Health and Safety Executive Chief Executive awarded in the New Year’s Honours List
The Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Sarah Albon has been recognised in the New Year’s honours list.
Sarah has been appointed a Companion of the Order of Bath for her services to the public sector.
The honours are given by the King and recognise achievements of people from across the United Kingdom.
Sarah Albon said: “It is a great privilege to have been awarded a CB in the King’s New Year’s Honours list.
HSE CEO Sarah Albon
“I’m proud to be a civil servant working on behalf of the public, and proud of the teams I lead. I have been very fortunate to work with dedicated and talented colleagues throughout my career and I see this award as testament to their achievements as much as my own.”
Chair of the HSE Board Sarah Newton added: “It’s a pleasure to work with Sarah Albon who over the past five years at HSE has led the organisation through significant challenges and change.
“Since becoming Chief Executive of HSE in 2019, Sarah has provided outstanding leadership, implementing major initiatives of national significance, protecting people and places. I’m pleased to see this award rightly recognise Sarah’s contribution, both here at HSE and in her roles across the Civil Service, and I am delighted to congratulate her on this achievement.”
Sarah joined HSE in 2019 and led the organisation’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to HSE, Sarah was Chief Executive of the Insolvency Service. Before that, she worked for the Ministry of Justice and its predecessor departments.
Notes to editors:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
A company has been fined £120,000 after an employee broke his leg while working on a property in Salisbury.
The man, who was 23 at the time, fell from the roof of the house on Sherfield English Road while working for EE Renewables Limited on 16 December 2022.
He had been adjusting a solar panel when he slid and fell four metres onto the ground below, sustaining a broken femur as a result.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found EE Renewables Limited had not properly planned the work at height and failed to take suitable steps to prevent a fall. The company had been hired by the homeowner to move nine solar panels higher up on the roof.
The company had been hired to move solar panels on the homeowner’s roof
EE Renewables Limited, of Salterns Lane, Fareham, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £120,000 and ordered to pay £4,716 in costs at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on 23 December 2024.
HSE inspector Sam Applebee said: “EE Renewables Limited did not properly plan this work so it could be carried out in a safe manner. There were inadequate means of protecting the workers from falling off the roof, with the company failing to provide edge protection.
The worker fell four metres onto the ground below
“Working at height remains one of the biggest causes of injuries and fatalities in Britain, so it is important that companies ensure they implement the correct control measures and safe working practices.”
This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Karen Park and supported by HSE paralegal officer Rebecca Withell.
Notes to editors:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so. The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences in England and Wales can be found here and for those in Scotland here.
Update on investigation into Birmingham fairground incident
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) continues to investigate an incident involving a fairground ride in Birmingham City Centre.
Twelve people were injured as a result of the incident on the evening of 12 December 2024. Two people were taken to hospital and discharged shortly after with minor injuries.
The ride involved in this incident will remain in situ to preserve the scene while the criminal HSE investigation continues.
HSE Principal inspector Matthew Whitaker said: “We appreciate this incident has affected many people during the festive period. We are thoroughly investigating to establish whether there have been any breaches of health and safety law.
“Once our investigation is complete, a decision will then be made on what further action will be taken.”
West Midlands Police has released two men on bail pending further enquiries.
Anyone with CCTV or mobile phone footage, which may assist the investigation, has been asked to get in touch with West Midlands Police quoting log 4290 of 12 December.
Further information:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
The other rides which are currently inside the cordon are being checked by Birmingham City Council. Once those checks have been done, the cordon will reduce to cover the StarFlyer only which will remain in situ to preserve the scene.
Food manufacturer fined following machinery incidents
A food manufacturer has been fined more than half a million pounds after three of its employees suffered serious injuries in separate incidents involving machinery.
David Wood Baking Ltd has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The incidents took place at between June and December 2022:
On 25 June 2022, a woman’s arm was drawn into a conveyor belt at the company’s site at Lyon Road in Kearsley, Bolton. As a result, she suffered two open fractures and permanent nerve damage in the hand. She underwent three operations and the insertion of two metal plates to repair the damage.
On 20 July 2022, a man working at the company’s site in Sidney Street, Bolton, was injured after becoming trapped in a mechanical mixer. He was attempting a repair to the machine when the lid of the mixer dropped onto his left arm. Neither the supervisor or manager on call were contactable and the employee was stuck in the machine for around 90 minutes, eventually being freed by the fire brigade. The man suffered an open fracture to the arm as well as other fractures and nerve damage in the left forearm.
On 4 December 2022, also at the Kearsley site, a woman had a finger severed after her hand became entangled in an unguarded drive belt on a machine that she was operating. She was also left with ongoing nerve damage to the hand.
Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard that the company had a history of poor machinery guarding practice, having previously been convicted and fined £858,000 following an incident in 2021, where a 26-year-old employee had to have his right arm surgically removed following an incident with a piece of machinery.
The HSE investigation into the 2022 incidents found the company failed to keep employees safe from risks posed by food manufacturing machinery, and that training was inadequate and monitoring insufficient to rectify issues.
The risk of injury is higher when machinery becomes unreliable and develops faults, or it is used improperly through inexperience or lack of training. HSE guidance is available here.
David Wood Baking Limited of Calverley Road, Oulton, Leeds, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The company was fined £573,344 and was ordered to pay £12,288 costs at a hearing on 19 December 2024 at Manchester Magistrates’ Court.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Jennifer French said:
“This company failed to keep employees safe from risks posed by food manufacturing machinery. The training was inadequate and the monitoring insufficient to rectify issues.
“It is important for industries to understand the potential dangers arising from the use of, or working near, dangerous machinery.
“HSE will always be prepared to use appropriate enforcement when companies fall short of their duties and responsibilities.”
The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Iain Jordan.
Further information:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so. The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences in England and Wales can be found here and for those in Scotland here.
School Academy Trust fined £300,000 after student death
A school academy trust has been fined £300,000 after a 19-year-old student died as a result of a ‘series of management failures’.
Owen Garnett, who was described by his family as having “an incredible sense of humour” and who had “everything to live for” died two days after choking on a paper towel at Welcombe Hills School in Stratford-upon-Avon on 9 January 2023.
The teenager was a Sixth Form student at the school, which is for children with special educational needs and part of the Unity Multi Academy Trust (MAT). He had been diagnosed with Pica – a potentially life-threatening eating disorder where sufferers have a compulsion to eat things which have no nutritional value. He had been a student at the school since the age of 11. Despite a near miss incident just days earlier, the school failed to take action to make sure it didn’t happen again.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that none of the staff in Owen’s class team had received any specific training on the management of safety risks associated with Pica.
Owen Garnett died two days after choking on a paper towel at his school
Before she died, Owen’s grandmother Maureen Garnett provided a statement alongside her husband Cliff.
“After Owen had passed away we never slept, we never ate, all we could do was cry,” they said.
“This lasted for months.
“This was supposed to be a place where Owen was safe and secure and happy.
“Owen had Pica and should have been kept under close supervision at all times and I can’t understand why this didn’t happen.
“We would describe Owen as a unique, lovable, challenging and caring and happy child.
“He will never be forgotten and our family will never get over this.”
The HSE investigation also found that students at the school have individual risk assessments which detail any specific health and safety risks, which relate to them, and the control measures that need to be in place at to protect against that risk. The risk of choking associated with Pica was identified on Owen’s risk assessment and a “named person” was supposed to supervise him to make sure he did not eat anything that could cause him harm.
On 9 January 2023, Owen was out in the playground area with other students during a break from class, unsupervised, and found his way back into school. It took several minutes for his absence to be noticed and when he was found, it was around the side of the building, and he was choking. Emergency services were called, and although they retrieved a ball of paper towel from his throat, he had been without oxygen too long and later died in hospital. Days before, there had been a similar incident with Owen, where he was seen in the playground by a teacher, again choking on blue towel, but Owen managed to clear his airway on his own.
The school failed to ensure that all the safety risks associated with Pica hazards, such as, in Owen’s case, the garden area, or supplies of paper towels, were correctly identified and that the preventive and protective measures including supervision, were organised in such a way as to protect him. They also failed to effectively investigate and respond to the concerns raised by his family.
His foster parents, Jacqueline and Graham Blackwell, said the day Owen died had started out as any other.
“Owen got up and had his breakfast,” they said.
“I can still remember him waiting excitedly for his usual taxi driver to pick him. He gave me a cuddle and then left for school.
“Owen was part of our family, we had made so many adjustments and made so many plans so that he could remain with us indefinitely.
“We had been saving to take him to Florida to swim with dolphins, but this is something he will never get to do. We ended up having to use this money to cover the cost of Owen’s funeral.
“His death has ruined every part of our lives.
“Owen had everything to live for and was such a character and used to love joking and playing about – he had an incredible sense of humour.”
HSE guidance states that when assessing the health and safety risks to individual students is necessary, educational employers should follow a risk management approach that focuses attention on the real risks; involving employees, students and carers in identifying the individual’s needs and necessary precautions.
Unity MAT, c/o Woodlands School Packington Lane, Coleshill, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. They were fined £300,000 and ordered to pay £10,750 in costs at Coventry Magistrates Court on 18 December 2024.
HSE inspector Rebecca Whiley said: “This tragic incident could have easily been avoided if Owen was being closely supervised, as he should have been.
“The near miss incident a few days before should have raised the alarm with the school and triggered an investigation into how Owen had been able to access the paper towel, and steps could have been taken to prevent it happening again.
“His death resulted from a series of management failures throughout Owen’s time at the Hub, and a failure by the school to act on the concerns raised by his family.
“Our thoughts today are with Owen’s family. He was a young man with a happy life ahead of him. He should have returned home safely to his family after a day at school, but because of the failings by Welcombe Hills School and Unity MAT, he did not.”
This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Arfaq Nabi and paralegal officer Sarah Thomas.
Further information:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so. The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences in England and Wales can be found here and for those in Scotland here.
Drinks giant fined after worker sustains serious burns
An international drinks manufacturer has been fined half a million pounds after an employee sustained burns to over 30% of his body.
The mechanical engineer had been repairing a defective pump at Diageo’s Glenlossie Distillery Complex in Elgin on 24 March 2021 when he was burned by pot ale.
The liquid, which had a temperature of 104 degrees Celsius, came out suddenly and unexpectedly from a pipe.
The worker sustained burns to his arms, hands, shoulders, back, chest, lower legs and ankles, before spending two weeks in intensive care where he was placed in an induced coma.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found Diageo failed to do all that was reasonably practicable to ensure maintenance operations could be carried out without a worker being put at risk of injury.
HSE guidance on the safe isolation of plant and equipment is freely available and provides steps to prevent the release of substances that are hazardous including hot, flammable and toxic substances. The guidance can be found at The safe isolation of plant and equipment – HSG253
The incident took place at Diageo’s Glenlossie Distillery Complex
Diageo Scotland Limited, of Lochside Place, Edinburgh, pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1), 2(2)(a), 2(2)(c), 33(1)(a) and 33(1)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £500,000 at Inverness Sheriff Court on 16 December 2024.
HSE inspector Isabelle Martin said: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by ensuring that procedures were in place to ensure that changes to work equipment installed in the plant were safe. However, more importantly Diageo should have had procedures in place to ensure that plant could be isolated safely and prevent the release of hazardous and dangerous substances.
“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”
Further information:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so. The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences in England and Wales can be found here and for those in Scotland here.
Company fined after worker “full of hopes and dreams” dies at wind farm construction site
An engineering company has been fined after a labourer died during the construction of a wind farm on the Shetland Islands.
Picture of Liam MacDonald
Liam MacDonald, from Tain, Ross-shire, lost his life on the morning of 5 June 2022 while removing dried concrete from a skip at the Viking site on Upper Kergord.
His mother has said the 23-year-old was “full of hopes and dreams” and is now missed “beyond words.”
Mr MacDonald, an agency worker who had started working on the site just over a month earlier on 4 May 2022, had been using a hammer to chip away the concrete when the skip’s bale arm fell on top of him.
The 23-year-old was found motionless with the skip’s bale arm pinned against his chest, which led to an alarm being raised at the site.
Colleagues subsequently performed CPR on Mr MacDonald, before administering a defibrillator, but he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene by the emergency services.
Jackie Randell, the investigating inspector from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), found the principal contractor BAM Nuttall failed to secure the bale arm from falling.
The HSE investigation found the company had failed to identify the risks of the bale arm falling and failed to put in place a safe system of work to ensure that anyone using, maintaining or cleaning the skip would be protected from harm
Wendy Robson, Mr MacDonald’s mother, said: “Liam loved life, his family and friends. He was just at the start of his adult life, still finding who he was, and full of hopes and dreams.
“We have been robbed of having Liam here today, and in all our tomorrows, and in sharing those dreams with him. We will never meet the children he so wanted to have one day.
Picture of skip
“We can’t adequately describe who Liam was, and what he means to us. We love and miss him beyond words.”
BAM Nuttall Limited, of Knoll Road, Camberley, Surrey, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £800k with a £60k victim surcharge at Inverness Sheriff Court on 18 December 2024.
Jackie Randell said: “This was a tragic incident which led to the death of a young man. Our thoughts remain with Mr MacDonald’s friends and family at this time.
“BAM Nuttall had failed in its duty to ensure the safety of their workforce. This prosecution should serve as a reminder for all contractors to implement suitable risk assessments and safe systems of work.
“We thoroughly investigated this incident, with our findings identifying that BAM Nuttall had failed in its duty to ensure the safety of their workforce. This prosecution should serve as a reminder for all contractors to implement suitable risk assessments and safe systems of work.
“Up to date safety information provided by manufacturers of work equipment must be reviewed as part of this risk assessment process. It is of crucial importance that safety information from manufacturers is highlighted to the workforce and rigorous monitoring is carried out to ensure that everyone is kept safe.”
Debbie Carroll, who leads on health and safety investigations for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said: “The death of Liam MacDonald could have been prevented if BAM Nuttall Limited had suitably and sufficiently assessed the risks involved in the maintenance and cleaning of the concrete column skip at the site.
“Their failure to identify the hazards represented by the skip’s bale arm and ensuring that it was secured prior to the cleaning operation beginning led to Mr MacDonald’s death.
“My thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.”
Further information:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so. The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences in England and Wales can be found here and for those in Scotland here.
Fine for fairground operator after man ‘everyone fell in love with’ dies
A fairground operator has been fined after a man ‘everyone fell in love with’ died weeks after suffering serious head injuries while working on a ride in South Shields.
Dean Cariss was struck by a moving car on a rollercoaster ride while daily testing and maintenance was being carried out at Ocean Beach Pleasure Park on 19 March 2023.
The 52-year-old sustained severe head injuries and as a result died in hospital 13 days later.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that Premier Attractions Limited had failed to ensure the health and safety of employees. The company pleaded guilty and was fined £28,000 at South Tyneside Magistrates Court on 17 December 2024.
Dean Cariss was struck by a moving car on a rollercoaster ride at Ocean Beach Pleasure Park
Mr Cariss, who had been with his partner Helen Wright for more than 15 years, was also a step father to Helen’s three grown-up children, as well as being a step grandparent to nine.
In a written statement provided to the court, Helen said: “Dean had a fantastic relationship with my kids.
“He also idolised his grandchildren, and treated them like his own.
“He was bubbly and fun and would do daft things with them.
“He was very generous and liked to help people.”
That helpful and generous nature also included him acting as Helen’s carer for several years.
“My whole life has been turned upside down and back to front,” she went on to say.
“He would move heaven and earth for me.
“He was a big personality and I miss the fun and laughter.
“Silence is deafening when I am in the house on my own.
“Everybody fell in love with him when they met him. There was no serious side, just laughter and fun.”
The investigation by HSE found that Premier Attractions Limited had failed to ensure the health and safety of employees. It was found that a suitable and sufficient risk assessment had not been carried out and proper controls had not been employed to prevent employees accessing dangerous areas whilst the ride was operating.
Premier Attractions Limited of Little Hulton, Manchester, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with section 2(1) of The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 – an offence contrary to s.33(1)(a) of that Act. They were fined £28,000 and ordered to pay £5,976 costs.
HSE Inspector William Gilroy said: “This tragic incident led to the avoidable death of a caring, family man.
“Dean’s death could easily have been prevented if his employer had acted to identify and manage the risks involved, and to put a safe system of work in place.
“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those who fall below the required standards.”
Further information:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so. The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences in England and Wales can be found here and for those in Scotland here.
Council fined after employees exposed to risks from vibrating tools
A worker who repaired potholes was diagnosed with Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), an occupational disease, following repeated exposure to vibration tools.
This week, his employer, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council has been fined following a prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Sheffield Magistrates’ Court heard the employee worked in the road maintenance department, carrying out tasks including repairing potholes, for more than 20 years, using vibrating tools.
Prolonged and regular exposure to vibration can affect a worker’s health resulting in painful and disabling disorders of the nerves, blood supply, joints and muscles of the hands and arms. These disorders are collectively known as Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS). The risk of onset or worsening of HAVS increases with daily exposure and varies widely between individuals. HSE guidance can be found here.
Employers are legally obliged to report cases of HAVS to HSE. The HSE investigation revealed that despite the worker in question receiving this diagnosis in April 2005, he continued to work with vibrating tools for a further 14 years.
The employee had been subject to regular health surveillance whilst employed by the Council, which had included recommendations on limiting exposure. However despite the report of April 2019, little action was taken to address the issues identified. Only once the HSE investigation had started in late 2019 was the man told to stop using vibrating tools.
The investigation also found that other employees continued to work with vibrating tools after they had been diagnosed.
While a system of Occupational Health surveillance was in place, it was inadequate as there was either no implementation, or inconsistent implementation, of the recommendations and actions to be taken. Recommendations following health surveillance of employees wasn’t acted upon or used to identify risks.
The investigation found that the data used to calculate the vibration exposure grossly underestimated the vibration magnitude of the tools in use, and also relied upon accurate times being entered by staff. Workers were incentivised to continue using vibrating tools through a bonus scheme and overtime work which inevitably led to high levels of exposure. Workers were allowed to work up to the recommended Exposure Limit value (ELV), and in light of the inaccurate data inevitably worked beyond it on a regular basis. They were then only moved to other tasks when their health deteriorated.
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council pleaded guilty to an offence contrary to Section 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, for their failure to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees in accordance with section 2(1) of the Act. On Tuesday 17 December, the Council was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £5,775.70.
Following the hearing Kate Harney, enforcement lawyer for HSE said: “Rotherham Council had been exposing employees to the risks arising from the use of vibrating tools for a significant period of time. They fell below expected standards and appropriate enforcement was taken by the HSE.
“This was also not an isolated incident, with other staff working in the council’s road maintenance division also exposed to risks to their health, due to an unhealthy working culture where these exposures inadequately monitored.
“We urge those responsible for work using vibration tools to please check our freely available guidance.”
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so. The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences in England and Wales can be found here and for those in Scotland here.
HAVS is an occupational disease reportable under The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).
Engineering company fined after ‘caring and loving’ man killed
A Blackburn-based engineering company has been fined £80,000 after a man described as ‘caring and loving’ by his family was killed after being crushed under a machine.
Connor Borthwick, from Wigan, was working for Partwell Special Steels Limited at its site in Bruce Street when the incident happened on 25 November 2021.
The 22-year-old and another employee were moving a large cutting press machine across a workshop floor when it became unbalanced, resulting in Connor being fatally crushed.
Connor Borthwick was just 22 when he was killed at work
Speaking on behalf of the family, his sister Emily said Connor was her “amazing, caring, loving and funny little brother”.
“Everyone loved Connor,” she said.
“He was a good soul, and this was evident from the more than 700 people who came to his funeral to pay their respects and share their personal accounts of how Connor had touched their lives.
“He was 22, life hadn’t begun for him, and it was over.
“Some simple steps should have been taken and weren’t, if they were Connor would be with us today.
“It’s hard to explain to people what we have been through, are going through. We don’t want another family to go through what we have.”
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Connor and his colleague were attempting to move the machine across the workshop, using skates placed underneath.
However, as the machine was being lowered by a jack onto one of the skates, it became unbalanced and fell backwards onto Connor, trapping him beneath. He suffered catastrophic crush injuries and subsequently passed away.
The investigation also found that Partwell Special Steels Limited of Stanley Street, Blackburn, had not undertaken an assessment of the risks involved with moving the machine and that the task had not been suitably planned and no safe system of work had been provided to the employees. Additionally, it was found that neither employee had been provided with suitable and sufficient training to ensure they had the necessary relevant competence to undertake the task. A suitable and sufficient assessment of the suitability of the work equipment provided would have shown that the skates used were unsuitable for this work.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. They were fined £80,000 and was ordered to pay £6,713 in costs at a hearing at Preston Magistrates Court on 16 December 2024.
HSE Inspector Anthony Banks said: “This company’s failures resulted in the death of a much loved young man.
“Those in control of work activities, including the movement of heavy machinery from one part of a site to another, need to assess the risks of that work, and plan a safe way to undertake it.
“This tragic incident could have easily been avoided with the right controls in place.
“My thoughts remain with Connor’s family.”
The prosecution was supported by HSE enforcement lawyer Sam Crockett and paralegal officer Gabrielle O’Sullivan.
Notes to editors:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so. The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences in England and Wales can be found here and for those in Scotland here.
