Lack of an isolation and lock-out system causes death of one worker and serious injuries to another

Waste recycling firm Stonegrave Aggregates Ltd., was fined £248,952 (inc costs) and its director and site manager sentenced after an employee died and a second employee was seriously injured when they became trapped inside machinery.

The circumstances were:

• The accident occurred on a waste processing line.
• This included a trommel, incorporating a large perforated revolving drum, which acts to agitate, rotate and sieve the waste materials.
• The line was not adequately guarded to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.
• Control systems, including emergency stop controls, were not compliant with relevant standards. 
• Management did not adequately monitor or enforce machinery isolation procedures.
• What guarding was provided to the trommel was being regularly bypassed by staff.
• This included the site manager David Basham.
• On 12 December 2015 the line became blocked at various points including the trommel.
• Two employees, Simon Hogg and Raymond Garret, stopped the trommel and entered the drum to clear the blockage.
• There was no isolation and lock-out procedure in place.
• Two other employees, who were unaware that they were inside the machinery, restarted the production line.
• Mr Hogg and Mr Garrett remained inside the revolving trommel drum for approximately four minutes before the line was stopped and the two men were found inside.
• Simon Hogg died at the scene after sustaining multiple injuries to his head and torso.
•  Raymond Garrett sustained multiple serious injuries to his legs, arms and torso requiring extensive hospital treatment.

Director of Stonegrave Aggregates Limited Bruce Whitley was given a 12-month community order.

Site manager at Stonegrave Aggregates Limited Aycliffe Quarry site David Basham was given a six-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months.

The HSE inspector said:
“These tragic consequences could have been avoided. This case highlights the importance of implementing effective power isolation procedures when interacting with machinery and the need to monitor compliance to make sure these procedures are followed. HSE will not hesitate to prosecute companies or individuals who fail to implement and monitor safe systems of work.”

Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK Limited fined £509,000 after 3 cases of hand arm vibration syndrome

 Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK Limited, a large foundry in Telford, was fined £509,453.(inc.costs) after a number of its workers were diagnosed with hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS).

The circumstances were:

• Three employees were diagnosed with HAVS in 2016.
• The employees used tools such as hand grinders, air chisels, spindle grinders, and earlier on in their employment, jackhammers to finish cast iron drainage products.
• One of these had been using vibrating tools at the company since 1989.
• Until 19 December 2017, the vibration risk assessment did not identify each employee’s daily exposure to vibration.
• Also, it did not measure cumulative exposures of using different vibrating tools throughout a shift.
• There was inadequate health surveillance in place.
• Employees were not made aware of HAVS and its symptoms. 
• Despite health surveillance notifying the company of a HAVS diagnosis, the company had failed to take effective action to adjust the affected worker’s job. 
• This meant that staff continued to be exposed to excessive vibration.

The HSE inspector said:
“This was an established multinational company that had the resources to protect its workers from the effects of excessive vibration, but failed to do so over a long period of time. All employers have a duty to provide effective measures to ensure the health of their staff is not seriously or permanently harmed by the work they are asked to do.”

Dreamtouch Mattresses fined £70,000 after employee was drawn into a mattress rolling machine

 

Nottingham mattress manufacturer, Dreamtouch Mattresses Ltd., was fined £70,836 (inc. costs) after an employee of the company suffered multiple injuries after being drawn into an inadequately guarded machine.

The circumstances were:

• The accident occurred on a a NG-06 Semi-Automatic Mattress Rolling Machine (MRM).
• There was nothing to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.
• There was no documented safe system of work for the use of the MRM
• There was no training for the use of the MRM.
• As a result, the common practice at the site was for employees to use their hands, and or arms when feeding and pressing mattresses on the unguarded rotating winding film reel
• An employee was drawn into the MRM
• He suffered multiple injuries to his arm, shoulder, ribs and neck

The HSE Inspector said:
“This injury was easily preventable, and the risk should have been identified.  Employers should make sure they properly assess and apply effective control measures to minimise the risk from dangerous parts of machinery.”

Nasmyth Technologies Limited fined £22,500 after a chemical spill including hydrofluoric acid

The fabrication division of Nasmyth Technologies Limited was fined £22,551(inc.costs) after four employees were exposed to hazardous substances that caused significant ill health and time off work as a result.

The circumstances were:

• This involved a chemical which included Hydroflouric Acid. 

NOTE Hydrofluoric acid is far more dangerous than hydrochloric acid which just gives burns. HF is capable of causing death by skin contact. See http://bit.ly/2Q1myEc .

• Nasmyth Technologies failed to carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment
• They had not prepared for an emergency situation.
• Available respiratory protective equipment (RPE) did not have the correct type of filter for protecting against hydrofluoric acid gas.
• No face fit tests had been undertaken to ensure the masks fitted workers’ faces.
• Furthermore, workers were unshaven meaning their beards or stubble prevented an effective seal of the RPE to their faces
• On 9th October, there was  spillage of up to 200L of this chemical. 
• Four workers were involved in the clean-up that took several hours.
• They were provided with inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE) including respiratory protective equipment (RPE).
• They had no training on clearing up this kid of spill.
• Some of them suffered ill health following the incident, which included an asthma attack, a severe headache, nausea, sore eyes and throat. 
• One of the workers, whose symptoms persisted, was referred by his doctor to a specialist for treatment.

The HSE inspector said: 

“This incident could have so easily been avoided had the company firstly undertaken a suitable and sufficient risk assessment and then implemented the necessary controls, including emergency arrangements for dealing with a chemical spill and the provision of instruction and supervision to ensure safe working practices are followed. Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

Profile Patterns fined £24,000 after multiple injuries caused by unsafe forklift truck practice.

Profile Patterns Limited, a carpet sample book manufacturer, was fined £24,435 (inc. costs) after two workers were seriously injured in an incident where a forklift truck crashed into an onsite refuse skip.

The circumstances were:

• The accident occurred during the emptying of bins using a forklift truck.
• Profile Patterns Limited did not take effective measures to ensure the health and safety of employees in relation to the risks arising from the use and operation of forklift trucks. 
• They failed to implement a safe system of work
• They failed to provide adequate instruction and training to employees.
• The method used for tipping bins into the skip placed employees at significant risk
• The method was normal working practice that had taken place over a considerable length of time.
• On 29 July 2019, three workers were emptying waste from plastic bins.
• They were using a forklift truck to raise the bins to a height.
• Then a worker at either side of the truck manually tipped the bins into a skip.
• One of the bins became trapped between the side of the skip and the forks.
• The driver of the forklift truck climbed on top of the skip to free the bin whilst the other two employees remained standing at either side of the forklift truck.
• Another employee was asked to reverse the forklift truck to aid the release of the bin.
• After reversing, the forklift truck then moved forward.
• It crashed into the skip causing the employee on top of the skip to fall.
• One of the workers standing at the side of the truck became impaled by her right arm by the fork. 
• The two workers sustained serious fractures that required hospital treatment.

The HSE inspector said:
“The risk of injury from this unsafe working practice was foreseeable and the incident could so easily have been avoided. Profile Patterns Limited should have put in place a number of safety measures including appropriate segregation of vehicles and pedestrians and a safe system of work for emptying the bins. Those in control of work also have a responsibility to provide the necessary information, instruction and training to their workers in order to carry out work safely.”

CNC Speedwell Limited fined £140,909 after employee was caught in a machine whilst wearing gloves.

CNC Speedwell Limited, a supplier of machined components was fined £140,909 (inc.costs) after an employee sustained a severed finger, lacerations and tendon damage whilst operating a stud assembly machine at a factory in Brownhills, West Midlands.

The circumstances were:

• The accident occurred on 28 February 2018 on a stud assembly machine.
• No risk assessment had been carried out.
• There were no guards or two-handed controls.
• There was no safe system of work 
• The operators had not received suitable training.
• The operator was wearing gloves close to a rotating machine.
• Her gloved hand became entangled in the exposed rotating parts the machine. 
• Her index finger and the tendon along her arm were severely damaged.

The HSE inspector  said:
“Horrific, life changing injuries sustained in entanglement incidents can be avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices. Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

PCR Steel Ltd fined £59,900 after a driver was killed by a load being lifted onto his flatbed trailer

PCR Steel Ltd  was fined £59,900 (inc.costs) after a driver was crushed and killed by a metal balcony being loaded onto his truck.

The circumstances were:

• On 4 April 2019, an employee of South East Galvanizers Limited visited PCR Steel Ltd at their premises to collect a load which included a metal balcony base frame.
• PCR Steel failed to ensure that the lifting operation was properly planned by a competent person, 
• They failed to ensure that it was appropriately supervised, and carried out in a safe manner. 
• There was no lift plan for the manoeuvring of balcony frames that could have considered the load’s security, size and weight. 
• There was no plan for how the load would be set down, nor for how to exclude people from the danger zone.
• The driver was standing on the back of the trailer bed whilst the  balcony base frame was being loaded.
• The load was not secured and the balcony frame weighing approximately 400kg fell and crushed him.