Merthyr Tydfil based manufacturer fined £50,000 HAVS cases

A Merthyr Tydfil based manufacturer has been fined £50,000 and was ordered to pay £14,793.60 in costs after twenty-one employees were diagnosed with hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). HSE established that from 2000, when the factory opened, until its closure in 2013 there was never a fully compliant management system for hand arm vibration.

Employees were exposed to the risk of hand arm vibration on a daily basis yet the company failed to recognise this. There was no health surveillance to identify employees who might already have some vibration damage even though they employed ex-miners and experienced fitters, or to pick up whether someone was suffering symptoms before they became serious