• Employees exposed to asbestos risk during dismantling of wall panelling.
• Asbestos had not been identified in previous surveys of the studio buildings.
• HSE investigation found failures in assessment, training and emergency arrangements.

A film studio in Hertfordshire has been fined £6,000 after poor management of minor building works led to the disturbance of asbestos – putting employees at risk of exposure to asbestos fibres.

Maintenance staff at Elstree Film Studios in Borehamwood had been asked to remove acoustic wall panelling from one of the studio buildings in preparation for the replacement of the studio doors by an external contractor.

Employees were told that no asbestos was present and began dismantling the panels using claw hammers and crowbars on 22 July 2022.

Shortly after starting work, one employee identified a layer of insulation that he believed to be asbestos and immediately stopped. Subsequent testing confirmed the presence of asbestos – Amosite/Chrysotile and Crocidolite – which required licensed removal.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that neither the studio’s asbestos management surveys nor the specific refurbishment surveys had considered the wall surfaces within stages 7, 8, and 9.

As a result, the acoustic wall panelling dismantled by employees fell outside the scope of any assessment. The investigation also identified failings in training and inadequate emergency arrangements to deal with asbestos disturbance.

HSE guidance states that employers must not undertake work liable to expose people to asbestos unless a suitable assessment has been carried out and a proper plan is in place. This often includes the use of licensed contractors with appropriate controls to manage the risks.

Elstree Film Studios Limited, of Civic Offices, Elstree Way, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 5, 10 and 15 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. The company was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £6,790 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge at Stevenage Magistrates’ Court on 20 November 2025. All sums are to be paid within seven days.

HSE Inspector Stephen Manley said:

“Poor management of asbestos can lead to workers being exposed to the harmful effects of asbestos. Those in control of buildings must ensure they have a suitable assessment in place, and those undertaking intrusive work should be provided with appropriate information – which, for this type of work, will often require a specific localised survey by a competent person.”

The prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Gemma Zakrzewski and Paralegal Officer Helen Hugo.

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 at Asbestos – 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.

• Worker sustained serious injuries when his foot was trapped in machinery.
• Company had failed to prevent access to dangerous parts.
• HSE guidance is available.

A Yorkshire animal feed manufacturer has been fined £500,000 after a worker lost part of his foot when it was entangled in machinery.

William Thompson (York) Limited pleaded guilty after failing to prevent access to a rotating auger – a tool consisting of a central shaft with a blade wrapped around it – which is designed to transport excess feed away from a press.

The 41-year-old had been working as a supervisor at the company’s Jubilee Mill site in York on 14 November 2023. At the time of the incident, the man had been trying to resolve a maintenance issue with the machinery. However, he was able to open the press while its parts remained in operation at significant speed. His foot became entangled in the rotating auger and he sustained injuries so serious he remained in hospital for a period of six weeks.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that William Thompson (York) Limited failed to prevent access to dangerous parts of the machinery and also to carry out a suitable risk assessment of the work being done.

HSE guidance states employers must take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery. This will normally be by fixed guarding but where routine access is needed, interlocked guards may be needed to stop the movement of dangerous parts before a person can reach the danger zone. Further guidance can be found here: Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) – HSE.

William Thompson (York) Limited, of Main Street, Malton, North Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974. The company was fined £500,000 and ordered to pay £4,455 in costs at York Magistrates court on 18 November 2025.

HSE Inspector Shauna Halstead said: “This company’s failures resulted in a man sustaining life-changing injuries.

“Too many workers are injured or killed every year because of failures to guard dangerous parts of machinery.

“Companies must implement safe working practices when carrying out maintenance operations.

“We will not hesitate to take action against companies which do not do all they should to keep people safe when working with machinery.

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Arfaq Nabi and paralegal officer Sarah Thomas.

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 Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) – 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.

• Employee died after being trapped under fallen pallet
• Company failed to undertake a suitable and sufficient risk assessment
• Systagenix Wound Management Manufacturing Limited t/a Scapa Healthcare Limited fined £600,000

A global manufacturing company has been fined £600,000 after an employee suffered fatal injuries following an incident at the premises in Airedale Mills, Gargrave, Craven.

On 21^st September 2020 Tony Snowden, 56, was fatally injured when a pallet that was stacked on top of another pallet fell trapping him between the pallet and a ledge on a wall behind him.

The loaded pallet in total weighed 592kg and other employees in the area had to ‘unload’ the pallet as it was too heavy for them to lift in order to remove it from Mr Snowden. Sadly, when the pallet was removed Mr Snowden had died from his injuries.

A HSE investigation found the company failed to conduct risk assessments considering load, height, weight and stability. The company stored three-legged pallets without racking systems, stacking them on top of each other at floor level. The investigation concluded these pallets should never have been stacked vertically.

Although the company had a “Procedure for Pallet Handling Policy” not all employees working in the RMS area had been trained on it. No evidence was found that Mr Snowden had been trained on the procedure.

Systagenix Wound Management Manufacturing Limited t/a Scapa Healthcare Limited of 997 Manchester Road, Ashton Under Lyne, pleaded guilty to a single charge of breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The court was told that the main failings of the company were:

• Failing to undertake a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the storage of goods pallets in the bulk storage area, and in particular failing to consider their height, weight and stability.
• Failing to put in place measures to prevent double stacking and falling pallets;
• Failing to provide adequate training for storing goods pallets in the RMS area;
• Failing to ensure adequate monitoring and supervision of the condition and storage of goods pallets stored in the RMS area.

The company was fined £600,000 and ordered to pay £15,000 in costs at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on 12 November 2025.

Further information is available in HSE’s Guidance ‘Pallet Safety’ – PM15 Pallet safety – HSE.

Following the hearing, HSE Inspector Kirsty Storer-Cottrell said:

“This tragic incident could have been easily prevented had a suitable and sufficient risk assessment taken place and the actions identified implemented. Training, monitoring and supervision along with risk control measures, including not double stacking these pallets, would have prevented a fatality happening.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Jonathan Bambro and Paralegal Officer Rebecca Withell.

Further information:

1. 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. hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: legislation.gov.uk/
3. HSE news releases are available at: http://press.hse.gov.uk
4. HSE guidance and information on Pallet safety is available here: Pallet safety – HSE

• More than 200 people infected with disease.
• Victims’ described experience as ‘the worst diarrhoea and vomiting ever they had ever had’
• Extensive HSE and industry guidance is available.

A farm owner on the Isle of Wight has been fined £8,000 after an outbreak resulted in 264 people being infected with Cryptosporidium – a zoonotic disease.

Sharon Wheeler, 60, ran an animal bottle feeding activity at a petting farm at Hazelgrove Farm in Ryde in April and May 2023. This activity infected more than 30 per cent of attendees with the highly infectious illness, cryptosporidiosis, more than half of those were children.

Cryptosporidium is a form of zoonotic parasite (a tiny organism) that causes an illness called cryptosporidiosis affecting people and some animals, particularly farm animals. Symptoms in people can include abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, and nausea.

The Hazelgrove Farm outbreak was declared following reports of gastrointestinal illness among visitors who had attended the animal bottle feeding activity, where visitors could purchase a bottle of milk to feed to a lamb or goat kid.

A joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) traced the infections back to the farm, identifying that approximately 2,400 tickets were sold between 4 April to 1 May 2023 for animal feeding event.

The investigation established failings in the way the animal feeding activity was run, including:

• Failure to properly assess the risks to workers and visitors.
• Inadequate washing and drying facilities (reusable cloth towels should not be used).
• Insufficient information and instruction to employees and visitors (visitors were not given sufficient information about zoonotic risk and controls).
• Inadequate control and supervision of visitor contact with animals (children were observed kissing both goats and lambs which were visibly contaminated with faecal matter).

As a result, 264 attendees suffered some form of symptoms, however, five per cent of cases were admitted for overnight hospital stays due to prolonged or severe symptoms, including children.

Many adults had to take time off work and school, amounting to 1,254 lost days, because of illness or caring responsibilities. Several victims have reported continuing gastrointestinal issues affecting their day to day lives since attending the event, with some having multiple hospital stays over 2024. Victims’ state that their experiences were among the worst diarrhoea and vomiting they had ever had, fearing for their children’s health, leaving lasting aftereffects and putting their families off ever visiting farm animals again.

In his judgement, District Judge Galloway, summarising the victims statements, said: “There is no doubt that that the events to which they refer are and were serious” and reflected on the victims “psychological toll experienced, and PTSD” and “the fact that the illness was life threatening “and “the fear that a child affected would not recover”.

Sharon Wheeler or Hazelgrove farm, Ryde, Isle of Wight, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. She was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of  £9,528.35 in costs at a hearing at Southampton Magistrate’s court on 11 November 2025.

Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Francesca Arnold said: “It is extremely important that farmers understand the risks on their farm, and they should ensure that visitors are protected when inviting the public onto their farms.

“Health risks from contact with the animals need attention and must be controlled. If the zoonotic risks had been properly controlled this incident could have been avoided, but the failures during the animal feeding activity meant a large number of visitors became ill and some suffered lasting effects.

“As with most activities, visits to farms and farm attractions can never be considered free from risk. However, it is possible to reduce the levels of risk by implementing control measures and safe practices to ensure that workers and members of the public are not put at risk and still provide a valuable and enjoyable recreational and educational experience.”

All animals naturally carry a range of microorganisms, some of which can be transmitted to humans. Diseases passed from animals to humans are known as zoonoses. Some zoonotic diseases are more serious than others. Young children and those with deficient immune systems are amongst those more likely to suffer serious effects from zoonotic disease. Some zoonotic diseases can potentially be  life-threatening.  Those operating animal visitor attractions have a legal duty to assess the risk and put in place suitable control measures.

While the risk of contracting a zoonotic disease is generally considered to be low, such risk may be significantly increased without adequate control measures being in place.

Only small numbers of cryptosporidium are required to become ill, and it is capable of surviving for a long time in the environment. People can become infected by consuming contaminated food or drink or by direct contact with contaminated animals. Infection can also occur when people come into contact with animal faeces or saliva, even in very small amounts, such as by touching or kissing infected animals, during bottle-feeding, or touching contaminated fences and other items such as contaminated cloth towels. Good control measures, including handwashing with soap and water are therefore essential.

Industry guidance to assist dutyholders to control zoonotic risk to farm visitors is freely available from the Access to Farms website. The HSE was consulted in the production of the Industry Code of Practice (ICOP) “Preventing or Controlling Ill Health from Animal Contact at Visitor Attractions”.

The ICOP provides sensible, proportionate and balanced advice to farms on how to comply with health and safety law and keep visitors safe and well, including the reasonably practicable measures available to reduce the risk of exposure to micro-organisms and a useful checklist for farmers to use.

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyers Robert James and Kate Harney and paralegal officer Stephen Grabe.

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. Zoonoses are diseases caused by micro-organisms that can be transmitted from animals to humans, these illnesses include those resulting from infection with the organisms Escherichia coli O157(E coli O157) and Cryptosporidium parvum.
5. Relevant guidance can be found here Preventing or controlling ill health from animal contact at visitor attractions or open farms – HSE and Industry Code of Practice | Access To Farms and Cryptosporidium: public advice – GOV.UK.
6. 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.

• Employee became trapped in unguarded machine and died at the scene.
• Company failed to carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessment.
• Reflex Flexible Packaging Ltd fined £277,500.

A plastics conversion company based in Derbyshire has been fined £277,500 after an employee sustained fatal injuries when he became trapped in the moving parts of an unguarded machine.

Paul Whalley, 46, was employed by Reflex Flexible Packaging Ltd at their factory on Amber Drive, Langley Mill, when the incident occurred.

On 29 May 2020, Mr Whalley entered an opening in the side of a plastic conversion machine that permitted whole-body access to dangerous moving parts. The area contained several unguarded mechanisms, and Mr Whalley became trapped in the machine.

Despite efforts by the emergency services, including cutting conveyor belts and rollers to free him, he sadly died at the scene from crush asphyxia.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Reflex Flexible Packaging Ltd failed to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for operation of the machine.

The company had not installed appropriate guarding to prevent access to dangerous parts and had no written safe systems of work or isolation procedures in place.

HSE guidance states that employers must take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.

This typically involves fixed guarding, but where routine access is required, interlocked guards may be needed to stop movement before a person can reach the danger zone.

Further information is available in HSE’s Safe Use of Work Equipment – Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) and its Approved Code of Practice: Safe use of work equipment (PUWER).

Reflex Flexible Packaging Ltd, of Hamilton Way, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The company was fined £277,500 and ordered to pay £20,000 in costs at Derby Crown Court on 5 November 2025.

Following the hearing, HSE Inspector Lee Greatorex said:

“This tragic incident could have been easily prevented had a suitable and sufficient risk assessment taken place and the actions identified implemented. The accident is made worse by the fact that the company’s own internal health and safety department had identified a lack of risk assessments 18 months before the accident, but no follow-up action was taken to remedy this failing.

“This wholly avoidable incident was caused by the failure of Reflex Flexible Packaging Ltd to guard the dangerous parts of the machine Mr Whalley was operating. It was obvious that these moving parts were not guarded and presented a clear risk of injury. Had the company fitted suitable guarding, this fatality would not have occurred.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Edward Parton and Paralegal Officer Rebecca Withell.

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 are available at press.hse.gov.uk.
4. Relevant guidance can be found here: Safe use of work equipment (PUWER).
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.

• Worker died after falling through unprotected skylight opening at domestic property.
• Company failed to take measures to prevent falls from height.
• HSE reminds employers of guidance for safe working at height.

Skyladder Construction Limited has been fined £33,500 after a man died when he fell through a skylight opening at a domestic property.

The company was constructing a single-storey extension with a flat roof at a property in Farnborough. On the evening of 20 July 2022, it began to rain, and the company director and an employee returned to the site at approximately 11pm to cover the new roof with a blue plastic tarpaulin, securing it with logs of wood.

Bhakta Rai accompanied the employee to the site that evening. At some point, Mr Rai went onto the roof to assist and fell through a hole intended for a skylight, falling approximately 2.5 metres onto the concrete floor below.

In an attempt to recover Mr Rai, he was lifted back through the roof opening, carried across the roof, and then brought down a ladder at the front of the property. No ambulance was called, and Mr Rai was transported to hospital in a van. He died a few days later after sustaining significant injuries, including a spinal fracture, fractured skull, possible bleed on the brain, and swelling to the head.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) attended the scene on 21 July 2022. Between the police leaving the site (at around 4am) and the HSE’s arrival later that day, the tarpaulin had been replaced, covering the roof.

An HSE investigation found that Skyladder Construction Limited failed to take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent, so far as was reasonably practicable, any person from falling a distance liable to cause personal injury. There were no physical measures in place at the edges of the building or around the skylight openings to prevent a fall, and no measures to mitigate the distance or impact of a fall.

Skyladder Construction Limited also contravened a requirement imposed by an HSE inspector. During the investigation, HSE requested information from the company under Section 20 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which it is an offence not to provide. No response was received.

HSE guidance sets out measures for planning and carrying out work at height safely. It includes practical controls that can be implemented to remove or reduce the risk of a fall. Following this guidance would have identified the risks from the unprotected roof and shown that the risk could have been eliminated entirely by changing how the work was undertaken. Further guidance can be found here: Work at height – HSE.

Skyladder Construction Limited, of 8 Harbour Close, Farnborough, GU14 8HT, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and Section 33(1)(e) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 for failing to provide information requested under Section 20 of the Act.

The company was fined £33,500, ordered to pay £8,472 in costs, and a £2,000 victim surcharge at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on 31 October 2025.

Following the hearing, HSE Inspector Jenny Morris said:

“Falls when working at height remain the most common kind of workplace fatality, accounting for around a quarter of all worker deaths. In this case, this was a wholly avoidable incident — Mr Rai died in a fall which should never have been able to happen.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Rebecca Schwartz and Paralegal Officer Helen Hugo.

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 https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/index.htm
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 (HSE) has today launched a consultation on proposals to improve the application of the Control of Asbestos Regulations and guidance around asbestos management to help protect workers and building users.

Great Britain already has one of the best workplace health and safety performances globally, with some of the lowest rates of occupational injury and fatality in Europe. These proposals build on this strong foundation to enhance protections in areas where asbestos remains a significant health risk.

The consultation aims to seek stakeholders’ views on three proposals:

1. To ensure the independence and impartiality of roles in the four-stage clearance process to further minimise the risk of exposure from asbestos to workers and building users after the removal of asbestos
2. To drive up the standard of asbestos surveys to ensure dutyholders have the information they need to safely manage asbestos risks
3. To clarify the type of work that constitutes work with asbestos known as Notifiable Non-Licensed Work (NNLW)

The consultation is particularly relevant to dutyholders, asbestos analysts, asbestos removal contractors, asbestos surveyors, and associated professions including facilities management and construction.

Rick Brunt, Director of Engagement and Policy at HSE, said:

“Asbestos continues to be a significant risk to workers in Great Britain. While we have made significant progress in managing asbestos risks, these proposals represent an important step towards further strengthening protections for workers and the public.

“We want to hear from all stakeholders involved in the asbestos regulatory system to ensure our approach is both effective and proportionate, supporting HSE’s commitment to protecting people and places whilst enabling innovation and economic growth.”

Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms, said:

“The dangers of exposure to asbestos are well known. Its legacy is that it remains the biggest cause of work-related deaths in the UK — responsible for 5,000-plus deaths per year, with many more people living with the impact of asbestos-related disease.

“In Britain we have a mature and well-established approach to the management of asbestos in buildings: the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, enforced by the Health and Safety Executive and other regulators.

“This consultation aims to improve these regulations and enhance worker and public protection from asbestos exposure.”

The consultation runs until 9 January 2026. The full consultation document, including detailed proposals, background information and how to respond, is available on the HSE website at:

https://consultations.hse.gov.uk/hse/proposals-control-of-asbestos-regs-2012.

• Multiple workers exposed to vibration-related ill-health.
• Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome can make everyday tasks impossible.
• HSE guidance is available.

An East Midlands social housing provider has been fined £32,000 after multiple workers were diagnosed with vibration related ill-health conditions such as Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS).

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched an investigation after it received more than ten reports of vibration related ill-health in a short period of time. The workers affected had until recently been employed by Nottingham City Homes Limited, an arms-length management organisation that managed social housing on behalf of Nottingham City Council between 2005 and 2023.

The HSE investigation found a large number of the company’s employees were exposed to vibration in their day to day work.  These included bricklayers, joiners, electricians, plasterers, caretakers and others – while their work was varied, all included extensive use of power tools, ranging from drills and impact drivers to vibrating plates and road breakers, over an extended period of time.  Despite this, and the dangers exposure can cause, the company had not properly assessed or controlled worker’s exposure to vibration.

Prolonged and regular exposure to vibration can affect a worker’s health resulting in disorders of the nerves, blood supply, joints and muscles of the hands and arms. These disorders are collectively known as HAVS and symptoms can include pain, tingling, numbness and loss of strength.  HAVS can make everyday tasks such as fastening buttons or holding utensils difficult or impossible.

HSE guidance, available here, and in the HSE publication Hand-arm vibration – The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (L140) (PDF), sets out practical guidance to help employers protect their employees and fulfil their legal obligation to control vibration risks. The guidance includes advice on the assessment of risk, ways to control exposure, and in-depth information about health surveillance.

The HSE investigation also found that the company had not undertaken a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks posed by vibration. Control measures, such as removing the need to use vibrating tools, using lower vibration alternatives, or limiting exposure times, had not been properly implemented. Tool maintenance and health surveillance arrangements were inadequate, and employees had not received sufficient training on the risks that they faced.

Nottingham City Homes Limited, of Loxley House, Station Street, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £32,000 and ordered to pay £6,226 in costs at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on 3 November 2025.

HSE inspector Tim Nicholson said: “Nottingham City Homes Limited exposed its employees to vibration through the use of power tools for a long period of time.

“The company failed to properly manage this risk which led to employees suffering ill-health – the effects of exposure to vibration can be debilitating and, once damage is done, it is irreversible.

“There is extensive guidance available that is straightforward to follow and includes calculation tools to assist in deciding what is needed to protect employees.

“Employers should take this case as a reminder that HSE will not hesitate to act against companies which do not do all that they should to keep employees safe.”

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Neenu Bains, and paralegal officer Jorge Kemp.

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. Guidance on assessing and controlling vibration risks can be found here.
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 in England can be found here and those for Scotland here.

• Man died due to company’s failures
• Company had never carried out the tasked before.
• HSE guidance is available.

A Middlesbrough road haulage company has been fined £250,000 after a man died while working inside a shipping container.

Gary Lee James, 30 was working for Ward Bros (Malton) Ltd at its yard at South Bank, in the early hours of 8 January 2019, when he suffered a fatal injury.

Mr James and a colleague had been standing up metal frames, each weighing approximately 120kg, within a shipping container, part of what is known as a “devanning” activity.

As the two men lifted the sixth frame, the fifth one fell back towards them, followed by the four others. Mr James was pinned by the neck between the container wall and the fallen frames. Although he was transported to James Cook University Hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest, he was sadly pronounced dead three days later.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the frames had not been secured to the container wall. It found that Ward Bros (Malton) Ltd failed to ensure, so far is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of its employees, including Gary James, at work in connection with the devanning of containers.

Despite the company having never undertaken devanning work before, it failed to create a suitable and sufficient written risk assessment. There was no clear and properly planned safe system of work for its employees.

Instead, the company embarked upon an ad-hoc and ultimately unsafe system of work, which was not effectively communicated to the employees who were left largely unsupervised to determine their own methods of devanning the containers.

HSE guidance states that employers must identify hazards, assess risk, and take action to eliminate or control those risks. Employers are not expected to eliminate all risks but they need to do everything ‘reasonably practicable’ to protect people from harm. This means balancing the level of risk against the measures needed to control the real risk in terms of money, time or trouble. Further guidance can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/steps-needed-to-manage-risk.htm

Ward Bros (Malton) Ltd, of Dormor Way, South Bank, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £250,000 with costs to be determined at a later date at Teesside Crown Court on 31 October 2025.

HSE Inspector Joy Craighead said: “This was a tragic and preventable incident, that cost a young man his life.

“Every year, a significant proportion of accidents, many of them serious and sometimes fatal, occur as a result of poorly planned work activity.

“In this case there was a complete failure to risk assess and implement control measures. Had the company done so, Mr James would still be alive.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Jonathan Bambro and law clerk Rebecca Forman.

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: https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/steps-needed-to-manage-risk.htm
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.