A company and its director have been fined a combined £18,000 after a man was injured during excavation work in West Sussex.

JHE Construction and Jordan Hay-Ellis pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety laws following the incident on 23 February 2023.

The company had been contracted to complete a full barn conversion, which included the installation of a new septic tank. In order to install the tank, workers had to dig an excavation approximately three metres deep. Edward Keely, 30, along with two other men, had been tasked with doing the work at Lone Oak Farm.

The three men were in the hole preparing to install a concrete base for the septic tank to sit on when the walls collapsed.  Mr Keely was struck by falling soil which resulted in multiple bone fractures and required for him to be dug out.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that inadequate precautions had been taken to prevent the collapse of the excavation, yet the men were expected to work in it.

HSE guidance advises that all work of this nature should be correctly planned, including whether any temporary support structures should be used. This may also include battering the excavation sides to make it safer. You can read more about HSE guidance here.

JHE Construction Limited, of Icarus Avenue, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 22 (1) of The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.  The company was fined £16,000 and ordered to pay £2,612 in costs at Brighton Magistrates Court on 24 March 2025.

Jodran Hay-Ellie, 33, of Icarus Avenue, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 22 (1) of The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. He was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £1,000 costs.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Nathan Kent said: “The risk associated with excavation collapse is well understood within the construction industry and this incident was easily foreseeable.

“All excavation work should be supported or battered back.

“Failure to do so in this case resulted in a young man sustaining very serious injuries.

“HSE will not hesitate to take action against companies which do not do all they can to keep people safe.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE lawyer Julian White and paralegal officer Imogen Isaac.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. Relevant guidance on excavations is available.
5. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.

The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) campaign aimed at preventing or combatting stress in the workplace has welcomed a new partner ahead of stress awareness month in April. 

Healthy Working Wales has become the 36th organisation to join Working Minds as part of its mission to improve the health of employees across Wales. 

In 2023/24, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures revealed that in Wales alone there are an estimated 49,000 work-related stress, depression or anxiety cases annually – equating to 800k working days lost. 

Kayleigh Roberts, work-related stress policy lead at HSE, has welcomed the addition of Healthy Working Wales to help businesses access important information and tools they require.    

She said: “Our statistics show that work-related stress affects many people across Great Britain and just like any other risk to health, employers have a legal duty to protect workers by including work-related stress in their risk assessment and acting on it.  

“Failing to manage stress at work can lead to reduced productivity, sickness absence, or even losing valued members of the team if they are not well enough to stay in work. Our Working Minds campaign has all the resources you need to understand what’s required and to get proactive on prevention.” 

Healthy Working Wales is a free programme that aims to improve health and prevent ill-health among the working age population in Wales.  

Oliver Williams, consultant in public health and lead for Healthy Working Wales, said: “Partnering with HSE allows us to support Welsh businesses in understanding the benefits of taking action on employee health and wellbeing. Managing work-related stress effectively not only enhances workforce wellbeing but also improves performance and reduces absence. 

Through initiatives like our recent joint webinar—where 82% of attendees reported feeling ready to implement their learnings—we are equipping employers with practical steps to create healthier workplaces. Together, we are committed to helping organisations create safe, supportive environments where employees can thrive.” 

To watch the Healthy Working Wales and HSE webinar visit HSE’s YouTube page. 

webinar: Stress and mental health at work – what Welsh businesses need to know 

Or, watch a version of the webinar with Welsh language subtitles on YouTube. 

To help employers to prevent stress and support workers’ mental health, HSE launched the Working Minds campaign in November 2021, providing free resources for employers and managers. 

Working Minds hinges on five simple steps based on risk assessment. They are to reach out and have conversations, recognise the signs and causes of stress, respond to any risks you’ve identified, reflect on actions you’ve agreed and taken, and make it routine. 

There are six main areas that can lead to work-related stress if they are not managed properly. These are: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change. Factors like skills and experience, age, or disability may all affect someone’s ability to cope. 

HSE has a free online learning tool for businesses with over 12,000 people already registered with over 90% saying it was easy to use and felt they could implement what they learned in their organisation. 

Helpful resources: 

• register for our free online learning 

• download a risk assessment template 

Further information: 

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives. 
2. During Stress Awareness Month this April, employers and managers are being invited to support the campaign and complete the five steps of Working Minds over the course of the month. To read more about HSE’s Working Minds campaign click here. 
3. To read more about Healthy Working Wales click here. 
4. No matter whether you’re a small business or a large corporation, the law requires all employers to prevent work-related stress to support good mental health in the workplace.   
5. For press and media enquiries please contact media.enquiries@hse.gov.uk. 

• Man fell through fragile roof in Dudley.
• Company, now in liquidation, does not escape criminal sanction
• Detailed guidance on both working on fragile surfaces and working at height is available from HSE.

A company and its operations manager have both been fined after a man fell to his death through a roof at its site in Dudley.

Maciej Rozanski, who was 42, had been working to remove a redundant steel cleaning machine from the company’s Sovereign Works site on Deepdale Lane, on 29 June 2018. However, during the work, Mr Rozanski stepped onto a fragile roof and fell more than 20 feet to the floor below. He suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Surface Technik (Old Hill) Limited, which is now in liquidation, was found guilty following a trial earlier this week, while Robert Hammond had already entered a guilty plea, but disputed he was responsible for health and safety at the site. This prosecution was brought following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The HSE investigation found that the company began the work to remove the machinery in December 2017 and that project was led by Robert Hammond. The steel cleaning machine was housed in a corrugated steel tower on the side of the main production building which required partial dismantling in order to remove the machine. On the day of the incident, Mr Rozanski and another employee were tasked with the dismantling works. Once at the top of the tower they used an angle grinder to remove bolts holding the corrugated steel plates in place. It was during this activity that Mr Rozanski fell to his death.

There was no suitable and sufficient risk assessment made for the work at height activities.  The work to remove corrugated steel sheets from the disused tower was carried out at height, near to a fragile roof surface without suitable access equipment or safe working practices.  The work was not properly organised, planned, appropriately supervised or carried out in a safe manner and the employees were not trained for working at height when the incident occurred.

• HSE has detailed guidance on working safely at height and also when working on or near fragile surfaces.

Surface Technik (Old Hill) Limited formerly of Deepdale Lane, Dudley was found guilty by a jury of a breach of Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and have been fined £90,000 and ordered to pay costs of £28,956 at a hearing at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court on 21 March 2025.

Robert Hammond of Sutton Coldfield accepted that he did not take reasonable care for the health and safety of both employees when he pleaded guilty to breaching Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Mr Hammond was fined £8,500 and pay the same amount in costs.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Sarah Smewin said “Working from height remains a leading cause of workplace death and injury.

“This case highlights the risks of working at height from or near to fragile roof surfaces and the importance of a risk assessment, proper planning, training and supervision of work at height and the use of suitable access equipment to ensure that the work can be carried out safely.

“It also demonstrates that placing a company into liquidation is no bar to prosecution.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Andrew Siddall and paralegal officer Gabrielle O’Sullivan.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. Relevant guidance can be found here Work at height – HSE; Fragile surfaces – HSE
5. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.
6. HSE will always carefully consider any insolvency process and weigh that against the public interest of prosecuting a company that breaks the law.
7. If necessary, we will take steps to prevent a company from being dissolved whilst criminal proceedings are ongoing.

A Scottish local authority has been fined more than £13,000 after a carbon monoxide leak at a primary school in Bishopbriggs.

East Dunbartonshire Council pleaded guilty following the incident at Balmuildy Primary School in February 2020.  A number of staff and pupils attending the school on 19 February 2020 reported feeling ill, experiencing symptoms such as headaches and nausea. Throughout the day, several pupils were sent home and staff had to take medication to relieve symptoms. The following day, testing for a gas leak revealed high levels of carbon monoxide present in areas of the school. The building was immediately evacuated.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), in conjunction with Gas Safe Register investigators, found that one of the two auxiliary gas boilers present at the site was leaking carbon monoxide into the boiler room and the school buildings. The investigation found this was due to a lack of maintenance.

Had the faults with the boiler been found prior to the incident through the required routine maintenance, it would have been classed as immediately dangerous in line with the Gas Industry Unsafe Situations Procedure (GUSP). This would have necessitated the disconnection of the gas boiler until the boiler was repaired for further use.

HSE provides free guidance to dutyholders: Safety in the installation and use of gas systems and appliances. The guidance states that effective maintenance of appliances usually involves an ongoing programme of regular/periodic inspections, together with any necessary remedial work.

In the absence of specific manufacturers’ instructions, effective maintenance should include as a minimum:

• examination of the physical condition and safe functioning of appliance(s);
• installation pipework;
• ventilation and any flue for deterioration;
• carrying out performance tests; and
• taking the necessary remedial action.

East Dunbartonshire Council of Strathkelvin Place, Kirkintilloch, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 35 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. The council was fined £13,333 plus a victim surcharge of £999.98 at Glasgow Sheriff Court on 20 March 2025.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Stuart Easson, said: “This is the second time in five years that East Dunbartonshire Council have been handed a significant fine for failing to protect employees and children at a primary school under their control.”

“Although nobody suffered any serious adverse effects during this incident, we hope that this prosecution demonstrates that HSE will not hesitate to take action and that failures of this nature are simple not acceptable.”

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. Relevant guidance can be found here: Safety in the installation and use of gas systems and appliances.
5. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.

A London property developer has been fined £63,000 plus costs after Britain’s workplace regulator found multiple failures at a construction site in Dalston.

Nofax Enterprises Limited was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following four visits to its site on Dalston Lane over a 13 month period between 2020 and 2021. The company was overseeing the construction of a four storey building on the site, containing nine flats and large basement to house a youth club.

However, the failures identified by HSE inspectors – including multiple working at height risks, poor fire precautions and exposure to large amounts of silica dust – were so serious, that they resulted in the site being closed down on two separate occasions. Other breaches of the law included failing to protect workers from exposure to wood dust, as well as insufficient covid and welfare controls.

• Exposure to either wood or silica dust can result in very serious and life threatening health conditions, including asthma, nasal and lung cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and silicosis. HSE provides a range of guidance for stone workers and those working with wood.

In total, 9 enforcement notices were served against the company for the Dalston Lane site, including five prohibition notices. The subsequent HSE investigation included inspections at other sites operated by the company, identifying a poor health and safety culture and systemic management failings.

Owing to the repeated poor performance and lack of compliance to basic health and safety, Nofax Enterprises Limited, of Maldon, Essex pleaded guilty to breaches of sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Following the hearing at Southwark Crown Court on 18^th March 2025, the company was ordered to pay a total of £88,812.68 which included a fine of £63,000, costs of £25,622.

In summing up, the judge stated that despite repeated visits by HSE and multiple notices being served, risks subsisted over a long period and the company failed to make any appropriate changes. The judge concluded by saying that there had been a systemic failure within the organisation to manage health and safety.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Gordon Nixon said: “This company showed a total disregard to keeping its workers safe.

“They failed to meet even the most basic health and safety standards, continually exposing operatives to serious risks.

“HSE will not wait until workers are seriously injured, or worse and will take appropriate action including prosecutions when health and safety regulations are so blatantly flouted.”

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences in England and Wales can be found here and for those in Scotland here.

A hydraulics company, with locations throughout the UK, has been fined after an employee became trapped in a machine that he was working on at a customer’s premises in Plymouth.

David Lawrence, a 63-year-old engineer, was undertaking fault finding on a laser cutting machine for Pearson Hydraulics Ltd, on 26 July 2023, when the cutting bed of the machine dropped and trapped both of his legs. After spending five weeks in hospital, Mr Lawrence had to have his right leg amputated above the knee. Despite extensive surgery to save his left leg, Mr Lawrence faces the possibility of having it amputated in the future.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Pearson Hydraulics Ltd did not have a safe system of work in place for maintenance activities  carried out by its engineers at its customer’s premises. It failed to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the work to be undertaken by Mr Lawrence and there had been a total failure to monitor and supervise his work.  The investigation also identified that Mr Lawrence had not been adequately trained by his employer and that his knowledge of hydraulic systems on laser cutting machinery was inadequate, preventing him from carrying out the work safely.

HSE guidance stresses that it is important  these situations are properly assessed. Workers carrying out maintenance activities may need to undertake significant regular risk assessment (as the situation may develop and change in ways that could not be foreseen at the outset. Further information can be found here.

Pearson Hydraulics Ltd of Electric Avenue, Witham St Hughes, Lincoln pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £96,333 and ordered to pay £10,701 in costs at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on 13 March 2025.

HSE inspector Emma O’Hara said “This incident could so easily have been avoided with the correct risk assessment and implementation of a safe working procedure. Pearson Hydraulics Ltd left its employees to work out their own methods of completing fault finding and maintenance tasks, instead of providing them with suitable training and supervision so it could be done safely every time.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Andrew Siddall and paralegal officer Imogen Isaac with counsel Alan Fuller.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. HSE guidance about maintaining machinery is available.
5. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.

Two brothers have been sentenced for failing to protect members of the public from their cattle.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Andrew and David Turnbull failed to offer and display signs of an alternative route to a public right of way in their field in the Coalsgarth Valley, North Yorkshire.

HSE prosecuted the pair following the death of former teacher David Clark, who was killed by a herd of cows while crossing the right of way on 21 September 2020.

The 59-year-old had been running with his two dogs when he was surrounded by a numbers of cows, and then struck to the ground.

Witnesses reported that one of the cows then turned back and ran towards Mr Clark, causing a fatal blow to his chest.

The father-of-three was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

HSE guidance suggests a number of reasonably practicable ways that farmers, landowners and other livestock keepers should follow to control the hazards for walkers when keeping cattle in fields where the public have access.

These all start through properly assessing the risks posed by cattle to users of public footpaths and implementing suitable protective and preventative measures to minimise those risks so far as is reasonably practicable. Further guidance can be found here.

Members of the public can find out about steps to safely enjoy the countryside and respect farming activities by following Government advice in The Countryside Code – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Advice includes:

• Give livestock plenty of space. Their behaviour can be unpredictable, especially when they are with their young.
• Keep your dog under effective control to make sure it stays away from livestock. It is good practice wherever you are to keep your dog on a lead around livestock.
• Let your dog off the lead if you feel threatened by livestock. Releasing your dog will make it easier for you both to reach safety.

David and Andrew Turnbull, both of Low Gingerfield Farm, Richmond, North Yorkshire, both pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

At Teesside Crown Court on 3 March 2025:

• Andrew Turnbull, 57, was fined £1,589 and ordered to pay £1,500 in costs.
• David Turnbull, 61, was fined £1,390 and ordered to pay £1,500 in costs.

HSE inspector Elliot Archer said: “Andrew and David Turnbull failed to do all that was reasonably practicable to prevent members of the public being put at risk by their cattle. Farmers, landowners and other livestock keepers need to be aware of the risk their cattle pose to members of the public and take suitable protective and preventative measures to mitigate that risk.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Iain Jordan and supported by HSE paralegal officer Rebecca Withell.

Notes to editors:                            

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences in England and Wales can be found here and for those in Scotland here.

A renovation company in South Wales has been sentenced after defying enforcement notices from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Inspectors say Greenlife Property Developments Ltd failed to heed their warnings about the dangers posed to workers by a two-and-a-half metre deep excavation of the entire back garden of a house in Pit Place, Cwmbach, Aberdare.

The HSE inspection of the refurbishment works in September 2023 followed up on reports of unsafe construction work. It found that:

• Employees were observed working within the excavation, which was approximately 2.5 metres deep.
• The sides of the excavation were vertical, leaving a risk of rubble subsiding or collapsing without warning.
• The site had not been secured to prevent unauthorised access.
• There was no risk assessment for the refurbishment works and no safe system of work.
• Craig Lewis, managing director at Greenlife Property Developments Ltd, was present on site at the time.

Following the inspection HSE served Greenlife Property Developments Ltd with a Prohibition Notice, requiring the firm to stop construction work within the excavation until it had corrected defects under a safe system of work. There was an immediate risk of serious injury to employees, working inside the excavation, including of burial from falling rubble.

Two Improvement Notices were also served, one requiring the company to secure the site, preventing unauthorised access, while the other ordered the firm to obtain advice on the risks to workers inside the excavation and implement a safe system of work.

A subsequent HSE investigation found Greenlife Property Developments Ltd breached the Prohibition Notice by continuing construction work inside the excavation. The company also failed to comply with one of the Improvement Notices as it did not obtain advice on the risks to workers inside the excavation and implement a safe system of work. Mr Lewis ignored repeated attempts by HSE to contact him in relation to the notices served and the conditions on site, and attempted to deceive HSE by providing false information in relation to the actions taking by the company to comply with the notices.

HSE guidance states that excavation work must be properly planned and carried out to prevent accidents. Precautions should be taken, including against collapse of the sides, materials falling onto people working in the excavation, and undermining nearby structures. Further guidance can be found here.

Greenlife Property Developments Ltd, of Gurnos Estate, Brynmawr, Ebbw Vale, Gwent, Wales, was found guilty of breaching Section 33(1)(c) and two breaches of Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay £5,812.57 in costs at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court on 20 January 2025.

HSE inspector Rachael Newman said: “Every year people are killed or seriously injured by collapsing and falling materials while working in excavations.

“Workers are not standing on solid ground when they are inside an excavation. There is almost no excavated ground that can be relied upon. One cubic metre of soil collapsing into an unsupported excavation can collapse without warning and weigh as much as one tonne.”

“Greenlife Property Developments Ltd failed to heed the warnings we evidently gave in our enforcement notices. They made no attempt to prevent the excavation from collapse. The company  failed to comply with two enforcement notices which were served to remove the risk and secure compliance with the law.

“The attempts to evade us were a deliberate breach and flagrant disregard of the law.

“The fine imposed on Greenlife Property Developments Ltd should highlight to everyone in the construction industry that the courts, and HSE, take a failure to comply with the law and enforcement notices extremely seriously. We will not hesitate to take action against companies which don’t  do all they should to keep people safe.”

The HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Matthew Reynolds and supported by HSE paralegal officer Jason Dix.

Notes to editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences in England and Wales can be found here and for those in Scotland here.

• Albie Speakman, 3, died in July 2022 after being struck by a telehandler driven by his father.
• Neil Speakman was sentenced on Friday for failing to ensure Albie’s health and safety.
• Mr Speakman should have followed HSE guidance, says lead inspector.

A farmer has been jailed after he failed to ensure the health and safety of his three-year-old son.

Albie Speakman lost his life on 16 July 2022 after he was run over by a telehandler that was being driven by his father Neil Speakman.

A joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Greater Manchester Police found Mr Speakman failed to ensure Albie was kept safe from work activities on his family’s farm in Bury, Greater Manchester. The telehandler being driven by Mr Speakman was in poor condition.

Children should be kept safe from farming work activities by keeping them in a safe area, such as a farmhouse or a securely fenced play area. Further advice can be found here.

Mr Speakman, 39, was using the telehandler to move woodchip into bags while Albie was left playing in a small unfenced garden at the front of the house on Bentley Hall Farm.

The three-year-old wandered onto the farm yard and was fatally struck by the telehandler as it was being reversed.

HSE inspector Mike Lisle said: “This tragedy could easily have been avoided if our guidance was followed.

“Our guidance clearly states children should be kept away from farming activities and work traffic, remaining in a safe space, such as a securely fenced play area.

“Farms are workplaces, but often have a farm house within the grounds. This makes the provision of safe areas for children even more important.”

The HSE and Greater Manchester Police investigation identified that Mr Speakman failed to ensure there was a safe segregated area for Albie to play in so that he was kept safe from farm workplace activity. Instead, Albie was allowed to move around the farm yard while vehicles were being driven.

The investigation found Mr Speakman had borrowed the telehandler from a neighbour, and while he had previously used the vehicle, he was not appropriately trained and had not properly considered the risks involved with using it. The telehandler was missing a wing mirror on the passenger’s side, while the wing mirror on the driver’s side was dirty – reducing Mr Speakman’s visibility as he operated the vehicle.

Neil Speakman, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 after being charged by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

He was handed a 12-month prison sentence and ordered to pay £2,000 in costs at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on 28 February 2025. Mr Speakman must serve at least six months in prison.

Following a trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, Mr Speakman was found not guilty of gross negligence manslaughter in February 2025. This charge was brought by the CPS following a Greater Manchester Police investigation.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences in England and Wales can be found here and for those in Scotland here.

An indoor skiing company in Tamworth has been fined £100,000 following the death of a schoolboy.

Twelve-year-old Louis Watkiss had been at a tobogganing birthday party at the Snowdome in Tamworth on 24 September 2021.  He was descending the main ski slope on a toboggan when it slid into the back of a member of staff who was conducting a slope walk. He fell backwards onto Louis who sadly died at the scene from head injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Snowdome Limited failed to ensure the safety of its customers, including Louis, while they were undertaking tobogganing at the venue.

The HSE investigation also found that Snowdome Limited did not have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for tobogganing activities and had not fully considered all persons likely to be on the slope during tobogganing. As a result, there was no safe system of work, information, instruction, training or supervision to manage the risk of collisions between toboggans and pedestrians.

Nathan Cook, senior enforcement lawyer for HSE said: “Louis went to a friend’s birthday party at the Snowdome and should have returned home safely to his family after an enjoyable occasion.

“Tragically, due to the failings of Snowdome Limited, this did not happen. Louis’s death could have been prevented if the company had adequately assessed and controlled the risks associated with tobogganing activities.

“This should act as a reminder  that venues and employers must ensure suitable and sufficient risk assessments are in place and employees are provided with sufficient safe systems of work, information, instructions, training, and supervision.

• Employers are required by law to protect both their employees and others from harm and assessing the risk is just one part of the overall process and HSE guidance is available to explain what steps should be taken.

Nathan Cook continued: “Our risk assessment guidance may be more commonly used for workplaces such as factories and construction sites, but the same principles apply for busy venues like indoor ski slopes. The possible risks to people from equipment and the movement of visitors and staff needs to be thought through.

“Our thoughts remain with Louis’ family.”

Snowdome Limited, of Leisure Island, River Drive, Tamworth, Staffordshire, pleaded guilty at Telford Magistrates’ Court to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (‘the Act’). At a hearing on 26 February, they were fined £100,000 and ordered to pay costs of £14,534.

The HSE investigation into this incident was carried out by HM inspector Keeley Eves, with the support of visiting officer Natalka Heath.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.
5. HSE guidance about managing and assessing risks is available.