With figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) revealing that almost nine in 10 (88.5%) of the 2,381 vans it weighed last year were overloaded, Venson Automotive Solutions is urging van owners to ensure their vehicles are safe and legally road compliant. Van operators need to take into consideration how their vehicles are used, including the working environment …

A window fitting company has been fined for safety failings after a worker falls from building a total of three metres while installing glazed units.

A Darlington man has been jailed for carrying out illegal gas work on three occasions. Teeside Magistrates’ Court heard Neil Simon McKimm (trading as Macs Plumbing Services) carried out gas work including servicing boilers. McKimm used the alias of a legitimate gas engineer to deceive his customers. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Neil McKimm …

Build UK, the building contractors association, has released a new industry standard covering the use of different coloured hard hats on construction sites.

A Scaffold company in Bridgend has been fined for safety failings following a routine inspection. Llanelli Magistrates’ Court heard how OW Scaffolding was working at Heol y Parc, Cefneithin when they had a routine inspection which highlighted several safety failings. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident which occurred on 30 September 2015 found that …

Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions has been fined £2.6 million after an employee was killed when the trench he was working in collapsed on him in Lancashire. On the 14 April 2010, James Sim, a 32-year-old  sub-contractor working on behalf of Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions, was working in a trench, laying ducting for new cable for an offshore windfarm that was …

A Birmingham maintenance company has been fined after a worker died after falling 14 foot from the roof of a five-storey building. Birmingham Crown Court heard how H20 Plumbing Services Limited were contracted to carry out repairs to two motor rooms situated on the roof of a building on Hagley Road, Birmingham. Two workers set up a station immediately outside …

A demolition company from Nottinghamshire has been fined for safety failings following a report to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Leicester Magistrates’ Court heard how Prodem Demolition and Asbestos Limited were removing tiles from a domestic property when they were reported to the HSE for unsafe work at height activity. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) …

A roofing company based in Exeter has been fined after an employee fell through a roof light. North and East Devon Magistrates’ Court heard how an employee of Haran Limited fell approximately three metres to the ground below. He suffered injuries to his head, wrist and hip. He and two colleagues had been working on an asbestos cement roof in …

A roofing firm from Malton has been fined for safety breaches after a worker fractured his skull following a fall from height. Mitchell Roofing Ltd, was contracted to replace existing rooflights at Monk Bridge Construction Co Ltd, Elvington, York. The injured worker slipped and fell some seven metres through the inner roof sheet sustaining severe injuries. During its investigation, the …

Fiat Professional, official partner of The Football League, has today launched the Fiat Professional Tradesman Trials, a nation-wide search to find a tradesman who has the talent to make it as a professional footballer. The move from the trades to professional football is a well-trodden path.  There is a long list of past and present players starting out as tradesmen …

A businessman who illegally carried out annual gas safety checks at tenanted properties despite not being a registered gas engineer has received a suspended prison sentence. Sven Biesterfeldt, who was formally based in Cornwall and uses a number of other names including Tom Williams, potentially put tenant’s lives at risk by carrying out the safety checks and fraudulently filled out …

A pub worker has been sentenced for illegally installing gas pipework and a gas boiler at a flat in Torquay. Geoffrey Voss, aged 59, who works as a barman at a pub in Torquay, installed the gas pipework and gas boiler at a flat on Old Torwood Road, Torquay despite him holding no competencies in gas work and despite him …

A signage company based in Sheffield, has been fined after a worker fell five metres from a flat roof. Chesterfield Magistrates’ Court heard how Warburton Signs Limited were contracted to erect a large sign to the gable end of an industrial building. Three fitters accessed a neighbouring flat roof to fit the sign when one worker fell from the roof. …

A Derbyshire based construction company has been fined after a worker was seriously injured when he fell through a void. Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard how a worker employed by a sub-contractor working for Bowmer and Kirkland Limited, was contracted to pour concrete onto the first floor of a building that was under construction at Fort Kinnaird Retail Park, Edinburgh. The …

Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard how two employees of 24-Hour Maintenance Services Limited disturbed asbestos insulating board (AIB) whilst they were doing refurbishment work at a former commercial premises undergoing conversion into flats, in Romford, London. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident which occurred between mid-July 2014 and 11 August 2014 found that the client …

Travis Perkins has revealed the industry’s biggest headaches as part of its pledge to support customers by promoting and encouraging innovation. After speaking to contractors, housebuilders, manufacturers and staff, a number of common industry-wide problems became clear. The UK weather was a shared frustration, with high levels of rain blamed for construction delays, muddy working environments and the reduced effectiveness …

A London based construction company has been fined for safety failings. Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard how RS Construction UK (London) Limited was working at a site on St Dionis Road, London which was inspected by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The inspector found there was an excavation directly behind the front door, which was the only entrance and exit …

A self-employed contractor has been fined after an employee was fatally crushed when the trench he was working in collapsed on him.

A Hertfordshire based contractor has been found guilty for a series of safety failings across two separate sites. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) received a complaint in March 2014 from a member of the public living close to the former Chesham Community Hospital site in Buckinghamshire, concerning activities taking place on the premises. When HSE inspectors arrived they found …