News

A Nottingham builder has avoided an immediate spell behind bars after his failures resulted in a gas explosion leaving a worker with burns so serious, he has been unable to work since. Barry Newman, the sole trader of Foster Brother Builders, was given a 12-month suspended sentence and told to complete 240 hours of unpaid […]

A Liverpool motor vehicle repair company has been fined after a car fell from a two-post car vehicle lift onto a worker who was on his break. The court heard how the man suffered multiple serious fractures in the incident at a garage in the Kensington area of Liverpool on 23 November 2022. The 56-year-old […]

Two workers were on first floor when collapse happened. “Lucky nobody was killed”, says HSE inspector. HSE guidance is available. A London construction company has been fined £50,000 after four men were injured – two seriously – when the first floor of a house collapsed during building works. Aryn Stones Ltd had been contracted to […]

Water rose to workers’ knees before emergency stop Incident was “terrifying”, says HSE inspector An oil and gas operator has been fined £300,000 after three crew members descended into a water filled lift shaft on a floating platform in the North Sea causing them to become partially submerged. The workers had been descending in a […]

A construction site supervisor has been fined after he exposed primary school pupils and staff to asbestos during renovation work. Adrian Barraclough was working as a site supervisor during the refurbishment of kitchen facilities at Holy Family Catholic Primary School in Bristol. During the works on 13 May 2023, the 54-year-old cut through asbestos insulating […]

A demolition company has been fined after a worker fell six metres through a roof opening during a demolition project, suffering serious injuries. Lawrie (Demolition) Limited had been appointed as the principal contractor to carry out the demolition of a vacant warehouse in Aberdeen. On 25 May 2023, 42-year-old Sylwester Zdunczyk was working with a […]

A metal gate manufacturing company has been prosecuted after repeatedly ignoring Health and Safety Executive (HSE) enforcement notices. Research and Development in Opening Gates Limited was first visited by HSE at its site in Grantham, Lincolnshire, where inspectors identified serious safety breaches, including unsafe equipment, inadequate control of welding fume, and poor structural integrity in […]

A housebuilder has been fined £800,000 after a teen apprentice was injured when a temporary stairwell covering collapsed. Charlie Marsh, 17, had been working as a contractor on a Taylor Wimpey UK Limited site as it built around 450 new homes on its Meadfields site in Weston-Super-Mare. The apprentice bricklayer, from Whitchurch in Bristol, was […]

James Young died in hospital more than a week after the fall Locking fault on “ambulift” had been in place for some time before incident HSE guidance is available on the maintenance of work equipment. The owner of Edinburgh Airport has been fined £80,000 after a pensioner fell from an ambulift on his return from […]

Ahead of Open Farm Sunday (Sunday 8 June) the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is highlighting guidance available to farmers to help them keep people safe. As we enter the summer months, an increasing number of working farms are taking the opportunity to hold open farm events and allow members of the public to visit […]

A college in Nantwich that specialises in outdoor-based careers has been fined £40,000 after a student’s fingers were severed when his hand came into contact with a mitre saw. Aaron Maguire, from Crewe, was a second year Horticulture student at Reaseheath College when his hand came into contact with the blade of the saw on […]

A Northamptonshire-based flour company has been fined £300,000 after a maintenance worker severed one of his fingers in machinery. The incident happened at ADM Milling Limited at its site on Earlstrees Industrial Estate in Corby on 28 June 2023. David Wood, who was 59 at the time, had been carrying out maintenance work on a […]

HSE guidance says all work at height must be properly planned A construction company and its director have been fined after a worker fell through the roof of a sheep barn. Jack Croft, 30, suffered life changing injuries after the incident in Leyburn, North Yorkshire. He was working for Norman Iveson Steel Products, as part […]

A multi-national company has been fined £26,000 after a radiographer was overexposed to ionising radiation. The 69-year-old man had been working for Mistras Group Limited at its former site in Hartlepool in December 2020, when the company was notified by their approved dosimetry service that he had received a dose in excess of legal limits. […]

HSE inspectors left stunned by employee concerns HSE guidance on artificial stone dust recently updated A company that manufactures popular stone kitchen worktops has been fined £60,000 after it repeatedly failed to protect workers from exposure to hazardous dust. Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited Inova Stone Ltd nine times over a […]

Working at height a leading cause of workplace injury and death, HSE guidance is available. Two Shrewsbury-based companies have been fined after a worker fell through a roof during extension work on a house extension the town. The injured man was one of several workers employed by Roofrite (Shropshire) Limited carrying out work on the […]

Workshop caked in dust when HSE inspected Guidance is available to prevent excessive exposure A wood supplier has been fined £40,000 for failing to protect its workers from exposure to wood dust. Fakenham-based Nat Pal Limited was visited by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in April 2023. Dust was found scattered across the floor, […]

A manufacturing company has been fined £20,000 after a worker lost part of his finger in machinery at its site in St Helens. The man was injured at Film & Foil Solutions Ltd, which makes flexible film used in the food industry, on 4 December 2023. He was using a machine that converts and folds […]

Both workers “fortunate to be alive”, says HSE lawyer HSE guidance available on working from height and safe handling of baggage Specific guidance on airside safety management available from Civil Aviation Authority British Airways has been fined more than £3million after two employees fell from height and sustained serious injuries. The airline was prosecuted by […]

“Safe stop” procedure must be followed when using potato harvesters, says regulator A farming partnership has been fined £20,000 after an employee trapped his leg in a potato harvester machine whilst working on a farm in Cheshire. The employee, who was 20-years-old at the time, was working for LP Ollier & Son on its potato […]