Skiing company fined after boy was killed at friend’s birthday party
An indoor skiing company in Tamworth has been fined £100,000 following the death of a schoolboy. Twelve-year-old Louis Watkiss had been at a tobogganing birthday party at the Snowdome in Tamworth on 24 September 2021. He was descending the main ski slope on a toboggan when it slid into the back of a member of […]
CCTV captures moment welder crushed at Sunderland shipyard
CCTV has captured the moment a welder was crushed while working at a shipyard in Sunderland. David Vinsome sustained multiple rib fractures as well as internal injuries, including an abdominal wall burst, following the incident at Pallion Shipyard on 18 October 2022. The 37-year-old from North Shields was crushed between an excavation bucket and a […]
Wood company fined more than £1million after two workers injured
A multi-national company that manufactures wood-based products has been fined more than £1 million after two workers were injured in separate incidents. West Fraser (Europe) Ltd, formerly known as Norbord pleaded guilty to several health and safety breaches related to two incidents that took place at its plant in Cowie within six months of each […]
Manufacturing firm fined after worker sustains serious burns
A North-East manufacturing company has been fined more than £200,000 after a worker sustained serious burns to his hands. Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited Novares Peterlee Limited on 30 March 2022. During the visit to the site on Northwest Industrial Estate, inspectors found unsafe working practices, including workers operating machinery at […]
Roofer given suspended sentence after man falls from scaffold
A self-employed roofer has received a suspended prison sentence after a man suffered serious injuries after falling from scaffold in Devon. Daniel Hooper was given a 16-week custodial sentence, which will be suspended for a period of 12 months, following Iain Smith, 36, falling from a height of more than 25 feet while working for […]
New guidance to protect those using gas and air safely in hospitals
New guidance to protect Britain’s midwives from excessive nitrous oxide exposure has been published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The guidance is aimed at those responsible for ensuring the safety of workers and new mothers on maternity wards. More commonly known as ‘gas and air’ when mixed with oxygen, nitrous oxide is an […]
Offshore industry reaps benefits from HSE inspection programme
HSE programme has led to greater collaboration amongst offshore companies HSE inspected various North Sea production operators as they determined how PSLP was being adopted A report on the PSLP inspection programme was published today (Thursday 6 February 2025) An inspection programme by Britain’s workplace regulator has led to major safety improvements in the offshore […]
Farm partnership fined after man with ‘heart of gold’ killed by exploding tyre
A Lancashire farm partnership has been fined £80,000 after a man with ‘a heart of gold’ died following an incident at a dairy farm in Hutton near Preston. Joshua Hardman, who was just 23, suffered fatal head injuries as he helped to inflate a tractor tyre at the farm on 7 May 2021. The father […]
Company fined for failures at waste and recycling centre
A company that operates several household waste and recycling centres in Wales has been fined for failing to protect workers and members of the public. Sundorne Products (Llanidloes) Limited pleaded guilty to the failures identified at Llandrindod Wells Household Waste and Recycling Centre in Powys. The charges arose following an inspection by the Health and […]
Sheffield skip hire boss avoids immediate spell behind bars
The director of a Sheffield-based skip hire company has avoided an immediate spell behind bars after being found guilty of multiple breaches of health and safety law. Following an investigation and subsequent prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Jamie White, the director of M White (Skips) Limited, was given an eight month custodial […]
Manufacturing firm fined after workers struck by stone slabs
A manufacturing firm in Ipswich has been fined after two workers were struck by slabs of stone, with one of the men sustaining multiple bone fractures as a result. Three slabs of quartz stone fell from a stillage onto Steven Constable and Struan Dunsmore while they worked at Bespoke Stone Ltd’s workshop on Dales Road. […]
Repeated wood dust failures lands company with fine
An Essex-based company that makes windows and doors has been hit with a £4,000 fine after repeatedly failing to protect its workers from exposure to wood dust. Timbercraft Windows & Doors Limited, which also manufactures wooden conservatories, was visited by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on three occasions over a 12-year period. Those visits, […]
Fine for company after worker fell to his death from church steeple
A specialist construction company has been fined £60,000 after a worker fell to his death from a church steeple in Birmingham. David Clover was employed by Ecclesiastical Steeplejacks Ltd to carry out restoration work to St Nicholas’ Church in Kings Norton on 13 November 2020. The 64-year-old steeplejack had been suspended from the 60 metre […]
Company fined after repeatedly exposing workers to risks from wood dust
A Blackburn-based furniture manufacturer has been fined after it repeatedly failed to protect its own workers from exposure to wood dust. Pendle Woodcraft (Blackburn) Limited failed to implement safe working practices despite earlier interventions from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The company consistently failed to control the accumulation of wood dust at its site […]
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 […]