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.

HSE | Derbyshire Police has been fined £60,000 after several of its officers were injured when a riot training exercise went wrong.

Four serving police officers suffered burns after petrol bombs were thrown at them during the simulated exercise at a training facility in Rotherham on 2 February 2021.

The HSE’s investigation into the incident found that the officers had been exposed to significant and avoidable risks during the exercise.

Officers wearing flame-retardant personal protective equipment (PPE) had been required to face petrol bombs thrown by other officers as part of a training drill intended to replicate a public disorder situation. 

However, it resulted in four of the 13 officers taking part sustaining burns to their lower bodies, three of whom required hospital treatment. All four have since returned to work, but the incident resulted in permanent scarring, and psychological harm, which will have a lasting effect.

The HSE investigation found that Derbyshire Constabulary had failed to properly plan and risk assess the exercise. It found failures to:

  • Give officers adequate information on the lifespan, care, and inspection of the flame retardant PPE to ensure it provided adequate protection.
  • Carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for both the production and deployment of petrol bombs during the training.
  • Implement safe systems of work to control the foreseeable risks created in the course of petrol reception training.

Derbyshire Constabulary of Butterley Hall, Ripley, Derby, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. They were fined £60,000 and ordered to pay £9,470 in costs.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Jennifer Elsegood, said: “Being a serving police officer is a job that carries with it levels of risk, however while preparing officers for dangerous situations is important, it must never come at the expense of their safety.

“High‑risk training activities must be planned and controlled with the same care and professionalism expected in any other workplace. The risks created by the training should have been identified as part of the Constabulary’s risk assessments and appropriately controlled.

“We hope this case reinforces the importance of thorough risk assessment, robust equipment assurance, and safeguarding those who put themselves forward to protect the public.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by senior enforcement lawyer Robert James and paralegal officer Rebecca Withell.

London Borough of Harrow | A landlord has been prosecuted and issued with a £9,000 penalty for repeatedly ignoring council notices and failing to provide essential information about his property which was a suspected unlicensed House of Multiple Occupancy. The property had multiple fire hazards.

Officers visited the four-bedroom property in Edgware after repeated complaints of rubbish piling up outside. Inside they found dangerous living conditions – including a broken boiler and no smoke alarms. An emergency engineer was called out after a strong smell of gas was detected. Officers immediately issued an Emergency Prohibition Order to stop anyone living in the property until urgent repairs were made.

Despite several formal requests, the landlord, Kamil Trivedi, failed to provide the required fire and electrical safety certificates. These documents are vital for the council to identify who is managing the property and ensuring tenants are protected.

The London Borough of Harrow successfully prosecuted Mr Trivedi. He was found guilty of two offences: failing to provide a fire safety certificate and failing to provide the electrical safety certificate.

Cllr Pritesh Patel, Cabinet Member for Cleaner Streets and Public Safety said: “Our officers work tirelessly to protect tenants and ensure landlords know their responsibilities. When they issue notices, they must be taken seriously. This case shows the consequences of ignoring warnings and allowing a property to fall into a dangerous state.

“Our officers acted swiftly to shut the property down and prosecute Mr Trivedi. No one is above the law. We will continue to put residents first and take tough action against anyone who puts them at risk.”

Trivedi was fined £5,000, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £2,000 and ordered to pay a costs contribution of £2,000.

Environment Agency | A company has made a financial contribution of over £1 million to come into compliance and to deal with the effects of a pollution incident in 2018.

An investigation by the Environment Agency has ended in Mettis Aerospace Limited of Redditch, making the payment under an Enforcement Undertaking (EU).

An EU is a voluntary offer made by companies and individuals to make amends for their offending.

Mettis Aerospace Limited accepted that discharges from their metals installation, a site permitted by the Environment Agency, had caused a fish-kill incident.

The discharges, from the site’s surface water drainage system, arose from the uncontrolled overfilling of a process tank on the site and inadequate containment measures.

This meant a solution of caustic and sodium aluminate was able to leak into an unprotected surface water drain and into an adjacent watercourse. Approximately 1,000 fish were killed.

As an alternative to prosecution for the offence, Mettis offered an EU including spending some £504,240 on site infrastructure improvements.

Details of the EU include:

  • Donations to environmental enhancement projects in Redditch and the Black Country totalling £379,500.
  • Initial pollution clean-up costs of £111,268.
  • Payment of the Environment Agency’s initial investigation costs of £9,324.
  • Site infrastructure improvements, training and management systems development, and certification costs of £504,240.
  • Loss of amenity compensation payments to local charities £7,000.
  • Payment of Environment Agency’s costs for assessing compliance with the EU £13,026.

HSE | An unregistered gas fitter has been sentenced after carrying out illegal gas work at a house in Torquay that left the property in an immediately dangerous condition.

Exeter Court heard that Benjamin Owen, known as Ben, trading as BPS and ‘Ben the Plumber’, attended a property on Barton Hill, Torquay in February 2023 where he removed an old boiler and installed a new one.

Following the installation, the boiler did not work properly. The homeowners arranged for another company to check the installation when Ben Owen was dismissive of their concerns. When this plumber attended, they had serious concerns and called the emergency gas provider, who found a gas leak on the gas supply pipe and classified the situation as ‘immediately dangerous’, capping the gas supply.

Gas Safe Register was called and attended the site, where they found further defects in the gas boiler installation. A third company was employed by the homeowners to rectify the faults. When they started work, they discovered additional faults created by Mr Owen.

The HSE’s investigation found that Ben Owen was not registered with the Gas Safe Register, which is a legal requirement. He had previously been a member of Gas Safe Register, but his registration lapsed in October 2021 when he failed to renew his membership. Since 20 October 2021, he was not registered to undertake any form of gas work.

Carrying out gas work without registration is illegal and potentially dangerous, as unqualified work can lead to gas leaks, fires, explosions, and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Ben Owen, of Peter Street, St Hellier Jersey pleaded guilty to contravening Sections 3(3), 26(1) and 27(1) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, ordered to undertake 150 hours unpaid work and to pay costs of £1,000.

After the hearing HSE inspector, Simon Jones, said: “Ben Owen undertook gas work which he knew he was not registered to do and the work that he undertook was found to be dangerous, putting the lives of the homeowners and their four young children at risk.

“All gas work must be conducted by registered Gas Safe engineers to ensure the highest standards are met to prevent injury and loss of life.

“We advise all householders to check that anyone they allow to work on their gas supply is Gas Safe registered. This can be done at the Gas Safe Register website.”

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Daniel Poole and Paralegal Michael Millman.

HSE | A construction company director and his firm have been fined after failing to comply with multiple enforcement notices and for failing to suitably plan, manage and monitor construction work.

Vasilis Paraskeva and his London-based company, VNP Constructions Limited, were the appointed contractor for the conversion of a former public house and adjoining building into residential flats on White Lion Street, London.

During a proactive visit to the site on 1 September 2022, HSE inspectors identified several issues including work at height risks and concerns about the competence of site management. Prohibition and Improvement notices were served.

Further visits over the following 12 months identified additional breaches, demonstrating a continued failure to suitably plan, manage and monitor the work. Additional Prohibition and Improvement notices were served.

An investigation by the HSE found that Vasilis Paraskeva and VNP Constructions Limited failed to comply with the requirements of multiple enforcement notices and failed to ensure work was carried out safely.

The company, VNP Constructions Limited, of Kings Avenue, Winchmore Hill, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 15(2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and to two counts of failing to comply with a Prohibition Notice contrary to Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1971.

The company was fined £7,200 and ordered to pay £900 in costs.

The Director, Vasilis Paraskeva, of Kings Avenue, Winchmore Hill, London, pleaded guilty to three offences on the basis that the company had committed the above three offences and those offences were committed with his consent or connivance or was attributable to his neglect by virtue of S37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

He was fined £10,800 and ordered to pay £900 in costs.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Andrew Pipe said: “These fines should send a clear message to the construction industry that HSE and the courts take failure to comply with enforcement notices extremely seriously.

“HSE will not hesitate to take action against companies and individuals who fail to keep people safe.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Matthew Reynolds and Paralegal Officer Melissa Wardle.

HSE | A Cumbria-based producer of cellulose film packaging has been fined £200,000 after workers were exposed to harmful hydrogen sulphide gas.

On 24 December 2021, Futamura Chemical UK Ltd employee, Alexander Cole (known as Alec), was found collapsed in a pump room after exposure to gas at the company’s factory premises in Wigton, Cumbria. Delivery driver, Robert Dyer, attempted to assist Mr Cole but was also overcome by the gas. Both men were rescued from the area and Mr Dyer quickly regained consciousness. Tragically, Mr Cole died in hospital the following day, which was Christmas Day. A subsequent inquest concluded that, on the balance of probabilities, hydrogen sulphide had contributed to Mr Cole’s death.

The HSE’s investigation found that Futamura Chemical (UK) Ltd failed to adequately risk assess its production process, as it did not identify that hydrogen sulphide gas, a by-product of the process, was able to enter the site’s water effluent system.

Futamura Chemical UK Ltd had conducted a risk assessment for the presence of hydrogen sulphide in the production area and implemented control measures. However, there was inadequate assessment and associated risk controls relating to the potential for hydrogen sulphide build-up in the site’s drainage system. This meant there was a risk that the gas could be released from the drains, putting people at risk of exposure.

According to the HSE, hydrogen sulphide is a clear gas with the smell of rotten eggs and is known to be harmful to health. Depending on the concentration of the gas and the length of time exposed, symptoms can range from dizziness, loss of consciousness and eye irritation through to death.

Futamura Chemical UK Ltd, of Station Road, Wigton, Cumbria, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay £20,000 in costs.

After the hearing Inspector, Matthew Shepherd, said: “This tragic case shows the importance of conducting a thorough and robust risk assessment to ensure that all risks are properly identified and managed. Where companies use, or produce within their processes, substances harmful to health, it is vital that they have fully considered and controlled all pathways to exposure. Failure to do so can have terrible consequences.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer, Karen Park and paralegal officer, Benjamin Stobbart.

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