Manufacturer fined after workplace fatality
A company in South Yorkshire has been sentenced following breaches that resulted in the death of one its workers.
On 18 November 2021, the worker died after becoming entangled in an unguarded wire drawing and recoiling machine. The machine, known as a ‘Gravity Block,’ had exposed moving parts which the worker was able to access.
An HSE investigation found that the company had failed to take effective measures to prevent employees from accessing dangerous moving parts of the wire drawing machine. The company should have carried out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for the machine and subsequently developed a safe system of work and clearly communicated this to its workforce.
The HSE also found that fixed closed guards, interlocks or pressure mats should have been installed to prevent operatives from entering the Gravity Block while it was rotating. The company could have appointed a designated competent person on site and provided formal training to operatives, rather than relying on verbal instruction.
Recognised industry-standard safety measures could and should have been implemented on a number of machines, instead of allowing substandard conditions to persist over a prolonged period.
Breach
Stanley Wire Limited pleaded guilty at an early hearing to breaching Section 2(1) of 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
Stanley Wire Limited was fined £140,000 and ordered to pay £6,652 in costs.
Fines for builder who threatened and obstructed HSE inspectors
A builder who threatened inspectors and told them his name was James Bond has been fined.
On 11 February 2025, unsafe work caught the attention of two HSE inspectors. The inspectors had been carrying out routine inspections in the Rugeley area when they saw two people on the site accessing a roof from the bucket of an excavator. Identifying the practice to be unsafe, the inspectors decided they had to stop and take action.
When the inspectors approached, the man, who would later be identified as the site manager, came over to intervene. He refused to identify himself, except as James Bond and rebuffed their attempts to inspect the site. He went on to tell the inspectors he was in fact the property owner, that the men on site were unpaid friends and relatives and that they had no legal right to inspect. He followed that up with threats of violence, at which point the inspectors withdrew.
The HSE inspectors returned to the site a week later, accompanied by officers from Staffordshire Police. The site manager greeted them with a shout of “It’s PC Plod!” while still refusing to identify himself. He maintained that he was the owner, told all his staff not to speak to HSE, except to confirm that they were his relatives and not at work and told the inspectors once again that they had no right to inspect and to leave the site.
After making several enquiries, the inspectors were able to identify the man as the site manager. This resulted in him being served with enforcement action.
Upon receiving notification that he was to be prosecuted for the offence of obstruction under two counts of Section 33(1)(h) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the man responded with three expletive-laden emails and said “I won’t jump through your hoops”.
The HSE defines work-related violence as ‘any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work.’ This can include verbal abuse or threats, including face to face, online and via telephone and physical attacks. It can include violence from members of the public, customers, clients, patients, service users and students towards a person at work.
Penalty
The man failed to attend Birmingham Magistrates Court on two occasions and on the latter was found guilty after being tried in his absence. He was fined £3,000, ordered to pay full costs of £6,450 and must pay a victim surcharge of £1,200.
Landlord fined after a member of the public fell from an external staircase
A Bristol landlord has been fined after a member of the public sustained significant injuries when they fell from the first-floor landing of a wooden staircase at a converted property.
In the early hours of 2 October 2023, a group attended the unit in Bishopton for a social event hosted by one of the landlord’s tenants. A man stepped outside and fell when a section of the wooden handrail failed as he leant against it. The man fell from a height of around 11 feet, landing on the concrete-paved surface at ground level. The man sustained significant injuries, including to the head.
The HSE investigation found fundamental flaws in the design of the staircase, including that it was notably rotten, deteriorated and weakened. The investigation also found a distinct lack of inspection and maintenance, determining that the staircase was not fit for purpose.
Breach
The landlord pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974:
- Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 requires self-employed persons to conduct their undertaking in a way to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, they and other persons (who are not employees) who may be affected are not exposed to risks to their health or safety.
Penalty
The landlord was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,522.
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