England | Water firm fined £1.4m for drinking water contamination

BBC News A fine of £1.42m has been imposed on Anglican Water after failures led to flakes and powder entering people’s drinking water.

About 1.3m people in the East of England were affected by the negligence between June and December 2021. Environment Secretary Steve Reed said the problem was “scandalous and a complete disgrace”.

The water provider admitted five offences under the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 and was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court.

Anglian Water was investigated by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), which found it had “poor oversight” of its supply chain and a lack of staff training.

The company, which apologised for the issues, also supplies customers in Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Rutland. It repeatedly used unapproved plastic-based products to coat pipework submerged within water tanks. These coatings later broke down into flakes and powder that entered the water supply.

“Contamination of drinking water on any scale is scandalous and a complete disgrace,” Reed said.

“The record £1.4m fine handed down sends a clear signal that this criminal behaviour is unacceptable.”

The DWI investigation found water tanks continued to be used even after Anglian Water knew they contained unapproved products. All of the issues across Anglian Water’s network have since been rectified.

Marcus Rink, DWI’s chief inspector, said: “Public health and drinking water quality must be the highest priority, and there can be no compromise.

“We’ve taken firm action in the public interest to ensure the company has removed all non-compliant material, so that customers can remain confident in their water supplies.”

An Anglian Water spokeswoman said it regretted “falling short” and apologised to customers.

“As a result, we have since invested significantly to improve these and have shared our learnings across the water industry,” she said.

“Protecting the water supply of our customers could not be more fundamental to our business.

“Despite the breach, there was no evidence of any contamination of the water supply and the judge agreed based on independent expert reports that the risk to customers was very low.”

— Accurate at time of publication | May 2025

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England | Airline fined over £3m for two falls from height incidents

HSE | British Airways has been fined more than £3million after two employees fell from height and sustained serious injuries.

 

The airline was prosecuted by the HSE following two separate incidents at Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport.

On 25 August 2022, a 54-year-old employee had been unloading baggage containers from an aircraft when he slipped off a televator and landed 1.5 metres onto the ground below. He suffered serious back and head injuries, including a fractured vertebrae, as a result.

The HSE investigation found there were gaps between the televator’s guardrails and the aircraft fuselage, the size of which depended on the type of aircraft, creating the fall from height hazard. The gaps increased in size after the front of the televators’ platforms at Terminal 5 were extended – but additional measures to prevent falls from height had not been implemented.

At the time of the incident, British Airways had started a programme to retrofit extendable guardrails to televators in response to previous HSE visits. This was completed following the incident.

Second incident 

In the second incident a British Airways worker sustained head injuries, including a fractured jaw and bleeding on the brain, on 8 March 2023, while unloading baggage containers from an aircraft following its arrival from Seattle. The 43-year-old fell from an elevator and landed three metres onto the ground below.

Both employees were taken to hospital for treatment and had to take several months off work.

The HSE investigation into this incident identified a risk of employees falling from height from the front of the elevator platforms when they were being used during loading and unloading of some aircraft types. Flaps on either side of the platform would be left folded down leaving a gap between the platform and aircraft fuselage.

It also found that the elevator’s operator platform had not been fully extended towards the aircraft, creating a gap which employees could fall through.

British Airways PLC, of Waterside, Speedbird Way, Harmondsworth, Greater London, pleaded guilty to two charges under Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

The company was fined £1.33million in relation to the August 2022 incident, and £1.875million in relation to the March 2023 incident. The company was also ordered to pay £20,935 in costs.

HSE enforcement lawyer Rebecca Schwartz, who brought the prosecution, said: “Falls from height present a real risk of death or serious, life-changing injury. Both employees are fortunate to be alive today.

“The risks of working at height and the necessary control measures are well established – in these cases adequate guardrails would have significantly reduced the risk of harm. This was a reasonably foreseeable risk that British Airways should have been aware of and therefore it should have done more to protect its employees.”

Moving baggage between an aircraft and the luggage carousel in the terminal building is dynamic and time-pressured. It therefore comes with a range of risks to baggage handlers. Several HSE inspections have taken place at Heathrow Airport, identifying risks with manual handling and maintenance of equipment as well as falls from height. Airlines and ground handling companies have needed to take action as a result of these visits.

This HSE prosecution was supported by HSE paralegal officer Melissa Wardle.

— Accurate at time of publication | May 2025

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Canada | Regina company fined $575,000 for workplace injury

Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety | Evraz Inc. NA Canada has pleaded guilty in Regina Provincial Court to one violation of The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020.

The company was fined for contravening clause 10-4 (1) (a) of the regulations (being an employer, failing to provide an effective safeguard when a worker may contact a dangerous moving part of a machine, resulting in the serious injury of a worker).

As a result, the Court imposed a fine of $410,714.29 with a surcharge of $164,285.71, for a total amount of $575,000.

One other charge was withdrawn.

The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on 4 December 2022, in Regina, Saskatchewan when a worker suffered serious injuries while inspecting the underside of sheet metal as it was being mechanically moved through the metal slitting machine.

— Accurate at time of publication | May 2025

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Australia | Concrete manufacturer fined $580,000 over worker injury

Government of Western Australia | A concrete manufacturing company has been fined $580,000 (and ordered to pay $6,180 in costs) after a worker was seriously injured at its Neerabup concrete batching plant.

Ransberg Pty Ltd, trading as WA Premix, pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace and, by that failure, causing serious harm to a worker, and was fined in the Joondalup Magistrates Court.

In December 2020, a worker at the plant suffered serious harm when a large waste pit gate fell onto him.

Waste products from the concrete mixing process are deposited into waste pits that are regularly drained and emptied.

These steel and concrete waste pits are four-walled boxes three metres wide by one point five metres high with a removable front wall weighing around two tonnes known as the waste pit gate.

The waste pit gate is held in place by four wedge pins that lock into fittings on the side wall of the pit. These pins were knocked out with a mallet once the gate was secured by a lifting chain attached to a raised front-end loader bucket.

The pit gate was then lifted by the front-end loader and stored safely beside the waste pits.

The emptying of the waste pits was considered to be a two-person job, but it was done by one person if no other workers were available.

On the morning of the incident, the injured worker knocked out three of the four wedge pins and went to retrieve the lifting chain. He could not find the chain and returned to the waste pit gate and knocked out the remaining wedge pin.

The gate then fell forward, hitting the worker first in the chest then continuing forward to strike his left leg above the knee, then his shin and ankle. He suffered multiple open fractures and other injuries that ultimately resulted in the amputation of his left leg below the knee.

There was no supporting mechanism in place to prevent the gate from falling if the lifting chains were not attached to the front-end loader bucket.

Ransberg did have other batching plants, and at another batching plant the waste pit gate was supported by a “c channel.” This method of supporting the waste pit gate was known to Ransberg at the time of this incident.

— Accurate at time of publication | May 2025

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Scotland | Cambuslang waste carrier given £1,000 penalty for falsifying authorisation

SEPA | Scotland’s environmental regulator is reminding waste carriers of the serious consequences for forging records after serving a £1,000 civil penalty to a man who provided a waste transfer notice with false information.

 

Calum Morton of Cambuslang was served the Fixed Monetary Penalty (FMP) by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) after the regulator found they had falsely claimed to be a registered waste carrier and provided false information about a waste deposit.

Waste transfer notices ensure that there is a clear audit trail from when waste is produced until disposal, providing an accurate record that enables regulators to track waste movements and check waste has been handled legally.

A waste transfer notice should provide essential information on the type and quantity of waste, where it originated from, and where it will be disposed of or treated. Any person who produces, keeps, or manages controlled waste or has control of it as a broker or dealer, or carriers must complete accurate waste transfer notes and make them available on request.

In May 2023, South Lanarkshire Council provided SEPA with a waste transfer notice identifying Mr. Morton as a registered waste carrier and detailing the collection and transport of waste from The Tudor Inn, Cambuslang, to the NWH Group waste management facility, Glasgow.

Witness statements collected from the Council and NWH Group certified that Mr. Morton had not deposited nor paid for the deposit of waste at the location, while checks of SEPA’s own records indicated that Mr. Morton was not registered as a waste carrier on the date stated on the waste transfer notice.

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, it is an offence for any person to make a statement which he knows to be false or misleading with respect to licences and an FMP was deemed appropriate enforcement action in this case.

SEPA can issue FMPs for relevant offences. FMPs are normally appropriate where an offence has not caused environmental harm or has caused minimal environmental harm with no lasting environmental effects or impacts on communities, for administrative offences and where little (if any) financial benefit arises from the offence.

— Accurate at time of publication | April 2025

SEPA | Scotland’s environmental regulator is reminding waste carriers of the serious consequences for forging records after serving a £1,000 civil penalty to a man who provided a waste transfer notice with false information.

 

Calum Morton of Cambuslang was served the Fixed Monetary Penalty (FMP) by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) after the regulator found they had falsely claimed to be a registered waste carrier and provided false information about a waste deposit.

Waste transfer notices ensure that there is a clear audit trail from when waste is produced until disposal, providing an accurate record that enables regulators to track waste movements and check waste has been handled legally.

A waste transfer notice should provide essential information on the type and quantity of waste, where it originated from, and where it will be disposed of or treated. Any person who produces, keeps, or manages controlled waste or has control of it as a broker or dealer, or carriers must complete accurate waste transfer notes and make them available on request.

In May 2023, South Lanarkshire Council provided SEPA with a waste transfer notice identifying Mr. Morton as a registered waste carrier and detailing the collection and transport of waste from The Tudor Inn, Cambuslang, to the NWH Group waste management facility, Glasgow.

Witness statements collected from the Council and NWH Group certified that Mr. Morton had not deposited nor paid for the deposit of waste at the location, while checks of SEPA’s own records indicated that Mr. Morton was not registered as a waste carrier on the date stated on the waste transfer notice.

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, it is an offence for any person to make a statement which he knows to be false or misleading with respect to licences and an FMP was deemed appropriate enforcement action in this case.

SEPA can issue FMPs for relevant offences. FMPs are normally appropriate where an offence has not caused environmental harm or has caused minimal environmental harm with no lasting environmental effects or impacts on communities, for administrative offences and where little (if any) financial benefit arises from the offence.

— Accurate at time of publication | April 2025

England | Worker’s fatal fall on job planned from photographs

HSE | A cladding company and its director have been fined following the death of a worker who fell through a fragile roof whilst replacing cladding panels.

 

The 61-year-old was working for Camclad Contractors Limited, replacing cladding panels on a former abattoir that had been damaged in a storm, when the incident took place at Gaerwen Industrial Estate, Anglesey, on 24 January 2018.

An investigation by the HSE found that the work had only been planned from photographs and that no site visit had taken place before starting the work. The dimensions of the building were not known to the contractor. This meant the cherry picker hired to allow safe access to height did not reach all parts of the structure that were to be repaired.

To complete the work, workers had to leave the safety of the cherry picker basket and used boards found on site to work on the fragile roof. It was whilst doing this that slipped and fell through the fragile roof, landing on the concrete floor below.

Camclad Contractors Limited of Wyboston Lakes, Great North Road, Wyboston, Bedfordshire pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £225,000 with costs of £10,000.

A director of the company, Dominic Lakeman-Pettit also of Great North Road, Wyboston, Bedfordshire pleaded guilty to breaching section 37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was sentenced to four months in prison suspended for 12 months and ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay costs of £1,000.

Speaking after the case, HSE principal inspector Damian Corbett said: “Those in control of work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary information and instruction to their workers in the safe system of working.

“If the work had been adequately planned, it would have provided a suitable safe system of work and prevented the risk of falls through fragile materials. Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those who fall below the required standards.”

— Accurate at time of publication | May 2025

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England | Firm fined more than £500,000 after shift worker fell to his death

HSE | A North Yorkshire company has been fined more than half a million pounds after a night shift worker fell to his death.

Mark Pinder, 51, was working for East Riding Sacks Ltd, a manufacturer of paper sacks, at its site in Stamford Bridge, near York, when the incident happened on 11 February 2023.

Mr Pinder, from York, had been operating one of the production lines when a blockage occurred on the upper deck of the machinery. After identifying the cause, he attempted to remove the blockage. He had been standing on the stationery metal rollers when his colleagues witnessed part of the machine being activated. Mr Pinder was struck by the machine which caused him to lose his footing.

He fell approximately three metres from the unguarded edge of the metal rollers to the factory floor below. Although paramedics were called to the factory, he died at the scene as a result of his injuries.

The HSE’s investigation found that East Riding Sacks Ltd failed to provide a robust safe system of work. This related to the isolation of the sack making line and the removal of blockages. They also failed to identify the risk from a fall from height and implement appropriate measures.

Falls from height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death and HSE has detailed guidance on working safely at height.

The HSE investigation also found that workers routinely cleared blockages themselves, relying solely on the interlock guarding to stop the machine, even though they had not been adequately trained in isolation or blockage removal procedures. In addition, workers were using the conveyor belt as a shortcut between gantries, often climbing over the handrails onto the equipment rather than down the stairs and walking around. Management were unaware of this practice.

East Riding Sacks Ltd, of Full Sutton Industrial Estate, Stamford Bridge, Full Sutton, York, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 . The company was fined £533,000 and ordered to pay £6,066 in costs.

HSE inspector Elliot Archer said: “Every year, a significant proportion of accidents, many of them serious and often fatal, occur as a result of people accessing dangerous parts of machinery and working at height.

“Where access beyond machinery guarding and safety devices is required for the removal of blockages, robust isolation procedures to remove all sources of power should be implemented alongside a suitable safe systems of work.

“Had these been in place, and the recognition of work at height being undertaken been flagged by the company, with appropriate controls implemented, this incident would have been avoidable.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Karen Park and paralegal officer Lucy Gallagher.

— Accurate at time of publication | May 2025

HSE | A North Yorkshire company has been fined more than half a million pounds after a night shift worker fell to his death.

Mark Pinder, 51, was working for East Riding Sacks Ltd, a manufacturer of paper sacks, at its site in Stamford Bridge, near York, when the incident happened on 11 February 2023.

Mr Pinder, from York, had been operating one of the production lines when a blockage occurred on the upper deck of the machinery. After identifying the cause, he attempted to remove the blockage. He had been standing on the stationery metal rollers when his colleagues witnessed part of the machine being activated. Mr Pinder was struck by the machine which caused him to lose his footing.

He fell approximately three metres from the unguarded edge of the metal rollers to the factory floor below. Although paramedics were called to the factory, he died at the scene as a result of his injuries.

The HSE’s investigation found that East Riding Sacks Ltd failed to provide a robust safe system of work. This related to the isolation of the sack making line and the removal of blockages. They also failed to identify the risk from a fall from height and implement appropriate measures.

Falls from height remains one of the leading causes of workplace injury and death and HSE has detailed guidance on working safely at height.

The HSE investigation also found that workers routinely cleared blockages themselves, relying solely on the interlock guarding to stop the machine, even though they had not been adequately trained in isolation or blockage removal procedures. In addition, workers were using the conveyor belt as a shortcut between gantries, often climbing over the handrails onto the equipment rather than down the stairs and walking around. Management were unaware of this practice.

East Riding Sacks Ltd, of Full Sutton Industrial Estate, Stamford Bridge, Full Sutton, York, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 . The company was fined £533,000 and ordered to pay £6,066 in costs.

HSE inspector Elliot Archer said: “Every year, a significant proportion of accidents, many of them serious and often fatal, occur as a result of people accessing dangerous parts of machinery and working at height.

“Where access beyond machinery guarding and safety devices is required for the removal of blockages, robust isolation procedures to remove all sources of power should be implemented alongside a suitable safe systems of work.

“Had these been in place, and the recognition of work at height being undertaken been flagged by the company, with appropriate controls implemented, this incident would have been avoidable.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Karen Park and paralegal officer Lucy Gallagher.

— Accurate at time of publication | May 2025

Canada | Two Alberta employers fined for workers’ deaths in 2022 explosion

Canadian Occupational Safety | Two Alberta companies have been fined a combined $550,000 after pleading guilty to violating provincial occupational health and safety legislation in connection with a 2022 explosion that killed two welders at a tank storage facility north of Edmonton.

 

The incident happened on 12 November 2022, at an oil and gas development in northern Alberta.

Two workers were welding on top of a tank when an explosion occurred within a tank farm, according to the Alberta government.

The explosion claimed the lives of Greg Podulsky, 29, and Darcy Schwindt, 47, while the men were conducting work at the site operated by Tamarack.

Tamarack Valley Energy Ltd. and Peace Pipefitting Inc. each admitted to a single count under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act during a court hearing in Slave Lake.

Justice Robert Marceau accepted a joint sentencing submission that included both fines and creative sentencing measures.

Tamarack was ordered to pay $500,000, with the majority of that sum directed toward funding safety awareness and prevention programming through three organisations, CAREERS: The Next Generation Foundation, Energy Safety Canada, and Threads of Life, a national non-profit that supports families affected by workplace tragedy.

Peace Pipefitting Inc., the contract employer for the welders, received a $50,000 fine, of which $30,000 will be allocated to Threads of Life. The company is also subject to two years of enhanced regulatory supervision.

A third company which also faced charges related to the incident is scheduled for sentencing on 28 May 2025, while charges against a fourth, unnamed numbered company were stayed in 2024.

— Accurate at time of publication | May 2025

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Australia | Hay processing company fined $595,000 over worker injury

Government of Western Australia | A hay processing company in regional WA has been fined $595,000 (and ordered to pay $5,510 in costs) over a serious injury to a worker.

HA Hold Co Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace and, by that failure, causing serious harm to a worker, and was fined in the Northam Magistrates Court.

In January 2023, a leading hand was working under a labour hire arrangement at the hay processing plant at Carani in the Wheatbelt, operating a small hay press.

He climbed through an unguarded area onto the press’s conveyor belt to rearrange some hay bales that had become twisted in front of a chamber in which hay bales were cut in half.

He was pushed by the mechanical arm that pushes hay bales into the cutting chamber, and his leg became trapped in the chamber. His leg was fractured, and he suffered a degloving injury.

The conveyor belt did have interlocked gates on the opposite side from where this incident occurred, and opening these gates stopped the conveyor belt.

However, workers had previously accessed the conveyor belt while it was moving by reaching over the conveyor belt and pushing the twisted hay bales. This was faster and more convenient than walking around to the other side of the conveyor to the interlocked gates.

In 2022, an external safety consultant engaged by the company warned about the risk posed by the unguarded area of the conveyor belt, but the company did not install guarding there at that time.

The company did not have a documented safe work procedure for addressing blockages on the conveyor belt. After the incident, a mesh guard was fitted to the unguarded area.

— Accurate at time of publication | May 2025

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England | Holiday let business fined for breaching fire safety regulations

Cornwall Council | A self-catering holiday let business has been ordered to pay a total of £33,658 in fines and court costs after failing to adhere to fire safety regulations.

In October 2023, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service received concerns regarding the fire safety provisions at holiday accommodation known as Premier Apartments Flats 1 to 4 in St Ives.

During an inspection at the premises on the same day, the Fire Safety Inspector found multiple fire safety breaches including a lack of risk suitable risk assessments and inadequate fire detection.

Holiday Enterprises Limited was sentenced after previously pleading guilty to charges under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Specifically, failing to:

  • Make suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to relevant persons.
  • Implement general fire precautions.
  • Provide adequate fire detection and warning contrary.
  • Ensure that in the event of danger it was possible for persons to evacuate the premises as quickly and as safely as possible.

Sentencing, District Judge Jo Matson said fire safety matters were extremely serious due to the risks that can occur. She added that those staying at the premises were on holiday and should be protected.

The court heard that following the inspection in 2023, the company had spent around £25,000 rectifying the issues raised.

Holiday Enterprises Limited was ordered to pay a fine of £22,660, a victim surcharge of £2,000 and £8,998 in costs. The company was given 28 days to make full payment.

Kathryn Billing, Chief Fire Officer at Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, said: “The Fire Safety Order is designed to protect life in the event of fire, and whilst prosecution is always a last resort, the case serves as a strong reminder to those with responsibilities that if they fail to meet their regulatory requirements or put people at significant risk in the event of fire, we will not hesitate to seek the highest sanctions possible.”

— Accurate at time of publication | April 2025

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England | Farmer fined following death of worker

HSE | A Gloucestershire farmer has been fined after the shepherdess he employed was killed in a quad bike crash.

 

Laura Simmons was working alone on 2 June 2023, spraying weed killer along fence lines, using the all-terrain vehicle (ATV) at a farm in Charlton Abbots near Cheltenham.

The overloaded quad bike overturned. The 22-year-old was found by a jogger several hours later.

Laura, described by her mother as “lively, caring and adventurous,” died from fatal spine injuries. An investigation by the HSE found the ATV overturned due to an overloaded front rack, uneven tyre pressure, unstable load from lack of baffles in the spray tank and the potential for the spray lance to be used during movement.

Toby Baxter failed to:

  • Provide suitable equipment.
  • Ensure pre-use checks were conducted.
  • Implement a system to fill the spray tank.
  • Formally train his employees.
  • Properly assess the risks.

Baxter, of Chedworth, pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety At Work etc Act 1974. He was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £6,161.72 costs at a hearing at Cheltenham Magistrates Court on 29 April 2025.

Laura’s mother paid tribute to her daughter from Shetland, saying: “She was a lively person who loved animals, was very caring, was a hard worker, was plucky, intelligent, practical, adventurous and she had a beautiful smile.”

After the hearing, HSE inspector Emily O’Neill said: “This was a tragic incident, and a much-loved young woman has lost her life. It could have easily been avoided with the right controls in place.

“We found several failures, so Mr Baxter’s previous suggestion that Laura was a victim of ‘unfortunate circumstances’ is, frankly, offensive.

“This prosecution highlights ongoing safety concerns in the agricultural sector, which remains one of Britain’s most dangerous industries for workers. Proper equipment, training and risk assessment are essential to protect workers.”

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Arfaq Nabi and supported by paralegal officer Rebecca Foreman.

— Accurate at time of publication | April 2025

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England | Firm fined following fatality on site

HSE | A construction company has been fined after a kitchen fitter was crushed to death by a pack of concrete blocks at a site in the Cotswolds.

 

Martin Dunford, 33, was ‘very much loved’ by his family who say they miss him ‘every day’ since the incident on 23 January 2020. Martin was killed after being pinned against the side of a lorry loader as two stacks of concrete blocks fell onto him.

Martin had been working at Ebrington Rise, near Chipping Campden – a development of 16 three, four and five bedroomed houses being built by Piper Homes Construction Limited.

The HSE’s investigation found that Martin had walked around a lorry loader to talk to a driver about how long he would be on site, as he needed access to one of the properties being built. A stack of concrete blocks which had been placed on top of another stack of blocks, which was also supported by a wooden pallet, toppled over onto him, pinning him against the side of the lorry. He sustained severe internal and head injuries and died on site.

Piper Homes Construction Limited, who were the principal contractor on the site, had failed to ensure that a suitable, level storage area was provided for the safe offloading of construction materials. The company had also failed to ensure that wooden pallets in a suitable condition were used for the storage of construction materials and that persons were excluded from delivery areas.

Piper Homes Construction Limited, which is currently in liquidation, of Lace Market Square, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The company was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay £5,236 in costs.

Martin’s sister, Tracey Hunter, provided a statement on behalf of his family. She said: “Martin went to work and never came home. His life was unjustly cut short.

“Little did he know on that date that he was going to work on a site that had ongoing issues and was not following HSE guidelines for working safely on a construction site.

“Martin was very much loved by his family and friends. He is missed every day and nothing can ever fill the hole that is left by him no longer being here. We, his family, and friends are still all navigating throughout this endless period of grief and [this] verdict is the start of some sense of justice towards his senseless death.”

HSE inspector James Lucas said: “This was an entirely avoidable incident and our thoughts remain with Martin’s family.

“Storage of construction materials should be properly planned and managed, to ensure that if materials are stored at height the necessary measures are in place to prevent them from falling and potentially injuring persons.

“Storage areas should be level and accessories such as wooden pallets should be regularly inspected to ensure that they are in suitable condition to be used to store materials.

“Had this been done on this particular site, Martin would have returned home safely to his family.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Arfaq Nabi and paralegal officer Jason Dix.

— Accurate at time of publication | April 2025

HSE | A construction company has been fined after a kitchen fitter was crushed to death by a pack of concrete blocks at a site in the Cotswolds.

 

Martin Dunford, 33, was ‘very much loved’ by his family who say they miss him ‘every day’ since the incident on 23 January 2020. Martin was killed after being pinned against the side of a lorry loader as two stacks of concrete blocks fell onto him.

Martin had been working at Ebrington Rise, near Chipping Campden – a development of 16 three, four and five bedroomed houses being built by Piper Homes Construction Limited.

The HSE’s investigation found that Martin had walked around a lorry loader to talk to a driver about how long he would be on site, as he needed access to one of the properties being built. A stack of concrete blocks which had been placed on top of another stack of blocks, which was also supported by a wooden pallet, toppled over onto him, pinning him against the side of the lorry. He sustained severe internal and head injuries and died on site.

Piper Homes Construction Limited, who were the principal contractor on the site, had failed to ensure that a suitable, level storage area was provided for the safe offloading of construction materials. The company had also failed to ensure that wooden pallets in a suitable condition were used for the storage of construction materials and that persons were excluded from delivery areas.

Piper Homes Construction Limited, which is currently in liquidation, of Lace Market Square, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The company was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay £5,236 in costs.

Martin’s sister, Tracey Hunter, provided a statement on behalf of his family. She said: “Martin went to work and never came home. His life was unjustly cut short.

“Little did he know on that date that he was going to work on a site that had ongoing issues and was not following HSE guidelines for working safely on a construction site.

“Martin was very much loved by his family and friends. He is missed every day and nothing can ever fill the hole that is left by him no longer being here. We, his family, and friends are still all navigating throughout this endless period of grief and [this] verdict is the start of some sense of justice towards his senseless death.”

HSE inspector James Lucas said: “This was an entirely avoidable incident and our thoughts remain with Martin’s family.

“Storage of construction materials should be properly planned and managed, to ensure that if materials are stored at height the necessary measures are in place to prevent them from falling and potentially injuring persons.

“Storage areas should be level and accessories such as wooden pallets should be regularly inspected to ensure that they are in suitable condition to be used to store materials.

“Had this been done on this particular site, Martin would have returned home safely to his family.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Arfaq Nabi and paralegal officer Jason Dix.

— Accurate at time of publication | April 2025

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