23 Feb February

In this month’s newsletter we cover

• Help the Lighthouse Club spread awareness on mental health in the Construction industry, through their ‘Help Inside the Hard Hat’ campaign. Take a look at their website and take advantage of ordering from their free resources.
• A Company has been fined £20,000 for health and safety failings at building site. Daniel Taylor Builder and Architectural Woodworker Limited, of Wheelwrights Yard, Congleton, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The company was fined £20,000 following its early guilty plea and ordered to pay £1,507.71 in costs at South Cheshire Magistrates’ Court on 8 February 2023. David William Taylor, pleaded guilty to breaching section 37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Mr Taylor, 77, was fined £10 by the district judge, taking into account totality of sentencing this defendant as a director of the company, his early guilty plea, positive references and his cooperation with HSE enforcement action. HSE inspector Sinead Martin said: “This type of proactive prosecution will highlight to the construction industry that HSE will not hesitate to prosecute companies for repeated breaches of the law. “Good management of health and safety on site is crucial to the successful delivery of a construction project and principal contractors have an important role in managing the risks of construction work and ensuring that safety measures are implemented.”
• Company and director fined after HSE inspectors find unusable toilet – HSE inspector Emma Bitz said: “Providing suitable and sufficient toilets is an absolute duty and there is no exception to them being provided or made available. The reality is that many of the smaller sites we inspect don’t have basic facilities at all. “Inspectors will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against employers who fail to comply with an Improvement Notice.  Welfare is a fundamental and necessity for workers. It is also required by law.” Having pleaded guilty on 18 January 2023 to breaching Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974,  ID8 Design and Build Ltd, of Blatchington Road, Hove, East Sussex, was fined £1334 and ordered to pay costs of £1748. Having pleaded guilty on 18 January 2023 to breaching Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 by virtue of Section 37(1) of the act, ID8 Design and Build Ltd director Adeel Bhatti, of Blatchington Road, Hove, East Sussex, was fined £416 and ordered to pay costs of £1622.07.