Protect your Employees or get Fined

Stratford-on-Avon District Council has once again been successfully enforcing the message that ignoring health and safety procedures in the workplace could land offenders in court following another recent successful prosecution.  

Haven Pastures was found guilty of being in contravention of section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, that "places a duty on the employers to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of their employees" at Stratford Magistrates' Court on 15 November.  

The golf club in Henley-in-Arden was fined £5,000, and a further sum of £5,000 was awarded to the District Council to cover costs.  

The local company's failure to comply with Health and Safety legislation led to one of their employees suffering a fracture, deep lacerations, nerve and tendon damage to his hand while in the process of carrying out maintenance to a piece of green-keeping machinery on which no training had been given.  

Workplace accidents must be reported to the Incident Contact Centre as soon as possible and no later than 10 days after they have happened. However, the Council's Public Protection Team at the District Council was not informed until 7 weeks later.  

Following the investigation of the company, it was found that they were poorly managed in terms of Health and Safety with various contraventions of the law taking place.  

"The Court has demonstrated that ignorance is no excuse for disregarding health and safety law." Says Councillor Simon Jackson, Executive Portfolio Holder for the Environment. 

"All employers have a responsibility to manage health and safety in the workplace and serious accidents like this illustrate what can go wrong when the law is ignored. It is so important for incidents to be reported to prevent more serious accidents from occurring, ignorance of legislation can lead to needless accidents to employees and cost businesses thousands as a consequence."