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A wood working company and its director have been fined after the HSE found a series of failings and risks associated with significant quantities of asbestos-containing materials within the premises. During an unannounced visit to a workshop on Moravian Road, Bristol, on 10 August 2016, the asbestos insulating board lining the building was found to…

A self-employed fitter has been jailed after carrying out gas work at a residential address whilst he was not competent to do so, leaving a gas boiler in an ‘at risk’ condition. Southampton Crown Court heard how Michael Smithers, who traded under the name of Bournemouth & Verwood Builders, was contracted to carry out the…

A buildings material manufacturer has been sentenced after a worker was diagnosed with Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) after repeatedly using vibrating tools above the recommended limits; and a second worker sustained electrical burns in a separate incident. The employee was diagnosed with HAVS after a HSE investigation established that he had been using percussive…

A Director of a woodworking company has been fined for failing to comply with Enforcement Notices served to protect the health and safety of workers in his workplace. Classical Joinery Group Limited in Neath (now dissolved) had not complied with four Enforcement Notices, Swansea Magistrates’ Court was told. The Notices had been served between November…

A major cinema chain has been ordered to pay £750,000 after a customer died after getting trapped under a faulty chair. Vue Entertainment, which has sites 91 sites across the UK and Ireland, was also ordered to pay £130,000 in prosecution costs. On 9 March 2018, Ateeq Rafiq visited Birmingham’s Star City cinema with his wife. After watching…

The latest advice on keeping workplaces safe will help you assess the risks and continue to reduce COVID-19 transmission. Portacabin with air conditioning Office staff work in a portacabin adjacent to a main factory. The portacabin has a recirculating air conditioning unit. The windows aren’t normally open. There are usually only a few people in the portacabin…