Sheffield company fined £200,000 after failing to protect employees from permanent condition

Sheffield company fined £200,000 after failing to protect employees from permanent condition.

A manufacturing company in Sheffield has been fined £200,000 after two workers suffered the life- changing condition, vibration white finger.

Ross & Catherall Limited is a company which manufactures and supplies metal bars for the aerospace and automotive industries. The two employees developed hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) after the constant use of vibrating tools over the years throughout the company’s manufacturing process.

HAVS is a permanent disabling condition which around 2 million people in the UK are at risk of developing. It is caused by using hand-held tools used over a significant period of time, with the vibrations damaging the nerves.

This causes pins and needles in the hand, as well as numbness and ultimately reduced strength. The damage to the blood vessels, nerves, and joints can also create the inability to do fine work and may eventually cause carpal tunnel syndrome. Cold conditions can further trigger painful finger blanching attacks. This condition is frequently reported by workers as a result of their field of employment.

Resource: Hand arm vibration at work – .GOV

This company in particular had no protective measures in place to control the excessive exposure of vibrations to their employees, shown by the Health and Safety Executive investigation held after the worker’s diagnosis. There was no hand-arm vibration risk assessment in place to establish the level of vibration exposed to the employees, nor was there any control measures in place to reduce these levels.

Ross & Catherall Limited failed to ensure that the health surveillance of its employees was sufficient in order to protect the operators from the painful condition they were at risk of developing.

On Monday 17^th July 2023, the company pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Consequently, they were fined £200,000 and ordered to pay £7,605 in costs at Derby Magistrates’ Court.

WHAT TO DO NEXT

If you have been affected by Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome or any other kind of industrial disease, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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