Grundon Waste Management Limited (Grundon), has been fined after a traffic marshal was struck and killed by one of its vehicles on a construction site.

A jury at Southwark Crown Court heard that on 22 February 2016, a waste lorry had been reversing down a ramp at the former BBC Television Centre in London to collect waste from a customer’s loading bay. In the process, it struck and fatally injured traffic marshal, Kiril Karadzhov.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Grundon failed to identify reversing as a hazard that needed to be eliminated or controlled and that suitable actions had not been taken to control the risk of reversing. This exposed pedestrians to risks to their safety. If reversing had been identified as a risk then the risk could have been eliminated or reduced, such as by developing a clear and safe system of work to access the loading bay on their customer’s sites.

Grundon Waste Management Limited of Oxford Road, Benson, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, was found guilty of breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £550,000 and instructed to pay £96,874.15 in costs.

Speaking after the sentencing hearing, HSE inspector Sharon Boyd, said: “If the hazard of reversing vehicles had been properly identified and appropriate discussions had taken place with those responsible for traffic management, a consistent system of work which properly controlled the risks associated with the hazard could have been developed and Mr Karadzhov’s death could have been avoided.

“The dangers associated with reversing vehicles are well known and a wealth of advice and guidance is freely available from HSE and other organisations.”

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 press.hse.gov.uk
4. For more information on working safely with vehicles, please visit our page here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/workplacetransport/

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A contractor has been fined after an employee was hit by falling debris from a wall that was being demolished in an unsafe manner.

Blackpool Magistrates’ Court heard that on 10 January 2020, Barrowbridge Construction Limited had been contracted to demolish a garage in Clitheroe, Lancashire. Three operatives pushed over the remaining part of the external wall of the garage. One of the workers was struck at shoulder height by falling debris and fell to the ground, with the material falling on top of him. He sustained injuries to his shoulder and a fractured heel and ankle.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the demolition was not planned or carried out in a manner to prevent danger.

The risk assessments and method statement prepared by the company required the use of hand tools, including sledgehammers, to demolish the walls of the garage. No measures were identified or implemented which would maintain the stability of the wall throughout the demolition, resulting in a risk that the structure would become unstable and potentially collapse.

On their second day on site, the operatives decided that it would be safer to simply push the remaining wall over. This change to the method of work was made without consultation with the project manager and resulted in the operatives working in an unsafe area, putting themselves at risk of being struck by falling materials. The wall collapsed in two directions when pushed.

Barrowbridge Construction Limited, of Club Street, Barrow, Clitheroe pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 20(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and was fined £600 with costs of £1,947.00.

HSE inspector, Jacqueline Western, said after the hearing: “This incident could so easily have been avoided if the company had properly planned, managed and monitored the demolition. The sequence of demolition should have been planned to maintain the stability of the structure throughout the process.

“Companies and contractors 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. www.hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/
3. More guidance about working safely in demolition can be found at www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/demolition.htm
4. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk

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A metal manufacturer has been fined following an incident involving a side loader fork truck.

Mansfield Magistrates’ court heard how, on 20 November 2017, the truck was involved in an incident where an employee was trapped between the truck and a rack containing metal pipes at Fabrikat (Nottingham) Limited in Hamilton Road, Nottingham. The company had failed to maintain the side loader fork truck by ensuring that it was in efficient working order and in good repair.

An investigation by The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company did not maintain the side loader as per the manufacturer’s specifications. This left the company’s employees exposed to risk.

Fabrikat (Nottingham) Limited of Hamilton Road, Sutton in Ashfield, Nottingham pleaded guilty to breaching Section 5(1) of the Provision & Use of Work Equipment Regulations. They were fined £80,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,478.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Amandip Dhanda said: “This injury was easily preventable, and the risk should have been identified.

“Employers should make sure they properly assess and apply effective control measures to minimise the risk from dangerous parts of machinery.”

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 about working safely with vehicles, please visit the HSE website here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/workplacetransport/

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A specialist roofing and cladding company has been sentenced after an employee suffered serious injuries when he fell through an asbestos roof whilst undertaking gutter cleaning and roof repairs.

North Staffordshire Magistrates’ Court heard that on 1 March 2017, DPM Industrial Roofing (UK) Limited (DPM), was engaged by PD Edenhall, to undertake work on the fragile pitched roof on units at its premises in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. The work involved cleaning valley gutters and over-sheeting six damaged asbestos roof sheets with corrugated metal sheets.

Two DPM employees accessed the roof via a cherry picker and proceeded to clean the first valley gutter which was 35m long and two feet wide.

During the work one of the men stepped off the crawling board and onto the fragile asbestos cement roof, which gave way causing him to fall 7.5 metres to the concrete floor below. He fractured his spine in two places and also fractured his pelvis, shoulder and rib.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the method of work was unsafe. There was no fall protection on either side of the valley gutter to prevent the workers falling through the pitched fragile roof and no fall protection at the end of the valley gutter to prevent them falling off the roof. This unsafe method of work was repeated when the men cleaned the second valley gutter. The risk assessment was not suitable and sufficient.

Although it identified working on a fragile roof as ‘high risk’ it failed to identify falls from a leading edge and did not include adequate control measures to prevent falls through or from the roof.

DPM Industrial Roofing (UK) Limited, of Sneyd Business Park, Sneyd Street, Stoke on Trent pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,454.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Susan Ritchie said: “This serious incident could easily have been prevented had appropriate control measures been considered and put in place to prevent falls from height.”

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.legislation.gov.uk/
3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk

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Printed plastics manufacturer Alfaplas Limited has been fined after a worker became unconscious as a result of asphyxiation when his tabard was entangled in the rotating spindle of a print machine.

Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court heard how on 29 January 2019, an employee who was a supervisor at Alfaplas Limited in Hereford, attempted to realign a reel of product on a print machine whilst it was running at half speed. The employee’s high visibility tabard became entangled in an unguarded rotating spindle, drawing in his clothing. He became unconscious as a result of asphyxiation from the entangled clothing. An operator on an adjacent machine intervened to stop the print machine.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company failed to prevent access to the dangerous parts of machinery or stop dangerous parts before access was gained. They later fitted electro sensitive protection devices, which stopped the machine when the roller was active in the operator zone and the light beam was broken.

Alfaplas Limited of Ramsden Road, Rotherwas Industrial Estate, Hereford pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and Regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1999. They were fined £150,000 and ordered to pay costs of £14,379.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Sara Lumley said: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply ensuring that dangerous parts of machinery were guarded.

“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. www.hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/
3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk
4. For more information on working safely with machinery, please visit our website here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/index.htm

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