Unregistered gas installer sentenced for carrying out illegal gas work
An unregistered gas installer has been sentenced after carrying out illegal gas work at two houses in Cheshire. The work was undertaken on several occasions between 2021 and 2023, resulting in a gas leak inside one of the properties, leaving one of the homeowners without a working appliance for an extended period. The Health and […]
Aluminium manufacturer fined £300,000 after worker crushed
Worker trapped for more than 20 minutes before he was freed The man, in his 40s, has been unable to return to work HSE guidance on managing risks is available A manufacturer of rolled aluminium products has been fined £300,000 after a worker was crushed under a 1.5-tonne hydraulic arm at its site in Bridgnorth. […]
Day of action in Manchester city centre
A team of inspectors from Britain’s workplace regulator are heading to Manchester city centre as part of its priority to tackle ill-health on construction sites. The 12 inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will head to the city next Tuesday (21 October). They will turn up without warning at various businesses and sites […]
Biffa fined almost £2.5 million after worker crushed by skip wagon
A waste management company has been fined £2.48 million after a worker was run over by a reversing skip wagon at a waste transfer station in Bradford. James Tabiri, 57, was working as a sort line operative at Biffa Waste Services Ltd’s waste transfer site in Bradford. On 10 August 2023, while making his way […]
Builder given suspended sentence after roof worker fell to his death
Man had been helping with roof work on an extension when he fell No measures were in place to stop falls from height. HSE guidance is available. A self-employed builder from Reading has been given a suspended prison sentence after a man fell to his death while assisting with roof work. Raffaele Vigliotti, 68, who […]
Construction company fined £546,000 following death of employee
Worker struck by reversing road-sweeper Family describes Robert Morris as “the centre of our world” HSE guidance is available on safe use of vehicles on site A construction company that specialises in road resurfacing in London has been fined £546,000 after one of its employees was killed by a reversing road-sweeper. Robert Morris, 48, was […]
Two companies fined after worker falls through fragile rooflight
Man fell through fragile roof light. He had to be rescued by firefighters after becoming impaled. HSE guidance about working at height is available. Two companies have been fined after a man fell through a fragile rooflight at a factory in Keighley, impaling his leg on machinery below. A.T. Lee Properties Limited and LJH Property […]
Getting personal hearing protection right: what really matters
Personal hearing protection is the last line of defence between your workers and permanent hearing damage. But poor management turns every pound spent on earmuffs and earplugs into wasted money. “This isn’t about blame – it’s about recognising a key challenge,” explains Chris Steel, HSE’s Principal Specialist Inspector. Personal protective equipment sits at the bottom […]
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. The council employee was using a scissor lift to straighten the 20-foot tall Christmas tree when it toppled over […]
Manufacturing company fined £15,000 for wood dust failures
A manufacturing company has been fined £15,000 after exposing its own workers to wood dust and failing to comply with two improvement notices. Wood dust can cause serious and often irreversible health problems, including sino-nasal cancer, asthma and dermatitis. Employers have a legal responsibility to prevent or adequately control exposure in the workplace. After concerns […]
Company director avoids prison over wood dust failures
The director of a Norwich woodworking company has avoided an immediate spell behind bars after he exposed his employees to harmful wood dust. Wood dust can cause serious and often irreversible health problems, including sino-nasal cancer, asthma and dermatitis. Employers have a legal responsibility to prevent or adequately control exposure in the workplace. John Risby, […]
Company fined after 21-year-old worker dies
A company in Peterborough has been fined £67,000 after a young employee lost his life. George Setchfield was found unconscious over the side of a large container while working for Electrostatic Magic Limited at the firm’s site in Peterborough. George’s mum says his passing has affected “every aspect” of her life. The 21-year-old had entered […]
NHS trust fined after employee found unconscious in manhole
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has been fined £480,000 after an employee suffered a brain injury after he was found unconscious in a manhole. The man had been unblocking a drain at the hospital on 1 February 2022 when he was discovered by other members of staff. He was rescued from the manhole by […]
Arriva and cleaning firm fined after worker killed at bus depot
A national bus company and a commercial cleaning firm have been fined after a “much loved young man” was killed at a depot in Hemel Hempstead. Albin Trstena, from Tottenham, was working for Cordant Cleaning Limited, when he was hit by a reversing bus being driven by a colleague on 5 November 2019. The 25-year-old […]
Monthly roundup – December 2023
The final month of the year has seen the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) conclude complex prosecutions against two care settings. December also saw cases relating to two frightening offshore incidents that resulted in fines totalling more than £1million. Another prosecution came about after a member of the public captured shocking footage on their mobile […]
Company and director sentenced after worker fractures arm and leg
A company and its director have been sentenced after an employee fell from height and suffered serious injuries. Andrew Smith fractured his left femur, left elbow, left arm and pelvis after falling approximately three metres off a ladder on 28 July 2021. He had been working for Profascias Ltd at Park Lane Primary School in […]
North Wales health board fined after failings resulted in woman’s death
One of the largest health boards in Wales has been fined £200,000 after a patient died in its care. Llandudno Magistrates’ Court heard that 46-year-old Dawn Owen was found unconscious at the Hergest Unit – a secure mental health unit – at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor on 20 April 2021. Dawn’s family have called on […]
Roofing firm and company business partner sentenced following HSE investigations
Company fined for failings in two separate incidents. Two workers seriously injured after falling through roofs in separate incidents. Business partner at scaffolding firm sentenced following incident in Swansea. A roofing company has been fined a total of £881,000 after two workers were seriously injured during two separate incidents. Billy Hewitt, a worker at Mitie […]
Company fined as stunt performer sustains life-changing injuries during filming of Fast and Furious movie
A production company has been fined after a stunt performer was injured during the filming of Fast and Furious 9: The Fast Saga. Joe Watts, from Surrey, sustained life-changing injuries after he fell approximately 25 feet at Warner Bros. studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire on 22 July 2019. He had been filming a fight scene for […]
Food company fined £360,000 after worker loses consciousness
A company in Fife which grows and prepares vegetables has been fined £360,000 after a worker was dragged into a machine and lost consciousness. Remigiusz Cyrek, a hygiene operative at Kettle Produce Limited, was undertaking a routine clean of a machine that makes carrot batons on 22 June 2018. The 37-year-old was trapped by a […]