Breach of Health Regulations Leads to Fine for Company
Comments: 0 - Date: October 2nd, 2009 - Categories: Business Performance, Health Center, Lawyers Web
Prysmian Cables and Systems Ltd has been penalized by Crown Court of Southampton for incidents that occurred inside its premises during the period between January 3, 2006 and March 17, 2008.
The company accepted its guilt that involved breach of Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 on three counts, and was ordered to pay £27,500 as compensation and £10,700 as costs. The supervisors had not taken the measures required to check hazards that exposed employees to risky materials that included a skin irritant.
Such exposure resulted in an employee being affected with a serious case of dermatitis which had a shattering effect in his life, forcing him to resign from his job and also restricting his livelihood in the future to a bare minimum.
The HSE in this regard stated that all companies should work towards reducing the hazards of dermatitis and other ailments by taking up efficient hazard control processes and ensuring that all preventive measures are in place, so that employees are not directly exposed to such risky materials while working.
Health and Safety training can be provided by reputable companies, such as Workplace Law; their range of accredited courses by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH Courses) can assist companies in training staff to be aware of the proper health and safety procedures for all kinds of workplace situations. This course is for managers and supervisors in any sector and any organisation. It’s designed to give managers all they need to know to help handle health and safety in their teams.
Anne Bartlett, the HSE Specialist Inspector in Occupational Health, stated that this case best explains the requirement of employers to take dermatitis as seriously as any other health hazard. She said that though dermatitis can be averted easily, it is important to understand that it is not any simple rash that one can afford to neglect. Thus, employers should ensure that adequate systems are in place, such as physical protection, protective clothes, regular training, secure ways of work and periodic health examination.
