Companies fined as electrician falls and fractures skull
Two companies have been sentenced after a worker fell from a scissor lift and fractured his skull, leaving him in an induced coma.
The electrician, employed by Optilight Electrical Services Ltd, had been repairing light fittings at Expert Tooling and Automation Ltd’s site on Sayer Drive, Coventry when he fell from a scissor lift and landed on the factory floor.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted both companies following the incident on 21 September 2022.
The 52-year-old, from Sheffield, was in the cage of a raised scissor lift approximately 35 feet high when a worker at Expert Tooling began to operate a nearby overhead crane. He did not notice the electrician in the scissor lift.
The crane then collided with the scissor lift, causing it to twist and hit nearby racking before landing on the factory floor.
The electrician came out of the cage while it was falling, hitting his head on the floor and sustaining serious injuries.
A second worker at Optilight Electrical narrowly avoided being crushed by the scissor lift, jumping out of the way before it landed on the floor.
The injured worker sustained a fractured skull, two brain bleeds, a broken collarbone, eight broken ribs, a broken elbow and wrist as well as a punctured lung. He was later placed in an induced coma and underwent several operations.
CCTV still of the incident
A HSE investigation found that Optilight Electrical had not identified the operation of overhead cranes as a risk to its employees that were working at height at Expert Tooling’s site. Expert Tooling did not put procedures in place to prevent the use of overhead cranes while the work at height was taking place. Expert Tooling instead relied on contractors identifying risks and implementing control measures, rather than ensuring procedures were already in place. Both companies did not communicate to each other how the work they were undertaking could impact their staff’s safety at the site.
HSE guidance recommends implementing “permit to work” systems for work activities that require extra care. They are a more formal system stating exactly what work is to be done and when, and which parts are safe. Permit to work systems also provide a means of communication between site management, supervisors, operators and those who carry out the work. More on this can be found at: Human factors/ergonomics – Permit to work systems (hse.gov.uk)
Expert Tooling & Automation Ltd, of Sayer Drive, Coventry, West Midlands, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £1,985.97 in costs at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 29 April 2024.
Optilight Electrical Services Limited, of Oakwood Road, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £7,000 and ordered to pay £1,985.97 in costs at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 29 April 2024.
HSE inspector Charlotte Cunniffe said: “This case clearly illustrates the disastrous consequences that can occur when two companies each assume the other has taken responsibility for safe working practices. Risk often arises through a failure to communicate effectively.”
This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyers Jon Mack and Nathan Cook and supported by HSE paralegal officer Sarah Thomas.
Notes to editors:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
Awarding success: Winners of the Risk Reduction Through Design Award 2024 announced
In a bid to highlight workplace health solutions, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has unveiled its 2024 ‘Risk Reduction Through Design’ awards winners, celebrating design changes that mitigate the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the workplace.
The Risk Reduction Through Design award 2023/24, sponsored by HSE and the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF), aims to spotlight design changes that reduce MSD risks across industries. MSDs encompass a range of conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system, including back pain and joint injuries.
This year marked the introduction of a new category, recognising the efforts of small to medium enterprises alongside the overall best design innovation.
Cranswick Gourmet Pastry has been awarded the MSD Risk Reduction through Design Award for its modification to their pie filling process. The design introduced the “Hopper Topper”, which eradicates the need for manual lifting and decanting of heavy trays and buckets of pie fillings, reducing MSD risk from this activity and increasing productivity.
Operators at Cranswick Gourmet Pastry Ltd ‘crimping’ and weighing pies at the end of the line
Kent-based MRF Contracting has been recognised with the inaugural Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) Recognition Award for its creative use of a handheld crane and tool balancer tailored for its fencing installation operations. This design has substantially reduced the physical strain from lifting and hand-arm vibration (HAVS) effects on employees, promoting a healthier and more efficient working environment.
Chris Quarrie, Chartered Ergonomist and Human Factors specialist and chair of this year’s judging panel, said: “We applaud both Cranswick Gourmet Pastry and MRF Contracting for their contributions towards reducing workplace MSD risks to their workers.
“These awards demonstrate how MSD risks can be designed out of daily work activities. For many workplaces, simple changes can reduce the amount of physical lifting, bending, twisting and the associated strains those movements have on the body. Where manual handling is still necessary, innovative designs like those implemented by our winners can make all the difference when it comes to creating healthier work environments. These awards reflect the importance of engaging the employees throughout the process of designing out MSD risk.
“We are thrilled with all the nominations submitted this year. We hope that other workplaces, with the help of their employees, can consider designing out, or reducing MSD risk, with simple and cost-effective solutions.”
Speaking about their winning design solution, a Cranswick Gourmet Pastry spokesperson said: “We are thrilled that we have been awarded the prestigious MSD Risk Reduction Through Design Award 2024. This accolade serves as a testament to our ongoing commitment within our health & safety strategy to find innovative solutions aimed at eliminating and mitigating risks. This remarkable achievement is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire team involved in the project.”
Archie Montgomery, CEO of MRF Contracting, said: “Winning the award gives recognition to the wider MRF team, which works together to ensure that we are working in the safest, healthiest and best environment. A design as simple as this started from an employee suggestion and was developed through the office staff and our workshop fitters to deliver a solution that benefits the staff we have now and, in the future, and, with luck, other users of this tool.
“It’s a sign of recognition that we, as a company, are progressing toward creating a safer, happier environment.”
The dual awards were presented by Dr Andrew Pinder, HSE Senior Ergonomist, during CIEHF’s annual awards ceremony on 23 April 2024, where the commitment and innovation of the winning companies was celebrated.
Speaking about the awards, Iris Mynott, from CIEHF, said: “Through these recognitions, we highlight the impactful contributions of businesses in advancing workplace safety. Congratulations to our winners and all the entrants for their dedication to ergonomic improvements.”
More information about Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF) can be found here: https://ergonomics.org.uk/
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
A carpentry contractor has been fined after a 22-year-old man died after he was struck by construction equipment on a building site.
On 30 October 2019, Niall McCormack from Kettering, Northamptonshire had been working for KM Carpentry Contractors Limited installing roof trusses at a new build site at Alconbury Weald, Cambridgeshire.
Both the truss packs and party wall spandrel panel had been lifted by crane onto a pair of semi-detached properties the day before the incident – temporarily supported by timber restraints.
Niall McCormack was just 22 when he was killed on a building site
Mr McCormack was working with another carpenter to remove trusses from the pack, to then spread and install across the building. As the two carpenters were in the process of spreading, the wind caught a spandrel panel, pushing it against the remaining trusses in the pack. Both the truss pack and spandrel panel fell into the work area. Niall McCormack was struck by the falling material and suffered a fatal head injury.
An investigation by The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that KM Carpentry Contractors Limited had failed to identify the risk of wind loading, and the effect this could have on the stability of the spandrel panel prior to being secured in place. The method statement for the installation of the spandrel panels included lifting and placing them on the roof only after the roof trusses had been installed and permanently secured. This could not be followed as they had both been placed on the roof at the same time as the roof trusses the day before.
HSE has guidance on the roles and responsibilities for contractors who directly employ or engage construction workers or manage construction work.
At Cambridge Magistrates’ Court on 25 April 2024, KM Carpentry Contractors Limited, of High Street, Higham Ferrers pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act.
The Company was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay £6,974 in costs.
Niall McCormack was struck by falling equipment on the site in Cambridgeshire
A family statement said: “The whole family has been badly affected by Niall’s loss. One of his friends is going to Australia and we can’t help thinking Niall should be here and going with him.
“Niall has lost the ability to grow up and have children of his own. He won’t be getting married and all the things you do as families. He’s missed out on so much, for what, going to work. No one should go to work and not come back.”
After the hearing, HSE Inspector Jenny Morris said: “Our thoughts are with Niall’s family, a 22-year-old who was just setting out on his career in the construction industry.
“This case highlights the importance of identifying the risks associated with a work activity and ensuring a safe system of work is devised and then followed.”
The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Samantha Wells and paralegal officer Lucy Gallagher.
Notes to editors:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
Fine issued after workers exposed to asbestos during hotel demolition
A company director has been fined after workers were exposed to asbestos during the demolition of a hotel in Cornwall.
Mr Paul Stephens, director of the now liquidated Stephens and Stephens Developers Limited, was fined more than £60,000 as a result of failures at the former Cliffdene Hotel in Newquay in 2020. The hotel had closed in 2018 and was part of a redevelopment plan to build residential apartments on the site.
The former Cliffdene Hotel in Newquay
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the control of asbestos at the site came after the hotel had been almost entirely demolished in August 2020. The company had overall control over the assessment and removal of all asbestos containing materials (ACMs) on site.
However, further enquiries revealed the presence of extensive asbestos debris, a sign that significant spreading had occurred, and that those actions taken to control exposure had been inadequate. Stephens was charged for failure to take reasonably practicable steps to contain the spread of asbestos.
The issue of asbestos more widely, and improving knowledge of the dangers, is the focus of two HSE campaigns. Guidance on asbestos safety has recently been updated and the current Asbestos: Your Duty campaign aims to improve understanding of what the legal duty to manage asbestos involves.
Paul Stephens of Bar Meadows, Malpas, Truro, Cornwall pleaded guilty to breaching regulations 16 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 by virtue of Section 37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He was fined £65,813 and ordered to pay costs of £26,116 at Truro Crown Court on 24 April 2024.
Asbestos debris was scattered across the site
Speaking after the hearing HSE principal inspector Georgina Symons said: “The hotel was not in a state of disrepair and presented no structural danger, so there is no reason why the removal of ACMs could not be done ahead of its demolition.
“Identification of the hazard is key. No asbestos removal should happen if there is a risk of exposing workers to it. There needs to be a sufficient assessment as to the presence, location and condition of asbestos at all premises.
“Those tasked with undertaking the assessment should have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to undertake this work.”
This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Matt Reynolds.
Notes to editors:
The Health and Safety Executive(HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
HSE has recently updated its guidance on asbestos safety and has just launched its Asbestos: Your Duty campaign that aims to improve understanding of what the legal duty to manage asbestos involves.
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 were raised to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), inspectors from the workplace regulator went to Billy Davidson NV Stables Limited’s premises in Wingate, Durham on 17 June 2022. As a result, notices were served on the firm requiring it to undertake an examination of the local exhaust ventilation (LEV) system fitted to a chop saw and for failing to control exposure to wood dust from the use of a circular table saw.
Proper dust extraction can include having the right machinery, and vacuuming dust instead of sweeping is often required. HSE’s easy-to-follow guidance can be found here.
Despite the action taken by HSE, when inspectors returned to the site on 12 January 2023, the circular saw was still being used, despite the company saying it had been taken out of use. Likewise, the chop saw and LEV was also still being used, and the company had not provided HSE with confirmation it had been examined and was adequately controlling wood dust exposure.
The subsequent HSE investigation found the company had shown a disregard for health and safety due to their failure to comply with the improvement notices.
Billy Davidson NV Stables Limited was found guilty of contravening two counts of Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and Regulations 9(2) and 7(1) of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. The company was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £4,500 in costs at Peterlee Magistrates Court on 24 January 2024.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Clare Maltby said: “This company showed a blatant disregard to the safety of its own workers.
“Companies are responsible for controlling the exposure to wood dust, a substance which is hazardous to health and can cause long term health effects such as occupational asthma.
“Compliance could have been achieved by simply getting a LEV fitted to the circular table saw and getting a competent person to undertake a thorough examination and test of the LEV on the chop saw.
“This case demonstrates that we will not hesitate to prosecute companies who fail to comply with the law.”
Notes to Editors:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
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, the director of Turners and Moore Limited, was given a four month custodial sentence, suspended for two years, at Norwich Magistrates Court. The 33-year-old’s company was also fined £40,000.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out an inspection at the firm’s Hurricane Way site on November 2017, which identified significant failings in its measures to control exposure of employees to wood dust. Enforcement action was taken, however a subsequent inspection in August 2022 showed the company had failed to maintain standards and further enforcement action was taken.
Turners and Moore Limited of Hurricane Way, Norwich was fined £40,000 after pleading guilty to breaches of Sections 2 (1) and 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The company must also pay £2,000 in costs. Director John Risby was given a four month custodial sentence, suspended for two years. He will also pay costs of £1,100 for breaching section 37 of the same Act.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Natalie Prince said: “This outcome should send a strong message out to anyone with a responsibility for protecting workers.
“Exposure to wood dust can cause serious ongoing health problems and businesses must do all that they can to protect their workers.
“This outcome should underline to those in the woodworking industry that the courts, and HSE, take a failure to protect the health of employees extremely seriously and will not hesitate to take action against companies that fail to do so.”
This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Gemma Zakrzewski and paralegal officer Sarah Thomas.
Notes to Editors:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
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 the company’s stripping shed, which housed an Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) containing alloy wheel stripper.
He was later found by his manager slumped over the side of the IBC, and could not be revived.
Twenty-one-year-old George Setchfield was found dead in work
George had sustained multiple organ failure and chemical pneumonitis and cutaneous burns from exposure to dichloromethane, hydrofluoric acid and methanol.
An investigation by HSE found that Electrostatic Magic Limited had failed to control exposure to dichloromethane and hydrofluoric acid. It would have been reasonably practicable for the company to have installed local exhaust ventilation (LEV), used a hoist or long-handled tools to lower and lift parts in and out of the tank, provide pumped chemical systems to prevent the need to lean into the IBC and finally ensure that any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) provided was suitable for the environment it was being used in.
George had entered the company’s stripping shed, which housed an Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) containing alloy wheel stripper.
George’s Mum, Amanda Foster, told Peterborough Magistrates’ Court: “Trying to find some level of justice for George has taken over my entire life. I have spent hours going into detail, reviewing, rereading and making notes about how George died and how it should have been prevented.
“This is something that I struggle to accept, how has this been able to happen to my son? George’s death has affected every aspect of my life. It has left me with a constant feeling of emptiness and devastation. It will shadow my future forever and I know that my life will never be as it once was. It has shattered my family’s lives and changed everyone’s life who knew and loved George.”
Electrostatic Magic Limited, of Ivatt Way, Westwood, Peterborough, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 7(1) of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 and Article 67 of the REACH regulation. The company was fined £67,000 and ordered to pay £7,231 in costs at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on 19 January 2024.
HSE inspector Tom Pouncey said: “Our thoughts today are with the family of Mr Setchfield, a young man, who should have returned home safely to his family at the end of his working day, but because of the failings of Electrostatic Magic Limited, he did not, and his family are understandably heartbroken.”
“Awareness within the alloy wheel stripping industry of the importance of using appropriate control measures and the dangers of this cold stripping process needs to improve.
“Companies need to understand the dangers of working with hazardous chemicals and ensure employees are not unnecessarily exposed. Deaths can result from working with Dichloromethane-based stripping fluids. HSE will be inspecting businesses carrying out similar work to ensure suitable health and safety arrangements are in place. If they are not then HSE will take appropriate action.”
This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Jon Mack and supported by HSE paralegal officer Rebecca Forman.
Notes to editors:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
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 Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service and was treated at hospital for acute sulphate intoxication. This resulted in a traumatic brain injury, and ongoing issues with memory loss and nerve damage.
The worker was found unconscious in a manhole (pictured)
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust failed to identify the manhole as a confined space, and thereafter, failed to properly risk assess the activity. The trust failed to prevent entry of employees into confined spaces at the site – which was custom and practice for a number of years. The trust also failed to identify a safe system of work or method statement for clearing blocked drains and no precautions were identified to reduce the risk of injury.
HSE’s investigation also highlighted that no confined space training was given to members of the estates team and insufficient information and instruction was provided to those involved as to the methods to be adopted, the risks involved and the precautions to be taken, when clearing drains and entering deep drains or manholes.
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, of Rothwell Road, Kettering, Northants, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of The Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The trust was fined £480,000 and ordered to pay £4,286.15 in costs at Wellingborough Magistrates’ Court on 9 January 2024.
The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Samantha Wells.
HSE inspector Heather Campbell said: “This case highlights the dangers of working in confined spaces. The manhole should have been identified as a confined space, and risk assessed accordingly. Safe systems of work for entry into confined spaces should have been in place, such as those outlined in the HSE’s Approved Code of Practice.”
Notes to Editors:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. www.hse.gov.uk
More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/
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 had been working in the yard of Arriva’s Hemel Hempstead bus depot when the vehicle was reversed out of the wash down area. He sustained fatal injuries.
Twenty-five-year-old Albin Trstena was killed by a reversing bus at Arriva’s bus depot in Hemel Hempstead
In a statement read at St Albans Magistrates’ Court, Albin’s sister Albina said how his death had been ‘devastating’ for their family.
“When we received the news Albin had died, we were left devastated and our whole world came crashing down around us,” she said.
“His presence at home was so alive.
“Albin would always do lots for the family, but not just for the family, he gave of himself and would always help other people where he could.
“He was a brother and son to be proud of.”
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Arriva failed to properly assess the risk of vehicle-pedestrian conflict, and both they and Cordant Cleaning Limited, subsequently known as C.L.C Realisations Limited, failed to implement a suitable system of work to control this risk.
There were also insufficient measures in place to protect pedestrians from vehicles being moved around the depot and to ensure that walkways within the perimeter of the yard were being utilised.
C.L.C Realisations Limited of Wellington Street, Leeds (in administration) offered no plea but was found guilty of breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and fined a nominal £1,000.
Arriva Kent Thameside Limited of Doxford International Business Park, Sunderland, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and have been fined £32,000 and ordered to pay costs of £22,392.
HSE inspector Roxanne Barker said: “This tragic incident led to the avoidable death of a much loved young man.
“There was a failure to undertake safety measures to segregate vehicles and pedestrians.
“They also failed to properly consider who was responsible for determining and implementing suitable measures to ensure safe working practices when contracting out some of the activities performed within a shared workplace.”
Notes to Editors:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
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 phone of a dangerous disregard to safety while working at height.
Care home fined £125,000 after teenager’s death
James and Melissa Mathieson
A care home in Bristol was fined for not doing enough to keep people safe from vulnerable patients who posed a danger to themselves and others.
The complex HSE investigation and prosecution followed the death of Melissa Mathieson at Alexandra House on 12 October 2014. Jason Conroy murdered the 18-year-old and was jailed for life the following year, following a Crown Prosecution Service case.
Both Melissa and Jason were fairly new residents at the home having both moved there in August 2014, Melissa from Crawley, and Jason from a school in Shropshire.
Construction fined after failing to provide basic facilities to workers
A Cheshire construction company was fined £5,000 after it failed to provide workers with adequate welfare facilities.
C.B. Homes Limited was carrying out work at a site on Bunbury Lane in Alpraham when it was visited by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on 23 March 2023. The proactive inspection found the company had failed to provide workers with adequate facilities for workers to wash their hands.
It wasn’t the first time the Tarporley-based company had failed to provide such facilities with enforcement action being taken by HSE on three other occasions. It is a legal duty for companies to provide workers with suitable welfare facilities.
Roofing firm and company business partner sentenced following HSE investigations
A roofing company was fined a total of £881,000 after two workers were seriously injured during two separate incidents.
Billy Hewitt, a worker at Mitie Tilley Roofing Limited, fractured his pelvis after falling through a factory roof in Newcastle. Meanwhile, a 24-year-old labourer employed by RM Scaffolding broke his femur after falling through the roof of a building in Swansea while working on a project run by Mitie Tilley Roofing Limited.
The HSE investigated both incidents and prosecuted Mitie Tilley Roofing Limited. Paul Robinson, a business partner at RM Scaffolding, was also prosecuted following the incident in Swansea.
Fines for repair firm and its director after man crushed at London garage
Company director Seyit Dilek left him standing under the vehicle while it was raised on a vehicle lift
A garage was fined £12,000 after a customer was crushed by his own vehicle at a garage in North London.
Tottenham resident Mahmut Emanet is “lucky to be alive”, according to HSE inspector Michelle Morphy.
The 62-year-old spent six days in a critical care unit after he sustained serious crush injuries in the incident. He has been left with permanent and life changing injuries.
Leading textiles firm hit with £100,000 fine after worker loses hand
A linen services company has been fined £100,000 after a man’s hand had to be amputated.
Scott Drummond, from Rhyl, North Wales, suffered serious injuries to his hand after it became trapped in machinery at the laundry operated by Johnsons Textile Services Limited in Bumpers Lane, Chester, on 24 June 2021. The injuries were so serious that his hand was later surgically amputated above the wrist.
The 45-year-old had been investigating a fault on a large commercial dryer when he was caught by the machine.
Newport City Council fined £2million after death of much loved family man
Stephen Bell was working for Newport City Council when he was killed
Newport City Council was fined £2million after “a hardworking man who loved his family very much” was killed while carrying out road repair works.
Stephen Bell was barrowing tarmac from the back of the local authority’s tipper lorry when he was struck by a farm vehicle passing the road works.
The 57-year-old’s wife Jenny said how the events of 18 July 2019 had changed their family’s life forever.
“I do not have the words to express the pain my family and I felt when we heard the news and losing him so suddenly has taken its toll on us all and has left us all heart broken,” she said.
Offshore companies fined after grandfather injured on North Sea gangway
The damaged boot Mr Hill had been wearing at the time of the incident
Two offshore companies were fined a combined total of more than £1.2m after an offshore worker’s feet were crushed while walking along a gangway over the North Sea.
HSE prosecuted both Shell and Ampelmann Operations following the incident off the Norfolk coast on 17 October 2017.
Martin Hill, a grandfather of eight from Norwich, says he now struggles to go on walks and carry out simple DIY tasks as a result of his injuries.
Farming business fined after a walker dies in cattle incident
Marian Clode
A farming business was fined after a member of the public died after being butted several times by a cow in front of two onlooking grandchildren.
Marian Clode, 61, was on a family walk on 3 April 2016 when the attack happened on a public bridleway in Northumberland. She died in hospital three days later.
The family had been staying at a cottage at Swinhoe Farm, Belford and said Marian “was dearly loved and still so sadly missed.”
North Wales health board fined after failings resulted in woman’s death
Dawn Owen
One of the largest health boards in Wales was given a £200,000 fine 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 Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to act on the findings of the HSE investigation, calling her death ‘wholly avoidable’ and ‘completely unnecessary’.
Company fined after worker spotted on pallet raised by forklift truck
A company has been fined after shocked onlookers spotted an employee precariously working from height while standing on a pallet raised by a forklift truck at Ramsgate Harbour.
HSE was alerted to the activity after it was reported by a member of the public, who managed to capture the terrifying debacle on video.
The worker was part of a team of three at EAP Limited that were removing work equipment from the deck of a boat in the harbour’s slipway.
Offshore drilling company fined after crane boom collapse
Damage to the lifeboats following the collapse
An offshore drilling company has been fined after a crane boom collapsed catastrophically.
Nobody was hurt in the incident on 31 March 2016 but a chaotic scene ensued after the collapse of the Rowan Gorilla VII’s boom, with flying debris damaging a nearby vessel, whipping a hose out of control before it ruptured, leaving a cloud of cement dust.
It happened offshore in the North Sea as staff were preparing to recover a faulty submersible pump.
HSE inspectors described the incident as an “accident waiting to happen”.
A company in Leicestershire has been fined £900,000 after a father-of-two was crushed to death.
Lee Benham died on 4 November 2021 while attempting to move a scissor lift at Nationwide Platform Limited’s workshop in Liskeard, Cornwall.
The 45-year-old LGV driver had operating a scissor lift from the ground to clear an access path so he could move pieces of machinery out of the workshop and load it onto his lorry in the yard.
Lee’s wife, Kelly Benham, said: “There are no words that can describe when you have had your heart ripped out.”
