2 October Company fine after worker falls into unguarded pit Tata Steel UK has been fined £450,000 after a worker fell into an unguarded pit, despite a risk assessment completed 16 months earlier that identified the need for barriers. [SA] was injured working as a scaler on the scarfing line, in which metal is torched to remove imperfections, at the steelmaker’s billet mill in Stocksbridge, … Read More
2 October Waste treatment and disposal company Prosecuted A waste treatment and disposal company that failed to control the risks from gas cylinders at its site in Bedford has been fined £100,000 after an explosion left two workers with serious injuries. An employee of B&W Waste Management Services sustained third-degree burns and was put in a medically-induced coma for ten days on a … Read More
2 October Director Prosecuted and Banned (S.37 Health and Safety at Work Act 1974) London based building company director prosecuted and banned. The managing director of C J Langs (a London construction company) has been prosecuted under s 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act after dangerous conditions were discovered at a building site. Kewie Doherty’s company was also sentenced after inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive … Read More
31 July Untrained banksman crushed by reversing lorry Death of a banksman Tooles Transport has been fined £150,000 after a ‘caring’ and ‘selfless’ father was crushed to death by a reversing lorry following a series of health and safety blunders. Mr Kevin Scott died while acting as an untrained banksman at Tooles Transport yard in Rushock Trading Estate, Droitwich. He was crushed by … Read More
31 July New Sentencing Guidelines for Gross Negligence Manslaughter Significant changes to the law were published today. Negligent employers and managers in England and Wales who blatantly disregard employee safety could be sentenced to up to 18 years in prison under the new court Sentencing Guidelines for Gross Negligence Manslaughter These guidelines will come into force on 1 November and mark the first time the … Read More
18 July A quick review of several recent fines and prison sentences Several recent fines and prison sentences are shown below in several cases taken by the HSE and the Police. Many incidents can be avoided by good management, and by forethought. Read More
17 July Sit-Stand Desks – an alternative way to work in the normal office environment Studies have connected being sedentary for long periods of time with all sorts everything from obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and good old neck pain. That’s bad news for millions of us who work at a desk. However, Sit-Stand Desks foster more movement during the working week, which can help counteract a sedentary lifestyle. So I wanted … Read More
18 June Prison Sentence for couple convicted for Manslaughter over bouncy castle death A husband and wife whose business operates funfairs have been convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence after a seven-year-old child [SG] died when the bouncy castle she was playing on blew into the air and struck a tree. The child [SG] was taken to hospital but died from her injuries. Sentencing has been adjourned until a date yet … Read More
22 May Safeguarding Training There is a lot more to Safeguarding than just getting the DBS checks done. It is recognised that the protection of vulnerable groups is an important issue and needs to be managed effectively. Vulnerable groups can include Children, Young Persons, Disabled Persons, and Elderly Persons, as well as other groups. We have recently been creating … Read More
17 May Reversing Vehicles – failure to control led to serious injury and large fine Failure to control reversing vehicles led to the supermarket chain Tesco being fined £1.6m following a prosecution brought by Ealing Council. The supermarket chain pleaded guilty to two health and safety offences (dating back to August 2014) when a Tesco driver reversed into a member of the public at the Tesco Metro store on Greenford Road … Read More