Around 118 people were forced to evacuate when a fire broke out at a Hertfordshire sheltered housing block for elderly people. Firefighters attended the Wormley Court block of warden-controlled flats in Broxbourne just before 4.00pm on Thursday 19 November and had to rescue 20 people from the building. At the height of the blaze, 12 appliances were in attendance and… read more →
The high street retailer New Look has been fined £400,000 and ordered to pay £136,052 in costs after pleading guilty to serious breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the “RRO”). It is the largest fine under the RRO. London Fire Brigade prosecuted New Look following a serious fire at their Oxford Street store on 26 April 2007.… read more →
A bank has lost its appeal against a landmark ruling that it failed to cater for the needs of a disabled teenager. The original ruling at Sheffield County Court was the first of its kind and set a legal precedent that could have implications for other service providers, legal experts said afterwards. The bank told the Court of Appeal it… read more →
Two construction companies have been ordered to pay over £200,000 in total after one man died and another was seriously injured when a concrete slab collapsed at Heathrow Airport in 2005, despite an earlier recall of defective equipment. The HSE prosecuted the principal contractor, Laing O’Rourke Infrastructure Limited and SGB Services Limited, a supplier of construction equipment, over the incident.… read more →
A bed and breakfast owner has been fined £3415 and ordered to pay costs of £4900 after failing to comply with two enforcement notices. Michael Scott-Hake of the Edwardian in Heavitree Road, Exeter was prosecuted as the responsible person by Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority at Exeter Magistrates Court on 16 October. The enforcement orders related to sub-standard… read more →
North East Essex Primary Care Trust was today fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,972 after a vulnerable and partially-sighted patient it was responsible for fell 4.3 metres from a first floor window at Clacton & District Hospital. The retired 68-year-old suffered a blow to the head and broke his pelvis, shoulder and coccyx in the fall in… read more →
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning landlords to be extra vigilant in ensuring the properties they own contain safe gas appliances that are correctly checked and certified. It follows the sentencing today (28 October) of landlord Helen Jayne Beckett, of Lodge Hill, Addingham, Ilkley, who was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £1,500 costs. Ms Beckett pleaded guilty… read more →
A council accused of ignoring complaints from staff about a health and safety risk has paid £10,250 in compensation after an employee damaged her back. Sharon Kerry, the hostel duty officer for Leicester City Council, was putting money into a safe when she hurt her back in October 2007. Sharon’s accident was found to have accelerated a pre-existing back condition… read more →
High Street favourite JD Sports was fined for displaying misleading prices at one of its stores. The retailer, trading as JD Sports Fashion PLC, was fined £200 with £240 costs at Bangor Magistrates Court in Co Down, after pleading guilty to one offence under the Consumer Protection From Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 of giving a misleading price indication to consumers… read more →
The Health and Safety Executive is warning food companies about the need for suitable risk assessments and adequate guarding of machinery after a company was fined today at Oxford Magistrates Court, following an incident where one of its employees was left with a permanently disfigured hand. Spread Newco Four Ltd, formally known as Queen of Hearts (UK) Ltd, whose head… read more →
