Fine for company which ignored previous enforcement action
This week’s blog covers an article that goes against everything we offer here at MBO Safety Services. The company in question ignored vital information and guidelines given to them on numerous occasions. Surprisingly, from what we know, no one was hurt. However, over the years there have been countless occasions where employees could have been victims of life changing injuries or worse.
What happened and why?
The property development company was fined £8,000 for failing to adequately assess the risks involved in a refurbishment project, despite having been subject to previous enforcement action.
Health and Safety inspectors visited the company’s site, during which enforcement action was taken in relation to general fire precautions, slips and trips, a failure to provide welfare, work at height, use of personal protective equipment, electrical safety, and potential exposure to asbestos. A follow up visit to the site was then made at a later date where further breaches of law relating to work at height and building safety were identified.
An investigation by HSE found the company did not have the organisational capability to comply with their duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. It also found that lessons from previous enforcement action in 2017, had been ignored. The company pleaded guilty to breaching the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 Reg 13 and was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,744 at a Magistrates Court in 2022.
After the hearing, HSE inspector said: “Those in control of work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary information, instruction, and training to their workers in the safe system of working. Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”
What do YOU need in place?
This company missed general fire precautions. At MBO, we provide our clients with legal documents such as Fire Risk Assessments, Fire Extinguisher Supply & Servicing and Fire safety & Fire Warden training. All of which come with certificates and/or the legal documentation accompanied. We ensure premises have procedures and plans in place, as well as confident, trained individuals who’ll be able to take on the responsibility of keeping everybody safe. To read more on what fire safety we can support at your company visit our fire safety page here Fire Safety – MBO (mbosafetyservices.co.uk).
Just like this company, many employers fail to provide Working At Height training which is a common necessity missed by so many. Judging by the incidents we are seeing in articles too often there are fatalities or serious life changing injuries. Our Working At Height course is designed for anyone whose work involves using equipment such as stepladders, ladders, hoists, scaffolding etc. You will receive a certificate upon completion of the course. We do recommend that this course is renewed every three years. For more information on this course visit our Working at Height page here Training for Work at Height including Ladder | MBO Safety Services.
The article states that was a failure to the use of Personal Protective Equipment. PPE has to be supplied and used by all employers and employees; we were shocked to read that it was not being used in these circumstances where so many factors were presenting risks.
Finally, there was potential exposure to asbestos for the workers on this site. Asbestos still kills around 5000 workers each year, this is more than the number of people killed on the roads, around 20 tradesmen die each week as a result of past exposure. However, asbestos is not just a problem of the past. It can be present today in any building built or refurbished before the year 2000. For more information on Asbestos Awareness or to book with our course please visit the page at Training for UKATA Asbestos Awareness | MBO Safety Services.
Call us on 01691 688723 or email us at info@mbo.ltd to receive a quote for any of our services. To read more on any of our training courses listed above and the many more we can offer, visit our Training page here Health and Safety Training – Safety Training | MBO Safety Services.
Source of information for this article HSE: Information about health and safety at work.