A company that manufactures and sells medical devices for the healthcare industry has been fined for failing to adequately control the risk to its employees from exposure to vibration when using vibrating tools. .<\/p>\n
Newport Magistrates\u2019 Court heard that employees of Frontier Plastics Ltd, a subsidiary of Verna Group International Limited of Chorley, worked at the company\u2019s Blackwood site in Gwent for long periods of time using vibrating tools including strimmers, hedge cutters, grinders, drills and linishers, without suitable controls to reduce the risks.\u00a0 As a result, two employees, the earliest of which had started at the company using vibrating tools in 1991, are suffering ill-health from hand arm vibration.<\/p>\n
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that before August 2019 the company, \u00a0failed to; adequately assess the risks of using vibrating tools, put in place measures to control the risk, provide suitable information, instruction and training on the risks to employees and place the employees under suitable health surveillance to monitor their condition.<\/p>\n
Frontier Plastics Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and has been fined \u00a3246,000\u00a0 and ordered to pay costs of \u00a315,788.<\/p>\n
Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Sian Donne said: \u201cThis was a case of the company completely failing to grasp the importance of managing exposure to vibration.\u00a0 HAVS is a serious, disabling and permanent condition.\u00a0 If the company had put in place suitable controls to reduce exposure and health surveillance to monitor workers\u2019 health, then the employees\u2019 condition would not have developed to a severe and life altering stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Employers have a legal responsiblity to ensure that a suitable assessment is carried out for their employees who are exposed to risks from hand-arm vibration and that suitable health surveillance is carried out.<\/p>\n