A pipe manufacturing company from Newport has been fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of nearly £30,000 after pleading guilty to offences under Regulations 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005.
It was heard by Newport Crown Court that employees of Asset International Ltd had been using vibrating tools without proper training or practical controls to reduce the damage caused by vibration.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that the company had carried out no suitable health surveillance or sufficient risk assessment. After the hearing HSE Inspector Joanne Carter said: “The serious and irreversible risks from Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome caused by work with vibrating tools are well known and guidance has been in place since the early 1990s. This case shows there is no excuse for not putting in place a management system which includes risk assessment, control measures, health surveillance and information and training to reduce these risks to as low a level as is reasonably practicable.”
The investigation was brought on after seven cases of HAVS (Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome) and CTS (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) were reported within just over one year. Both of these conditions can be avoided if suitable procedures and systems are in place to monitor the health of workers and to avoid the dangers of repetitive work wherever possible.
Employers have a duty to ensure the health and safety of their workers, and the avoidance of repetitive strain injuries is a part of that responsibility. By identifying potentially dangerous tasks and managing the risks therein, employees can perform their roles within a business safe in the knowledge that they are not risking damage themselves, in either the long or short term.
If you have developed a repetitive strain injury from your work and you believe it could have been avoided, you should contact one of our solicitors. We have years of experience in handling these types of claims and we’ll swiftly be able to tell you if you have a case, and if so, how much it could be worth. Don’t suffer in silence; contact us today.