Construction products firm failed to protect workers from vibration risks for long period

摘要

Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK has been fined £500,000, with costs of £9,453, after three workers were diagnosed with Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). The fine, which equates to 1.1% of the company's most recent pretax profit, is the second significant fine imposed on Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK in the past 13 months, following a fine of £400,000 in February 2020 for unconnected failures at a different site. The latest prosecution centred on the company's foundry in Telford. The first diagnosis of an employee with HAVS at the foundry was made in 2016, with the company notifying the HSE of the case on 18 September 2017, with the HSE's initial enquiries beginning the same month.