A company that specialises in the cutting, shaping and finishing of stone has been fined £30,000 for breaches of health and safety and failing to follow advice previously given by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in 2016.
During a routine inspection of the company’s premises in Great Milton, Oxfordshire, in February 2022, it was found the company was not managing the risks from stone cutting activities. Machines were inadequately guarded, large quantities of stone were stored at an unsafe height in damaged wooden packaging, crates and stone dust had accumulated in quantities which could affect a worker’s health.
HSE took action as the company failed to carry out risk assessments and put in place reasonably practicable measures. This included providing training, installing suitable guards to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery, implementing a safe system for storing stone and protecting against the risks from stone dust by providing local exhaust ventilation (LEV), suitably rated vacuum cleaners and health surveillance for stonemasons.
HSE Prosecutor told Oxford Magistrates’ Court: “The risk of inhaling respirable crystalline silica includes, developing silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or lung cancer and, as such, cutting stone is a high-risk work activity in respect of which appropriate control measures are required.”
He added that the company had previously been convicted of an earlier health and safety offence in 2020, following an accident.
The company based in Oxford pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £30,000 and was ordered to pay £6,050 costs at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on 28 November 2023.
Sentencing the company, The District Judge said: “I am very clear that it was fortunate that no-one was injured.”
After the hearing, HSE inspector said: “The fine imposed on the company should underline to everyone that the courts and HSE take a failure to follow the regulations extremely seriously.
“Those in control of work have a responsibility to manage the risks arising from their undertaking by assessing those risks and implementing appropriate controls. They then support this by providing information, instruction, training and supervision to their workers to ensure they work safely and free from risks to their health. For some hazardous substances, health surveillance may be required.”
Stoneworkers can suffer ill health and disease caused by Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) in the stone dust that they breathe in.
In November 2023, MBO Safety Services published a blog in relation to the industry lead campaign on HSE’s Dust Kills Health Campaign – A snapshot of good and bad practices of how workers’ exposure to dust is being managed and controlled on construction sites across Great Britain has been revealed. For the full blog click here.
HSE’s Dust Kills campaign raised awareness of the inspections necessary and provided helpful advice, information and guidance for employers and workers. Almost two million connections were made to the campaign via the social media channels alongside extensive stakeholder and press coverage.
If you need any assistance in completing High Risk COSHH Assessments, suitable risk assessments, method statements or appropriate training to ensure compliance, please contact us by email info@mbo.ltd or by phone 08000 842297 and we would be happy to help.
SOURCE HSE