Health and safety update June 2018
Welcome to the latest edition of our health and safety update where we look at the health and safety stories that have recently hit the headlines as well as the latest fines and sentences that have been handed down.
In the news
Married couple jailed over bouncy castle death
In March 2016, Summer Grant, 7, was killed at a fairground in Harlow, Essex, when she was blown away inside an unsecured bouncy castle.
Truck dealership has fine reduced on appeal
In April 2017 a truck dealership, ATE Truck and Trailer Sales Ltd, was fined £470,000 at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
European Commission prosecutes the UK for breach of air-quality limits
On 17 May 2018 the European Commission referred the UK and five other countries (Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Hungary and Romania) to the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”), for an alleged breach of excess nitrogen dioxide levels.
Wedding venue owner jailed for 20 months for fire safety offences
In 2012 Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service inspected Haslington Hall, a Grade I listed building near Crewe.
Fines and sentences
8-Week prison sentence for owner of scrap metal business and electrical failings
On 12 March 2014, George William Edward Jones, instructed Mr Hearne to plug a tyre stripping machine into a wall socket at Carew Cars, Carew Airfield, Pembrokshire.
Bupa fined £3m following legionella death of a pensioner at a nursing home
In June 2015 Kenneth Ibbetson, 86, died after contracting Legionnaire’s disease at Hutton Village care home in Brentwood
DHL fined £2m after worker’s death during unloading procedure
The delivery and logistics firm, DHL, has been fined £2m at Aylesbury Crown Court after a failure to risk assess the failure of equipment during loading and unloading led to the death of a worker, Mr Krzysztof Sontowski, aged 36.
Royal Mail fined £1.6m due to collision with traffc marshall
In December 2014, a 7.5 tonne truck struck a traffc marshall at a Royal Mail depot in Hounslow, West London, causing serious injuries.
Car parts manufacturer fined £1.6m following legionnaires’ outbreak and an explosion
The HSE prosecuted Faltec Europe Limited, a South Tyneside car parts manufacturer after a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak and an explosion occurred at the same site within a year.
BAM Nuttall fined £900,000 due to a painter’s fall through ceiling
On 7 January 2015, a painter, Paul Welstead, 31, suffered serious injury after falling 3m through a ceiling at East Croydon railway station.
Round up
Leaked circular leads to concerns regarding increased suspended custodial sentences
A leaked circular sent in April 2018 by the Sentencing Council to courts in England and Wales urged a review of imposing suspended sentences where community orders may be more appropriate.
HSE reports increase in deaths arising from construction incidents
Each month the HSE publishes an “in year work-related deaths” report. The information is collated from third parties and is not intended to be a formal statistical release.
New BIM specification for sharing health and safety information
The business standards company, BSI, has launched PAS 1192-6, a process providing digital health and safety risk information through each phase of a construction project.