HSE | A car dealership franchise in Devon and Cornwall has been fined over £200,000 after two workers were diagnosed with Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome.

The two employees were diagnosed in November 2022 following prolonged vibration exposure at Rowes Garage Ltd’s bodyshop in Truro. They regularly used tools such as sanders and reciprocating saws and reported blanching and numbness, especially in cold weather.

HSE found the company had no adequate arrangements to assess or monitor vibration exposure, lacked suitable risk assessments, failed to inform or train employees, and did not act on reported symptoms. Rowes Garage Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £204,000 plus £8,099 costs.

HSE inspector Emma O’Hara said these failings fell below expected standards and highlighted the serious and disabling nature of HAVS.

BBC News | A fine of £1.42 million has been imposed on Anglian Water after flakes and powder entered people’s drinking water.

About 1.3 million people in the East of England were affected by contamination between June and December 2021. Anglian Water admitted five offences under the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 and was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate found the company had poor supply-chain oversight and lacked staff training, repeatedly using unapproved plastic coatings in tanks that later disintegrated into the water supply. All issues have since been rectified.

Inspector Marcus Rink said public health and drinking water quality must be the highest priority, and the record fine sends a clear signal that such behaviour is unacceptable.

An Anglian Water spokeswoman apologised and confirmed significant investments have been made to prevent recurrence.

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

On 25 August 2022 at Heathrow Terminal 5, a 54-year-old employee slipped off a televator and fell 1.5 m due to gaps between guardrails and the aircraft fuselage, suffering back and head injuries including a fractured vertebra.

On 8 March 2023, a 43-year-old employee fell 3 m from an elevator platform, sustaining head injuries including a fractured jaw and brain bleed.

HSE found inadequate guardrails and platform placement in both incidents. British Airways pleaded guilty under Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £1.33 million (2022 incident) and £1.875 million (2023 incident), plus £20,935 costs.

HSE enforcement lawyer Rebecca Schwartz said these foreseeable risks could have been mitigated by adequate guardrails and that British Airways needed to do more to protect its staff. The prosecution was supported by paralegal officer Melissa Wardle.

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

On 24 January 2018 at Gaerwen Industrial Estate, Anglesey, a 61-year-old Camclad Contractors Limited employee fell through a fragile roof after working without a site visit or proper planning.

HSE found the work was planned from photographs only, preventing the hired cherry picker from reaching all areas and forcing workers onto unsafe boards. Camclad pleaded guilty to Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £225,000 plus £10,000 costs. Director Dominic Lakeman-Pettit pleaded guilty to a Health and Safety at Work etc. Act offence and received a suspended prison sentence, unpaid work and £1,000 costs.

HSE principal inspector Damian Corbett said proper planning and safe systems of work are essential to prevent such risks.

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 at its Stamford Bridge site on 11 February 2023 when a blockage-removal procedure caused part of the machine to activate, sending him three metres to the factory floor, where he died.

The HSE found the company failed to provide a robust safe system of work, neglected isolation and training procedures for blockage removal, and allowed workers to shortcut across the conveyor rather than using the stairs.

East Riding Sacks Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £533,000 plus £6,066 costs.

Inspector Elliot Archer said falls from height and unguarded machinery access are preventable with proper isolation procedures and safe systems of work, and that this incident could have been avoided.

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

In October 2023, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service found multiple fire-safety failures at Premier Apartments Flats 1–4 in St Ives, including inadequate risk assessments and detection.

  • Failure to make suitable and sufficient risk assessments.
  • Failure to implement general fire precautions.
  • Failure to provide adequate fire detection and warning.
  • Failure to ensure rapid, safe evacuation in danger.

District Judge Jo Matson said fire safety is critical, especially for holidaymakers who must be protected.

The company spent around £25,000 addressing the issues and was sentenced to pay a £22,660 fine, a £2,000 victim surcharge and £8,998 costs within 28 days.

Chief Fire Officer Kathryn Billing said the case reminds duty-holders that HSE will seek the highest sanctions for significant fire-safety failures.

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

On 2 June 2023, Laura Simmons, 22, was found fatality injured after her overloaded quad bike overturned at Charlton Abbots farm. The HSE found the ATV had uneven tyre pressure, lack of baffles in the spray tank, an unstable load and no pre-use checks or training.

Prosecutor found Toby Baxter failed to provide suitable equipment, ensure pre-use checks, implement a filling system, train employees or assess risks. Baxter pleaded guilty to breaches of regulations 2(1) & 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £6,161.72 costs.

Inspector Emily O’Neill said the incident was avoidable with proper controls and this prosecution highlights ongoing agricultural safety concerns.

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

On 23 January 2020 at Ebrington Rise, near Chipping Campden, Martin Dunford, 33, was pinned against a lorry by two stacks of blocks. HSE found Piper Homes Construction Ltd failed to provide level storage areas or inspect pallets; the company is in liquidation.

Piper Homes pleaded guilty to breaching CDM Regulation 13(1) and was fined £300,000 plus £5,236 costs.

Inspector James Lucas emphasised the need for planned material storage, level areas and regular pallet inspections to prevent such avoidable incidents.

HSE | A paddleboard business owner has been jailed for 10 years and six months for gross negligence manslaughter following the deaths of four people in 2021.

Nerys Lloyd, 39, owner and sole director of Salty Dog Co Ltd, admitted gross negligence manslaughter for the deaths of four paddleboarders at Haverfordwest Town Weir on 30 October 2021. She and assistant Paul O’Dwyer led a trip despite heavy flooding, failed to check or brief participants on hazards, and did not inform them of the dangerous weir. All four victims drowned after being swept over the weir.

A joint investigation by Dyfed-Powys Police and HSE found Lloyd was unqualified to lead river tours and breached health and safety regulations by not assessing or managing obvious risks. HSE inspector Helen Turner and Detective Superintendent Cameron Ritchie offered condolences and emphasised that proper safety measures are essential to prevent such tragedies.

HSE | A road haulage company in Nuneaton has been fined £90,000 after a metal heat exchanger fell from its lorry killing a cyclist.

An HGV operated by JW Morley Transport Ltd overturned a heat exchanger weighing over 10,000 kg on College Street, Nuneaton, on 18 June 2021 when a securing strap snapped. The load shift caused a heat exchanger to fall, killing 70-year-old cyclist Christopher Baker.

HSE found the load was inadequately secured and the ratchet straps were in poor condition. The lorry should not have been on public roads with such an unsecured load, and proper framing, multiple straps and friction matting would have prevented the incident. JW Morley pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £90,000 plus £8,047.55 costs.

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