Suffolk manufacturing firm fined after workers were hit by stone slabs
An Ipswich company has been fined after two workers were struck by stone slabs.
On 17 June 2022, three slabs of quartz stone fell from a stillage onto the two workers while they worked at Bespoke Stone Ltd’s workshop. The pair had been preparing to lift one of the slabs onto a saw bed when all three fell onto them.
After sustaining multiple bone fractures and soft tissue damage, one of the workers required a number of operations and has been unable to work for over two years. The man sustained fractures to his right femur, hip, left tibia and foot and spent a total of 12 weeks in hospital.
The other worker sustained bruising and required time off from work following the incident.
An HSE investigation found that Bespoke Stone Ltd’s handling and storage of slabs was unsafe because the material was not secured. The restraint system provided did not fit around larger sizes of material. The company also failed to accurately report the injuries sustained and the time taken off work by the workers under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.
HSE guidance states slabs should always remain restrained during loading/unloading operations, whether from vehicles or from storage when any person could be in the hazard zone into which a slab might fall from its racked position or fail during lifting. Further guidance can be found on the Handling and storage of large sheet stone slabs on the HSE website.
Breach
Bespoke Stone Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) to the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974:
- Section 2(1) applies a duty on every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all employees.
Penalty
Bespoke Stone Ltd was fined £6,600 and ordered to pay £4,875.40 in costs.
Company fined after the fatal fall of a worker from a church steeple
A specialist construction company received a five-figure fine after a worker fell to his death from a church steeple.
On 13 November 2020, the worker was suspended from the 60-metre-tall steeple of St Nicholas’ Church in Kings Norton, Birmingham. The man was sitting in a ‘bosun’s chair’ when he fell, suffering fatal injuries.
An HSE investigation found that the bosun’s chair was not supported by a suitable backup system preventing falls, such as, a double or twin leg lanyard fall arrest harness.
Breach
Ecclesiastical Steeplejacks Ltd, which has ceased trading since the incident, pleaded guilty to contravening Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005:
- Regulation 4(1) requires employers to ensure work at height is properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a manner, which is so far as is reasonably practicable, safe. Planning must also include the selection of work equipment in accordance with the regulations.
Penalty
Ecclesiastical Steeplejacks Ltd was fined £60,000.
MOT testing centre fined after child was hit with a car and crushed
An MOT Testing centre in North London has been fined after a child sustained life changing injuries on the premises.
On 4 May 2022, a 14-year-old boy was with an adult at the centre, sitting down and waiting for an MOT to be conducted. The chair was situated in front of the brake rollers. As the MOT technician attempted to move the car in reverse, the vehicle was driven forwards off the brake rollers, crushing the child against the wall.
The boy required immediate hospital treatment, having sustained multiple pelvis fractures. They were off school for over a year and bed bound for three months following the incident.
An HSE investigation found that New Auto Tech Limited had failed to ensure that members of the public were in a safe area when vehicles were being moved. A designated ‘viewing area’ was in place to the side of the brake roller bay. This was a painted box on the floor with a chair placed inside it. However, there were no protective barriers and the business failed to stop customers from moving out of this area into sections of the workshop where vehicles were moving.
HSE guidance is available for the motor vehicle repair industry.
Breach
New Auto Tech Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) to the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974:
- Section 3(1) applies a duty on every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons other than employers are not exposed to risks to their health or safety.
Penalty
New Auto Tech Limited was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,810.
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