A company in Berkshire has been fined £30,000 after a father-of-four was electrocuted.

Levi Alleyne (known as ‘Chunky’) lost his life while delivering crushed concrete at a construction site on Swallowfield Road, Reading, on 16 November 2020.

Chunky was killed after the crane arm of his lorry came into close contact with an overhead power line, which then created an electrical charge.

The 41-year-old later passed away from his injuries.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found BBM Contracts Limited, the principal contractor, ordered the delivery and chose the area where the crushed concrete would be delivered. However, the delivery area was located below an 11kv overhead powerline. The company was aware of the presence of overhead powerlines but did not consider whether there was an alternative way of working which avoided them, nor did it put in place demarcations or warnings. An alternative delivery route was subsequently used following the incident.

BBM Contracts Limited, of Aldbourne Avenue, Earley, Reading, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The company was fined £30,000 at Reading Magistrates’ Court on 20 June 2024.

HSE principal inspector Georgina Symons said: “This tragic incident led to the death of a father-of-four. This death might have been prevented if the contractor had correctly identified and managed the risks involved.

“The dangers associated with overhead power lines are well-known and a wealth of advice and guidance is freely available from HSE and other organisations.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Samantha Tiger and supported by HSE paralegal officer Helen Jacob.

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.
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. BBM Contracts Limited has also been ordered to pay £11,613.50 in compensation to the family of Levi Alleyne.

A company has been fined after a 75-year-old man was killed by a cow that had escaped from a livestock market in Wales.

Father-of-two Huw Evans was knocked down and trampled by a cow that was being auctioned at a livestock market run by J.J. Morris Limited on 19 November 2022.

The cow was being unloaded into a pen at Whitland Livestock Market but managed to escape before heading towards Whitland, Carmarthenshire.

Mr Evans, who also lived in Whitland, had been crossing the junction at North Road and West Street when he was attacked by the cow. He suffered multiples injuries and was flown to the University Hospital of Wales where he died six days later on 25 November.

A worker at J.J. Morris Limited was injured in an unsuccessful attempt to capture the cow, which later ran towards Whitland Rugby Club and a railway line before being captured and put down by Dyfed-Powys Police.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found J.J. Morris Limited, which has operated Whitland Livestock Market for over 30 years, failed to implement basic, physical control measures to prevent cattle from escaping. Additionally, the company’s risk assessment was not suitable nor sufficient as it referenced control measures that were not present at the market.

Mr Evans’ son, Dafydd, said in his victim personal statement: “Dad was my best friend and I miss him terribly, he was taken from us too soon. Losing Dad has had a tremendous effect on both myself and my brother. Because of this incident Dad’s grandsons will never fully know him personally and he will not see them grow up.”

J.J. Morris Limited, of High Street, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £75,000 and ordered to pay £5,047.55 in costs at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on 20 June 2024.

HSE inspector Rhys Hughes said: “This tragic incident was foreseeable and preventable. The risk posed by cattle escaping from the livestock mart should have been identified, and effective control measures implemented. The case highlights the importance of following industry guidance, which is readily accessible and outlines the requirements to safely manage cattle.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Rebecca Schwartz and supported by HSE paralegal officer Imogen Isaac.

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.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.

A housing company has been fined more than £300,000 after a driver was crushed to death by falling concrete blocks at a construction site in South Lanarkshire.

Conor Joseph Morgan had been delivering materials to Shott Farm in High Blantrye, a construction site being operated by Avant Homes (Scotland) Limited, when the incident happened on 19 April 2017.

The 45-year-old, who was employed as a HGV driver for Regen Waste Limited, was crushed as the concrete blocks were being unloaded from the articulated flatbed trailer using an excavator with pallet fork attachment. However, the length of the pallet forks fitted to the excavator exceeded the width of the pallet being unloaded.

As the pallet was being lifted the forks caught a second pallet of concrete blocks causing them to topple from the edge of the trailer and onto Mr Morgan.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated and found that Avant Homes (Scotland) Limited as the principal contractor on site should have ensured there was a safe system of work for the unloading of the delivery vehicle driven by Mr Morgan. It also found Regen Waste Ltd had not carried out a suitable and sufficient assessment of risk for the drivers delivering to remote sites not under its control.

On 19 June at Hamilton Sheriff Court, Avant Homes (Scotland) Limited of Edinburgh Park, Edinburgh pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and were fined £333,000. Regen Waste Limited of Newry, County Down pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 3(1)a of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and were fined £23,000.

Speaking after the case HSE principal inspector Graeme McMinn said: “This was a tragic and wholly avoidable incident, caused by a failure of the principal contractor to implement a safe system of work.  The employer also failed to carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment of risk.”

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

HSE website has guidance on the safe loading and unloading of vehicles at Loading/Unloading activities – Workplace transport checklist – Section 6 (hse.gov.uk)

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.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.

A man has been given a suspended sentence after he carried out unsafe work on an extension to his own home in Manchester.

Abdul Rehman engaged operatives to help him build an extension to the property on Kings Crescent in Old Trafford – which was in addition to replacing the roof on the existing semi-detached house.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) served enforcement notices in relation to work being carried out from an unsafe scaffold at the property in August 2020. The scaffold was subsequently dismantled, and work put on hold.

However, in November 2021 the same inspector found that Mr Rehman was in control of and instructing operatives to re-roof his property. The work was being carried out without any form of fixed scaffolding or other equally effective measures to prevent the risk of a fall from height from the unprotected two storey roof.

A further prohibition notice was issued to prevent the unsafe work, but Mr Rehman continued to instruct, supervise and assist it. This went on for several weeks and included work during the hours of darkness and in breach of the prohibition notice while continuing to put the lives of the workers at risk.

A fixed safe scaffold could and should have been erected around the perimeter of the roof, but Mr Rehman chose to put cost cutting at the expense of safety to ensure the replacement roof to his property was completed. cost-cutting at the expense of safety.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Abdul Rehman, from Manchester, chose to ignore the issue of an enforcement notice and continue to instruct operatives to work on the roof without any form of fall protection under the hours of darkness.

He pleaded guilty to breaching regulations 4(1) and 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and section 33 1(g) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. He was given a custodial sentence of 12 months, but this was suspended for 18 months. During that time he must also complete 180 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay £6,450 in costs at a hearing at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on 18 June 2024.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Phil Redman said: “This was a serious breach of the law, and it is fortunate nobody was seriously injured or killed as a result of Mr Rehman choosing to ignore the repeated requests of the inspector to provide a safe means for work from height.

“The case highlights the importance of following industry guidance by ensuring a suitable and sufficient safe scaffold was provided by a competent contractor.”

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyers James Towey and Sam Crockett.

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.
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. Guidance on scaffolding is available.

A company in Aberdeen has been sentenced after an employee sustained serious injuries.

Miroslaw Pancyzk fractured both of his wrists and sustained a fractured middle finger on his right hand while working for Harper UK (Aberdeen) Ltd at the firm’s premises on 4 April 2022.

He had been using a piece of emery paper to polish a metal bar on a lathe when the paper snagged on the rotating workpiece.

This led to Mr Pancyzk’s gloved hands being drawn into the machine.

As a result, both of his wrists were fractured and he wore casts for six weeks following the incident. The palm of his right hand required plastic surgery. He lost the part of his ring finger on his right hand and also fractured the middle finger.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found Harper UK (Aberdeen) Ltd, a supplier of equipment to a number industries including oil and gas, failed to implement an adequate means of protection. At the time of the incident, there was no chuck guard in place, an absence of tooling to allow the task to be undertaken safely and no risk assessment for this particular lathe.

Harper UK (Aberdeen) Ltd, of Albyn Place, Aberdeen, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £10,000 at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on 18 June 2024.

HSE inspector Graham McEvoy said: “This incident 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.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.