Environment Agency | A company has been ordered to pay almost £10,000 for illegally storing asbestos waste in Northumberland in a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency.

Reddem Ltd, based at Queens Road, Wooler, appeared at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court where it pleaded guilty to one offence under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 of operating an illegal waste site and another under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 of keeping or treating waste in a way likely to cause pollution to the environment or harm to human health by storing waste containing asbestos in open containers.

It was fined £4,000, ordered to pay costs of £4,000 and a victim surcharge of £1,600.

The court heard that the demolition company was running an illegal waste site at The Old Gas Works Yard, at South Road in Wooler, bringing construction and demolition waste containing asbestos to the site before onward transportation for disposal.

Asbestos is a controlled waste and must be stored double-bagged in sealed containers. Skips used to store asbestos must also be kept enclosed, and it must not be transferred between different skips or containers.

The company had no environmental permit, which is required to carry out most waste activity.

The court was told that the issue was first reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) by a local resident who had regularly seen waste with the appearance of asbestos being brought onto the site and bulked into large containers.

In June 2023, an HSE Inspector attended the site to gather evidence. They spoke to a director of the company, who confirmed that asbestos cement was being moved around the site.

On 23 June 2023 the inspector served a prohibition notice to the company relating to asbestos disturbance and explained the activity must stop.

The same day, Environment Agency officers attended and saw nine skips which appeared to contain asbestos.

They issued a letter telling the company to stop the activity, and a formal notice requiring the land not to be disturbed until an inspection had taken place.

A joint site inspection took place on 30 June 2023 involving the HSE and Environment Agency, during which samples of waste were taken for analysis from six skips. It was later confirmed that all of the samples contained asbestos.

The Environment Agency’s investigation established that more than 40 tonnes of material containing asbestos was later removed to a properly permitted site for disposal.

BBC News | A housing provider has been fined for fire safety failings following a blaze that killed a vulnerable resident.

Housing association Mount Green has been ordered to pay more than £120,000 following a prosecution brought by Surrey Fire and Rescue Service.

The company pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to three safety regulation breaches in relation to a fire at its Greylees property in Godalming, Surrey in 2022.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service area commander Lee Spencer-Smith said: “This sentencing was about accountability in terms of public safety.”

The fire service, which brought the prosecution, said a wheelchair user was unable to escape and was overcome by heat and smoke in the building corridor during the 2022 fire. Several other residents were rescued by firefighters and some were treated for smoke inhalation.

The company’s breaches included the failure to address safety recommendations from up to three years before the blaze, according to the fire service.

Mount Green director Marcus Canning said the company fully accepted the fine and extended its “deepest sympathies” to family of the person who died in the fire.

Work to address fire safety issues at Greylees began in April 2021 and completed in June 2023, according to the company.

“We remain committed to taking every learning point on board and have implemented changes to strengthen our processes and policies.” Canning said.

Spencer-Smith added: “Responsible persons have a duty of care to their residents, particularly the most vulnerable members of the community.”

“This outcome highlights the consequences of failures in fire safety management and the critical need for proactive, responsible action to protect people.”

HSE | A wooden cable drum manufacturer based in South Kirkby has been fined £24,395 after an employee’s fingers were severed in a printing machine.

A 57-year-old woman was working for Askern UK Limited at its site in South Kirkby, Pontefract on 8 March 2024 when she was able to raise the guard and easily override an interlock to run the rollers of a machine which prints logos. The employee was cleaning the rollers with a paper towel when her fingers were drawn into the nip point, leaving two of her fingers partially severed.

Investigating, the HSE found that Askern UK Limited failed to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery, namely the moving rollers of the printing machine. The investigation also found that the company had failed to adequately maintain the machine or provide employees with suitable training for the printer.

Askern UK Limited, of 28 Lidgate Crescent, Langthwaite Business Park, South Kirkby, Pontefract, WF9 3NR, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £24,395, ordered to pay £5,000 in costs with a victim surcharge of £2,000.

HSE inspector Shauna Halstead said: “This case demonstrated multiple failures by the company in respect of the printing machine.”

“An employee was tasked with cleaning the printer without provision of suitable information, instruction or training, particularly in relation to the safety devices intended to protect them.”

“A suitable interlock and employee training would have prevented this incident.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Samantha Crockett, paralegal officer Benjamin Stobbart, and HSE legal team.

HSE | Two companies have been fined following an incident which resulted in the deaths of two workers in West Yorkshire.

Lee Horton, 58, and Daron Pickstock, 43, were killed when an industrial racking system collapsed as it was being tested at Castefields Industrial Estate in Bingley on 29 October 2020.

The racking was being tested at a site belonging to Space Productiv Ltd, of which Mr. Horton, from Ilkley, was the managing director.

Mr. Pickstock, who was from Chorley, was self-employed and working for a company called Collins Site Services.

The racking system was being loaded with test weights, some of which weighed up to two tonnes, when the structure began to collapse. The two men had been working from a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) next to the racking structure as it was being loaded.

However, as the structure collapsed, it struck the MEWP, causing it to overturn while both men were inside. Mr. Horton and Mr. Pickstock sustained fatal injuries and died shortly afterwards.

An investigation by the HSE found that both companies failed to adequately assess the risks arising from the work being undertaken and failed to put in place a safe system of work to ensure the health and safety of those involved.

The HSE also found that the planned and implemented systems of work were unsafe. Workers were positioned within the collapse zone of the racking during testing, placing them at serious risk should the structure fail.

Space Productiv Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £97,500 and ordered to pay £17,377 in costs.

Collins Site Services Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay £10,292 in costs.

HSE Inspector Mark Slater said: “All work activities where there is a risk to health and safety should be properly planned and risk assessed, and safe systems of work must be followed.”

“Where risks cannot be eliminated, it is vital that workers are kept out of danger zones to reduce the risk of serious injury or death.”

“In this case, inadequate planning and unsafe systems of work exposed workers to an unacceptable level of risk. This was a wholly avoidable incident.”

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Daniel Poole and paralegal officer Sarah Zara Salman.

HSE | A self‑employed contractor has been jailed after a teenager fell to his death during demolition works on a property in Surrey.

Jason Hill had hired 19-year-old Thomas Neate, known as Tom, to help demolish a garage at a domestic property in preparation for an extension, at an address on Glebe Road in Staines-upon-Thames.

On 16 August 2023, Tom, who was local to the area, was on the garage roof removing tiles and other materials when he fell through an opening and suffered severe head injuries. He was taken to hospital but he died several weeks later on 23 September.

The HSE’s investigation found that Hill, 59, of Ashford in Middlesex, had put no measures in place to prevent a fall from height, despite the clear risk. Work was being carried out directly from the roof with no scaffolding, decking, or other protective systems to prevent a person falling through or from the structure.

During the course of the HSE investigation, other concerns were identified, including unsafe mini-digger use and a failure to stop members of the public entering the site, indicating broader failings in Hill’s approach to managing health and safety.

The investigation also found no assessment to determine whether asbestos was present. Corrugated concrete sheets being snapped and removed by hand were later found to be made from asbestos cement – a material commonly found in buildings constructed before 2000. There were three other workers on site who were at risk of exposure to fibres as the sheets were handed down to them, as well as the family whose garage was being worked on.

In a statement provided to HSE, Tom’s family spoke of their devastation at his untimely death.

“Tom was a kind hearted and hard working young man who was such a huge part of so many people’s lives,” they said.

“His loss has devastated us and knowing it could have been avoided makes that loss even harder to bear. His death should never have happened and while we acknowledge the court’s decision, no sentence can reflect what we have lost. We can only hope that this case serves as a warning to others that ignoring health and safety has irreversible consequences.”

Jason Hill, of Ashford, Middlesex, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 at Staines Magistrates Court on 30 January 2026. He was immediately jailed for a period of 12 months. No costs were awarded.

HSE Inspector Jennifer Lester said: “Jason Hill’s failure to put in place basic safety measures has cost a young man his life.”

“The fact he has been sent to prison demonstrates just how seriously this has been taken.”

“Working at height remains one of the most well‑known and significant causes of death and injury in construction, and simple, recognised precautions would have protected Thomas Neate from harm.”

“Even small contractors and individuals working on domestic projects have a legal duty to ensure the safety of workers and members of the public.”

“Failing to take these precautions can have devasting consequences, as this tragic incident starkly demonstrates. Our thoughts are with Tom’s family and friends as they mourn their loss.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by enforcement lawyer Julian White and paralegal officer Lynne Thomas.

HSE | A company that runs holiday camps for children across the country has been fined £6,000 after a three-year-old girl nearly drowned during a swimming pool free-play session.

The incident occurred on 26 July 2023 at Bishopsgate School in Egham, Surrey, where Oxford Active Ltd was running a holiday camp. The three-year-old girl was found face down in the swimming pool underneath a large float and was not breathing. Staff intervened and were able to resuscitate her.

The girl was part of a group of 19 children aged between three and five who were taking part in a free-play swimming session. Most of the children were non-swimmers, including the three-year-old. Staff had fitted her with two sets of armbands and provided her with a foam noodle before she entered the pool. A number of floats were present in the pool, including a large rocket-shaped float, beneath which the child became trapped. When she was found unconscious, she was no longer wearing the armbands or using the noodle.

The HSE’s investigation found that Oxford Active Ltd’s documentation relating to pool safety and supervision was insufficiently detailed and lacked clarity. The investigation also found that the content of this documentation was not communicated effectively to staff, meaning appropriate control measures were not properly understood or implemented.

Oxford Active Ltd, of Oxford, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £12,000 in costs. A victim surcharge was also applied, amounting to 40% of the fine, capped at £2,000. In addition, £2,000 compensation was awarded to the child’s family.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Russell Beckett said: “It is vital that children are able to learn to swim in a safe environment and that parents can trust their children will be properly looked after while doing so.”

“Fortunately, the three-year-old child recovered well, but this incident could very easily have had a tragic outcome.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by enforcement lawyer, Neenu Bains and paralegal officer, Farhat Basir.

HSE | A Hartlepool chemical manufacturer has been fined after two employees were injured in separate incidents at two of its sites within just three months.

On 3 September 2021, an employee at Exwold Technology Limited’s Haverton Hill site in Billingham sustained serious injuries when four fingers on his left hand were severed during machinery start-up. The blades of a rotary valve had not been effectively isolated from the power supply while part of the production line was being prepared between cleaning operations. As the employee checked for air flow, his fingers became caught between the blades and the valve’s internal casing, resulting in the amputation.

Less than three months later, on 24 November 2021, a second incident occurred at the company’s Brenda Road site in Hartlepool. An employee was struck by a forklift truck after the driver’s view was obscured by the load being carried. The driver was unaware that a pedestrian was walking in front of the vehicle at the time of the collision.

The HSE’s investigation found that at the Billingham site the company had failed to put suitable procedures in place to effectively isolate dangerous machinery between cleaning operations.

A separate investigation found that at the Hartlepool site the company had failed to effectively manage forklift truck operations and designated pedestrian routes.

Exwold Technology Limited of Brenda Road, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to two breaches of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £10,492.19 in costs with a victim surcharge of £190.

In court, the judge referenced the genuine improvement the company had made to improve health and safety following the incidents.

HSE Inspector Jonathan Wills said: “Workplace transport and machinery guarding incidents continue to have life-changing consequences for those who are simply carrying out their day-to-day jobs.

“The safe isolation of dangerous moving parts must be considered for routine maintenance activities such as this.”

“Businesses must also ensure that precautions are in place to protect workers in areas where forklift trucks operate.”

“For two such serious incidents to occur at the same company in such a short space of time is particularly troubling, and Exwold Technology Limited’s work to improve health and safety at their sites is necessary and urgent.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Jonathan Bambro and paralegal officer Rebecca Withell.

HSE | A global chemicals company has been fined £400,000 after a worker narrowly escaped serious injury in a high-pressure steam release incident at its site in Huddersfield.

Syngenta Ltd has been sentenced after the 59-year-old contractor – working under its control and direction – had been carrying out unsafe maintenance work. The man had been working as a mechanical fitter on 6 November 2023 when the incident took place, resulting in the company reporting it to the HSE as a dangerous occurrence. The incident involved a release of high-pressure steam as he went about his job.

The company operates a large agrichemicals production site where some of the production plants rely on high pressure steam to manufacture products. The HSE’s investigation found that the incident occurred during the planned replacement of a faulty steam trap on small-bore pipework.

Steam traps are devices that automatically remove condensate (water) and air from the high-pressure steam system. There was a sudden failure of the valve used to isolate the work location from the steam, and this resulted in the uncontrolled high-pressure release.

The HSE’s investigation also revealed several failures with the system of work in operation. These included:

  • The isolation valve failed when the mechanical fitter was separating a bolted flange by cutting the bolts using a battery powered reciprocating saw.
  • The isolation valve and flange bolts were affected by corrosion and were in a poor condition.
  • Due to widespread corrosion of flange bolts on the steam distribution system, it was considered necessary to routinely cut bolts rather than unscrew them using a spanner.
  • Cutting flange bolts reduces the ability to control any unexpected, trapped material or pressure remaining in the pipework.

Syngenta Ltd pleaded guilty to having failed to ensure that the isolation valve and flange bolts were maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair – as required by Regulation 5(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER).

In addition, there was an issue with the company’s documented risk assessment procedure in place before such maintenance work was undertaken. It was routine for Syngenta to carry out maintenance work on small-bore pipework of the high-pressure steam distribution system, using a single method of isolation. The risk assessment documents in place failed to appreciate the increased risk involved in relying on a single method of isolation when there was known corrosion of the work equipment.

Syngenta Ltd also pleaded guilty to having failed to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk involved in carrying out the specific maintenance work described as required by Regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Syngenta Ltd, whose head office is in Bracknell, Berkshire pleaded guilty to the two offences at Leeds Magistrates’ Court and was fined £400,000 with costs of £8,288.

HSE Inspector David Welsh said: “If a safe system of work had been in place at the site when the maintenance was being carried out, this dangerous incident would not have happened.

“The company did not appreciate the extent of the risk posed because of the way the maintenance work was being done, and the relatively simple control measures that could have been applied to make it safer.”

“Syngenta not only failed produce an appropriate risk assessment but also failed to maintain work equipment in a safe condition – which taken together meant that this was a dangerous accident waiting to happen.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by enforcement lawyer Iain Jordan and paralegal officer Zara Salman.

HSE | A South Yorkshire wire company has been sentenced following serious health and safety breaches that resulted in the death of one of its workers.

David Lockwood, 45, sustained fatal injuries at Stanley Wire Limited’s site on Talbot Road in Penistone on 18 November 2021.

Mr Lockwood died after becoming entangled in an unguarded wire drawing and recoiling machine. The machine, known as a ‘Gravity Block’, had exposed moving parts which the worker was able to access.

The HSE’s investigation found that the company had failed to take effective measures to prevent employees from accessing dangerous moving parts of the wire drawing machine. The investigation identified that the company should have carried out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for the machine, and subsequently developed a safe system of work and clearly communicated this to its workforce.

HSE also found that fixed closed guards, interlocks or pressure mats should have been installed to prevent operatives from entering the Gravity Block while it was rotating. The HSE advise that the company could have appointed a designated competent person on site and provided formal training to operatives, rather than relying on verbal instruction. Recognised industry-standard safety measures could and should have been implemented on a number of machines, instead of allowing substandard conditions to persist over a prolonged period.

Stanley Wire Limited, of Stanley Mills, Talbot Road, Penistone, South Yorkshire, pled guilty at an early hearing of breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £140,000 and ordered to pay £6,652 in costs.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Charlotte Bligh said: “Following the incident, eight Prohibition Notices were served on the company. The remedial action taken demonstrated that appropriate measures, such as effective guarding, were readily available and could have been put in place had the risks associated with the activity been properly considered.

“Companies are reminded that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required health and safety standards.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer, Matthew Reynolds and paralegal officer, Benjamin Stobbart.

HSE | A builder who threatened inspectors from Britain’s workplace regulator and told them his name was James Bond has been fined.

David Robert Lane, 59, was the site manager of an extensive cottage refurbishment in Staffordshire when unsafe work caught the attention of two inspectors from the HSE. The pair had been carrying out routine inspections in the Rugeley area on 11 February 2025 when they saw two people on the site accessing a roof from the bucket of an excavator.

Clearly identifying the practice to be unsafe, the inspectors decided they had to stop and take action.

There were around ten workers on the site and when the inspectors approached, Lane, who would later be identified as the site manager, came over to intervene. He refused to identify himself, except as James Bond, and rebuffed their attempts to inspect the site. He went on to tell the inspectors he was in fact the property owner, that the men on site were unpaid friends and relatives, and that they had no legal right to inspect. He followed that up with threats of violence, at which point the inspectors withdrew.

The two inspectors returned to the site a week later, accompanied by officers from Staffordshire Police. Site manager Lane greeted them with a shout of “It’s PC Plod!” while still refusing to identify himself. He maintained that he was the owner, told all his staff not to speak to the HSE, except to confirm that they were his relatives and not at work, and told the inspectors once again that they had no right to inspect and to leave the site.

After making several enquiries, the inspectors were able to identify Lane as the site manager – this resulted in him being served with enforcement action.

Upon receiving notification that he was to be prosecuted for the offence of obstruction, under two counts of section 33(1)(h) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, he responded with three expletive laden emails, and said: “I won’t jump through your hoops”.

The HSE defines work-related violence as ‘any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work’. This can include verbal abuse or threats, including face to face, online and via telephone and physical attacks. It can include violence from members of the public, customers, clients, patients, service users and students towards a person at work.

David Robert Lane, of Talbot Street, Rugeley, Staffordshire, failed to attend Birmingham Magistrates Court on two occasions, and on the latter was found guilty after being tried in his absence on 9 January. He was fined £3,000, ordered to pay full costs of £6,450 and must pay a victim surcharge of £1,200.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Gareth Langston said: “This case highlights the difficulties we face in trying to improve the health and safety of workers across Great Britain.”

“HSE inspectors have an important job to do, in safeguarding the health, safety and welfare of people at work. This includes investigating incidents and securing justice for innocent workers and the families that are tragically left behind.”

“We conduct more than 13,000 inspections every year and it is through this proactive engagement that we are able to advise employers on how they can improve their ways of working, we only take enforcement action when the circumstances require it.”

“We accept that not all employers will be pleased to see us, but the vast majority are professional and accept us with good grace.”

“HSE will not tolerate the obstruction of its inspectors, and may prosecute offenders in rare cases such as this, where this is necessary.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by enforcement lawyer Edward Parton and paralegal officer Hannah Snelling.

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