The partner of a man critically injured by an exploding jet hose waited until after Christmas to agree to switch off life support.

Estefania Fonseca, who planned to marry Miguel Galvao the following year, was placed in this impossible position following failures by Lanes Group Limited, who have been fined £800,000 following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

She made the decision for the sake of the three children she had with Miguel. The 51-year-old died on 27 December 2022.

Two-and-half-weeks earlier, on 10 December Miguel was working as a drainage engineer for the utility and infrastructure company. When priming the jetting hose, a loud explosion was heard and the end of the hose whipped up at high speed, striking him. Miguel was rushed to hospital but placed in an induced coma.

The morning of the incident was very cold, with witnesses describing temperatures dropping to around -3 to -4 degrees. Water was being filled into the jetting system (hose, pumps and filters) prior to jetting. The end of the hose was suspended in an inspection chamber when a large pressure release, thought to be due to a build-up of ice in the system, caused the end of the hose to strike Mr Galvao in the face.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company failed to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of its employees. The major failings identified during the investigation were:

• There was no safe system of work detailing how priming of the jetting system should be done safely.
• There was a failure to maintain work equipment in an efficient state, as a number of other jetting vehicles were seen with defective vices.
• There was a failure to monitor use of physical control measures in place.
• Employees were not provided with sufficient information, instruction, training and supervision.

During the investigation, the Water Jetting Association, a trade association representing those carrying out high pressure water jetting, released a safety alert reminding operators of the importance of restraining or anchoring the end of the jetting hose.

WJA Safety Alert – Water Jetting Safely in Cold Weather – Water Jetting Association

The end of the hose should have been mechanically secured in a system such as the vice provided on the vehicle, like the one shown below.

“It felt like the floor had been taken from under me”

After two weeks in hospital, doctors told Estefania there was nothing more they could do for Miguel.

“They asked me if they could switch off the machine and then explained to me that Miguel could pass instantly or breathe by himself between five to seven days.

“Five days would have been Christmas day so I told them they could not do that because of the kids but they could do it afterwards. This was on 27 December.

“Since Miguel passed, I have PTSD – it has affected everything. Miguel was my everything, he was my rock. When Miguel died, it felt like the floor had been taken from under me.

“We lived together for 15 years and had planned to marry at Christmas 2023. We have three children – Angelica, Michael and Jose. It has been so difficult for them to cope without their dad.

“Michael screamed ‘my dad is dead’ when he saw him in hospital, and he still struggles with anger and grief. Angelica was a real daddy’s girl – she has trouble sleeping and misbehaves because she feels no one cares about what happened to her dad. Jose, our eldest, has tried to be strong, but it has affected him deeply too.

“I have good days and bad days, but everything has changed. We used to go out as a family every two weeks – to the cinema, to London, or even just to the park late at night – Miguel loved making memories with the children. We can’t do that now. The kids often ask why life is so different without daddy.

“Financially it has also been a real struggle. We relied on Miguel’s wages, and I now find myself on benefits, unable to give the children the life we had before. We don’t have a car anymore, I can’t always afford the heating, and I have to choose which child I can buy something for each month. It is heartbreaking.

“Miguel’s dream was to buy a house and retire in Portugal. When my father died, he said he would be happy living in my mum’s house there, and that is where we buried him. It is what he would have wanted.

“He worked for this company for nearly 10 years, and it hurts that he never came home from work. They came to his funeral but never spoke to me or the children. That lack of respect has been so painful.

“Miguel was a wonderful father and partner. He went to work that day and never came home. Our lives will never be the same without him.”

Lanes Group Limited of C/O Elements Ring Rd, Lower Wortley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, LS12 6AB pleaded guilty to breaches under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The company was fined £800,000, reduced from £1.2 million due to the early guilty plea, and ordered to pay £8,680 in full costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge at City of London Magistrates’ Court on 2 October 2025.

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Gemma Zakrzewski and paralegal officer Rebecca Withell.

HSE inspector Marcus Pope said:

“This absolutely tragic incident further demonstrates the need for companies to ensure there are suitable safe systems of work for non-routine work, such as work in freezing temperatures where machines are at risk of freezing.

“This investigation and the input from the Water Jetting Association should help demonstrate to the industry the importance of restraining or anchoring the end of jetting hoses when priming systems.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Gemma Zakrzewski and paralegal officer Rebecca Withell.

Further information

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases are available.
4. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.
5. Health and safety information for the high-pressure water jetting industry can be found via the Water Jetting Association website: Health Safety and Medical – Water Jetting Association.

A marina based in the Norfolk Broads has been fined after a man was injured during a boat lift at the site.

The incident happened at St Olaves Marina Limited on 17 May 2023, which resulted in the amputation of the man’s finger.

The man, who was employed by Northern Divers (Engineering) Limited, was injured while assisting with a work boat being lifted by a telehandler operated by St Olaves Marina staff. As the boat was being raised, the man’s hand was crushed by the telehandler forks which resulted in the fourth finger on his right hand being amputated.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) determined that St Olaves Marina Limited had failed to implement suitable measures to control the risks involved in lifting operations and that staff had not received appropriate training for such tasks.

The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 states that employers must take effective measures to safeguard their employees and persons not employed by them from the risks created by their work activities.

St Olaves Marina Limited, of Beccles Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The company was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £5,700 in costs at Norwich Magistrates Court on the 3^rd October 2025.

HSE inspector Christopher Booker said: “Every year, a significant proportion of accidents, many of them serious and sometimes fatal, occur as a result of poorly planned and managed work activities.

“In this case, a wholly avoidable incident was caused by the failure to conduct and carry out a simple lift plan. Had the company suitably planned the lifting of the boat, this life-changing injury would not have occurred.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement Lawyer Karen Park and Paralegal Melissa Wardle.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.

A Worcester-based waste and recycling company has been fined £160,000 after a loading shovel bucket fell onto a maintenance worker.

Blackpole Recycling Limited was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following the incident at its site on Blackpole Trading Estate West in Worcester.

Mr Andrew Taylor, a father of two from Worcester, was fixing a hydraulic leak on the loading shovel when the vehicle’s bucket fell on him. He was airlifted to hospital where he required three operations. His crush injuries included fractures to his ribs, leg, foot and pelvis, which was shattered into three pieces.

Speaking about the incident, Mr Taylor said: “I remember being in the emergency room with 15 doctors and nurses, and my wife. The nurse told me not to worry but I was worried about the here and now. Prior to the accident I used to go to the gym and go running, but since the accident I can’t even get up the stairs.”

HSE’s investigation found that Blackpole Recycling Limited had failed to undertake a risk assessment for the maintenance activity and had not devised a safe system of work. The company also failed to provide adequate information, instruction and training to Mr Taylor.

Blackpole Recycling Limited, of Thorneloe House, 25 Barbourne Road, Worcester, Worcestershire, England, WR1 1RU, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company wase fined £160,000 and ordered to pay ££7,049 in costs and a victims surcharge of £2,000 at a hearing at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court on 30 September 2025.

HSE Inspector Charlie Rowe, who led the investigation, said: “This incident could and should have been prevented. Had a safe system of work been in place, Mr Taylor would not have sustained these serious, life-changing injuries.

“The absence of an appropriate risk assessment, method statement, training and supervision for this maintenance task created a scenario where someone could easily have been killed.

“Employers must ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the safety of their employees. Where they fail to do so, HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action.”

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Matthew Reynolds and paralegal officer Jason Dix.

Further information:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.

• Review aims to simplify regulatory processes whilst maintaining workplace safety standards

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today (1/10/25) announced the launch of a Call for Evidence (CfE) to review the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) and the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations (PSSR).

HSE is inviting input from industry stakeholders, professional bodies, and organisations with relevant experience and expertise, with the CfE running from 1 October 2025 until 11 November 2025.

The main objective of the CfE is to establish a comprehensive evidence base to inform viable opportunities for simplifying and streamlining regulatory processes. The review will reflect the current industry landscape, anticipate future innovation, and maintain workplace health and safety standards.

Kate Haire, Deputy Director of Direction and Policy at HSE said: “This review represents a targeted approach to regulatory reform rather than an overhaul of the frameworks. We want a regulatory system that not only protects those at work, but also encourages new investment, innovation, and growth.

“We are focused on targeting amendments that will enhance clarity, simplify requirements, and modernise processes. Our aim is to ensure that we deliver proportionate regulatory requirements, maintaining safety standards, but minimising the unnecessary costs and compliance barriers faced by businesses.

“Our initial assessment indicates that LOLER and PSSR are generally founded on sound engineering principles, reflect well-established practices, and are deeply embedded across a wide range of sectors. However, we recognise that the emergence of new technologies, particularly those underpinning net zero transitions such as hydrogen, introduce new risk profiles, which is why we are looking to update our evidence base.”

HSE’s review is part of the organisation’s wider response to the government’s plans to support growth through the Regulation action Plan. The CfE will serve as a preliminary validation of the practical implications of existing regulations, drawing on stakeholder insights to ensure no critical considerations are overlooked. It aims to identify any unnecessary administrative or financial burdens that do not meaningfully contribute to risk reduction, assess whether regulations have become outdated in practice, and explore opportunities for reform that could enhance regulatory clarity, foster innovation, and support economic growth.

Industry stakeholders, professional bodies, and relevant organisations looking to participate  can view the Call for Evidence webpages at

Pressure Safety Systems Regulations (PSSR) Call for Evidence (CfE) – Health and Safety Executive – Citizen Space

Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulation (LOLER) Call for Evidence (CfE) – Health and Safety Executive – Citizen Space

Notes to editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) and Pressure Systems Safety Regulations (PSSR) govern the safe use of lifting equipment and pressure systems in workplaces
3. The review will focus on targeted amendments rather than comprehensive regulatory reform

• Man suffered burns after molten glass was spilled.
• Protective door missing from shovel loader for two years.
• HSE guidance is available:

A global glass bottle manufacturer has been fined £600,000 after a worker was burnt by molten glass and hot water spilling into his cab.

O-I Glass Limited pleaded guilty to one charge following the incident at its Glasshouse Loan site in Alloa on 3 February 2024.

A 32-year-old man suffered scald burns to 8 percent of his body but has since been able to make a full recovery.

The company, which employs around 500 people at the site, continually operates furnaces that are used to smelt raw materials, from which glass bottles are manufactured. The furnaces and production lines are located on the floor above two glass reject basements, which house a number of large, moveable skips. It is into these skips that molten or formed glass is rejected, via chutes, during the production process. Coolant water runs down each chute with the rejected molten or formed glass, which in turn generates very hot water and large amounts of steam.

Due to the continuous nature of the operation, the skips would quickly fill and sometimes reject material and water would spill from the skips onto the basement floors. Employees working in these basements used shovel loaders to clear this spilled material from the floors, which was then emptied into other skips.

On the day in question, the worker had been operating a shovel loader, clearing the waste molten glass and hot water from the basement floor. However, there was no protective door on the cab of the vehicle, so some of that material spilled from the bucket onto him.

When it was first provided for use, the loader was fitted with a protective door incorporating a glass window, in front of the cab. However, an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) established that the protective door had been missing since March 2022. It had been removed from the vehicle after being damaged, and although this was reported to the site engineer at the time, no action was taken to replace it. In the almost two years that went by, other operatives had reported being struck or having footwear burnt by molten glass falling into the cab.

HSE guidance, specifically the publication “A guide to workplace transport safety – HSE (HSG136) paragraph 219 & 220: states that ‘vehicles should be fitted with additional protection for those working ….in an inhospitable working environment…. where there is a risk of being struck by falling objects, the vehicle should be fitted with a falling-object protective structure (FOPS)’ and Safe use of work equipment – HSE (Approved Code of Practice to the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER))

Following the incident, the company removed the vehicle from service, and it didn’t return until June 2024, after being fitted with a steel front door, incorporating a glass window with protective wire mesh.

O-I Glass Limited, of Edinburgh Way, Harlow, Essex, pleaded guilty to Regulation 5 (1) of The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and section 33(1) of Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for failing to maintain the vehicle in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair. The company was fined £600,000 at Stirling Sheriff Court on 23 September 2025.

HSE inspector Kathy Gostick said: “This was an avoidable ordeal for a young worker. It is sheer luck he has been able to recover from his serious injuries.

“This company’s employees worked in this environment with a safety critical part of the loader missing for a period of almost two years.

“Although the protective front door had been removed and reported to the on-site engineer, drivers had continued to work and operate the loader with it missing.

“Some operatives even described being struck or having footwear burnt by molten glass falling into the cab as a result.

“When work equipment is being selected, its suitability for the environment it is going to be used in must be risk assessed. In this case the protective door was not suitable to protect against impacts from hot and molten glass and therefore was often broken and in the end never replaced. Had an appropriate door been selected and maintained in place this accident would not have occurred.”

Notes to Editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences in Scotland can be found here.