No guarding on machine leads to £16,000 fine

1 min

Posted on 06 Oct 2015

A specialist piling contractor has been fined after it was found to be operating a powerful rig without a safety guard around the rotating auger.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector made an inspection of the site and witnessed the piling rig in operation without a safety guard.

HSE had previously visited three sites where the same company had been carrying out work and had raised concerns about the guarding standards on each occasion.

The company was fined a total of £16,000 and ordered to pay nearly £5,000 in costs after pleading guilty to breaches of Regulation 11(1)(a) of PUWER 1998 and Regulation 13(2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007.

Recommendations

Ensure all machinery has adequate guarding in place

Investigate any reports of a gap in health and safety management

A monitoring programme of inspecting all machinery will support the identification of defective guarding or other machinery issues

Doyle Clayton can support your business with providing health and safety advice and support. Please contact Sally Beck for further information.

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