Poor health and safety management should not be happening in any business. The past year has taught us of the importance of ensuring the health, safety, and welfare of employees, customers, visitors, the vulnerable, and many others.
Poor health and safety practices leads to a poor reputation, higher insurance costs, poor productivity, increased accidents and ill health.
It can also lead to prosecution, as the following businesses have found out recently.
A well known house builder was fined £140,000 plus costs, and a subcontractor £20,000 plus costs at Southampton Magistrates Court in December after an electrician suffered a punctured lung and multiple fractures after falling through plasterboard loft flooring. (More information here).
A company was fined £2million plus costs in November after an employee using high pressure water jetting equipment was struck by the end of the flexi lance and killed. Inappropriate measures to protect the employee were in place (More information here).
A manufacturing company was fined £520,000 plus costs in October after an employee suffered serious brain injuries after being hit by a fork lift truck. The company had inadequate control of workplace risks, including signage, pedestrian / vehicle segregation and no safe pedestrian crossings. (More information here).
A construction logistics provider employee was killed after being hit by a reversing 26 tonne waste lorry. The company was fined £850,000 plus costs at Southwark Crown Court in November. (More information here).
A company was fined £200,000 plus costs at Kidderminster Magistrates Court in December after an employee suffered multiple fractures after 1.5 tonnes of titanium plate fell from the bed of a metal cutting band saw machine. (More information here)
The sole director of a property development company was sentenced to 4 months imprisonment (suspended for 15 months), 120 hours unpaid work, and ordered to pay £12000 compensation to a member of the public in November for failing to prevent the collapse of excavated walls, leading to loss of property and a risk of residents being buried by the walls. (More information here)
These are just a few. Poor health and safety really is not worth the risk.