• Samson Containers Ltd left welders exposed to cancer-causing fumes without ventilation or protective equipment.
• Company failed to act on two separate HSE improvement notices issued in September 2024 and February 2025.
• Company also failed to provide health surveillance to monitor the hearing of their employees exposed to high levels of noise.

A Lancashire manufacturer of skips and metal containers has been fined £30,000 after repeatedly failing to protect its workers from carcinogenic welding fumes at its site in Thornton-Cleveleys.

Despite being served with an Enforcement Notice by HSE inspectors on two occasions, Samson Containers Ltd continued to carry out mild steel welding without adequate control measures to protect their employees. Inspectors also found the company failed to meet it duty to monitor the health of workers exposed to high levels of noise – risking long-term harm.

During a visit to the site on 29 August 2024, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors identified several issues including high-intensity welding without local exhaust ventilation (LEV), inadequate welfare facilities, and a lack of assessment of noise risk, along with other health and safety issues on site. Multiple improvement notices were served.

Inspectors returned on multiple occasions to assess compliance, but found that the company had done nothing to comply with the notices relating to welding fume control and health surveillance for noise. This failure left employees exposed to carcinogenic welding fumes and at risk of becoming seriously ill. The company also failed to provide health surveillance to monitor the hearing of their employees exposed to high levels of noise throughout the shift.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer advises that exposure to mild steel welding fumes can cause lung cancer and possibly kidney cancer in humans. To control the risk, suitable ventilation must be present. Where this ventilation does not adequately control exposure, respiratory protective equipment (RPE) should be provided. Welding should not be undertaken without these control measures in place. This is applicable to welding indoors and outdoors.

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, Regulation 9 (1) requires employers to provide employees with health surveillance involving hearing checks where they are regularly exposed to high levels of noise or where employees are particularly at risk e.g. pre‑existing hearing loss or sensitivity to noise. Health surveillance helps employers to identify early signs of hearing damage, prevent further deterioration by prompting action, and making sure that their noise controls measures are working effectively.

The company Samson Containers Limited was found guilty at Warrington Magistrates’ Court of failing to comply with two Improvement Notices contrary to Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The company was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay £4571 in costs along with a victim surcharge of £2000 on 16 June 2026.

HSE Inspector Gemma Feerick said:

“This was a company that put its workers at risk of serious, long-term health conditions because it repeatedly failed to get the basics right – even when expressly served with notices to put proper controls in place.

“These fines should send a clear message that HSE takes failure to comply with enforcement notices extremely seriously and will act against companies and individuals who fail to protect the health and safety of their employees.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Julian White 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. Relevant guidance can be found here:

• Safety Bulletin 15: HSE Guidance welding fume 2019 – GOV.UK
• Welding fume control
• L108: Controlling noise at work

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.

• Streamline Shipping Agencies Limited has been fined after a yard operative was struck by a forklift truck at its Aberdeen Harbour premises.
• An HSE investigation found the company failed to ensure adequate separation between pedestrians and vehicles during loading and unloading operations.

A shipping company based in Aberdeen has been fined after an employee suffered serious and life-changing injuries when he was struck by a forklift truck at the company’s yard.

A 43-year-old man was working at Streamline Shipping Agencies Limited’s premises at Palmerston Quay, Aberdeen, when he was struck by a reversing forklift truck driven by a colleague on 26 September 2024. The worker was on foot, unclipping the curtain side of an articulated trailer, when the rear nearside wheel of the forklift made contact with his right leg, pulling him to the ground.

The worker suffered multiple fractures to his right foot and lower leg, as well as a de-gloving injury, undergoing two surgical procedures and skin grafts. He has also required counselling because of the incident and has yet to return to work.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Streamline Shipping Agencies Limited failed to ensure its workplace was organised in such a way that pedestrians and vehicles could circulate safely. While the company had a traffic management plan in place, it lacked the necessary detail to ensure that loading and unloading – which routinely took place concurrently in the same area – could be carried out safely without putting employees on foot at risk from moving vehicles.

HSE concluded it was reasonably foreseeable that an employee on foot faced a risk of being struck by a moving vehicle when both the pedestrian and driver were concentrating on their respective tasks near each other.

Following the investigation, an Improvement Notice was served on the company. In response, Streamline made a series of improvements to its traffic management arrangements to the satisfaction of HSE.

By law, employers must ensure traffic routes can be used without putting workers at risk. Guidance on managing vehicle movements in the workplace is available on the HSE website.

Streamline Shipping Agencies Limited, of Streamline Terminal, Blaikies Quay, Aberdeen, AB11 5PU, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 17(1) of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and Section 33(1)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The company was fined £146,700 and ordered to pay a Victim Surcharge of £11,000 at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on 22 May 2026.

HSE Inspector Nicky Smith said:

“This was a serious and wholly avoidable incident that has had a profound and lasting impact on this worker’s life.

“Employers have a legal duty to ensure that pedestrians and vehicles can move safely within their workplaces, particularly in busy areas where loading and unloading takes place.

“Having a traffic management plan is not enough if it does not contain the detail needed to protect workers on the ground.

“We will not hesitate to hold companies to account when they fall short of their  obligations.”

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: Transport safety in waste and recycling – 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 in Scotland can be found here.

• Stuart Garnet, 44, was fatally struck by a reversing telehandler at a Cumbria-based waste company
• An HSE investigation found H. Wicks (Lindal) Limited failed to ensure pedestrians and vehicles could circulate safely on site

A waste company in Cumbria has been fined £60,000 after an employee was hit and killed by a reversing telehandler in Barrow-in-Furness.

Stuart Garnet, 44, was working at H. Wicks (Lindal) Limited’s waste facility when he was struck by a reversing telehandler on 12 May 2022. He subsequently died of his injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that H. Wicks (Lindal) Limited failed to ensure the site was organised in such a way that pedestrians and vehicles could circulate in a safe manner.

By law, employers must ensure traffic routes can be used without putting workers at risk. Guidance on managing vehicle movements in the workplace is available on the HSE website.

H. Wicks (Lindal) Limited, of Scarth Road, Sowerby Woods Business Park, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The company was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,624.75 at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on 26 May 2026. A statutory surcharge of £2,000 was also imposed.

HSE Principal Inspector Caroline Shorrock said:

“Stuart Garnet’s death was an avoidable tragedy, and our thoughts are with his friends and family.

“Every year, a significant number of workplace accidents, many of them serious and sometimes fatal, occur because of poor separation of pedestrians and vehicles.

“Had the company implemented suitable separation measures, this fatal injury would not have occurred. The fine imposed on H. Wicks (Lindal) Limited should serve as a clear reminder to everyone in the waste and recycling industry that HSE will hold to account those who fail to keep their workers safe.”

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 is available.
4. Relevant guidance can be found here: Transport safety in waste and recycling – 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 in Scotland can be found here

• Worker has three fingers partially severed  after contact with moving machinery at Glasgow fuel plant
• Radio miscommunication led to worker believing high-spinning blades had been turned off
• HSE investigation found the company failed to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery

A biomass company in Glasgow has been fined a six-figure sum after a worker lost parts of three fingers in machinery at the Daldowie Fuel Plant.

The incident happened at SMW Limited’s site in Uddingston, near Glasgow, in 2023.

A shift operator with 17 years’ experience at the plant, suffered his injuries on 8 June 2023 while attempting to clear a blockage on a surge hopper – a large vessel through which processed material passes at the end of the production line.

The 57-year-old employee had been clearing a blockage in a rotary lock valve which contained rotating blades that turn at 25rpm. As he attempted to clear the blockage, he removed a metal clip and rubber gaiter to gain access to the valve. Communication with the control room, which operated the valve remotely, was carried out by hand-held radio. There was no line of sight between the two areas, and the radios were subject to interference.

A miscommunication over the radio led the employee to believe that the rotary lock valve had been turned off. Believing it was safe to do so, he inserted his right hand into the hopper, where it came into contact with the moving blades. The index, middle and ring fingers of his right hand were all partially severed, and he has not returned to work since the incident.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that while the company had a specific safe system of work in place for clearing blockages on surge hopper rotary lock valves – which the man had been trained on as recently as April 2023 – they had failed to ensure that access to the dangerous parts of the machinery was prevented.

HSE provides detailed guidance on safeguarding machinery and preventing access to dangerous parts, including under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER). PUWER places duties on people and companies who own, operate or have control over work equipment. PUWER also places responsibilities on businesses and organisations whose employees use work equipment, whether owned by them or not. Further information on PUWER is available at the HSE website

SMW Limited pleaded guilty to breaching The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, Regulations 11(1) and (2) and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, Section 33(1)(c) at Hamilton Sheriff Court on 20 May 2026. The company was fined £120,000 and ordered to pay a Victim Surcharge of £9,000.

HSE inspector Nicola Kerr said:

“This man’s injuries had had a profound impact on his life, and were completely preventable.

“Where workers are required to interact with machinery containing dangerous moving parts, employers must ensure that adequate physical safeguards are in place to prevent access to those parts.

“Relying solely on radio communication to control isolation – particularly where there is no line of sight and interference is possible – is simply not good enough.

“A fixed guard would have been a reasonably practicable measure that could have prevented this incident entirely.”

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) – overview – 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 in Scotland can be found here.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has confirmed a new non-executive director appointment to the Board of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Rebecca Emmett replaces Martin Esom, who left the HSE Board in March 2026, and brings with her a wealth of experience from the local government and public sectors that will help HSE continue to deliver on its 10-year strategy.

Rebecca is the Deputy Chief Executive at Basingstoke and Deane Council, having been appointed in 2022. She has a degree in environmental science and geology from Portsmouth University, and started her career as a consultant working for WSP undertaking geotechnical and contamination ground investigations.

A subsequent career change into Local Government led Rebecca to work for over 10 years in and around London leading a range of frontline services. This included roles at the London Boroughs of Croydon, Hackney and Southwark, as well as Three Rivers District Council. During her time at the London Borough of Hackney, Rebecca was responsible for leading the Council’s regulatory teams to support the delivery of the Olympic Park and 2012 Olympic Games.

During this latest round of recruitment to the Board, the Secretary of State also reappointed Debbie Gillatt as non-executive director (NED) for a further 5 years to the HSE Board.

Find out more about all our Board members on our website.

Further information

• Recruitment for new NEDs is an ongoing process as members come to the end of their terms.
• It is managed by the Public Appointments team in the Department for Work and Pensions, our sponsor department, with involvement from our Board Chair, Sarah Newton.

• Worker’s clothing was trapped in machinery.
• HSE investigation found no fixed or interlocking guarding had been installed.
• HSE guidance on safeguarding machinery is available on its website

A poultry and egg production company has been convicted after a worker suffered serious nerve damage when his clothing became entangled in conveyor belt machinery at a farm near Banff.

On 15 October 2024, a 36-year-old man was working at Mains of Auchenbadie Farm during a routine cleaning operation.

During his shift, the employee heard an unusual noise coming from an egg collection conveyor. Without stopping the machinery, as he had been trained to do, he climbed into the confined space between the two manure conveyor belts to investigate. His clothing was caught in the in-running nip between the pressure roller and the underside of the upper manure conveyor belt. His colleague used an emergency stop button to halt the machinery and the emergency services were called to free him.

The employee was taken to hospital where he was found to have suffered nerve damage in both arms. It took three months for full function to be restored to his right arm. He returned to work in February 2025 and remains employed by the company.

An HSE investigation found that, while Duncan Farms Limited had risk assessments in place covering entanglement hazards and had instructed employees to wear close-fitting clothing, no fixed or interlocking guarding had been installed at the drive end of the manure conveyors to prevent access to the dangerous nip points when the conveyor was operating. There were no measures in place that would have prevented a person accessing the in-running nips, or which would have automatically stopped the belt before they could be reached.

Employers have a legal duty under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) to take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery. Fixed or interlocking guarding is the most effective means of achieving this and should be the primary control measure – not reliance on clothing guidance or training alone. Further guidance on safeguarding machinery can be found on our website at introduction to machinery safety .

Duncan Farms Limited, of 1 Muirden Farm, Turriff, AB53 4NH, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 11(1) and (2) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and Section 33(1)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £53,000 at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on 7 May 2026.

Jurate Gruzaite, HM inspector of Health and Safety, said:

“This incident could have had devastating consequences.

“Workers must never be placed in a position where they can access dangerous moving parts of machinery while it is in operation. Guarding is not optional it is a fundamental requirement of the law. Had appropriate fixed guards been in place at the drive end of these conveyors, this injury would not have happened.

“I would urge all employers who use conveyor systems to review their guarding arrangements without delay.”

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 Introduction to machinery safety – 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 in Scotland can be found here.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has today notified His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) of its intention to issue a Crown Censure following an investigation into radon exposure at HMP Dartmoor in Devon. The investigation found that HMPPS failed to adequately manage radon exposure at the prison.

The Health and Safety Executive was first notified by HMPPS of suspected overexposure in February 2023. Subsequent monitoring confirmed that radon concentrations in areas of the prison, including prisoner accommodation, resulted in prisoners and staff being exposed to radiation levels above the legal limit.

HSE’s investigation concluded both prisoners and staff had been exposed to radon significantly above the specified dose limits for a prolonged period of time.

HSE took enforcement action highlighting breaches of the regulations in both February and in December 2023. HMPPS decided to mothball HMP Dartmoor in 2024.

Following an investigation by HSE inspectors, a file was passed to HSE’s legal services division for review, which in accordance with Code for Crown Prosecutors has authorised a Crown Censure.

A Crown Censure is the maximum sanction available to HSE against a Crown body. A decision to authorise a Crown Censure is not a formal finding of guilt – is equivalent to a decision to authorise criminal charges, in line with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

Following the decision to issue a Crown Censure, a formal hearing will take place to confirm the censure.

If a censure is confirmed at a hearing, it acts as an official reprimand and provides a lasting, public record of a Crown body’s failure to comply with the law. There is no financial penalty.

Further Information

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety.

Crown Censure is the process by which HSE holds Crown bodies to account for serious breaches of health and safety law. You can find a record of Crown Censures issued by HSE at: Crown Censures taken by HSE since 1 April 1999

No additional charges or sanctions against other organisations or individuals are being brought in relation to radon exposure at HMP Dartmoor.

Radon exposure & legal limits

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas. Parts of Devon, including Dartmoor, are in areas where higher radon levels can occur due to the underlying geology. Breathing in radon is the second largest cause of lung cancer in the UK, resulting in over 1000 fatal cancers per year.

Radon concentration is measured in Becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m³). The legal limit for radon exposure is set out in the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017. This sets exposure limits for employees and other persons.

HSE is responsible for ensuring workplaces comply with the regulations – and provides guidance for employers: Radon in the workplace – HSE

To find out more about radon and related health risks, visit UKradon – Home

Great Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety is inviting businesses, employers, health practitioners and industry stakeholders to help shape the future of workplace incident reporting in Great Britain.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has today (Tuesday 7 April) launched a public consultation on The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).

The consultation marks a significant opportunity to update regulations that underpin how work-related injuries, ill health and dangerous occurrences are reported to the regulator. The proposals are designed both to strengthen protections for workers and to cut unnecessary administrative burden on businesses.

Businesses now have the opportunity to consult on proposals for both legislative and non-legislative changes.

On the legislative side, HSE is consulting on clarifying definitions within RIDDOR where existing terminology has been identified as unclear or ambiguous.

HSE is also proposing to revise both the list of dangerous occurrences, to better reflect modern workplace risks, and the list of reportable occupational diseases, reintroducing some conditions previously removed from the list and adding new ones to ensure serious instances of work-related ill health are properly captured.

A further proposal from the regulator would broaden who could formally diagnose a reportable occupational disease. Currently, diagnosis must be made by a doctor registered with and holding a licence to practise with the General Medical Council (GMC). HSE is proposing to extend this to other registered health practitioners, reflecting the wider range of professionals involved in occupational health.

On the non-legislative side, HSE is seeking views on simplifying the online RIDDOR reporting form to improve usability and tackle both under-reporting and over-reporting — a longstanding challenge for the regulator and for businesses alike.

Rachael Radway, Deputy Director of Regulation at the Health and Safety Executive, said: “RIDDOR reporting is central to how we identify emerging risk, target regulatory activity and contribute to the evidence base for workplace health and safety. This consultation allows those who will be affected by the changes to have their say as we look to improve standards and reduce the burden on business.

“The consultation is relevant across all sectors and industries. Duty holders, self-employed workers and those in control of work premises are particularly encouraged to respond. We are also encouraging healthcare practitioners involved in diagnosing and managing work-related conditions to engage as the proposed changes may impact their ways of working in the future.”

The consultation closes on 30 June 2026. The full consultation document — including detailed proposals, background information and guidance on how to submit a response — is available on the HSE website at https://consultations.hse.gov.uk/hse/proposals-riddor-2013/

• Bassetlaw District Council has been fined £50,000 after an employee was seriously injured when a ride-on lawnmower overturned
• HSE found the council had failed to carry out a suitable risk assessment
• The Judge found the council to be highly culpable, having fallen far short of expected industry standards

A Nottinghamshire district council has been fined £50,000 following a serious incident in which a ride-on mower overturned at a churchyard, causing an male employee to fall more than two metres onto a public road and footpath below.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident at St Peter & St Paul’s Church in North Wheatley, Nottinghamshire, where an employee of Bassetlaw District Council was carrying out routine maintenance in the closed graveyard.

While operating a ride-on mower, the employee lost control of the machine as it slid down a steep bank towards a retaining wall. Both the machine and the operative rolled over the wall, falling approximately 2.3 metres to the pavement and road below. The employee sustained injuries including cracked ribs.

The HSE investigation identified a series of significant failings by the council:

• Bassetlaw District Council had not carried out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks posed to employees by operating ride-on mowers on banks and slopes
• The council had not provided adequate information, instruction or training to employees regarding the use of such machinery near slopes and banks
• No measures were in place at the retaining wall to prevent a fall from height liable to cause personal injury

A Guidance Document for the Landscape Industry published by the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) sets out clearly the measures employers should take to assess and control risks when working on or near slopes and banks. The Judge found that Bassetlaw District Council had failed to meet these industry standards and was therefore highly culpable, having fallen far short of what was expected.

Bassetlaw District Council, of Queen’s Buildings, Potter Street, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, S80 2AH, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The council was fined £50,000, ordered to pay £5,138.85 in costs and a victim surcharge of £2,000 at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Monday 30 March 2026.

HSE Inspector Muir Finlay said: “This was a serious incident which could have been much worse.

“The fine imposed on the District Council should underline to all employers that work on banks and slopes should only be undertaken when a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks has been carried out and appropriate controls or training provided.

“HSE will not hesitate to take action against those that do not do all that they should to keep people safe and healthy at work.”

The HSE prosecution was brought by enforcement lawyer Andrew Siddall and paralegal officer Benjamin Stobbart.

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 & 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. Guidance can be found here: A Guidance Document for the Landscape Industry
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.

• 17-year-old apprentice injured by a metal cutting guillotine
• An HSE investigation found a large gap in the bed of the guillotine that allowed access to dangerous parts of the machinery
• The company had failed to identify risk even after the incident had taken place

A Rotherham-based metal fabrication company has been sentenced after pleading guilty to health and safety failings that led to a young apprentice being injured by dangerous parts of a metal cutting guillotine during training.

On Friday 8 November 2024, a 17-year-old apprentice at MTL Advanced Ltd was cutting sheet metal in preparation for welding practice as part of their apprenticeship training. The guillotine was located within a dedicated Apprentice Training Workshop, where first-year apprentices learn and practise metal fabrication techniques before moving into the company’s main manufacturing areas in their second and third years.

The apprentice made several successful cuts, but on the final cut their thumb came into contact with the machine’s clamps, causing a crush injury.

The HSE launched an investigation and identified, from documents provided by the company before an on-site visit, that a large gap in the bed of the guillotine was allowing access to dangerous parts of the machinery. Critically, the company had failed to identify this risk even after the incident had taken place.

A Prohibition Notice was served remotely by HSE to control the ongoing risk. Following its service, HSE Inspectors attended the site and identified further issues with the guillotine requiring immediate remedy.

HSE provides extensive guidance on managing risks in the workplace, including preventing access to dangerous parts of machinery and employing young persons in training. Guidance notes that young people are likely to be new to the workplace and so are at more risk of injury in the first six months of a job, as they may be less aware of risks.

A wider inspection of the Apprentice Training Workshop revealed additional health and safety failings, including access to live electrical parts, further instances of unguarded dangerous machinery, and deficiencies in the system of inspection for workshop equipment.

MTL Advanced Ltd, of Britannia House, Junction Street, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 2RB, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The company was fined £140,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £5,013, with a Victim Surcharge of £2,000, at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court.

Speaking after the hearing, HM Principal Inspector of Health and Safety Chris Tilley said: “Young people and apprentices are at the beginning of their career and so  when it comes to workplace risks,  employers must  take particular care to assess those risks and fulfil their duty to keep them safe. Had this machinery been effectively guarded, this injury would never have happened.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Chloe Ward 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 legislationreferred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releasesis available.
4. Relevant guidance can be found here Managing risks and risk assessment at work: Overview – 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.