A vertical farming, glasshouses and energy company has been sentenced after a worker came into contact with an 11kV overhead power line.

Beverley Magistrates’ Court heard that on 3 December 2018, a subcontractor scaffolding worker was unloading some scaffolding poles near power cables in Willerby, Hull, when one of the poles caught the overhead line. He sustained burns to his leg and foot and was hospitalised.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the site was very muddy, and operatives were unable to park their vehicles on site near the work area, meaning they had to move the materials onto the site by hand. There were also inadequate controls on site to warn of the overhead cables.

Cambridge Glasshouse Company Limited of Wallingfen Park, Main Road, Newport Brough, East Yorkshire pleaded guilty to breaching Section 14 of the Electricity at Work Act 1989. The company was fined £333,333 and ordered to pay costs of £1,235.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Sarah Robinson said: “The company should have planned the work to mitigate the risks and had better signage and controls around the site for overhead cables.

“This was a very serious incident and could have easily been fatal.”

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
4. Please see the link below to the page on HSE’s website that is the best guide to doing it the right way:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/gs6.

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A roofing contractor has received a suspended sentence after an employee fell approximately 30 feet through a glass skylight on a warehouse roof in Blackburn.

Preston Crown Court heard Nizamuddin Gorji was engaged by Floors ‘n’ Carpets Limited of Gate Street, Blackburn to over-clad the existing roof. He employed three operatives to carry out the work which commenced on 13 May 2020. The following day one of the employees fell through the roof sustaining severe life changing injuries to his pelvis, arm, knee and face and has undergone extensive surgery since.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Mr Gorji failed to adequately plan the roof work or consider the equipment required. There was no scaffolding in place around the building or under-slinging nets, covering fragile skylights and asbestos cement sheets. He had not completed any health and safety training and did not adequately train the operatives he employed.

Nizamuddin Gorji of Woodbine Road, Blackburn pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 9 (2) and 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. He received a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years and was ordered to pay costs of £3,000.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Jackie Western said: “The risks from working at height, especially when involving fragile roof materials such as asbestos cement roof sheets and fragile rooflights, are well known. Those in control of the work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working, which should include ensuring the use of suitable work equipment and adequate supervision.”

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: hsg33.pdf (hse.gov.uk)  Construction – Fragile surfaces industry health & safety (hse.gov.uk)

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

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A food manufacturing company has been sentenced after repeated failures to maintain safety devices on its food processing machinery.

South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard that on three separate occasions between July 2008 and March 2016, HSE inspectors visiting the premises of Coldconnection Limited found multiple food processing machines that had non-functional or defeated interlock safety devices. Notices were served on each occasion, requiring the company to remedy the defects, but on a fourth visit in August 2019, the same issues were found again.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted the firm due to the repeated contraventions relating to these safety devices and the failure to maintain improvements.

Coldconnection Limited of Bladen Street Ind Est, Jarrow, Tyne And Wear pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11 (3)(c) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The company was fined £14,000 and ordered to pay £928 costs.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Stephen Garner said: “While HSE would prefer to engage with businesses proactively through alternative enforcement tools, we can and will bring action through the courts where businesses are found to put their employees at unnecessary risk through repeated contraventions of health and safety law.”

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
4. Further information about health and safety in food and drink manufacturing can be found at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg252.pdf

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A manufacturer of thermal and acoustic insulation panels has been fined after a worker’s hand was severed in a roller press at their site in Burton-on-Trent.

Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court heard that on 7 August 2018, a worker’s hand got drawn into a roller press used for cutting out panels, along with product he was working on at Crown Industrial Estate, Anglesey Road, Burton on Trent. The press was fitted with a guard and interlocking trips which, should have prevented this incident.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the guarding on the roller press involved in the incident and two other presses at the company was inadequate and there were no checks being carried out to make sure that the guards and protective devices (interlocks) were functioning as designed. The interlock trips were not working.

Custom Insulation Ltd of Crown Industrial Estate, Anglesey Road, Burton on Trent, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety Act 1974. The company has been fined £16,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,633.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE principal inspector, Lyn Spooner said: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply identifying control measures and safe working practices and having systems in place to monitor their continued effective operation.

“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. hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: legislation.gov.uk/
3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk
4. Information about machinery guarding and inspection can be found at Inspection of work equipment – Work equipment and machinery (hse.gov.uk)

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A lighting manufacturer in Blackburn has been fined after an employee was fatally injured when the forklift truck he was driving struck an overhead steel beam.

Preston Magistrates’ Court heard that on 14 June 2019, the employee was operating a forklift truck to move pallets at the company premises in Witton Business Park, Blackburn, when the mast of the forklift truck hit a low overhead structural beam, which caused the truck to overturn. The employee was trapped underneath the roll cage and received fatal crush injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the traffic routes on site required forklift trucks to travel under a number of overhead structural beams which only had a small clearance gap between the mast of the trucks at their lowest setting and the beams. There were no hazard markings to highlight these overhead obstructions.

MK Illumination (UK) Ltd of Witton Business Park, Preston Old Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £53,360 and ordered to pay costs of £7,880.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Anthony Banks said: “The company’s system of work was not safe. With the forklift trucks operating within such tight margins, the company simply relied on the assumption it’s employees would always remember to lower the forks to their lowest position whilst travelling underneath the overhead beams.

“MK Illumination (UK) Ltd not only failed to physically mark the overhead beams in a conspicuous way to provide the forklift truck operators with a prominent warning of the limited headroom, but the company also failed to undertake a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the traffic routes. When this was done after the incident, the revised traffic routes avoided the low overhead beams altogether.”

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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