Site supervisor fined after exposing school pupils to asbestos
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 […]
Taylor Wimpey fined £800,000 after teen apprentice injured on site
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 […]
Edinburgh Airport fined after pensioner fell from ambulift
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 […]
Cheshire college fined after student’s fingers severed
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 […]
Fine for flour mill after workers severs finger
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 […]
Fine for company and director after employee falls through roof light
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 […]
Company fined after worker exposed to radiation
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. […]
“No-one is in charge of health and safety” – stone company fined after workshop floor covered in hazardous dust
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 […]
Two companies fined after worker injured in fall from height
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 […]
Wood supplier hit with £40,000 for failing to protect workers from dust
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, […]
Fine for manufacturing firm after man loses finger in machinery
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 […]
British Airways fined more than £3million following worker injuries at Heathrow
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 […]
Farm fined after worker’s leg trapped in machine
“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 […]
Car dealership fined after employees exposed to risks from vibrating tools
Two employees diagnosed with Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) following repeated exposure. One worker says he had symptoms of HAVS for around eight years. Guidance to keep staff safe is available. A car dealership franchise in Devon and Cornwall has been fined more than £200,000 after two of its workers were diagnosed with Hand Arm […]
Construction boss avoids jail after worker died during house extension
Stephen Pywell fell while walking on roof beams HSE guidance on working at height is available The director of a Leicester-based construction company has been given a suspended prison sentence after a man fell from height while working on a house extension and died in hospital several weeks later. Stephen Pywell was working under the […]
School trust fined after member of public hit by falling tree branch
A school academy trust has been fined and a man given a suspended prison sentence after a member of the public was hit by a falling tree branch. Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust and gardening services provider Nicolas Thépot (trading as ‘The Green Yem’) both pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches following the incident, […]
Firm fined more than £500,000 after shift worker fell to his death
HSE guidance on working at height and safe use of machinery is available A North Yorkshire company has been fined more than half a million pounds after a night shift worker fell to his death. Mark Pinder, 51, was working for East Riding Sacks Ltd, a manufacturer of paper sacks, at its site in Stamford […]
April 2025 – A roundup of HSE’s top stories
April saw a number of significant stories from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), with multiple major prosecutions, including the workplace regulator bringing one of its most complex and lengthy investigations to a conclusion resulting in a £6million fine. We also prosecuted a health board in Wales, a large chemical manufacturing company, as well as […]
Company fined after worker suffers serious injuries
A haulage distribution company has been fined after a worker suffered serious injuries to his shoulder when a wrought iron gate fell on him. Kevin Simcox, 60-years-old, was working for Stan Robinson Distribution Ltd in Stafford when the incident occurred on 28 February 2020. He arrived at the site for his morning shift and was […]
Fine for company and director after employee dies from fall through roof
HSE guidance says all work at height must be properly planned A cladding company and its director have been fined following the death of a worker who fell through a fragile roof whilst replacing cladding panels. The 61-year-old was working for Camclad Contractors Limited, replacing cladding panels on a former abattoir that had been damaged […]