Bedfordshire farm prosecuted for health and safety issues
A Bedfordshire farm is fined for lack of safety and health. The farm did not complete legal documentation regarding work in an area with overhead power cables. The court heard about a 2010 incident with an employee of the farm who was working with compost in a lorry trailer that was being tipped onto the ground. The trailer was exposed to a 33kV power line. The incident did not involve any injuries, but the issue was enough to bring out the HSE to investigate with health and safety audits. It was determined by the HSE that workstation risk assessments were not completed properly to make certain workers would pay attention to the risks on the job, including overhead power lines.
This neglect of legal documentation could have led to a serious injury. Fire could have also been a result of the power lines being touched by the trailer if sparks had ignited anything. The hazards need to be recognised by the workers, but they also have to be trained properly for what to expect. A company always has a duty of care to keep workers safe. The company will be fined £1,500 and £500 in additional costs. The company was not guilty of a second breach with Regulation 4(3). It is a small concession that they were not found guilty of the second breach, as this would have meant additional fines, but it does seem the company has learned from their mistake.
