News

A grandfather died after falling through a hole in his own bathroom that had been left by workers. Kenneth Armitage landed on the kitchen floor below, in an incident his daughter Suzy said “should never have happened.” The bathroom in Mr Armitage’s house on Whitestone Drive in Huntington, York had been getting converted into a […]

A company has been sentenced after a 62-year-old worker fell 10 metres to the ground and died during the construction of a new university facility. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the fall and subsequently prosecuted Balfour Beatty, with the firm fined £285,000 on Monday 16 September. Igor Malka and a second contractor, Edmund […]

Twelve-year-old Louis Watkiss died after an accident at the Snowdome at Tamworth on 24 September 2021. After an initial joint investigation with Staffordshire Police, HSE can now confirm Snowdome Limited has been charged with breaching section 3 of Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. A guilty plea has been indicated by Snowdome Limited and the case will […]

A North London food manufacturer has been fined £150,000 for failing to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery. The failings came to light following a routine inspection by Britain’s workplace regulator – the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in October 2023. During the visit to Wembley-based Oriental Delight (UK) Limited, the HSE inspector identified […]

An Essex-based tyre refurbishment company has been fined £54,000 following a worker sustaining significant injuries after being drawn into a machine. Neal Hetherington was working for D&D Commercial Services Limited at its premises on Lamson Road in Rainham, when the incident happened on 19 August 2021. The company, which specialises in commercial tyre re-treading, was […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

One of the largest health boards in Wales has been fined £200,000 after a patient died in its care. Llandudno Magistrates’ Court heard that 46-year-old Dawn Owen was found unconscious at the Hergest Unit – a secure mental health unit – at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor on 20 April 2021. Dawn’s family have called on […]

Company fined for failings in two separate incidents. Two workers seriously injured after falling through roofs in separate incidents. Business partner at scaffolding firm sentenced following incident in Swansea. A roofing company has been fined a total of £881,000 after two workers were seriously injured during two separate incidents. Billy Hewitt, a worker at Mitie […]

A production company has been fined after a stunt performer was injured during the filming of Fast and Furious 9: The Fast Saga. Joe Watts, from Surrey, sustained life-changing injuries after he fell approximately 25 feet at Warner Bros. studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire on 22 July 2019. He had been filming a fight scene for […]

A company in Fife which grows and prepares vegetables has been fined £360,000 after a worker was dragged into a machine and lost consciousness. Remigiusz Cyrek, a hygiene operative at Kettle Produce Limited, was undertaking a routine clean of a machine that makes carrot batons on 22 June 2018. The 37-year-old was trapped by a […]

A manufacturing business in Lincolnshire has been fined for failing to protect its workers from hazardous substances. A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspection of W.S. Barrett and Son Limited’s site at Riverside Industrial estate in Boston, Lincolnshire, found the company’s workers were being potentially exposed to welding fume and dusts from powder coating. Welding […]

A frozen food company has been fined £700,000 after an employee lost two of his fingers following an incident at the firm’s premises in Lincolnshire. Tom Matthews, from Grantham, now champions health and safety in his current job at a different company, warning others to avoid his misfortune. He had been working a night shift […]

The company that runs The Priory Hospital has been fined for failing to ensure the safety of patients on the hospital’s Emerald Ward following the death of 21-year-old Francesca Whyatt. Francesca, from Knutsford in Cheshire, was found unconscious at The Priory Hospital in Roehampton, London. She died three days later. Priory Healthcare has been fined […]

The Minister for Social Mobility, Youth and Progression has reappointed Claire Sullivan and Ged Nichols as non-executive directors of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) board for a further three years. Claire and Ged both serve as employee (trades union) representatives on our tripartite Board (a board made up of employer, employee and other representatives). […]