A north west roofing supplies firm and its director have been fined after two workers fell from a tower scaffold, sustaining serious injuries.

Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how on 27 November 2018, two employees of Rooffabs Direct Ltd had been working with Paul McMahon, the sole director of the company, to install signage at retail premises on Bury New Road, Prestwich. The employees used a tower scaffold to carry out the work. During the afternoon, when Mr McMahon was no longer on site, the tower scaffold moved away from the building and the two employees fell approximately two metres, suffering fractures to their legs and ankles.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the tower scaffold had not been erected by someone with suitable training. There were missing guard rails on the scaffold and no outriggers in place at the time of the incident. The company also failed to report the incident as required by the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).

Rooffabs Direct Limited of St Mary’s place, Bury, pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and section 3(1) of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Regulations 2013. The company was fined £20,000.

Paul McMahon of Bury Road, Rochdale, pleaded guilty under section 37 to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and section 3(1) of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Regulations 2013. Mr McMahon was ordered to complete 100 hours community service, pay compensation orders of £500 each for the two injured persons and was ordered to pay costs of £1,000.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector David Norton said: “Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work-related fatalities and severe injuries in this country. The risks associated with work at height are well known.

“This incident could so easily have been avoided by having a suitably trained person put up the tower scaffold and ensuring that the required guardrails and outriggers were in place.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. www.hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/
3. More information about using tower scaffolds safely can be found at https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/scaffold.htm 4. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk

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Nestlé UK Ltd was sentenced for breaching health and safety regulations after an employee was dragged into a machine on the production line of their Albion Mills site in Halifax.

Bradford Crown Court heard how on 13 February 2016, while observing the operation of the After Eight production machine, the technical operator placed his right hand close to a gap in the machine housing. An emery cloth held in his right hand was dragged into the machine taking his arm with it.

The employee was unable to reach any of the emergency stop buttons located around the machine from the position in which he was trapped. He had to be released from the machine by paramedics. He suffered a double compound fracture to his arm, which required surgery.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company had failed to prevent access to dangerous moving parts of the machine, namely an ‘in-running nip’. There was a gap large enough to allow access at a belt conveyor entry on the After Eight line.

Nestle UK Ltd of City Place Gatwick pleaded guilty to breaching Reg 11 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.They were fined £640,000 and ordered to pay £26,234 in costs.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Jacqueline Ferguson said: “This is a tragic incident that could so easily have been avoided. The risks inherent in failures to properly guard dangerous parts of machinery are well known in industry and to Nestlé.
“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

Notes to Editors:
1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. www.hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/
3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk

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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) are hosting a second virtual stakeholder event covering the actions businesses in the chemicals sector need to take to keep their business moving following the Brexit transition period.

The webinar event takes place online on Wednesday, 20 January 2021 and runs from 10.15am to 1pm.

The webinar will focus on ensuring attendees are well informed of the duties and obligations with which they need to comply to access the UK market now that the transition period has ended. The event will be interactive and give delegates the opportunity to ask questions of the expert panel drawn from HSE and Defra.

Sessions for the event include Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR), Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP), Plant Protection Products (PPP) and Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals (REACH).

Dr Matthew Penrose, Head of Chemicals (Future Readiness) Policy at HSE, said: “­­­­­HSE and Defra have been working with chemicals stakeholders to support various engagement events over many months.

“A similar webinar took place in December 2020 and proved to be very popular and informative across the chemical sector while this follow-up event aims to consolidate important information following the end of the transition period as we move into the new ways of working.

“The webinar will be focused on making sure the chemicals sector is well informed of the duties and obligations they need to comply with to access the GB market now that the transition period has ended.”

As with the previous HSE-led Brexit chemicals event, this is likely to be extremely popular and spaces are limited to two persons per organisation to allow as many organisations as possible to attend.

Click here to book a place via the event microsite.

Further details regarding how to keep your business moving following the end of the Brexit Transition period can be found via the HSE and DEFRA websites.

/Ends

Notes to Editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. hse.gov.uk
2. Updated guidance on the changes to chemicals regulations can be found on our Brexit Chemicals page.
3. More information on the actions businesses need to take to keep their business moving following the Brexit transition period is available in the HSE After UK Transition: Working with Chemicals podcast.
4. Businesses based in Great Britain must use the Comply with UK REACH service to follow UK REACH regulations to manufacture, import, sell or distribute chemical substances or mixtures.

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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned against the severe dangers of inadequate electrical safety systems in farm buildings  following a recently concluded prosecution at Warwick Crown Court.

Britain’s workplace regulator has highlighted the substantial risks arising from using poorly maintained equipment after a woman was killed while cooking food in a farm caravan.

Deana Simpson was electrocuted in 2017 while using a cooker which was poorly insulated and connected at a caravan in Willoughbv Farm, near Rugby in Warwickshire.

Amy Kalay, HM Principal Inspector of health and safety, who managed HSE’s involvement in the case, said the case has highlighted the severe risks that can arise when farm equipment and buildings are poorly maintained.

Amy said: “This was a completely avoidable and foreseeable incident. Deana was killed because work on an electrical system hadn’t been done by a professional electrician with the right skills and experience.”

At the time of the incident, Deana shared the caravan with James Atkin, the son of the farmer, Trevor Atkins, who owned the farm at Willoughby Fields

Deana was found collapsed by the cooker by James, who also received an electric shock when he touched the cooker.

Five days after the incident, a qualified electrician examined the electrical installation at the scene and found it was in a poor and dangerous condition. The potential for an electric shock was immediately obvious, with poor and incorrect connections, inadequate earthing and no protective devices in place, as was required by manufacturer’s instructions.

Amy said that the dangers can be particularly acute in farm equipment and buildings in rural areas which may not be maintained regularly.

In the course of the investigation into the death of Deanna Simpson led by Warwickshire Police, assisted by HSE, it was established that the generator had been modified several weeks earlier by James Atkins, who was not a qualified electrician. He had fitted a new invertor, despite being told the work needed to be done by a qualified electrician.

Amy added: “Electricity kills or severely injures people every year. You should make  sure that the only people who are working with your electrics are competent to do the job. Equipment repairs or alterations to an electrical installation should only be carried out by people with knowledge of the risks and the precautions needed. Normally this means a professional electrician.”

During the investigation, it emerged that Trevor Atkins had been complicit with the work his son had carried out on his property, and as an employer, had a duty to maintain the electrical system relating to the caravan to ensure that it was not dangerous. As Deana lived in the caravan, he also had a general duty of care towards her to ensure she was not exposed to risks to her safety. It was deemed he had breached those duties.

James Atkins was sentenced for gross negligence manslaughter receiving six year and six months in prison and Trevor Atkins was sentenced for charges under Section 3 of the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He received a 10 month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

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A company that manufactures tissue and paper towels has been fined after an employee suffered serious injuries in unguarded machinery.

Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 22 September 2018, an employee of Northwood Tissue (Disley) Ltd had entered a running unguarded wet-lap machine at their factory in Stockport to move fabric that was tracking off course. He was pulled into the machine by his arm resulting in a broken wrist, broken and dislocated elbow and snapped forearm.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found a fixed guard was not in place and there was no safe system of work in place to ensure the task could be carried out in a safe way.

Northwood Tissue (Disley) Ltd of Waterside, Disley, Stockport, pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £120,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,023.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Martin Heywood said: “If the appropriate guards and a suitable safe system of work had been in place, the injuries sustained by the employee could easily have been prevented.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. www.hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/

3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk

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