Marine company put diver’s life at risk
The owner of a Falmouth marine company has been fined £10,000 for a raft of safety breaches which put one of its diver’s lives at serious risk.
Kenneth Dunstan, trading as Mylor Marine Maintenance of Marlowe Bridge, was found to be in breach of four diving safety regulations, one of which presented such a serious risk that diving was stopped with immediate effect.
Kenneth Dunstan of Saltbox Road, Mylor Bridge, Falmouth pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 6(2)(a), 6(3)(a), 6(3)(b) and 6(3)(d) of the Diving at Work Regulations 1997 and was fined at total of £10,000 (£2,500 for each charge) with costs of £2,000.
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Care home fined £65k over Preston mother’s death
The owners of a Preston care home have been fined £65,000 following the death of a 40-year-old mother-of-one, who became trapped between a mattress and a bed rail.
Charlotte Young, who suffered from Huntingdon’s disease, was found unconscious on 3 June 2008 at the Sue Ryder Care Home in Cuerden Hall, Bamber Bridge, and died later that morning in hospital.
Sue Ryder Care, of King Street in Sudbury, Suffolk, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 after it failed to manage the risks associated with the use of bedrails. It was ordered to pay £35,000 towards the cost of the prosecution in addition to the fine on 27 June 2011.
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Two firms guilty over Legionella risk
Fines and costs totalling nearly £250,000 have been imposed on two firms after workers and members of the public were put at risk of exposure to the potentially fatal waterborne Legionella bacteria.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard HSE inspectors found Eaton Ltd had failed to properly manage the water cooling systems used in manufacturing processes at its plant in Thorns Road, Brierley Hill.
Aegis Ltd, which had been contracted to provide water treatment services (now trading from its Tamworth address as Aegis Water Treatment Ltd), was also found to have failed significantly in its duties.
Eaton Ltd, whose head office is based in Fareham, Hampshire, pleaded guilty and was fined £80,000 for breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and Section 3(1) of the Act and ordered to pay £45,000 costs.
Aegis Ltd was found guilty at a trial in May and today was fined £40,000 for breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and ordered to pay £80,000 costs.
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Workers’ injuries lead to fines for plastering firm
A specialist plastering contractor has been fined after two workers were seriously injured during construction of Derby’s Westfield shopping centre.
Clark & Fenn Skanska Ltd, of Denham Way, Maple Cross, Ricksmansworth, Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 8(1) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 for failing to ensure the lifting of materials was properly planned, supervised and carried out in a safe manner. They were fined £5,000 and ordered them to pay full costs of £11,348.
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Cornwall caravan site owner operated without gas safety certificate
A caravan at a site in Cornwall was rented out without gas safety certificates, a court heard today (1 July).
The site’s owner, Shirley Cooper, was give a two year conditional discharge at Bodmin Magistrates’ Court and ordered to pay £3,000 costs after failing to ensure gas appliances in the caravan were in a safe condition.
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Cornwall timber firm fined £20,000 after worker’s panel saw injury
A teenage worker severed part of his hand while operating a vertical panel saw on which he had received little training, a court heard.
Lewis Maker, 18-years-old at the time of the incident, was using the panel saw to cut a piece of board, which he was holding steady with his left hand. As he operated the saw his hand got dragged into the blade and the top half was cut off. Although surgeons were able to reattach part of his hand, he has regained very little use.
Frame Homes (South West) Ltd, of Jenson House, Cardrew Industrial Estate, Redruth, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £13,700 in costs.
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