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 […]
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 […]