In Court

Manager and firm fined despite no reported cases of injury or ill-health

Alison Fava

A company and its general manager have been fined for failing to maintain health and safety standards at work after multiple improvement notices were issued.

Cambridge Magistrates Court were told how Cambridge Timbertec Ltd had received six previous improvement notices and written advice.  It had initially complied with these notices but then failed to maintain standards.

A HSE inspection visit on the 12 March 2015 resulted in three Prohibition Notices and four Improvement Notices. The inspection found the company should have adopted standards identified in previous inspections and not allowed them to lapse.

Cambridge Timbertec Ltd of Warren Road, Suffolk pleaded guilty to breaching:

• Regulation 7 (1) of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
• Regulation 5(1) of The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005,
• Regulation 11(1) of The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
• Regulation 11(1) (B) of Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

The company was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,000.

Mr Craig Butler of 46 Warren Road, Suffolk pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 with regard to the four above charges; he was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay costs of £700.

Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Sandra Dias said: “This case highlights the importance of continuing to comply with health and safety law. The HSE will consider prosecuting both a company and individuals even if there are no reported cases of injury or ill-health.

“Duty holders have the responsibility to ensure they have suitable competent advice to be able to fully understand the risks employees face, and implement adequate control measures so they can work safely. They also need to ensure they are able to identify early signs of deteriorating health which may be an indication of inadequate control measures. In this case Cambridge Timbertec Ltd and its General Manager failed to do so.”