• 59-year-old father of two was killed when he fell from first floor
• The work had not been properly planned or measures put in place
• Falls from height remain leading cause of fatalities in construction industry

An Oxfordshire-based construction company has been fined £120,000 after a carpenter died when he fell through an unsafe first floor while carrying out refurbishment work.

W G Carter Limited, of Appleton, was sentenced following the death of 59-year-old Richard “Felix” Roper, who fell from height while working at a domestic property in Gloucestershire.

Mr Roper, a father of two, had been carrying out work on the first floor of Manor Barn House, Nether Westcote, on 30 August 2022, where extensive repairs were being undertaken to replace rotten floor joists and floorboards.

He had been tasked with replacing damaged floor joists while other workers removed sections of flooring in the same area. Large parts of the first-floor structure had been stripped back, leaving open gaps between joists. In addition, some joists were either missing altogether or had not been secured.

It was while working in these conditions, Mr Roper fell from the first floor to the concrete ground floor below. He sustained severe head injuries and died in hospital the following day.

A joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Gloucestershire Police found that the work at height had not been properly planned, appropriately supervised, or carried out safely.

The investigation identified several serious failings. Workers, including Mr Roper, were able to access areas of the first floor where flooring and structural supports had been removed, despite there being insufficient measures in place to prevent falls. At the same time, other workers were continuing to remove floorboards, creating and increasing the risk of falling from height.

Following the incident, HSE served a Prohibition Notice, stopping further work at height until adequate safety measures had been introduced.

Falls from height remain the leading cause of workplace death and injury with the latest statistics from HSE showing that they account for over a quarter of all work related deaths in 2025/26.

HSE guidance states what an employer must do to protect their employees from falls from height including making sure work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people.

The investigation found that W G Carter Limited had failed to adequately plan the work and implement suitable measures to prevent workers from falling. After the incident, the company adopted a safer method of working, installing floor joists from below using appropriate work-at-height equipment and preventing access to the first floor while the work was being undertaken.

On 24 September 2026, at Bristol Magistrates Court, W G Carter Limited, of 81A Eaton Road, Appleton, Oxfordshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £120,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,247.

HSE principal inspector James Lucas said:

“Due to the failings of this company, a man lost his life.

“Every year, workers are killed or suffer life-changing injuries because work at height has not been properly planned or suitable safeguards have not been put in place.

“Had appropriate controls been in place, Felix’s death could have been prevented.”

“Our thoughts remain with Felix’s family. He was a valued colleague and a much-loved father of two who lost his life in circumstances that should never have arisen.”

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Gemma Zakrzewski, enforcement advocate Rowena Goodwin and paralegal officer Hannah Snelling.

 

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.

• 23-year-old fell from ladder while erecting fence near the A19
• The work had not been properly planned
• Falls from height remain leading cause of death and injury

A fencing and land services company in Ripon has been fined after an employee suffered spinal fractures when he fell from a ladder during the erection of an acoustic fence.

The 23-year-old man was working for Metcalfe Fencing Contractors Ltd at a site in North Tyneside on the 10 of December 2024. He had been erecting a four metre tall, 265 metre long section of acoustic fencing in between the busy A19, near Holystone, and a housing estate.

The work was planned in such a way that required the use of a ladder on uneven, muddy ground, and an excavator was used to lift the fence panels over the head of the operator situated on the ladder. However, the slings of the excavator became tangled in the ladder during this operation, causing the ladder to tip, and the employee to fall approximately two metres onto the ground.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Metcalfe Fencing Contractors Limited failed to properly plan the lifting operation and the work at height activities.

Falls from height remain the leading cause of workplace death and injury and HSE guidance states that employers must ensure lifting operations and work at height activities are properly planned, and that they are carried out in a way which is, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe. This includes making decisions about whether the work at height can be eliminated entirely. You can read more about our guidance here – Work at height – HSE.

Metcalfe Fencing Contractors Ltd, of The Annexe Heatherlands, Grantley, Ripon, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £22,000 and ordered to pay £5,327 in costs at South Tyneside Magistrates Court on 29 September 2026.

HSE inspector Matthew Dundas said:

“Every year, a significant proportion of accidents, many of them serious and sometimes fatal, occur as a result of poorly planned lifting operations or work at height activities.

“This particular incident was wholly avoidable. Had the company used reasonable practicable measures such as remote release clamps on the lifting equipment, and tag-lines to avoid the need to work on a ladder, this injury would not have occurred.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Iain Jordan and paralegal officer Zara Salman.

 

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 on working at height 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.

• Worker died from crush injuries after being drawn into machinery through a gap in fixed guarding.
• Company fined and ordered to pay contribution to costs after pleading guilty to breaching PUWER 1998.

Gill Aggregates Limited, which operates a site in Dagenham, East London, has been fined £24,000 after one of its workers was drawn into machinery and suffered fatal crush injuries.

Manjit Kumar, 34, was working as a production operative for Gill Aggregates Limited at its East London Aggregate Depot in Halyard Street, Dagenham, on 24 June 2020, when the incident occurred. He was operating a bag flattening conveyor system forming part of a larger piece of machinery.

Mr Kumar was drawn into the compression conveyor through an opening in the guarding. His colleagues raised the alarm and stopped the machine, and the guarding had to be dismantled so that he could be retrieved. The crush injuries were so significant that he died in hospital a few days later.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company, which provides pre-packed and loose aggregates and haulage services to builders’ merchants and the construction industry, had failed to prevent access to dangerous parts of the machinery. Although a fixed guard was fitted around the compression conveyors, it contained an opening measuring approximately 600mm wide by 335mm high, which allowed access to the dangerous moving parts. Following the incident, further guarding was installed to prevent access to the compression conveyors.

The law requires that employers must take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery, or stop their movement before any part of a person enters a danger zone. The measures include fixed enclosing guards and, where these are not practicable, other guards or protection devices. Hazards from machinery should be identified as part of the risk assessment, which should identify measures to reduce the risks those hazards present.

Gill Aggregates Ltd, of Botany Marsh, Lower Road, Northfleet, Kent, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The company was fined £24,000 and ordered to pay a contribution towards costs of £43,000 at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 28 September 2026.

HSE Inspector Adepeju Sogadgi said:

“This was a tragic incident that resulted in Manjit losing his life.

“The risks associated with dangerous moving machinery are well known. Employers must ensure that effective measures are in place to prevent workers from gaining access to dangerous parts.

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Edward Parton, supported by paralegal Anushka Lulith.

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: 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.

• Mick Ferris, a coach driver on his break, was killed by a falling window pane from the 26^th floor of the luxury Corniche development in London
• The Companies failed to effectively act after a near-miss one year earlier, when a window fell from the same penthouses and just missed workers.
• HSE investigation found the companies failed to properly consider the risk if the bespoke windows were left open.

Two companies have been fined a combined £1.3 million after a window unit fell from the 26^th floor of a luxury development in London, killing a coach driver on his break as he walked below.

Two of the companies involved in the design of the bespoke windows in the Corniche development on the capital’s Albert Embankment – with one weighing 130kg falling 300 feet to the ground below, killing the 53-year-old father and grandfather instantly.

The incident happened at around 10.30am on 2 October 2018 – Mick had been on a break and was just returning to his coach, which was parked up nearby.

Mick’s wife Rachel described his death as being ‘so sudden’ and ‘out of the blue

“It has made it so much worse to get used to,” she said.

“Mick was just minding his own business. One minute there, one minute gone.

“The thought this could have happened to anybody is always with me. It could have been a child.

“The fact this could have been prevented, I just can’t explain. If somebody had done something differently – anything – it would have changed our lives.

“I know it wasn’t just one person, but one person could have changed this. One person could have asked ‘can’t we do this better?’.

“What those companies did killed my husband.

“This has changed our lives. It has changed my whole outlook on everything. My life has changed forever.

“We were due to fly to the Maldives the Saturday after Mick died to celebrate our anniversary. We had half-packed suitcases in our house. It was a bucket list place for Mick and he never got to go there. We never got to go there.

“He was also a great dad and grandad – when his kids needed him, he was there.

“He loved driving coaches, having followed in his own Dad’s footsteps as a professional driver.

“Four hundred people attended his funeral – there was even a coach with his name on it. He is missed by so many it is unbelievable.”

St James Group Limited, part of the Berkeley Group, had been the developer of the Corniche, a three tower luxury development near Vauxhall Bridge, as well as the Principal Contractor and Principal Designer.  Lindner Prater Limited was a specialist company engaged by St James to design the penthouse windows.

A series of failures

At an early stage of the design process, the windows had been changed from opening inwards to opening outwards, meaning if they detached, they would fall onto a pedestrian area.  However, they were never effectively risk assessed.

The safety of the windows relied on the performance of a single restrictor, held in by a single screw, and none of the fittings had been confirmed by their manufacturers to be suitable for the bespoke curved penthouse windows.

In August 2017, more than a year before the fatal incident, a window left open in windy conditions fell from the same penthouses during construction, nearly hitting two workers. St James Limited led an internal review into the 2017 near miss, but records obtained by the HSE showed key noted areas of concern were not followed up effectively.

It was only after the second incident in 2018 and Mr Ferris’ death, that the windows were redesigned to open inward and the public walking below the penthouses were no longer at risk if a window was left open.

Sentence handed down

After a five week trial, both St James Limited, of Berkeley House, 19 Portsmouth Road, Cobham and Lindner Prater Limited of  45 London Road, Reigate, were found guilty found guilty to contravening Section 3(1) of The Health and Safety at Work Act etc. 1974.

At sentencing on 24 September 2026 at the Inner London Crown Court, St James was fined £1million and ordered to pay costs of £125,000 and Lindner Prater Limited was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay costs of £125,000.

HSE lead inspector Andrew Verrall-Withers said:

“Two companies – widely seen as leaders in their fields failed to respond to an obvious risk, and tragically this cost the life of a man simply going about his day.

“Both times a window fell, the wind speeds were not unusually high.”

“Even after a window had fallen in 2017, luckily just missing workers below, sufficient attention was not given to assessing the risk of the windows detaching and falling if left open in windy conditions. Too much reliance was placed on adding a small sign to the windows, in effect hoping the residents would not forget to close windows.”

“The construction industry should pay attention to this tragic case. Principal designers need to pay careful attention to clarifying exactly what services architects, designers, and consultants will provide, and then effectively monitor their performance to ensure related risks are identified and coordinate necessary improvements.

“The investigation assessed the involvement of multiple companies, thousands of documents, and highly complex technical evidence. This was followed by the wait for a Trial.

“We are grateful for Mr Ferris’ family’s understanding throughout and hope this outcome brings them some closure.”

The HSE’s investigation was carried out by HM Inspector Andrew Verrall-Withers and HM Principal Inspector James Goldfinch, and the prosecution brought by Counsel Gordon Menzies and Doug Scott, HSE Senior Enforcement Lawyer James Towey, 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. 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,

• Father-of-one Joseph Tuck sustained serious spinal injuries that prevented him returning to a physical job.

• Simple measures to prevent a fall, including securing the stairwell cover or installing edge protection, were not in place.

• HSE identified multiple failures in the management of work at height.

A domestic house builder in Sowerby Bridge was fined after a labourer sustained serious spinal injuries when he fell one storey onto concrete through a stairwell opening.

It was only his second week on the job when Mr Joseph Tuck, 24, a father of one, stepped backwards and fell through an opening intended for a staircase that had not yet been installed. He was working as a temporary labourer for a scaffolding company in January 2024 at a site of four new domestic dwellings being constructed by Hillbeck Homes (Sowerby Bridge) Ltd.

The stairwell opening had not been securely covered (previous loose scaffold boards had been removed) and the open edges were not protected. There were no alternative means of accessing the sub-floor and West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue and the HART team had to rescue Mr. Tuck who had fallen unconscious. He sustained serious spinal injuries which prevented him from working for months after the incident and has not returned to a physical job since.

An HSE investigation found that Hillbeck Homes (Sowerby Bridge) Ltd had failed to put adequate measures in place to prevent falls from height, resulting in Mr Tuck falling through an unprotected stairwell opening and suffering life-changing injuries.

HSE guidance states that employers must take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent and mitigate falls when working at height. This includes properly planning the work, carrying out task-specific risk assessments, and putting in place physical safeguards such as scaffolding, guardrails or coverings to prevent falls, including where there is a risk of falling through openings in floors, roofs or other work platforms. Further guidance can be found here: Work at Height – HSE.

HSE Inspector Louise Redgrove said:

“Falls from height remain one of the leading causes of death in the construction industry, accounting for around a quarter of all fatal injuries to workers each year.

“This was a wholly avoidable incident caused by basic failures in planning and supervision. The stairwell opening was not adequately protected, and simple measures such as securing the scaffold boards or installing edge protection would have prevented Mr Tuck from falling and sustaining serious spinal injuries.

“This fine should serve as a clear reminder to the construction industry that both the courts and HSE take breaches of health and safety law extremely seriously.

“HSE will not hesitate to take enforcement action where employers fail to take the necessary steps to protect workers from harm.”

Hillbeck Homes (Sowerby Bridge) Ltd formerly of 1 Bretton Place, Otley Road, Guiseley, Leeds LS20 8FL was found guilty on three charges.  They failed to properly plan and appropriately supervise work at height and to take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent a fall.  The company was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay £9,284.05 in costs at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on 16 September 2026.

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Matthew Reynolds and paralegal officer Henrietta Ruthven.

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.
4. Relevant guidance can be found here Introduction to working at height safely – HSE; The Work at Height Regulations 2005
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 companies with a poor health and safety record fined
• Failures included exposing workers to wood dust
• HSE inspectors found a ‘multitude of failings’ during visits

Two sister woodworking companies based in Cambridgeshire have been fined after they exposed workers to various risks including wood dust.

Dagless Limited and Nene Milling Company Limited, both based in Wisbech,  were been fined a total of £34,000 following an inspection by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

HSE carried out inspections at the two companies in July 2023 and identified a multitude of significant failings in their health and safety management systems, leaving many employees at significant risks to their health, safety and welfare.

These failings included employees being exposed to wood dust and other substances hazardous to health due to very poor control measures. Wood dust is a known respiratory sensitiser that can cause long term health effects including occupational asthma.

There was no risk assessment or work related noise survey in place and employees had not received training for the use of personal protection equipment (PPE), with the majority of employees not wearing hearing protection in areas where the noise was at very high levels.

The companies also failed to ensure vehicle movements on their sites were safety managed, putting their employees at risk of being seriously injured or killed by moving vehicles and there were numerous items of work equipment being used without appropriate guards or safety features in place.

After the visit, HSE inspectors took enforcement action against both companies. They also identified that since 2002 both Dagless Limited and Nene Milling Company Limited have been served a total of 34 enforcement notices relating to breaches of health and safety. Both companies have also been prosecuted for serious health and safety offences in the past, including incidents that have caused serious injuries to a number of their employees.

HSE guidance states that employers must take effective measures to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees and other persons. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to put in place arrangements to control health and safety risks Managing for health and safety

Dagless Limited and Nene Milling Company Limited, both of Wisbech, entered a guilty plea to charges contrary to Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The companies were fined a total of £34,000 and ordered to pay total costs of £7,809.30 at a hearing at Norwich Magistrates Court on 18 September 2026.

HSE inspector Paul Unwin said:

“These companies have been subject to significant enforcement by HSE in the past, including various enforcement notices.

“This includes both having previously been prosecuted following incidents where their employee have suffered serious life changing injuries.

“We take a failure to protect the health and safety of employees extremely seriously and we will not hesitate to take action against companies which do not do all that they should.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Julian White and paralegal officer Thomas Smith.

 

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 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. Guidance on controlling the risks to employees can be found here: Managing for health and safety
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 at Magistrates’ courts sentencing guidelines – Sentencing

• Craig Pearson, 37, sustained fatal injuries when fire extinguisher exploded
• Father-of-four described by his fiancé Rachelle as “bubbly, thoughtful and kind’
• HSE investigation found Fire Protection Recycling Ltd had failed to ensure the proper safeguards were in place for discharging of fire extinguishers at its site in West Midlands

A waste and recycling company in the West Midlands has been fined after a man described as ‘thoughtful and kind’ was killed while discharging a fire extinguisher.

Craig Pearson, 37, a father-of-four from Dudley, was working for Fire Protection Recycling Limited, at its site in Oldbury when the incident happened on 7 March 2023.

He had been processing powder fire extinguishers which were at the end of their serviceable life. While working on a cartridge type fire extinguisher, it had a sudden release of pressure and exploded, striking him in the head. After the incident, the fire extinguisher was found embedded in the ceiling of the workroom.

Craig was treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for his injuries, but despite the efforts of medical staff, sadly died the next day, on 8 March.

He leaves behind his fiancée Rachelle, siblings John and Cheryl, and his four children.

Craig’s fiancé Rachelle said: “Craig was bubbly, Mr funny and adventurous.

“There was never a day where we didn’t laugh. He was thoughtful, kind and always thought about my needs and was helpful to others.

“I often sit and wonder what life would be like if Craig was here now. Would we be married? What would we be doing together?

“I take each day as it comes. I try my best to keep life as normal as possible and do my best to ensure my children are happy.”

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Fire Protection Recycling Limited failed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its employees while at work and while they were recycling these types of fire extinguishers.

The company had failed to conduct a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, and their systems of work for processing these types of fire extinguishers were not suitable. They did not have proper storage arrangements for old extinguishers waiting for processing, and there wasn’t a suitable restraint system for containing fire extinguishers when they were being discharged, to prevent them ejecting dangerous parts.

HSE states employers must provide plant and systems of work which are so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health.

HSE inspector Heather Campbell said:

“Our thoughts today are with the family of Craig Pearson, a young dad of four.

“He should have returned home safely to his family at the end of his working day but because of the failings of Fire Protection Recycling Limited, he did not.

“I hope the sentence handed down leaves companies in no doubt that we will not hesitate to take action against those that fail to protect their employees.”

Fire Protection Recycling Limited, of Pearsall Drive, Oldbury, West Midlands, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay £17,034.25 in costs at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 14 September 2026.

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Matthew Reynolds and paralegal officer Lynne 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: Safety requirements for pressure testing GS4
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.

• Company that makes cold press juices fined £100,000
• 25-year-old worker had arm trapped in machinery while clearing food blockage
• Daily Dose Ltd had failed to carry out a suitable risk assessment

A cold pressed juice manufacturer in Northamptonshire has been fined £100,000 after a worker’s arm was crushed after becoming entangled in a food processing machine.

The then 25-year-old was working for Daily Dose Ltd at its factory in Corby on 3 December 2024 when he attempted to clear vegetable pulp by hand from a machine known as a “Mash Pump”.

After lifting a lid on the machine’s hopper, the rotating worm screw within the hopper caught his gloved hand and he was drawn into the machine, trapping his arm and causing multiple injuries, including lacerations and fractures. The victim has been left with lifelong injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Daily Dose Ltd failed to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery, namely the rotating parts of the Mash Pump and failed to carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment of risk posed by the machine to its operators.

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 (sometimes with guard locking) may be needed to stop the movement of dangerous parts before a person can reach the danger zone.

Daily Dose Ltd of Ensign House, London, England, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The company was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay £8,776 in costs at Birmingham Crown Court on 16 September 2026.

HSE inspector Adam Johnson said:

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

“In this case this was a wholly avoidable incident, caused by the failure to guard dangerous parts. Had the company carried out a suitable and sufficient assessment of risk, suitable guarding arrangements and safe systems of work could have been implemented.

“The fine imposed on Daily Dose Ltd should underline to businesses that the courts, and HSE, take a failure to follow the regulations extremely seriously.

“We will not hesitate to take action against companies which do not do all that they should to keep people safe.”

The HSE prosecution was bought by HSE enforcement lawyer Andrew Siddal 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 Safe use of work equipment. Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. Approved Code of Practice and guidance L22
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.

• Samworth Brothers Ltd, which owns Ginsters, Soreen and West Cornwall Pasty Co. brands, handed six-figure fine over failings.
• An employee and a contractor suffered scald injuries after being splashed with hot water while carrying out maintenance of steam pipework at the manufacturer’s Kettleby Foods factory in Melton Mowbray.
• HSE investigation found the company failed to assess risks of the maintenance task and that isolation and lock-off procedures were not followed.

A major food manufacturing company has been fined £594,000 following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), after an employee and their colleague suffered scald injuries when they were carrying out maintenance work on steam pipework in the company’s factory in Melton Mowbray.

The two men were working at the Kettleby Foods factory, operated by Samworth Brothers Ltd, which owns popular food brands including Ginsters, West Cornwall Pasty Co. and Soreen, when they were scalded by hot water from the pipework.

The men were working to replace a leaking gasket in an isolation valve on steam pipework in the boiler room of the factory. They were undertaking the work from a gantry above the boiler. The gantry didn’t provide access to the specific part of the pipework they were working on, and so both men had to step off the gantry and work on top of the boiler. When they removed the gasket, they were both splashed with hot water from the pipework, suffering scald injuries. One of the men suffered 4-5% subdermal burns, and the other suffered 9% subdermal, second-degree burns.

The investigation by HSE found that Samworth Brothers Limited had failed to risk assess the task and failed to document a safe system of work for the work being undertaken. The investigation found that suitable isolation and lock-off procedures were not used at the time of the incident, and that the work was undertaken at height without sufficient measures in place to prevent a fall from height. There was a lack of adequate supervision and monitoring procedures in place to ensure that expected processes were followed.

HSE guidance states that adequate planning of tasks requiring isolation means there should be preparation and coordination of job documentation such as risk assessments, method statements, permits and isolation certificates. The integrity of isolations should be proved before proceeding with intrusive work. When working at height, employers should make sure work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people, including using the right type of equipment for working at height.

HSE Inspector Stacey Gamwell said:

“A company this size should have known better.

“This was a wholly avoidable incident which could have resulted in even more serious consequences.

“If Samworth Brothers Ltd had properly risk-assessed the task, they would have identified the need for proper controls for working at height, as well as robust isolation and lock-off procedures, including supervision and monitoring to make sure those procedures and controls were properly enforced.

“Their failure led to severe and painful scalding injuries which should never have happened.

“The result handed down should serve as a warning to employers; when it comes to keeping people safe, HSE won’t hesitate to take action against firms which fall short.”

Samworth Brothers Limited, of Chetwode House, 1 Samworth Way, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £594,000 and ordered to pay £5,834 in prosecution costs, in full, and a £2,000 victim surcharge, at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 4 September 2026. The company was also ordered to pay £6,000 in compensation to the injured employee. All sums are to be paid by 4 January 2027.

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Andrew Siddall and paralegal officer Thomas Smith.

 

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: The safe isolation of plant and equipment – 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 life-changing injuries after a 1.2-tonne crate fell from a forklift truck.
• HSE investigation found unloading operation was poorly planned, not assessed and unsupervised.
• Case highlights the importance of properly managing non-standard lifting operations.

A Hull business has been sentenced after safety breaches resulted in a 64-year-old employee sustaining life-changing injuries.

Smith & Nephew Medical Ltd was sentenced on 14 September 2026 after Mr Dubey, an employee of Nippon Express (UK) Ltd, was seriously injured when a crate weighing approximately 1.2 tonnes fell from a forklift truck.

 

Hull Crown Court heard that on 22 December 2020, Mr Dubey was delivering a large crate containing an electron microscope to Smith & Nephew Medical Ltd’s site. Nippon Express had originally intended to provide a forklift truck and driver for the delivery. However, due to restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith & Nephew Medical Ltd sought to reduce the number of people on site and took responsibility for unloading the goods.

The task was not properly assessed, planned or supervised. As a result, Mr Dubey was positioned unsafely and the crate fell from the forklift truck and landed on him, resulting in life-changing injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Smith & Nephew Medical Ltd had failed to adequately plan the unloading operation. The company also failed to consider how the lift should be carried out, who should be involved and what precautions were necessary. The unloading operation was not meaningfully controlled or supervised.

HSE guidance on planning and organising lifting operations states that lifting operations can often put people at great risk of injury, as well as incurring great costs when they go wrong. It is therefore important to properly resource, plan and organise lifting operations so they are carried out in a safe manner.

Smith & Nephew Medical Ltd, of Hull, was found guilty of breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £230,000 and ordered to pay £111,000 in costs.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector David Stewart said:

“The company should have had clear procedures in place setting out how deliveries were to be managed and what safety measures were required for third parties attending site. These requirements did not change just because normal delivery arrangements at Smith & Nephew had changed, due to restrictions on third-party access during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If Smith & Nephew were not to play any role in unloading deliveries, this should have been clearly specified. If third parties were permitted to take part, including supervising or guiding a forklift truck driver, this should also have been clearly defined, along with the actions necessary to ensure their safety.

“This case should serve as a reminder to the wider industry of the need to properly plan and supervise unloading operations, particularly where non-standard loads are involved. Such operations require a risk assessment proportionate to the hazards, taking account of the nature of the load, the suitability of lifting equipment and the arrangements for execution and supervision.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Jonathan Bambro and paralegal officer 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: Planning and organising lifting operations – 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.