HSE builds construction support to protect workers’ mental health
The construction industry has stepped-up its efforts to combat work-related stress and promote good mental health by joining Great Britain’s workplace regulator campaign. The Working Minds campaign, set up by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), welcomes six new partners in the construction industry to help reach trades and offer free support. March sees the […]
Company fined after delivery driver suffers brain injury
A company has been fined £380,000 after a delivery driver fell and suffered a traumatic brain injury while working at its site in Walsall. Timothy Bates was delivering fuel for a temporary diesel generator at Haldane Fisher Limited’s timber processing site on Long Street when he fell from a trailer on 28 July 2022. Mr […]
Company fined after worker’s skull fractured
A company in Salford has been fined £160,000 after a worker fractured his skull during the refurbishment of a property in central Manchester. Dean Noble, from Wythenshawe, fell while working at a premises on Oldham Street on 11 December 2020. The 53-year-old had fallen through a gap in the balustrade that was erected around an […]
Recycling firm fined after dad killed by shovel loader
A recycling company in Wales has been fined £300,000 after a father-of-two was killed by a shovel loader. Anthony Bilton, from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, lost his life on 4 September 2019 when he was run over from behind by a Volvo shovel loader at Atlantic Recycling Limited’s Atlantic Ecopark site in Cardiff. The 59-year-old […]
BSR launches campaign for residents of high-rise buildings
High-rise building residents have more rights and protections than ever before. Residents can now check if their high-rise building is registered The Building Safety Regulator is there to drive forward safety standards across the built environment. The Building Safety Act 2022 is at the centre of building safety reforms in England. The new regulator is […]
Company and director fined after worker seriously injured
A company and its director have been fined after an employee was injured from a fall during the construction of eight new houses in Lichfield, Staffordshire. The man, employed by Alba Construction (Midlands) Limited, had been working in one of the new properties on the former site of The Greyhound Inn on Upper St John […]
Unregistered plumber handed suspended prison sentence
An unregistered plumber has received a suspended prison sentence after he carried out illegal gas work at a house in Peterborough. Anthony Rice, trading as Rice Plumbing and Oil Heating, attended the property on Edwalton Avenue on 31 January 2023 where he replaced a gas boiler and altered gas pipe work. However, Rice accidentally connected […]
Care home fined following death of vulnerable resident
A care home operator has been fined £400,000 for safety breaches, following the death of a vulnerable resident at a care home in Scotland. On the night of 16 December 2021, Susan Greens, a resident at Springfield Bank Care Home, could not be found on the premises. Following a search around the site in Bonnyrigg […]
Company fined after worker injured by 300kg batteries
A recycling company in West Yorkshire has been fined £120,000 after batteries weighing at least 300kg fell onto an employee and severely injured him. The man was working with two colleagues at Wastecare Limited’s site on North Dean Business Park, Halifax when he was struck by the batteries being recycled on 22 March 2019. The […]
HSE to lead investigation into death of Michael Jones
The investigation into the death of Michael Jones at Bramley Moore is now being led by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Michael, who was 26, was killed while working on the construction of Everton Football Club’s new stadium on 14 August 2023. The involvement of Merseyside Police has now concluded. HSE will now lead […]
Livestock focus as national campaign bids to improve safety on Britain’s farms
Livestock incidents were the number one cause of work-related death in British agriculture in 2022/23. Livestock or moving vehicles were responsible for seventy-seven fatalities in the last five years. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) supports farmers to reduce injuries and save lives. Incidents involving livestock were the number one cause of work-related deaths on […]
Engineering company fined after workers loses two fingers
An engineering firm in Perth has been fined £10,000 after an employee lost two of his fingers. The worker, employed by Edwards Engineering (Perth) Limited, had been carrying out maintenance work on a grain dryer at East of Scotland Farmers on 28 June 2020. He inadvertently placed his hand into the blades of an unguarded […]
Farmer fined after friends had to climb tree to escape cow attack
Woman left with broken ribs and life-changing internal injuries A woman and her friend had to climb up a tree to escape an attack by more than a dozen cows on a public right of way in North Yorkshire. Janicke Tvedt and David Hood had set out on a popular circular walk from Masham with […]
Bedding manufacturer fined after employees suffer serious injuries
A bedding manufacturer has been fined more than £250,000 after two of its employees were seriously injured during separate incidents at its site in Rochdale. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Sartex Quilts and Textiles Limited following the incidents, which saw both workers undergo amputations. HSE inspector Elena Pickford described the injuries sustained by […]
National Apprenticeship Week 2024: Skills for Life
For National Apprenticeship Week this year, we are shining a light on the talented apprentices within the Health and Safety Executive and showing the positive impact they have, for both the individual and the organisation. The theme for National Apprenticeship Week 2024 is “Skills for Life”; reflecting on how apprenticeships can help individuals develop the […]
Remembering the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster – 20 Years On
HSE inspector Peter Lennon, a member of the investigation team that investigated the incident, has reflected on the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster in a blog On the evening of 5 February 2004 over 30 young men and women were trapped by rising tides in Morecambe Bay as they harvested cockles – 23 tragically lost their […]
Farming company fined £320,000 after death of “much loved” family man
A company involved in fruit and vegetable production has been fined £320,000 after a man “who always put family first” was killed at a site in Burscough. Francis Schlachter, known as Frank, suffered severe head injuries when he fell from a skip at a farm operated by M.A.Forshaw Limited on 3 January 2020. The 64-year-old […]
Worktops firm fined after repeated failures to protect employees
A Stockport-based stone worktop manufacturer has been fined £26,000 for repeatedly putting its workers at risk. Granite & Marble Shop Ltd failed to implement safe working practices despite warnings from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The company consistently put their employees at risk from serious injury by failing to adequately guard dangerous machinery at […]
Textiles firm fined £60,000 after worker’s arm dragged into machine
A textiles company has been fined £60,000 after a man broke his arm when it was dragged into machinery at a site near Chorley. The employee, a man from Blackrod in Greater Manchester, suffered serious injuries to his right arm in the incident at the factory operated by Pin Croft Dyeing and Printing Co. Limited […]
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 […]