Social housing provider fined after men exposed to risks from vibrating tools
Two employees diagnosed with Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) in July 2023, following repeated exposure to vibration. One estimated he used vibrating equipment for 90% of his working day. A social housing provider has been fined £140,000 following a prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Stonewater Limited employed two men as estate assistants […]
Builder sentenced for unlicensed asbestos removal
A builder has been fined after carrying out unlicensed asbestos removal work at a house in Cheadle, Manchester. Gavin Mutch, trading as G Mutch Developments, had been contracted to carry out renovations at the property including roofing work. Despite being warned by the customer that asbestos was potentially present in the fascia boards, Mr Mutch […]
Defence company fined £800,000 after man shot on MoD range
A defence technology company has been fined £800,000 after an employee was shot during testing of ammunition at a Ministry of Defence (MoD) range in South Wales. The father-of-two was left paralysed below the shoulders after being shot by a 5.56mm bullet fired from a gun, 570 metres away. The incident happened on 25 March […]
Company fined £2.5m following uncontrolled acid releases
Schools were closed following hydrochloric acid release Joint investigation and prosecution by HSE and the Environment Agency Guidance is available on maintaining equipment in large chemical plants A chemical manufacturing company has been fined £2.5m following two incidents of uncontrolled releases of highly corrosive acids at its site in West Thurrock, Essex. Industrial Chemicals Ltd […]
Council fined after man falls while installing town’s Christmas tree
20-foot tree toppled during Bury Market installation HSE has well-established guidance on safely working at height Bury Metropolitan Borough Council has been fined £200,000 after a man was injured while installing the town’s Christmas tree. Council employee James Lyth was using a scissor lift to straighten the 20-foot tall Christmas tree when it toppled […]
April is Stress Awareness Month: tackle stress in the workplace with five steps in five weeks
This April, Britain’s bosses are being invited to follow five simple steps to prevent and reduce stress in their workplace. The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Working Minds campaign has called on employers to support workers mental health during Stress Awareness Month. Over the course of the month, employers are encouraged to focus on one […]
Fine for waste firm after man run over on his first day of work
Worker “lucky to be alive” after being hit from behind by moving shovel loader HSE guidance says pedestrians and moving vehicles must be segregated A waste and recycling company in Oldham has been fined £250,000 after a man was run over on his first day on the job. The then 40-year-old was hand […]
Health Board fined for failing to manage patients risk of falling
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has been fined £250,000 following failures relating to patient falls in its hospitals. Three elderly patients sustained falls in 2022 and 2023 and they all sadly died. The cause of death of two of them was identified as being as a direct result of falling. Richard Hughes, 84 and Gwilym […]
Community order for builder after man fell through barn roof
Thirteen foot fall caused brain haemorrhage and multiple fractures Barn roof also contained asbestos HSE guidance is available for working at height A self-employed builder has been told to complete 200 hours unpaid work after a man fell more than 13 feet through a barn roof in Lancashire. James Dargan-Cole, 25, of Todmorden, had failed […]
Contractor sentenced after uncontrolled spread of asbestos
A self-employed roofing contractor has been ordered to undertake unpaid work after the uncontrolled spread of asbestos in a back garden, putting two young workers and local residents at risk. Doorbell-cam footage shows parts of an old garage roof being disposed of with a lack of control measures. The footage has been released by the […]
Annual Science Review 2025
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published its 2025 Annual Science Review, showcasing the work it has delivered in support of the five strategic objectives outlined in the HSE’s 10-year strategy Protecting People and Places. The 2025 review features more than 20 case studies from HSE’s science division with demonstrating how its extensive expertise, […]
Fines for company and director after man injured during excavation work
A company and its director have been fined a combined £18,000 after a man was injured during excavation work in West Sussex. JHE Construction and Jordan Hay-Ellis pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety laws following the incident on 23 February 2023. The company had been contracted to complete a full barn conversion, which included […]
Wales: New partner joins HSE campaign to tackle stress in workplaces across Wales
The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) campaign aimed at preventing or combatting stress in the workplace has welcomed a new partner ahead of stress awareness month in April. Healthy Working Wales has become the 36th organisation to join Working Minds as part of its mission to improve the health of employees across Wales. In 2023/24, […]
Fines for company and operations manager after death from 20-foot fall
Man fell through fragile roof in Dudley. Company, now in liquidation, does not escape criminal sanction Detailed guidance on both working on fragile surfaces and working at height is available from HSE. A company and its operations manager have both been fined after a man fell to his death through a roof at its site […]
Council fined following carbon monoxide leak at primary school
A Scottish local authority has been fined more than £13,000 after a carbon monoxide leak at a primary school in Bishopbriggs. East Dunbartonshire Council pleaded guilty following the incident at Balmuildy Primary School in February 2020. A number of staff and pupils attending the school on 19 February 2020 reported feeling ill, experiencing symptoms such […]
Property developer fined for multiple construction site failures
A London property developer has been fined £63,000 plus costs after Britain’s workplace regulator found multiple failures at a construction site in Dalston. Nofax Enterprises Limited was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following four visits to its site on Dalston Lane over a 13 month period between 2020 and 2021. The company […]
Manufacturing firms reminded of their asbestos duties
Britain’s workplace regulator is reminding manufacturing firms of their asbestos duties. As we approach Global Asbestos Awareness Week (April 1 – 7), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is reminding those running businesses occupying buildings built before 2000 to properly assess, manage and monitor asbestos risks in line with the law. Older manufacturing facilities may […]
Hydraulics company fined after worker’s legs trapped in machine
A hydraulics company, with locations throughout the UK, has been fined after an employee became trapped in a machine that he was working on at a customer’s premises in Plymouth. David Lawrence, a 63-year-old engineer, was undertaking fault finding on a laser cutting machine for Pearson Hydraulics Ltd, on 26 July 2023, when the cutting […]
Company fined for unsafe scaffolding
Workers scrambled up the rungs of an unsafe scaffold to work at a block of flats in Merseyside. The company in question, A.I.M Access Solutions Ltd has been fined £30,000 for its failure to assemble safe scaffolding following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). In May 2021, the workplace regulator identified serious […]
Bradford builder sentenced after fatal fall of asylum seeker
A self-employed builder has been handed a suspended prison sentence following the death of an asylum seeker who fell from scaffolding at a domestic property in Bradford. Sarabjit Singh, 44, was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work. Mr Eraj Rahanpour, a 29-year-old originally […]