14th June 2016

Two companies fined £815,000 following fatality

Two companies were fined a total of £815,000 after a worker was crushed to death in Lancashire by a refuse collection vehicle (RCV) whilst it was being refurbished. The HSE investigation found the fatal injury resulted from a poor system of work at the company (JFS) carrying out the refurbishment. In addition, the waste company failed in its inspection regime, which did not systematically review the functionality of the safety limit switch on RCVs. Had the fault with the safety limit switch been identified, and rectified, the poor system of work employed at JFS would not have resulted in the entrapment of the worker.

27th June 2016

Plymouth company fined £500,000

Plymouth company has been fined £500,000 after an employee suffered fatal injuries when a stack of boxes of frozen fish fell on him. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive into the incident, which occurred on 18 October 2013, found there was no safe system of work or instruction to staff on how pallets should be stored. There was no written procedure for dealing with falls of stock when they occurred.

30th June 2016

Construction company fined more than half a million pounds

A construction company has been fined more than half a million pounds for the corporate manslaughter of two men who died after falling into a building site it operated.

The company pleaded guilty to the charge of corporate manslaughter and also pleaded guilty to the offence of failing to discharge a duty to a non-employee, under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The two men were walking in Netley Street, NW1 in the early hours of Saturday, 19 October 2013 and were arguing and scuffling with one another. As they walked past the building site they made contact with a hoarding which gave way, sending both men falling into the basement area. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene following their fall.

4th July 2016

Care home company fined £100,000

A Middlesex based care home company has been fined £100,000 and ordered to pay costs of £50,000 after an elderly resident died from scalding injuries. An investigation by the HSE into the incident found that the bathroom taps in were not adjusted to limit the temperature of the water to a safe level for bathing and showering. The investigation also found that while the company had policies and procedures in place they were deficient and the company failed to effectively communicate information and instruction to its staff so that the control measures could be implemented effectively.