Court Reminds Employers of Need for Providing Sanitation Facilities
March 19th, 2010 March 19th, 2010 Posted in Doing Business, Health Issues, Legal + MoreComments Off
Employers are supposed to provide basic amenities to their employees, including sanitation facilities. Recently, the boss of Bridlington building firm had to cough up a hefty fine after being prosecuted by the HSE.
This happened at the construction site of a building firm based at Flamborough, Bridlington. Investigation conducted by the HSE at a construction site at High Green, Bridlington where a pair of cottages were being constructed, showed that the firm, Bryan Brown and Son had failed to provide adequate sanitation facilities at the site. The toilet unit had no plumbing fittings; there was no water supply available to the sinks or toilet and towels and soaps were also missing.
After taking note of such lack of facilities during its first visit to the site on 23 July 2009, the HSE issued an improvement notice, asking the firm to provide the amenities by 17 August 2009. However, on a visit two days after the deadline, the HSE only found a minor change: now, the toilet had a sewage outlet. But the other problems like lack of water supply to the sinks and toilet, or soaps and wipes, had not been attended to.
The HSE again inspected the site on 17 September 2009. It was found that some improvements had been carried out, for instance, the toilet unit had a water supply and soap and towels were present. However, the sinks in the cabin and the toilet unit still did not have a running water supply and thus the HSE decided to prosecute the firm.
The case came up before the Bridlington Magistrates Court. Mr. Brown pleaded guilty to two counts of violation of heath and safety directives, following which he was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,215.
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