effects such as cancer.
No one from FedEx was available or comment.