HSE | A local authority has been fined £6,000 after an employee suffered serious injuries when a stepladder collapsed beneath him.

The employee of Wirral Council was attempting to access a loft space at the Council-operated Dale Farm site in Heswall, Wirral, when the incident occurred. As he neared the top of the stepladder, it gave way causing him to fall to the ground. He suffered a fractured collarbone and broken ribs.

The HSE’s investigation found that Wirral Council had failed to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of its employees by not adequately controlling the risks associated with working at height and the use of ladders.

The investigation identified failures in the Council’s management of work at height activities. Ladder use was not effectively controlled and despite identifying ladders that were not in a good state of repair and unsafe to use, they remained in place, accessible to any employee who wanted to use them.

Furthermore, employees had not received training in in relation to how to assess a ladder as being safe to use.

Wirral MBC pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £6,000 with £4,000 in costs.

After the hearing HSE Inspector Mike Lisle said: “This worker suffered painful and life-changing injuries in a fall that could have been prevented.

“The council failed to put in place basic measures to manage the risks associated with working at height. Employees had not received suitable training and ladders were not being systematically inspected to ensure they were safe.

“Employers should ensure suitable equipment is properly maintained, workers are trained and robust arrangements are in place for all work at height activities.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement Lawyer Matthew Reynolds and paralegal officer Lynne Thomas.

HSE | A plastic packaging manufacturer has been fined for the second time in less than a year after a worker suffered a severe crush injury when their hand was drawn into the rollers of a laminating machine at its site in Telford.

Reflex Flexible Packaging Limited was sentenced in November 2025 after an employee died when he became trapped in an unguarded machine at the company’s site in Langley Mill, Derbyshire. This latest case relates to a separate incident on 17 January 2025, at the company’s Telford premises, when a worker suffered serious injuries while cleaning a machine.

The worker, a laminator operative and shift supervisor employed by the company, was injured while cleaning a laminator machine at the company’s premises on Halesfield, Telford.

The worker was cleaning the machine’s rollers using rags after a production run had finished. As they cleaned the machine, a rag became caught between two in-running rollers and pulled their left hand into the nip point between them. Their hand was drawn into the machine up to the wrist.

A colleague immediately activated the emergency stop, allowing the worker to free their hand from the machine. They were taken to hospital with a severe crush injury. The worker underwent two operations on their left hand, spent four nights in hospital and later required physiotherapy to rebuild strength in the injured hand.

Investigating, the HSE found that Reflex Flexible Packaging Limited had failed to ensure effective measures were in place to prevent access to the dangerous moving parts of the laminating machine.

The company had failed to provide a fixed guard to prevent access to the in-running nip point between the rollers during cleaning operations. The HSE investigation also revealed that the company’s risk assessment and safe system of work were not suitable and sufficient. The cleaning operation had not been properly assessed and the risk of a worker being drawn into the machine during cleaning had not been identified. The safe system of work also failed to provide clear instructions regarding the use of the foot pedal to rotate the rollers during the cleaning process.

Reflex Flexible Packaging Limited, of Vision House, Hamilton Way, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, NG18 5BU, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

The company was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay £4,464 in costs at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 10 August 2026.

HSE Inspector Zach Morris said: “This incident was entirely preventable. Reflex Flexible Packaging Limited failed to ensure that effective measures were in place to prevent access to dangerous parts of the laminating machine during cleaning operations.

“This is the second time in less than a year that this company has been sentenced for health and safety offences, following a fatal incident at another of its sites. Dangerous moving parts of machinery continue to cause serious injuries in workplaces across Great Britain. Dutyholders should not focus solely on normal machine operation when considering access to dangerous parts. They must also consider activities such as cleaning, maintenance, and repair where workers may be exposed to dangerous parts of machinery that are inaccessible during normal operations.

“HSE will not hesitate to take enforcement action against dutyholders who fail to protect workers from these well-known and foreseeable risks.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Neenu Bains and paralegal officer Benjamin Stobbart.

HSE | An event structure company and its director have been fined after an employee suffered severe, life-changing injuries while dismantling an internal steel frame.

iSkate Limited employee, Natalie McCreith, 38, a former outdoor sports instructor, had worked for the company for 14 years when she was seriously injured while working at Beaverbrook Hotel and Golf Course Leatherhead, Surrey, on 26 June 2024.

Ms McCreith underwent an 11-hour operation, spent three months in hospital and is still recovering following the incident.

During the dismantling of a steel beam temporary structure, a ratchet strap was being used to lower a steel beam weighing over 100kg. The ratchet strap was not designed for lifting or lowering loads and failed, causing the beam to fall onto Ms McCreith. She sustained multiple fractures to her back, a punctured lung and a broken leg.

Neil Munn, director of iSkate Limited, was on site at the time and made the decision to use the ratchet strap, instructing workers where to stand. He continued with the method even after Ms McCreith raised concerns about whether it was safe.

The HSE’s investigation found that iSkate Limited had failed to ensure that the dismantling of the internal steel frame was properly planned and carried out safely.

iSkate Limited, of Norfolk House, Station Road, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 16(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, by virtue of Regulation 20(1). The company was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay £6,949 in costs.

Neil Munn, director of iSkate Limited, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, by virtue of Regulation 16(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and Regulation 20(1). He received a community order with 75 hours of unpaid work to be completed.

In a victim personal statement, Ms McCreith said: “Since the accident, my life has been completely turned upside down it’s now the polar opposite of what it once was.

“I will never live the life I once had or be in a body that isn’t screaming at me all day, I wish I could turn back time. My family spent the journey from Liverpool to London thinking I was dead, they have had to watch someone they love go through agonising pain and continue to do so.

“I am not the person I once was, I can’t be everything I once was and for them this journey also continues.”

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Russell Beckett said: “Demolition and dismantling is a high-hazard work activity, but if the work is properly planned it can be carried out safely. This accident has had a devastating effect on Ms McCreith and could easily have been prevented had the right work equipment been used.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Will Bodiam and paralegal officer Hannah Snelling.

HSE | A waste and recycling company has been fined £36,000 for repeatedly failing to provide appropriate welfare facilities and asbestos awareness training for employees at a site in North Wales.

Llandudno Magistrates’ Court heard how workers at World Care (Wales) Limited, were tasked with sorting waste and recyclable materials by hand without having facilities to wash dry themselves afterwards.

It is illegal to put asbestos straight into standard bin bags/skips and, according to the HSE, recent inspections within the industry have shown widespread non-compliance, specifically at asbestos landfill sites and asbestos contaminated soil processing.

At the World Care site, it was identified through a routine inspection that the company had failed to make warm running water and soap available to employees as well as a means to dry themselves. There had been at least one occasion where asbestos had been brought onto the site, yet they continued to not provide asbestos awareness training to employees.

The HSE’s investigation found that World Care (Wales) had received previous enforcement on several occasions over an 11–year period. On each occasion, inspectors found that the company failed to maintain the minimum health and safety standards required. These enforcement notices were in relation to welfare provisions and training.

World Care (Wales) Limited of Tre Marl Industrial Estate, North Wales, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £36,000 and £8,867 in costs. The company opted to make the payments over a 16-month period.

HSE Inspector James Benton said: “The health risks from exposure to material containing asbestos is well known yet this company wasn’t providing the appropriate facilities for workers to protect themselves.

“Basic welfare provision is essential to ensure that employees can clean themselves at work, to help prevent exposure to harmful microorganisms. After being told of the risks, this company repeatedly failed to provide adequate welfare facilities such as soap and running water, and failed to provide asbestos awareness training to employees.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Alan Hughes and paralegal officer Lynne Thomas.

Security Industry Authority | The SIA has prosecuted Abdoulie Maner after he was discovered to be working as a door supervisor at a venue in Cardiff while his SIA licence was suspended.

At Cardiff Magistrates’ Court, Mr. Maner pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 3 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (PSIA) for working as a door supervisor without a valid SIA licence. At the same time, he also pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 9 of the PSIA for breaching his licence conditions by failing to return his suspended SIA licence to the SIA.

Mr. Maner was ordered to pay a fine of £80 for each offence, a victim surcharge of £64 and prosecution costs of £150, totalling £374.

In April 2025, Mr. Maner had his door supervisor licence suspended and, as per the conditions of the licence, was asked to return it by the SIA. He failed to comply with this request.

He was then found to have been using the suspended unreturned licence to work as a door supervisor at a venue in Cardiff in November 2025, resulting in the SIA bringing this prosecution.

Natural Resources Wales | Two men have been sentenced for illegally dumping waste on farmland in Cardiff following a successful prosecution by Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

Kyle Gordon Mason and John Brian Janes were sentenced at Newport Crown Court after pleading guilty to waste offences.

Mr. Mason, 46 from Dickens Avenue, Llanrumney, Cardiff, was sentenced to 14 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to pay £200 in costs to NRW, and an undisclosed victim surcharge.

Mr. Janes, 52 from New Road, Rumney, Cardiff, was sentenced at an earlier hearing and ordered to pay a fine of £500, £750 in costs to NRW, and a victim surcharge of £200.

In 2021, NRW started an investigation following the dumping of mixed household, building and green waste in three fields near the St Mellons Business Park in Cardiff. Some of this land is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Multiple van loads were found in three fields owned by three different landowners, and evidence relating to both defendants and the businesses Mr. Mason was director of was found in the waste.

The investigation continued into 2022. Surveillance footage was obtained by Liberton Investigations on 10 June 2022 showing a transit flatbed vehicle with number plates removed drive into one of the fields carrying what appeared to be waste and leave empty.

Mr. Mason and Mr. Janes were interviewed during the investigation but denied the waste offences. However, due to the evidence collected against them, they later pleaded guilty in court.

Mr. Mason pleaded guilty to dumping five van loads of waste in these fields and Mr. Janes pleaded guilty to dumping a bag of household waste.

Natural Resources Wales | A company responsible for polluting Llanishen Brook and Roath Park Lake in Cardiff has agreed to donate £150,000 to a local environmental charity, following an enforcement undertaking secured by Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

The payment by Erith Contractors Ltd to the South East Wales Rivers Trust will support the delivery of projects aimed at conservation and restoration of river habitats across South Wales.

The case began when a member of the public reported foul-smelling grey water in Llanishen Brook to NRW on 28 September 2023.

NRW’s officers investigated and traced the source of the pollution to groundwork taking place at the former HMRC tax office site as part of preparations to demolish high-rise buildings.

A demolition crew had damaged a main sewer line, causing raw sewage to discharge into a tributary of Llanishen Brook, which ended up in Roath Park Lake.

Working closely with staff from Erith Contractors Ltd and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, NRW officers ensured that the damaged sewer was repaired and the pollution contained later that same day.

As part of the enforcement undertaking, Erith Contractors Ltd accepted full responsibility for the incident and committed to funding local environmental improvements through South East Wales Rivers Trust.

Following the incident, NRW continues to monitor and assess the brook and lake for any long-term environmental impacts. NRW has also advised Erith Contractors Ltd to take extra precautions during future work to avoid similar incidents.

An enforcement undertaking is a form of civil sanction available to NRW under the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008. It allows companies to make amends for environmental offences by contributing to projects that directly benefit the environment.

Natural Resources Wales | A farmer has been ordered to pay more than £4,000 in fines and costs after a pollution incident near Abergavenny led to soil and silt being discharged into two small watercourses.

Jamie Langford, of J M Langford and Son, based in Herefordshire, pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Newport Magistrates’ Court to an offence under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.

The successful prosecution by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) resulted in Mr. Langford being fined £375 and ordered to pay £3,603.50 in costs to NRW, and a victim surcharge of £150. The level of fine for environmental offences is set by the courts and is based on the level of harm, culpability, and the financial means of the defendants.

The case followed an investigation by NRW officers into a pollution incident that occurred on 12 June 2023, when intense rainfall caused soil runoff from two potato fields being rented and cultivated by J M Langford and Son near Abergavenny.

The heavy downpour washed soil and silt from the recently planted fields into two nearby watercourses, one a tributary of the Mynachdy Brook and the other a tributary of the Nant Gavenny.

The runoff also caused extensive damage to a neighbouring property, including The Copper Kettle Café and adjoining dwellings. That element of the incident is being dealt with separately by insurers.

The court heard that the layout of the potato planting furrows, running directly up and down the slope, allowed rainwater to channel freely down the fields, picking up large volumes of soil.

NRW officers found that better land management, including wider buffer strips or alternative planting patterns, could have significantly reduced the risk of runoff and pollution.

Mr. Langford was sentenced for a Category 3 offence under sentencing guidelines. The judge took into account his good character, lack of previous convictions and the fact there was no financial gain. The court also noted that Mr. Langford was considered an expert farmer and had not been negligent in his actions.

HSE | A defence technology company was fined £800,000 after an employee was shot during ammunition testing at MoD Pendine ranges.

On 25 March 2021, a QinetiQ Limited employee was paralysed by a 5.56 mm bullet during a NATO quality assurance trial due to inadequate risk assessment and failure to ensure no one was near the target. QinetiQ pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £800,000 plus £8,365 costs.

HSE | A renovation company in South Wales has been sentenced after defying enforcement notices from HSE.

Greenlife Property Developments Ltd carried out unsafe excavation work in a 2.5 m deep trench without securing the sides, risk assessment, or site barriers. HSE served a Prohibition Notice and two Improvement Notices, which the company breached by continuing work and failing to implement safe systems.

In January 2025, the company was found guilty of breaching Sections 33(1)(c) and 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay £5,812.57 in costs.

“Every year people are killed or seriously injured by collapsing and falling materials while working in excavations… The fine imposed should highlight to everyone in the construction industry that courts and HSE take failure to comply with enforcement notices extremely seriously.”

— HSE inspector Rachael Newman
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