HSE News – Recent Incidents & Companies Fined

The cost of failing to comply with Health and Safety Legislation

The last few years have seen a general decrease in the number of non-fatal workplace injuries, with last year’s HSE statistics reporting an all-time low of 22,433 reported injuries, down from 24,944 the previous year. Although this is great news – and probably a result of the increase in health and safety training aimed at helping employers to fulfil their responsibilities and keep their workers safe – we must not forget that 22,433 people were still seriously injured in accidents that could have perhaps been avoided.

One of the most commonly breached laws in relation to workplace health and safety is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974:

 Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

General duties of employers to their employees.

It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees.

The HSE prosecute thousands of companies every year under this legislation as they fail to ensure the safety of their workers, here’s a quick look at a few from the past month…

Safer Alternatives

On the 28^th Feb 2013 Cranswick County Foods, in East Yorkshire, were fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £11,690 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, for failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employee.

The employee had been investigating a fault with a data logger attached to a cooling unit and he had used a free standing ladder, which was resting against the chiller with no top ties or foot supports in place to keep it still. As a result it, it slipped as he reached for some tools and he fell three metres, causing serious head injuries and damage to his ear that resulted in a 4 day stay in hospital and permanent injuries.

The HSE found that the injury could easily have proved fatal but could have been avoided if the ladder had been secured, or a safer alternative, such as an elevated work platform, had been supplied for the task.

Risk Assessments

On 20^th Feb 2013 Normanton Brick Company were fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £6,307 in costs after admitting to a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act that led to an accident where a worker lost his thumb and almost severed his entire hand in a poorly-guarded press machine.

The accident was caused when the employee was told the bricks being produced by the machine he was operating were below standard as the plates were clogged up. He stopped the machine and attempted to clean under the plates but, the machine re-started severing his thumb and slicing though his hand. He had to undergo numerous skin grafts and restorative operations to reattach the hand using nerve and tissue from his legs and has not been able to work since.

The HSE found that this horrific accident could easily have been avoided had the employers carried out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment that would have identified failings in the standard of guarding on the brick press which led to the accident.

Adequate Training

On the 7^th Feb 2013, Allied Glass Containers Ltd, in Leeds, were fined £10,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £2,623, after pleading guilty to a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 after an employee received severe injures using an industrial high-pressure jet washer to clean a production line.

The company had not ensured the appropriate training, information or instruction and had supplied unsuitable protective clothing – including boots that were four sizes too big – and, did not supervise him even though he had very little experience. The accident that resulted caused a severe cut to his finger when he dropped the lance of the jet washer and he had to undergo an operation to repair nerve damage.

The HSE found that the company did not consider a safer alternative to using the new equipment which meant they failed completely to fulfil their duties relating to safe systems of work, training, supervision and PPE.

Health & Safety Training Ltd

As a responsible employer, we know that you’ll want to take every step possible to ensure the safety of your workers and avoid legal action against the business that could have been avoided. Simply contact the team at HST today to discuss your safety training needs and let us provide the courses you and your employees need to stay safe at work.