A social housing provider in the UK has been fined £140,000 after two employees were exposed to serious health risks from the use of vibrating tools.
Stonewater Limited employed two estate assistants working at sites near Tanyard Farm in Coventry between 2018 and 2023. Their duties included ground maintenance tasks such as grass cutting, hedge trimming, litter picking and weeding. The regular use of lawn mowers, strimmers, hedge cutters and leaf blowers meant that the men were exposed to daily vibration, with one estimating that he spent 90% of his working day using such equipment.
Prolonged exposure to vibration can cause painful and disabling disorders of the hands and arms known as Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS). One of the affected workers, Christopher Smith, 60, described how he had lost fine motor skills and was now unable to complete basic daily tasks, including holding his grandchildren for fear of dropping them.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Stonewater had failed to carry out risk assessments, record exposure, or provide information and training. No system of health surveillance had been put in place.
Stonewater Limited, based in Leicester, admitted breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £140,000 and ordered to pay £3,742 in costs at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.
HSE inspector Charlie Rowe said the case showed how seriously courts take failures to follow safety regulations. He stressed that HAVS is a serious and disabling condition, warning that the regulator would not hesitate to act against employers who fall below required standards.
