
![]() |
Mark Sennett
Managing Editor |
![]() |
Kelly Rose
Editor |
Home> | Health & Wellbeing | >General Health & Wellbeing | >Kent company in court after repeating safety offence |
Kent company in court after repeating safety offence
17 December 2014
A Kent firm that makes safety surfaces for playgrounds has been fined after it failed to heed warnings from safety experts to properly guard dangerous machinery.
Sittingbourne-based Island Leisure Products was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an inspector carried out a routine visit to the company on 11 December 2013.
Sevenoaks Magistrates heard on 16 Decembver that Island Leisure had been issued with a prohibition notice in June 2010 when another inspector had found a milling machine being used without any guards to protect workers from dangerous moving parts. The notice prevented any further use of the machine until effective guarding was installed, and was originally complied with.
However, during the December 2013 visit, HSE found the same machine in use, but again with no safety guarding.
HSE prosecuted the company for failing to ensure that effective guarding was in place to prevent operators from getting too close to the rotating parts of the machine.
Island Leisure Products of Castle Road, Sittingbourne Kent, was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay £2,500 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations.
After the case, HSE inspector Joanne Williams said: "Fortunately, no one at the factory was injured but this was down to chance rather than any good management. Island Leisure once again neglected safety and seemed to have disregarded any lesson learned from HSE’s enforcement action on the exact same machine back in 2010.
- Businessman in court after worker loses forearm
- Contractors in court after leisure centre roof fall
- Construction firm in court after worker fractures spine in roof fall
- Global firms sentenced after worker killed
- HGV company fined after worker’s death
- Firm fined after dairy worker seriously injured in fall
- Construction giant and subcontractor in court after metal frame collapsed
- Window fitter in court after worker suffered fatal head injuries
- Safety failings land scaffolding firm in court
- Company fined after worker fell through fragile skylight
- BSIF: Covid-19 Update
- Dust tight
- SAFEContractor for 5th year
- BSC welcomes proposals to slash legal costs in personal injury claims
- Get some insight
- Asbestos remains number one killer
- Chemical exposure course goes more than skin deep
- Getting workers involved in safety
- Dual drug testing
- On-site health screening