Haulage firm fined after man went to work and didn’t come home
An Oldham-based haulage company has been fined more than £85,000 after a fork lift truck driver was killed while loading a heavy goods vehicle (HGV). Ian Dawson, 60, of Rochdale, was loading pallets onto the HGV at Chorlton Express Transport Limited on 19 November 2020. As he was doing this, the HGV moved forward, causing […]
Rogue trader spared immediate spell behind bars after unsafe gas work
A self-employed rogue trader has been handed a suspended prison sentence after carrying out illegal gas work in Gloucestershire. Christian Davis falsely claimed he was Gas Safe Registered but had actually been removed from the register due to concerns about the standard of his work and his competency. Trading as BS1 Plumbing and Heating, the […]
Shipping Services company fined after worker loses finger
A company which provides shipping services, cargo handling and storage has been fined after a worker severed part of his finger while at work. Dundee Sheriff Court heard that on 13 July 2021 Gordon McMillan, 55 at the time of the incident, works as a ‘stevedore’ (steve-eh-door), a role which involves the dockside loading and […]
Aviation company fined after worker death at Heathrow Airport
An aviation company has been fined £160,000 after a man, described by his family as a “legend”, was crushed to death at London Heathrow Airport during the unloading of baggage containers from an aircraft. The man was working for Dnata Limited, a provider of ground handling and cargo services to major airlines, at Terminal 3 […]
Company fined £30,000 for unsafe removal of asbestos
A company based in Kent has been fined £30,000, and its director fined £5,000, after failing to ensure the safe removal of asbestos across two separate sites. Ironically, the firm in question was trading as ‘Asbestos Gone’. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that DOV Services Ltd, the company behind the […]
Company fined as worker has leg amputated
A company that grows mushrooms has been fined after an employee’s leg became trapped in a machine and was later amputated. Luka Ilic’s right leg was caught by the rotating blades of a mushroom filling machine and became stuck in the device’s moving parts on 16 October 2019. He was part of a team of […]
Company fined after HSE inspection finds wood dust failures
A company has been fined after an inspection by Britain’s workplace regulator found workers were being exposed to excessive levels of wood dust. Breathing in wood dust excessively can cause asthma and nasal cancer. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited Target Furniture Limited’s workshop on Studland Road in Kingsthorpe, Northampton on 26 May 2022 […]
Company fined after worker crushed to death
A company in Doncaster has been fined after an employee was killed when a mixer wagon fell onto him. The 52-year-old man was fatally crushed by the vehicle at Booth Mixer Hire Limited’s site at Bankend Quarry on 9 December 2019. He had been replacing the wagon’s two front wheels when it fell on top […]
April is Stress Awareness Month: tackle stress in the workplace with five steps in five weeks
This April, Britain’s bosses are being invited to follow five simple steps to prevent and reduce stress in their workplace. The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Working Minds campaign has called on employers to support workers mental health during Stress Awareness Month. Liz Goodwill, head of the work-related stress and mental health policy team at […]
Tobacco firm fined £32,000 following machinery failures
An Ipswich-based tobacco manufacturer has been fined £32,000 after failing to put measures in place to prevent access to the rotating blades of a ribbon blade mixer. Whole-body access was possible for employees using the machine, which presented a risk of serious personal injury from an employee coming into contact with the rotating blade. An […]
Horticulture company fined after lorry driver suffers life changing injuries
A horticulture company has been fined £3,000 after a lorry driver suffered third degree burns on his body while making a delivery to a site in Essex. The man had been delivering a load of hardcore aggregate to Plants Galore Horticulture Limited’s Eagle Nursery in Hamlet Hill, Roydon. His lorry had a tipper and grab […]
Director jailed for failing to protect workers from asbestos exposure
A company director has been jailed for eight months after failing to protect workers from exposure to asbestos at a student development project in Winchester. Stephen Davies, 59, had set up Cavendish Winchester Ltd with the sole purpose of refurbishing the Winnall Close commercial unit into student rental accommodation. His co-director Neil Bolton, 56, was […]
Company fined after worker crushed to death
A company in Kent has been fined £175,000 following the death of an employee. Liam McArdle, from Gravesend, was fatally crushed by an excavator attachment while working for Erith Plant Services Limited on 21 September 2021. A demolition grab, attached to an excavator, fell onto the 24-year-old while it was loaded onto a lorry at […]
Bakery company fined £400,000 after employee has left leg amputated
A food manufacturing company on the Wirral has been fined £400,000 after one of its employees had to have her leg amputated. Sharon Bramhall lost a leg following a serious incident at Baker & Baker Products, which is based in Bromborough. The 58-year-old had to have her left leg amputated below the knee following the […]
Stay safe around cattle in the countryside at Easter
The Easter break will see thousands of people heading into the countryside to stretch their legs and enjoy Britain’s stunning scenery. While the vast majority of walkers enjoy the countryside safely and use the extensive network of footpaths, bridleways, and public access land without any problems, going through fields where there are cattle can be […]
Company fined after ‘perfect’ son crushed to death
A company in Hertfordshire has been fined after an employee was crushed to death. James Rourke lost his life after being struck and run over by an excavator at Sarazen Gardens, Brampton on 18 November 2019. James and his family had celebrated his sister Katie’s 21st birthday the weekend before the fatal incident. The 22-year-old […]
Engineering firm fined following worker’s death
An engineering and services company has been fined following the death of a worker. Alistair Hutton, a sub-contractor hired by NG Bailey Limited, lost his life while working on the construction of the Baird Family Hospital in Aberdeen on 18 January 2023. He had been navigating a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) along an unfinished […]
Health board fined £220,000 following death of patients
Lothian Health Board has been fined £220,000 for safety breaches, following the death of two vulnerable patients. Both were being cared for at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh at the time of their deaths. On 29 October 2017, one of the patients, then aged 55, was in the care of the Neurosurgery Ward following […]
Metal processing firm fined after man suffers life changing injuries
A metal processing company has been fined £12,000 after an employee sustained life changing injuries at an incident at a premises in the Oldbury in the West Midlands. Independent Slitters Limited carries out metal slitting at the facility – a process that involves coils of metal being split into various lengths. On 3 May 2022, […]
Pork pie maker fined £800,000 after two workers lose fingers
A company that specialises in making pork pies has been fined £800,000 after two young workers lost fingers in incidents at two different Nottingham bakeries. Pork Farms Ltd, which makes other savoury goods such as quiches, at several sites across England, was given the fine after both workers were injured just weeks apart at the […]