Cornwall sawmill fined for ignoring health and safety enforcement notices
Firm and director faced penalties after failing to protect workers
Truro Sawmills Limited, a timber company based in Penhallow, Cornwall, has been fined £20,000 for not complying with health and safety improvement notices issued by inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The company, which processes timber and manufactures products including gates and fencing panels, faced enforcement actions due to inadequate worker protection from wood dust and unsafe practices with lift trucks.
According to HSE, Truro Sawmills failed to ensure employees received proper training for rider-operated lift trucks and did not conduct face fit tests for respiratory protective equipment to safeguard workers from wood dust. These oversights result in increased health risks like respiratory illness and cancer.
Investigators found that the company violated Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 by ignoring three improvement notices aimed at making the workspace safer for its employees.
Alistair Wright, the Managing Director, also pleaded guilty to breaching an Improvement Notice requirement. As a consequence, the court decided to disqualify him from acting as a company director for five years following a successful application by the HSE.
The penalties imposed include £20,000 in fines and £5,000 in costs for Truro Sawmills Limited, while Mr Wright received a £5,000 fine and was ordered to pay £2,500 in costs.
HSE principal inspector, Melissa Lai-Hung, emphasised the gravity of the situation, stating, “Exposure to wood dust can cause asthma, respiratory conditions, and cancer – yet this firm failed to act on legally-binding notices served by health and safety inspectors to protect their workforce. Firms should be left in no doubt that companies and individuals who do not comply with health and safety legislation will be held accountable.”
For more details on health and safety regulations and training guidelines, relevant resources are available through the HSE website.