15 March Construction Safety – Fall from Height leads to £400k fine Construction sites continue to have problems managing work at height. The construction company Kier Construction Limited has recently been fined £400k after a worker fell from height. The Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard how a worker (JM) was installing plywood boards covering holes on the third floor of a building at a construction site in Uxbridge … Read More
12 March Fire Safety Prosecution, £108,000 fine A landlord has been hit with a bill of over £100,000 following a fire safety prosecution after flouting safety requirements at five flats. The Stockport-based company was fined a total of £108,000 for 12 separate offences and ordered to pay costs of £5,692. The company was represented by a solicitor but did not attend the court hearing. … Read More
7 March Jail sentences for Safety Failures The news has contained some recent examples of jail sentences for safety failures. Haulage Company Director and Mechanic sent to jail for four deaths A haulage company boss and a mechanic have both been jailed following a tipper truck crash in 2015 that killed four people in Bath. The lorry driver was cleared of dangerous driving … Read More
7 March Unlimited fines in the Magistrates’ Court There have been some recent changes in the sentencing arrangements for Health and Safety Offences. The current position is that for offences committed on and after the 12th March 2015 the maximum penalty in the magistrates’ court is an unlimited fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both. In the Crown … Read More
24 February Jail for Director – following serious fire injury to worker Jail for Director of three construction companies (two of which have been dissolved and one is still active). The director has received an eight-month prison sentence and has been disqualified from being a director for seven years after his actions nearly resulted in the death of a worker. A 17-year-old employee was left with life-threatening … Read More
2 February Ignoring a Prohibition Notice leads to fine and suspended sentence The Managing Director of a skip fabrication company was caught using a piece of equipment that was subject to an HSE prohibition notice only two hours after the inspector’s visit in which the equipment was condemned. Unsurprisingly, he was fined for ignoring a Prohibition Notice and was also given a suspended sentence. MH, who ran … Read More
20 January HSE Inspections 2017 (respiratory sensitisers and/or carcinogens) According to the HSE website, here is some information about HSE inspections 2017:From January 2017 inspectors will be targeting sites that carry out metal fabrication looking at the control of exposure to welding fume and metalworking fluids. Information on controlling the risks from these hazardous substances can be found through the inspection programme link above. … Read More
5 January COSHH extrinsic allergic alveolitis leads to £800,000 fine Metalworking fluid – COSHH extrinsic allergic alveolitis – an Uxbridge manufacturer of ejector seats has been fined £800,000 after three workers developed debilitating lung conditions. Three skilled CNC machine operators developed extrinsic allergic alveolitis after many years of years of exposure to the mist of working metal fluid. The lung condition, also known as hypersensitivity … Read More
2 December Work at Height – worker survives fall, but Tesco fined over £500,000 Work at Height, fall leads to large fine despite worker surviving the fall We need to remember in 2013/14 falls arising from work at height were the most common cause of fatalities accounting to one in three fatal injuries to workers (RIDDOR) So imagine the shock, a worker working on a Tesco store roof falling … Read More
21 October Safe isolation of plant and equipment – Part 2: Key Stages Safe isolation of plant and equipment – Key Stages Introduction This blog post follows on from Safe Isolation of Plant and Equipment, Part 1. In order to allow various processes such as: cleaning, maintenance, plant repair and modification to take place, safe isolation of plant and equipment is essential. This is not specifically covered by … Read More