Building firm fined after house collapse injures four
Two workers were on first floor when collapse happened. “Lucky nobody was killed”, says HSE inspector. HSE guidance is available. A London construction company has been fined £50,000 after four men were injured – two seriously – when the first floor of a house collapsed during building works. Aryn Stones Ltd had been contracted to […]
Oil and gas operator fined following incident on North Sea platform
Water rose to workers’ knees before emergency stop Incident was “terrifying”, says HSE inspector An oil and gas operator has been fined £300,000 after three crew members descended into a water filled lift shaft on a floating platform in the North Sea causing them to become partially submerged. The workers had been descending in a […]
Suspended prison sentence following death of young roofer
Two companies also fined. Young roofer was on just his second day on the job. Falls from height remain one of the leading causes of workplace death and HSE guidance is available. A director has been given a suspended jail sentence and two companies fined after a young man on just his second day on […]
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 […]
Metal gate manufacturer fined after exposing workers to serious safety risks
A metal gate manufacturing company has been prosecuted after repeatedly ignoring Health and Safety Executive (HSE) enforcement notices. Research and Development in Opening Gates Limited was first visited by HSE at its site in Grantham, Lincolnshire, where inspectors identified serious safety breaches, including unsafe equipment, inadequate control of welding fume, and poor structural integrity in […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]