Wayne McKnight (trading as RJE Construction) has been fined for safety breaches after a 17-year-old worker fell from a mezzanine floor to the ground below.

Sheffield Magistrates’ Court heard that, on 28^th February 2019, the worker and two others were building the mezzanine floor at a site  in Neepsend Lane, Sheffield. The injured person stepped on a loose board and fell 2.8 metres to the ground below, sustaining cuts and bruises.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that safety nets had not been put in place before boarding commenced. No other fall from height protection was present to prevent or mitigate falls through the mezzanine floor.

Wayne McKnight (trading as RJE Construction) Park Crescent, Sunning Dale, Ascot Berkshire pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6 (3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2015. Mr McKnight has been fined £500 and ordered to pay costs of £1,300

After the hearing, HSE inspector Sarah Robinson commented: “Falls from height often result in life-changing or fatal injuries, which thankfully did not eventuate here. In most cases, these incidents are needless and could be prevented by properly planning the work to ensure that effective preventative and protective measures are in place.

“This incident could have easily been prevented if the company had installed safety nets prior to work starting on the mezzanine.”

Notes to Editors:

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^[1]
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: legislation.gov.uk/ ^[2]
3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk^[3]
4. Please see the link below to the page on HSE’s website that is the best guide to doing it the right way: www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/workinhatheight

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Southend High School for Boys Academy Trust has been sentenced  after a worker fell from a ladder.

Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 19 February 2019, the injured person was using an unsecured ladder at the school to dismantle a canopy roof when the ladder slipped, causing the worker to fall and sustain fractures to his face,  a fractured femur and other injuries.

An investigation by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the school did not have a risk assessment or safe system for dismantling the canopy roof which resulted in the work being conducted unsafely. No assessment was made as to the fragility of the roof before accessing it,  suitable equipment was not provided, the injured person was not trained and the  work was not supervised. The investigation also found that other work at height at the school was also carried out without specific planning, supervision and was not carried out safely.

Southend High School for Boys Academy Trust of Prittlewell Chase, Westcliff On Sea, Essex pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £24,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,446.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Eleanor Kinman said: “Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work-related fatalities in this country and the risks associated with working at height are well known.

“Those in control of work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary information, instruction and training to their workers in the safe system of working.

“If a suitable safe system of work had been in place prior to the incident, the serious injuries sustained by the employee could have been prevented.”

Notes to Editors:

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. For more information on how to work safely at height, please visit: hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/step-by-steo-guide..htm

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C F Booth (Engineering) Ltd has been sentenced  after a 37-year-old worker became entangled and pulled into a CNC lathe.

Sheffield Magistrates’ Court heard that, on 9 May 2018, he was working on a Hankook CNC lathe setting up a workpiece on a jig which was held in the chuck and on the steady at the company’s site at Lyme Street, Rotherham. As he leaned over the workpiece and the steady to adjust a rear screw, the grub screws on the workpiece caught his t-shirt and he was pulled into the machine. He sustained a large open cut to his arm, 24 stitches to his lip and underwent an operation on his arm.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that machinery had interlock devices fitted but they had been by-passed/defeated so it was possible to  move guards/doors that should have been interlocked out of the way during set up, to allow access to the rotating chuck and workpiece.

C F Booth (Engineering) Ltd of Wharfe Road Doncaster South Yorkshire pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company has been fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £3,077 in costs.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Carol Downes commented: “This case highlights the importance of ensuring safety features are working correctly and carrying out proper risk assessments.

“This incident could so easily have been avoided by ensuring safety devices are not defeated and by ensuring the correct control measures and safe working practices are in place.

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

Notes to Editors:

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^[1]
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: legislation.gov.uk/ ^[2]
3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk^[3]
4. Please see the link below to the page on HSE’s website that is the best guide to doing it the right way: Health and safety in engineering workshops – HSG129 (hse.gov.uk)

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Kepak Group Limited (formally 2 Sisters Red Meat Limited), has been fined after a worker was seriously injured following a workplace transport incident. .

Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 17 February 2017, an employee of a contractor that had a permanent presence on the Kepak’s Merthyr Tydfil site, was struck by a forklift truck (FLT) when he was walking along the internal roadway at the back yard end of the site. He was struck from behind by the FLT and trapped beneath the metal container it was carrying. He was dragged along the ground and received multiple serious and life changing injuries, including the loss of a leg.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company’s workplace transport risk assessment did not ensure that suitable and sufficient traffic management arrangements, including pedestrian and vehicle segregation, were in place. The premises were operated by 2 Sisters Red Meat Limited at the time that the incident occurred. This company name was changed to Kepak Group Limited in July 2018.

Kepak Group Limited, of Cookston Road, Portlethen, Aberdeen, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992  and has been fined £600,000 and ordered to pay costs of £ £38,183.            .

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Rhys Hughes said: “This was a tragic and wholly avoidable incident, caused by the failure of the host company to undertake and implement an adequate risk assessment and ensure a safe system of work was in place“.

“This risk was further amplified by the company’s failure to implement a number of simple safety measures including separation and segregation of vehicles and pedestrians.”

“There is ample published guidance and advice available that is in the public domain; both on the HSE website and from other reliable sources to assist dutyholders in deciding what measures they should put in place.”

Notes to Editors:

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

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A Stockport decking manufacturer and a company director have been fined after a delivery driver was crushed by a poorly lifted load.

Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how on the 30 April 2019, a HGV driver was delivering packs of five metre lengths of plastic deck boards to Ultimate Systems Ltd. Several packs of decking were stacked on pallets with an approximate weight of over 2000 kgs.

Company director Andrew Kerr used a forklift truck (FLT) to unload the delivery, lifting the entire stack of pallets at once, which exceeded the FLT load capacity. This caused the forklift to tip forward, which resulted in the load falling onto the HGV driver, trapping him between the load and his own vehicle.

The driver sustained crush injuries to the spine, multiple rib fractures, a broken left collarbone, a punctured lung and ligament damage to the neck. He spent six weeks in Manchester Royal Infirmary, four weeks in an induced coma. He was unable to work for a year.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Mr Kerr was not trained to operate the forklift truck. There was no safe system of work for unloading or loading of decking, and no rules for visiting drivers to wait in a safe area.

Ultimate Systems Ltd of Second Avenue, Poynton Industrial Estate, Poynton, Stockport pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £38,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,741.10

Andrew Kerr of Burnside Way, Winnington, Northwich pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was sentenced to 14 weeks imprisonment suspended for 18 months with an additional requirement to complete 180 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay costs of £3,472.30.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Stuart Wood said: “Those in control of work have a responsibility to ensure the methods they use to unload and load vehicles is safe.

“If forklift truck operator training and specific site rules to visiting drivers had been in place the serious physical injuries sustained by this driver could easily have been prevented.”

Notes to Editors:

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. www.hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www
3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk

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