A farm has been fined after an employee fell from height whilst loading a straw spreader as part of the daily bedding up operation for the farm’s animals.

Leicester Magistrates’ Court heard that on 14 July 2018, an employee of A Kirkham & Son, received injuries and subsequently died in hospital from those injuries, whilst working at height to load a straw spreader at Rushey Fields Farm, Woodhouse Eaves, Loughborough. The employee was loading the spreader with straw and fell from a ladder whilst cutting strings from a bale of straw. The employee was found on the ground, having fallen from height. He suffered serious, fatal head injuries from the fall.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found there was no suitable and sufficient risk assessment or safe system of work in place for this operation. It was possible for the task to be carried in other ways and avoid working from a ladder.

A Kirkham & Son, of Farm Rushey Lane, Loughborough pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(2) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The farm has been fined £12,000, and ordered to pay costs of £6296.32.

After the hearing HSE inspector Jenna McDade said “This incident could have been avoided had the operation been properly risk assessed and a safe system of work been put in place.

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

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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A building company has been fined after a roof worker fell about three and a half metres through an unprotected skylight opening.

Coventry Magistrates’ Court heard that on 6 June 2018 a self-employed person working for Hamblett Building Services Limited at a site off Waverley Road in Kenilworth was injured when he fell through an unprotected skylight opening whilst attaching lathes to a roof in preparation for tiling. They sustained multiple fractures which could potentially have resulted in a fatality.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident found that skylight openings on this and other roofs on site had no collective or personal edge protection and that there was no scaffold or edge protection on the roof shared with neighbouring properties. Where there was scaffold on site, there were unprotected openings on working platforms increasing the risk of falls from the scaffold.

Hamblett Building Services Limited of Warwick Road, Kenilworth, Warwickshire pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The Company has been fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1078.

Speaking after the case HSE inspector Tony Mitchell said “The risks associated from falls from height whilst working on a roof are widely known throughout the building industry. Failing to protect workers from this risk is inexcusable. Simple safety measures could have prevented this incident and the injuries to the worker.”

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]

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Masher Brothers Limited was sentenced after a trainee worker suffered life-changing injuries when his hand was caught in a rip saw.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard that on 20 February 2018, a 20-year-old employee was working with a colleague on the rip saw at the company’s site in Lewisham, London, being shown how to cut timber for beading.

The worker and his colleague were using the rip saw to split lengths of timber; one of the two pushed the timber onto the saw, and the other pulled it from the other side. As he was feeding the wood into the machine, the saw pulled his hand in with the wood, causing a severe laceration to his right hand.

The injured person lost the first finger on his right hand, and part of his thumb. He has lost function in this hand and cannot straighten his remaining fingers.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found there were no risk assessments or method statements for the machinery in the joinery workshop. There were inadequate measures in place to prevent access to dangerous parts of various machinery in the workshop; the adjustable top guard sitting over the rip saw blade was stuck in raised position not protecting the blade. The investigation also found Masher Brothers Limited did not provide adequate training to its employees on how to use the machinery and that the member of staff responsible for training the injured person had not received any training in the 30 years he had been employed by the company.

Masher Brothers Limited of New Cross, London pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £8005.44 in costs.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Sarah Whittle said: “No safe system of work existed at the time of the incident..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 this incident, the life changing injuries the employee sustained 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.
2. Further information is available about the legislation referred to in this case.
3. Latest HSE press releases.

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A contract furnishing company was sentenced today after a worker suffered multiple injuries when sheeting collapsed on to him from a stack.

Teesside Magistrates’ Court heard that on 10 September 2018, Conor Nicholson, a 19-year-old apprentice employed by Thomson Contracts Limited, was working with a colleague to retrieve a single 3m x 1.2m MDF sheet weighing 55kg from the back of a stack. As he was attempting to do this 16 sheets, each weighing 25kg, fell on top of him, fracturing his skull and pelvis and causing bleeding and bruising to the brain.

While he has returned to full time work, Conor continues to require pain killers to help him sleep and his sense of smell and taste have still not returned.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company had a “pigeon hole” type racking system in place to safely store sheets. However, it was common practice, including on the day of the accident, to store sheets adjacent to, but not inside, the racking system.

Thomson Contracts Limited of Cold Hesledon Industrial Estate, Seaham, County Durham pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £22,000 with £1,258 in costs.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Stephen Garner said: “Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.

“In this incident a young worker suffered serious, life-changing injuries which could have easily been prevented had appropriate physical protections been put in place.”

For more information on this, please visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wis2.pdf

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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A self-employed electrician has been prosecuted after carrying out gas work without being Gas Safe registered.

Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard that Robert Parker had carried out gas work between March and August 2017 and installed a boiler on 24 October 2017 at a domestic property in Rossendale despite not being Gas Safe registered.

Following notification of installation defects by the occupiers of the property, Gas Safe inspectors inspected and found the work was at risk and not to current standards. The boiler was deemed to be immediately dangerous as there was no flue connected.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), found that Robert Parker was not Gas Safe registered and was not qualified or competent to undertake gas work.

Robert Parker of Burnley, Lancashire pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 3(1) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was given a 26 week suspended sentence to 12 months, 150 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay costs of £2298.20.

HSE inspector Sharon Butler said after the hearing “Mr Parker undertook gas work which he knew he was not registered to do. All gas work must be done by registered Gas Safe engineers to ensure the highest standards are met to prevent injury and loss of life.”

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 information about gas safety can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/index.htm
4. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk

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